Marian College, Christchurch was founded in 1982 with the merging of two Catholic secondary schools for girls, St Mary's College (Sisters of Mercy, established in Colombo Street in 1893) and McKillop College (named for Mary MacKillop (St Mary of the Cross)) located in Shirley (founded in 1949 by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart).

Marian College was officially opened on 25 March 1982, the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord.

[4] In the subsequent 30 years, Marian College extended its facilities to include an assembly hall/gymnasium, a music suite, library, technology rooms’ and new classrooms.

The oldest building was the administration block, which was built in 1914 by a Doctor Louisson and used as a family residence, until it was sold to the Sisters of St Joseph in 1949.

[5] On 15 March 2019, Marian College announced the site for a new location on Lydia Street in Northcote.