1.
Selwyn District
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The Selwyn District is a predominantly rural area in central Canterbury, on the east coast of New Zealands South Island. The district is governed by a mayor and a council of 10 members. The current mayor is Kelvin Coe who was first elected mayor in October 2007, the mayor is elected on a First Past the Post basis. The 10 councillors are elected from four wards on a multi-member First Past the Post basis,2 councillors are elected from Ellesmere ward,2 from Malvern,3 from Selwyn Central, and 3 from Springs. Malvern and Selwyn Central wards also have Community Boards, which have powers delegated to them by the Council, the Selwyn District is within the Canterbury region so Canterbury Regional Council has responsibilities for regional planning, and water, air, discharge and river bed resource consents. In national politics, Selwyn is represented in the Selwyn electorate, amy Adams of the National Party is the incumbent MP. The Selwyn District lies in central Canterbury, and occupies a position in the South Island. Boundaries, On the Canterbury Plains, the Waimakariri River forms the northern boundary, the eastern boundary comprises the city of Christchurch, Banks Peninsula, and the South Pacific Ocean. The southern boundary is the Rakaia River, beyond which lies Ashburton District, the western boundary is the main divide of the Southern Alps. Geographical features, Selwyn District contains within it two distinct regions, the plains and the high country, the plains, where most of the population lives and the majority of activity takes place, form an expanse of low-lying, flat, and comparatively dry grassland. The extreme south-east is dominated by Lake Ellesmere, an expanse of water surrounded by marshes, the tributaries of the Selwyn River include the Waianiwaniwa River, the Hororata River and the Hawkins River. The high country is a region, mainly consisting of hill and mountain ranges. Most of the country is grassland, including some tussocklands, areas of beech forest remain within the Craigieburn Forest Park. Population, The total population of Selwyn District was 44,595 in the 2013 Census,2013 Census information confirmed that Selwyn District is the fastest growing area of New Zealand. Selwyn’s population grew from 33,642 to 44,595 between 2006 and 2013, a 33% increase, the average growth for New Zealand as a whole during that period was 5. 3%. Approximately half the population lives in the towns and villages in the district. 95% of the live on the plains. The largest towns are Darfield, Leeston, Lincoln, Prebbleton, Templeton and Rolleston which is also the home of the Councils main office, the towns of Springfield and Sheffield are on State Highway 73, where the foothills start to rise from the Canterbury Plains
2.
Canterbury, New Zealand
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Canterbury is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,508 square kilometres, the region in its current form was established in 1989 during nationwide local government reforms. The Kaikoura District joined the region in 1992 following the abolition of the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council, Christchurch, the South Islands largest city and the countrys third-largest urban area, is the seat of the region and home to 65 percent of the regions population. Other major towns and cities include Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora, in 1848, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a Briton, and John Robert Godley, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, founded the Canterbury Association to establish an Anglican colony in the South Island. The colony was based upon theories developed by Wakefield while in prison for eloping with a woman not-of-age, due to ties to the prestigious Oxford University, the Canterbury Association succeeded in raising sufficient funds and recruiting middle-class and upper-class settlers. In April 1850, a group led by Godley landed at Port Cooper—modern-day Lyttelton Harbour—and established a port, housing. In December 1850, the first wave of 750 settlers arrived at Lyttelton in a fleet of four ships, following 1850, the provinces economy developed with the introduction of sheep farming. The Canterbury regions tussock plains in particular were suitable for sheep farming. Since they were valued by settlers for their meat and wool. By the 1860s, this figure had risen to three million, during this period, the architect Benjamin Mountfort designed many civic and ecclesiastical buildings in the Gothic Revival style. The Canterbury Province was formed in 1853 following the passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 and it was formed from part of New Munster Province and covered the middle part of the South Island, stretching from the east coast to the west coast. The province was abolished, along with provinces of New Zealand. The modern Canterbury Region has slightly different boundaries, particularly in the north and it is New Zealands largest region by area, with an area of 45,346 km2. Canterbury was traditionally bounded in the north by the Conway River, to the west by the Southern Alps, the area is commonly divided into North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury and Christchurch City. Canterbury is home to 600,100 people according to Statistics New Zealands June 2016,13 percent of New Zealands population and it the most populous in the South Island and the second most populous region in New Zealand. The median age of Canterburys population is 39.9 years, around 15.5 percent of the population is aged 65 or over while 18.7 percent is aged under 15. There are 97.5 males for every hundred females in Canterbury, just under 20 percent of Canterburys population was born overseas, compared to 25 percent for New Zealand as a whole. The British Isles remains the largest region of origin, accounting for 36.5 percent of the population in Canterbury
3.
South Island
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The South Island or Te Waipounamu is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, 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 Sea, the South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres and has a temperate climate. In the early stages of European settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population, in prose, the two main islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and the South Island, with the definite article. Charcoal drawings can be found on rock shelters in the centre of the South Island. The drawings are estimated to be between 500 and 800 years old, and portray animals, people and fantastic creatures, possibly stylised reptiles, some of the birds pictured are long extinct, including moa and Haasts eagles. They were drawn by early Māori, but by the time Europeans arrived, early inhabitants of the South Island were the Waitaha. They were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest by the Kāti Mamoe in the 16th century, Kāti Mamoe were in turn largely absorbed via marriage and conquest by the Kāi Tahu who migrated south in the 17th century. While today there is no distinct Kāti Mamoe organisation, many Kāi Tahu have Kāti Mamoe links in their whakapapa and, a notable feature of the Moriori culture, an emphasis on pacifism, proved disadvantageous when Māori warriors arrived in the 1830s aboard a chartered European ship. In the early 18th century, Kāi Tahu, a Māori tribe who originated on the east coast of the North Island, There they and Kāti Mamoe fought Ngāi Tara and Rangitāne in the Wairau Valley. Ngāti Māmoe then ceded the east coast regions north of the Clarence River to Kāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu continued to push south, conquering Kaikoura. By the 1730s, Kāi Tahu had settled in Canterbury, including Banks Peninsula, from there they spread further south and into the West Coast. In 1827-1828 Ngāti Toa under the leadership of Te Rauparaha successfully attacked Kāi Tahu at Kaikoura, Ngāti Toa then visited Kaiapoi, ostensibly to trade. When they attacked their hosts, the well-prepared Kāi Tahu killed all the leading Ngāti Toa chiefs except Te Rauparaha, Te Rauparaha returned to his Kapiti Island stronghold. After destroying Te Maiharanuis village they took their captives to Kapiti, John Stewart, though arrested and sent to trial in Sydney as an accomplice to murder, nevertheless escaped conviction. In the summer of 1831–32 Te Rauparaha attacked the Kaiapoi pā, Kaiapoi was engaged in a three-month siege by Te Rauparaha, during which his men successfully sapped the pā. They then attacked Kāi Tahu on Banks Peninsula and took the pā at Onawe, in 1832-33 Kāi Tahu retaliated under the leadership of Tūhawaiki and others, attacking Ngāti Toa at Lake Grassmere. Kāi Tahu prevailed, and killed many Ngāti Toa, although Te Rauparaha again escaped, fighting continued for a year or so, with Kāi Tahu maintaining the upper hand. Ngāti Toa never again made an incursion into Kāi Tahu territory
4.
Sheffield, New Zealand
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Sheffield is a small village located in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region of New Zealands South Island, near the Waimakariri Gorge. Sheffield has an association with its neighbouring village Waddington, which is 1 kilometre further south-east along State Highway 73. The two villages share a community committee, the towns were settled in the 19th century by farmers attracted to the area for sheep grazing. Sheffield has a station and was once a railway junction. The first railway reached the town in the late 1870s from a junction in Darfield with the Whitecliffs Branch. This line, then known as the Malvern Branch line, grew to become the Midland Line between Christchurch and the West Coast, on 28 July 1884, the Oxford Branch was extended over the Waimakariri River to Sheffield, making the town a railway junction
5.
New Zealand State Highway 73
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State Highway 73 is a major east-west South Island state highway in New Zealand connecting Christchurch on the east coast with Cass/Hokitika via the Southern Alps. It is mostly two lane, with some single-lane bridges north of Springfield but is mostly dual carriageway in Christchurch, the fourth and fifth-highest points of New Zealands state highway network are on this road at Porters and Arthurs Pass respectively. The route connecting the West and East coasts of the South Island via the Southern Alps were known for hundreds of years by the Māori people, the Europeans were informed of the route by a local chief in the mid-19th century but was not used during his lifetime. In 1864, Arthur Dudley Dobson traversed from the east to the west coast from the Waimakariri River, a route connecting Christchurch to Hokitika was fully completed in 1866, with the first Cobb & Co coach began operating that same year for the burgeoning gold rush. Construction of a link had started in 1890, and the Midland Line between Canterbury and the West Coast was finally completed on 4 August 1923, with the opening of the Otira Tunnel. This signalled the end of the Cobb & Co coach in New Zealand, the road between Arthurs Pass and Otira in particular was amongst the most dangerous in the country, due to the road located on scree slopes which frequently gave way. As a result, numerous studies were conducted into alternative options for fixing the road around Candys Bend, Starvation Point, construction of the Otira Viaduct and the protective roofs from slips began in 1997 and opened in 1999. As of May 2016, this is the current route of the highway, State Highway 73 begins 11 km south of Greymouth at Kumara Junction. The highway passes through undulating farmland, scrubland and forest as it passes through the settlements of Kumara, the road veers sharply to the left as it approaches the mountains to the front of the road. The road then hugs the Taramakau River as it proceeds down the valley, at Jacksons, the Midland Line crosses the river and begins to run parallel to the road. Just before Aickens at the confuence of the Taramakau and Otira Rivers, beyond Otira, the road breaks with the railway line and crosses the river before climbing up towards the Otira Viaduct and Arthurs Pass. At 920 metres, Arthurs Pass is the second highest pass on the road and is one of the three passes connecting the east and west coasts. After peaking, the road descends into Arthurs Pass village with the railway line emerging from the Otira Tunnel nearby, before Cass, the road runs along a bluff and turns right to proceed past some more farmland as well as Lakes Grasmere and Pearson. After cresting, the road descends into the Kowai River valley, after Springfield, the road emerges onto the Canterbury Plains and runs straight through the settlements of Annat, Sheffield and Waddington before arriving at Darfield. The road then passes through the settlements of Kirwee, Aylesbury and West Melton as well as dairy, the road passes by Paparua Prison and arrives in Christchurch via Yaldhurst. As Yaldhurst Road, the proceeds in a direction towards Riccarton. The road widens to four lanes at Avonhead, but by Curletts Road/Peer Street, as Curletts Road, the road temporarily reverts to two lanes divided by a flush median. After Blenheim Road, however the road again, crosses over the Main South Line
6.
New Zealand census
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The New Zealand government department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. The census scheduled for 2011 was cancelled due to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the 2013 census took place on Tuesday,5 March 2013. Since 1926, the census has always held on a Tuesday. Since 1966, the census officially occurs at midnight on a Tuesday in March and these are statistically the month and weekday on which New Zealanders are least likely to be travelling. All census forms are hand-delivered by census workers during the lead-in to the census, with one form per person, in addition, teams of census workers attempt to cover all hospitals, camp grounds, workplaces and transport systems where people might be found at midnight. The smallest geographic unit used in the census for population data is the mesh block, which there are 39,300 of, with an average of 110 people in each. The 2013 Census collected data on the topics, The first full census in New Zealand was conducted in 1851. The 1931 census was cancelled due to the effects of the Great Depression, the 1946 census was brought forward to Tuesday 25 September 1945, so that the results could be used for an electoral redistribution before the 1946 election. Results for those censuses before 1966 have been destroyed with a few exceptions, the 2006 census was held on Tuesday,7 March. For the first time, respondents had the option of completing their census form via the Internet rather than by a printed form, the 2011 census was to be held on Tuesday,8 March. However, due to the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011, for the first time ever, all 2011 census forms would have been digitally archived. On 27 May 2011 Statistics New Zealand announced that a census would take place in March 2013, the legislation required to change the census date was introduced to Parliament in August 2011. The 2013 census took place on Tuesday 5 March 2013, the next census will take place in 2018. A few people object to the census and attempt to evade it, following the 2006 Census, Statistics New Zealand prosecuted 72 people for failing to return their forms, with 41 convictions. After the 2013 Census, they wrote to 450 people in July 2013 who had failed to return the forms, of whom 99 were prosecuted, most of those convicted faced two charges and were fined $50 to $500 per charge. Results of the 2013 census are being released over an 18-month period, Statistics New Zealand - census page New Zealand 2013 Census
7.
Darfield, New Zealand
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Darfield is a town in the Selwyn District of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 35 kilometres west of the outskirts of Christchurch on State Highway 73 and on the Midland railway line, Darfield is the main town between Christchurch and the West Coast region. It is often called The township under the norwest arch in reference to a weather phenomenon that often creates an arch of cloud in an otherwise clear sky to the west of the township. This is caused by the condensation of water particles channelled upwards over the Southern Alps, Darfield has an intermediate/high school, and a primary school, as well as several shops. Darfield lies in the Malvern districts arable and pastoral farming area and it is a gateway to the scenic Waimakariri and Rakaia rivers and the Southern Alps, and is also a popular lift-off place for hot air ballooning. Fonterra has a powder factory near the town. The factory has a series of sidings and a container loading centre, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred near Darfield at 4,35 am on 4 September 2010, causing widespread damage to both the town and to surrounding areas including the city of Christchurch
8.
Springfield, New Zealand
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Springfield is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, in the South Island, of New Zealand. In 2001 it had a population of 219, at the foot of the Southern Alps,65 kilometres west of Christchurch, it is the most westerly town of the central Canterbury Plains. Springfield has an association with the Midland railway line. Springfield is situated in the foothills, less than an hour from the center of Christchurch on State Highway 73, the town has a Gothic Revival architecture church dedicated to Saint Peter, designed by the architect Cyril Mountfort. It was the birthplace of Rewi Alley, notable for his work in China in the mid 20th century, there is an extensive memorial dedicated to him, located in a small reserve off the main road. It includes a stone carving and a number of panels giving details of his life. On 15 July 2007, a statue of a giant pink doughnut was erected to promote the upcoming movie and it was subsequently set alight and destroyed by an arsonist on 25 September 2009. A tyre painted pink was used as a substitute until it was replaced with a concrete version unveiled on 1 July 2012, Springfield is a significant stop on the TranzAlpine train journey across the Southern Alps on the Midland Line. The town also home to the Midland Rail Heritage Trust a rail preservation group that has established a base in the former NZR locomotive depot opposite the railway station, media related to Springfield, New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons
9.
Midland Line, New Zealand
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The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the famous KiwiRail Scenic Journeys train, the TranzAlpine, travels this line. Freight on the line depends largely on coal traffic, with general freight being restricted to products from the Westland Milk Products factory at Hokitika. In 2003, Tranz Rail carried a total of 2.1 million tonnes of coal over the line, usually, coal services are headed by two class DX locomotives, and consist of 30 coal hopper wagons, with a total capacity of 1,800 tonnes. On 27 November 2007, it was announced that coal from the Pike River Coal mine would be transported to Lyttelton for export. Pike River Coal had reserved under contract with Toll Rail 1.3 million tonnes of capacity for their coal on the line, however coal from the Pike River facility at Rapahoe stopped since the series of explosions that killed 29 miners in November 2010. The company was liquidated and sold to Solid Energy, the Pike River Mine was closed, the other primary source of coal traffic is from the Solid Energy facility at Ngakawau, north of Westport. Trains to and from Ngakawau use the Midland line as far as the junction with the Stillwater - Westport Line and these later included a branch to Springfield which was reached by January 1880. The major obstacle to engineers and politicians was the Southern Alps, the Company entered into a contract with the Government the same year. The major obstacle to the route lay immediately ahead, the forcing of the Waimakariri and Broken River gorges, some 8.5 miles of the route surveyed by C. Napier Bell in 1883 and described to the Royal Commission by District Engineer W. N. Blair as very rough, the section would include 16 tunnels and four major viaducts not including the Kowai already constructed. The viaducts were built under Treasury contracts by both New Zealand and British bridging firms, the most spectacular of these, the Staircase Viaduct carries the rails 75 metres above the bed of the stream. It was slow laborious work with men, horses, picks, shovels, progress slowed after that although the country to be traversed became much easier. Cass was not reached until 1910 and Arthurs Pass township in 1914 – the Westland section meantime having advanced to Otira – to meet the major obstacle. Construction of Otira Tunnel began in 1907, but progress was very slow, cobb & Co coaches were used to transport passengers between the two railheads while the tunnel was under construction. The tunnel was completed in 1923. The line was unique in New Zealand for its use of many different types of locomotives. These locomotives include the KB class locomotives between Arthurs Pass and Springfield, once the second most powerful locomotives in New Zealand
