The University of Canterbury Club

18/09/2026

Congratulations to the four lucky winners of our Kate Sheppard Camellias, drawn this afternoon at Ilam Homestead!

We held the giveaway to mark Women’s Suffrage Day – 19 September, commemorating the day in 1893 when New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

The white camellia has a special connection to the suffrage movement, having been worn by supporters of women’s suffrage. It was wonderful to celebrate that history by sending four beautiful Kate Sheppard Camellias home with our winners. 🌿🌸

A big thank you to everyone who joined us over the past couple of weeks, bought a drink, collected a ticket and took part.

Congratulations to our four winners — we hope your camellias flourish for many years to come! 🌸 Woodend Nursery

17/09/2026

There are still a few tickets available for our FINAL Beer Tasting of 2026, and we’d love you to join us for one last tasting evening at the Ilam Homestead!

On Tuesday 22 September, from 6:00pm – 7:30pm, we’ll be welcoming Brew Moon Brewing Company from Amberley for a guided tasting of eight fantastic North Canterbury beers.

🍺 Beers on the Night
Sour Face Feijoa Sour – 4%
Neon Rooster APA – 5.5%
Tiger’s Nest West Coast IPA – 6.3%
Leithfield Lager – 4%
Czech Please Pilsner – 5%
Wolf of Washington APA – 5.8%
Dark Side of the Moon Stout – 6%
Waipara New England IPA – 5.8%

Your ticket includes the guided tasting of all eight beers and a light supper. Once the tasting finishes at approximately 7:30pm, we’ll keep the bar open, so there’s no need to rush away — grab another drink, find a spot by the fire and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Tuesday 22 September 2026
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Ilam Homestead

Members – $25
Non-Members – $30

This is our last beer tasting of the year, so if you’ve been meaning to come along to one of our tasting evenings, this is your final chance for 2026!

Tickets are still available, but numbers are limited — book your place before they're gone.

Get your tickets from the website https://www.ucc.org.nz/events/winter-beer-tasting-brew-moon-tuesday-22-september-2026

Great beer, a light supper, good company and a warm fire — a pretty good way to farewell our Winter Tasting Series.

We hope to see you there!

15/09/2026

13/09/2026

Pizza Friday was so nice that we are doing it twice! Rolling Dough will be back this Friday from 4:30pm serving up their authentic Neopolitan Pizzas to you! Thanks for the support last Friday 🍕🍕🍕

11/09/2026

New one tonight. Ilam Homestead Club, 4.30 to 7.30, first time we've ever set up here. If you're a member, come find out what all the fuss in the What's On email was about.

11/09/2026

Pizzas are flying out this evening. Thanks Rolling Dough

07/09/2026

Friday night dinner is sorted! 🍕

We’re delighted to have Rolling Dough popping up outside the Club on Friday 11 September, serving their delicious wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas fresh to order.

📅 Friday 11 September
🕟 4.30pm – 7.30pm (or until they sell out!)
📍 Outside the Club at Ilam Homestead

Rolling Dough’s pizzas are cooked in a blazing-hot wood-fired oven and take around 90 seconds to cook — which means less time waiting for dinner and more time enjoying a Friday drink at the Club!

They’ll also have gluten-free bases and dairy-free cheese available, so there are options for different dietary needs.

Come down, grab a drink from the bar, order yourself a freshly made pizza and settle in for a relaxed Friday evening at the Homestead.

🍕 Check out Rolling Dough’s menu here:
www.rollingdough.co.nz

Bring your friends, bring your appetite, and perhaps arrive before 7.29pm — “until sold out” are three particularly dangerous words when pizza is involved.

We look forward to seeing you for Pizza Friday!

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