Amuri County is one of the former

counties of New Zealand A system of counties of New Zealand was instituted after the country dissolved its provinces in 1876, and these counties were similar to other countries' systems, lasting with little change (except mergers and other localised boundary adjustmen ...

, in the area that is now the north of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

region. During the period 1853 to 1876, the area that would become Amuri County was administered as part of

Nelson Province Nelson Province was constituted in 1853 under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, and originally covered the entire upper South Island, including all of present-day Buller District, Buller, Kaikoura District, Kaikoura, Marlborough District, ...

. With the Abolition of Provinces Act 1876, Amuri County was created, taking over administration of its area in January 1877. The county council's administrative headquarters was located in

Culverden Culverden is a small town in the northern Canterbury Region, Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It lies at the centre of the Amuri Plain. Culverden has traditionally been surrounded by sheep farms. Dairy farms have now become more ...

, from 1890 until 1989. Other towns in the county included

Hanmer Springs Hanmer Springs is a small town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, known for its hot pools. The Māori name for Hanmer Springs is Te Whakatakanga o te Ngārahu o te ahi a Tamatea, which means "where the ashes of Tamate ...

and Waiau. Amuri County existed until the

1989 local government reforms The 1989 New Zealand local government reform was the most significant reform of local government in New Zealand in over a century. Some 850 local bodies were amalgamated into 86 local authorities, on Regions of New Zealand, regional and Territo ...

, when the

Hurunui District Hurunui District is a territorial local government district within the Canterbury Region on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, north of Christchurch. It stretches from the east coast to the Main Divide. Its land area is . Local go ...

was formed through the amalgamation of the administrative areas of Amuri County,

Cheviot County Cheviot County was one of the counties of New Zealand in the South Island. During the period 1853 to 1876, the area that would become Cheviot County was administered as part of Nelson Province. With the Abolition of Provinces Act 1876, Chevio ...

and the part of

Kaikoura County Kaikoura County was one of the counties of New Zealand on the South Island. During the period 1853 to 1859, the area that would become Kaikoura County was administered as part of Nelson Province. After a vote in 1859, the area that would become ...

south of the

Hundalee Hills The Hundalee Hills are located close to the borders of Hurunui District and Kaikōura District in Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. Located 40 kilometres (24.85 mi) to the south of Kaikōura, Hundalee Hills are known largely fo ...

(an area which had been the subject of a failed 1971 proposal to create a Hurunui County). The last chairman of the county, John Chaffey, became the first mayor of Hurunui District.John Chaffey obituary, Hurunui District Council
Although there is no settlement named Amuri, the name lives on in a number of forms: The Amuri Community Arts Council, Amuri Area School in Culverden, and the Amuri ski field near Hanmer Springs. The county itself took its name from the

Amuri Plain The Amuri Plain (also known as the Amuri Basin) is the northernmost extension of New Zealand's Canterbury Plains. It lies between the Waiau Uwha and Hurunui Rivers and is centred on the town of Culverden. Other population centres on the plain i ...

, which surrounds

. The headland of Amuri (Haumuri) Bluff lies on the Pacific coast near

Oaro Oaro is a settlement close to the Pacific Ocean Coast of north Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand. Oaro is within Kaikōura District on State Highway 1 and on the South Island Main Trunk railway, 20 kilometres south of Kaikōura. It ...

See also

References

Further reading