While the great majority of the material is specific to the estuary and its two major rivers, some more general books have incorporated on the basis of providing supportive texts for the broader Christchurch / Canterbury / New Zealand context of subject matter (historical, botanical, Maori, biological, geological, etc). In view of the range of potential users it gives some general pointers on key subjects of which their estuarine connection may only form part of their search.

Geographical boundaries for material inclusion were set at 500 metres from the estuary edge, to the Woolston Cut on the Heathcote River / Opawaho and Bridge Street Bridge on the Avon River / Otakaro. This hasn't prevented material derived from the catchment being included, but indicates that there is still further relevant material for inclusion, currently sitting outside the geographical limits initially set.

Searches can be undertaken by a variety of methods including: Author name, title, subject, general keywords, biological, physical and human components which are broken down into relevant keyword categories, and a range of location fields.

We welcome comments and additions to the bibliography and invite you to provide feedback for this purpose. We propose to update it periodically and will start with the addition of a maps listing in the early New Year.