Wairau Valley
Wairau Valley | |
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![]() Wairau Valley Tavern | |
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Coordinates: 41°33′56″S 173°31′44″E / 41.56556°S 173.52889°E | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Marlborough |
Ward | Wairau-Awatere Ward |
Area | |
• Total | 4,177.43 km2 (1,612.91 sq mi) |
Population (June 2021)[2] | |
• Total | 2,150 |
• Density | 0.51/km2 (1.3/sq mi) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Wairau_Valley_-_Marlborough.jpg/220px-Wairau_Valley_-_Marlborough.jpg)
Wairau Valley is the valley of the Wairau River in Marlborough, New Zealand and also the name of the main settlement in the upper valley. State Highway 63 runs through the valley. The valley opens onto the Wairau Plain, where Renwick and Blenheim are sited.[3][4] The Alpine–Wairau Fault runs along the length of the valley.[5]
Wairauite is an iron-cobalt alloy which is named after the valley.[6]
History and culture[]
European settlement[]
J. S. Cotterell surveyed the Wairau Valley in November 1842, and reported it contained rich land.[7] Settlers from Nelson, led by Arthur Wakefield, tried to take possession of the land but the Ngāti Toa, led by Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata objected. The dispute escalated into the Wairau Affray at Tuamarina on 23 June 1843, in which 22 settlers and four Māori were killed. An enquiry held in 1844 by Governor Robert FitzRoy decided that the settlers were in the wrong.[8]
In November 1846, Nelson farmers Nathaniel Morse and John Cooper drove sheep into the Wairau valley[9] and established settlements. Governor Sir George Grey purchased the land in the same year, but legal title to the land for the settlers was sorted out later.[10]
In the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake, the eastern end of the Wairau valley subsided by over a metre.[11]
Marae[]
Parerarua Marae is located in Wairau Valley. It is a marae (meeting ground) of Ngāti Rārua and includes the Parerarua wharenui (meeting house).[12][13]
In October 2020, the Government committed $246,418 from the Provincial Growth Fund towards renovating the marae, creating an estimated 7 jobs.[14]
Demographics[]
Wairau Valley town is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 3.50 km2 (1.35 sq mi). It is part of the wider Upper Wairau statistical area.[1]
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 180 | — |
2013 | 210 | +2.23% |
2018 | 231 | +1.92% |
Source: [15] |
The town had a population of 231 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 21 people (10.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 51 people (28.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 96 households. There were 108 males and 123 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.88 males per female. The median age was 47.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 39 people (16.9%) aged under 15 years, 36 (15.6%) aged 15 to 29, 108 (46.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 48 (20.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 96.1% European/Pākehā, 6.5% Māori, 2.6% Pacific peoples, and 1.3% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 63.6% had no religion, 23.4% were Christian and 3.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 33 (17.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 42 (21.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 108 (56.2%) people were employed full-time, 33 (17.2%) were part-time, and 3 (1.6%) were unemployed.[15]
Upper Wairau[]
The statistical area of Upper Wairau covers 4,177.43 km2 (1,612.91 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 2,150 as of June 2021,[2] with a population density of 0.5 people per km2.
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 1,692 | — |
2013 | 1,746 | +0.45% |
2018 | 1,938 | +2.11% |
Source: [16] |
Upper Wairau had a population of 1,938 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 192 people (11.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 246 people (14.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 741 households. There were 999 males and 939 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 46.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 384 people (19.8%) aged under 15 years, 222 (11.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,035 (53.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 300 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 95.5% European/Pākehā, 6.3% Māori, 0.9% Pacific peoples, 0.9% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 16.9%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 56.8% had no religion, 32.8% were Christian, 0.5% were Buddhist and 2.0% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 339 (21.8%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 234 (15.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $40,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 918 (59.1%) people were employed full-time, 270 (17.4%) were part-time, and 12 (0.8%) were unemployed.[16]
Education[]
Wairau Valley School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 47 students as of November 2021.[17][18] A school first opened in the Wairau valley in 1861.[19]
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wairau Valley. |
- ^ a b c "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ Peter Dowling, ed. (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. pp. map 59. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
- ^ Roger Smith, GeographX (2005). The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand. Robbie Burton. pp. map 138. ISBN 1-877333-20-4.
- ^ Marlborough Historical Society (2005). Click - A Captured Moment - Marlborough's Early Heritage. p. 16. ISBN 0-473-10475-X.
- ^ "Mineral names – 2". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ "Thomas Brunner, Nelson and the West Coast". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ "The struggle to survive: 1840–1865". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (13 July 2012). "Marlborough region - Grazing and farming". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ A. D. McIntosh, ed. (1940). Marlborough - A Provincial History. pp. 93, 131–134.
- ^ "The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
- ^ "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
- ^ "Marae Announcements" (Excel). growregions.govt.nz. Provincial Growth Fund. 9 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. 7023292.
- ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Upper Wairau (306600). 2018 Census place summary: Upper Wairau
- ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ Education Counts: Wairau Valley School
- ^ A. D. McIntosh, p 340
- Populated places in the Marlborough Region
- Landforms of the Marlborough Region
- Valleys of New Zealand