Whereas by a deed of foundation dated 21 May 1855, the Church Property Trustees (incorporated under an Ordinance of the Superintendent and Provincial Council of the Province of Canterbury intituled the Church Property Trust Ordinance, Session II, No 3) founded a college by the name and style of Christ’s College, Canterbury, and by the said deed declared that, immediately upon the passing of an Ordinance granting corporate powers to the Warden, Sub-Warden, and Fellows of Christ’s College, certain lands set forth in the schedule to the said deed should be conveyed to the said corporate body, to be held by it upon trust for the endowment and maintenance of the said College, and that it should be lawful for the said corporate body to alienate so much of the said lands as might be necessary for the payment of a sum of £400 with which the same then stood charged, and also of such further sum not exceeding £500 as might be required for the erection of buildings at the said College, and further from time to time to alienate further portions of the said lands, provided the proceeds of every such sale should be immediately reinvested in the purchase of lands of a like tenure and to be held upon like trusts:

And whereas by an Ordinance of the Superintendent and Provincial Council of the Province of Canterbury intituled the Christ’s College Ordinance, Session IV, No 4, certain persons therein described as the Warden, Sub-Warden, and Fellows, and their successors, were constituted a body politic and corporate under the name of Christ’s College, Canterbury, able and capable in law to purchase, receive, and possess lands in the Dominion of New Zealand and elsewhere:

And whereas by a deed dated 21 March 1857, registered in the Deeds Registry for Canterbury as Number 10562, the Church Property Trustees conveyed to the said corporate body the lands described in the schedule annexed to the said deed of foundation, to be held upon the trusts by the said last-mentioned deed declared:

And whereas the power to alienate such lands, except as above mentioned as to the said sums of £400 and £500, was limited to a power of granting leases for a period not exceeding 31 years:

And whereas by the Christ’s College Canterbury Act 1885, further powers of alienation were given in respect of the said lands, and certain powers were given in respect of specific lands referred to in the Schedule to the said Act:

And whereas certain lands and moneys have been conveyed or paid to, or are held by or in trust for, the said corporate body as endowments for the foundation and maintenance of professorships, scholarships, exhibitions, prizes, or otherwise for the benefit of or in connection with the said corporate body, in respect of which there is no power of alienation:

And whereas real and personal property may in future be given to the said corporate body for the like or for other purposes connected with the said College:

And whereas portions of the said lands are town lands, and in order to make them profitable it will be necessary to expend money in buildings, and for that purpose it will be necessary to raise money by the sale or mortgage of certain of the said lands, or portions thereof:

And whereas it is desirable in the interests of the said corporate body that extended powers should be given to the said corporate body to deal with all real and personal property now held by or in trust for the said corporate body, or which may at any time hereafter be held by the said corporate body.