Southern suburbs of Nelson (right) and the nearby town of Richmond (left) seen from the air
Nelson (Māori: Whakatū) is a consolidated city and unitary authority on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-oldest settled city in the country; it was established in 1841 and became a city by British royal charter in 1858.[3] It is the only consolidated city-region in the nation.
Nelson City is bordered to the west and south-west by the Tasman District and to the north-east, east and south-east by the Marlborough District. The Nelson urban area has a population of 51,300,[1] making it New Zealand's 15th most populous urban area.
Nelson is well known for its thriving local arts and crafts scene; each year, the city hosts events popular with locals and tourists alike, such as the Nelson Arts Festival.[4]
Etymology
Nelson was named in honour of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who defeated both the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Many roads and public areas around the city are named after people and ships associated with that battle. Inhabitants of the city are referred to as Nelsonians; Trafalgar Street is its main shopping axis.
Nelson's Māori name, Whakatū,[5] means 'construct', 'raise', or 'establish'.[6]
In an article to The Colonist newspaper on 16 July 1867, Francis Stevens described Nelson as "The Naples of the Southern Hemisphere".[7] Today, Nelson has the nicknames of "Sunny Nelson" due to its high sunshine hours per year or the "Top of the South" because of its geographic location.
In New Zealand Sign Language, the name is signed by putting the index and middle fingers together which are raised to the nose until the fingertips touch the nose, then move the hand forward so that the fingers point slightly forward away from oneself.[8]
Settlement of Nelson began about 700 years ago by Māori.[9] There is evidence that the earliest settlements in New Zealand were around the Nelson-Marlborough regions. Some of the earliest recorded iwi in the Nelson district are Ngāti Hāwea, Ngāti Wairangi, Waitaha and Kāti Māmoe.[10] Waitaha people developed the land around the Waimea Gardens, are believed to have been the first people to quarry argillite in around Nelson. They also developed much of the Waimea Gardens complex – more than 400 hectares on the Waimea Plains near Nelson.[11] In the early 1600s, Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri displaced other te Tau Ihu Māori, becoming the dominant tribe in the area until the early 1800s.[10] Raids from northern tribes in the 1820s, led by Te Rauparaha and his Ngāti Toa, soon decimated the local population and quickly displaced them.
There are three[dubious–discuss] main historic places located in Nelson. They are Broadgreen Historic House, Isel House, and Founders Heritage Park. The Broadgreen Historic House was originally built in 1855 for Mr and Mrs Edmund Buxton, additionally with their six daughters. The house was later sold to a Fred Langbein in 1901, who lived there with his family until 1965. In 1965, the house was bought by the Nelson City Council and is now used operated a museum for the general public.[citation needed]
Isel House is a local historical building located in Nelson. It was home to one of Nelson's first families, the Marsdens. Many of the rooms have been transformed into displays for the public to view. The restoration of Isel House is managed by Isel House Charitable trust under the supervision of Sally Papps, but the house and the park ground surrounding it are owned by the Nelson City Council.[12]
Founders Heritage Park is a local historical visit in Nelson. This interactive park shows visitors the history of Nelson. The park is set up as a village filled with buildings set in a historical time, including well established gardens. Throughout the park, there are stories to be learned about the history of this town.[13]
New Zealand Company
Planning
The New Zealand Company in London planned the settlement of Nelson. They intended to buy from the Māori some 200,000 acres (810km2) of land, which they planned to divide into one thousand lots and sell to intending settlers. The company earmarked profits to finance the free passage of artisans and labourers, with their families, and for the construction of public works. However, by September 1841 only about one third of the lots had sold. Despite this, the colony pushed ahead, and land was surveyed by Frederick Tuckett.[14]
1845 Nelson from Church Hill looking east
Three ships, the Arrow, Whitby, and Will Watch, sailed from London commanded by Captain Arthur Wakefield. Arriving in New Zealand, they discovered that the new Governor of the colony, William Hobson, would not give them a free hand to secure vast areas of land from the Māori or indeed to decide where to site the colony. However, after some delay, Hobson allowed the company to investigate the Tasman Bay area at the north end of the South Island. The Company selected the site now occupied by Nelson City because it had the best harbour in the area. But it had a major drawback: it lacked suitable arable land; Nelson City stands right on the edge of a mountain range while the nearby Waimea Plains amount to only about 60,000 acres (240km2), less than one third of the area required by the Company plans.
The Company secured land from the Māori, that was not clearly defined, for £800: it included Nelson, Waimea, Motueka, Riwaka and Whakapuaka. This allowed the settlement to begin, but the lack of definition would prove the source of much future conflict. The three colony ships sailed into Nelson Haven during the first week of November 1841. When the four first immigrant ships – Fifeshire, Mary-Ann, Lord Auckland and Lloyds – arrived three months later, they found the town already laid out with streets, some wooden houses, tents and rough sheds. The town was laid out on a grid plan.[15] Within 18 months, the company had sent out 18 ships with 1052 men, 872 women and 1384 children. However, fewer than ninety of the settlers had the capital to start as landowners.
The early settlement of Nelson province included a proportion of German immigrants, who arrived on the ship Sankt Pauli and formed the nucleus of the villages of Sarau (Upper Moutere) and Neudorf. These were mostly Lutheran Protestants with a small number of Bavarian Catholics.[16]
After a brief initial period of prosperity, the lack of land and of capital caught up with the settlement and it entered a prolonged period of relative depression. The labourers had to accept a cut in their wages. Organised immigration ceased (a state of affairs that continued until the 1850s). By the end of 1843, artisans and labourers began leaving Nelson; by 1846, some 25% of the immigrants had moved away.[citation needed]
The pressure to find more arable land became intense. To the south-east of Nelson lay the wide and fertile plains of the Wairau Valley. The New Zealand Company tried to claim that they had purchased the land. The Māori owners stated adamantly that the Wairau Valley had not formed part of the original land sale, and made it clear they would resist any attempts by the settlers to occupy the area. The Nelson settlers led by Arthur Wakefield and Henry Thompson attempted to do just that. This resulted in the Wairau Affray, where 22 settlers and 4 Māori died.[18] The subsequent Government inquiry exonerated the Māori and found that the Nelson settlers had no legitimate claim to any land outside Tasman Bay.[19] Public fears of a Māori attack on Nelson led to the formation of the Nelson Battalion of Militia in 1845.
City
Church Steps (sometimes called the Cawthron Steps) from Trafalgar Street up to the 60's bell tower of Nelson's Christ Church Cathedral
Nelson township was managed by the Nelson Provincial Council through a Board of Works constituted by the Provincial Government under the Nelson Improvement Act 1856 until 1874. It was proclaimed a Bishop's See and city under letters patent by Queen Victoria on 27 September 1858,[20] the second New Zealand city proclaimed in this manner after Christchurch. Nelson only had some 5,000 residents at this time. Edmund Hobhouse[21] was the first Bishop. The Municipal Corporations Act 1876 stated that Nelson was constituted a city on 30 March 1874.
Coat of arms
Nelson City has a coat of arms, obtained in 1958 from the College of Arms to mark the Centenary of Nelson as a City. The blazon of the arms is:
"Barry wavy Argent and Azure a Cross Flory Sable on a Chief also Azure a Mitre proper And for the Crest on a Wreath of the Colours Issuant from a Mural Crown proper a Lion rampant Gules holding between the fore paws a Sun in splendour or. The supporters on the dexter side a Huia Bird and on the sinister side a Kotuku both proper."
Motto "Palmam qui meruit ferat" (Let him, who has earned it, bear the palm). This motto is the same as that of Lord Nelson.
Nelson Anniversary Day is a public holiday observed in the northern half of the South Island of New Zealand, being the area's provincial anniversary day. It is observed throughout the historic Nelson Province, even though the provinces of New Zealand were abolished in 1876. The modern area of observation includes all of Nelson City and includes all of the present-day Buller, Kaikōura, Marlborough, Tasman districts as well as the Grey District north of the Grey River / Māwheranui and the Hurunui District north of the Hurunui River. The holiday usually falls on the Monday closest to 1 February, the anniversary of the arrival of the first New Zealand Company boat, the Fifeshire on 1 February 1842.[22]
Anniversary celebrations in the early years featured a sailing regatta, horse racing, running races, shooting and ploughing matches. In 1892, the Nelson Jubilee Celebration featured an official week-long programme with church services, sports, concerts, a ball and a grand display of fireworks.
Time gun
In 1858, the Nelson Provincial Council erected a time gun at the spot on Brittania Heights where, in 1841, Captain Wakefield erected his flagpole. The gun was fired each Saturday at noon to give the correct time. The gun is now preserved as a historical relic and the Songer Tree[23] marks the site on Signal Hill of the original flagpole.[24]
For some while,[when?] there has been talk about amalgamating Nelson City and the Tasman District to streamline and render more financially economical the existing co-operation between the two councils,[25][26][27] exemplified by the jointly owned Port Nelson and the creation of Nelson Tasman Tourism, a jointly owned tourism promotion organisation.[28]
However, an official poll conducted in April 2012 showed nearly three-quarters of those who voted in Richmond were opposed to the proposal, with a narrow majority in favour.
Nelson has beaches and a sheltered harbour. The harbour entrance is protected by a Boulder Bank, a natural, 13km (8 miles) bank of rocks transported south from Mackay Bluff via longshore drift. The bank creates a perfect natural harbour which enticed the first settlers, although the entrance was narrow. The wreck of the Fifeshire on Arrow Rock (now called Fifeshire Rock in memory of this disaster) in 1842 proved the difficulty of the passage.[29] A cut was later made in the bank in 1906 which allowed larger vessels access to the port.
The creation of Rocks Road around the waterfront area after the Tāhunanui slump[30] in 1892 increased the effects of the tide on Nelson city's beach, Tāhunanui, and removed sediment. This meant the popular beach and adjoining car park were being eroded (plus the sand dunes) so a project to replace these sands was put in place and has so far proved a success, with the sand rising a considerable amount and the dunes continuing to grow.
Waterways
The Nelson territorial authority area is small (just 445km2) and has four main waterways, the Whangamoa, Wakapuaka, Maitai and Roding Rivers. The Roding River, the southernmost in Nelson, arises in the hills between Mount Meares and Dun Mountain. From there it flows westward before entering the Tasman District where it eventually joins the Waimea River, which flows into Waimea Inlet near Rabbit Island. The Maitai River flows westward from the Dun Mountain area into the town centre of Nelson before entering the Nelson Haven then Tasman Bay via 'The Cut'. Major tributaries of the Maitai River are: York and Brook Streams plus Sharland, Packer, Groom, Glen, Neds, Sclanders, Beauchamp and Mill Creeks. The Wakapuaka River, which flows north from the Saddle Hill area to its mouth at Cable Bay in North Nelson, has two main tributaries, the Lud and Teal Rivers. Entering Tasman Bay near Kokorua in the north of Nelson, the Whangamoa River is the longest waterway in Nelson.
Smaller waterways in the south of Nelson include: Saxton Creek, Orchard Stream, Poorman Valley Stream, Arapiki Stream, Jenkins Creek and Maire Stream.
Central city
Nelson i-SITE at Millers Acre Centre
The central city of Nelson, also referred to as the central business district (CBD), is bounded by Halifax Street to the north, Rutherford Street to the west, Collingwood Street to the east, and Selwyn Place to the south.[31] Other major streets within the CBD include Trafalgar Street, Bridge Street and Hardy Street.
Suburbs
Suburbs within Nelson City's territorial area borders are grouped into four city districts:
Nelson is surrounded by mountains on three sides and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere on the fourth, with its region acting as the gateway to the Abel Tasman, Kahurangi, and Nelson Lakes National Parks.
Nelson is known for its great lakes, hikes and walks surrounding the town, the most popular being the Abel Tasman Coast Track, Abel Tasman National Park, and Heaphy Track. These tracks are also known for recreational activities.[33] There are many huts and camping grounds in all three tracks for availability to stay in. There are places to fish, hunt and observe nature within the National Parks and Lakes.[34]
Climate
Nelson has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb), with cool winters and warm summers. Nelson has rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year and has fewer frosts due to the highly marine geography of New Zealand. Winter is the stormiest time, where gales and storms are more common. Nelson has one of the sunniest climates of all major New Zealand centres,[35] earning the nickname 'Sunny Nelson' with an annual average total of over 2400 hours of sunshine.[36] The highest recorded temperature in Nelson is 36.3°C (97°F), the lowest −6.6°C (20°F).
Climate data for Nelson (1991–2020 normals, 1862–present)
Nelson has a monument on Botanical Hill, near the centre of the city. The walk to this is called the "Centre of New Zealand walk". Despite the name, this monument does not mark the actual geographic centre of New Zealand.
Instead, the monument marks the "zero, zero" point to which the first geodetic surveys of New Zealand were referenced. These surveys were started in the 1870s by John Spence Browning, the Chief Surveyor for Nelson. From this 360-degree viewpoint, survey marks in neighbouring regions (including Wellington in the North Island) could be triangulated and the local surveys connected.[39]
Owing to the coarse nature of the underlying data (use of rectangular areas of 7.5 minutes of arc on each side), the centre calculated by Dr Reilly has quite large error margins. Recalculating the result with more modern and accurate data shows the geographic centre of New Zealand is approximately 60km southwest of Nelson, in the Big Bush Conservation Area north of Saint Arnaud, New Zealand.[41]
Demographics
Nelson covers 422.19km2 (163.01sqmi)[42] and had an estimated population of 55,200 as of June 2024,[1] with a population density of 131 people per km2.
Nelson City had a population of 52,584 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,704 people (3.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 6,147 people (13.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 25,620 males, 26,712 females and 255 people of other genders in 20,967 dwellings.[46] 3.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 44.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,712 people (16.6%) aged under 15 years, 8,226 (15.6%) aged 15 to 29, 24,285 (46.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 11,361 (21.6%) aged 65 or older.[43]
Population density in the 2023 census
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 84.7% European (Pākehā); 11.9% Māori; 2.8% Pasifika; 8.6% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.9%, Māori language by 2.9%, Samoan by 0.5% and other languages by 12.8%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 26.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Of those at least 15 years old, 8,472 (19.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 22,197 (50.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 10,218 (23.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $38,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3,906 people (8.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 20,679 (47.1%) people were employed full-time, 6,825 (15.6%) were part-time, and 969 (2.2%) were unemployed.[43]
Nelson's urban area covers 54.69km2 (21.12sqmi)[42] and had an estimated population of 51,300 as of June 2024,[1] with a population density of 938 people per km2.
The urban area had a population of 49,224 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,095 people (2.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 4,953 people (11.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 23,997 males, 24,984 females and 243 people of other genders in 19,701 dwellings.[50] 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 43.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,181 people (16.6%) aged under 15 years, 7,830 (15.9%) aged 15 to 29, 22,782 (46.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 10,431 (21.2%) aged 65 or older.[49]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 84.1% European (Pākehā); 12.2% Māori; 2.9% Pasifika; 9.0% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.8%, Māori language by 3.0%, Samoan by 0.6% and other languages by 13.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 26.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Of those at least 15 years old, 7,899 (19.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 20,718 (50.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 9,657 (23.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $38,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3,555 people (8.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 19,488 (47.5%) people were employed full-time, 6,303 (15.4%) were part-time, and 933 (2.3%) were unemployed.[49]
Economy
The Nelson economy (and that of the neighbouring Tasman District) is based on the 'big five' industries; seafood, horticulture, forestry, farming and tourism.[51] Port Nelson[52] is the biggest fishing port in Australasia. There are also a range of growth industries, including art and craft, aviation, engineering technology, and information technology. The region is sixth in terms of GDP growth in the 2007–10 period.[53]
The combined sub-national GDP of Nelson and Tasman District was estimated at $3.4billion in 2010, 1.8% of New Zealand's national GDP.[53][54]
Nelson is home to various business agencies that serve the city and its surrounds,[55] including Nelson Tasman Tourism (NTT),[56] which aims to promote the region and help advertisers reach visitors from New Zealand and overseas,[57] and the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency (EDA), which works to "coordinate, promote, facilitate, investigate, develop, implement, support and fund initiatives relating to economic development [and] employment growth ... within the Nelson region ..."[58][59]
Below is a list of some of the region's largest companies and employers:
In 2013, Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio worked on a proposal that would see Australian call centres for companies such as Gen-i and Xero relocated to Nelson. The plan was in response to Australian companies moving call and contact centres out of Asia because their Australian customers preferred English-speaking centres. If the plan was successful, Mr Miccio expected 100 to 300 jobs paying NZ$50,000-plus in the first year to be created in Nelson.[62]
The Nelson City Council currently holds its elections under the First Past the Post electoral system once every three years, with the most recent election held on 12 October 2019. Electors vote by indicating their choice for Mayor by placing a tick beside one of the names, and the person who receives the most votes becomes Mayor. Councillors are elected the same way, but voters could cast multiple votes, with the 12 candidates who each receive the most votes becoming Councillors. Voters in this system may vote for no more than 12 candidates. The elections are conducted by post over a three-week period to make it as convenient as possible for people to vote.
The other option permitted under the Local Electoral Act 2001, but not currently used in Nelson, is the Single Transferable Vote system. Multiple-member districts are used. Electors vote by ranking candidates in order of preference by placing a number beside candidates' names. The elector can mark a preference for one or up to the total number of candidates on the paper. The number of votes required for a candidate to be elected, the quota, depends on the number of positions to be filled and the number of valid votes. (Election of mayor may be held using the Instant-runoff vote method.)
Under the Local Electoral Act 2002, the Nelson City Council can resolve to change the electoral system to be used for the next two elections, and it must review this decision every six years. A referendum was held in 2003 to decide which electoral system would be used for the 2004 and 2007 Nelson City Council elections. The outcome was that the First Past the Post system was retained. The 2008 review retains that system for the 2010 and 2013 elections.[63]
On 12 October 2013, Rachel Reese was elected as Nelson's first woman mayor after receiving 1,500 votes more than incumbent mayor Aldo Miccio.[64]
As of 13 October 2022, the current council members for the 2022 to 2025 term are:
Matty Anderson Matthew Benge Trudie Brand Mel Courtney James Hodgson Kahu Paki Paki Pete Rainey Campbell Rollo Rachel Sanson Tim Skinner Aaron Stallard
National
Nelson is covered by one general electorate: Nelson and one Māori electorate: Te Tai Tonga.
Nelson has a vibrant local music and arts scene and is known nationwide for its culturally idiosyncratic craftsmen. These include potters, glass blowers (such as Flamedaisy Glass Design and Höglund Art Glass Studio & Gallery), and dozens of wood carvers using native New Zealand southern beech and exotic macrocarpa.
Nelson is a popular visitor destination and year-round attracts both New Zealanders and international tourists.[66]
The first rugby union match in New Zealand took place at the Botanic Reserve in Nelson on 14 May 1870, between the Nelson Suburbs FC and Nelson College, and an informative commemorative plaque was renovated at the western edge of the grassed area by Nelson City Council in 2006.[72]
The annual World of Wearable Art Awards was founded in Nelson in 1987 by Suzie Moncrieff. The first show was held at the restored William Higgins cob cottage in Spring Grove, near Brightwater.[89][90] The show moved to Wellington in 2005 when it became too big to hold in Nelson.[89] A local museum showcased winning designs alongside their collection of classic cars until the venture was forced to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The classic car museum re-opened in 2020.[91][92][93]
Architecture
Rutherford Hotel
The tallest building in Nelson is the 40m (130 feet) tall Rutherford Hotel located on the west edge of Trafalgar Square. Unlike many towns and cities in New Zealand, Nelson has retained many Victorian buildings in its historic centre and the South Street area has been designated as having heritage value.[94]
Surviving historic buildings
Amber House, a weatherboard colonial characteristic of much of New Zealand's residential architecture
Nelson has a large number and variety of public parks and reserves maintained at public expense by Nelson City Council.[98] Major reserves include Grampians Reserve, close to the suburb of Braemar, and the botanical Reserve in the east of Nelson, close to The Wood.
Natureland Zoological Park is a small zoological facility close to Tāhunanui Beach. The facility is popular with children, where they can closely approach wallabies, monkeys, meerkats, llamas and alpacas, Kune Kune pigs, otters, and peacocks. There are also turtles, tropical fish and a walk through aviary.[99] Although the zoo nearly closed in 2008, the Orana Wildlife Trust took over its running instead.[100] It looked like[to whom?] a bright future ahead for Natureland and its staff, but since the repeated earthquakes in Christchurch in 2011 and the damage to Orana Park, Orana Wildlife Trust are uncertain of the future of Natureland.[101] Orana Wildlife trust have since pulled out of Natureland, which is now run independently.
The Manuka Street Hospital is a private institution.
Law enforcement
The Nelson Central Police Station, located in St John Street, is the headquarters for the Tasman Police District.[103] The Tasman Police District has the lowest crime rate within New Zealand.[104]
Several gangs have established themselves in Nelson. They include the now disbanded Lost Breed and the Red Devils a support club for the Hells Angels. The Rebels Motorcycle Club also has a presence in the wider Nelson-Tasman area.[105]
Electricity
The Nelson City Municipal Electricity Department (MED) established the city's public electricity supply in 1923, with electricity generated by a coal-fired power station at Wakefield Quay. The city was connected to the newly commissioned Cobb hydroelectric power station in 1944 and to the rest of the South Island grid in 1958. The grid connection saw the Wakefield Quay power station was relegated to standby duty before being decommissioned in 1964.[106][107]
Today, Nelson Electricity operates the local distribution network in the former MED area, which covers the CBD and inner suburbs, while Network Tasman operates the local distribution network in the outer suburbs (including Stoke, Tāhunanui and Atawhai) and rural areas.[106][108]
Transport
Air transport
Nelson Airport is located southwest of the city, at Annesbrook. The airport operates a single terminal and 1,347-metre (4,419-foot) runway, and in 2018 was the fifth-busiest airport in New Zealand by passenger numbers.[109] There are more than a million passenger movements through the airport terminal annually and the airport averages 90 aircraft movements every day, with a plane taking off or landing every 4.5 minutes during scheduled hours.
It is primarily used for domestic flights, with regular flights to and from Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Kapiti Coast, Palmerston North and Wellington. Nelson Airport is home to the former airline Air Nelson, which operated and maintained New Zealand's largest domestic airline fleet and was also the headquarters of Origin Pacific Airways until its collapse in 2006. Sounds Air offers flights from Nelson to Wellington.
In 2006, the airport received restricted international airport status to facilitate small private jets.
In February 2018, the approach road to the airport was flooded when the adjoining Jenkins Creek burst its banks during a storm that brought king tides and strong winds. The airport was closed for about one hour.[110] In 2022, the NZ SeaRise programme identified Nelson airport as one area of particular vulnerability to sea level rise, with a projected subsidence of 5 millimetres (0.20in) per year.[111] The airport's Chief Executive said that the proposed runway extension would be planned around the latest sea level rise forecast, and that the airport was "here to stay", despite the concerns over the threats posed by sea level rise.[111]
Maritime transport
Port Nelson is the maritime gateway for the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions and a vital hub for economic activity. The following shipping companies call at Port Nelson:
In the mid-1994, a group of local businessmen, fronted by local politician Owen Jennings proposed building a deep-water port featuring a one-kilometre-long wharf extending from the Boulder Bank into Tasman Bay, where giant ships could berth and manoeuvre with ease. Known as Port Kakariki, the $97 million project was to become the hub to ship West Coast coal to Asia, as well as handling logs, which would be barged across Tasman Bay from Mapua.[112]
In January 2010, the Western Blue Highway, a Nelson to New Plymouth ferry service, was proposed by Port Taranaki. However, to date, neither the Interislander nor Bluebridge have shown any interest in the route.[113]
The 'Anchor Shipping and Foundry Company' was formed 31 March 1901 from the earlier companies of Nathaniel Edwards & Co (1857–1880) and the Anchor Steam Shipping Company (1880–1901). The Anchor Company never departed from its original aim of providing services to the people of Nelson and the West Coast of the South Island and was never a large company; it only owned 37 ships during its history. At its peak around 1930, there were 16 vessels in the fleet. The company operated three nightly return trips per week ferry service between Nelson and Wellington and a daily freight service was maintained between the two ports in conjunction with the Pearl Kasper Shipping Company, while another service carried general cargo on a Nelson-Onehunga route. In 1974, the Anchor Company was sold and merged into the Union Company.[114]
Public transport
The sign that welcomes visitors to Nelson
Nelson Motor Service Company ran the first motor bus in Nelson in 1906[115] and took over the Palace horse buses in 1907.[116]
The Late Late Bus is a weekend night transport service between Nelson and Richmond. NBus Cards were replaced by Bee Cards on 3 August 2020.[118]
InterCity provides daily bus services connecting Nelson with towns and cities around the South Island.
Taxis and shuttle vans
Taxi companies in Nelson include the following:[119]
Nelson Bays Cabs
Nelson City Taxis
Sun City Taxis
Rail transport
Nelson is one of only five major urban areas in New Zealand without a rail connection – the others being Taupō, Rotorua, Gisborne and Queenstown.[citation needed] The Nelson Section was an isolated, 3ft6in (1,067mm) gauge, government-owned railway line between Nelson and Glenhope. It operated for 79 years between 1876 and 1955.
The only sign of rail activity in Nelson today is a short heritage operation run by the Nelson Railway Society from Founders Heritage Park using their own line between Wakefield Grove and Grove. The society has proposed future extensions of their line, possibly into or near the city centre. There have been several proposals to connect Nelson to the South Island rail network, but none have come to fruition.
The Nelson urban area is served by State Highway6, which runs in a north to southwest direction. The highway travels through the city and nearby town of Richmond, continuing southwest across the plains of the Wairoa and Motueka Rivers. Plans to construct a motorway linking North Nelson to Brightwater in the south have so far been unsuccessful. A number of studies have been undertaken since 2007 including the 2007 North Nelson to Brightwater Study,[121] the Southern Link Road Project[122] and the Arterial Traffic Study.[123] On 28 June 2013, the Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio and Nelson MP Nick Smith jointly wrote to Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee seeking for the Southern Link to be given Road of National Significance (RoNS) status.[124]
Other significant road projects proposed over the years include a cross-city tunnel from Tāhunanui Drive to Haven Road; or from Annesbrook (or Tāhunanui) to Emano Street in Victory Square; or from Tāhunanui to Washington Valley.[112]
The passenger and freight company Newmans Coach Lines was formed in Nelson in 1879, and merged with Transport Nelson in 1972.[125]
Nelson hosts two tertiary education institutions, the main one being Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. The institute has two main campuses, one in Nelson and the other in Blenheim, in the neighbouring Marlborough region. The institute has been providing tertiary education in the Nelson-Marlborough region for the last 100 years.[126]
Nelson also has a University of Canterbury College of Education campus, which currently has an intake two out of every three years for the primary sector.
Media
Broadcasting
The city is served by all major national radio and television stations, with terrestrial television (Freeview) and FM radio. Local radio stations include The Hits (formerly Radio Nelson), More FM (formerly Fifeshire FM), The Breeze, ZM (formerly The Planet 97FM) and community station Fresh FM. The city has one local television station, Mainland Television.
Print
The Nelson Examiner was the first newspaper published in the South Island. It was established by Charles Elliott (1811–1876) in 1842, within a few weeks of New Zealand Company settlers arriving in Nelson.[127] Other early newspapers were The Colonist and the Nelson Evening Mail. Today, the Nelson Mail publishes four days a week and is owned by Stuff Ltd. The Nelson Mail also publishes the weekly community papers The Nelson Leader and The Tasman Leader. The city's largest circulating newspaper is the locally owned Nelson Weekly, which is published every Wednesday.
WildTomato was a glossy monthly lifestyle magazine, focused on the Nelson and Marlborough regions – the Top of the South Island of New Zealand. The regional magazine was launched by Murray Farquhar as a 16-page local magazine in Nelson in July 2006, but was put into liquidation in March 2021.[128]
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed.
Canterbury is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,503.88 square kilometres (17,183.04 sq mi), making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of 694,400.
The South Island 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 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. The economy relies on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and general manufacturing and services.
Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region, is a non-unitary region of New Zealand that occupies the southernmost part of the North Island. The region covers an area of 8,049 square kilometres (3,108 sq mi), and has a population of 550,600.
Marlborough District or the Marlborough Region, commonly known simply as Marlborough, is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, located on the northeast of the South Island. Marlborough is a unitary authority, both a district and a region. Marlborough District Council is based at Blenheim, the largest town. The unitary region has a population of 52,300.
The Waikato is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupō District, and parts of the Rotorua Lakes District. It is governed by the Waikato Regional Council.
The Northland Region is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The major population centre is the city of Whangārei, and the largest town is Kerikeri. At the 2018 New Zealand census, Northland recorded a population growth spurt of 18.1% since the previous 2013 census, placing it as the fastest growing region in New Zealand, ahead of other strong growth regions such as the Bay of Plenty Region and Waikato.
Tasman District is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council, a unitary authority, which sits at Richmond, with community boards serving outlying communities in Motueka and Golden Bay / Mohua. The city of Nelson has its own unitary authority separate from Tasman District, and together they comprise a single region in some contexts, but not for local government functions or resource management (planning) functions.
Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of 8,300 as of June 2024.
Kawerau is a town in the Bay of Plenty Region on the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated 100 km south-east of Tauranga and 58 km east of Rotorua. It is the seat of the Kawerau District Council, and the only town in Kawerau District.
Richmond is a town and the seat of the Tasman District Council in New Zealand. It lies 13 kilometres (8 mi) south of Nelson in the South Island, close to the southern extremity of Tasman Bay. The town, first settled by Europeans in 1842, was named in 1854 after the town of Richmond on Thames near London. The town has an estimated population of 19,750 as of June 2024.
Aotea Harbour is a settlement and smallest of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Raglan Harbour to the north and Kawhia Harbour to the south, 30 kilometres southwest of Hamilton.
Ōtaki is a town in the Kāpiti Coast District of the North Island of New Zealand, situated halfway between the capital city Wellington, 70 km (43 mi) to the southwest, and Palmerston North, 70 km (43 mi) to the northeast.
Tasman District Council is the unitary local authority for the Tasman District of New Zealand.
Ngāti Kuia is a Māori iwi of the Northern South Island in New Zealand. They first settled in the Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere, and later spread to the Marlborough Sounds, Nelson and Tasman districts to Taitapu on the West Coast, and as far south as the Nelson Lakes National Park. Ngāti Kuia tradition states that their founding tupuna Matua Hautere, a descendant of Kupe, came to Te Waipounamu in his waka Te Hoiere, guided by the kaitiaki Kaikaiawaro.
Rangitāne is a Māori iwi (tribe). Their rohe (territory) is in the Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough areas of New Zealand.
Tāhunanui is one of the suburbs of Nelson, New Zealand. It lies between Port Nelson and Nelson Airport and is the site of the main beach for Nelson with a shoreline on the Tasman Bay.
Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō is a Māori iwi (tribe) in the upper South Island of New Zealand. Its rohe include the areas around Golden Bay, Tākaka, Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, Motueka, Nelson and Saint Arnaud, including Taitapu and Kawatiri River catchments and Lakes Rotoiti, Rotoroa, and the Tophouse.
Te Atiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui is a Māori iwi (tribe) in the upper South Island of New Zealand. Its rohe extends from Golden Bay and Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island to Cape Campbell, St Arnaud and Westport.
The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough districts of New Zealand. In July 2022, it was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
↑ Schrader, Ben (26 March 2015) [11 March 2010]. "City planning – Early settlement planning". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023. The New Zealand Company settlements – including Wellington, New Plymouth and Nelson – were highly planned...All towns were laid out on a rectilinear or grid plan.
↑ "The Real Movie Ring". Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold and Silversmith. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
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