History

Hundreds of years ago, the wild, wide-open space, now know as Wigram, was home to weka – and a hunting ground for local Ngāi Tahu.

Sir Henry Wigram, 1857-1934

It first appears in European records, in 1884, as “Plumpton Park”. Named after a racing park in England, it was a popular venue for gallops, trots, and organised hare hunts.

In 1901, however, the racing club using the land moved to new grounds in Riccarton and the park reverted to farmland.

In 1916 Sir Henry Wigram a successful Christchurch businessman, and mayor, with a passion for aviation, established the Canterbury Aviation Company and land was purchased for what was then called “Sockburn Airport”. The airport was used as the base for a private flying school training pilots for World War I and entry into Britain’s Royal Flying Corps.

In August 1920, Wigram was the starting point for the first air crossing of Cook Strait by Captain Euan Dickson of the Canterbury Aviation Company. Carrying two passengers and some mail the Avro 504K biplane flew via Kaikoura and Blenheim landing in the Hutt Valley.

Aerial view showing the progress of the building at the RNZAF Flying Training School, Wigram aerodrome, 1936.

After World War 1 ended, attempts to support the airfield through scheduled public flights proved unsuccessful and in 1923, the government took over converting Sockburn Airport to a military base and renaming it “Wigram Aerodrome”. Sir Henry Wigram continued his support, gifting land and funds to buy a Gloster Glebe fighter.

In 1928 Wigram captured the imagination of the nation when Charles Kingsford-Smith made the first Trans-Tasman flight from Sydney to Christchurch. The arrival was broadcast live on radio. A plaque on the landing site still commemorates the event.

After more than 90 years, the air base closed to air force training in 1995, and in February 2009 to commercial air traffic.

Today, the Air Force Museum of New Zealand (www.airforcemuseum.co.nz) remembers Wigram’s proud history and the Kiwis who fought for their country. Visit it at 45 Harvard Avenue, open
10am – 5pm daily. Admission is free. Or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Information and images courtesy of The Christchurch City Library