Addington, New Zealand

Addington
Suburb
St Mary's Anglican Church, a central landmark of Addington St Mary's Anglican Church, a central landmark of Addington
Coordinates:
Country	New Zealand
City	Christchurch
Local authority	Christchurch City Council
Electoral ward	Riccarton Central
Community board	Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote
Established	1860
Area
• Land	263 ha (650 acres)
Population  (June 2025)
• Total	6,330
• Density	2,410/km2 (6,230/sq mi)
Postcode	8041

Upper Riccarton	Riccarton	Christchurch Central City
Middleton	File:Pfeil oben.svg File:Pfeil links.svgAddingtonFile:Pfeil rechts.svg File:Pfeil unten.svg	Sydenham
Hillmorton	Spreydon

Addington is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is sited 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) south-west of the city centre.

As an inner city suburb, Addington has a mix of residential, retail and light industrial properties.

Geography

Addington is sited between the suburbs of Spreydon and Riccarton, with Blenheim Road providing the boundary to Riccarton. The cluster of the shops in the suburb of Spreydon also provide a clear boundary between the suburbs. To the east of the suburb is Sydenham and to the west is Middleton.

History

See also: History of Christchurch

19th century

File:Addington Railway Workshops, 2 May 1898.jpg

Addington Railway Workshops, 2 May 1898

For the first decade after the founding of Christchurch in 1850, Addington was farmland, consisting of large rural sections. In the early 1860s the railway was surveyed through the area and subdivision of the larger sections began. Factories moved in; wool and grain sheds opened; and with the industry came residential development for workers.

Development continued throughout the 19th century. The city's sale yards opened in 1874 and the railway workshops were moved to Addington in 1880. By the time the show grounds were opened in 1887, Addington had become an important suburb in the industrial and social life of Christchurch. In 1874 the Addington Prison was built under the guidance of Benjamin Mountfort in Lincoln Road. The prison closed in 1999 and the Mountfort cell block and remaining perimeter walls are a Heritage New Zealand Historic Place Category 2 and is now a hostel.

The suburb was named for the country residence of Archbishop John Sumner, one of the leading members of the Canterbury Association, and who was buried in St Mary's Church, Addington in England.

20th century

The New Zealand Railways Department's Addington Workshops were situated in Addington until their closure in the 1990s. The historic concrete water-tower is the only remnant of the workshops. The tower has served as the centrepoint for the Tower Junction shopping complex.

A new Christchurch railway station at Addington opened in 1994 to replace the former station on Moorhouse Avenue. The station mainly serves the TranzAlpine which carries passengers on the 223-kilometre (139 mi) coast-to-coast journey from Christchurch to Greymouth.

Addington was the home of the oldest blending plant in the Southern Hemisphere until it was demolished after sustaining some damage in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The demolition of the plant sparked some controversy as the plant had been lined up to be carefully taken apart in an attempt to save Oregon timber valued at over $600,000.

Demographics

Addington comprises four statistical areas. Addington North is primarily industrial, with the Main South Line running through it. Addington West and Addington East are residential. Tower Junction has a shopping centre, Addington Racecourse, and light industrial premises, and also includes two rest homes, which result in an unusually high median age for residents.

Individual statistical areas

Name	Area (km2)	Population	Density (per km2)	Households	Median age	Median income
Addington North	0.43	12	28	3	26.0 years	$40,000
Addington West	0.56	2,409	4,302	786	35.8 years	$30,200
Addington East	0.57	2,937	5,153	1,200	31.8 years	$31,700
Tower Junction	1.07	120	112	12	80.6 years	$22,500
New Zealand					37.4 years	$31,800

Residential areas

The residential areas of Addington, comprising the statistical areas of Addington West and Addington East cover 1.13 km² (0.44 sq mi). They had an estimated population of 6,040 as of June 2025, with a population density of 5,345 people per km².

Historical population for residential areas

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	4,287	—
2013	5,031	+2.31%
2018	5,346	+1.22%
Source:

The statistical areas of Addington West and Addington East had a population of 5,346 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 315 people (6.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,059 people (24.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,986 households, comprising 2,817 males and 2,529 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.11 males per female, with 696 people (13.0%) aged under 15 years, 1,548 (29.0%) aged 15 to 29, 2,505 (46.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 597 (11.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 60.4% European/Pākehā, 10.7% Māori, 4.5% Pasifika, 29.8% Asian, and 4.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 41.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 40.1% had no religion, 41.7% were Christian, 0.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 4.3% were Hindu, 2.1% were Muslim, 1.1% were Buddhist and 4.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,212 (26.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 780 (16.8%) people had no formal qualifications. 399 people (8.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,544 (54.7%) people were employed full-time, 519 (11.2%) were part-time, and 183 (3.9%) were unemployed.

Addington North

Addington North covers 0.43 km² (0.17 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 110 as of June 2025, with a population density of 256 people per km².

Statistics New Zealand do not publish detailed statistics for areas of very low population.

Tower Junction

Tower Junction covers 1.07 km² (0.41 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 180 as of June 2025, with a population density of 168 people per km².

Historical population for Tower Junction

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	24	—
2013	39	+7.18%
2018	120	+25.21%
Source:

Tower Junction had a population of 120 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 81 people (207.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 96 people (400.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 12 households, comprising 42 males and 78 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.54 males per female. The median age was 80.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 3 people (2.5%) aged under 15 years, 15 (12.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15 (12.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 84 (70.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 80.0% European/Pākehā, 2.5% Māori, 5.0% Pasifika, and 15.0% Asian. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 30.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 22.5% had no religion, 70.0% were Christian and 2.5% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (10.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 45 (38.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 3 people (2.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 24 (20.5%) people were employed full-time, and 6 (5.1%) were part-time.

Economy

Tower Junction shopping centre is located in Addington, owned by Ngāi Tahu. It opened in 2002, and was redeveloped in 2018. It covers 37,000 m² and has 40 tenants, including Toyworld, Bunnings and Harvey Norman.

Features

File:Addington Cemetery - No Visitors.jpg

Addington Cemetery

The suburb is home to multiple sporting and events complexes, including Horncastle Arena, Rugby League Park (currently branded as Orangetheory Stadium), and Addington Raceway. Along with Riccarton Racecourse, the Raceway is one of Christchurch's primary horse-racing venues, focusing predominantly on harness racing, and is the home to the annual New Zealand Trotting Cup. Addington is also close to many other event venues, notably Hagley Park to the north and the Canterbury Agricultural Park to the southwest.

Central to Addington's residential area is St Mary's Anglican Church, which is a historic building surrounded by the spacious grounds and trees of Church Square. The grounds are used by the community for galas, pancake races (on Shrove Tuesday) fairs and weddings. The buildings and surrounding area is registered by Heritage New Zealand as a historic area, with registration number 7516.

Addington was also formerly home to an immigration barrack.

The Court Theatre, whose buildings were damaged in the earthquake, relocated to "The Shed" and started operating in 2011.

Manuka Cottage is a community house that serves the interests of a wide variety of people and local community groups.

Education

Addington School is sited in the south–west corner of the suburb where the boundary with Spreydon is not clearly defined. It is a contributing primary school for years 1 to 6. It has a roll of 340 students. The school opened in 1881 as West Christchurch Side School, the original building was built from timber but burnt down in 1909.

Sacred Heart School is a Catholic state-integrated full primary school for years 1 to 8. It has a roll of 179 students. Sacred Heart opened in 1877.