'William and John Deans, who had emigrated to New Zealand from Scotland in 1840 and 1842 respectively, decided to settle on the Canterbury Plains in 1843. Settling near the bush at Putaringamotu, the Deans renamed their area of settlement Riccarton after their home area in Ayrshire, Scotland. The river, Otakaro, up which they brought their supplies, was renamed the Avon after the Avon Water which had bounded their grandfather's property in Lanarkshire.

The survival of Riccarton Bush, a significant Christchurch landmark, is essentially due to the expressed wish of John Deans I before he died in 1854. His wife, Jane, ensured the protection of the bush and in 1914 John Deans III saw that the bush was placed in trust and gifted to the people of Canterbury.

In 1947 the Council purchased Riccarton House and the remaining 1.4 hectares of bush as a public amenity. The bush, Riccarton House and the Deans Cottage of 1844 (the oldest dwelling on the Canterbury Plains) are an integral part of the European settlement history of Christchurch' (Christchurch City Council handbook of 1998)
A spectacular specimen (Cadwallader, 2011)