Ashhurst ( mi, Whārite) is a town and outlying suburb of
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
, in the
Manawatū-Whanganui
Manawatū-Whanganui (; spelled Manawatu-Wanganui prior to 2019) is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, whose main population centres are the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Manawat ...
region of New Zealand's
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 ...
.
Location
Ashhurst is sited 14 kilometres northeast of the
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
city centre. The town stands under the
Ruahine Ranges
The Ruahine Range is the largest of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand that form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. The ridge is at its most pronounced from the cen ...
, beneath
Wharite Peak, which is the most notable peak on the south end of the Ruahine Range, upon which is the television and radio transmitter.
Demographics
Ashhurst, which covers ,
had a population of 2,934 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 285 people (10.8%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 501 people (20.6%) 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 1,074 households. There were 1,428 males and 1,506 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 35.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 726 people (24.7%) aged under 15 years, 492 (16.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,320 (45.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 396 (13.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 89.0% European/Pākehā, 18.6% Māori, 3.1% Pacific peoples, 2.8% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 12.9%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 56.3% had no religion, 32.8% were Christian, 0.6% were Hindu, 0.1% were Buddhist and 2.0% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 384 (17.4%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 438 (19.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,179 (53.4%) people were employed full-time, 294 (13.3%) were part-time, and 66 (3.0%) were unemployed.
Transport
![Horizons_contracted_bus_with_bike_rack](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Horizons_contracted_bus_with_bike_rack.jpg)
Ashhurst's importance stems from its location at the western end of the
Manawatu Gorge. As such, it was close to the easiest road and rail link between the east and west coasts of the southern North Island. However, the Gorge has been closed since April 2017 and the road link to the east coast from Ashhurst is now via Saddle Road.
There are four buses on weekdays and one on Saturdays linking Palmerston North with Ashhurst.
Parks and reserves
![Te Apiti Wind Farm viewed from Ashhurst Domain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Te_Apiti_Wind_Farm_viewed_from_Ashhurst_Domain.jpg)
* Ashhurst Domain – A large multipurpose park which includes a camping ground, a lookout to the wind farm, a cemetery and canine area.
* Durham Street Reserve and McCraes Bush Reserve
* Lincoln Park – The home ground to the local rugby team Ashhurst-
Pohangina
Pohangina is a small rural community in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand, just north of Ashhurst.
Pohangina is located along the foot of the Ruahine Range, and is primarily farming land. Farming varies from sheep and cattle to cro ...
RFC
History
Ashhurst was named for Lord Henry Ashhurst, who owned land in the immediate area. 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 C ...
name for the area is
Raukawa, after the native aromatic plant ''Pseudopanax edgerleyi, whereas for the town it is Otangaki.
Local and central government representation
Former Ashhurst-Fitzherbert Ward
Ashhurst-Fitzherbert Ward was Palmerston North's largest ward covering the area from James Line to part way through the Manawatu Gorge, to just north of Ashhurst township. Wards were abolished in Palmerston North in 2013.
Central government
*
Rangitīkei is represented by
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party ( mi, Rōpū Nāhinara o Aotearoa), shortened to National () or the Nats, is a centre-right political party in New Zealand. It is one of two major parties that dominate contemporary New Zealand politics, alongside ...
MP
Ian McKelvie
Ian Robert Flockhart McKelvie (born 1952) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the National Party.
Early life and career
McKelvie was born to parents John and Rosemary in Palmer ...
.
*
Te Tai Hauāuru
Te Tai Hauāuru electorate boundaries used since the
Te Tai Hauāuru is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives, that was first formed for the . The electorat ...
is represented by
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party ( mi, Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa), or simply Labour (), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descr ...
MP
Adrian Rurawhe
Adrian Paki Rurawhe (born 1961) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician of Ngāti Apa descent. He is the speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, the second Māori to hold the position, and Member of Parliament for Te Tai Hauāuru. ...
.
Education
Ashhurst School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,
with a roll of as of .
Notable people
*
Andre Taylor
Andre Taylor (born 11 January 1988) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing or centre) position and most recently played for Kintetsu Liners of Japan, and previously played for the Wellington-based ...
, rugby player
*
Mark McGrath
Mark Sayers McGrath (born March 15, 1968) is an American singer who is the lead vocalist of the rock band Sugar Ray. McGrath is also known for his work as a co-host of ''Extra'', and he was the host of ''Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' in 2010. McG ...
, darts player
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20050418224210/http://www.ashhurstnz.com/
{{Authority control
Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui
Suburbs of Palmerston North
Populated places on the Manawatū River