Edgecumbe

Edgecumbe (Template:Langx)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a town in the Bay of Plenty Region of the North Island of New Zealand, Template:Convert to the west of Whakatāne and Template:Convert south of the Bay's coast.

It is the main service town for the agricultural region surrounding the plains of the Rangitaiki River, which flows through the town.

State Highway 2 and the Tāneatua Branch railway line (disused) pass through the town.

The Edgecumbe Dairy Factory, established in 1915, employs 358 people, roughly a fifth of Edgecumbe's total population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The town is named after the small village of Edgecumbe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, between Penryn and Helston. Edgecumbe was linked with Tauranga and Auckland by rail, with the opening of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway and Taneatua Express in 1928.

In 1987, a large earthquake centred on Edgecumbe shook the Bay of Plenty, causing widespread damage and causing much of the population to leave Edgecumbe.

In July 2004, May 2005 and April 2017, the town experienced heavy flooding that ruined many homes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2005 flood, the river swelled to within 5 cm of breaching the flood banks that had been put in place seven years prior.

1987 Edgecumbe earthquake

File:Edgecumbe Fonterra Earthquake Memorial.jpg

1987 Earthquake memorial (on right).

The earthquake was a major turning point in the history of Edgecumbe. It measured 6.3 on the Richter magnitude scale and struck the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand on 2 March 1987, just after 1.42 pm. The earthquake was very shallow, being centred approximately 8 km from the Earth's surface. The earthquake was one of the most damaging New Zealand's North Island has experienced in recent decades, with approximately 50% of the houses in Edgecumbe being damaged by the quake. There was extensive damage to a local milk factory, with large storage tanks toppled. Kawerau was another nearby town that suffered damage and Whakatāne was also badly shaken. An 80-tonne New Zealand Railways DC class locomotive was thrown onto its side.

The earthquake caused no fatalities.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

However, one person died at the time as a result of a heart attack, possibly due to the quake.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A foreshock just minutes before had cut the power supply and many people had moved away from heavy machinery and out of their houses. The largest aftershock was measured at 5.2 and struck at 1.52 pm.

A crack Template:Convert long opened in the Rangitaiki Plains near Edgecumbe, as a result of the earthquake. It is now known as the 'Edgecumbe Fault'. At one point, the land close to the fault dropped Template:Convert.

The epicentre of the quake was approximately Template:Convert south-south-east of the town of Matatā, or Template:Convert north-north-west of Edgecumbe. The intense ground-shaking caused by the earthquake led to a large number of ground surface failures, including sand boils, ridge-top shatters and debris avalanches on steeper slopes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Because of the earthquake, many people left and therefore Edgecumbe's population dropped considerably. Edgecumbe is slowly recovering as it has increased by 21 in the years 2006 to 2013, possibly due to many kiwifruit orchards being affected by PSA.

2017 Edgecumbe flood

In April 2017, remnants of Cyclone Debbie caused heavy rainfall in the region. At 8:30 am on April 6, water from the Rangitaiki River breached a stopbank next to Edgecumbe, causing widespread flooding across the township.<ref name="NZHflood">Template:Cite web</ref> A state of emergency was declared for the Whakatāne District, and around 2000 people were evacuated to Kawerau and Whakatāne.<ref name="NZHflood" /><ref name="SLflood">Template:Cite web</ref> More than 300 homes were damaged, with some becoming uninhabitable.<ref name="NZHflood2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />

There were no deaths due to the flood, yet, over 50 percent of people there were highly affected by it.

The largest animal rescue in New Zealand history was recorded during the aftermath of the flood. Approximately 1000 animals were rescued by an SPCA led operation, with support from local civil defence rescue teams and veterinarians from Massey University. The event highlighted a significant gap in animal welfare emergency management capability in New Zealand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Edgecumbe is described by Stats NZ as a small urban area, and covers Template:Convert.<ref name="Area">Template:Cite web</ref> It had an estimated population of Template:NZ population data 2018 as of Template:NZ population data 2018 with a population density of Template:Decimals people per km².

Template:Historical populations Edgecumbe had a population of 1,800 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 156 people (9.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 162 people (9.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 906 males, 885 females, and 6 people of other genders in 618 dwellings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 34.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 423 people (23.5%) aged under 15 years, 342 (19.0%) aged 15 to 29, 744 (41.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 294 (16.3%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 70.7% European (Pākehā), 46.0% Māori, 4.3% Pasifika, 3.7% Asian, and 1.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.3%, Māori by 11.3%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 4.3%. No language could be spoken by 3.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Religious affiliations were 23.0% Christian, 0.3% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 4.7% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 61.0%, and 8.8% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Of those at least 15 years old, 150 (10.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 828 (60.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 402 (29.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 72 people (5.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 702 (51.0%) full-time, 177 (12.9%) part-time, and 69 (5.0%) unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023">Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Edgecumbe is located inland from the coast on the end of the fertile Rangitaiki Plains. The nearby beach is part of Maketu. The volcanic cone of Mount Edgecumbe, 15 kilometres to the south and close to the town of Kawerau, is visible from Edgecumbe.

Clubs and organisations

The Association Football Club Plains Rangers AFC<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is based at the Edgecumbe Domain, along with rugby and hockey.

The Edgecumbe Volunteer Fire Brigade<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is located on SH2 and services the township and surrounding area.

The town has a local rugby club,<ref name="boprugby">Template:Cite web</ref> and a Kart Sport track.<ref name="kartsport">Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

Edgecumbe School is a state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,<ref name="official1711">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="moe1711">Template:Cite web</ref> with a roll of Template:NZ school roll data.<ref name="ero1711">Template:Cite web</ref> It opened in a barn in 1914 and moved to a new building in 1916. Then called Riverslea School, it became Edgecumbe Primary School in 1925, and moved to its current site in 1926.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Rangitaiki College is a state high school for Year 9 to 13 students,<ref name="official145">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="moe145">Template:Cite web</ref> with a roll of Template:NZ school roll data.<ref name="ero145">Template:Cite web</ref> It opened in 1962 as Edgecumbe College.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Both schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of Template:NZ school roll data

Notable people

• Eve Rimmer, paraplegic athlete