Temuka is a town on New Zealand's

Canterbury Plains The Canterbury Plains () are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and ...

, 15 kilometres north of

Timaru Timaru (; ) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...

and 142 km south of

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

. It is located at the centre of a rich

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

and

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

farming region, for which it is a service town. It lies on the north bank of the

Temuka River The Temuka River, originally Te Umu Kaha River, is a river of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is one of numerous rivers which meet close to the south Canterbury town of Temuka, all of which are part of the Ōpihi River's ...

, just above its confluence with the

Ōpihi River The Ōpihi River flows through south Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of the endangered black-billed gull. Description T ...

. Temuka is the second largest town in South

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

after

. Temuka is home to three

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

s, two

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s and one

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

. Temuka is accessed by New Zealand's State Highway Number 1 and the

Main South Line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

allowing for major

cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

handling. Temuka is north of the Opihi and Temuka

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s. The local secondary school,

Opihi College Opihi College is a state co-educational secondary school in Temuka, New Zealand. The school was originally founded as Temuka District High School in 1866, and became Temuka High School in 1966. It is a relatively small high school catering to ap ...

, takes its name from the Opihi River. Both rivers are popular with locals and tourists. Almost all traffic passing north or south goes through or around Temuka. Temuka has recently had the redevelopment of the local Domain by incorporating a

skate park A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, quarter pipe ...

to join the other facilities which include a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

, mini

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, golf,

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

, outdoor

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...

and

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

. There are also

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

fields, a stadium complex and a holiday park.

History

The name ''Temuka'', or ''Te Muka'', is a

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

of , which is thought to mean either 'fierce ovens' or 'strong current'. The fierce ovens would be the large earth ovens () that

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 ...

used to cook the roots of plentifully-growing

cabbage tree Cabbage tree is a common name for several plant species: * '' Andira inermis'', native to Central and South America * Various members of the genus ''Cordyline'' native to New Zealand. **''Cordyline australis'' (Cabbage tree) **''Cordyline banksii'' ...

s. Temuka was originally called Wallingford. Temuka was gazetted as a town in 1858. The first survey was conducted in 1863. The first buildings were erected in 1860. Initial industries included a tannery works, a cheese factory, a flour mill and potteries. The police barracks were built in 1863 and the telegraph office was opened in 1868. In 1878, the

Oddfellows Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in London. ...

lodge and the St George

Masonic Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

lodge were opened. The Temuka town board was constituted in 1884. In 1899, Wallingford and Arowhenua town districts were incorporated into the borough of Temuka. The population of Temuka was 1465 people in 1901. Temuka was described in 1903 as having two doctors, two chemists and one dentist in the town, which has a well kept park and domain, with a bicycle track, and tennis, cricket and football grounds. The two storied post and telegraph office was opened in 1902 by Sir

Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the New Zealand Liber ...

. Temuka was a stop on the

until passenger services were discontinued. At one time Temuka supported

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

scouring plants, it had a flour

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

and manufactured

electric power transmission Electric power transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating site, such as a power plant, to an electrical substation. The interconnected lines that facilitate this movement form a ''transmission network''. This is ...

insulators Insulator may refer to: * Insulator (electricity), a substance that resists electricity ** Pin insulator, a device that isolates a wire from a physical support such as a pin on a utility pole ** Strain insulator, a device that is designed to work ...

. Temuka was hit by a significant flood on March 13, 1986, with Temuka being isolated after the bridge crossing

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

being washed out. Temuka previously had its own council system in place, but has been under the administration of

Timaru District Council Timaru District Council () is the territorial authority for the Timaru District of New Zealand. The council is led by the mayor of Timaru, who is currently . There are also nine councillors. Composition Councillors * Mayor * Nine other coun ...

since 1989. Recently, the council has been redeveloping Temuka in the form of cleaning waterways, new walkways, redeveloping of existing walkways, new gardens, domains, new tennis courts, complete skate park and general modernisation of the large service town.

Marae

Arowhenua marae, a ''

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

'' (tribal meeting ground) of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

and its Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua branch, is located south of Temuka. It includes Te Hapa o Niu Tireni ''

wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...

'' (meeting house). In October 2020, the Government committed $50,232 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party. Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...

to upgrade the marae, creating 16 jobs.

Demographics

The population of Temuka was 2212 people in 1951, 2254 people in 1956 and 2430 people in 1961. Temuka is described by Statistics New Zealand as a small urban area. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Temuka had a population of 4,470 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 ...

, an increase of 216 people (5.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 225 people (5.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,911 households, comprising 2,205 males and 2,265 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female, with 789 people (17.7%) aged under 15 years, 678 (15.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,917 (42.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,083 (24.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.0% 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 ...

, 12.1%

, 1.5%

Pasifika Pasifika may refer to: *Pacific Islander people, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands **Pasifika New Zealanders, Pacific peoples living in New Zealand *Pacific Islands, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia *The Pasifika Festival, an a ...

, 3.5% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.2, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.3% had no religion, 39.0% 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 ...

, 0.3% 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 ...

, 0.7% 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 ...

, 0.1% 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 ...

, 0.1% 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 0.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 228 (6.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,260 (34.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 474 people (12.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,749 (47.5%) people were employed full-time, 495 (13.4%) were part-time, and 81 (2.2%) were unemployed.

Churches

Presbyterian church

The Trinity

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

church was damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquakes and was subsequently demolished. The church was 120 years old. The Sunday school hall was built after 1915 and funded by the Guild family, of Temuka. It was used as a hospital during the

1918 influenza epidemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest document ...

. It was sold in 2002.

Saint Peters Anglican church

Saint Peters was built in 1899 and has seating for 300 parishioners. It also sustained damage in the 2010 Canterbury earthquakes.

Education

There are currently three primary and secondary schools in Temuka. Temuka Primary School is a contributing primary for years 1 to 6 with a roll of students. A public school for both primary and secondary students opened in 1866, and moved to the current site in the late 1870s. The secondary school moved to a separate site in 1968. St. Joseph's School is a Catholic state-integrated full primary for years 1 to 8 with a roll of students. The school opened in 1883.

is a secondary school for years 7 to 13 with a roll of students. It was originally called Temuka District High School, then Temuka High School when it moved to its current site, and in 2005 the name was changed to Opihi College. All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of

Sport and recreation

Rugby

The Temuka Rugby Club was established in 1875 with four players representing the All Blacks:

Lachie Grant Lachlan Ashwell Grant (4 October 1923 – 27 April 2002) was a New Zealand rugby union player. Born in Temuka, Grant is regarded as that town's finest rugby product. A flanker and lock, Booth represented at a provincial level, and was a membe ...

, Tom Coughlan,

Archie Strang Archie Strang may refer to: * Archie Strang (Australian footballer) (1887–1962), Australian rules footballer * Archie Strang (rugby union) (1906–1989), New Zealand rugby union player {{human name disambiguation, Strang, Archie ...

and

Gus Spillane Augustine Patrick Spillane (10 May 1888 – 16 September 1974) was a New Zealand rugby union player. Gus Spillane came from a Temuka rugby family of Irish descent and one steeped in rugby. Three of his brothers also represented South Canterbury ...

Temuka golf club

The Temuka golf club was established in 1907. Originally a 9 hole golf course, it has expanded to 18 holes. The Temuka golf course suffered significant flooding in May 2021 after the Temuka river burst its banks and flood waters were up to two metres high on the golf course. Flooding also closed the golf course for six months in 1986.

Temuka bowling club

The Temuka bowling club was founded in 1906. It is located in the Temuka Domain. It holds a number of tournaments throughout the year including the Temuka 3000 at New Years.

Swimming pool

The Temuka summer pool is open between mid November and late March each year. It is located at the Temuka Domain on Ferguson Drive. It has a 25 metre pool with 6 lanes and a toddlers pool. The pools are heated and outdoors.

Museum

The Temuka courthouse museum has over 6000 items detailing the local history of Temuka. It is located in the former courthouse, which was built between 1900 and 1901 and used as a courthouse until 1979. The building required earthquake strengthening in 2020. This was funded by a grant from the New Zealand Lottery Environment and Heritage Fund.

Business

Temuka is home to a large trucking company, Temuka Transport. This company has about 40 trucks which are used to service the South Canterbury area. Also located in the town is Temuka Homeware. This company produces

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

crockery Tableware items are the dishware and utensils used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. The term includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, serving utensils, and other items used for practical as well as decorative purposes. The ...

. Currently, the older and traditional items are seeing an increase of demand from

collectors Collector(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Collector (2011 film), ''Collector'' (2011 film), an Indian Malayalam film * Collector (2016 film), ''Collector'' (2016 film), a Russian film * Collectors (film), ''Collectors'' (film), a 2020 So ...

. Located in Temuka are various businesses including supermarkets, takeaways, collectors, hardware stores, office supply stores, and art galleries. Temuka is home to New Zealand Insulators (NZI), the major supplier of insulators to New Zealand's power industry. Temuka houses NZI's corporate headquarters, South Island warehouse, and local factory. Temuka is also home to the only bagpipe bag manufacturing business in New Zealand, Gannaway New Zealand, manufacturing cowhide, goatskin, and sheepskin bagpipe bags exported worldwide.

Notable residents

Rachel Armitage Rachelina Hepburn Armitage (; 22 April 1873 – 14 May 1955) was a New Zealand welfare worker and community leader. Biography Armitage was born as Rachelina Hepburn Stewart in Dunedin, New Zealand on 22 April 1873. She was the daughter of ...

(1873–1955), welfare worker * Ned Barry (1905–1993), rugby union player * Horace Fildes (1875–1937), postmaster, book collector and bibliographer *

John Lister John Lister may refer to: * John Lister (Australian politician) (1875–1935), member Australian House of Representatives * John Lister (gold miner), 19th century New South Wales gold miner, see 1851 in Australia * John Lister (priest) (1916–2006) ...

(born 1947), professional golfer *

Richard Pearse Richard William Pearse (3 December 1877 – 29 July 1953) was a New Zealand farmer and inventor who performed pioneering aviation experiments. Witnesses interviewed many years afterwards describe observing Pearse flying and landing a powered h ...

(1877–1953), aviation pioneer *

Hipa Te Maihāroa Hipa Te Maihāroa (?–1886) was a notable New Zealand tribal leader, tohunga and prophet. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tahu iwi. He was born at Te Waiateruati pā near Temuka, South Canterbury ...

(?–1886), tribal leader, tohunga and prophet *

Jeremiah Twomey Jeremiah Matthew Twomey (15 August 1847 – 1 November 1921) was a Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council. He was widely known in New Zealand as a journalist. Early life Twomey was born in 1847 at Inchee Farm, County Kerry, Ireland. He ...

(1847–1921), member of the New Zealand Legislative Council *

(1923–2002), rugby union player

Climate

References

External links

Temuka Information & Services

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080330040536/http://www.southisland.org.nz/temuka.asp Tourism website for the central South Island of New Zealand
Destination New Zealand, Temuka

Opihi College
{{Timaru District, New Zealand Timaru District Populated places in the Canterbury Region