An original dirt bullock trail was referred to as the Great North Road. In 1889 at a Council meeting it was proposed and carried "that the Main road from Whale's Creek to its junction with King Street be named Stafford Street." Named after Sir Edward Stafford, formerly M.H.R., for Timaru (he was also Nelsons first super intendant). His free, secular and compulsory education system became the model for New Zealand. At the 1855 election he became a member of the House of Representatives for Nelson, a seat he held until 1868 when, after local disputes, he resigned and became member for Timaru. Learn more here
Contemporary newspaper reports of the 1868 fire also referred to the ruined central street as the “Great South Road,” suggesting some early inconsistency in naming or reporting, I need to do more research to know why there are references to both North and South.
Plan of Timaru Townships, Canterbury, N.Z., 1875. Scale 3 chains to an inch. Lithographed at the Lyttelton Times Office, Christchurch, N.Z. - Courtesy of the Timaru District Council
1860 Timaru town. NZ Heritage Maps Platform, https://maps.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/1138
An article about the great fire of Timaru published 1868 referrs to Great South Road. GREAT FIRE IN TIMARU. Press, Volume XIII, Issue 1767, 10 December 1868, Page 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP18681210.2.17
Both Great North and Great South Roads appear on this 1875 map. Timaru Foreshore. NZ Heritage Maps Platform, accessed 17/05/2026, https://maps.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/404