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Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central
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 on an
alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...
set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of Turangi. It is under the jurisdiction of Ruapehu District and
Manawatū-Whanganui Manawatū-Whanganui (; spelled Manawatu-Wanganui prior to 2019) is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, whose main population centres are the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Manawat ...
region. Its population is as of making it the largest centre for a considerable distance in any direction. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk railway. The name ''Taumarunui'' is reported to be the dying words of the Māori chief Pehi Turoa – ''taumaru'' meaning screen and ''nui'' big, literally translated as Big Screen, being built to shelter him from the sun, or more commonly known to mean – "The place of big shelter". There are also references to Taumarunui being known as large sheltered location for growing
kumara Kumara may refer to: Places * Kumara (Mali), a province * Kumara, New Zealand, a town * Kumara (New Zealand electorate), a Parliamentary electorate Other uses * Kumara Illangasinghe, an Anglican bishop in Sri Lanka * Kumara (surname) * The Four ...
. In the 1980s publication ''Roll Back the Years'' there are some details on how Taumarunui got its name. Extract: "According to Frank T Brown, who wrote in the ''Taumarunui Press'' in 1926, the name Taumarunui is closely connected with the arrival of and conquering of that portion of the King Country by the Whanganui River natives during the 18th century . . . The war party that succeeded in capturing the principal pa and taking prisoner the chief of the district was headed by "Ki Maru". His warriors, to show their appreciation of his prowess and the honour of the victory, acclaimed him "Tau-maru-nui", which means "Maru the Great", or "Maru the Conqueror", that name was taken for the district and has been used ever since."


History and culture

Taumarunui was originally a Maori settlement at the confluence of the Ongarue River with the Whanganui, important canoe routes linking the interior of the island with the lower Whanganui River settlements. Some places, notably the valley of the Pungapunga Stream, which joins the upper Whanganui near Manunui, were celebrated for the size and quality of totara, and large canoes were built there. The area is a border area between a number of iwi including Whanganui, Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, who lived together in relative harmony. Late in December 1843
Bishop Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was Metropolitan (late ...
travelled from the district south of Taupō to a point on the Whanganui River about six miles downstream from Taumarunui and thence continued his journey to the coast by canoe. Towards the end of 1869 Te Kooti was at Taumarunui before his march through the western Taupō district to Tapapa. In the early 1880s the first surveys of the King Country commenced and by the early 1890s the Crown had begun the purchase of large areas of land. In 1874 Alexander Bell set up a trading post, and became the first European settler. The town has a road called Bell Road. During the New Zealand Wars a resident named William Moffatt manufactured and supplied Maori with a coarse kind of gunpowder. He was afterwards expelled from the district. Despite warnings he returned in 1880, ostensibly to prospect for gold, and was executed. The Whanganui River long continued to be the principal route serving Taumarunui. Traffic was at first by Maori canoe, but by the late 1880s regular steamship communication was established. Taumarunui Landing
Image
was the last stop on
Alexander Hatrick Alexander Hatrick (29 August 1857 – 30 July 1918) was a New Zealand merchant, shipowner, tourism entrepreneur and mayor. He was born in Smythesdale, Victoria, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sov ...
's steam boat service from Wanganui. The river vessels maintained the services between Wanganui and Taumarunui until the late 1920s, when the condition of the river deteriorated. Later Taumarunui gained importance with the completion of the North Island Main Trunk line in 1908–09 (celebrated in the 1957 ballad "
Taumarunui on the Main Trunk Line "Taumarunui (on the Main Trunk Line)" (often styled without parentheses or simply as "Taumarunui") is a New Zealand folk song, written sometime during the 1950s. It is set in the refreshment room at Taumarunui's railway station, which was a major ...
" by Peter Cape, about the
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
refreshment room). The line south of Taumarunui caused considerable problems due to the terrain, and has several high viaducts and the famous Raurimu Spiral. The Stratford–Okahukura Line to Stratford connected just north of Taumarunui. In more recent times, the town's economy has been based on forestry and farming. It has gained in importance as a tourism centre, especially as an entry point for voyagers down the scenic Wanganui River and as the possessor of a high quality golf course.


Timeline


1800s

* 1862, 8/9 February – James Coutts Crawford visits, was given a number of old songs and "various accounts of the taniwha, one of whom we were told overthrew the Wangaehu bridge." * 1864 – Boundaries of the King Country drawn and European settlement is prohibited. * 1869 – Te Kooti in Taumarunui. * 1871 –
Thomas McDonnell Thomas McDonnell ( – 8 November 1899) was a 19th-century New Zealand public servant, military leader and writer. Biography Childhood and early life McDonnell was born to Thomas McDonnell Sr., an early British merchant and speculator who se ...
in area following up on reports of gold. Claimed to have found goldbearing quartz in the creeks of 'Taurewa

* 1874 – Alexander Bell set up a trading post, and became the first European settler. * 1880 – Moffatt and Henaro travel to the village of Matahaura, where William Moffatt is subsequently executed at Matapuna. * 1883 – John Rochford's survey party start surveying the rail route through the King Country. * 1884 – Prohibition to European settlement lifted. Alcohol prohibition established. * 1885 – Photographer Alfred Burton, artist Edward Payton and surveyor John Rochford tour
Te Rohe Pōtae The King Country (Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of ...
along with time in Taumarunui. * 1885, 10 Dec – First post office opened in Taumarunui (under the name 'Taumaranui') as part of the Hamilton Postal District, closes 1887.


1900s

* 1900 – town-to-be reportedly held only 13 European males. Another report said 40 or 50 members of Ngāti Hau and Mr Bell. * 1901 – Railways line joining Te Kuiti to Taumarunui opened. * 1903 – Railway line passes through Taumarunui, and Taumarunui Railway Station opened on 1 December 1903 and Matapuna on 22 June 1903. * 1904 – First European child is born in township. * 1904 – £10,000 houseboat built then floated to Ohura river junction. In 1927 this is transferred down river to
Retaruke River The Retaruke River is a river in the North Island of New Zealand. It joins with the Whanganui River at Whakahoro just above Wade's Landing and downstream from Taumarunui. The river flows through the farming communities of Upper and then Lower ...
junction where it was destroyed by fire in 1933. * 1906 – Native town council set up: Hakiaha Tawhiao, J.E. Ward (interpreter), J. Carrington. E.W. Simmons, A.J. Langmuir (chairman), J.E. Slattery. * 1906, 14 Sep – First issue of the Taumarunui Press. * 1907 – First hospital erected, 5 beds. * 1908–09 – North Island Main Trunk opened to through Auckland-Wellington trains from 9 November 1908, with the first NIMT express trains from 14 February 1909. * 1908–11 William Thomas Jennings elected Member of Parliament for Taumarunui electorate * 1910 – Borough of Taumarunui proclaimed. * 1910 –
Kaitieke Kaitieke or Kaitīeke is a rural community, located south of Taumarunui and west of Raurimu, in the Ruapehu District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. The area's name translates as ''to eat'' (''kai'') ''the saddle ...
Co-op Dairy Co. formed. * 1910 – George Henry Thompson defeated Rev John E. Ward (166 to 143 votes) to become the first borough council mayor. * 1912 – Population: Males: 641; Females: 487 – Note: 1912 census did not include a count of Maori. * 1912 – Township started getting water supply from Waitea Creek, just south of Piriaka. Project cost £13,000. Pipeline 8 miles long. * 1913 – William Henry Wackrow – Mayor * 1913, 22 Jul – First reported cases of Smallpox in district. * 1911–14 Charles Wilson elected Member of Parliament * 1914 – Taumarunui gas supply begins 1914–18 – World War I * 1914–19 – William Thomas Jennings re-elected Member of Parliament * 1915 – Taumarunui Hospital Board formed, 30 beds. * 1915 – Only a single car in town. * 1915–1917 – Mayor: G.S. Steadman. * 1916 – Census: 3,021 (Taumarunui & Manunui) * 1917 – Tuku Te Ihu Te Ngarupiki, Chief of Rangatahi, dies in Matapuna near Taumarunui aged 97. * 1917–1919 – Mayor: A.S. Laird. * 1919–1923 – Mayor: G.S. Steadman. * 1923–1925 – Mayor: C.C. Marsack. * 1924 – The
Piriaka Power Station The Piriaka power station is a hydroelectric power facility in Manawatū-Whanganui in New Zealand which draws water from behind a weir on the Whanganui River near Piriaka and diverts it through a canal and penstock to the Piriaka Power Station, ...
was built to supply electricity to Taumarunui. * 1925–1929 – Mayor: G.E. Manson. * 1928 – Four thousand bales of wool shipped down river * 1929–1944 – Mayor: Cecil Boles. * 1932 – Stratford–Okahukura Line completed. * 1939 – Hatricks's steamer ceased running, final section of the journey having been done by coach from Kirikau landing since 1927. 1939–1945 – World War II * 1941 – Cosmopolitan Club established with Father Conboy as first president. * 1944–1947 – W.S.N. Campbell. * 1947–1953 – Mayor: D.H. Hall. * 1951 – Census: 3,220 * 1952 –
Kaitieke County The Retaruke River is a river in the North Island of New Zealand. It joins with the Whanganui River at Whakahoro just above Wade's Landing and downstream from Taumarunui. The river flows through the farming communities of Upper and then Lower ...
and Ohura County amalgamated with Taumarunui County. * 1953–1956 – Mayor: David C. Seath – later Member of Parliament for the King Country * 1956 – Mayor: Frank D. House – later Taumarunui High School governor. * 1956 – Census: 3,341 * 1961 – Census: 4,961 * 1962 – The King Country Electric Power Board commissioned its
Kuratau Power Station The Kuratau power station is a hydroelectric power facility in Kuratau on the western side of Lake Taupō in New Zealand which makes use of water from the Kuratau River. The river is impounded behind a dam to form Lake Kuratau before discharging ...
. * 1966 – 1 October, 6:00pm –
King Country Radio King Country Radio was a radio station in Taumarunui broadcasting on 1512AM. The station was first started in 1966 broadcasting 1520AM with the call sign 1ZU. The station moved to 1512AM in 1978 after the AM frequency spacing in New Zealand was a ...
1520AM with the call sign 1ZU first broadcasts from Taumarunui. * 1968 – N.Z. Sportsmen's dinner – attended by Fred Allen,
Peter Snell Sir Peter George Snell (17 December 1938 – 12 December 2019) was a New Zealand middle-distance runner. He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964. Snell ...
, Waka Nathan, Colin Meads, Bob Skelton, Taini Jamieson, Tilley Vercoe, Ivan Grattan, Bill Wordley, Don Croot, Trevor Ormsby, Hine Peni and Sonny Bolstad. * 1971 – Additional generator to the Piriaka Power Scheme * 1976, 4 Oct – Daniel Houpapa shot by Armed Offenders Squad after he fires at an officer * 1981 – Census: 6,540, Full-time in labour force: 2,727 * 1986 – Census: 6,468, Full-time in labour force: 2,514 * 1988 – Taumarunui District Council formed. Town Mayors immediately prior to 1988 include: Charles Binzegger, Les Byars and Terry Podmore. * 1989, 1 Nov – Taumarunui District Council merged into Ruapehu District Council. * 1991 – Census: 6,141, Full-time in labour force: 1,935 * 1996 – Census: 5,835, Full-time in labour force: 1,438 * 1997/98 –
AFFCO Holdings AFFCO Holdings Limited, commonly referred to as AFFCO or "Auckland Farmers Freezing Company", is New Zealand's fourth largest meat processor. AFFCO has been in operations since 1904. It has been wholly owned by Talley's Group since 2010 and i ...
freezing works closes.


2000s

* 2001 – Census: 5,139 * 2005/06 – Taumarunui Milk Co-op closes – 95 years after the original Kaitieke Co-op Dairy Co. was opened. * 2006 – Census: 5,052 * 2009, Nov – Stratford–Okahukura Line mothballed. * 2010, 31 Mar –
King Country Radio King Country Radio was a radio station in Taumarunui broadcasting on 1512AM. The station was first started in 1966 broadcasting 1520AM with the call sign 1ZU. The station moved to 1512AM in 1978 after the AM frequency spacing in New Zealand was a ...
1512AM & 92.7FM with the call sign 1ZU goes off air. * 2012, 25 Jun – Taumarunui Station passenger stop dropped from Northern Explorer's schedule. * 2013 – Census: 4,500Census 2013
/ref>


Marae

There are a number of marae in the Taumarunui area, affiliated with local iwi and hapū, including: * Kimihia Marae is affiliated with
Ngāti Te Wera 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 ...
* Morero Marae and Hauaroa is affiliated with
Ngāti Hekeawai 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 ...
and the
Ngāti Hāua 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 ...
hapū of
Ngāti Hāuaroa 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 ...
and
Ngāti Reremai 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 ...
* Ngāpuwaiwaha Marae and Te Taurawhiri a Hinengākau is affiliated with the Ngāti Hāua hapū of
Ngāti Hāua 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 ...
and Ngāti Hāuaroa * Petania Marae and Hinemihi meeting house are affiliated with the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Hinemihi, Parewaeono and Rōrā, and the Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū of
Ngāti Hinemihi 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, ...
* Takaputiraha Marae is affiliated with Ngāti Maniapoto * Te Peka Marae is affiliated with the Ngāti Hāua hapū of
Ngāti Hekeāwai 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 ...
* Tū Whenua Marae and Tū Whenua meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Mangu, Rewa and Tupu * Whānau Maria Marae and Whānau Maria meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Hāua hapū of Ngāti Hāua * Wharauroa Marae and Hikurangi meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Hinemihi, Rangatahi; with the Ngāti Hāua hapū of
Ngāti Hekeawai 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 ...
,
Ngāti Hinewai 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 ...
, Ngāti Hāuaroa, Ngāti Hāua, and Ngāti Wera/Tuwera; with Ngāti Hinewai; and with Ngāti Rangatahi. In October 2020, the Government committed $1,560,379 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Takaputiraha Marae, Whānau Maria Marae, Wharauroa Marae and 5 other nearby marae, creating 156 jobs.


Locality


Township and borough

On State Highway 4 south of Taumarunui are the villages of
Manunui Manunui (Māori ''manu'' ''nui'' or "big bird") is a small Whanganui River settlement, about east of Taumarunui on State Highway 4, in New Zealand's King Country. It was once known as Waimarino, but John Burnand of the Ellis and Burnand sawmilling ...
, Piriaka, Kakahi, Ōwhango, Raurimu and then
National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
. To the north are the school and truck stop of Māpiu.


Taumarunui County

Taumarunui County was defined in the Waikato and King-country Counties Act 1922, this statute states: Then subsequently in 1952 the
Kaitieke County The Retaruke River is a river in the North Island of New Zealand. It joins with the Whanganui River at Whakahoro just above Wade's Landing and downstream from Taumarunui. The river flows through the farming communities of Upper and then Lower ...
and the Ohura County were amalgamated with a new Taumarunui County. Then in 1988 the Taumarunui
District Council District council may refer to: *A branch of local government in the United Kingdom: **Supervising one of the Districts of England: ***A Metropolitan borough ***A Non-metropolitan district ***A Unitary authority **Supervising one of the Principal ...
was formed only to be replaced in 1989 as it was merged into the now Ruapehu District Council.


Demographics

Taumarunui, comprising the statistical areas of Taumarunui North, Taumarunui Central and Taumarunui East with a combined area of , had a population of 4,707 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 258 people (5.8%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 288 people (−5.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,812 households. There were 2,307 males and 2,403 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female, with 1,035 people (22.0%) aged under 15 years, 804 (17.1%) aged 15 to 29, 1,914 (40.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 966 (20.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 60.5% European/Pākehā, 52.1% Māori, 3.3% Pacific peoples, 3.5% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 9.9%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 47.9% had no religion, 36.1% were Christian, 0.8% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 6.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 315 (8.6%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 1,119 (30.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,362 (37.1%) people were employed full-time, 489 (13.3%) were part-time, and 270 (7.4%) were unemployed.


Community institutions

Ngāpuwaiwaha marae is on Taumarunui Street; its main hapū are Ngāti Hāua and Ngāti Hauaroa of the iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. Taumarunui has many societies and community organizations. It has a Cosmopolitan Club and
RSA RSA may refer to: Organizations Academia and education * Rabbinical Seminary of America, a yeshiva in New York City *Regional Science Association International (formerly the Regional Science Association), a US-based learned society *Renaissance S ...
, a Lodge of the
Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
as well as Taumarunui Lodge NZ No. 12 of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes Grand Council. This Lodge of the Buffaloes was established sometime in the mid-late 1920s and thus predates the introduction of the Mighty
NZR KA class The NZR KA class of 1939 was a class of mixed traffic 4-8-4 steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's railway network. They were built after the success of the K class to meet the increasing traffic demands of the New Zealand Railways ...
steam locomotives that became the hallmark of NIMT Rail Transport of the forties, fifties and sixties.


Climate

Under the Köppen, Taumarunui has an
Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
:(''Cfb''). Due to location, low altitude and Geography surroundings, Taumarunui is more liable to warm to hot summers than other central North Island centres and in winter Taumarunui is cold and frosty. Rainfall yearly is . Annual sunshine yearly is 1822 hrs. In June 2002 Taumarunui recorded just 27 hrs of sun this lowest of the whole country beating the old record at Invercargill with 35 hrs in June 1935. The lowest temperature recorded in Taumarunui, −6.8 °C, was in July 2010.


Education

Taumarunui High School is a co-educational state secondary school for Year 9 to 13 students, with a roll of as of . The town has three primary schools for Year 1 to 8 students: Taumarunui Primary School, with a roll of , Tarrangower School, with a roll of , and Turaki School, with a roll of . St Patrick's Catholic School is a co-educational state-integrated Catholic primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of .


Notable people

* T.J. Meredith – great-grandson of Theodore of Corsica, joined Royal Navy age 14, CSS Louisiana in 1862 American Civil War, under General Cameron New Zealand Wars,
Waikato Mounted Rifles The Waikato Mounted Rifles (WMR) is the New Zealand Army's only Territorial Force (Army Reserve) squadron of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps (RNZAC). The Squadron's origins can be traced back to 1869 when the first mounted unit was raised ...
World War I, before coming the proprietor of Taumarunui's Meredith House with wife Margaret Lovett.


Students of Taumarunui High School

* Prof. James L. Beck – Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology. * Prof. John C. Butcher – Honorary Research Professor, Dept. of Mathematics, University of Auckland. * Ben Fouhy, world champion kayaker. * Marc and Todd Hunter from the band
Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
. * Ivan Mercep, 2008 recipient of the New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal. * Jenny Ludlam – actress.


Born in Taumarunui

* 1914 – Wiremu Hakopa Toa Te Awhitu SM (1914–1994) was the first Māori to be ordained a Catholic priest. * 1922 – Lucy Ruth Miller ( Ruth Kirk), DBE, wife of Prime Minister Norman Kirk and patron of SPUC * 1934 – Ian Barker, solicitor, judge, and legal scholar * 1935 – Don Selwyn, actor, director, stage and screen,
Ngāti Kuri 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 ...
and Te Aupōuri (1935–2007) * 1936 –
Carmen Rupe Carmen Rupe (10 October 1936 – 14 December 2011), was a New Zealand drag performer, brothel keeper, anti-discrimination activist, would-be politician and HIV/AIDS activist. Carmen Rupe was New Zealand's first drag queen to reach celebrity st ...
(né Trevor Rupe, 1935–15 December 2011) – Wellington personality (mayoral candidate (1977), drag queen, cafe owner and brothel keeper). * 1939 – David Penny, theoretical biologist. * 1945 –
Carole Shepheard Carole Marie Shepheard (born 6 November 1945) is a New Zealand artist. She specialises in printmaking and her work is held in national and international collections including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Auckland Art Gall ...
, artist. * 1951 – Joe Karam, rugby union player, researcher and investigator for David Bain's legal team. * 1952 –
Rhonda Bryers Rhonda Bryers (1952-2007) was a New Zealand singer of Maori descent. At one stage she was regarded as New Zealand's top entertainer. Background Bryers was born in Taumarunui to famous Maori rugby player Ron Bryers and Betty. Her first husband was ...
, singer * 1952 – Ian Ferguson, Olympic canoer. * 1952 – Max Takuira Matthew Mariu SM (1952–2005), Auxiliary Catholic Bishop of Hamilton (1988–2005), first Māori to be ordained a Catholic bishop. * 1952 –
Gary Troup Gary Bertram Troup (born 3 October 1952) is a New Zealand former cricketer and local politician who played 15 Tests and 22 One Day Internationals for New Zealand. International career Troup made his Test debut for the New Zealand on 18 Novem ...
, ONZM, cricketer and Auckland region local government politician * 1953 – Marc Hunter, lead singer of
Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
. * 1955 –
Mahinārangi Tocker Mahinārangi Tocker (1955 – 15 April 2008) was a singer-songwriter from New Zealand. Tocker wrote more than 600 songs in a 25-year career. Her vocal style has been compared to that of Joan Armatrading and Tracy Chapman. She also gave lec ...
, singer. * 1956 – Len Brown Mayor of Auckland * 1958 – Jillian Smith, field hockey player. * 1958 – Lindsay Crocker, cricketer. * 1963 –
Timothy J. Sinclair Timothy Sinclair was a political scientist who wrote extensively on the politics of global finance. He was an expert on the major American credit rating agencies, Moody's Investors Service, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch. Sinclair was born in Taum ...
, political scientist at the University of Warwick in England. * 1966 – John Psathas, composer * 1971 – Kyle Chapman, former leader of the New Zealand National Front * 1973 – Chris McCormack World Champion Ironman Triathlete (2007, 2010). * 1979 – Ben Fouhy, Olympic and world champion canoeist * 1981 – Andrew Kirton, former General Secretary of the
New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party ( mi, Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa), or simply Labour (), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descr ...


Resident and New Years Honours recipients

*
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
– Pateriki Joseph Hura – For services to the Māori people, especially as a member of the Board of Maori Affairs. *
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
MBE – Mrs Catherine Goodsir – For social welfare services *
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
– MBE – Mrs Rumatiki Wright of Raetihi. For services to the Māori people, especially as Senior Lady Māori Welfare Officer *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...
– OBE – Pei Te Hurinui Jones – For services to the Māori people. *
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
– MBE – James Dempsey J.P. – chairman of the Taumarunui County Council. *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
BEM – Eric Raymond Clark – For services to the community and interest in the education of the Māori people. *
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
– BEM – Arthur Tukiri Anderson – For services to the Returned Services Association and the community *
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...
Hepi Hoani Te Heuheu – For services to the Māori people and community. *
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
CBE – Alexander Phillips QSM – For services to the Māori people. *
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
MNZM The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
– John Stacey Black J.P. – For services to the community. *
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
QSM – Jean Bassett – For Community Service *
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
– QSM – Mrs Verna Lenice Warner J.P. – For Community Service *
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
– MNZM – Mrs Nansi Whetu Dewes – For services to Māori and the community *
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
– QSM – Barry David FISHER, of Taumarunui. Chief Fire Officer, Taumarunui Volunteer Fire Brigade, New Zealand Fire Service – For Services to the community *
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
– QSM – Leonard Patrick Harwood – For Public Services *
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
– QSM – Mr William Vernon McMinn – For services to music. *
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
– MNZM – Ngarau Tarawa – For services to Māori and community education *
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
– QSM – Mrs Lorraine Ivy Edwards J.P. – For services to the community. *
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
– MNZM – Ian Trevor Corney – For services to agriculture *
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 ...
ONZM – Susan May Morris – For services to local government.


Notes


References

* * *


External links


Taumarunui website



Taumarunui High School




s song, "Taumarunui on the Main Trunk Line" {{Authority control Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui Settlements on the Whanganui River Ruapehu District