In the period of European colonisation, theNew Zealand Company claimed that the British Crown had never included the Chatham Islands as being under its control, and proposed selling it to Germans to be a German colony. In 1841, a contract was drawn up for the sale of the islands for £10,000, (equivalent to approximately £860,000 in 2023),[5] but the sale failed and the Chatham Islands officially became part of theColony of New Zealand in 1842.
In 1863 the Moriori were officially released from slavery through a proclamation by the resident magistrate.[6]
The Chatham Islands had a resident population of 720 in June 2024.[3]Waitangi is the main port and settlement. The local economy depends largely on conservation, tourism, farming, and fishing. The Chatham Islands Council provides local administration – its powers resemble those of New Zealand'sunitary authorities. The Chatham Islands havetheir own time zone, which is 45 minutes ahead of mainland New Zealand.
The Chatham Islands lie roughly 840 km (455 nmi) east ofChristchurch in the South Island. The nearest New Zealand mainland point to the islands isCape Turnagain, in theNorth Island, 650 km (350 nmi) distant. The islands sit on theChatham Rise, a large, relatively shallowly submerged (no more than 1,000 m or 3,281 ft deep at any point) plateau that stretches east from near the South Island. The Chatham Rise is part of the now largely submerged continent ofZealandia. The islands, which emerged only within the last 4 million years, are the only part of the Chatham Rise showing above sea level.[7]
The two largest islands,Chatham Island andPitt Island (Rangiaotea), constitute most of the total area of 793.87 km2 (307 sq mi), with 12 scattered islets making up the rest.[citation needed] The islands are hilly, with the coastal areas being a mix of cliffs,dunes, beaches, and lagoons. Pitt is more rugged than Chatham.
The highest point (299 m (981 ft)) is on a plateau near the southernmost tip of Chatham Island, 1.5 km (7⁄8 mi) south ofLake Te Rangatapu.[8] The plateau is dotted with numerous lakes and lagoons, flowing mainly from the island's nearby second-highest point,Maungatere Hill, at 294 m (965 ft).[9] Notable are the largeTe Whanga Lagoon, and Huro and Rangitahi. Chatham has a number of streams, including Te Awainanga and Tuku.
Chatham and Pitt are the only inhabited islands; the other islands are conservation reserves with restricted or prohibited access. The livelihoods of the inhabitants depend on agriculture – the islands export coldwatercrayfish – and, increasingly, ontourism.
the easternmost point of New Zealand, about 50 km (25 nmi) from Chatham Island.
TheInternational Date Line lies to the east of the Chathams, even though the islands lie east of 180°longitude. The Chathams observe their own time, which is 45 minutes ahead ofNew Zealand time, including during periods ofdaylight-saving time; theChatham Standard Time Zone is distinctive as one ofvery few that differ from others by a period other than a whole hour or half-hour. (New Zealand Time orients itself to 180° longitude.)[11]
The Chatham Islands are far from the Australian-Pacific plate boundary that dominates thegeology of mainland New Zealand. Theislands' stratigraphy consists of aMesozoicschist basement, typically covered by marine sedimentary rocks.[12] Both these sequences are intruded by a series ofbasalt eruptions. Volcanic activity has occurred multiple times since theCretaceous,[13] but currently there is no active volcanism near any part of the Chatham Rise. Prominentcolumnar basalt can be seen atOhira Bay (one of the indentations in the north coast ofPetre Bay) betweenTe Roto andPort Hutt.[14]
The Chatham Islands have anoceanic climate (Koppen:Cfb)[15] characterised by a narrow temperature range and relatively frequent rainfall. Their isolated position far from any sizeable landmass renders the record high temperature for the main settlement (Waitangi) just 23.8 °C (74.8 °F).[16] The climate is cool, wet and windy, with average high temperatures between 15 and 20 °C (59 and 68 °F) in summer, and between 5 and 10 °C (41 and 50 °F) in July (in the Southern Hemisphere winter). Snowfall is extremely rare, the fall recorded near sea level in July 2015 marking the first such reading for several decades.[17] Under theTrewartha climate classification, the Chatham Islands have ahumid subtropical climate (Cf) for the lack of cold weather during the winter and a daily mean temperature above 10 °C (50 °F) for 8 months or more.
The natural vegetation of the islands was a mixture of forest, scrubby heath, and swamp, but today most of the land is fern or pasture-covered, although there are some areas of dense forest and areas of peat bogs and other habitats. Of interest are theakeake trees, with branches trailing almost horizontally in the lee of the wind.[20] The ferns in the forestunderstory includeBlechnum discolor.
According to Marinov & McHugh (2010), the poor diversity is linked to harsh environmental conditions, such as generally low annual temperatures, constant strong winds and high acidity in the habitats where their larvae develop.[27]
Xanthocnemis tuanuii is endemic to the Chatham Islands, but close toXanthocnemis zealandica (McLachlan, 1873) from mainland New Zealand and genetic studies suggest that the two species cohabitate on the Chatham Islands[28] Nolan & al (2007).
According to Marinov & McHugh (2010),[27] the Chatham Island population ofAustrolestes colensonis differs genetically from the populations on New Zealand’s main islands, but the differences seem too weak to separate them into two species.
Much of the natural forest of the islands has been cleared for farming.Introduced species that prey on the indigenous birds and reptiles are a threat. On Mangere and Rangatira Islands, which are now preserved as nature reserves to conserve some of the unique flora and fauna, livestock has been removed and native wildlife is recovering.
Most lakes have been affected by agricultural run-off, but water quality has improved and river quality is generally classed as 'A'.[29]
In February 2025, the Department of Conservation (DOC) announced a pest eradication project on the island. The project, part of theIsland-Ocean Connection Challenge (IOCC), targets three islands up to 15 times larger than any previously cleared of pests in New Zealand. The goal is to remove invasive species, restore ecosystems, and protect native wildlife, includingkākāpō, seabirds, and rare plants. The total project cost is estimated at $202 million, with $54 million from the government and $11.5 million raised through philanthropy, leaving $137 million still needed.[30]
The first human inhabitants of the Chathams werePolynesians who probably settled the islands around 1500CE (though possibly as late as 1550 CE),[31] and in their isolation became the Moriori. It was formerly believed that the Moriori migrated directly from the more northerly Polynesian islands. However, linguistic research in the early 2000s instead concluded that the ancestral Moriori were Māori arrivals from New Zealand:[32][33][34][35]
Scholarship over the past 40 years has radically revised the model offered a century earlier by Smith: the Moriori as a pre-Polynesian people have gone (the term Moriori is now a technical term referring to those ancestral Māori who settled the Chatham Islands).[36]
The plants cultivated by Māori were ill-suited for the colder Chathams, so the Moriori lived ashunter-gatherers and fishermen. While their new environment lacked the resources for building ocean-going craft for long voyages, the Moriori invented thewaka kōrari, a semi-submerged craft constructed of flax and lined with air bladders from kelp. This craft was used to travel to the outer islands on 'birding' missions.[35] After generations of warfare, bloodshed was outlawed by the chiefNunuku-whenua and Moriori society became peaceful. Disputes were resolved by consensus or byduels in which, at the first sign of bloodshed, the fight was deemed over. The population before European contact was about 2,000.[37]
Parts of a carved and decorated traditional ocean-going canoe (waka) were discovered in 2024 in a creek on the northern coast of the main island. Maui Solomon, chair of the Moriori Imi Settlement Trust, has no doubt that it is a “Moriori ancestral waka” that brought some of his ancestors to the islands hundreds of years ago.[38]
Monument to Torotoro above Kaingaroa Beach on Chatham Island
The name "Chatham Islands" comes from the name for the main island, which itself gets its name fromJohn Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham, who was theFirst Lord of the Admiralty in 1791, whenHMS Chatham reached the island.[39][40] The ship, whose captain wasWilliam R. Broughton, was part of theVancouver Expedition. The crew landed on the island on 29 November 1791 and claimed possession for Great Britain. Following a misunderstanding, Broughton's men shot and killed a Moriori resident of Kaingaroa, namedTorotoro (or Tamakororo). Chatham Islands date their anniversary on 29 November, and observe it on the nearest Monday to 30 November.[37]
Sealers andwhalers soon started hunting in the surrounding ocean with the islands as their base. It is estimated that 10 to 20 per cent of the indigenous Moriori soon died from diseases introduced by foreigners. The sealing and whaling industries ceased activities about 1861, while fishing remained as a major economic activity.[37]
On 19 November and 5 December 1835, about 900 Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama men, women and children, previously resident in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) and led by the chiefPōmare Ngātata, arrived on the brigLord Rodney. The group brought with them 78 tonnes of seed potato, 20 pigs and seven largewaka.[41]
The incoming Māori were received and initially cared for by the localMoriori.[41] When it became clear that the visitors intended to stay, the Moriori withdrew to theirmarae at Te Awapatiki to meet and debate what to do about the Māori settlers. The Moriori decided to keep with their policy of non-aggression. Soon, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama began totakahi, or walk the land, to lay claim to it.[41]
Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama saw the Moriori meeting as a precursor to warfare on the part of Moriori and responded. The Māori attacked and in the ensuing action killed over 260 Moriori. A Moriori survivor recalled: "[The Māori] commenced to kill us like sheep... [We] were terrified, fled to the bush, concealed ourselves in holes underground, and in any place to escape our enemies. It was of no avail; we were discovered and killed – men, women and children – indiscriminately".[42] A Māori chief, Te Rakatau Katihe, said in theNative Land Court in 1870: "We took possession ... in accordance with our custom, and we caught all the people. Not one escaped. Some ran away from us, these we killed; and others also we killed – but what of that? It was in accordance with our custom. I am not aware of any of our people being killed by them."[43][44][45]
After the killings, Moriori were forbidden to marry Moriori, or to have children with each other. Māori kept Moriorislaves until 1863, when slavery was abolished by proclamation of theresident magistrate.[6] Many Moriori womenhad children by their Māori masters. A number of Moriori women eventually married either Māori or European men. Some were taken away from the Chathams and never returned.Ernst Dieffenbach, who visited the Chathams on aNew Zealand Company ship in 1840, reported that the Moriori were the virtual slaves of Māori and were severely mistreated, with death being a blessing. By the time the slaves were released in 1863, only 160 remained, hardly 10% of the 1835 population.[41]
In early May 1838 (some reports say 1839, but this is contradicted by ship records[46]) the French whaling vesselJean Bart anchored off Waitangi to trade with the Māori. The number of Māori boarding frightened the French, escalating into a confrontation in which the French crew were killed and theJean Bart was run aground at Ocean Bay, to be ransacked and burned by Ngāti Mutunga. When word of the incident reached the French naval corvetteHeroine in the Bay of Islands in September 1838, it set sail for the Chathams, accompanied by the whalersAdele andRebecca Sims. The French arrived on 13 October and, after unsuccessfully attempting to entice some Ngāti Tama aboard, proceeded to bombard Waitangi. The next morning about a hundred armed Frenchmen went ashore, burning buildings, destroyingwaka, and seizing pigs and potatoes. The attacks mostly affected Ngāti Tama, weakening their position relative to Ngāti Mutunga.[46][47]
In 1840, Ngāti Mutunga decided toattack Ngāti Tama at their pā. They built a high staging next to thepā so they could fire down on their former allies. Fighting was still in progress when the New Zealand Company shipCuba arrived as part of a scheme to buy land for settlement. TheTreaty of Waitangi, at that stage, did not apply to the islands. The company negotiated a truce between the two warring tribes. In 1841, the New Zealand Company had proposed to establish a German colony on the Chathams. The proposal was discussed by the directors, and the secretary of the company John Ward signed an agreement withKarl Sieveking ofHamburg on 12 September 1841. The price was set at £10,000. However, when theColonial Office stated that the islands were to be part of theColony of New Zealand and any Germans settling there would be treated asaliens,Joseph Somes claimed that Ward had been acting on his own initiative. The proposed leader John Beit and the expedition went toNelson instead.[48][49]
The company was then able to purchase large areas of land at Port Hutt (which the Māori calledWhangaroa) andWaitangi from Ngāti Mutunga and also large areas of land from Ngāti Tama. This did not stop Ngāti Mutunga from trying to get revenge for the death of one of their chiefs. They were satisfied after they killed the brother of a Ngāti Tama chief. The tribes agreed to an uneasy peace, which was formally confirmed in 1842.[50]
Reluctant to give up slavery, Matioro and his people chartered a brig in late 1842 and sailed toAuckland Island. While Matioro was surveying the island, two of the chiefs who had accompanied him decided the island was too inhospitable for settlement, and set sail before he had returned, stranding him and his 50 followers.Pākehā settlers arrived in 1849 and Matioro and most of his people moved toStewart Island in 1854.[51]
An all-male group of GermanMoravian missionaries arrived in 1843.[52] When a group of women were sent out to join them three years later, several marriages ensued; a few members of the present-day population can trace their ancestry back to those missionary families.[citation needed]
Moriori people in the late 19th century
In 1865, the Māori leaderTe Kooti was exiled on the Chatham Islands along with a large group of Māori rebels called the Hauhau, followers ofPai Mārire who had murdered missionaries and fought against government forces mainly on the East Coast of theNorth Island of New Zealand. The rebel prisoners were paid one shilling a day to work on sheep farms owned by the few European settlers. Sometimes they worked on road and track improvements. They were initially guarded by 26 guards, half of whom were Māori. They lived inwhare along with their families. The prisoners helped build a redoubt of stone surrounded by a ditch and wall. Later, they built three stone prison cells. In 1868 Te Kooti and the other prisoners commandeered a schooner and escaped back to the North Island.
Almost all the Māori returned to Taranaki in the 1860s, some after atsunami in 1868.[53]In 1868 Percy Smith undertook the first detailed survey of the Chatham Islands. As well as laying out block boundaries he added “paper roads”.[54]
The economy of the Chatham Islands, then dominated by the export of wool, suffered under theinternational depression of the 1880s, only rebounding with the building of fish freezing plants at the island villages ofŌwenga andKaingaroa in 1910. Construction of the first wharf at Waitangi began in 1931 with completion in 1934. On 25 November 1940, during the Second World War, the German auxiliary cruisers Komet and Orion captured and then sank the Chatham Islands supply ship theHolmwood, so the wharf saw little use by ships. A flying-boat facility was built atTe Whanga Lagoon soon after and a flying boat service continued till 1966 when it was replaced with conventional aircraft.[55][56]
After the Second World War, the island economy suffered again from its isolation and government subsidies became necessary. This led to many young Chatham Islanders leaving for the mainland. There was a brief crayfish boom, which helped stabilize the economy in the late 1960s and early 1970s. From the early 2000s cattle became a major component of the local economy.[53]
The Moriori community is organised as theHokotehi Moriori Trust.[57] The Moriori have received recognition from theCrown and the New Zealand government and some of their claims against those institutions for the generations of neglect and oppression have been accepted and acted on. Moriori are recognised as the original people ofRekohu. The Crown also recognised theNgāti Mutunga Māori[58] as having indigenous status in the Chathams by right of around 160 years of occupation.
The population of the islands is around 600, including members of both ethnic groups. In January 2005, the Moriori celebrated the opening of the newKopingaMarae (meeting house).[59]
Modern descendants of the 1835 Māori conquerors claimed a share in ancestral Māori fishing rights. This claim was granted. Now that the primordial population, the Moriori, have been recognised to be former Māori—over the objections of some of the Ngāti Mutunga—they too share in the ancestral Māori fishing rights. Both groups have been granted fishing quotas.[60]
Chatham Islands covers 793.88 km2 (306.52 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 720 as of June 2024,[3] with a population density of 0.9 people per km2.
Chatham and Pitt Islands are inhabited and had a population of 612 in the2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 51 people (−7.7%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 12 people (2.0%) since the2013 census. There were 390 dwellings. The median age was 44.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 99 people (16.2%) aged under 15 years, 96 (15.7%) aged 15 to 29, 318 (52.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (16.7%) aged 65 or older.[64]
Ethnicities were 72.5% European/Pākehā, 68.6%Māori, 3.9%Pasifika, 2.0%Asian, 1.0% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders, and 1.5% other. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.[64]
The Chatham Islands had a population of 663 at the2018 New Zealand census. There were 276 households, comprising 354 males and 312 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.13 males per female.
The percentage of people born overseas was 5.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 48.4% had no religion, 33.5% wereChristian, 5.9% hadMāori religious beliefs, 0.5% wereBuddhist and 1.4% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 51 (9.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 147 (26.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 108 people (19.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 318 (57.6%) people were employed full-time, 108 (19.6%) were part-time, and 9 (1.6%) were unemployed.[65]
Most residents live on Chatham Island, with only a few dozen on Pitt Island. The main settlement is the town ofWaitangi, centrally located on the west coast, with 200 residents as of June 2024.[66] Its facilities include a hospital with resident doctor, bank, several stores, engineering and marine services, and the main shipping wharf. Other villages includeTe One, near Waitangi,Owenga in the south-east, Kaingaroa in the north-east, and Port Hutt[61] in the north-west.
For local government purposes, the Chatham Islands and the adjoining sea is known as the Chatham Islands Territory and is administered by the Chatham Islands Council, which was established by the Chatham Islands Council Act 1995 (Statute No 041, Commenced: 1 November 1995).[4] These succeeded, respectively, theChatham Islands County, which was established in 1901,[67][68] and the Chatham Islands County Council, which was established in 1926.[69][70] The Council is aterritorial authority that has many of the functions, duties and powers of adistrict council and of aregional council,[4] making it in effect aunitary authority with slightly fewer responsibilities than other unitary authorities. The Council comprises a directly-electedmayor and eight councillors, one of whom is also deputy mayor.[2] Certain regional council functions are being administered byEnvironment Canterbury, the Canterbury Regional Council.[citation needed]
In the 2010 local government elections, Chatham Islands had New Zealand's highest rate of returned votes, with 71.3 per cent voting.[71]
The Chatham Islands are within a singleelectorate which sends one member toParliament. Until the 1990s, the Chatham Islands were in theLyttelton electorate, but since then they have formed part of theRongotai general electorate, which otherwise lies in southWellington.Julie Anne Genter is the MP for Rongotai. TheTe Tai TongaMāori electorate (currently held byTākuta Ferris) includes the Chatham Islands; before the seats were reformed in 1996 the archipelago was part ofWestern Maori.[72]
Policing is carried out by a sole-chargeconstable appointed by theWellington police district, who has often doubled as an official for manygovernment departments, including court registrar (Department for Courts), customs officer (New Zealand Customs Service) and immigration officer (Department of Labour – New Zealand Immigration Service).
A District Court judge sent from either theNorth Island or theSouth Island presides over court sittings, but urgent sittings may take place at the Wellington District Court.
Because of the isolation and small population, some of the rules governing daily activities undergo a certain relaxation. For example, every transport service operated solely onGreat Barrier Island, the Chatham Islands orStewart Island / Rakiura need not comply with section 70C of the Transport Act 1962 (the requirements for drivers to maintain driving-hours logbooks). Drivers subject to section 70B must nevertheless keep record of their driving hours in some form.[73]
Most of the Chatham Island economy is based on fishing and crayfishing, with only a fragment of the economic activity in adventure tourism. This economic mix has been stable for the past 50 years, as little infrastructure or population is present to engage in higher levels of industrial or telecommunications activity.[75]
Two 225 kW wind turbines and diesel generators provide power on Chatham Island, at costs of five to ten times that of electricity on the main islands of New Zealand.[76] During 2014, 65% of the electricity was generated from diesel generators, the balance from wind.[77] For heating, electricity comes second to wood and, in 2013, solar power contributed about a third as much as mains-generated electricity.[78]
Visitors to the Chathams usually arrive by air fromAuckland,Christchurch orWellington (around two hours from Christchurch on anATR 72–500) toTuuta Airport on Chatham Island. While freight generally arrives by ship (two days sailing time), the sea journey takes too long for many passengers, and is not always available.[79][80]
Tasman Empire Airways Ltd (TEAL) initially serviced the Chathams by air usingflying boats. With the withdrawal of TEAL, the RNZAF maintained an infrequent service withShort Sunderland flying boats. NZ4111 was damaged on takeoff from Te Whanga Lagoon on 4 November 1959 and remains as a wreck on the island. The last flight by RNZAF flying boats was on 22 March 1967.[81] For many yearsBristol Freighter aircraft served the islands, a slow and noisy freight aircraft converted for carrying passengers by installing a removable passenger compartment equipped withairline seats and a toilet in part of the cargo hold. The air service primarily served to ship out high-value exportcrayfish products.
The grass landing field at Hapupu, at the northern end of the Island, proved a limiting factor, as few aircraft apart from the Bristol Freighter had both the range to fly to the islands and the ruggedness to land on the grass airstrip. Although other aircraft did use the landing field occasionally, they would often require repairs to fix damage resulting from the rough landing. Hapupu is also the site of theHāpūpū / J M Barker Historic Reserve (one of only two national historic reserves in New Zealand), where there are momori rakau (Moriori tree carvings).
In 1981, after many years of requests by locals and the imminent demise of the ageing Bristol Freighters, the construction of a sealed runway at Karewa, Tuuta Airport, allowed more modern aircraft to land safely. The Chathams' own airline,Air Chathams, with its head office in Te One,[82] now operates services to Auckland on Thursdays, Wellington on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Christchurch on Tuesdays. The timetable varies seasonally, but generally planes depart the Chathams around 10.30 am (Chathams Time) and arrive in the mainland around noon. There they refuel and reload, and depart again at around 1 pm back to the Chathams. Air Chathams operates twin turbopropATR 72–500 aircraft (freight and passenger) andFairchild Metroliners.
The shipRangatira provided a freight service fromTimaru to the Chatham Islands from March 2000 to August 2015.[83] The MVSouthern Tiare provides a freight service betweenNapier, Timaru and the Chathams.[80]
Boats are used to transport people between the islands. In 1902 four people lost their lives when the whaling boat they were sailing on from Pitt Island to Owenga.[54]
On 17 July 1931 11 people drowned when the 36 feet (11 m) long cutter-rigged launchTe Aroha sunk during a storm while sailing the 24 miles (39 km) from Kaingaroa to Owenga while transporting people to play in a football match. No bodies were ever found, only a severed hand.[54] To date this has been the greatest single loss of people on the islands.[54] Lost were Bishop Ashton, Taaka Ngata, B. Remi, H. Stone, brothers Joseph and William Paynter, brothers Edward, Michael and Waiti Thompson, James Whaitirl and Ririmu Wiki.[84]
Up until the late 1960s boats were also regularly used to connect the settlements on the edges of the Te Whanga Lagoon.
By the 1920s a number of formal tracks had been created around the ports.[54] After the end of the Second World War the Ministry of Works constructed a gravel road and bridges to Owenga. Tracks continued to be created but often didn’t conform with the “paper roads” on Smith’s survey. Most islanders continued to travel by horses. To transport a number of people or freight islanders would use a cart pulled by a single horse called a “konake” or “Chatham islands truck”, which had a pair of wheels at the rear and sled-type runners at the front which assisted it in travelling over the soft soil covering the island.[54] Another option was a “jogger” which was pulled by two horses and which used pneumatic tires.[54] The tracks or lack of them were so bad thatNorman Kirk (who was then its electorate MP) on a visit to the islands in the late 1950s described a trip by land Rover that took four hours to cover 31 miles. The Land Rover was accompanied by a tractor those task it was to pull the other vehicle out when it became bogged.[54]Using funds provided by the New Zealand government a project was undertaken in 1969-70 to turn these tracks into formal roads to connect the airport at Hapapu, Kaingaroa, Manganui, Port Hutt, the Tuku and roads around Waitangi.[54] The contract was awarded to Roger Mahon form Canterbury who shipped construction equipment to the islands. With the agreements of the islanders he and the project engineer Brian Pease choose the best route, rather than follow the paper roads laid out in the 1870s and 1880s. The islanders assisted in the work by providing quarried rock and other hardfill at little or no cost to the project.[54] Due to the benefits they were receiving from the improvement in access to their properties landowners opted to receive no compensation for the value of the land taken for the roads. As a road was constructed the surveyor Kenneth Wynne followed behind pegging out the legal road boundaries of what in many cases were wider roads and more roads than specified in the contract.[54]
Today there is a small section of tar sealed road between Waitangi and Te One, but the majority of the islands' roads are gravel.
A 1.5 kW wireless link[85] opened in 1913,[86] a public radio link to the mainland was built in 1953 and an island phone system in 1965.[87] In 2003 a digital microwave system was installed for 110 phones in Ōwenga.[88]
As late as 2019 there was no mobile phonecoverage on the islands,[91] however in December 2021, five4G cellular towers were turned on to enable mobile phone coverage on Chatham and Pitt Island and deliver faster broadband. The main tower is positioned on Target Hill, which transmits to the other four towers through a microwave radio link; it is backhauled by Eutelsat 172B to a network in Wellington. The upgraded network delivers greater bandwidth than the previous link, and provides reliable broadband.[92]
There are three schools on the Chathams, at Kaingaroa, Te One, and Pitt Island. Pitt Island and Kaingaroa are staffed by sole charge principals, while Te One has three teachers and a principal. The schools cater for children from year 1 to 8. There is no secondary school. The majority of secondary school-aged students leave the island for boarding schools in mainland New Zealand. A small number remain on the island and obtain their secondary education by correspondence.[citation needed]
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Rennie, Hugh (2022).Chathams Resurgent: How the Islanders Overcame 150 Years of Misrule (Softcover). Masterton, New Zealand: Fraser Books.ISBN978-1-99-116442-1.
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