List of Famous people born in Canterbury Region, New Zealand

Pianist Jeffrey Grice was born in 1954 in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 1966, his family moved to Auckland where he attended Sacred Heart College in Glen Innes, counting among his classmates the future founding members of NZ's iconic rock band Split Enz. While studying languages at Waikato University in Hamilton from 1971 to 1972, classical piano became his passion as he began to perform in lunchtime concerts on campus. Waikato University having no music faculty back in the 1970s, he auditioned in 1972 for the music department of the University of Auckland where, from 1973 to 1976, he studied with Janetta McStay and Bryan Sayer, graduating in French and Music. With a Queen Elizabeth Arts Council grant and a French Government scholarship, Grice left New Zealand in October 1976 to further his piano studies in Paris with Yvonne Loriod, obtaining the Licence de Concert at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Musique in 1978 in the class of Germaine Mounier. Other formative influences came from intensive classes in Israel with Enrique Barenboim from 1979 to 1980, from the coaching of the American pianist and musicologist Charles Rosen and later from the French/Argentine pianist Florencia Raitzin-Legrand.

Shane William Archbold is a New Zealand professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Deceuninck–Quick-Step.

Sir Graham William Henry is a New Zealand rugby union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks.

Scott David Smith is a New Zealand former football (soccer) defender.

Keri Hulme is a New Zealand novelist, poet, and short-story writer. Her novel, The Bone People, won the Man Booker Prize in 1985. She was the first New Zealander to win this award. Hulme's writing explores themes of isolation, postcolonial and multicultural identity, and Maori, Celtic, and Norse mythology. She has also written under the pen name Kai Tainui.

Robert Maxwell Deans is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights. He was head coach of the Australian national team between 2008 and 2013. Deans had previously coached the Crusaders for eight seasons and was an assistant coach of New Zealand between late 2001 and 2003. As the coach of the Crusaders, Deans has won more Super rugby titles than any other. He has also coached Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship, winning the title in 1997. As a player, Deans represented Canterbury, first playing at fly half, and later fullback. He also played nineteen matches for the All Blacks, including five tests.

Alex Frame is a New Zealand professional racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam Trek–Segafredo. He rode at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, winning gold in the team pursuit.

Michael Vink is a road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Bolton Equities Black Spoke Pro Cycling.

Charles Edward Drennan is a former New Zealand Bishop. He was the second Bishop of Palmerston North, New Zealand, from 2012 to 2019. On 4 October 2019 he resigned his position. Two allegations of "unacceptable behaviour" of a sexual nature were made. An investigation by the New Zealand Office for Professional Standards found that the behaviour was unacceptable for a Catholic bishop but not criminal in nature.

Marc Ryan is a New Zealand racing cyclist.