Marton, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Marton is the hub of the Rangitikei
district of the Manawatu-Wanganui
region of New Zealand
's North Island
. It is situated 35 kilometres southeast of Wanganui
and 40 kilometres northwest of Palmerston North
. The population was 4752 (2001 census).
. Butter
, wool
, and flour
have been among its agricultural products. The arrival of the railway in 1878 led to rapid growth in the area, which soon added industries such as engineering, sawmilling, and textile production to its economy.
The town of Marton is the largest in the Rangitikei district, and began life as a private township in 1866, when shop and housing sections were sold at auction by local land owners.
For three years the small village was known as Tutaenui, named after the stream running through its centre. In 1869 local citizens changed the name to Marton to honour the home village
of Captain James Cook
in Yorkshire
, marking his landing in New Zealand exactly 100 years earlier. It is not known if this change of name was influenced by the mistranslation of 'tutae' (meaning 'dung') and 'nui' (meaning 'large'). (Actual translation: 'tu' -stand, 'tae' -arrive, 'nui' big; ie, a 'big gathering').
From the start Marton was an ideal supply centre for district farmers, who first began arriving in the early 1850s. From butter and wool they moved on to growing wheat in 1863, and big crops led to three flourmills being launched in the area in 1864.
After the town itself opened up in 1866, general stores, two hotels and several blacksmiths soon started. Marton became a home base for the horse industry, with saddlers, wheelwrights, livery stables and coachbuilders competing for business, while Clydesdale and Suffolk Punch sires toured the district to build up the population of plough horses needed as new farms sprang into being.
The opening of the railway line joining Wanganui to Palmerston North in 1878, now part of the North Island Main Trunk Railway (towards Palmerston North and Auckland) and the Marton - New Plymouth Line (towards Wanganui), turned Marton into a thriving railway junction, which held that pedestal for the next 100 years.
Timber from Rangitikei forests served the town’s two timbermills, the first from 1889 onwards.
Schools developed to serve the many farming families, and from 1900 onwards Marton acquired three boarding schools: Huntley School
(boys); Nga Tawa School
and Turakina Maori Girls' College
(girls).
Industry developed quietly at first in Marton, starting with flourmilling, brickmaking and wool presses. By the late 1950’s there was an incredible array of industries and factories in action. They turned out products as diverse as men’s shirts, tractor safety cabs, soft drinks, vegetable salads, readymix concrete, field tiles, dog biscuits, knitwear, dried peas, electronic petrol pumps, vegetable digging machinery.
9km from Marton was the large Lake Alice Hospital
for psychiatric patients, which opened in 1950 and closed in 1999. It included a maximum security unit, and housed hundreds of patients during its 49 years of operation .
is Chalky Leary. Marton is served by 4 ward councillors on the Rangitikei District Council. They are Cr Lynne Sheridan, Cr Andy Watson, Cr Mike Jones and Cr Richard Peirce.
Rangitikei District
The Rangitikei District is a Territorial Authority located primarily in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea , of it lies in the Hawke's Bay Region...
district of the Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.-Administration:...
region 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...
's North Island
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...
. It is situated 35 kilometres southeast of Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
and 40 kilometres northwest 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 population was 4752 (2001 census).
History
Marton has always been a service town for the fertile farming region of the Manawatu PlainsManawatu 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....
. Butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
, wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, and flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
have been among its agricultural products. The arrival of the railway in 1878 led to rapid growth in the area, which soon added industries such as engineering, sawmilling, and textile production to its economy.
The town of Marton is the largest in the Rangitikei district, and began life as a private township in 1866, when shop and housing sections were sold at auction by local land owners.
For three years the small village was known as Tutaenui, named after the stream running through its centre. In 1869 local citizens changed the name to Marton to honour the home village
Marton, Middlesbrough
Marton — officially Marton-in-Cleveland — was a village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, which is now within the town boundaries of Middlesbrough, in the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Originally, the parish of Marton extended down to the River...
of Captain James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, marking his landing in New Zealand exactly 100 years earlier. It is not known if this change of name was influenced by the mistranslation of 'tutae' (meaning 'dung') and 'nui' (meaning 'large'). (Actual translation: 'tu' -stand, 'tae' -arrive, 'nui' big; ie, a 'big gathering').
From the start Marton was an ideal supply centre for district farmers, who first began arriving in the early 1850s. From butter and wool they moved on to growing wheat in 1863, and big crops led to three flourmills being launched in the area in 1864.
After the town itself opened up in 1866, general stores, two hotels and several blacksmiths soon started. Marton became a home base for the horse industry, with saddlers, wheelwrights, livery stables and coachbuilders competing for business, while Clydesdale and Suffolk Punch sires toured the district to build up the population of plough horses needed as new farms sprang into being.
The opening of the railway line joining Wanganui to Palmerston North in 1878, now part of the North Island Main Trunk Railway (towards Palmerston North and Auckland) and the Marton - New Plymouth Line (towards Wanganui), turned Marton into a thriving railway junction, which held that pedestal for the next 100 years.
Timber from Rangitikei forests served the town’s two timbermills, the first from 1889 onwards.
Schools developed to serve the many farming families, and from 1900 onwards Marton acquired three boarding schools: Huntley School
Huntley School (New Zealand)
Huntley School is an Anglican independent boarding prep School in Marton, New Zealand.It was founded in 1896 by Charles Mather and Basil Wilson on Calico Line as a small school for children of the farmers in Marton. The school is now located on Wanganui Road. The building has been rebuilt since the...
(boys); Nga Tawa School
Nga Tawa School
Nga Tawa Diocesan School, also known as the Wellington Diocesan School for Girls, is an integrated, Anglican girls’ boarding school situated in the heart of the Rangitikei. It is found just outside the township of Marton in New Zealand.-History:...
and Turakina Maori Girls' College
Turakina Maori Girls' College
Turakina Māori Girls' College is a Presbyterian boarding school for young Māori women. The school was originally founded in Turakina, in 1905, by A. G. Hamilton.It was relocated to Marton in 1927, but retained its previous name...
(girls).
Industry developed quietly at first in Marton, starting with flourmilling, brickmaking and wool presses. By the late 1950’s there was an incredible array of industries and factories in action. They turned out products as diverse as men’s shirts, tractor safety cabs, soft drinks, vegetable salads, readymix concrete, field tiles, dog biscuits, knitwear, dried peas, electronic petrol pumps, vegetable digging machinery.
9km from Marton was the large Lake Alice Hospital
Lake Alice Hospital
Lake Alice Hospital was a rural psychiatric facility near Bulls in Rangitikei, New Zealand. It was opened in August 1950, and had a Maximum Security unit....
for psychiatric patients, which opened in 1950 and closed in 1999. It included a maximum security unit, and housed hundreds of patients during its 49 years of operation .
Governance
The current Mayor of the Rangitikei DistrictRangitikei District
The Rangitikei District is a Territorial Authority located primarily in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea , of it lies in the Hawke's Bay Region...
is Chalky Leary. Marton is served by 4 ward councillors on the Rangitikei District Council. They are Cr Lynne Sheridan, Cr Andy Watson, Cr Mike Jones and Cr Richard Peirce.