John Deans (4 May 1820 – 23 June 1854) was, together with his brother William, a pioneer farmer in Canterbury, New Zealand.

[1] The Deans brothers named the Christchurch river Avon after the stream on their grandfather's farm.

[2][3] Jane Deans had Riccarton House built in 1855/56; a project that her husband wanted to do but that started only after his death.

[2] At that time, it was formally protected through a campaign led by MP Harry Ell and botanist Dr Leonard Cockayne.

The bush contains mostly kahikatea of between 400 and 600 years of age; it is the only lowland forest left in Christchurch, and is probably New Zealand's oldest protected natural area.