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Haast is a small town in the
Westland District Westland District is a Districts of New Zealand, territorial authority district on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is administered by the Westland District Council. The district's population is History ...
territorial authority on 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 ...
of New Zealand's
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 ...
. The Haast region covers over . The region is named after
Julius von Haast Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. Early life Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...
, a
Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
-born geologist instrumental in the early geological surveys of New Zealand. The main economic activities in the Haast region are farming, fishing and tourism. Lake Moeraki is to the northeast, and the
Haast Pass Haast Pass / Tioripatea is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. Māori used the pass in pre-European times. The pass takes its name from Julius von Haast, a 19th-century explorer who also served as provincial ...
is to the southeast by road. passes through Haast Junction and just to the east of Haast township. The settlement of Okuru is located on the coast south-west of Haast. The rarest subspecies of
kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also ref ...
, the
Haast tokoeka The Haast tokoeka or Haast kiwi (''Apteryx australis'' 'Haast') is a putative subspecies of the southern brown kiwi. It is one of the rarest kiwi in New Zealand. Like other kiwi, this bird is flightless. Morphology This bird has red-brown feathe ...
, is only found in the mountains of the Haast region.


History

European settlement of the area dates back to the 1870s. The remoteness of the area initially limited access to seagoing vessels, with some rough tracks from the north and east. The present Haast township was originally a
New Zealand Ministry of Works The New Zealand Ministry of Works and Development, formerly the Department of Public Works and often referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988. The Ministry had its own Cabi ...
road construction camp, which expanded into a permanent township when the opening of the Haast Pass in 1962 made the region more accessible. The road through the pass to
Wānaka Wānaka () is a popular ski and summer resort town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. At the southern end of Lake Wānaka, it is at the start of the Clutha River/Mata-Au and is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. ...
was upgraded in 1966.''A Wheel on Each Corner'', The History of the IPENZ Transportation Group 1956-2006 - Douglass, Malcolm;
IPENZ Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau (ENZ; previously the New Zealand Institution of Engineers – NZIE and then Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand – IPENZ) is a not-for-profit professional body that promotes the integrity a ...
Transportation Group, 2006, Page 12
In 1990 the Haast area was included as part of a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, giving international recognition as a location of significant natural value to
Te Wahipounamu Te Wāhipounamu (Māori for "the place of greenstone") is a World Heritage Site in the south west corner of the South Island of New Zealand. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990 and covering , the site incorporates four national park ...
- The South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.


Demographics

The population of Haast town was 84 in the 2018 census, an increase of 30 from 2013. There were 42 males and 39 females. 89.3% of people identified as European/Pākehā, 14.3% as Māori, 3.6% as Pacific peoples and 7.1% as other ethnicities. 10.7% were under 15 years old, 25.0% were 15–29, 46.4% were 30–64, and 14.3% were 65 or older. The Haast statistical area, which at is much larger than the town, had a population of 258 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 18 people (7.5%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 42 people (-14.0%) 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 144 households. There were 132 males and 123 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 52.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 24 people (9.3%) aged under 15 years, 36 (14.0%) aged 15 to 29, 138 (53.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 57 (22.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 86.0% European/Pākehā, 11.6% Māori, 4.7% Pacific peoples, 4.7% Asian, and 3.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 18.6%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 46.5% had no religion, 39.5% were Christian, 1.2% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 27 (11.5%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 51 (21.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 147 (62.8%) people were employed full-time, 27 (11.5%) were part-time, and 3 (1.3%) were unemployed.


Climate


Communities

Haast Junction is located on the southwest bank of the
Haast River The Haast River / Awarua is a river on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The Māori name for the river is Awarua. It drains the western watershed of the Haast Pass. The Haast River is in length, and enters the Tasman Sea n ...
, immediately south of the Haast Bridge, at the junction of State Highway 6 and the Haast–Jackson Bay Road. The smaller Haast Beach is on the coast of the
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...
, approximately west southwest of Haast Junction, on the Haast–Jackson Bay Road. The larger Haast township is located on the Haast River, approximately south of Haast Junction, on State Highway 6. The
New Zealand Department of Conservation The Department of Conservation (DOC; Māori: ''Te Papa Atawhai'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage. An advisory body, the New Zealand Conservation Au ...
operates a visitor centre in Haast Junction, offering a wide range of information about the surrounding area.


Infrastructure

The Haast area is not connected to the national electricity grid. New Zealand Energy operates a distribution network supplying the town. Electricity is generated by an 800-kilowatt hydroelectric scheme on the Turnbull River, backed up by a 375-kilowatt diesel generator. Haast received mobile coverage in May 2018. 3G mobile coverage is provided for all three mobile networks within a radius of Haast township.


Education

The Haast School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a student roll of as of The school opened in the 1890s and is the most isolated school in the mainland of New Zealand. There are no secondary schools in the Haast area. The nearest secondary school is
Mount Aspiring College Mount Aspiring College is a state coeducational secondary school in Wānaka, New Zealand. It was founded in 1986 after the division of Wanaka Area School into separate primary and secondary schools. The college, though normally a day school, o ...
, 140 kilometres (85 mi) away over the
Haast Pass Haast Pass / Tioripatea is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. Māori used the pass in pre-European times. The pass takes its name from Julius von Haast, a 19th-century explorer who also served as provincial ...
in
Wānaka Wānaka () is a popular ski and summer resort town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. At the southern end of Lake Wānaka, it is at the start of the Clutha River/Mata-Au and is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. ...
, which is too far away to be practical. Most secondary students instead board at secondary schools in
Alexandra Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...
,
Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...
or
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
.


See also

* Haast Aerodrome * Haast-Hollyford road


References


External links


Haast
at the Department of Conservation
Haast Promotions Group
{{Westland District Westland District Populated places in the West Coast, New Zealand