Sir John McKenzie Drive in Yaldhurst- Named after Sir John Robert Hugh McKenzie (1876-1955). McKenzie was a businessman and philanthropist. In 1927 he and his family moved to Christchurch and purchased a homestead and land on Yaldhurst Road, Riccarton. Here McKenzie established the Roydon Lodge stud, named after his two sons. In the Noble Village subdivision developed on the former Applefields land in Yaldhurst Road. The property has historical connections with the breeding and racing of standard breed horses. Named in 2011.
A reasonable amount of information from the library website and the man is much more interesting than the street.
Most houses on the street were built between 2020 and 2022 and there is still a block of land waiting to be subdivided. None of the houses stood out for me. I did like the wee reserves with seats plus there is an entrance in another reserve. At the Yaldhurst Rd end of the street there is a McDonalds and a petrol station. There is also a big building with different health businesses in it. I have frequently driven down Yaldhurst Rd and slowly watched the street developing. Fairly sure that the McDonalds was the first business built here.
Just to be confusing there are two men with the name Sir John McKenzie in New Zealand. This John McKenzie was an Australian who came to New Zealand in 1910 and he set up Roydon Lodge Stud in 1928. He also set up a chain of stores called McKenzies and I can hear the older people going I can remember those stores. It is what I said to myself and correct me if I am wrong as I remember there was one on High St. In 1938 he set up the J R McKenzie Education Fund and he used a third of his profit to fund charitable works. He gave Risingholme Centre to Christchurch in 1950. In 1968 he gifted his home Roydon Lodge to the Education Dept as a school for maladjusted children. The school opened in 1971 and was called McKenzie Residential School.
Lots of information on Papers Past and National Library websites. I only found a Wikipedia page for the other Sir John McKenzie.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 