Lower Moutere is a settlement in the

Tasman District Tasman District () is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council, ...

of New Zealand's upper South Island. It is a farming community it the Lower Moutere valley, from

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding ...

closed to the Moutere Inlet. The road up the valley from Motueka to

Upper Moutere Upper Moutere (originally called Sarau by its founding German settlers) is a locality in the Tasman District near Motueka at the top of New Zealand's South Island. History As early as 1839 the New Zealand Company had resolved to "take steps ...

is an alternative to the main State Highway 60 route between

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and Motueka. The Riverside Community was established in Lower Moutere in 1941 by a small group of

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

pacifists Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigne ...

, and continues to operate a dairy farm and cafe. As of 2013 about 24 people were permanent members and 19 children lived there, but the community’s population sometimes doubled due to visitors, including WWOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms). The Lower Moutere Memorial Hall features a plaque commemorating the three local men who died and 35 local men who served overseas during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. A memorial gate commemorates those who died or were served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. ''Moutere'' is 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 ...

word for 'island'. Native birds are common in the area, and a

kākā The New Zealand kākā (''Nestor meridionalis'') is a large species of parrot of the family Nestoridae found in New Zealand's native forests. The species is often known by the abbreviated name kākā, although it shares this name with the rece ...

was found in the area in January 2020.

Demographics

Lower Moutere statistical area covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Lower Moutere had a population of 1,683 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 174 people (11.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 309 people (22.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 597 households. There were 876 males and 807 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female. The median age was 44 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 297 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 261 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 864 (51.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 261 (15.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 88.6% European/Pākehā, 9.8% Māori, 4.8% Pacific peoples, 2.7% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 26.6%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 62.2% had no religion, 27.6% were Christian, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.7% were Buddhist and 2.7% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 231 (16.7%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 255 (18.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 717 (51.7%) people were employed full-time, 258 (18.6%) were part-time, and 42 (3.0%) were unemployed.

Education

Lower Moutere School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school opened in 1857. A fire destroyed four classrooms and other facilities in 1990.

References

{{Tasman District Populated places in the Tasman District Populated places around Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere