Feilding, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Feilding is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of the North Island
of New Zealand
. It is located on State Highway 54
, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North
.
The town is a service town for the surrounding farming district. The Manawatu Plains
, on which the town is sited, are very fertile land, and as such it is a prosperous agricultural area. Being located on the floodplain
of a major river has its problems, however, and in February 2004 the town suffered extensive flooding, with approximately 150 homes rendered uninhabitable.
Feilding has won the annual New Zealands Most Beautiful Town award 14 times, also the town is the seat of the Manawatu District Council.
The town is currently undergoing renovations in all areas of the main centre, lately Manchester Street. The square has been completed, with funding from both the council and public. Bricks and tiles were available for public to purchase as part of their donation. These display their name, and with some a message to be left for the town to read.
on 22 January 1874.
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located on State Highway 54
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
.
The town is a service town for the surrounding farming district. The Manawatu Plains
Manawatu Plains
Some of the most fertile land in the southwestern North Island of New Zealand is located on the floodplains of the Manawatu and Rangitikei Rivers, in an area known as the Manawatu Plains....
, on which the town is sited, are very fertile land, and as such it is a prosperous agricultural area. Being located on the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
of a major river has its problems, however, and in February 2004 the town suffered extensive flooding, with approximately 150 homes rendered uninhabitable.
Feilding has won the annual New Zealands Most Beautiful Town award 14 times, also the town is the seat of the Manawatu District Council.
The town is currently undergoing renovations in all areas of the main centre, lately Manchester Street. The square has been completed, with funding from both the council and public. Bricks and tiles were available for public to purchase as part of their donation. These display their name, and with some a message to be left for the town to read.
History
The town was named after Colonel William Henry Adelbert Feilding, a director of the Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation Ltd. who negotiated the purchase of a 100,000 acre (400 km²) block of land from the Wellington provincial government in 1871. The first settlers arrived from Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
on 22 January 1874.
Features
- One of New Zealand's main motor racing circuits, ManfeildManfeild AutocourseThe Manfeild Autocourse was built by the in 1973 as a purpose built course. In 1990 extra land was acquired and the circuit extension built, bringing Manfeild up to international standards...
, is located at the southern edge of the town - There is an active light aircraft airfield at the eastern edge of the town
- The depot of the Feilding and District Steam Rail SocietyFeilding and District Steam Rail SocietyThe Feilding and District Steam Rail Society, also known as Feilding Steam Rail, is a railway preservation society located in Feilding in the Manawatu region of New Zealand...
is located in the town and it runs railway excursions from this base. - Feilding has the largest stock saleyards in the southern hemisphere right in the central business area.
- There are no traffic lightTraffic lightTraffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s and no parking meterParking meterA parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street parking policy, usually related to their traffic and...
s.
Primary and intermediate schools
- Feilding Intermediate School is a state, coeducational intermediate (years 7-8) school with a decile ratingSocio-Economic DecileDecile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
of 5 and a roll of 312. It was established in 1964. - Lytton Street School is a state, coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 3 and a roll of 441.
- Manchester Street School is a state, coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 288.
- North Street School is a state, coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 4 and a roll of 481.
- St Joseph's School is an integrated coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 124.
Notable personalities
Famous people from Feilding include:- Murray BallMurray BallMurray Hone Ball ONZM , a New Zealand-born cartoonist, has become known for his Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero , Bruce the Barbarian, All the King's Comrades and the long-running Footrot Flats comic series...
(the kiwianaKiwianaKiwiana are certain items and icons from New Zealand's heritage, especially from around the middle of the 20th century that are seen as representing iconic Kiwi elements...
cartoonistCartoonistA cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
who drew Footrot FlatsFootrot FlatsFootrot Flats was a comic strip written by New Zealand cartoonist Murray Ball. It ran from 1975 until 1994 in newspapers around the world, though the unpublished strips continued to be released in book form until 2000...
) - Tom ScottTom Scott (cartoonist)Tom Scott is a New Zealand cartoonist, and is regarded by some as one of the best New Zealand cartoonists since the 1970s.Scott has been the regular cartoonist, initially for the New Zealand Listener magazine and then for the Evening Post newspaper and its successor the Dominion Post, for most of...
; also a New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
cartoonistCartoonistA cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
; was born here. - Evermore popular musical group.
- W. H. OliverW. H. OliverW.H. Oliver is a New Zealand historian and poet, born in Feilding, on 14 May 1925, the son of Cornish immigrants. He studied at Victoria University of Wellington and completed a PhD at Oxford University in 1953. He returned to New Zealand and lectured at University of Canterbury and Victoria,...
was born in Feilding. - Glen Jackson (rugby player)Glen Jackson (rugby player)Glen Warwick Jackson is a former New Zealand rugby union player who now serves as a referee in that sport...
; was born here. - Glenn StandringGlenn StandringGlenn Standring is a New Zealand scriptwriter and movie director, working in the horror and fantasy genres.Standring studied film at the Ilam School of Fine Arts, and completed a first class honours degree in Archaeology from The University of Otago in Dunedin...
(the film director); was born here. - The Honourable Sir Edward (Eddie) Taihakurei DurieEdward Taihakurei DurieSir Edward "Eddie" Taihakurei Durie, KNZM was the first Māori appointed as a Justice of the High Court of New Zealand and is regarded as leading legal expert on the Treaty of Waitangi....
(former High Court Judge and Chief Judge of the Maori Land Court); was born here. - Professor Sir Mason DurieMason Durie-Family:Durie is the older brother of former High Court Judge and Chief Judge of the Maori Land Court The Honourable Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie KNZM.-External links:* *...
(Deputy Vice Chancellor of Massey UniversityMassey UniversityMassey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students, 20,000 of whom are extramural students.The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
, and brother of Edward Durie); was born here. - Keith ElliottKeith ElliottKeith Elliott VC was a soldier in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, during the Second World War.-Biography:Elliott was born in Apiti, New Zealand...
VC, recipient of the Victoria Cross medal, attended high school in Feilding. - Malcolm Bailey, Director of FonterraFonterraFonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative owned by almost 10,500 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ$19.87 billion, is New Zealand's largest company.- History :In...
, former Chairman of Federated FarmersFederated FarmersFederated Farmers of New Zealand Incorporated is an organisation in New Zealand which lobbies on behalf of its member farmers.It has a network of 24 provinces and seven industry groups. Federated Farmers provides a locally based, democratic organisation that lobbies on farming issues both...
and former Eltobian of the year.