Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Sep 04, 2020 •
On the third of September, 2010, I – like many Cantabrians – went to sleep safe in the assumption that Christchurch ‘didn’t have earthquakes’. It was something I took quiet reassurance in: growing up in the Wellington region, where earthquake drills and talk of ‘the Big One’ were omnipresent, it was something of a novelty to live somewhere with “no … Read More
Guest Author • Feb 22, 2019 •
Today is the eighth anniversary of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake. Ken Gledhill was the Director of GeoNet at the time and shares some memories from the time and reflects on how GeoNet has been shaped by the quake. Eight years ago on 22nd February, Christchurch was struck by a M6.2 earthquake that caused widespread destruction and tragically claimed the lives … Read More
Eric Crampton • May 03, 2018 •
We’ve known about the problems of publication bias at least since 1992. If it’s easier to get statistically significant results published than insignificant results, then there are whole literatures that become untrustworthy. Andrea Menclova at Canterbury is doing something about it. This has been a while in the making – we were talking about it when I was still at … Read More
Jean Balchin • Feb 19, 2018 •
Canterbury Museum is now the proud home of the world’s oldest penguin fossil and the world’s most complete specimen of any bird (also a penguin) that lived during the 10 million years following the extinction of the dinosaurs. Left to Right: Dr Paul Scofield, Dr Vanesa De Pietri and Dr Gerald Mayr with the skull of Rosie’s Penguin. The story … Read More
Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Feb 17, 2017 •
The first few years I lived in Christchurch, the Port Hills were a hazy mirage on my horizon. An undergraduate student – living in the suburbs neighbouring the university, without a car and distracted by the daily dramas of assignments, waking up in time for lectures and shaking off hangovers – they were just a sight to occasionally … Read More
Eric Crampton • Sep 04, 2016 •
In all the talk about a merger being the potential salvation for Lincoln University, I’ve yet to see anybody explain why Canterbury would want to merge with them. Canterbury merged with the old Christchurch teacher’s college while I was there. That college had a a bit of a commerce faculty; I think some of the folks who had there … Read More
Victoria Metcalf • Nov 06, 2015 •
If you were in Christchurch anytime over the last few weeks you would have probably noticed posters advertising the Big Science Day. This event, run by Science Alive and with funding from the Unlocking Curious Minds fund, an initiative within the government-led “A Nation of Curious Minds” programme, took place on a stunningly fine day, Saturday … Read More
John Pickering • Feb 27, 2015 •
There is little more precious than our health and that of those we love. “Research saves lives” is Canterbury Medical Research Foundation’s (CMRF) proudly held motto. The CMRF has been supporting the people of Canterbury for 55 years thanks to the generosity of Cantabrians. In that time they have funded more than $22 million in grants. Yesterday […] … Read More
Waiology • Sep 04, 2014 •
By Daniel Collins As a follow-up to Waiology’s article in June, here is a full map for the flooding of Christchurch on 5 March 2014. The map is derived from photos sent in by the public which were generally taken within a few hours of peak inundation. The blue colours represent the depth of water above the ground surface … Read More
Waiology • Nov 27, 2013 •
By Carl Hanson Nitrate concentrations in Canterbury groundwater have been prominent in the media recently. Headlines have included phrases like “ticking time bomb”, “scaremongering” and “freaking out much of Canterbury”. What I want to do in this article is to present the state of nitrate concentrations in Canterbury groundwater, and the trends we see in those … Read More