Lower Moutere is a settlement in the

Tasman District Tasman District () is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council ...

of New Zealand's upper

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It is a farming community it the Lower Moutere valley, from

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding district has a numb ...

close to the Moutere Inlet. The road up the valley from Motueka to Upper Moutere is an alternative to the main State Highway 60 route between

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and Motueka. The Riverside Community was established in Lower Moutere in 1941 by a small group of

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

pacifists Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

, and continues to operate a dairy farm and cafe. As of 2013 about 24 people were permanent members and 19 children lived there, but the community’s population sometimes doubled due to visitors, including WWOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms). The Lower Moutere Memorial Hall features a plaque commemorating the three local men who died and 35 local men who served overseas during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A memorial gate commemorates those who died or were served during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. ''Moutere'' is the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

word for 'island'. Native birds are common in the area, and a

kākā The New Zealand kākā (''Nestor meridionalis'') is a large species of parrot of the family New Zealand parrot, Strigopidae found in New Zealand, New Zealand's native forests across the three main Islands of New Zealand. The species is often kn ...

was found in the area in January 2020.

Demographics

Lower Moutere village is in an SA1 statistical area which covers The SA1 area is part of the larger Lower Moutere statistical area. Lower Moutere had a population of 183 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, a decrease of 3 people (−1.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 33 people (22.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 60 households, comprising 96 males and 87 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.1 males per female. The median age was 44.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 27 people (14.8%) aged under 15 years, 36 (19.7%) aged 15 to 29, 96 (52.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (13.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 85.2% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 11.5%

, 9.8% Pasifika, 1.6% Asian, and 3.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.1% had no religion, 34.4% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 1.6% were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and 4.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 27 (17.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 30 (19.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $25,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 15 people (9.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 84 (53.8%) people were employed full-time, 30 (19.2%) were part-time, and 3 (1.9%) were unemployed.

Lower Moutere statistical area

Lower Moutere statistical area covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². The statistical area had a population of 1,683 at the

, an increase of 174 people (11.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 309 people (22.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 597 households, comprising 876 males and 807 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female. The median age was 44.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 297 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 261 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 864 (51.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 261 (15.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 88.6% European/

, 9.8%

, 4.8% Pasifika, 2.7% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 26.6, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 62.2% had no religion, 27.6% were

, 0.4% had

Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, 0.2% were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.2% were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, 0.7% were

and 2.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 231 (16.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 255 (18.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 162 people (11.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 717 (51.7%) people were employed full-time, 258 (18.6%) were part-time, and 42 (3.0%) were unemployed.

Education

Lower Moutere School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school opened in 1857. A fire destroyed four classrooms and other facilities in 1990.

References

{{Tasman District Populated places in the Tasman District Populated places around Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere