The South Wairarapa District is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

at the south-east tip of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, governed by the South Wairarapa District Council. The district comprises the southernmost part of the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

, and is part of 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 ...

Features

The district comprises the

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

of the

Ruamahanga River The Ruamahanga River runs through the southeastern North Island of New Zealand. The river's headwaters are in the Tararua Range northwest of Masterton. From there it runs firstly south and then southwest for before emptying into the Cook Str ...

and the associated

Lake Wairarapa Lake Wairarapa is a lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, a ...

, as well as the long southern stretch of

Palliser Bay Palliser Bay is at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand, to the southeast of Wellington. It runs for 40 kilometres along the Cook Strait coast from Turakirae Head at the southern end of the Remutaka Ranges to Cape Palliser, the Nor ...

. To the west of the plains rise the eastern slopes of the

Remutaka Range The Remutaka Range (spelled Rimutaka Range before 2017) is the southernmost range of a mountain chain in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The chain continues north into the Tararua, then Ruahine Ranges, running parallel with the east ...

, the crest of which forms the western boundary of the district, while the

Aorangi Range The Aorangi Range (also known as the Haurangi Range) is a mountain range on the North Island of New Zealand. It is located in the Wairarapa region, extending more than 20 kilometres (12 miles) north from Cape Palliser Cape Palliser is a promon ...

lies to the southeast. The southernmost point of the North Island,

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 easte ...

, is in the South Wairarapa. While it is predominantly rural, the South Wairarapa has three towns. The two largest towns, almost identical in population, are Greytown and

Featherston Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...

. Greytown is where

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour in some countries) is a secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, dependi ...

was first celebrated in New Zealand. The

Fell Locomotive Museum The Fell Locomotive Museum in Featherston, New Zealand, exhibits the only remaining steam-powered Fell railway locomotive in the world. From 1877, locomotive H 199 climbed up the Rimutaka Incline using John Barraclough Fell's unique method of ...

in Featherston has a museum displaying the world's only Fell locomotive. The third largest town and the seat of the district council is

Martinborough Martinborough ( mi, Wharekaka) is a town in the South Wairarapa District, in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton. The town has a resident population of The town ...

; it is the centre of a nationally important wine-producing area. It is expected that the number of people living in the district's urban areas will increase due to rising property prices in Wellington proper, and the proximity to transport links.

Demographics

South Wairarapa District covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². South Wairarapa District had a population of 10,575 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 sho ...

, an increase of 1,047 people (11.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,683 people (18.9%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 4,335 households. There were 5,271 males and 5,307 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 47.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 1,917 people (18.1%) aged under 15 years, 1,314 (12.4%) aged 15 to 29, 5,025 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,319 (21.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.5% European/Pākehā, 14.2% Māori, 2.2% Pacific peoples, 2.5% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 17.2, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 55.6% had no religion, 33.4% were Christian, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 2.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,070 (23.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 1,599 (18.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 1,710 people (19.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 4,239 (49.0%) people were employed full-time, 1,446 (16.7%) were part-time, and 237 (2.7%) were unemployed.

Transport

Bank of New Zealand building Greytown Wairarapa (7500135128)

Because of South Wairarapa's proximity to the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington, there are close links between the two areas. For example, some people live in South Wairarapa and commute to Wellington each day to work; others live and work in Wellington while spending weekends in South Wairarapa. The

Wairarapa Line The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand. The line runs for , connects the capital city Wellington with the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line at Woodville, via Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt ...

, part of the Metlink public transport network for the Wellington region, passes through the district (which is served by the two stations of

and Woodside) and provides a faster method of transport into the city than the Remutaka pass road. Metlink buses also provide services to Greytown and Martinborough from the railway stations and

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 r ...

Local and regional government

The South Wairarapa District Council is the territorial authority responsible for the area. The council consists of nine councillors; the current mayor is

Martin Connelly The Mayor of South Wairarapa is the head of municipal government for South Wairarapa District of New Zealand, which is administered by a district council. The office has existed since the 1989 local government reforms, when the Featherston Cou ...

. The three towns also have their own community boards.

References

External links

Official website of the South Wairarapa District Council
{{Cities and districts of New Zealand Wairarapa