Hunterville is a small community on State Highway 1, in the Rangitikei district 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 located halfway between Taupo and Wellington and has a population (2018 census) of 411, a decrease of 18 people from 2013. The township was named for George Hunter, who was a member of the

Wellington Provincial Council Wellington Province, governed by the Wellington Provincial Council, was one of the provinces of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. It covered much of the southern half of the North Island until November ...

. It straddles the state highway as well as the main trunk railway in the foothills forming the gateway to the Central Plateau.

Kiwiburn Kiwiburn is a regional Burning Man event celebrating principles such as inclusion, radical self-expression, gifting, participative art and culture. History In 1994, Mark ‘Yonderman’ Stirling and his partner Jane discovereBurning Manby accide ...

, the New Zealand Burning Man regional burn, has been held there since 2014. The closest airport or airfield to Hunterville is

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, 25 km north-west of Palmerston North in the Manawatu. It is also a diversion landing point for civilian aircraft. The bas ...

, an important Royal New Zealand Air Force base, which is sited 33 km to the south west. 6 km north of Hunterville is

Vinegar Hill Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to ...

. The

Hunterville railway station Hunterville railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand, serving the township of Hunterville. Goods were first carried to the station on 19 October 1887, though the official opening of the Marton to Hunterville ...

on the

North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and se ...

line opened in 1887 and closed in 1988. Hunterville is well known for its statue of the

huntaway The Huntaway (also known as the New Zealand Huntaway) is a large, strongly-built breed of dog used for general sheep-herding tasks in New Zealand, where they originate. They were bred to use their loud, deep bark to drive sheep. The breed dates ...

, a specialised

herding dog A herding dog, also known as a stock dog, shepherd dog, sheep dog or working dog, is a type of dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds that are developed for herding. Herding behavior All herding behavior is mo ...

that uses its voice to drive the sheep. The town festival and market held on the first Saturday after Labour Day has a "Shepherds Shemozzle" – a race with man and dog with shepherds travelling from all over New Zealand to compete for the top prize. Hunterville has

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

, affiliated with Ngāti Hauiti

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or " clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally op ...

. Otāhuhu Marae and Te Ruku a Te Kawau meeting house is a meeting place for

Ngāti Haukaha Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. Rātā or Te Hou Hou or Potaka Marae and Hauiti meeting house are affiliated with

Ngāti Ruaanga Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, a ...

and

Ngāti Tamateraka Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. From at least 1895 to 1948 the Hunterville Express was published in the town. It was one of 45 newspapers started by Joseph Ives. Other editors were Cuthbert James Powell, Walter Keay, who was also a novelist and whose wife had earlier signed a suffrage petition in 1893, when women first gained a vote. In 1905 it was the Hunterville Express and Upper Rangitikei Advertiser, published 3 times a week. The Express offices were burnt out in 1917.

Demographics

Hunterville is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It is part of the wider Otairi statistical area, which covers . The population of Hunterville was 411 in 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 ...

, a decrease of 18 (-4.2%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 30 (-6.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 210 males and 198 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. Ethnicities were 336 people (81.8%) European/Pākehā, 90 (21.9%) Māori, 12 (2.9%) Asian and 9 (2.2%) of other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Of the total population, 75 people (18.2%) were under 15 years old, 60 (14.6%) were 15–29, 168 (40.9%) were 30–64, and 111 (27.0%) were over 65.

Otairi statistical area

Otairi had a population of 1,272 at the

, an increase of 45 people (3.7%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 15 people (-1.2%) 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 510 households. There were 654 males and 618 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 43 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 252 people (19.8%) aged under 15 years, 213 (16.7%) aged 15 to 29, 555 (43.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 249 (19.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 86.6% European/Pākehā, 19.1% Māori, 0.9% Pacific peoples, 1.9% Asian, and 3.3% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 10.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 51.9% had no religion, 37.7% were Christian and 2.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 150 (14.7%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 231 (22.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $26,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 525 (51.5%) people were employed full-time, 180 (17.6%) were part-time, and 27 (2.6%) were unemployed.

Education

Hunterville Consolidated School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of .

Notable people

* William Meldrum (1865–1964), solicitor in Hunterville and chairman of the Hunterville Town Board prior to WWI. *

Hadleigh Parkes Hadleigh William Parkes (born 5 October 1987) is a New Zealand-born Welsh international rugby union player, whose favoured position is at the centre. He currently plays for the Black Rams Tokyo in the Japan Rugby League One. Parkes also has a ...

(born 1987), professional Rugby Player, played for Super Rugby teams, Blues (Captain), Kings, and Hurricanes. Plays for Welsh regional team Scarlets (2014–) and was selected for the Welsh Test team in 2017.

References

{{Rangitikei District Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui Rangitikei District