Motupipi is a settlement in the Tasman District of New Zealand's upper

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 ...

, located at the mouth of the

Motupipi River The Motupipi River is a short river of the Tasman Region of the South Island of New Zealand. Located in the Tākaka valley in Golden Bay, it used to be the most polluted river in the Tasman Region. Significant stream regeneration work has been un ...

east of

Tākaka Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. State Highway 60 runs through Takaka and follows the river valley b ...

. The name ''Motupipi'' translates as the island or bush (''motu'') with pipi shellfish, referring to the pipi which are found on the beach.

History

European settlement

Europeans first surveyed the area in 1842 and began settling it in 1850. The settlement began as about 1500 acres of small dairy, fruit and hop farms. There are records of several notable early settlers: * Peter Packer and his parents were among the original settlers. He took over 150 acres in 1872, and was clearing, sowing and farming most of it by 1905. * Reuben Packard, who moved to the area with his parents a few years later, also took up 150 acres, which he cleared for sheep and beef farming. * Joseph Packard was born in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1826 and was the oldest early settler. He originally purchased a 50-acre block, before taking a 300-acre block which he used to graze a few cows and sheep and plant about 300 lemon trees. * Thomas Harwood, who was born at sea to parents from

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...

Somersetshire ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, purchased 235 acres of forested limestone land in 1868, which he began clearing and farming 1876. He initially farmed cattle, but transitioned by sheep farming in the early 20th century. By 1905, he had cleared and cultivated about 130 acres of the property. Harwood was also an active local politician. The Golden Bay Coal Company began mining for coal at Motupipi in the early 20th century.

Education

Motupipi School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of as of . The school was established during the 1850s, making it one of the oldest schools in the Tasman District. By 1905, the school was a one-roomed building with a roll of 60 students and capacity for 10 more.

References

Populated places in the Tasman District {{Tasman-geo-stub