Tararua District
Encyclopedia
| Tararua District | |
| Population: | (territorial) |
| Main town: | Dannevirke |
| Other towns: | Pahiatua, Norsewood, Woodville, Eketahuna |
| Territorial Authority | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tararua District Council |
| Mayor: | Roly Ellis |
| Deputy Mayor: | Bill Keltie |
| Land area: | 4,360.56 km² (1,683.62 sq mi) |
| Extent: | Norsewood to Eketahuna; Pacific Ocean to Ruahine Ranges |
| Website: | http://www.tararuadc.govt.nz |
| See also: | Manawatu District, 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... |
| Regional Council | |
| Name: | 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:... (Horizons Regional Council); Wellington Region Wellington Region The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each... al Council |
| Website: | http://www.horizons.govt.nz |
The Tararua District lies near the south-east corner 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...
. Created in 1989, it was named after the Tararua Range
Tararua Range
The Tararua Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington....
, which forms much of its western boundary. It has a population of and an area of 4,360.56 km².
The district's northwest boundary runs along the top of the Ruahine Range
Ruahine Range
The Ruahine Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington....
; its south-east boundary is the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The catchment of the Manawatu River
Manawatu River
The Manawatu River is a major river of the southern North Island of New Zealand.The river has its headwaters to the northwest of Norsewood in the Ruahine Ranges of southern Hawke's Bay. It flows initially eastward before turning south-west near Ormondville, flowing 40 km before turning...
generally defines the north and south extremities. The catchment is also the reason why the majority of the district is in 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, although traditionally many of the people of the district regard themselves as living in either Hawke's Bay (in the north) or Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
(in the south).
Towns and regional government
The district's chief town is DannevirkeDannevirke
Dannevirke , is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the major town of the administrative Tararua District, the easternmost of the districts in which the Regional Council has responsibilities...
, settled by immigrants from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in the 19th century. It is also the centre for a Community Board. Other towns (from south to north along the main valleys) include Eketahuna
Eketahuna
Eketahuna is a small rural service town, the most southerly in the Tararua District in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand, but is considered to be in northern Wairarapa. It was called Mellenskov, but was renamed soon after its founding.The town is located at the foot of...
and Pahiatua
Pahiatua
Pahiatua is a rural service town in the south-eastern North Island of New Zealand with an urban and rural population of over 4,000. It is between Masterton and Woodville on State Highway 2 and the Wairarapa Line railway, north of Masterton and east of Palmerston North...
, which have their own Community Boards, and Woodville
Woodville, New Zealand
Woodville is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand, 75 km north of Masterton and 25 km east of Palmerston North. In the 2006 census 1,398 people are usually resident in Woodville, a decrease of 81 people, or 5.5%, since the 2001 Census.-Early History and Local...
, Ormondville, and Norsewood
Norsewood
Norsewood is a small rural town in the Manawatu - Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is situated in the Tararua District. Its population is 330....
. Near the coast are Pongaroa
Pongaroa
The small township of Pongaroa lies in Tararua, in the southeast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 110 kilometres southwest of Hastings and 200 kilometres northeast of Wellington. The nearest town is Pahiatua, 50 kilometres to the west. Popular Akitio Beach is 30 kilometres to the...
, Herbertville, Akitio, and Alfredton.
While the vast majority (98.42% by land area) of Tararua District is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region, a small triangle of rural land (1.58% by land area) north of the Owahanga River in the southeast of the district is part of Wellington Region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
. According to the 2006 Census this area, known as Mara, has only 3 residents (down from 12 in 1996 and 2001).
Schools in Tararua District
- Secondary
- Tararua CollegeTararua CollegeTararua College is a secondary school in Pahiatua, New Zealand, with a role of approximately 407 students.The college mission statement is Tararua College promotes excellence and personal development inside and outside the classroom. The college celebrated its 50th Jubilee over Easter...
Pahiatua - Dannevirke High School Dannevirke
"Forty-Mile Bush"
When Europeans settled the area, it was almost entirely forested and was called "Forty-Mile Bush". Industrious clearance has made it a busy pastoral district, although the region close to the Pacific coast is still sparsely populated. The original name lives on in that of the local National Provincial ChampionshipNational Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team, Wairarapa-Bush.
Economy
Agriculture is the district's main industry. Other industries include textiles, food processing, and retailing. Commercial forestry is expected to become more important to the district's economy in the next few years.Weather forecasts
Before 2006, weather forecasts on National RadioNational Radio (New Zealand)
Radio New Zealand National is a publicly-funded non-commercial New Zealand English language radio network operated by Radio New Zealand...
(as provided by MetService
Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited
Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited was established as a State-Owned Enterprise in 1992. It employs about 215 staff and its headquarters are in Wellington, New Zealand...
) had usually mentioned Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa but rarely if ever Tararua, probably leaving Tararua residents wondering which applied to them when the forecasts differed.
Officially it is considered a sub-region of the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
district. Since early in 2006, Met Service policy is that a separate Tararua forecast will be issued only if the expected weather in that area differs significantly from the other sub-regions (Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, Carterton
Carterton, New Zealand
Carterton is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District. It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. It is located southwest of Masterton and northeast of Wellington...
, and South Wairarapa
South Wairarapa District
South Wairarapa District is at the south-east tip of the North Island of New Zealand.-Introduction:South Wairarapa includes three towns and several localities that have a wide range of economic activity, natural features, and visitor attractions, only a few of which are noted here. Martinborough is...
). However, by the time the forecast is actually broadcast over National Radio (at least until early March 2006), Tararua is simply listed as a separate district if it is mentioned at all (commonly in the phrase "Tararua and Wairarapa"), and if it is mentioned separately or bracketed with other areas apart from Wairarapa there is no indication that the Wairarapa forecast excludes Tararua.