Bulls is a small town north west 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 ...
on the west coast of the
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 ...
of New Zealand. It is in a fertile farming area in the
Rangitikei District
The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay Regio ...
at the junction of
State Highways 1 and
3 about 135 kilometres (84 mi) north of
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
. According to a
Statistics New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand ( mi, Tatauranga Aotearoa), branded as Stats NZ, is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the collection of statistics related to the economy, population and society of New Zealand. To this end, Stats ...
estimate, Bulls has a population of inhabitants.
Recent marketing makes puns with the name, for example, "New Zealand gets its milk from Bulls" or the sign for the local police station "Const-a-bull".
Etymology
There are two recorded Māori toponyms for the area – Te Ara Taumaihi and Ō-hine-puhiawe. The origins of Te Ara Taumaihi have yet to be explicitly explored. Ō-hine-puhiawe, a land block where Parewahawaha marae is situated, acts as a synecdoche to refer to the current town area. The modern town name is named after James Bull who owned the first general store there. The town was originally called Bull Town, but this was changed to Clifton and then renamed back to Bulls at the urging of Sir
William Fox.
History and culture
The eastern end of the
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 numbere ...
bridge over the
Rangitikei River Rangitikei may refer to the following in New Zealand:
* Rangitikei River, one of country's longest rivers
* Rangitikei District, a district council in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region
* Rangitīkei (New Zealand electorate), a current general electorate ...
south-east of the town collapsed suddenly in 1973 while being crossed by a bus. No-one was killed and the collapsed part was rebuilt.
The former
Lake Alice Psychiatric hospital is 7 km (4 mi) north of Bulls, the hospital closed in 1999. Lake Alice was a large contributor to the Bulls and Marton economy.
Bulls is covered by the
Whanganui Chronicle
''The Whanganui Chronicle'' is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Whanganui, it celebrated 160 years of publishing in September 2016. It is the main daily paper for the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei regions, including the towns of Patea ...
, a daily paper part of the
NZ Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
network that serves the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei regions.
Marae
The local
Parewahawaha Marae
Bulls is a small town north west of Palmerston North on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is in a fertile farming area in the Rangitikei District at the junction of State Highways 1 and 3 about 135 kilometres (84 mi) nor ...
is a traditional meeting ground for the
Ngāti Raukawa
Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupo and Manawatu/Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa.
History
Early history
Ngāti Raukawa reco ...
hapū of
Ngāti Parewahawaha.
It is on land known as Ohinepuhiawe.
The marae features the
Parewahawaha meeting house, a
whare tupana opened on 15 April 1967 by Maori Queen
Te Atairangikaahu
Dame Te Atairangikaahu (23 July 1931 – 15 August 2006) was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Her title Te Arikinui (meaning ''Paramount ...
. At the time it was opened, Te Rangi Pumamao was the rangatira at Parewahawaha. He had finished construction of the house, as previous builders had died.
In October 2020, the Government committed $1,248,067 from the
Provincial Growth Fund
Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014.
Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...
to upgrade the marae and 5 others, creating 69 jobs.
Demographics
Bulls, which covers ,
had a population of 1,935 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 345 people (21.7%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 204 people (11.8%) 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 693 households. There were 972 males and 963 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.01 males per female. The median age was 32.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 477 people (24.7%) aged under 15 years, 426 (22.0%) aged 15 to 29, 759 (39.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 276 (14.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 78.1% European/Pākehā, 27.3% Māori, 7.8% Pacific peoples, 3.1% Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 14.9%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 54.1% had no religion, 33.0% were Christian, 0.6% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.3% were Buddhist and 3.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 144 (9.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 321 (22.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 747 (51.2%) people were employed full-time, 171 (11.7%) were part-time, and 60 (4.1%) were unemployed.
Government and politics
Local government
As part of the
Rangitikei District
The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay Regio ...
, the current
Mayor of Rangitikei
The Mayor of Rangitikei is the head of the Rangitikei District Council in New Zealand. The role was created in 1989 with the formation of the Rangitikei District as part of the 1989 local government reforms. The current mayor since 2013 is Andy ...
since
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
is
Andy Watson.
Bulls is the main town in the Southern ward of the
Rangitikei District Council, which elects three of the eleven district councillors. The three councillors of the Southern ward are Brian Carter, Jane Dunn and Waru Panapa.
The mayor and councillors are all due for re-election in
October 2022.
National government
Bulls, like the rest of the Rangitikei District, is located in the
general electorate of
Rangitīkei and the
Māori electorate of
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 ...
. Rangitīkei is a safe
National Party seat since the
1938 election except for 1978–1984 when it was held by
Bruce Beetham
Bruce Craig Beetham (16 February 1936 – 3 May 1997) was an academic and politician from New Zealand, whose career spanned the 1970s and early 1980s.
A lecturer at Hamilton's University of Waikato and at the Hamilton Teachers' Training Colle ...
of the
Social Credit Party. Since
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
it has been held by
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 is a more unstable seat, having been held by three different parties since
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, i.e.
New Zealand First
New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Winst ...
, the
Māori Party
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 ...
and the
Labour Party. Since
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
it has been held by
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. ...
of the Labour Party.
Military presence
Many Air Force personnel from
RNZAF Base Ohakea
RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is located near Bulls, New Zealand, Bulls, 25 km north-west of Palmerston North in the Manawatu District, Manawatu. It is also a diversion landin ...
live in Bulls. In recent years several defence houses have been sold to civilian buyers which has seen a steady decline of servicemen from the area, but a moderate presence remains nonetheless.
In 2017 it was announced that the
Republic of Singapore Air Force
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establish ...
is looking at establishing a permanent
F-15
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
fighter jet training base at Ohakea with an estimated presence of 500 Singaporean personnel. Ohakea and surrounding areas such as Bulls and Feilding would see a significant increase in military families and personnel to the area. In December 2018 it was announced that this would no longer go ahead.
In 2018 the incumbent government announced the purchase of four
Boeing P-8 Poseidon
The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN).
Th ...
aircraft for maritime surveillance. This announcement came with the news that the current
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...
unit responsible for maritime surveillance,
No. 5 Squadron RNZAF, would be required to move to
RNZAF Base Ohakea
RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is located near Bulls, New Zealand, Bulls, 25 km north-west of Palmerston North in the Manawatu District, Manawatu. It is also a diversion landin ...
. This move would see a further increase in the number of service personnel living in the area. RNZAF is expected to take delivery of these aircraft in 2023.
Education
Bulls has two co-educational state primary schools for Year 1–8 students.
Bulls School was established in 1867 and is the oldest school in the Rangitikei District;
it has a roll of as of .
Clifton School, which opened more recently on the southern end of the township,
has a roll of .
Sister city
The town's
sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
is
Cowes
Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...
, England.
Notable people
*
Chris Amon
Christopher Arthur Amon (20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One racing in the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand ...
, former
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
driver between 1963–1976
*
Travis Banks
Travis Bligh (born 15 February 1987), better known by his ring name Travis Banks, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE on their NXT UK brand. He is also known for competing in promotions such as Fight C ...
, professional wrestler
*
Ormond Wilson
George Hamish Ormond Wilson (18 November 1907 – 17 April 1988) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament representing the Labour Party, farmer, author and Chairman of the Historic Places Trust. He donated 30 acres of bush and his homestead to t ...
, politician
*
Victoria Ransom, entreprenuer
References
External links
Unforgetabull
{{Authority control
Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui
Rangitikei District
Populated places on the Rangitīkei River