Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the
North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, around the city of
Palmerston NorthPalmerston 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 In 2008 it was the 11th-largest city in New Zealand, and the centre of the seventh-largest urban area...
and the town of
WanganuiWanganui 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.Like several New Zealand centres, it was officially designated a city until administrative reorganisation in 1989, and is now run by a District Council...
.
Administration
The region covers all or part of ten
DistrictsTerritorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 73 territorial authorities: 16 city councils, 56 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council...
. Parts of five of these are covered by five other
regions of New ZealandThe region is the top tier of local government in New Zealand. There are 16 regions of New Zealand. Twelve are governed by an elected regional council, while four are governed by territorial authorities which also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities...
, the most of any region. In descending order of land area the Districts are
RuapehuRuapehu District is a territorial authority near the centre of New Zealand's North Island.It has an area of 6,730.185 square kilometers and a population of 13,569 at the 2006 census .-Features:...
,
TararuaThe Tararua District lies near the south-east corner of New Zealand's North Island. Created in 1989, it was named after the Tararua Range, which forms much of its western boundary. It has a population of and an area of 4,360.56 km²....
(part),
RangitikeiRangitikei is an area in New Zealand that follows the course of State Highway 1, from just south of Waiouru with the QEII Army Memorial Museum, through Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton and Bulls, and then winds down a minor road to the coast at Turakina & Scott’s Ferry...
(part), Manawatu,
WanganuiWanganui 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.Like several New Zealand centres, it was officially designated a city until administrative reorganisation in 1989, and is now run by a District Council...
, Horowhenua,
StratfordStratford is the only town in the central Taranaki district of Stratford District, New Zealand. It lies beneath the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont, approximately half-way between New Plymouth and Hawera, near the geographic centre of the Taranaki region. The town has a population...
(part),
Palmerston NorthPalmerston 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 In 2008 it was the 11th-largest city in New Zealand, and the centre of the seventh-largest urban area...
, Waitomo (part) and
TaupoThe Taupo District Council is a local council located in the Central North Island of New Zealand.-Area:The district stretches from the small town of Mangakino in the northwest to the Tongariro National Park in the south, and east into the Kaingaroa Forest, covering 6,970 km
2...
(part).
General
The region is dominated and defined by two significant river catchments, the
WhanganuiThe Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...
and the
ManawatuThe 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...
. The Whanganui River is the longest navigable river in New Zealand. The river was extremely important to early
MāoriThe Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . The group probably arrived in southwestern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300...
as it was the southern link in a chain of waterways that spanned almost two-thirds of the North Island. It was one of the chief areas of Māori settlement with its easily fortified cliffs and ample food supplies. Legends emphasise the importance of the river and it remains sacred to Wanganui
iwiIn New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori populations. The word iwi means "people" or "folk"; in many contexts it may mean "tribe" or "clan", and sometimes a larger grouping of tribes...
. Māori along the coast and lowland plains grew
kumaraThe sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Amongst the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of this family, only I. batatas is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable...
and other crops.
Much of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region was fertile and
bushA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
-covered when Europeans arrived and developed the area as a source of
timberTimber may refer to:*Lumber, i.e. wood materials* Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Oregon* Timber , a 1984 arcade game by Bally Midway* An alternative spelling for Timbre...
. Saw milling and
flaxFlax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. This is called as Agasi/Akshi in Kannada, Jawas/Javas or Alashi in Marathi...
milling dominated the 19th century, followed by an influx of sheep farmers who exploited the newly-cleared ground.
DeforestationDeforestation is the clearance of naturally occurring forests by the processes of logging and/or burning of trees in a forested area. There are several reasons deforestation occurs: trees or derived charcoal can be sold as a commodity and used by humans, while cleared land is used as pasture,...
, burn-offs of timber and scrub and large scale drainage combined with
overgrazingOvergrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or by overpopulations of native or non-native wild animals...
, resulted in considerable environmental degradation. In the early 1900s authorities realised that careful management was needed to maintain this important
agriculturalAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
area.
While the open
Manawatu PlainsSome 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....
became more densely settled by Europeans, inland
RuapehuRuapehu may refer to:* Mount Ruapehu, the highest mountain in the North Island of New Zealand* Ruapehu District, the local government area that covers much land generally west and south of Mount Ruapehu, mostly in the headwaters of the Whanganui River...
, Rangitikei and Wanganui remained more Māori-dominated, remote and independent. As late as the 1950s the Whanganui River remained a river of mystery. Since then exploitation of the river's commercial potential has opened up the area, often causing friction with local Māori, who have long-standing grievances. The region is one of the most important pastoral areas in New Zealand, its status recognised when the government opened the
Massey Agricultural CollegeMassey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students. The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . In addition, Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
in the 1920s.
Topography
The Manawatu-Wanganui Region takes up a large proportion of the lower half of the North Island. It is the second-largest region in the North Island and the sixth-largest in New Zealand, totalling 22,215 km
2 (8.1% of New Zealand's land area). The region stretches from north of Taumarunui to south of Levin on the west coast, and across to the east coast from
Cape TurnagainCape Turnagain is a prominent headland on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, part way between Hawke Bay and Cook Strait, between the mouths of the Porangahau and Akitio Rivers.The cape was named by Captain James Cook in 1769...
to Owhanga. It borders the
WaikatoWaikato is a Region of New Zealand. With coasts on the western and north-eastern sides of the North Island, it stretches from Lake Taupo and northern King Country in the south, north to the Coromandel Peninsula. It is bounded by Auckland on the north, Bay of Plenty on the east, Hawke's Bay on...
,
TaranakiTaranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island and is the 10th largest region of New Zealand by population. It is named for the region's main geographical feature, Mount Taranaki....
, Hawke's Bay and Wellington Regions and includes river catchment areas that run from the
volcanic plateauA volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity. There are two main types: lava plateaus and pyroclastic plateaus.-Lava plateau:...
to the sea. The
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
is the eastern boundary and the Ruahine Ranges form a natural boundary between the region and Hawke's Bay.
The area includes a variety of landscape formations. Districts close to the
Volcanic PlateauThe North Island Volcanic Plateau is a volcanic plateau covering much of the central North Island of New Zealand.Its width east-west is approximately 100 km and the north -south distance is about 130 km...
are higher and more rugged, often subject to harsh temperatures in winter. The Manawatu District has a much gentler topography, consisting mainly of the flat, tree-studded
Manawatu PlainsSome 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....
that run between the ranges and the sea. The land was under the sea till about 500,000 years ago and still has a very thick layer of marine sediment, which is about five or six million years old. A block faulting system underneath the thick sediment has raised a series of domes and gentle depressions. These structures can provide natural storage areas for oil and some of the Manawatu domes have been drilled. The domes have shaped the course of the Manawatu River, giving it a meandering path which, uniquely among New Zealand rivers, begins close to the east coast and exits on the west coast. The Manawatu River begins just inside the Hawke's Bay Region, then flows through a deep gorge to the
Manawatu PlainsSome 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....
before exiting in the
Tasman SeaThe Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately 2000 kilometres across. It extends 2800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first...
. The Wanganui District is more rugged, with
canyonA canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau level. The cliffs form because harder rock strata that are resistant to erosion and weathering remain exposed on the valley walls...
-like valleys and gorges carved out of the soft rock by rivers and ocean waves.
The region includes a series of mountain ranges, notably the Tararua and the Ruahine Ranges and the three major active
volcano3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
es of the North Island.
Mount RuapehuMount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park...
at 2,797 m is the tallest mountain in the North Island,
NgauruhoeMount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano in New Zealand. It is the youngest vent in the Tongariro volcanic complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island, and first erupted about 2,500 years ago...
2,291 m and
TongariroMount Tongariro is a volcanic complex in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres to the southwest of Lake Taupo, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of the central North Island....
1,968 m. During the last 100 years Ruapehu has experienced six significant eruptions, and last erupted in 1995 and 1996.
Three major rivers divide the region: the Whanganui (290 km), Manawatu (182 km) and
RangitikeiThe Rangitikei River is one of New Zealand's longest rivers, 185 kilometes long.Its headwaters are to the southeast of Lake Taupo in the Kaimanawa Ranges. It flows from the Central Plateau south past Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, and Bulls, to the South Taranaki Bight at Tangimoana, 40...
(241 km). The Whanganui is the second-longest river and has the second-largest catchment in the North Island, draining most of the inland region west of
Lake TaupoLake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the largest freshwater lake by surface area in Oceania....
. There are few roads in this area, which contains some of the largest surviving areas of native bush in the North Island.
Soil and climate
Soils in the region are productive with the addition of fertiliser. In the Manawatu and Horowhenua Districts there are sandy soils and swampy hollows around the coast with
loessLoess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt and lesser and variable amounts of sand and clay. Loess sometimes refers to these deposits and the soil derived from them.-Properties:...
-covered terraces and river flats inland. These river flats and swamp areas contain fertile alluvial and organic soils. On the drier terraces inland yellow-grey earths predominate. The flatter more fertile soils suit intensive sheep farming and cropping while the hill country of Rangitikei favours semi-intensive sheep and
beefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle . Beef is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of Australia, Europe and America, and is also important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia...
farming. Areas close to the volcanic plateau consist largely of
pumicePumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
soils which lack some essential trace elements but within the region much of this land is occupied by national parks.
The region has a comparatively mild climate with greater climatic extremes inland.
Chateau TongariroChateau Tongariro is a New Zealand hotel and resort complex.It is located close to Whakapapa skifield on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, and is close to the volcanic peaks of Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe, within the boundaries of Tongariro National Park, New Zealand's oldest.Now officially...
experienced the lowest temperature recorded in the North Island, falling to -13.6 °C on 7 July 1937. In summer the region is warm, with a maximum mid-summer daily average of between 20.1 and 22.9 °C. Sunshine hours approximate the national average for much of the region (1,800-2,000 hours per annum) but Palmerston North is defined as cloudy with an average of 1,725 sunshine hours. In the winter the minimum mid-winter daily average for coastal areas is 4.0 to 7.9 °C, while inland areas are considerably colder.
WaiouruWaiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu, and in the Ruapehu District....
has a minimum mid-winter daily average of 0.1 °C.
Rainfall on the plains is slightly below average, with Palmerston North receiving 960 mm, while the rest of the region receives the New Zealand average rainfall of 1,000-2,000 mm.
Conservation and parks
The region contains areas of great ecological significance, reflected in the designation of approximately a seventh of its land area as part of the nation's conservation estate.
Tongariro National ParkTongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 25 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites....
is the largest park in the region (795.98 km
2) and is the oldest national park in the country, established in 1887. The volcanoes Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe are sacred to Māori and were gifted to the nation by
Te Heuheu Tukino IVTe Heuheu Tukino IV was paramount chief of the Ngāti Tuwharetoa, a Māori tribe of the central North Island of New Zealand. His birth name was Pataatai but he assumed the name Horonuku - meaning landslide - after the death of his parents in a landslide in 1846...
, paramount chief of
Ngati TuwharetoaNgāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua at Matata across the central plateau of the North Island to the lands around Mount Tongariro and Lake Taupo.The iwi is identified...
. They form the nucleus of the park, which is designated a world heritage area.
Whanganui National ParkThe Whanganui National Park is a national park located in the North Island of New Zealand. Established in 1986, it covers an area of 742 km² bordering the Whanganui River. It incorporates areas of Crown land, former state forest and a number of former reserves. The river itself is not technically...
is slightly smaller (742.31 km
2) and was established 99 years later when a series of reserves were incorporated into one area and given national park status. There are two state forest parks in the rugged, bush-clad Ruahine and Tararua Ranges. The four parks offer
skiingSkiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, tramping,
jetboatA jetboat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft. Unlike a powerboat or motorboat that uses a propeller in the water below or behind the boat, a jetboat draws the water from under the boat into a pump-jet inside the boat, then expels it through a nozzle at the...
ing and white-water
raftingRafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers...
and the opportunity to appreciate the environment.
The regional council, responsible for managing natural and physical resources, provides flood protection and monitors environmental problems such as pest infestation and pollution. Invasive plant pests such as African feathergrass,
goats rueGalega officinalis, commonly known as goat's rue, French lilac, Italian fitch or professor-weed, is an herbaceous plant in the Faboideae subfamily. It is native to the Middle East, but it has been naturalised in Europe, western Asia, and western Pakistan...
and nodding
thistleThistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant - on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
pose a threat to pastureland in this heavily agricultural-dependent region, and the regional council has instituted control campaigns. The regional council has also instituted animal pest control programmes.
PossumA possum is any of about 69 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi . The name derives from their resemblance to the opossums of the Americas...
s are perceived as the major animal pest since they damage native forests and endanger cattle production through the spread of bovine
tuberculosisTuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria...
. Eradication programmes also concentrate on
rabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit...
s,
rookThe Rook is a member of the Corvidae family in the passerine order of birds. Named by Linnaeus in 1758, the species name frugilegus is Latin for "food-gathering"....
s and feral
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, while other exotic species such as Parma Wallaby (Macropus parma)
wallabyA wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name....
,
waspThe term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their numbers,...
s,
ferretThe ferret is a domestic mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females...
s,
stoatThe stoat or ermine is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. It is also known as a Shorttail Weasel and less frequently as an ermelin...
s and
weaselWeasels are mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family.Originally, the name "weasel" was applied to one species of the genus, the European form of the Least Weasel...
s are a source of concern.
People
The region had a usually resident population of 222,423 people at the 2006 Census, the fifth-largest population in New Zealand. The region has a lower than average population density, 10.3 people per square kilometre, compared with 13.1 for New Zealand. Between the 2001 and 2006 censuses the population rose by 1.6%, or 3,477 people.
There are two major urban areas in the region.
Palmerston NorthPalmerston 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 In 2008 it was the 11th-largest city in New Zealand, and the centre of the seventh-largest urban area...
, with an estimated resident population of , expanded as an educational centre and a supply centre for the surrounding rural hinterland. It became a city in 1930. The other major urban area is
WanganuiWanganui 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.Like several New Zealand centres, it was officially designated a city until administrative reorganisation in 1989, and is now run by a District Council...
, with an estimated resident population of Other urban centres include
LevinLevin is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand, and is the largest town in the Horowhenua district. It is on State Highway 1 and the North Island Main Trunk railway, 90km north of Wellington, 50km south of Palmerston North, and two kilometres to the east of Lake Horowhenua.The town...
, Feilding,
DannevirkeDannevirke , is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui area of New Zealand. It is the major town of the administrative district of Tararua, the easternmost of the districts in which the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council has responsibilities...
,
TaumarunuiTaumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
,
FoxtonFoxton is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand. The 2001 census population was 4617.It is located on the lower west cost of the North Island. The town is in the Horowhenua district, 30 kilometres southwest of Palmerston North and 15 kilometres north of Levin. The town is located...
, and
MartonMarton is a town in 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 ....
.
City life does not dominate the region, as half the population live outside a large urban area, over a third in small towns or rural areas. While
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
has become an important part of the region's economy, most businesses are agriculturally based and agriculture remains the regional linchpin. The dominance of agriculture, combined with the relatively small scale of most urban areas, gives a rural quality to the region, quite distinct from neighbouring
WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
. The region's rugged interior has also become one of the main training areas for New Zealand's defence force, which maintain three bases in the region.
History
- Pre-1769 Approximately 3% of Māori lived in the Wanganui Basin and 8% on the Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island and is the 10th largest region of New Zealand by population. It is named for the region's main geographical feature, Mount Taranaki....
coast. Coastal Māori garden and gather food but life for Māori further inland is more difficult, relying on hunting and gathering.
- 1820-1840 Ngati Toa
Ngāti Toa , an iwi , traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. The Ngāti Toa region extends from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson....
and Te Atiawa iwiIn New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori populations. The word iwi means "people" or "folk"; in many contexts it may mean "tribe" or "clan", and sometimes a larger grouping of tribes...
displace local iwi from their lands.
- 1830 Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough.- Early days :At some time around 1815,...
(Ngati Toa) lay siege to Putiki PāThe word pā traditionally refers to a Māori village or settlement. In contemporary Western usage, it has come to refer to a Māori hillfort from the 17th - 19th centuries, that was fortified with palisades and earthworks such as defensive terraces. Prior to the 1960s, any Māori settlement,...
in retaliation for an attack on Kapiti IslandKapiti Island is a small but conspicuous island about 8 km off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is 10 kilometres long, running southwest/northeast, and roughly 2 kilometres wide, being more or less rectangular in shape, and has an area of 19.65 km² .The island...
, sacking the pā and killing its inhabitants.
- 1831 European traders arrive in Wanganui, led by Joe Rowe, supposedly a dealer in preserved heads (moko mokai). A dispute with local Māori leads to the death of three of his party and his own head is cut off and preserved.
- 1840 Edward Jerningham Wakefield
Edward Jerningham Wakefield was the only son of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. He was born in London, and educated in England and France....
(Edward Gibbon WakefieldEdward Gibbon Wakefield was a British politician, the driving force behind much of the early colonization of South Australia, and later New Zealand. Wakefield, who in 1816 married Eliza Pattle , was the eldest son of Edward Wakefield and Susanna Crash...
's son) purchases of land under dubious circumstances, for the New Zealand CompanyThe New Zealand Company originated in 1839 in London with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand. The Company intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of a new-model English society in the southern hemisphere...
, including the Wanganui town site. The first European settlers start arriving in Wanganui.
- 1842 The first organised European settlers in Horowhenua arrive at Paiaka.
- 1847 In July the "Battle of St John's Wood" occurs when 400 Māori clash with an equal force of British Regulars.
- 1848 The Crown purchases Wanganui, , of which are supposed to be set aside as a reserve.
- 1855 Paiaka settlers move closer to the coast at "Foxton
Foxton is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand. The 2001 census population was 4617.It is located on the lower west cost of the North Island. The town is in the Horowhenua district, 30 kilometres southwest of Palmerston North and 15 kilometres north of Levin. The town is located...
", which becomes a port handling flax, timber and agricultural produce.
- 1856 The Wanganui Chronicle
The Wanganui Chronicle is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Wanganui, it celebrated 150 years of publishing in September 2006.Local resident Henry Stokes first proposed the paper for Petre, as the town was then called, but initial publication was held back by lack of equipment...
is first published.
- 1860s Scandinavians settle in the Tararua District, later founding 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. It is sometimes considered to be in northern Wairarapa. It was originally called Mellenskov, but was renamed soon after its founding.The town is...
, DannevirkeDannevirke , is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui area of New Zealand. It is the major town of the administrative district of Tararua, the easternmost of the districts in which the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council has responsibilities...
, and NorsewoodNorsewood 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....
.
- 1865 A battle ensues between the Hau Hau
The Pai Mārire movement was a syncretic Māori religion that flourished in New Zealand from about 1863 to 1874. Founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumene, it incorporated Biblical and Māori spiritual elements and promised its followers deliverance from Pākehā domination, providing a...
adherents (who were largely upper Whanganui Māori), who want to expel the PākehāPākehā are New Zealanders who are not of Māori blood lines. They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
at Wanganui, and the Māori of the lower river.
- 1866 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 In 2008 it was the 11th-largest city in New Zealand, and the centre of the seventh-largest urban area...
(Te Papai-oea) is founded. It is surrounded by forests with the Manawatu River serving as its only link with the port of Foxton and the outside world.
- 1870s The bush is gradually felled and the Manawatu opened up for European farms and settlement. Former Danish
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
Prime Minister, Bishop Ditlev Gothard MonradDitlev Gothard Monrad was a Danish politician and bishop of Lolland-Falster.Monrad was one of the pioneers of the making of a constitutional Denmark after 1848...
, organises a settlement of Danes near AwapuniAwapuni is the name of three distinct places in New Zealand:*Awapuni, Gisborne is a suburb of Gisborne city*Awapuni, Manawatu-Wanganui is a suburb of Palmerston North city*Awapuni, Wellington is a suburb of Lower Hutt city...
.
- 1871 The first sawmill is established at Palmerston North.
- 1872 Wanganui becomes a borough.
- 1875 The Manawatu Times is published for the first time at Palmerston North.
- 1876 A railway opens between Foxton and Palmerston North via Longburn, later named the Foxton Branch
|}The Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. It began life as a tramway, evolved into a railway by 1876, and operated until 1959. At Himatangi there was a junction with the Sanson Tramway, a line operated by the Manawatu County Council that was never upgraded to the status of a...
. Wellington Provinceright|200px|Map of the boundaries of the former [[Wellington Province]] of New Zealand...
abolished.
- 1877 Palmerston North becomes a borough.
- 1878 A railway line opens between Palmerston North and Wanganui. The first portion later became part of the North Island Main Trunk Railway
|}The North Island Main Trunk line is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand. The line links the nations's capital Wellington, with the largest city Auckland, via Paraparaumu, Palmerston North, Taihape, National Park, Taumarunui, Te Kuiti, Hamilton, and Pukekohe.The NIMT is in...
, between Aramoho and Wanganui the Wanganui Branch, and the rest part of the Marton - New Plymouth Line|}The Marton - New Plymouth Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand that links the Taranaki and Manawatu-Wanganui regions...
.
- 1884 The Sanson Tramway
|}The Sanson Tramway in the Manawatu region of New Zealand operated from 1885 until 1945. Owned by the Manawatu County Council, it connected with the national railway network at Himatangi on the Foxton Branch...
, built and operated by the Manawatu County Council, opens to Sanson, New ZealandSanson is a small town in the Manawatu region of New Zealand. It is located just south of Bulls and the Rangitikei River, and west of the city of Palmerston North. The 2001 census revealed that Sanson's population was 495, a 4.6% decrease from the previous census in 1996...
from the Foxton Branch at HimatangiHimatangi, formerly Carnarvon, is a small settlement in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the junction of State Highways 1 and 56, 25 kilometres west of Palmerston North, and seven kilometres east of the coastal settlement of Himatangi Beach...
.
- 1885 Mother Mary Joseph Aubert starts her community of the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion at Jerusalem
Jerusalem was once an important kainga on the Whanganui River in New Zealand where a Roman Catholic mission was first established in 1854....
, founding a home for Māori orphans, the elderly and infirm. The private Castleciff Railway opens between Wanganui and Castlecliff.
- 1886 The Wellington and Manawatu Railway opens between Wellington and Longburn railway (later the North Island Main Trunk), superseding the Foxton link and ensuring Palmerston North's growth.
- 1889 Levin
Levin is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand, and is the largest town in the Horowhenua district. It is on State Highway 1 and the North Island Main Trunk railway, 90km north of Wellington, 50km south of Palmerston North, and two kilometres to the east of Lake Horowhenua.The town...
is founded because of the construction of Wellington & Manawatu Railway
- 1908 The North Island Main Trunk reaches Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
and thence AucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with a population approaching 1.4 million residents, percent of the country's population. Demographic trends indicate that it will continue to grow faster than the rest...
, opening up the inland districts for development.
- 1906 Levin becomes a borough.
- 1930 Palmerston North becomes a city.
- 1939 Ohakea Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zealand components of the British Royal Air Force, becoming an independent force in 1923, although many RNZAF aircrew continued to serve in the Royal Air Force until the end of the 1940s...
Station commences operations.
- 1945 The Sanson Tramway closes.
- 1953 New Zealand's worst rail disaster occurs at Tangiwai
The Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953 was the worst rail accident in New Zealand. An 11-carriage overnight express from Wellington to Auckland fell into the Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, ten kilometres west of Waiouru. The bridge carrying the North Island Main Trunk Railway over the river had...
on the North Island Main Trunk, as the railway bridge collapses because of a laharA lahar is a type of mudflow or landslide composed of pyroclastic material and water that flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term "lahar" originated in the Javanese language of Indonesia.-Description:...
flow from the crater lake on Mount RuapehuMount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park...
. A train with Christmas holiday-makers plunges into the flood, killing 151 people.
- 1956 The private railway between Wanganui and Castlecliff is purchased by the government and incorporated into the national railway network
Rail transport in New Zealand consists of a network of gauge railway lines in both the North and South Islands. Rail services are focussed primarily on freight, particularly bulk freight, with limited passenger services on some lines...
as the Castlecliff Branch.
- 1959 The Foxton Branch railway closes.
- 1960s Famous New Zealand poet James K. Baxter
James Keir Baxter was a poet, and is a celebrated figure in New Zealand society.-Biography:Baxter was born in Dunedin to Archibald Baxter and Millicent Brown and grew up near Brighton. He was named after James Keir Hardie, a founder of the British Labour Party. His father had been a conscientious...
sets up a commune at Jerusalem.
- 1963 Massey University
Massey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students. The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . In addition, Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
is formed by a merger of a branch of Victoria UniversityVictoria University of Wellington, also known in Māori as Te Whare Wānanga o te Ūpoko o te Ika a Māui, was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and...
(at Palmerston North) with Massey Agricultural College.
- 1991 In formal recognition of its original name the government renames the Wanganui River the Whanganui River.
- 1995 Occupation of Moutoa Gardens (Wanganui) in protest at the slowness of the Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established by an Act of Parliament in 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on claims brought by Māori relating to actions or omissions of the Crown, in the period since 1840, that breach the...
claim settlement process and loss of control of the Whanganui River.
- 1995-1996 A series of small eruptions occurs on Mt Ruapehu, throwing ash over a wide area.
- 2004 Sustained heavy rain in February caused the region's worst flooding in over 100 years.
Business
Agriculture dominates the economy in the region. A higher than average proportion of businesses were engaged in the
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
,
forestryForestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. The main goal of forestry is to create and implement systems that allow forests to continue a sustainable continuation of environmental supplies and services...
and
fishingFishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
industries, 6.3% compared with 4.4% nationally. Businesses engaged in retail trade were dominant numerically. In 1997 there were 2,300 businesses in the region, employing a total of 10,380 full-time
equivalents (FTEs). The percentage of businesses engaged in manufacturing was slightly higher than the national average and manufacturing employed the greatest number of people (12,830 FTEs).
Energy
Unlike its neighbour
TaranakiTaranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island and is the 10th largest region of New Zealand by population. It is named for the region's main geographical feature, Mount Taranaki....
, Manawatu-Wanganui has not been a major producer of energy or minerals. There are some new power schemes operating within the region including the southern hemisphere's largest collection of
wind farmA wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power. Individual turbines are interconnected with a medium voltage power collection system and communications network...
s, with 194 installed turbines and more planned.
Agriculture
The region is known for its strong agricultural base, which prompted the establishment of an agricultural college there in the 1920s. The government wanted to promote scientific farming and established colleges in two of the most important farming areas,
CanterburyThe New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council and the University of Canterbury.- Geography :Canterbury is New...
and the Manawatu. Research by members of the college into animal genetics in the 1930s led to the development of new breeds of sheep, the
DrysdaleThe Drysdale breed of sheep originated in New Zealand. Dr. Francis Dry in 1931 noticed a genetic freak, a Romney ram with a high percentage of very coarse wool...
and the
PerendaleThe Perendale is a breed of sheep developed in New Zealand by Massey Agricultural College for use in steep hill situations. The breed is named after Sir Geoffrey Peren and it achieves its aims by being the offspring of Romney ewes and Cheviot rams with sturdy legs...
, which became commercially significant after World War II.
Agriculture dominates land use in the region although there are areas of forestry and
horticultureHorticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation. Some would say that horticulture is the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant...
. Soils and climate favour pastoral farming. There were 6,344 farm holdings in the region on 30 June 1996, which was almost a tenth of all farm holdings in New Zealand. Farming occupied 72.5% of land in the region, which was much higher than the national average of 60.1%. Approximately 80% of this land was used for agricultural purposes (grazing, arable, fodder and fallow land). In the Manawatu, Rangitikei and Tararua Districts this percentage rose to over 90% of total land.
The region is one of the most important areas of pastoral farming in New Zealand. The region had 7,216,177 sheep (at 30 June 1996), the largest number of sheep in the North Island and the fourth-highest figure in the country behind Canterbury, Southland and
OtagoOtago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. It has an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. It has a population of...
. The region also produces a significant proportion of vegetables in the North Island and is particularly noted for its abundant
potatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
crop.
BarleyBarley is a cereal grain derived from the annual grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. It is used in soups, stews and barley bread in various countries, such as Scotland and in Africa...
, which is used for the manufacture of stock feed and for malting, is grown in the region. The region produces the largest quantities of barley in the North Island, providing 10% of the national refined crop of 302,804 tonnes in 1995.
Forestry
The region is one of the most significant forestry areas in the southern North Island. The predominant soil type in the region, yellow-brown earths, when enhanced by the use of fertilisers, is very suitable for forestry. Forestry has a long history in the Manawatu since Palmerston North developed as a saw-milling town and the region's initial prosperity depended on heavy exploitation of native timbers. But land use practices inhibited the long term viability of this indigenous forestry industry. Severe burn-offs destroyed large areas of native forest and subsequent overgrazing affected the region's soils. Forestry largely disappeared until the early twentieth century. In an attempt to combat erosion problems in sandy soils the government planted forests in the Foxton/Levin area in the early twentieth century. Inland forests were planted later. Some private native forest in the region has been set aside for sustainable logging but most forestry in the region depends on exotic plantings.
Tourism
For the eight quarters between September 1996 and June 1998 the region averaged 4.1% of total guest nights in New Zealand. This was close behind Wellington at 6.7% and greater than Hawke's Bay, which averaged 3.1%. Occupancy rates, at 20.1%, were the fourth-lowest in the country for the June 1998 quarter. Rates for the city of Palmerston North were significantly higher than the national average (39.5% compared with 25.8%) whereas districts such as Ruapehu are far more seasonal with fairly low occupancy rates except in the peak ski season.
Transport
The region includes
State Highway 1State Highway 1 is the most significant road in the New Zealand roading network. It runs the length of both main islands, and officially has two designations: SH 1N in the North Island and SH 1S in the South Island, but both sections appear on road signs and road atlases as SH 1.It is 2047 km...
, the main state highway, and the
North Island Main Trunk Railway|}The North Island Main Trunk line is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand. The line links the nations's capital Wellington, with the largest city Auckland, via Paraparaumu, Palmerston North, Taihape, National Park, Taumarunui, Te Kuiti, Hamilton, and Pukekohe.The NIMT is in...
, the main railway line, which link
AucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with a population approaching 1.4 million residents, percent of the country's population. Demographic trends indicate that it will continue to grow faster than the rest...
and
WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
. The
Palmerston North - Gisborne Line|}The Palmerston North - Gisborne Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand. It branches from the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Palmerston North and runs east through the Manawatu Gorge to Woodville, where it meets the Wairarapa Line, and then proceeds to...
and State Highway 3 follow the
Manawatu GorgeThe Manawatu Gorge runs between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges of the North Island of New Zealand, linking the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions...
, linking the region with Hawke's Bay. The
Marton - New Plymouth Line|}The Marton - New Plymouth Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand that links the Taranaki and Manawatu-Wanganui regions...
provides a railway link with Taranaki, and from this line a short branch line runs to Wanganui. Road and rail transport give the region's exporters easy access to ports.
The region has approximately 16% of the North Island's road length. There are 8,732 km of road, of which two-thirds are sealed. Approximately 12% of roads in the region are classified as urban and three-quarters as rural, with almost half of the rural roads being unsealed. With 945.9 km the region has the second-highest length of State Highways in the North Island, after Waikato.
External links