Waimate

:"The article is about the town in the South Island, New Zealand. For the Waimate Mission Station in the North Island see Te Waimate mission."

Waimate
Urban Area
Population:	2,835 (2006 census)
Extent:
Territorial Authority
Name:	Waimate District Council
Population:	7,206 (2006 census)
Land area:	3,582.19 km² (1,383.09 sq mi)
Mayor:	John Coles
Website:	http://www.waimatedc.govt.nz/Waimate/
Extent:	Pareora River to Waitaki River, Pacific Ocean to Hakataramea Valley
Regional Council
Name:	Canterbury Regional Council

Waimate is a town and district in the South Island of New Zealand. It is 45.7 km south of Timaru in south Canterbury, 20 km north of the Waitaki River.

The population of Waimate District at the 2006 census was 7,206 people. Waimate has the fewest Maori people per district in New Zealand. It has an area of 3,582.19 square kilometres .

Waimate is well-known locally for its population of Bennett's wallabies. These marsupials were introduced from Australia and now live in the wild in the countryside surrounding the town. Wallabies are also farmed locally and sometimes exported to zoos.

History

From 1877 until 1966, Waimate was served by the Waimate Branch, a branch line railway that connected with the Main South Line some seven kilometres east in Studholme. For roughly seventy years ending in 1953, the line ran beyond Waimate to Waihao Downs. When the branch line was closed on 31 March 1966, Waimate became the first major town in New Zealand to lose its railway connection.

Geography

The Waimate District is bounded by the Waitaki River in the south, the Pareora River in the north and the Hakataramea Valley to the west. The district is a very productive agricultural area with a mix of pastoral, cropping, dairy farming, fruit and vegetable growing.

The Waihao River, which starts in the Hunter Hills catchment area runs eastwards on the southern side of the Waimate township joining with the Waimate Creek. They both eventually end up discharging very close to the sea into the Wainono Dead Arm, which then flows into the Wainono Lagoon near Studholme.

Rural Communities

*Glenavy
*Hook
*Hunter
*Ikiwai
*Makikihi
*Morven
*Otaio
*St Andrews
*Studholme
*Waihao Downs
*Waihaorunga
*Waituna

Economy

Like much of rural New Zealand, Waimate suffered from an economic downturn in the 1980s, with the closure of the dairy factory and a number of sawmills. For the last decade of the 20th century the biggest employers in the district were two furniture manufacturers, a vegetable processing plant and a factory making french fries and other potato products at Makikihi. All but the latter closed within the first few years of the 21st century. However, a newly developed large scale sawmill and the development of a large milk powder factory, coupled with the wealth of dairy farms and a residential building boom, have seen a renewed confidence in Waimate.

The Waimate Winter Show is held annually at the Waimate Stadium on the corner of Paul and Wilkin Streets in the first week of July.

Education

Further Information: List of schools in Canterbury, New Zealand

*Pre-schools
**Waimate Free Kindergarten
**Waimate Childcare Centre
**Waimate Playcentre

*Primary Schools
**Waimate Main School
**Glenavy School
**Morven School
**Makikihi School
**St Patrick's School
**Waihaorunga School
**Waihao Downs School
**Waimate Centennial School
**Waituna Creek School
**St Andrews School

*Secondary Schools
**Waimate High School [http://www.waimate-high.school.nz/]

Notable People From Waimate

*Norman Kirk, Prime Minister of New Zealand
*A. M. Hamilton, notable for building the Hamilton Road through Kurdistan and designing the Callender-Hamilton bridge system.
*Eric Batchelor, most highly decorated Commonwealth NCO of World War 2.
*Major General Howard Kippenberger officer commanding New Zealand forces in North Africa during World War 2. Though not born in Waimate his father bought a farm at there when he was young and he spent much of his early childhood there.

Sport

Rugby

* Waimate Rugby Football Club [http://www.waimaterugby.orcon.net.nz/] has teams competing in the South Canterbury rugby competitions. The club is affiliated with the South Canterbury Rugby Football Union.

Golf

*Waimate Golf Club [http://www.waimategolf.co.nz/]

Events

* March Hare Motorcycle Rally, Annually, first weekend of March
* South Canterbury Busking Festival, Seddon Square, Waimate
* Waimate 50 Street Race
* Waimate Strawberry Fare
* Waimate Woodcraft Expo
* Waimate Shears
* Waimate Rodeo, held on 27th December

Movies & Film

* The Waimate Conspiracy [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847202/] (2006) was filmed in Waimate.

Trivia

*Waimate's most famous citizen was Norman Kirk, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his death in office in 1974.
*St. Augustine's Church, located on John Street in Waimate, was designed in 1872 by one of New Zealand's most notable architects, Benjamin Mountfort.

Sister Cities

*flagicon|France Bourail, France
*flagicon|USA Milton-Freewater, USA

External links

* [http://www.marchhare.co.nz/ March Hare Motorcycle Rally]
* [http://www.waimatedc.govt.nz/Waimate/ Waimate District Council] promotional site.
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/W/Waimate/Waimate/en An Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966: Waimate]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nzlscant/staugustine.htm] Churches of Waimate.
* [http://www.waimate.com Unofficial Waimate site] Pictures and links.
* [http://www.dunedinpoultryclub.edu.com-a.googlepages.com/waimatewintershowpage Waimate Winter Show] .
* [http://www.waimate-high.school.nz/ Waimate High School]

Territorial Authorities of New Zealand