St Martins is an inner suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located two kilometres south of the city centre. Primarily a residential area, St Martins is host to a small shopping mall complex situated on Wilsons Road, the main thoroughfare through the suburb. Amenities include the Hansen, Centaurus and Saint Martins Parks. Geography As with most suburbs of Christchurch, St Martins does not have clearly defined boundaries and is unbound by law. The Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River is commonly used as a boundary for St Martins on three sides, separating the suburb from Beckenham to the west, Sydenham and Waltham to the north, and Opawa to the east. However, portions of these suburbs are also occasionally referred to as St Martins. The southern boundary of St Martins is traditionally associated with the bottom of the Port Hills, with the neighbouring suburbs of Huntsbury and Hillsborough occupying the hilly terrain to the south. Prior to European settlement, much of the suburb consisted of marshlands and swamp which were heavily connected to the ecosystem of the Ōpāwaho. Proximity to the river and the original state of the land have caused the area to suffer damage in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes which hit the region. In many areas of the city including St Martins, ground levels dropped by 20-30 centimetres, making the already low-lying areas adjacent to the river more susceptible to flooding during periods of heavy rain. History The land was purchased by Henry Phillips in the early days of European settlement and converted into an orchard, which Phillips held for himself and his family. It was Phillips who first named the area St Martins, although the exact origin of this is unclear. One likely contender is that it was named after Saint Martin's Hall in London, where a gathering of Canterbury pilgrims (who Phillips was associated with) was held immediately prior to their departure for Christchurch. The orchard was first subdivided by Phillips in 1863 using the name St Martins, which appeared in official sources fifteen years later. As with many neighbouring suburbs, the area steadily grew throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with amenities being developed through lobbying by locals. In 1923, a community group from St Martins led by a local bricklayer and trade unionist received support from Christchurch City Council to build a library as a compromise option from the group's original aim of a community