Ferrymead Heritage Festival 2026

Friday 16–Monday 26 October 2026

Discover the people, places and stories that have shaped Canterbury at the Ferrymead Heritage Festival.

Across 11 days, Ferrymead Heritage Park will host talks, exhibitions, demonstrations, music and special events exploring local history, Antarctic connections, transport, genealogy, faith, working women, military history and the people who serve our communities.

Festival programme

Friday 16 October – Arrivals

1pm – Kā Huru Manu: The Ngāi Tahu Mapping Project
Takerei Norton, Ngāi Tahu Archive

Discover Kā Huru Manu, the digital atlas recording more than 1,200 traditional Ngāi Tahu place names, histories, travel routes and original Māori reserves. Takerei Norton will explain how the project was developed and explore traditional names and maps from across Canterbury.

2pm – The First Arrivals
Mark Oldfield, Canterbury Pilgrims Association

Journey back to the beginnings of European settlement in Canterbury. Hear about the hopes, challenges and experiences of the settlers who arrived aboard the First Four Ships in 1850 and the communities they helped establish.

3pm – The Photography of Dr Alfred Charles Barker
Paulien Martens, Canterbury Museum

Explore the remarkable photographic collection of Alfred Charles Barker, one of Canterbury’s earliest photographers. His images offer a rare view of Christchurch, its people and its changing landscape during the province’s formative years.