This important project, a guide to local history sources, was the work of Ms Jean Sharfe towards the sesqui-centennial history Southern Capital.  The Christchurch History Database  is hosted by the School of History, University of Canterbury and can be accessed via http://histelm.canterbury.ac.nz/histelm/jadehttp.dll?newwebopac.  Some costs enabling the data to be web-based were met by the Canterbury History Foundation.