Rolleston originated as a railway terminus in 1866, and is named after the Canterbury statesman William Rolleston. Rolleston, who was born in Yorkshire in 1831 and died in 1903, served as Superintendent of the Province of Canterbury from 1868 until 1876. He also served as a Member of Parliament, holding various Cabinet portfolios. Selwyn District Council proposed an industrial subdivision, Izone, in 2000. The council purchased rural land adjacent to the Main South Line opposite the township of Rolleston, in the following year. The Warehouse Group has its South Island distribution centre at Izone.
Demographics
Until 1990 the town had only a few sealed streets and a population of just under 1,000. The current expansion began in the 1990s. Rolleston had a population of 1,974 at the 2001 census, 3,822 at the 2006 census, and 9,555 at the 2013 census.
Surrounding area
The radiata pine plantations that were once a feature of this part of Canterbury have largely been replaced by more water-intensive grazing land to take advantage of the "dairy boom" of the early 21st century. Shelter belts of radiata, another significant earlier feature of the Plains, have also been removed as they formed a barrier to the huge central-pivot irrigators that are now commonplace in the area. Rolleston is very exposed on the Canterbury Plains and is therefore slightly drier, with a more continental climate, than nearby Christchurch. There are many vineyards in the area.
West Rolleston Primary School is a state school with a roll of approximately students. The school opened in February 2016.
Rolleston College is the sole secondary school in Rolleston, with a roll of approximately students.. It opened on 30 January 2017, and as of 2020 is only open to Year 9–12 students, with other year levels added as students move through. Students in Year 13 are currently served by Lincoln High School, 12 km away in the nearby town of Lincoln.
Transport
passes through Rolleston on its route between Christchurch and Timaru. In August 2016, construction began to extend the Christchurch Southern Motorway from its current terminus at Hornby to just east of Rolleston. This motorway will open to traffic in 2020 Two local bus routes serve Rolleston, both being part of Environment Canterbury's Metro system: the Yellow Line route connects Rolleston with central Christchurch, Linwood, and New Brighton via Templeton, Hornby and Riccarton, while route 820 connects Rolleston to the nearby towns of Burnham and Lincoln. Rolleston is the site of the railway junction between the Midland line to Greymouth and the Main South Line. The town served as a major railway junction point from the 1880s until the late 1980s, when the New Zealand government deregulated the railways, and Rolleston became a stop only for the tourist-oriented TranzAlpine rail service., passengers wanting to board the TranzAlpine at Rolleston must specify this when booking. In 1993 Rolleston saw one of the country's worst level-crossing accidents, when a cement mixer truck ran into the side of a passenger train at the now-closed George Holmes Road level crossing and killed 3 train passengers.
Christchurch earthquakes
Rolleston was close to the epicentre of the 2010 Canterbury earthquake being near the end of the Greendale Fault, experiencing movement two times the strength of that in Christchurch City. Residents were without power following the quake, some for more than 48 hours, and were required to boil water for weeks before services were restored. Rolleston was close to many of the aftershocks following the September quake. Rolleston suffered low damage due the ground having underlying stones and stable rock. For such reasons, Rolleston has not been affected by liquefaction to date, and only a few houses have been condemned and demolished from earthquake damage. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake caused a minor amount of extra damage, mostly to buildings which had already been previously affected. The population of Rolleston has expanded rapidly since the Christchurch earthquakes due to the land stability and fast tracking of building consents by the Selwyn District Council.
