The Weller brothers , Englishmen of Sydney , Australia, and Otago , New Zealand, were the founders of a whaling station on Otago Harbour and New Zealand's most substantial merchant traders in the 1830s.
103-578: Moeraki is a small fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand . It was once the location of a whaling station. In the 1870s, local interests believed it could become the main port for the north Otago area and a railway line, the Moeraki Branch , was built to the settlement and opened in 1877. However, the port could not compete with Oamaru and the lack of traffic as well as stability problems caused by difficult terrain led to
206-603: A Southern Mayoral Council . Supported by Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton and Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt , Bob Parker said that increased cooperation and the forming of a new South Island-wide mayoral forum were essential to representing the island's interests in Wellington and countering the new Auckland Council . There are 23 territorial authorities within the South Island: 4 city councils and 19 district councils. Three territorial authorities ( Nelson City Council , and
309-605: A 479 ton vessel, the Albion By 1830 Joseph Brooks, Edward, George and his new wife, Elizabeth (formerly Barwise), their parents, Joseph (1766–1857) and Mary (née Brooks) (b.1779), and two sisters, Fanny (1812–1896) and Ann (1822–1887), were all in Sydney. Joseph Brooks Weller interested himself in flax and timber trading at the Hokianga . In 1831 he called at William Cook's shipbuilding settlement at Stewart Island/Rakiura to commission
412-520: A Provincial Council that elected its own Speaker and Superintendent. Secession movements have surfaced several times in the South Island. A Premier of New Zealand , Sir Julius Vogel , was amongst the first people to make this call, which was voted on by the New Zealand Parliament as early as 1865. The desire for the South Island to form a separate colony was one of the main factors in moving
515-778: A basis for the government of the colony, which was centralised in Auckland . New Munster consisted of the South Island. The name New Munster was given by the Governor of New Zealand , Captain William Hobson , in honour of Munster , the Irish province in which he was born. The situation was altered in 1846 when the New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 divided the colony into two provinces : New Ulster Province (the North Island north of
618-554: A fish processing and packing plant which in combination with the development of faster train service, allowed fish to be sent to the Oamaru and Dunedin markets. The company purchased the diesel-powered launch Moerangi which had been originally built by Logan Bros., of Auckland, for the Union Oil Engine Company, was powered by a 25 horse-power oil engine, with a speed of 8 knots and a holding capacity for 16 tons of fish. The vessel
721-520: A generous franchise. Grey implemented the ordinance with such deliberation that neither Council met before advice was received that the United Kingdom Parliament had passed the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 . This act dissolved these provinces in 1853, after only seven years' existence, and New Munster was divided into the provinces of Wellington Province , Canterbury , Nelson , and Otago . Each province had its own legislature known as
824-622: A major study, published in 1996, shows that is unlikely. The residents of Moeraki regularly ate pāra ( frostfish ) as a supplementary food, as Moeraki was one of the most common places in New Zealand where frostfish strandings occurred. Moeraki was traversed during the Sealers' War , also known as the “War of the Shirt”, in 1814. In that year a party of eight men under Robert Brown including two other Europeans and five lascars , or Indian seamen, came up
927-449: A party from Kaikōura who were successfully repulsed by Taoka in the battle known as Te Hakopa. Taoka was also in battle with chiefs further south at Huriawa (modern Karitane Peninsula), Mapoutahi (modern Goat Island Peninsula ) and Pukekura (modern Taiaroa Head ). Taoka's principal opponent was Te Wera. It used to be said Moeraki, like many other places on the east coast, was not a site of permanent occupation in pre-European times, but
1030-437: A population of 1,185,282 at the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 80,745 people (7.3%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 180,882 people (18.0%) since the 2013 census . Of the total population, 202,311 people (17.1%) were aged under 15 years, 225,048 (19.0%) were 15 to 29, 538,965 (45.5%) were 30 to 64, and 218,958 (18.5%) were 65 or older. At the 2018 census, there were 571,656 males and 577,914 females, giving
1133-466: A population of 1,260,000 as of June 2024, the South Island is home to 24% of New Zealand's 5.3 million inhabitants. After the 1860s gold rushes in the early stages of European settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population and wealth. The North Island's population overtook the South Island's in the early 20th century, with 56% of the New Zealand population living in
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#17330852880811236-457: A quarter of the country's population, the South Island is sometimes humorously nicknamed the "mainland" of New Zealand by its residents. The island is also known as Te Waka a Māui which means " Māui 's Canoe ". In some modern alliterations of Māori legends, the South Island existed first, as the boat of Māui, while the North Island was the fish that he caught . Various Māori iwi sometimes use different names, with some preferring to call
1339-649: A result the Wairau Affray was the only conflict of the New Zealand Wars to occur in the South Island. The island became rich and prosperous and Dunedin boomed during the 1860s Otago gold rush , which was shaped by extensive Chinese immigration . After the gold rush the " drift to the north " meant the North Island displaced the South as the most populous. The South Island is shaped by the Southern Alps , which run along
1442-446: A sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. In the early years of European settlement in New Zealand, the South Island's overall percentage of the New Zealand population was far higher, equalling or even exceeding the population of the North Island. This was exacerbated by the New Zealand Wars and the Otago gold rush of the 1860s. Since that time, the South Island's population as a percentage of
1545-622: A vessel before visiting Otago in the Sir George Murray , reaching an agreement with Tahatu and claiming territory for William IV . He returned in the Lucy Ann with goods and gear to establish a whaling station, (it is believed with Edward) in November. George and his wife came too, or arrived soon after. The Wellers continued to trade in flax and spars, maintaining operations at the Hokianga even as they developed Otago. At that time and throughout
1648-621: A wealthy land-owning family from Folkestone, Kent , they moved serially to Australia, partly to alleviate Joseph Brooks Weller's tuberculosis . Joseph Brooks left England on 20 October 1823. He arrived in Hobart on 4 February 1824 and then went to Sydney . After 18 months he returned to England, and left there for good on 1 January 1827 accompanied by Edward. In the meantime George had already left England and arrived in Australia in March 1826, where he bought
1751-517: A whaling station. A measles epidemic greatly reduced the Māori population. New fisheries were established inside the harbour and up and down the coast. The Wellers' ships sailed beyond Australasia and they tested the tax regime preventing direct shipment of whale products to Britain. Edward made strategic marriages to a daughter of Tahatu, Paparu, and after her death to Taiaroa 's daughter, Nikuru. There were daughters, Fanny and Nani, by each alliance. By
1854-645: A year or so, with Kāi Tahu maintaining the upper hand. Ngāti Toa never again made a major incursion into Kāi Tahu territory. In 1836, the Ngāti Tama chief Te Pūoho led a 100-person war party, armed with muskets , down the West Coast and over the Haast Pass . They fell on the Ngāi Tahu encampment between Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea , capturing ten people and killing and eating two children. Te Puoho took his captives over
1957-474: A year to construct the wharf. Upon its completion in 1873 it was found that it was too high for use by smaller vessels, which were forced to use the existing wharf. Even so, the port was busy with materials being imported to construct the new branch railway line. In 1875 as part of the preparations to abolish the Provincial Council Moeraki was allowed to have establish its own harbour board. This made
2060-470: Is sparsely populated and still predominantly rural areas or nature reserves. However, there are 15 urban areas in the South Island with a population of 10,000 or more: Weller brothers The brothers, Joseph Brooks (1802–1835), George (1805–1875) and Edward (1814–1893), founded their establishment at Otago Heads in 1831, the first enduring European settlement in what is now the City of Dunedin . Members of
2163-441: Is the largest Christian denomination in the South Island with 12.7 percent affiliating, closely followed by Catholicism at 12.1 percent and Presbyterianism at 11.7 percent. These figures are somewhat skewed between the regions of the south, due largely to the original settlement of southern cities (Dunedin, for example, was founded by Scottish Presbyterians, whereas Christchurch was founded by English Anglicans). The South Island
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#17330852880812266-604: Is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island and sparsely populated Stewart Island . It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait , to the west by the Tasman Sea , to the south by the Foveaux Strait and Southern Ocean , and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it
2369-710: The States General of the Netherlands , and that name appeared on his first maps of the country. Dutch cartographers changed the name to Nova Zeelandia in Latin, from Nieuw Zeeland , after the Dutch province of Zeeland . It was subsequently Anglicised as New Zealand by British naval captain James Cook of HM Bark Endeavour who visited the islands more than 100 years after Tasman during (1769–70). The first European settlement in
2472-513: The Crown Range to Lake Wakatipu and thence to Southland, where he was killed, and his war party destroyed by the southern Ngāi Tahu leader Tūhawaiki . Kāi Tahu and Ngāti Toa established peace by 1839, with Te Rauparaha releasing the Kāi Tahu captives he held. Formal marriages between the leading families in the two tribes sealed the peace. The first Europeans known to reach the South Island were
2575-783: The Firth of Clyde ) – the John Wickliffe and the Philip Laing . Captain William Cargill , a veteran of the Peninsular War , served as the colony's first leader : Otago citizens subsequently elected him to the office of Superintendent of the Province of Otago . While the North Island was convulsed by the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s and 1870s, the South Island, with its low Māori population,
2678-513: The Kātiki Point Lighthouse . The Port Chalmers-based tug Dunedin was dispatched to the scene and by 3.16 pm the tug had refloated the vessel which was only slightly damaged and escorted it to port. Following the tar-sealing of the gravel access road in the early 1960s, there was an influx of newcomers and several boarding houses opened in the village - to accommodate weekend visitors from Dunedin. In return for exclusive fuelling rights
2781-508: The Local Government Act 2002 gives the South Island (and its adjacent islands) seven regional councils for the administration of regional environmental and transport matters and 25 territorial authorities that administer roads, sewerage, building consents, and other local matters. Four of the territorial councils (one city and three districts) also perform the functions of a regional council and are known as unitary authorities under
2884-679: The Martha out of Newburyport under the command of Captain Peas. After catching a large number of whales in the waters around Banks Peninsula the two ships and sailed south, calling in at the Otago whaling station. Inspired by the money being made by the Wellers and the Americans Hughes had decided to establish his own whaling station. He purchased two boats and all of the equipment needed to catch and process whales from
2987-483: The Tasman and Marlborough District Councils) also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities. This is a list of political parties, past and present, who have their headquarters in the South Island. Compared to the more populated and multi-ethnic North Island, the South Island has a smaller, more homogeneous resident population of 1,260,000 (June 2024). The South Island had
3090-469: The world's 12th-largest island , constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitudes, it has an oceanic climate . The major centres are Christchurch , with a metropolitan population of 521,881, and the smaller Dunedin (population 134,600). The economy relies on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and general manufacturing and services. Prior to European settlement, Te Waipounamu was sparsely populated by three major iwi , Kāi Tahu , Kāti Māmoe , and
3193-482: The 148 ton barque Magnet on Boxing Day, 26 December 1836. All were experienced whalers. The Maori members of the party were not only experienced seamen and, hard workers, but they also a protection against any trouble with the Maoris in the locality. Within two days they had offloaded all of their equipment and supplies. Over the next three months the party established a whaling station where they had landed at Onekakara, on
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3296-442: The 1920s and 30s. Moeraki became the leading fishing port of North Otago during the 1890s with its fleet growing from five vessels in 1892 to 38 in 1898, while the number of fishermen increased from 13 to 72 over the same period with the majority of the population dependent on the fishing industry to some extent for their livelihood. The first fishing vessels were rowboats and sail-assisted dinghies. In 1895 Weir and Hull established
3399-537: The 1950s and early 1960s predominantly harvested groper, although other species such as blue cod and rock lobster were also caught. As a number of Māori families had not returned to Moeraki after the war; the focus on the marae diminished; with its use limited to more formal occasions such as tangi and tribal meetings. At 2.30 am on 24 April 1952 the cargo ship Viggo Hansteen while on a voyage from London, via Panama, to Port Chalmers and Wellington with new British cars and bagged cement ran aground two miles northeast of
3502-426: The 1960s rock lobster became a valuable species, was soon providing most of the income for Moeraki-based fisherman. During the deregulation of the New Zealand fishing industry between 1966 and 1979, all fisheries became open access, and anyone could harvest fish. This resulted in a doubling of the number of fishing boats based at Moeraki and prosperous times profits from rock lobster for the community, which lasted into
3605-499: The 1980s Skeggs took over their facility. Following the closing of this processing facility (which was subsequently occupied by Fleurs Place ) commercial fisherman used a holding tank to house live rock lobster and a freezer for wet fish from which the catches were collected and transported by truck to Dunedin or Oamaru for further processing. By 2000 there were only six fishing boats operating out of Moeraki. By 2020 traditional commercial fishing activity had virtually been eliminated at
3708-594: The 1980s. However the increased number of fishing boats caused stocks of groper, cod, and rock lobster off the coast of North Otago to be seriously decline. The government reintroduced controls in 1979 and imposed a moratorium on the issue of new licences. To manage fish stocks the Fisheries Amendment Act (1986) introduced the Quota Management System (QMS), which imposes catch limits, and regulates fishing methods, areas, and timing of those activities. At
3811-628: The Americans he recruited others to join him from Weller brothers’ workforce. During the voyage of the Merrimac and the Martha either on the way to Banks Peninsula or on their return down the coast they must have explored Moeraki for Hughes decided to establish his base there. Accompanied by his partners Peter Chevatt (often written as Chevat, Charbett, Chisnal, Chesval, Sivatt or Shavett) and John Thompson as well as by Richard Burn, William Issac Haberfield, John Knox and six unnamed Māori he disembarked from
3914-477: The Kaika. By their third season the number of whalers had increased to 32 with five boats in use with a number of Māori being employed at the station. Despite this increased number of boats the catch decreased slightly and then in 1841 rapidly dropped to nine, then two the following year as the whales moved away to avoid the persecution. Whaling ceased around 1847, although there was later a brief revival. Even so, some of
4017-534: 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 , began migrating to the northern part of the South Island. There they and Kāti Māmoe fought Ngāi Tara and Rangitāne in the Wairau Valley . Ngāti Māmoe then ceded
4120-635: The New Zealand government. When New Zealand was separated from the colony of New South Wales in 1841 and established as a Crown colony in its own right, the Royal Charter effecting this provided that "the principal Islands, heretofore known as, or commonly called, the 'Northern Island', the Middle Island', and 'Stewart's Island', shall henceforward be designated and known respectively as ' New Ulster ', ' New Munster ', and ' New Leinster '". These divisions were of geographical significance only, not used as
4223-690: The North Island in 1911. The drift north of people and businesses continued throughout the twentieth century. The island has been known internationally as the South Island for many years. The Te Reo Māori name for it Te Waipounamu now also has official recognition but it remains seldom used by most residents. in the Māori language. Said to mean "the Water(s) of Greenstone ", Te Waipounamu possibly evolved from Te Wāhi Pounamu ("the Place of Greenstone"). When Captain James Cook visited in 1769, he recorded
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4326-630: The Otago Peninsula (at 45°47′52″S 170°42′54″E / 45.79778°S 170.71500°E / -45.79778; 170.71500 ), is named after the Weller brothers. In January 2020 Te Runanga o Otakou , the Dunedin City Council and the Department of Conservation joined forces in a project to protect the site from degradation. " Wellerman " is a ballad (often erroneously referred to as
4429-676: The Shell Oil Company financially assisted with the construction in the inner harbour of a fishing wharf in 1961. This was strengthened, widened and redecked in 1978 at a cost of $ 10,000. In the late 1960s the Dunedin-based Skeggs Foods Ltd opened up a new fish processing and packing shed on the seaward side of the iron wharf in completion to the NMA (which subsequently became Wrightson NMA) existing fishing processing and packing facility. After it began being harvested for export during
4532-495: The South Island Te Waka o Aoraki , referring to another Māori legend called the story of Aoraki, as after the world was created, Aoraki and his three brothers came down in a waka to visit their mother, Papatūānuku the earth mother, only to crash after failing to perform a karakia on their way back home to their father, Ranginui (also known as Raki) the sky father, in turn causing the waka to transform into an island and
4635-837: The South Island was founded at Bluff in 1823 by James Spencer, a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo . In January 1827, the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville arrived in Tasman Bay on the corvette Astrolabe . A number of landmarks around Tasman Bay were named by d'Urville and his crew, including d'Urville Island , French Pass and Torrent Bay . Following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840, Lieutenant-Governor Captain William Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zealand in May 1840 and
4738-570: The South Island, along with the rest of New Zealand, briefly became a part of the Colony of New South Wales . This declaration was in response to France's attempts to colonise the South Island at Akaroa and the New Zealand Company attempts to establish a separate colony in Wellington , and so Hobson declared British sovereignty over all of New Zealand on 21 May 1840 (the North Island by treaty and
4841-535: The South Island. Four Māori died and three were wounded in the incident, while among the Europeans the toll was 22 dead and five wounded. Twelve of the Europeans were shot dead or clubbed to death after surrendering to Māori who were pursuing them. The Otago Settlement, sponsored by the Free Church of Scotland , took concrete form in Otago in March 1848 with the arrival of the first two immigrant ships from Greenock (on
4944-517: The South by discovery). Seven days after the declaration, the Treaty was signed at Akaroa on 28 May. On 17 June 1843, Māori and British settlers clashed at Wairau in what became known as the Wairau Affray . Also known as the Wairau Massacre in most older texts, it was the first serious clash of arms between the two parties after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the only one to take place in
5047-440: The Wellers keeping Māori hostages in Sydney, reverberations from earlier conflicts ( Sealers' War ). Joseph Brooks died at Otago in 1835, and his brother Edward shipped his remains to Sydney in a puncheon of rum. At 21 Edward became the resident manager while George maintained the Sydney end of the business. At this time there were 80 Europeans at Otago which had become a trading, transshipment and ship service centre as well as
5150-528: The abandonment of the facility after its walls were breached by waves in 1912./> Local children continued to use remaining parts of the facility up until the 1930s. As inter-marriage took place, the Māori women moved to join their Pākehā husbands in Onekakara which by now was being called Moeraki. Around the turn of the century, more Māori families began to move into Moeraki from the two kaiks. The original marae followed from Kaika to its hill-top site some time in
5253-490: The capital of New Zealand from Auckland to Wellington that year. Several South Island nationalist groups emerged at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st. The South Island Party fielded candidates in the 1999 general election but cancelled its registration in 2002. Several internet-based groups advocate their support for greater self-determination . On 13 October 2010, South Island Mayors led by Bob Parker of Christchurch displayed united support for
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#17330852880815356-485: The closure of the railway in 1879 after only two years' operation. The village is best known for the nearby Moeraki Boulders . 'Moeraki' is usually translated as a place to sleep by day . There are other places with the same name or versions of it, all along the path from the Polynesian homeland, Hawaiki . The south side of the Moeraki Peninsula has an Archaic (moa hunter) Māori site at Waimataitai lagoon, which Atholl Anderson dated as 13th century, placing it in
5459-411: The cost of constant maintenance and unreliability of the branch line led to it being closed and the rails removed in October 1879. From that date onwards Moeraki was served by a railway station in the form of a covered goods shed at Hillgrove on the Main South Railway Line. Following the closing of the branch railway access to what was the best anchorage in North Otago became dependent on the road, which
5562-692: The country's total population has steadily decreased, with the population of the South island now being less than that of the North Island's largest city, Auckland. This growing disparity has stabilised in recent years, with both the 2013 and 2018 censuses showing the South Island to have a very similar percentage of the national population (around 23%–24%). At the 2023 census, 82.8% of South Islanders identified as European ( Pākehā ), 11.3% as Māori , 3.4% as Pacific peoples , 10.5% as Asian , 1.6% as Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, 1.4% as other ethnicities. Percentages add to more than 100% as people can identify with more than one ethnicity. Europeans form
5665-405: The crew of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who arrived in his ships Heemskerck and Zeehaen . In December 1642, Tasman anchored at the northern end of the island in Golden Bay / Mohua which he named Moordenaar's Bay (Murderers Bay) before sailing northward to Tonga following a clash with Māori. Tasman sketched sections of the two main islands' west coasts. Tasman called them Staten Landt , after
5768-421: The decade they were the only merchants regularly trading from one end of New Zealand to the other. A fire soon destroyed the Otago station, but it was rebuilt. Edward was kidnapped by Māori in the far north and ransomed. Whale products started flowing from Otago in 1833 where Joseph Brooks based himself and European women went to settle. Relations with Maori were often tense, the establishment being ransacked and
5871-419: The deeper draught of immigrant vessels. He continued his southwards journey and eventually selected Otago Harbour as being better suited for the settlement. As the rewards from whaling declined by 1848 the number of Europeans had dropped to at least 13, but among them was a Mrs Skidmore, who is believed to have been the first woman to reside in North Otago. Hughes and Haberfield, stayed, taking up land grants in
5974-628: The east coast from Stewart Island / Rakiura looking for a group of lascars who had absconded from the Matilda , which was commanded by Captain Samuel Fowler. According to the Creed manuscript, discovered in 2003, they camped for the night by their boat at 'the Bluff eight miles from Moeraki to the north. However they were observed and attacked by Māori. Two of the sealers escaped and fled to Bobby's Head and Goodwood, south of Moeraki, taking two days to get there and where they were later killed and eaten. They will have passed Moeraki going north and fleeing south. Born in Sydney in approximately 1794 John Hughes
6077-479: The east coast regions north of the Waiau Toa / Clarence River to Kāi Tahu. Kāi Tahu continued to push south, conquering Kaikōura . By the 1730s, Kāi Tahu had settled in Canterbury , including Banks Peninsula . From there they spread further south and into the West Coast . In 1827–28, Ngāti Toa under the leadership of Te Rauparaha successfully attacked Kāi Tahu at Kaikōura. Ngāti Toa then visited Kaiapoi Pā , ostensibly to trade. When they attacked their hosts,
6180-500: The end of the 1830s, exports of whale products ( southern right or humpback whales) were at a peak, the station taking about 300 southern right whales on the first season, as was the resident European population. Anticipating British annexation the Wellers started buying land and settling it. But a sudden decline in whales saw Edward's exit at the end of 1840 followed by the firm's bankruptcy. He and George lived out their lives in New South Wales. The management of Otakou whaling operations
6283-400: The far south of the island. Around the same time, a group of Māori migrated to Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands ), where, in adapting to the local climate and the availability of resources, they eventually evolved into a separate people known as the Moriori with its own distinct language – closely related to the parent culture and language in mainland New Zealand . One notable feature of
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#17330852880816386-429: The first Chinese migrants had been invited by the Otago Provincial government, they quickly became the target of hostility from white settlers and laws were enacted specifically to discourage them from coming to New Zealand. The South Island has no separately represented country subdivision , but is guaranteed 16 of the electorates in the New Zealand House of Representatives . A two-tier structure constituted under
6489-486: The four brothers into the mountain ranges on top of it. Charcoal drawings can be found on limestone rock shelters in the centre of the South Island, with over 550 sites stretching from Kaikōura to North Otago . 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 Haast's eagles . They were drawn by early Māori , but by
6592-399: The growing of crops on a commercial basis. In about 1854 H.C. Hertslet established a landing service using Māori boatmen at Moeraki and later constructed a goods shed which started a period of rivalry with the port at Oamaru as to which should service North Otago. In 1863 a 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) long unmetalled road was constructed by a crew of 40 men from the Onekakara Inn to connect
6695-487: The historical Waitaha , with major settlements including in Kaiapoi Pā near modern-day Christchurch . During the Musket Wars expanding iwi colonised Te Tau Ihu , a region comprising parts of modern-day Tasman , Nelson and Malborough , including Ngāti Kuia , Rangitāne , Ngāti Tama , and later Ngāti Toarangatira after Te Rauparaha's wars of conquest. British settlement began with expansive and cheap land purchases early on, and settlers quickly outnumbered Māori. As
6798-433: The island from north to south. They include New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki / Mount Cook , at 3,724 metres (12,218 feet). The high Kaikōura Ranges lie to the northeast. The east side of the island is home to the Canterbury Plains , while the West Coast is renowned for its rough coastlines, such as Fiordland , a very high proportion of native bush and national parks , and the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers . With
6901-413: The island's name phonetically as "Toai poonamoo". In the 19th century, some maps identified the South Island as Middle Island or New Munster (named after Munster province in Southern Ireland) with the name South Island or New Leinster was used for today's Stewart Island / Rakiura . In 1907, the Minister for Lands gave instructions to the Land and Survey Department that the name Middle Island
7004-431: The last two arrivals before the European. It is safe to say Waimatatai is a 'Waitaha' site in that broad sense but there are no specific families it can be linked to. The Moeraki peninsula terminates to the south in Kartigi Point (“Katiki” in modern standard Māori) where there was a pā (fortified settlement) of the Classic period of Māori culture. Its traditional name was Te Raka-a-hineatua. Jill Hamel has reported that it
7107-560: The majority in all districts of the South Island, ranging from 75.9% in Christchurch City to 92.1% in the Waimakariri district . The proportion of South Islanders born overseas at the 2018 census was 21.4%. The most common foreign countries of birth are England (22.0% of overseas-born residents), Australia (8.8%), the Philippines (7.9%), Mainland China (6.5%) and India (5.4%). Around 48.6 percent of South Islanders affiliate with Christianity and 3.1 percent affiliate with non-Christian religions, while 45.8 percent are irreligious. Anglicanism
7210-405: The mouth of the Patea River ), and New Munster Province (and the southern portion of the North Island , up to the mouth of the Patea River , the South Island and Stewart Island). Each province had a Governor and Legislative and Executive Council, in addition to the Governor-in-Chief and Legislative and Executive Council for the whole colony. The 1846 Constitution Act was later suspended, and only
7313-413: The necessary expansion of the port's facilities. This put it at a disadvantage compared with the better financially endowed Port Chalmers and Oamaru harbour boards. To improve the safety of coastal shipping following several accidents on the dangerous reefs in the surrounding area the Marine Department commenced construction of the Katiki Point Lighthouse on the tip of Moeraki Peninsula in 1876. The light
7416-468: The northern side of the peninsula, the site of the present village of Moeraki. Since that time European occupation has been continuous. When Hughes and his men arrived there were only nine or ten Māori living in the area, under Takatahara. In their first season, which began in March 1837 the whalers caught 22 whales, receiving £8 to £10 a tun for the oil and £50 to 56 a ton for bone, with a single whale depending on size yielding 5 to 11 tuns of oil. In 1838
7519-421: The other 1,400 ft (430 m) long) to be constructed along the seashore in order to connect with its terminus station which was built near the wharf. However, from the time it opened slips were a constant problem. In 1878 a number of the piles were carried 4 ft (1.2 m) away from their position by land movement. Improvements to the port facilities at Oamaru, which saw it taking more trade coupled with
7622-514: The port had difficulties disposing of their catch as slow transit times by rail often resulted in the fish being spoilt before it reached the market in Christchurch. The settlement celebrated its centenary on 26 December 1936, but the actual public celebrations were postponed by a year until December 1937 due to an outbreak or infantile paralysis. As part of the celebrations the Centennial Park
7725-423: The port more popular but at the same time the increased traffic reduced the road to the port to an almost impassable state. In 1874 the cutter Glimpse became stranded at Moeraki. In 1876 the cutter Hope ran onto the rocks at Moeraki, but with no loss of life. While the port was busy exporting stone and grain the £3,000 that the harbour board had been endowed with when it was created proved insufficient to pay for
7828-541: The port with only two fishing boats, one of which was supplying Fleurs Restaurant. This dramatic decline in the number of commercial fishing boats operating out of Moeraki and resulting low catch led to the processing companies deciding it was no longer economic for them to collect fish and rock lobster from Moeraki. South Island The South Island ( Māori : Te Waipounamu [tɛ wɐ.i.pɔ.ʉ.nɐ.mʉ] , lit. 'the waters of Greenstone ', officially South Island or Te Waipounamu or archaically New Munster )
7931-596: The provincial government provisions were implemented. Early in 1848 Edward John Eyre was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster. The Provincial Council of New Munster had only one legislative session, in 1849, before it succumbed to the virulent attacks of settlers from Wellington . Governor Sir George Grey , sensible to the pressures, inspired an ordinance of the General Legislative Council under which new Legislative Councils would be established in each province with two-thirds of their members elected on
8034-445: The rescue by three men of a woman whose dinghy had overturned it was decided to build some seawater baths. The government gave approval for funds left by the now defunct Harbour Board to be used to pay for the facility. The baths were constructed between the wharf and railway by enclosing a shallow part of the bay and opened on 28 December 1888. A crowd of 3,000 attended the opening. However over time their popularity declined which lead to
8137-508: The second wave of New Zealand's early human occupation. Gavin McLean tentatively linked its occupants to Waitaha , conventionally the third iwi, or tribe, to arrive in southern New Zealand, after Kahui Tipua and Te Rapuwai. Waitaha's expedition leader was Rākaihautū. However, as McLean notes, 'Waitaha' is also a name simply used to designate all the peoples preceding Kati Mamoe and Kai Tahu (' Ngāti Mamoe ' and ' Ngāi Tahu ' in modern standard Māori)
8240-450: The service centre of North Otago. Despite the failure to establish a direct railway service the village's scenery and sheltered outlook lead to it by the 1890s becoming a favourite destination for picnic parties from Oamaru which travelled by rail to Hillgrove from where they travelled by road to Moeraki. While the area's sheltered bays were popular with swimmers they were also a favourite haunt of sharks. Following one fatal shark attack and
8343-399: The settlement with the main trunk road. With Moeraki becoming by the 1860s the key port for the shipping of Oamaru stone work commenced in the winter of 1863 on a long-awaited wharf. Bad weather delayed its completion until the following year. Unfortunately, it was soon apparent that could only 6 feet (1.8 m) of water at low tide which was too shallow for large ships. In the same year that
8446-471: The station building burnt down, along with their provisions, but they caught 27 whales. In that same year a large heke (migration party) of Ngāi Tahu Māori from Kaiapoi arrived under Matiaha Tiramorehu . Following permission from Paitu, the rangatira of the Moeraki area, they established a permanent settlement about 3 km from what is now Moeraki township at Tawhiroko Point. Subsequently, it became known as
8549-546: The summer of 1831–32 Te Rauparaha attacked the Kaiapoi pā (fortified village). 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
8652-460: The surrounding district in 1853. Following the Otago Association's settlement based at Dunedin further south in 1848 a Moeraki sheep run was being leased by 1852. A 'Hundred' was declared in 1860, opening the area to closer rural settlement. Moeraki remained an isolated community making a living from fishing and small scale farming until increasing demand from the development of Dunedin led to
8755-649: The time Europeans arrived, local Māori did not know the origins of the drawings. Early inhabitants of the South Island were the Waitaha . They were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest by the Kāti Māmoe in the 16th century. Kāti Māmoe 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 Māmoe organisation, many Kāi Tahu have Kāti Māmoe links in their whakapapa and especially in
8858-862: The time when the QMS was introduced there were over 30 local fishermen operating small day boats out of Moeraki Harbour, with their catch being processed locally. However, in response to the QMS the major fishing companies began purchasing as much quota as they could. Poor catches of rock lobster in the 1990s impacted on the financial viability of many Moeraki based owner-operators, who sold off their quota to fund their other fishing activities and maintain their boats. Many sold their quota of rock lobster to Ngai Tahu Fisheries which processed its catch in Dunedin, thus reducing seafood processing employment opportunities at Moeraki. After Wrightson NMA ’s parent company Fletcher Challenge consolidated its fish processing activities at Dunedin in
8961-430: The two main islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and the South Island , with the definite article . It is also normal to use the preposition in rather than on , for example "Christchurch is in the South Island", "my mother lives in the South Island". Maps, headings, tables, and adjectival expressions use South Island without "the". As it is 32% larger than the North Island but contains less than
9064-669: The well-prepared Kāi Tahu killed all the leading Ngāti Toa chiefs except Te Rauparaha. Te Rauparaha returned to his Kapiti Island stronghold. In November 1830, Te Rauparaha persuaded Captain John Stewart of the brig Elizabeth to carry him and his warriors in secret to Akaroa , whereby in subterfuge they captured the leading Kāi Tahu chief, Tama-i-hara-nui , and his wife and daughter. After destroying Tama-i-hara-nui's village, they took their captives to Kapiti and killed them. John Stewart, though arrested and sent to trial in Sydney as an accomplice to murder, nevertheless escaped conviction. In
9167-440: The whalers stayed, making their living from fishing, and farming small plots of land. In 1844 it was reported that there were 17 Europeans were living at Moeraki, 11 living with Māori women and between them 13 children. While the whalers had trouble with raising pigs, to supplement their diet they had more luck with goats which they keep penned up on Maukiekie Island (which since then has been known locally as Goat Island). The island
9270-500: The wharf was completed moorings suitable for 600 to 700 tons ships were laid out in the bay at the seven-fathom mark. While Moeraki had the best natural harbour in North Otago with its inner roadstead partly protected by a bluff, by 1869 the existing wharf was in poor condition and as it didn't extend far enough out to sea there were restrictions on the size of ships that could use it. To resolve these issues work commenced in 1872 on what
9373-523: Was also nesting place for muttonbird which were highly prized by the Ngāi Tahu. Between 18 and 20 May 1844 Frederick Tuckett (having arrived on the Deborah ) inspected Moeraki and the surrounding district as part of his survey to identify a location for the New Zealand Company ’s New Edinburgh settlement. While the area had much to recommend, he considered that while its bay was a suitable anchorage for small draught coastal vessels it would not be suitable for
9476-560: Was an experienced whaler who had first worked in New Zealand waters in 1822. In 1834 he took up an offer of employment with the Weller brothers ' at their Otago whaling station . After completing his contract in June or July 1836 Hughes took joined on one of two American whaling ship on their way north to Peraki on Banks Peninsula. These were the Merrimac out of Newport, Rhode Island under Captain Potter and
9579-431: Was bought by ship and landed as close to the construction works as possible. On 4 November 1874 the section of line between Oamaru and Hillgrove (Moeraki Junction) was opened. Work was meanwhile continuing on the branch line from Hillgrove to Moeraki which was opened on 15 February 1877. It had been expensive to construct as it required a number of cuttings to be made and two viaducts (one 1,200 ft (370 m) long and
9682-662: Was developed on the Moeraki waterfront. During the era following the end of the Second World War government regulations required all fishing boats to land their catches at their port of registration even if they had to bypass processing facilities at other ports on their return from a fishing ground. There were also restrictions on the engine size of vessels. Boats operating from Moeraki were restricted to 50 hp engines, for instance, while vessels based at Oamaru were permitted engines up to 75 hp, and those at Port Chalmers up to 200 hp. The fishing fleet based at Moeraki in
9785-544: Was estimated would be a £3,000 project to construct a larger wharf to service the increased trade now passing through the port. It was designed by the provincial engineer George Barr and instead of the traditional wooden piling used screw-in iron piles, which were prefabricated in England. It was found that the piles could not be persuaded to screw into the sea bed, which meant it was necessary to hammer them in. Dogged by construction difficulties, accidents and poor weather it took over
9888-508: Was generally peaceful. In 1861, gold was discovered at Gabriel's Gully in Central Otago , sparking a gold rush . Dunedin became the wealthiest city in the country, and many in the South Island resented financing the North Island's wars. In the 1860s, several thousand Chinese men, mostly from the Guangdong province, migrated to New Zealand to work on the South Island goldfields. Although
9991-662: Was largely employed to tow Moeraki fishing boats to and from the reefs or other fishing grounds, as well as trawling the coast or fishing at the reefs. Many residents grew vegetables and kept at least one cow. Most farming was on a small scale with those farmers that had milk surplus to their own domestic uses sending it to three nearby creameries, and in later years to the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Production plants at Oamaru and Dunedin. Government regulations hindered residents from further developing their agricultural activities as they were not permitted to sell eggs or milk when their livestock
10094-494: Was lit for the first time in 1878. The station was automated, and the last keeper was withdrawn in 1975. In the early 1870s with construction commencing on the Main South Railway Line plans were made to construct a short branch line to connect Moeraki to it. The building of the Oamaru to Dunedin section of the Main South Railway Line in the 1870s saw increased patronage of the port at Moeraki as construction material
10197-525: Was not to be used in the future. "South Island will be adhered to in all cases". Although the island had been known as the South Island for many years, in 2009 the New Zealand Geographic Board found that along with the North Island, the South Island had no official name. After a public consultation, the board officially named the island South Island or Te Waipounamu in October 2013. In prose,
10300-472: Was prone to slips and thus difficult to maintain in good condition. The restricted access together with the establishment of better facilities at Oamaru lead to trade though Moeraki collapsing also overnight as shipments of stone and grain transferred northwards to its more accessible rival. Eventually in 1886 the Moeraki Harbour Board was formally abolished. Thus Moeraki lost the opportunity to become
10403-485: Was taken over in 1840 by Charles Schultze (1818–1879), who had married the Weller brothers' sister Ann Weller, and an employee, Octavius Harwood (1816–1900). The settlement of Otago reached a nadir in 1842 but ultimately revived, remaining the centre of port operations in the area until after the establishment of Port Chalmers and Dunedin. As " Otakou " it is now a suburb within the boundaries of Dunedin. Weller's Rock, also known as Te Umu Kuri, near Harington Point on
10506-470: Was the best developed of any southern pā , with terraces, and rectangular houses with stone fireplaces. Radio carbon dating has confirmed it was occupied in the 18th century. According to tradition it was built by Taoka , a well-known fighting chief of the late 17th to early 18th centuries, who also built fortresses at the Ashburton River and near Timaru . Shortly after it was built it was attacked by
10609-506: Was unregistered. By the 1930s the fleet at Moeraki had fallen slightly to 34 vessels with groper and blue cod the main species being harvested. Jack Edmonston constructed a large fish smokehouse in the 1930s. In 1935 the National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand (NMA) established a fish processing and packing plant at Moeraki and guaranteed to take the entire catch of the fishing boats which supplied it. Previously, fishers at
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