Darfield is a town in the

Selwyn District Selwyn District is a predominantly rural district in central Canterbury, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is named after the Selwyn River / Waikirikiri, which is in turn named after Bishop George Selwyn, the first Anglican bis ...

of the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand. It is 35 kilometres west of the outskirts of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. Its population is as of . Darfield is the main town between Christchurch and the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

region. It is often called "The township under the

nor'west arch The Nor'west arch is a weather pattern peculiar to the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. For this reason, it is also often referred to as the Canterbury arch, although it is visible in both Otago and Marlborough as well as in the Canterbur ...

" in reference to a characteristic weather phenomenon that often creates an arch of cloud in an otherwise clear sky to the west of the township. This is caused by the condensation of water particles channelled upwards over the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. Darfield lies in the Malvern district's arable and pastoral farming area. It is a gateway to the scenic Waimakariri and

Rakaia Rakaia is a town seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, approximately 57 km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the ...

rivers and the Southern Alps, and is also a popular lift-off place for hot air ballooning. Darfield is located around the former junction of the railway lines coming from Christchurch and going to

Whitecliffs Whitecliffs is a village located in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It has also been known as South Malvern (Sheffield was formerly known as Malvern), and the name of Whitecliffs comes from terrace ...

(where coal was mined) and Springfield and on to the

History

Darfield was first known as White Cliffs Junction it was renamed in 1879 as Horndon Junction, which was changed to avoid confusion with Hornby ailwayJunction (close by in Christchurch). Darfield acquired its name from John Jebson who named it after the village in Yorkshire, England. The name refers to a field frequented by deer. A stone mill for grinding flour was built in 1887. It was powered by the Selwyn County Council's water race. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred near Darfield at 4:35 am on 4 September 2010, causing widespread damage to both the town and to surrounding areas including the city of

. Fonterra invested $500 million in a milk processing plant which was opened in 2013 in Darfield. This includes the world's largest dryer which is used in the process to make instant wholemilk powder.

Climate

Located on the Canterbury Plains at an altitude of 193 metres (633 feet) above sea level, the Köppen-Geiger climate classification for Darfield is Cfb (Oceanic). On several days a year, Darfield is subject to the nor'west Foehn wind, which is very dry and has the capability to raise the temperature by several degrees per hour. On the contrary, the town is also susceptible to cold blasts from the Southern Ocean, especially during winter, when a southerly wind blows. The average annual temperature in Darfield is 11.6 °C (52.9 °F). The highest recorded temperature is 40.7 °C (105.3 °F), set on 8 February 1973, while the lowest recorded temperature is -8.0 °C (17.6 °F), set on 7 June 2012. The highest minimum temperature is 25.7 °C (78.3 °F), set on 6 February 2011, while the lowest maximum temperature is 0.6 °C (33.1 °F), set on 12 July 2017. On average, Darfield can expect to see 38.3 days of frost per year, and 49 days where the maximum temperature exceeds 26.7 °C (80 °F).

Demographics

Darfield is described by Statistics New Zealand as a small urban area, and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Darfield had a population of 2,724 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 327 people (13.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 750 people (38.0%) 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 1,053 households. There were 1059 occupied private dwellings and a further 63 unoccupied private dwellings. There were 1,338 males and 1,389 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female. The median age was 43.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 507 people (18.6%) aged under 15 years, 435 (16.0%) aged 15 to 29, 1,218 (44.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 564 (20.7%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 94.6% European/Pākehā, 6.6% Māori, 1.4% Pacific peoples, 2.0% Asian, and 3.1% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 16.3%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 52.5% had no religion, 38.3% were Christian, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.1% were Buddhist and 1.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 348 (15.7%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 462 (20.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,400 with 20.3% earning over $70,000, compared with a median income of $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,146 (51.7%) people were employed full-time, 324 (14.6%) were part-time, and 39 (1.8%) were unemployed. The population of Darfield was 830 people in 1971.

Education

Darfield has numerous

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

s. The original Darfield school was opened in 1883 with a total of 18 students attending. by 1902 the school had two teachers and ninety-three students children on the school roll. Darfield Primary School is Darfield's sole

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

, catering for years 1 to 6. It has students. Darfield High School is Darfield's sole intermediate/

highschool A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, catering for years 7 to 13. It has students. The school was established in 1951 as a secondary school, and expanded to cover intermediate students in 1978. Both schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of

Industry

Many industries are present in Darfield, including brick-making, seed cleaning, and a

Fonterra Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational publicly traded dairy co-operative owned by around 9,000 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exce ...

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

, which processes milk powder. The factory has a series of railway sidings and a container loading centre.

Services

Darfield has a shopping precinct along the main street, including a

Four Square Four square is a team sport played among two teams with two players each on a square court divided into four quadrants: A, B, C, and D (usually numbers 3, 4, 2, and 1, respectively, depending on the court.) The square that a player gets to bef ...

supermarket. The town also has many churches, most notably St Joseph's Catholic Church and Trinity Church (Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian). Darfield has two resthomes. Other services include: a bakery, bank, cafés and bars, hotels, a library, motels, numerous petrol stations, a post office, and a veterinary clinic. Darfield is also has a

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

and

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

stations, as well as a medical centre and a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

. Selwyn is not connected to a district wide sewage scheme. this necessitates all homes to have their own septic tanks.

Recreation

Darfield has a domain, which includes duck ponds and the community centre. Football and rugby fields, tennis courts and a

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...

building are also located in the domain. Westview Park is located in between the Midland railway line and State Highway 73 and to the west of Four Square Darfield. It boasts attractions such as the Whitecliffs Branch historical site and a skatepark. McHughs Forest Park is located northwest of Darfield. It was planted in 1893 to provide timber for mid Canterbury. It contains a mix of Douglas Fir, Pinus Radiata, Macrocarpa, Larch, Spruce and other exotic species. There are a series of walking tracks within the forest.

Transport

Bus

Darfield is serviced with the 86 bus route, a morning and evening express route that connects the town with Central Christchurch, via

Kirwee Kirwee is a town located west of Christchurch in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It was named after Karwi in India by retired British Army colonel De Renzie Brett. Kirwee is also home to the South Island Agricultural Fiel ...

, West Melton and

Yaldhurst Yaldhurst is a semi-rural suburb on the western outskirts of Christchurch city. Frederick William Delamain (1835–1910), a settler and horse breeder, named a horse Yaldhurst after some stables in England. The area was named after the horse. The ...

Rail

Darfield is served by the Midland railway line. The

TranzAlpine The TranzAlpine is a passenger train operated by The Great Journeys of New Zealand in the South Island of New Zealand over the Midland Line; often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes ...

train stops twice daily (request only); en route to the West Coast and on its return trip back to

Road

Darfield is served by State Highway 73 (Great Alpine Highway), connecting

with the

West Coast region The West Coast ( mi, Te Tai Poutini, lit=The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha) is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island that is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini ...

and State Highway 77, connecting Darfield with Ashburton via Methven, the

Rakaia Gorge The Rakaia Gorge is located on the Rakaia River in inland Canterbury in New Zealand's South Island. Like its neighbour, the Waimakariri River, the Rakaia runs through wide shingle beds for much of its length, but is forced through a narrow can ...

and

Glentunnel Glentunnel (previously known as Surveyors Gully) is a village located in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It has a close historical association with coal, clay and sand mines of the Malvern area. Or ...

Notable people

* Sir Allan Wright (29 March 1929), President of

Federated Farmers Federated Farmers of New Zealand is a lobby and advocacy group for all farmers: arable including fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat and their often remote communities. It has a network of 24 regional organisations and six industry groups. F ...

and first chancellor of Lincoln University. * Geoff Wright (29 March 1929), New Zealand cricketer * John Wright (5 July 1954), New Zealand cricketer and former coach of the Indian national cricket team * Henry Shipley (10 May 10 1996), New Zealand cricketer * Brian Connell (23 April 1956), politician *

Mary Clinton Mary Frances Clinton, born 8 May 1960 in Darfield, New Zealand) is a former female field hockey player from New Zealand, who was a member of the national team that finished sixth at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Eight years ...

(8 May 1960), New Zealand field hockey player *

James Te Huna James Te Huna (born 29 September 1981) is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship who has been called a pioneer of New Zealand mixed martial artists. He was the first Australian-based fighter to win a UFC fight on Australi ...

(29 September 1981), first New Zealander to enter the UFC, 2010 (Ultimate Fighting Championships)

Gallery

Darfield Roman Catholic Church 004.JPG, St Joseph's Catholic Church, October 2013 Darfield Anglican Church 002.JPG, Trinity Church, October 2013 Darfield Express Yourself Cafe.JPG, Cafe in central Darfield, October 2013 Darfield Jail 003.JPG, Historic jail dating 1915, October 2013 Darfield War Memorial 002.JPG, Darfield War Memorial, located next to Trinity Church, October 2013

References

External links

Darfield on the Selwyn District Council website
{{Selwyn District, New Zealand Selwyn District Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand