Moana is a small town in the

West Coast Region The West Coast () is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller Distri ...

of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. It is situated on the northern shore of

Lake Brunner Lake Brunner ( or ) is the largest lake in the West Coast Region of New Zealand, located southeast of Greymouth. The main settlement, Moana, New Zealand, Moana, is on its northern shore. It is an important settlement and waystation for local M ...

, and is beside the outflow of the lake into the

Arnold River Arnold River may refer to: *Arnold River (Northern Territory), a tributary of the Hodgson River in Australia *Arnold River (New Zealand), a tributary of the Grey River *Arnold River (Saskatchewan), a tributary of the Rapid River (Cree River tributar ...

. There is a pedestrian

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

crossing the Arnold from the town to access the lake shore across the river, with some short easy bush walks on each side. The town has a permanent population of less than 100, but is a popular location for summer tourism. There are around 300 holiday homes and a camping ground. The town's main tourist attractions are the panoramic views and water sport opportunities arising from its position on the shores of Lake Brunner. The Midland Line

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

passes through Moana; the

TranzAlpine The TranzAlpine is a passenger train operated by the Great Journeys New Zealand division of KiwiRail in the South Island of New Zealand over the Midland Line, New Zealand, Midland Line; often regarded to be one of the world's great train jour ...

tourist passenger train passes through once in each direction daily, and freight trains of coal operate more frequently. In May 2013, Moana became one of the first places in New Zealand to get 4G wireless broadband.

Demographics

Moana is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Moana is part of the larger Lake Brunner statistical area. Before the 2023 census, the settlement had a smaller boundary, covering . Using that boundary, Moana had a population of 57 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 ...

, a decrease of 9 people (−13.6%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 6 people (−9.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 30 households, comprising 33 males and 27 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.22 males per female. The median age was 58.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 6 people (10.5%) aged 15 to 29, 33 (57.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 18 (31.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.5% 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 ...

, 10.5%

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 ...

, 5.3% Pasifika, and 5.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.6% had no religion, 36.8% 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 ...

, and 5.3% 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, 9 (15.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 9 (15.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 6 people (10.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 27 (47.4%) people were employed full-time, and 12 (21.1%) were part-time.

Lake Brunner statistical area

Lake Brunner statistical area, which also includes Gloriavale, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Lake Brunner had a population of 1,065 at the

, an increase of 147 people (16.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 312 people (41.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 186 households, comprising 531 males and 534 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 20.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 444 people (41.7%) aged under 15 years, 213 (20.0%) aged 15 to 29, 330 (31.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 75 (7.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 95.8% European/

, 4.5%

, 0.8% Pasifika, 1.7% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 7.0, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 26.8% had no religion, 68.2% were

and 0.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 78 (12.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 90 (14.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $25,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 51 people (8.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 357 (57.5%) people were employed full-time, 87 (14.0%) were part-time, and 6 (1.0%) were unemployed.

Education

Lake Brunner School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of students as of Rotomanu School closed and merged into this school in 2005.

Railway station

In 1886, the

New Zealand Midland Railway Company The New Zealand Midland Railway Company partially constructed the Midland line between Christchurch and Greymouth and the Nelson railway in the South Island. It was one of the few private railway companies in New Zealand, and it did not match th ...

entered a contract with the Government for the construction of of railway between Christchurch and Nelson via Brunnerton (later Brunner) over a ten year period. The line was to be built and operated by private enterprise. In November 1892, the company opened the railway from Brunnerton, but at that stage Moana was only a

flag station In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...

. By March 1894, the railway had reached Jacksons. However, in 1895 the company collapsed. In May 1895 the Government seized the company's assets on the grounds that the contract had expired with the works incomplete. The Government eventually completed the works under the Railways Construction and Land Act 1881. The opening of the railway to Moana enabled settlement by Pākeha and establishment of timber mills in the local area. By June 1895 a siding was being operated at Moana station by the Lake Brunner Sawmill Company. The date of construction of the original Moana railway station building is not known, but by 1895 the station had a long platform and siding. Moana railway shed 27

On 16 April 1926, the station building was destroyed in a fire. A replacement building was constructed in the same year. The replacement was to the standard type A design, from the family of standard railway station designs prepared by Railways architect

George Troup George McIntosh Troup (September 8, 1780 – April 26, 1856) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. He served in the Georgia General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate before becoming the 32nd Governo ...

. The Moana Railway Station is listed as a Category 1 Historic Place by Heritage New Zealand. It is the only type A station building still remaining that is complete with its associated sidings and goods sheds. Heritage New Zealand has also given a Category 1 listing to the Moana Railway Station Historic Area comprising the station building, a footbridge, the goods shed and the former station master’s house (now used as a cafe).

References

External links