The New Zealand City That Had an Official Wizard on the Payroll

For more than two decades, Christchurch, New Zealand, had something most cities do not: an official wizard.

His name is Ian Brackenbury Channell, better known simply as “The Wizard.” Beginning in the 1970s, he became a familiar public figure in Christchurch, appearing in robes, speaking in the city square, and turning wizardry into part performance art, part civic oddity.

In 1998, the Christchurch City Council actually contracted him to help promote the city. His duties were not exactly ordinary office work. Reports described his role as providing “acts of wizardry” and other wizard-like services for tourism and public entertainment.

The arrangement lasted until 2021, when the city ended the contract after 23 years. By then, Christchurch’s wizard had become one of the strangest entries in modern municipal history.

Some cities hire consultants. Christchurch hired a wizard.

Christchurch’s official wizard was not just a man in robes wandering the square.

Ian Brackenbury Channell had already become a familiar public figure in Cathedral Square before the city formally brought him into its promotional identity. In 1998, Christchurch City Council contracted him to provide “acts of wizardry” and wizard-like services for the city, reportedly paying him $16,000 a year.

That is what makes the story so unusual.

Plenty of cities have mascots, street performers, local legends, or quirky public figures. Christchurch went a step further and folded one into the city’s official image. For a while, the Wizard was not just entertainment. He was part of the city’s personality.

The contract ended in 2021 after 23 years, but by then the odd little arrangement had already become part of Christchurch history.

It is a reminder that places are remembered for more than buildings, streets, and signs.

Sometimes a city becomes unforgettable because it lets one strange character belong.