Eltham, New Zealand
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Infobox settlement Eltham is a small inland town in South Taranaki, New Zealand, located Template:Convert south of the city of New Plymouth and southeast of the volcanic cone of Mount Taranaki. Stratford is Template:Convert north, Kaponga Template:Convert west, and Hāwera is Template:Convert south. State Highway 3 runs through the town.<ref>Template:Citation.</ref><ref>Template:Citation.</ref>
Eltham is South Taranaki's second largest town.
Eltham is known as the cradle of the Taranaki dairy industry (the co-operative system in particular), and for being the one place in New Zealand that manufactured rennet which is important in cheesemaking.<ref>See Template:Citation</ref> It was also the first place to export butter to England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
European settlement began in Eltham in the 1870s, with blocks of densely forested land being taken up mainly to the north of Mountain Road. A profusion of sawmilling companies cleared the district which, when grassed, proved ideal for dairy farming.<ref>See Template:Cite web</ref> In 1881 the railway first opened at Eltham, and in 1884, the year Eltham was declared a town district, settlers, mainly from England, arrived there and the town had a population of 25. Eltham was declared a borough in 1901, and became part of South Taranaki District with the local body amalgamations of 1989.
High Street (which runs through the centre of town - as part of State Highway 3 connecting Stratford, Ngaere, Normanby and Hāwera) and Bridge Street (which heads westward towards Kaponga and joins State Highway 45 near Ōpunake), were the first tar-sealed roads in New Zealand.<ref> Template:Citation </ref><ref> Template:Citation </ref>
Geography
Rivers and lakes
The two main watercourses which run through Eltham itself are the Mangawharawhara Stream, and the Waingongoro River.
The Mangawharawhara Stream runs to the east of the Main Trunk railway line, flows under the central business district via a culvert, and on past Eltham School and the Eltham Golf Club to the south of the town.
The Waingongoro River forms a western boundary to the town itself, flowing through the Presbyterian Church campsite (in the town's northwest) and Taumata Park (the town's main camping area and sports ground - in the western part of the town) and winding itself southwestward to meet the Tasman Sea at Ohawe Beach, near Hāwera.<ref>Template:Cite web Roth notes that it was on the banks of this river that Chew Chong set up his "Jubilee" factory in 1887.</ref>
Eltham is also the gateway to Lake Rotokare, a scenic, natural lake surrounded by native bush (to the east of the town), and to the man-made Lake Rotorangi.
Demographics
Eltham covers Template:Convert<ref name="Area">Template:Cite web</ref> and had an estimated population of Template:NZ population data 2023 SA2 as of Template:NZ population data 2023 SA2 with a population density of Template:Decimals people per km2 (Template:Convert per sq mi).
Template:Historical populations Eltham had a population of 2,097 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 150 people (7.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 222 people (11.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,047 males, 1,041 females, and 6 people of other genders in 822 dwellings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 3.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 411 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 357 (17.0%) aged 15 to 29, 954 (45.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 372 (17.7%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 81.7% European (Pākehā); 30.8% Māori; 3.6% Pasifika; 3.1% Asian; 0.3% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.9% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.1%, Māori by 6.9%, Samoan by 0.3%, and other languages by 3.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 9.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023"/>
Religious affiliations were 26.9% Christian, 0.1% Hindu, 0.9% Islam, 2.1% Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% Buddhist, 1.1% New Age, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.9%, and 10.0% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023"/>
Of those at least 15 years old, 126 (7.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 954 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 597 (35.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $32,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 63 people (3.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 783 (46.4%) full-time, 198 (11.7%) part-time, and 39 (2.3%) unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023">Template:Cite web</ref>
Local administration
Eltham and the surrounding community enjoys a full library and council service (coming under the aegis of the South Taranaki District Council, based in Hāwera). Services provided include being able to register your dog, pay your rates or inquire about obtaining a building permit. The LibraryPlus is also a NZ Post agency. Other services include a Tot Time for the under 5s and regular ‘coffee and blog’ meetings for locals to learn about new technologies in a friendly environment. The LibraryPlus also has three APN computers, offering free internet and Skype to the public.
Industry
The town's main industry is cheese production, with much of Mainland Cheese's speciality range such as feta and camembert being produced in the Bridge Street factory.
Other cheese products such as the processed cheese used in many burgers are produced at the company's Collingwood Street site, formerly occupied by the Taranaki Co-operative Dairy Company's milk powder plant, but now extensively remodelled.<ref>The Taranaki co-operative was formed in 1965 when the Cardiff, Eltham, Normanby, and Stratford dairy co-operatives were merged. The Eltham plant was opened for the 1965-66 season. Some of the records of this company (from 1950-1983) are held at the Template:Cite web, and a summary of that holding may be seen at Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Cheese has been used as a central symbol of the town, and to reinforce this view, the town's water supply tank was painted to represent a large block of cheese in 2002.
Eltham's other significant industry is the ANZCO (formerly Riverlands) freezing works, which has a satellite plant in Bulls, in Manawatū. Both plants can process up to 1250 head of cattle daily.
Education
Eltham School is a coeducational full primary school (years 1-8), with a roll of Template:NZ school roll data as of Template:NZ school roll data<ref>Template:TKI</ref> The school was founded in 1886.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Notable people
- Amyas Connell (1901–1980), architect
- Martin Donnelly (1917–1999), cricketer and rugby union player
- Gavin Hill (born 1965), rugby union and rugby league player
- Charles Knight aka Tankboy (born 1967), television producerTemplate:Citation needed
- Brian Muller (1942–2019), rugby union player<ref>Template:All Blacks</ref>
- Geoff Old (born 1956), rugby union player<ref>Template:All Blacks</ref>
- Bryce Robins (born 1980), rugby union player<ref>Template:All Blacks</ref>
- Ronald Syme (1903–1989), historian and classicist<ref>Template:Cite web Brief biography from the Taranaki Daily News 14 June 2003, centennial year of his birth.</ref>
- Walter Symes (1852–1914), politician
- Chau Tseung (or Chew Chong) (1828–1920), founder of the factory system of butter manufacture in the late 1880s<ref>Template:Cite web Roth notes that the establishment of the Eltham Co-operative Dairy Company in 1892 marked the "beginning of the end" for Chew Chong's pioneering dairy empire: because the co-operative could afford to pay its suppliers better. Also see the co-operative's jubilee history noted under Business History in the "Further Reading" section."</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Roger Urbahn (1934–1984), rugby union player<ref>Template:All Blacks</ref>
- Stephen Cox (born 1956), New Zealand Olympic Cyclist