If you are making a list of regions in New Zealand that have produced famous people and celebrities, then Christchurch is a-must mention. The region has produced a number of famous models, mountaineers, cricketers, musicians and personalities from other fields. Discussed below are some of the famous people from Christchurch.
Rob Hall
Ron Edwin Hall is a famous New Zealand mountaineer. Born and raised in Christchurch, Rob is known for his fatal Mt. Everest expedition. In 1996, he led a team to the mountains in which he, a guide and two others lost their lives. The event was so huge that an account of it was given in the movie “Into Thin Air”, which was later dramatised in the 2015 film “Everest”.
Dan Carter
Daniel William Carter is another popular figure from Christchurch. He is a player of the New Zealand national rugby team. He plays his club rugby at Blues, which is based in New Zealand. Dan Carter is the highest point scorer in a test match. Many consider him the greatest ever five-eigth in the history of rugby.
Hayley Westenra
Born on 10th April 1987, Hayley Dee Westenra is an accomplished songwriter and singer. She was raised in Christchurch during her early life. Hayley released her first album in 2003 which topped UK classical charts and sold over two million copies worldwide. This made the album one of the fastest selling in New Zealand’s history.
She was appointed UNICEF Ambassador and remains one of the youngest ambassadors to date. She is known for her ability to sing in many languages, i.e Latin, Portuguese, English, Maori, Spanish, Mandarin, Catalan, Chinese, Hokkien, Taiwanese, Irish and Welsh.
Shane Bond
This is another popular figure born and raised in Christchurch. Shane Edward Bond was born on 7th June 1975. He is the current coach of the Mumbai Indians cricket team, having had a successful career as a cricketer. He is described as the country’s best fast bowler since Richard Hadlee.
Shane played for New Zealand in Twenty20, Test and ODI tournaments and played for Canterbury in the domestic league. He also played for Warwickshire in the English domestic cricket league. Shane went in the record books when his right-arm fast delivery clocked 156.4 km/h against India during the 2003 cricket world cup.
Stephen Fleming
Born and raised in Christchurch, Stephen Paul Fleming is the current coach of New Zealand cricket team. He is also a former cricketer and captained the New Zealand national team in every tournament they participated in.
Fleming is known for his outstanding abilities on the pitch and the national team’s second most capped player with 111 appearances. He is also the longest serving captain and most successful one. He led New Zealand to 29 victories and series wins against England, India, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Michelle Ang
Michelle was born on 17 October, 1983 in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is a film and television actress based in New York City. Michelle has won several awards and nominated for an Emmy for her role in Fear the Walking Dead.
