Ilam Homestead

20/10/2026

🌸☀️ LABOUR WEEKEND OPEN DAY – THIS SATURDAY! ☀️🌸

The countdown is on! This Saturday, 24 October, we're throwing open the doors of the beautiful Ilam Homestead, and the gardens are looking absolutely magnificent!

With sunshine forecast, it's shaping up to be a wonderful afternoon to enjoy the historic Homestead, admire our spectacular rhododendrons in full bloom, and relax in the gardens with friends and family.

And we've got plenty of delicious reasons to visit!

🚚 FOOD TRUCKS – Serving up tasty treats throughout the afternoon.

🌭 SAUSAGE SIZZLE – Nothing says a Kiwi spring afternoon quite like a good old-fashioned sausage sizzle!

🧺 HOMESTEAD HAMPERS – $16 – Our individual picnic hampers feature aged cheddar, creamy Camembert, Verkerks salami, sausage, artisan crackers, fresh grapes and a sweet treat. Perfect for enjoying on the lawn with a glass of w**e!

Add Farmhouse Chicken Liver Pâté for just $5 extra.

🍺 BAR OPEN – Enjoy a refreshing craft b**r, w**e, cocktail or something non-alcoholic while soaking up the spring atmosphere.

🌺 HISTORIC GARDENS – Wander through the grounds and admire the magnificent heritage rhododendrons at their springtime best.

📅 Saturday 24 October 2026
🕛 12pm–5pm
📍 Ilam Homestead, University of Canterbury

EVERYONE IS WELCOME – NO MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED!

Bring the family, invite your friends, come hungry and enjoy a relaxing afternoon at one of Christchurch's hidden gems.

🌸 We look forward to welcoming you to the Homestead! 🌸

07/10/2026

It’s a tough job….but the b**r list for South Island B**r Festival #27 on Saturday 21 November is coming together!!

We are all sold out for November but our 13 February 2027 event is on sale now! https://sibf.flicket.co.nz/events/dffe2140-0f12-4895-8007-ba9fa972d64e?tc=sibf-website

**rfestival **r **rlist

11/09/2026

02/09/2026

Ahhhhh spring. That’s more like it!!
South Island B**r Festival #27 is just around the corner!!!

Saturday 21 November. Block the diary.

Tickets are on sale now: https://sibf.flicket.co.nz

**rinthesun **rtime **rfestival

02/09/2026

Celebrate Women’s Suffrage Day with us at the Homestead 🌸

Saturday 19 September marks Women’s Suffrage Day in New Zealand, commemorating one of the most significant moments in our country’s history.

On 19 September 1893, Governor Lord Glasgow signed the Electoral Act into law, making New Zealand the first self-governing country in the world where women gained the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

At the heart of the movement was Kate Sheppard, who became one of New Zealand’s most celebrated social reformers. Based here in Christchurch, Sheppard and her fellow suffragists campaigned tirelessly for change, organising meetings, writing articles and gathering petitions. The famous 1893 petition contained almost 32,000 signatures and, when presented to Parliament, stretched more than 270 metres.

To celebrate this important piece of New Zealand history, we’re giving away four Kate Sheppard Camellias to four lucky people at the Club.

🌸 How to enter
From Friday 4 September, everyone who purchases a drink at the Club will receive one ticket to go into the draw.

We’ll draw our four winners on Friday 18 September, just ahead of Women’s Suffrage Day.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE THERE TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE

The Kate Sheppard Camellia is a beautiful white flowering camellia named in her honour. The white camellia itself has a special connection with the suffrage movement — supporters of women’s suffrage wore white camellias as a symbol of their cause, while opponents wore red.

So, pop into the Homestead, enjoy a drink and put your name in the draw. You might head home with a rather beautiful piece of living New Zealand history!

Every drink purchased from Friday 4 September = another ticket in the draw.

We look forward to seeing you at the Homestead — and raising a glass to Kate Sheppard and the generations of determined women who helped make New Zealand history.

02/09/2026

20/08/2026

17/08/2026

Tickets are on sale now!

07/08/2026

Mark your calendars!

13/07/2026