Martinborough ( mi, Wharekaka) is a town in the

South Wairarapa District The South Wairarapa District is a district at the south-east tip of the North Island of New Zealand, governed by the South Wairarapa District Council. The district comprises the southernmost part of the Wairarapa, and is part of the Wellington Reg ...

, in the

Wellington region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is a non-unitary region of New Zealand that occupies the southernmost part of the North Island. The region covers an area of , and has a population of T ...

of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

and 35 kilometres south-west of

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a ...

. The town has a resident population of The town is home to the

Council.

History and culture

European settlement

John Martin is regarded as the town’s founder and set out the first streets in the pattern of the

Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

in the 19th century. Before Martinborough was established the southern part of the region was known as Waihenga, a point that seems to be lost at times in the history of the district. A feature is the colonial architecture, one example of which is the historic Martinborough Hotel, built in 1882. Prior to the expansion of viticulture, Martinborough was largely a rural service town for nearby farms.

Marae

The local Hau Ariki Marae and Te Whare Wananga o Tupai meeting house are affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

of Ngāti Hikawera o Kahungunu. In October 2020, the Government committed $371,332 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae, and create 37 jobs.

Demographics

Martinborough statistical area covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Martinborough had a population of 1,767 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short ...

, an increase of 294 people (20.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 438 people (33.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 741 households. There were 852 males and 915 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female. The median age was 49.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 288 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 192 (10.9%) aged 15 to 29, 840 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 444 (25.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 84.9% European/Pākehā, 18.5% Māori, 3.6% Pacific peoples, 3.7% 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 19.5%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 57.0% had no religion, 31.4% were Christian, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 1.9% were Buddhist and 3.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 387 (26.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 279 (18.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 723 (48.9%) people were employed full-time, 246 (16.6%) were part-time, and 30 (2.0%) were unemployed.

Economy

Martinborough has a large number of

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyard ...

s producing

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...

s, notably

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ''black.'' The word ''pine ...

. Martinborough has a warm micro-climate, with hills to the east and west. Almost all the vineyards are in thin ribbons around the northern and eastern sides of the town, and on the Dry River to the south. All follow dry riverbeds, which provide appropriate soils for viticulture. Notable wineries include Schubert Wines, Te Kairanga, Tirohana Estate, Palliser Estate Wines, Dry River, Martinborough Vineyard, Murdoch James, Ata Rangi, Craggy Range, and Escarpment. During November, the region's wines are celebrated in the Toast Martinborough wine festival. This event temporarily enlarges the population by 10,000. Other industries around Martinborough focus on traditional beef and sheep farming; growing olives, lavender and nuts; and fishing at the coast settlements of

Ngawi Ngawi may refer to: * Ngawi Regency, an administrative division of Indonesia * Ngawi (city), capital of Ngawi Regency * Ngawi railway station, a station of Paron District, Ngawi Regency * Ngawi, New Zealand, a village in New Zealand See also * ...

and

Cape Palliser Cape Palliser is a promontory on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island and is the southernmost point of the North Island; it is in fact considerably farther south than Nelson or Blenheim in the South Island. It is located at the easter ...

. Tourism is an important industry for the town, and the Martinborough i-site provides advice about accommodation, activities, wineries and where to eat. Several wineries and specialist tour operators offer vineyard tours, and the Martinborough Brewery is also located in town.

Education

Martinborough School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The nearest high school is Kuranui College. The international cooking school

Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (French for " The Blue Ribbon") is an international network of hospitality and culinary schools teaching French ''haute cuisine''. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The institutio ...

and

UCOL The Universal College of Learning (UCOL) is a New Zealand Government ITP (Industry Training Provider/ Polytechnic) located primarily in Palmerston North but has campuses also in Whanganui, Masterton and Levin. Dr Linda Sissons is the current ...

considered establishing a campus in Martinborough by 2009. They eventually opted to open a campus in Wellington instead, disappointing locals who were hoping it would provide an economic boost to the town.

Notable residents

* John Martin - politician, runholder, and founder of Martinborough *

Eric Ramsden George Eric Oakes Ramsden (1898–1962) was a New Zealand journalist, writer and art critic. He was born in Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand on 1 August 1898 and died at Wellington on 21 May 1962. Background and family Ramsden was the o ...

- journalist and author

References

External links

www.martinborough.com

Destination Wairarapa regional tourism website for visitors

www.martinboroughnz.com
Martinborough Business Association website {{South Wairarapa District Populated places in the Wellington Region South Wairarapa District Wine regions of New Zealand