Waipukurau

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Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox settlement Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings.

History and culture

Māori

Central Hawkes Bay, where the town is located was settled by Te Aitanga a Whatonga, the descendants of Whatonga, grandson of Toi Kairakau. These were the Ngati Tara and Rangitāne peoples. In the mid 1500s the Ngāti Kahungunu invaded the area from the north and in the subsequent fighting drove the Rangitāne south into the Tahoraiti area (Dannevirke). Warfare continued through the 1600s until the time of Te Rangikoianake. His first child Te Kikiri was adopted by the Ngai Toroiwaho to be their chief - he had mana over the Waipukurau district.<ref name="Aramoana2">Aramoana Beach, Historical and Archaeological Report, Patrick Parsons, Central Hawkes Bay District Council, January 2001 - Waipukurau Library copy</ref>

Fighting broke out again in the 1800s at Mangatoetoe between Ngai Te Upokoiri and Ngāti Te Rangikoianake of Poukawa. Several of Te Rangikoianake's grand children were killed in this fight. Pareihe, a Ngati Rangikoianake Chief, avenged the defeat in a battle at Pukekaihau, Waipukurau after which a peace accord was made between the two tribes.<ref name="Aramoana2"/>

Chief Justice William Martin

The accord was short lived with the death of Te Wanikau's brother-in-law (Chief of Ngai Te Upokoiri) prompting further conflict over the erection of rahui poles on Lake Poukawa, Ngati Rangikoianake's eel fishing area. The conflict, starting around 1819 and lasting till 1824 ended with the Ngati Rangikoianake and other local tribes evacuating the area and settling at Mahia. In the latter part of the 1820s Pareihe attacked the Ngai Te Upokoiri and regained the lands they had lost, with the Ngai Te Upokoiri taking refuge in the Manawatū. A peace accord was made between Pareihe and the Ngāti Tūwharetoa in the late 1830s. The Ngati Tuwharetoa had been allied with the Ngai Te Upokoiri.<ref name="Aramoana2"/>

Within the current township is Pukekaihau hill, now in Paul Hunter Memorial Park,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the site of the Māori Pā, from which it gets its name. Waipukurau is said to mean the water of pukerau, wai being water and pukerau being either a type of giant puffball fungus, Calvatia gigantea,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> or the immature fruiting bodies of Ileodictyon cibarium (white basket fungus).<ref name="ForgottenForest">Template:Cite q</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The pa was near the old Māori trail from the Manawatū Gorge and Hawkes Bay. The first Europeans who are known to have passed through the area were Bishop George Selwyn and Chief Justice Sir William Martin in November 1842 en route to Napier.<ref>Waipukurau, An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, 1966, AW Reed and Co</ref>

European

Township about 1910

In December 1850 Donald McLean and his party of Land Commissioners met with the Central Hawkes Bay tribes to discuss purchasing a large block of land for European settlement. Negotiations proceeded through till 4 November 1851 when an area of land called the Waipukurau Block, some 279,000 acres, including the land the town is situated on was acquired from local Māori, led by Te Hapuku for £4,800.<ref name="Aramoana2"/><ref>"Parliamentary Papers. Correspondence relative to land purchases, District of Napier", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 5, Issue 316, 16 September 1862, Page 2 retrieved 18 December 2015</ref> Henry Russell acquired the land surrounding Waipukurau, calling it Mount Herbert station.<ref name="NZHist2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Tavistock Hotel and Town Hall, Waipukurau, probably about 1900

In 1857 there was an accommodation house run by a Mr Aveson.<ref>Open column, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume I, Issue 9, 21 November 1857, Page 3 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref> This was sold in October 1858 to George Lloyd and renamed Lloyds Hotel.<ref>Page 2 Advertisements Column 1, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 2, Issue 58, 30 October 1858, Page 2 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref> The Hotel was transferred again in 1861 becoming Moss's Inn or the Tavistock Hotel.<ref>Page 1 Advertisements Column 4, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 4, Issue 159, 6 October 1860, Page 1 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref><ref>"Local Intelligence", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 4, Issue 166, 24 November 1860, Page 5 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref> It was moved to its present site nearer the railway in 1916<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has been empty since 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A Town Hall was built nearby in 1877.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It burnt down on 18 November 1922.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Horse racing started in 1859 with the first recorded meeting on 2 February.<ref>"Waipukurau reces, 1859", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 2, Issue 74, 19 February 1859, Page 3 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref> The provincial council approved construction of roading from Waipukurau to Pōrangahau, a goal, and the appointment of a Constable at Waipukurau in 1859.<ref>"Thursday, May 12", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 2, Issue 87, 21 May 1859, Page 3 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref> Roading to Forty-mile bush was not commenced until late 1867.<ref>"Provincial Council", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 887, 26 October 1867, Page 2 retrieved 21 December 2015</ref>

By at least 1858 Waipukurau was used as a hub for mail delivery to the district, a sale yard for stock, and a court venue.<ref>"Local Intelligence", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 1, Issue 42, 10 July 1858, Page 2 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref><ref>Port Napier, Daily Southern Cross, Volume XV, Issue 1183, 29 October 1858, Page 2 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref> In 1863 land was offered to the Agricultural Society for a show.<ref>Editorial, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 6, Issue 371, 25 March 1863, Page 2 retrieved 18 December 2015</ref> By 1864 the Presbyterians were looking to set up a church in Waipukurau.<ref>"General assembly of the Presbyterian Church", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 7, Issue 544, 8 November 1864, Page 3</ref> There was a school in town by 1866 but this was closed when the building it used was destroyed by fire that year.<ref>"Education", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 819, 19 January 1867, Page 4 retrieved 21 December 2015</ref> The school was replaced in August 1867 by new building which was to serve as both a church and a school.<ref>"Waipukurau", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 868, 20 August 1867, Page 2</ref> The school had 9 pupils.<ref>"Report on education", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 935, 18 April 1868, Page 3 retrieved 21 December 2015</ref>

The Waipukurau road bridge across the Tukituki River circa 1910. It was rebuilt in 1923<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and replaced in 1935 by a concrete bridge Template:Convert long<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1867 Russell acquired the Pa Flat native reserve and founded Waipukurau on it as a model village.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Russel chose the residents and approved the house plans.<ref>http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=2R32 H.R.Russell retrieved 17 December 2015</ref>

Cobb and Co commenced the first coach service to the town in October 1867.<ref>Untitled, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 881, 5 October 1867, Page 2 retrieved 21 December 2015</ref> A coach road to the south reached Norsewood in December 1873 and the Manawatū Gorge in February 1874.<ref>Editorial, Wairarapa Standard, Volume 2, Issue 145, 28 January 1874, Page 2 retrieved 22 December 2015</ref> Tenders for a coach service from Waipukurau to Palmerston North were called for in March.<ref>Wairarapa, Wellington Independent, Volume XXIX, Issue 4058, 20 March 1874, Page 3</ref> The contract was awarded to Andrew Young, whose coach operated from Foxton. On his first journey from Foxton to Waipukurau his coach was intercepted by Alexander MacDonald as he was attempting to cross the Oroua River on former Ngāti Kauwhata land near Schultz's Hotel at Awahuri. MacDonald shot one of the lead horses preventing Young from continuing his journey.<ref>Attack on the Napier coach, Evening Post, Volume X, Issue 62, 1 May 1874, Page 2 retrieved 22 December 2015</ref> MacDonald was a staunch supporter of the Ngāti Kauwhata and had been seeking redress for the dispossession of the tribe from its land on 15 December 1866. MacDonald was imprisoned for three months because of this action, but his action did result in the tribe regaining some 6,200 acres of its land.<ref>"Cultural impact assessment of the Feilding sewage treatment plant discharges upon the cultural values of Ngāti Kauwhata", Rauhuia Environmental Services, Te Maru o Ruahine Trust and Ngā Kaitiaki o Ngāti Kawhata, 9 November 2012, p. 24.</ref>

In October 1867 a dispute broke out between the residents of Waipukurau and the neighbouring township of Waipawa over the location of a telegraph station.<ref>"Letters to the Editor", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 886, 22 October 1867, Page 3</ref> The Provincial Council favoured Waipawa as the location.<ref>"Provincial Council Wednesday, 15th October", Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume I, Issue 44, 28 October 1867, Page 266</ref> However, the Government's Telegraph Department preferred Waipukurau due its slightly more central location.<ref>"Waipawa", Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 916, 11 February 1868, Page 2 retrieved 21 December 2015</ref> The office was opened on 9 June 1868.<ref>Untitled, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 950, 9 June 1868, Page 2 retrieved 21 December 2015</ref> Several weeks later on 22 June Frederick Christian Schäfer, passed through the town. Schäfer was a global traveller from Carlhafen in Hesse-Cassel who had walked through most of Europe, Palestine, two thirds of the way across the United States, Australia, Japan, China, Batavia, and Sumatra. He walked from Wellington to Waipukurau in 18 days.<ref>Waipukurau, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 955, 27 June 1868, Page 3 retrieved 21 December 2015</ref><ref>Mr Christian Frederick Schafer, Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 88, 27 May 1868, p. 2.</ref>

One of the first sheep shearing competitions in New Zealand took place at Waipukurau in January 1868. Its purpose was to improve the quality of shearing,<ref>Untitled, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 910, 18 January 1868, Page 2 retrieved 21 December 2015.</ref> As a local response to Te Kooti's escape and conflict on the East Coast, a stockade was erected in late 1869,<ref>Untitled, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1090, 8 October 1869, Page 2</ref> in what is now Hunter Memorial Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In November 1869 a Methodist Church was formed in the town.<ref>Untitled, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1101, 16 November 1869, Page 3 retrieved 22 December 2015</ref> A boiling down works was constructed in March 1870, the same time a brewery was proposed and a flax mill opened.<ref>Untitled, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1131, 1 March 1870, Page 5</ref>

Railway station

Waipukurau railway station in 1909. The railway plantation of 1877 is in the background.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Plantations of oak, larch, chestnut and ash were established near many railway stations <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Construction of a railway from Napier to Waipukurau commenced in 1872. The target was to complete the line by September 1873.<ref>Parliamentary, New Zealand Herald, Volume IX, Issue 2724, 21 October 1872, Page 3</ref> This was not achieved and the extension to Waipukurau was opened just three days after Waipawa on 1 September 1876. A holiday was declared and two trains ran from Napier to celebrate the opening on Friday 8 September.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The link to Palmerston North was not completed until 9 March 1891 due in part to the more difficult country and the impact of the Long Depression.<ref name=":1">John Yonge (editor), New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas, 4th edition (Exeter: Quail Map Company, 1993), 13.</ref> The Template:Convert extension to Waipukurau was built by the international contractor, Brogdens, for £9,469 7s 9d.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1874 Edmund G Allen won a £14,100 contract for the Template:Convert extension south to Takapau.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Waipukurau had been the terminus of the line for just over 6 months, when it opened on 12 March 1877.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There were then two trains a day from Napier, one of which continued to Takapau.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1875 a station and stationmaster's house were built and a single track engine shed was added in 1877, just north of the station. Sixty years later the shed was leased to Belwood Bitumen Products Ltd. Railway houses were built in 1876, 1883, 1905, 1926 (5), 1931 (2), 1933 (2), 1955 and 1956.<ref name=":233" /> Refreshment rooms were built in 1887,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or 1888.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trains were then allowed a stop of up to 10 minutes at the station. By then Waipukurau had 3 trains a day from Napier, taking two to three hours to cover the Template:Convert.<ref name="DAILY TELEGRAPH">Template:Cite web</ref> By 1896 Waipukurau had a 3rd class station, luggage room, platform, cart approach, Template:Convert x Template:Convert goods shed (moved from Pakipaki in 1875), loading bank, cattle yards, water, coal shed, turntable (Template:Convert, extended in 1921 for the AB class, in 1934 that turntable went to Tāneatua and a Template:Convert turntable came from Paekakariki in 1936. During the 1979 bridge works that turntable was sent to Masterton), engine shed, stationmaster's house, urinals and a passing loop for 49 wagons. In 1909 electric tablet signalling began between Lower Hutt and Waipukurau. On 24 March 1922 there was a refreshment room fire<ref name=":233" /> and the railways took over direct running of them from 1923.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 22 November 1929 the station safe was blown open.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By that year, over 30 people were employed at the station,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where they sold 20,816 tickets (4th busiest station on the line, after Napier, Hastings and Dannevirke) and handled 13,062 sheep and pigs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1881<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wilding & Bull had a siding<ref name=":233">Template:Cite web</ref> and built a large sawmill beside the station. Much of the timber came from Seventy Mile Bush.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There were also sidings for a grain store, British Imperial Oil and Vacuum Oil Co.<ref name=":233" />

On 7 October 2001 the station closed to passengers.<ref name=":0">Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand by Juliet Scoble (2012)</ref> The platform, station and passing loop remain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tukituki railway bridge

Harry Monteith built a 22-span Waipukurau bridge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A footbridge was added in 1883<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it was repaired in 1897.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was replaced in 1978, at which time the stockyards were closed to improve the alignment of the track to the new bridge.<ref name=":233" /> Tuki Tuki River bridge 171 is Template:Convert long.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tarewa and Tapairu railway stations

A mile to the north of Waipukurau,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> there was a flag station below Mount Vernon from 1877 to 1884.<ref name=":0" /> Its closure was announced several times,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> including in 1886,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> when the building was moved from Tarewa,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to Tapairu, a mile south of Waipawa, which seems to have been open until 1889,<ref name="DAILY TELEGRAPH"/> or 1890.<ref name=":1" /> In 2009 the nearby SH2 road overbridge, which had replaced a level crossing in 1937,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was replaced by a larger culvert to straighten the road.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Marae

The local Waipukurau Marae is affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu hapū of Ngāti Whatuiāpiti and Ngāti Tamatea.<ref name="tkmentry">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="maorimaps">Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Waipukurau - View from Pukeora

Stats NZ describes Waipukurau as a small urban area, which 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 Waipukurau had a population of 4,698 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 282 people (6.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 780 people (19.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 2,190 males, 2,493 females, and 15 people of other genders in 1,920 dwellings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 45.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 879 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 744 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,863 (39.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,209 (25.7%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.1% European (Pākehā); 30.3% Māori; 3.4% Pasifika; 3.7% Asian; 0.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori by 6.6%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 4.5%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Religious affiliations were 33.2% Christian, 0.4% Hindu, 0.3% Islam, 3.4% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.0%, and 7.2% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Of those at least 15 years old, 450 (11.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 2,286 (59.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,083 (28.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $36,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 150 people (3.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 1,794 (47.0%) full-time, 453 (11.9%) part-time, and 108 (2.8%) unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023">Template:Cite web</ref>

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Individual statistical areas
Name Area
(km2)		 Population Density
(per km2)		 Dwellings Median age Median
income
Waipukurau West 6.44 2,736 425 1,146 44.8 years $35,800<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Waipukurau East 2.26 1,962 868 774 45.3 years $38,500<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
New Zealand 38.1 years $41,500

In December 1858 Waipukurau census area had 243 males and 73 females - a total population of 316. 1,441 acres of land were fenced or cultivated with 95 horses, 364 cattle, and 20,365 sheep. There were also 4 goats and 61 pigs.<ref>Untitled, Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 2, Issue 72, 5 February 1859, Page 2 retrieved 17 December 2015</ref>

The 40th parallel south passes through Waipukurau township.

Climate

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Education

Waipukurau has three long-running primary schools, with relatively stable roll numbers:

Central Hawke's Bay College is a Year 9-13 state secondary school.<ref name="official4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="moe4">Template:Cite web</ref> It has a roll of Template:NZ school roll data.<ref name="ero4">Template:Cite web</ref> Waipukerau District High School started in 1920,<ref name="CHBC">Template:Cite web</ref> but with origins from 1866.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It merged with Waipawa District High School (established in 1908)<ref name="CHBC"/> in 1958 to form Central Hawke's Bay College from 1959.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some young people also leave Waipukurau at a young age to study in nearby cities of Hastings and Napier.

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

Waipukurau also has branches of five youth organisations: Scouts New Zealand, GirlGuiding New Zealand, New Zealand Cadet Forces, St John Youth and Epic Ministries. Each organisation ranges from 20 to 100 members.

Hospital

Template:Unsourced section In 1876 the Government donated 5 acres of land for a Hospital which was to be half paid for by the local community. It was completed in 1879 and consisted of two wings – the male and female wards, as well as four other rooms to house staff. It also had a dispensary, committee room, dining room, and kitchen. The hospital was the Waipawa County Hospital until 1907. In 1909 a further ward built. In 1919, as a result of the influenza pandemic, an infectious disease annex. This building became the geriatric unit in 1962. A nurses’ home was built in 1926 and extended in 1942.

An administration block was erected in 1927, with the former administration area became a children's ward. In 1935 further alterations were carried out which added a medical administration and outpatients’ wing and an operating theatre . From 1942 to 1964 two new wards, clinics for x-ray and physiotherapy, a laboratory, an administration block, a mortuary, and an operating theatre were added. Finally in 1966 additions were made to the maternity annexe. The hospital was closed in 1999.

Employment

Template:Unsourced section The town is a farming based community and provides dairy, fruit, vegetable and meat exports. Most employment is seasonal related, dependent on surrounding local agricultural and horticultural industries.

Through the 1940s-1970s one of the town's main businesses was Denne Bros/Peter Pan Frozen Foods, well known throughout the country for their ice cream brand. The two factories were considered local landmarks. The company was the main employer of Waipukurau, as well the nearby township Waipawa in the 1950s and 1960s.

Notable residents

References

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