Southshore | |
|---|---|
 Southshore and South New Brighton | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 43°33′0″S 172°44′51″E / 43.55000°S 172.74750°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Christchurch |
| Local authority | Christchurch City Council |
| Electoral ward | Coastal |
| Community board | Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood |
| Area | |
| • Land | 124 ha (306 acres) |
| Population (2018 Census)[2] | |
| • Total | 1,041 |
| South New Brighton | ||
| (Avon Heathcote Estuary) |
  Southshore  |
(Pegasus Bay) |
| Sumner |
Southshore (Māori: Te Kōrero Karoro) is an eastern coastal suburb within Christchurch, New Zealand. It is sited on a narrow 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long sandspit that runs along the eastern side of the Avon Heathcote Estuary. The suburb is 8 km (5.0 mi) eastwards from the city centre and 5 km (3.1 mi) south from New Brighton's main retail area. Before urbanisation, the area was predominantly swampland, bordered by large sand dunes which had some Māori presence. The area holds historical and cultural importance to local Māori iwi because of the large amounts of resources and seafood gathered in the area prior to European occupation.
In its early years, the area was known locally to early European settlers as "Sandhills Run". They constructed baches and established a dairy station in the suburb. Southshore initially had very few permanent residents due to the absence of facilities and insufficient transportation; it was later urbanised after World War II. Southshore is part of the Coastal Ward for Christchurch City Council local body elections. Nationally, Southshore is part of the Christchurch East parliamentary electorate. The area was damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and 198 properties were red-zoned. Southshore is prone to coastal-related hazards such as tsunamis, and sea level rise.