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Wairau Valley
Wairau Valley Tavern
Coordinates: 41°33′56″S 173°31′44″E / 41.56556°S 173.52889°E / -41.56556; 173.52889
Country	New Zealand
Region	Marlborough
Ward	Wairau-Awatere General Ward Marlborough Māori Ward
Electorates	Kaikōura Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Government
• Territorial Authority	Marlborough District Council
• Marlborough District Mayor	Nadine Taylor
• Kaikōura MP	Stuart Smith
• Te Tai Tonga MP	Tākuta Ferris
Area
• Total	4,177.50 km (1,612.94 sq mi)
Population
• Total	2,230
• Density	0.53/km (1.4/sq mi)

Wairau Valley is the valley of the Wairau River in Marlborough, New Zealand and also the name of the main settlement in the upper valley. State Highway 63 runs through the valley. The valley opens onto the Wairau Plain, where Renwick and Blenheim are sited. The Alpine–Wairau Fault runs along the length of the valley.

Wairauite is an iron-cobalt alloy which is named after the valley.

History and culture

European settlement

J. S. Cotterell surveyed the Wairau Valley in November 1842, and reported it contained rich land. Settlers from Nelson, led by Arthur Wakefield, tried to take possession of the land but the Ngāti Toa, led by Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata objected. The dispute escalated into the Wairau Affray at Tuamarina on 23 June 1843, in which 22 settlers and four Māori were killed. An enquiry held in 1844 by Governor Robert FitzRoy decided that the settlers were in the wrong.

In November 1846, Nelson farmers Nathaniel Morse and John Cooper drove sheep into the Wairau valley and established settlements. Governor Sir George Grey purchased the land in the same year, but legal title to the land for the settlers was sorted out later.

In the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake, the eastern end of the Wairau valley subsided by over a metre.

Marae

Parerarua Marae is located in Wairau Valley. It is a marae (meeting ground) of Ngāti Rārua and includes the Parerarua wharenui (meeting house).

In October 2020, the Government committed $246,418 from the Provincial Growth Fund towards renovating the marae, creating an estimated 7 jobs.

Demographics

Wairau Valley town is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 3.50 km (1.35 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 270 as of June 2024, with a population density of 77 people per km. It is part of the larger Upper Wairau statistical area.

Wairau Valley town had a population of 231 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 21 people (10.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 51 people (28.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 96 households, comprising 108 males and 123 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.88 males per female. The median age was 47.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 39 people (16.9%) aged under 15 years, 36 (15.6%) aged 15 to 29, 108 (46.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 48 (20.8%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 96.1% European/Pākehā, 6.5% Māori, 2.6% Pasifika, and 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 63.6% had no religion, 23.4% were Christian and 3.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 33 (17.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 42 (21.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 21 people (10.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 108 (56.2%) people were employed full-time, 33 (17.2%) were part-time, and 3 (1.6%) were unemployed.

Upper Wairau

The statistical area of Upper Wairau covers 4,177.50 km (1,612.94 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 2,230 as of June 2024, with a population density of 0.53 people per km.

Upper Wairau had a population of 1,938 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 192 people (11.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 246 people (14.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 741 households, comprising 999 males and 939 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 46.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 384 people (19.8%) aged under 15 years, 222 (11.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,035 (53.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 300 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 95.5% European/Pākehā, 6.3% Māori, 0.9% Pasifika, 0.9% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 16.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.8% had no religion, 32.8% were Christian, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% were Buddhist and 1.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 339 (21.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 234 (15.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $40,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 354 people (22.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 918 (59.1%) people were employed full-time, 270 (17.4%) were part-time, and 12 (0.8%) were unemployed.

Education

Wairau Valley School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 48 students as of August 2024. A school first opened in the Wairau valley in 1861.

Climate

References

Media related to Wairau Valley at Wikimedia Commons

1. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
2. ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
3. Peter Dowling, ed. (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. pp. map 59. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
4. Roger Smith, GeographX (2005). The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand. Robbie Burton. pp. map 138. ISBN 1-877333-20-4.
5. Marlborough Historical Society (2005). Click - A Captured Moment - Marlborough's Early Heritage. p. 16. ISBN 0-473-10475-X.
6. "Mineral names – 2". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
7. "Thomas Brunner, Nelson and the West Coast". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
8. "The struggle to survive: 1840–1865". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
9. McKinnon, Malcolm (13 July 2012). "Marlborough region - Grazing and farming". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
10. A. D. McIntosh, ed. (1940). Marlborough - A Provincial History. pp. 93, 131–134.
11. "The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
12. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
13. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
14. "Marae Announcements" (Excel). growregions.govt.nz. Provincial Growth Fund. 9 October 2020.
15. "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
16. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. 7023292.
17. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Upper Wairau (306600). 2018 Census place summary: Upper Wairau
18. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
19. Education Counts: Wairau Valley School
20. A. D. McIntosh, p 340
21. "CliFlo – National Climate Database : Wairau Valley, Mill Road Cws". NIWA. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

• Populated places in the Marlborough District
• Landforms of the Marlborough District
• Valleys of New Zealand