Which New Zealand city hosted the Australasian Championships in 1906?

Christchurch hosted the Australasian Championships in 1906. The tournament was played from 26 to 31 December on grass courts at Hagley Park, making Christchurch the first New Zealand host of the event now known as the Australian Open.

The 1906 edition was only the second staging of the championship, which had begun in Melbourne in 1905. New Zealand was then part of the broader Australasian sporting identity reflected in the tournament’s name. The event attracted a small field of just 10 players, and only two were Australians.

New Zealander Anthony Wilding won the singles title, defeating Australia’s Francis Fisher in the final. Wilding’s victory illustrates how the early championship was genuinely Australasian rather than exclusively Australian. Christchurch hosted again in 1906, while Hastings became the other New Zealand host in 1912.

A common mix-up is to assume the tournament was always held in Melbourne. It did not settle permanently there until 1972; before that, it travelled among several Australian cities and two New Zealand cities.