The suburb lies close to the industrial estates of Sockburn and the satellite retail and residential zone of Hornby, and has undergone significant growth in recent years due to housing developments.

The suburb is named after Sir Henry Wigram, mayor of Christchurch from 1902 to 1903,[4] who established a flying school there in 1916.

[5] Wigram kept the aviation school going until March 1923, when the government decided to take over the company and run the airbase under a military umbrella.

A crowd of 30,000 people, one quarter of the total population of Christchurch at that time, turned out to see this historic event.

[8] The worst RNZAF crash in New Zealand history occurred at Wigram on 15 October 1953, killing seven men.

[11] The majority of Wigram Aerodrome was purchased by Ngāi Tahu in 1997, and continued to be used as a private airfield until it was finally closed on 1 March 2009.

The remainder of the former airfield was subdivided by Ngāi Tahu Property into the Wigram Skies development following its closure.

[13] In 2005, this subdivision created six new roads and two new formed and sealed rights of way to provide access to 126 new residential allotments, and six new reserves totalling 2.8 hectares.

[16] Surplus land from Christchurch's Southern Motorway extension was purchased in 2013 and subsequently developed by Gillman Wheelans in 2015.

Wigram has a significantly lower percentage of people identifying as Maori or Pacific Islanders compared to Christchurch City as a whole.

[34] Stage Two, which was completed in 2017 boasts a 3509sq m site area, including 1800sq m of retail, 600sq m of office space, and 451sq m of hospitality spread across three buildings.

[35] The latest development, a new Cimena Complex with eight cinema screens, each seating 48 people, is set to Open in July 2021[36] One of the hotspots in the Christchurch scene is Wigram Business Park, developed by Ngāi Tahu, with most of the properties sold to owner occupiers.

[40] Another NZX 50 company to have modern premises in Wigram is Mainfreight with the development of their Hayton Road Logistics site completed in May 2015.

[49] Wigram has two large recreational parks adjoining each other, Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub was opened on 8 March 2019[50] and comprises 32 hectares (79 acres) of recreation, esplanade reserve and other park land as well as a new $53.65 million multi-sports facility[51] whilst future plans include a new $20 million indoor sports centre.

[52] Canterbury Agricultural Park is a large open space of around 130 hectares (320 acres),[53] and is famous for the Canterbury A&P Show[54] There are also several smaller local neighbourhood parks, the largest of these is Te Kāhu Park bound by The Runway, Curtis Street, Dalwood Drive and Porter Street, boasting a children’s playground, three sports pitches within walking distance of all residences[55] and is the home ground for the Halswell Wigram Rugby Club.