
Lumsden () is a town in
Southland, New Zealand. Lying in a gap in the surrounding hills, Lumsden is the location of a major junction on
State Highway 6. Lumsden is 81 kilometres north of
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...
, 106 kilometres south of
Queenstown, 59 kilometres west of
Gore
Gore may refer to:
Places Australia
* Gore, Queensland
* Gore Creek (New South Wales)
* Gore Island (Queensland)
Canada
* Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community
* Gore, Quebec, a township municipality
* Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manito ...
and 77 kilometres east of
Te Anau
Te Anau is a town in the Southland, New Zealand, Southland List of regions in New Zealand, region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Māori language, Māori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake ...
. The
Ōreti River
The Ōreti River (formerly the Oreti River) is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is long. The river has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because, for much of its length, it supports bree ...
is located 1.5 kilometres east of the town.
History
Originally the district in general was known as The Elbow. When this name was given to the then new railway station, residents of Castlerock, then also known as The Elbow and on the opposite bank of the
Ōreti River
The Ōreti River (formerly the Oreti River) is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is long. The river has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because, for much of its length, it supports bree ...
, brought the matter to
George Lumsden of the
Otago Provincial Council. He referred that matter to the Railways Department who, in the absence of any other suggestion, chose the name Lumsden for the town.
In 2017, it was suggested that Lumsden is becoming a satellite town for Queenstown, despite the commuting distance. It was much cheaper to buy or rent a house in Lumsden and work in Queenstown where wages are potentially higher.
The Lumsden
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
church, which was built in 1891, was decommissioned in 2022. It was purchased and moved to
Rangiora
Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury Region, Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the ...
with plans to convert it into a house. The historic church and surrounding trees were observed to remain on site in mid August 2023.
Railways
Lumsden also used to be a major railway junction with lines departing to all four points of the compass. The
Kingston Branch
The Kingston Branch was a major railway line in Southland, New Zealand. It formed part of New Zealand's national rail network for over a century: construction began in 1864, Kingston was reached in 1878, and it closed in 1979. For much ...
from Invercargill ran north–south through the town, while to the west was the
Mossburn Branch and to the east was the
Waimea Plains Railway
The Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line (not a branch line) that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand. It skirted the Hokonui Hills, and operated as a through route between 31 July 1880 and ...
that connected with the
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the ...
in Gore. In 1971, most of the Waimea Plains Railway closed, but sixteen kilometres from Lumsden to Balfour remained open until 1978. In 1979, the line north to Kingston was closed after repairs to flood damage would not have been economic, and both the Mossburn Branch and the connection south to Invercargill closed in December 1982.
The railway station is now preserved as a tourist information centre. The
Lumsden Heritage Trust
The Lumsden Heritage Trust was formed in November 2013 to preserve the past, promote the future and provide an attraction for visitors. The trust has two ex-AFFCO locomotives that were formerly preserved by the Goldfields Railway, the chassis of ...
, formed in 2013 has recovered and restored original carriages and trains. It has displayed the chassis of
New Zealand Railways steam locomotive P 60 at the town's southern entrance, as well as two unrestored locomotives,
V 126 and V 127, two
Drewry diesel shunters and three wagons by the old station, to commemorate its former prominent status in New Zealand's
national rail network
In United States railroading, the term national rail network, sometimes termed "U.S. rail network", refers to the entire network of interconnected standard gauge rail lines in North America. It does not include most subway or light rail lines. F ...
. In April 2022 a historic 1883 A Class 199 elevated roof passenger carriage was added to the Lumsden Railway precinct.
Demographics
Lumsden is described as a rural settlement by
Statistics New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand (), branded as Stats NZ, is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the collection of statistics related to the economy, population and society of New Zealand. To this end, Stats NZ produces New Zealand c ...
. It covers ,
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2. It is part of the much larger Lumsden-Balfour statistical area.
Before the 2023 census, Lumsden had a smaller boundary, covering .
Using that boundary, Lumsden had a population of 492 at the
2018 New Zealand census
The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census.
Resu ...
, an increase of 72 people (17.1%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 66 people (15.5%) since the
2006 census. There were 228 households, comprising 258 males and 237 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female, with 99 people (20.1%) aged under 15 years, 99 (20.1%) aged 15 to 29, 213 (43.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 81 (16.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 87.2% European/
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
, 12.2%
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 Co ...
, 1.2%
Pasifika, 6.7%
Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 55.5% had no religion, 31.1% were
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 1.2% were
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.6% were
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, and 0.6% were
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
.
Of those at least 15 years old, 48 (12.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 120 (30.5%) people had no formal qualifications. 39 people (9.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 189 (48.1%) people were employed full-time, 63 (16.0%) were part-time, and 15 (3.8%) were unemployed.
Lumsden-Balfour
The Lumsden-Balfour statistical area covers
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Lumsden-Balfour had a population of 1,320 at the
2018 New Zealand census
The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census.
Resu ...
, an increase of 54 people (4.3%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 108 people (8.9%) since the
2006 census. There were 531 households, comprising 711 males and 609 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.17 males per female. The median age was 36.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 300 people (22.7%) aged under 15 years, 231 (17.5%) aged 15 to 29, 597 (45.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 195 (14.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 88.6% European/
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
, 8.4%
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 Co ...
, 0.7%
Pasifika, 6.1%
Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 13.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.9% had no religion, 39.5% were
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 0.2% had
Māori religious beliefs
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 Co ...
, 0.7% were
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.2% were
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 0.5% were
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and 0.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 159 (15.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 237 (23.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 138 people (13.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 579 (56.8%) people were employed full-time, 177 (17.4%) were part-time, and 21 (2.1%) were unemployed.
Education
Lumsden School is a contributing primary school for years 1 to 6 with a roll of students as of
Northern Southland College is a secondary school for years 7 to 13 with a roll of students.
Both schools were established in 1976, replacing Lumsden District High School which ran from 1962 to 1975, and the original Lumsden School which ran from 1879 to 1962.
Notable people
Born in Lumsden
*
Cathy Baker (16 October 1957), New Zealand field-hockey player
*
Bill English
Sir Simon William English (born 30 December 1961) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 39th prime minister of New Zealand from 2016 to 2017 and Leader of the New Zealand National Party, leader of the New Zealand National Party, ...
(30 December 1961), New Zealand Prime Minister (2016–2017)
*
Daryl Gibson (2 March 1975), New Zealand rugby-union player and coach
*
Jacob Duffy
Jacob Duffy (born 2 August 1994) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Otago. Duffy made his senior debut in an HRV Cup match against Northern Districts in January 2012. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in De ...
(2 August 1994), New Zealand cricketer
*
Amy Rule (15 July 2000), New Zealand rugby-union player
Residents
*
Lou Vincent
Lou Vincent (born 11 November 1978) is a former New Zealand cricketer and opening batsman. He has represented New Zealand in Test match, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket as well as playing for Auckland in New Zealand do ...
New Zealand cricketer
Climate
References
External links
Lumsden community websitePhoto of the Lumsden Presbyterian church, 1912
{{Southland District
Populated places in the Southland Region