In 1851 G. A. Selwyn, Bishop of New Zealand, licensed Octavius Mathias, Vicar of St. Michael’s, to be in charge of Riccarton. In 1852, for 600 pounds, Mathias purchased Rural Section 160 covering 200 acres. He conveyed 20 acres to the Anglican Church for St. Peter’s church, a vicarage and a Sunday School. Land was reserved for a burial ground and glebe.

In 1857, Church Property Trustees sought funds to be added to those already collected by Mathias. Isaac Luck designed a wooden church.

Appropriately a church dedicated to St. Peter had, atop the spire, the symbol of a cock. Harper consecrated the church on Easter Tuesday, 6 April 1858.

B. W. Mountfort drew plans for a new stone church, the chancel being opened in spring 1876. Over a long period alterations were made and, in 1929 there was opened a ‘beautiful completed stone church’. Cecil Wood was the architect for much of this work.

St Peter's Church at 22 Main South Rd, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch, is registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category II heritage building with registration number 1792.

Saturday morning 4th September 2010 the 7.1 Earthquake near Darfield damaged the church of St Peter’s Church Corner. Most of the damage was on the transepts. The Upper Riccarton-Yaldhurst parish moved out of St Peters Church immediately after the earthquake. The building was weatherproofed with the help of a huge crane that worked from the street. 22nd Feb 2011 back to before square one. The church is out of bounds and we are worshipping in the hall again.