Marton | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Marton Junction railway yard and station 1909 | |
 | |
| Coordinates:40°04′09″S175°22′42″E / 40.06917°S 175.37833°E /-40.06917; 175.37833 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| District | Rangitikei District |
| Wards |
|
| Named after | Marton, England |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Rangitikei District Council |
| • Regional council | Horizons Regional Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.99 km2 (4.24 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 152 m (499 ft) |
| Population (June 2024)[2] | |
• Total | 5,740 |
| • Density | 520/km2 (1,400/sq mi) |
| Postcode(s) | 4710 |
| Area code | 06 |
Marton (Māori:Tutaenui) is a town in theRangitikei district of theManawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand'sNorth Island. It is situated 35 kilometres southeast ofWhanganui and 40 kilometres northwest ofPalmerston North.
Ngāti Apa aretangata whenua for the Marton area.
The town of Marton is the largest in the Rangitikei district, and began life as a private township in 1866, when shop and housing sections were sold at auction by local landowners.
The town had 5,740 residents as of June 2024.[2]
Marton has always been a service town for the fertile farming lands of the lower Rangitikei Rivers flood plains.Butter,wool, andflour have been among its agricultural products. The arrival of the railway in 1878 led to rapid growth in the area, which soon added industries such as engineering, sawmilling, and textile production to its economy.
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For three years the small village was known as Tutaenui, named after the stream running through its centre. In 1869 local citizens changed the name to Marton to honour thebirthplace of CaptainJames Cook inMiddlesbrough, marking his landing in New Zealand exactly 100 years earlier. It is not known if this change of name was influenced by the mistranslation of 'tutae' (meaning 'dung') and 'nui' (meaning 'large').[3] (Actual translation: 'tu' -stand, 'tae' -arrive, 'nui' big; i.e., a 'big gathering').[4]
From the start Marton was an ideal supply centre for district farmers, who first began arriving in the early 1850s. From butter and wool they moved on to growing wheat in 1863, and big crops led to three flourmills being launched in the area in 1864.
After the town itself opened up in 1866, general stores, two hotels and several blacksmiths soon started. Marton became a home base for the horse industry, with saddlers, wheelwrights, livery stables and coachbuilders competing for business, while Clydesdale and Suffolk Punch sires toured the district to build up the population of plough horses needed as new farms sprang into being.
The opening of the railway line joining Wanganui to Palmerston North in 1878, now part of theNorth Island Main Trunk railway (towards Palmerston North and Auckland) and theMarton - New Plymouth Line (towards Wanganui), turnedMarton Railway Station into a thriving railway junction, and it held that position for the next 100 years. The move of the railway station in 1898 was followed by a large development of 'Marton Extension', to the south east, from 1907.[5]
Timber from Rangitikei forests served the town's two timbermills, the first from 1889 onwards.
Industry developed quietly at first in Marton, starting with flourmilling, brickmaking and wool presses. By the late 1950s there was an incredible array of industries and factories in action. They turned out products as diverse as men's shirts, tractor safety cabs, soft drinks, vegetable salads, readymix concrete, field tiles, dog biscuits, knitwear, dried peas, electronic petrol pumps, vegetable digging machinery.
9 km from Marton was the largeLake Alice Hospital for psychiatric patients, which opened in 1950 and closed in 1999. It included a maximum security unit, and housed hundreds of patients during its 49 years of operation.
Marton’s first newspaper, the Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, was started in 1875, withAlexander McMinn as editor. From 1891 to 1896 there was also the Mercury, published byFrancis Arkwright. From 1903 to 1905 the Rangitikei Advocate was associated with the Farmers’ Advocate, a weekly published in Marton that was the official voice of the newly formedNew Zealand Farmers’ Union. The Rangitikei Advocate closed on 1 February 1941. The weekly Rangitikei News ran from 1948 to 1955. It was replaced by theRangitikei Mail.[6]Feilding-Rangitīkei Herald now serves the area.[7]
Marton's climate is temperate and has few extremes compared to many parts of New Zealand. Summers are warm with average temperatures in the low 20s. The most settled weather occurs in summer and early autumn. Winters are mild and annual rainfall is moderate. Annual hours of bright sunshine can average over 2,000.[8]
| Climate data for Marton | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.1 (71.8) | 22.5 (72.5) | 20.7 (69.3) | 18.1 (64.6) | 15.1 (59.2) | 12.8 (55.0) | 12.1 (53.8) | 12.9 (55.2) | 14.5 (58.1) | 16.4 (61.5) | 18.3 (64.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 17.2 (63.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.7 (63.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 13.7 (56.7) | 11.0 (51.8) | 8.9 (48.0) | 8.2 (46.8) | 8.9 (48.0) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 15.9 (60.6) | 12.9 (55.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.8 (55.0) | 12.9 (55.2) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.3 (48.7) | 7.0 (44.6) | 5.1 (41.2) | 4.3 (39.7) | 4.9 (40.8) | 6.6 (43.9) | 8.2 (46.8) | 9.8 (49.6) | 11.6 (52.9) | 8.7 (47.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 79.7 (3.14) | 65.2 (2.57) | 80.4 (3.17) | 73.0 (2.87) | 92.3 (3.63) | 98.9 (3.89) | 97.2 (3.83) | 85.1 (3.35) | 80.9 (3.19) | 93.2 (3.67) | 79.0 (3.11) | 92.0 (3.62) | 1,016.9 (40.04) |
| Source 1: Climate-charts.com[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Climate-data.org[10] | |||||||||||||
Marton covers 10.99 km2 (4.24 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 5,740 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 522 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 4,932 | — |
| 2013 | 4,794 | −0.40% |
| 2018 | 5,268 | +1.90% |
| Source:[11] | ||
Before the 2023 census, Marton had a larger boundary, covering 13.59 km2 (5.25 sq mi).[1] Using that boundary, Marton had a population of 5,268 at the2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 474 people (9.9%) since the2013 census, and an increase of 336 people (6.8%) since the2006 census. There were 2,037 households, comprising 2,571 males and 2,697 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female, with 1,047 people (19.9%) aged under 15 years, 864 (16.4%) aged 15 to 29, 2,112 (40.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,245 (23.6%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 75.9% European/Pākehā, 23.7%Māori, 9.9%Pacific peoples, 2.6%Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 16.1, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 42.5% had no religion, 42.2% wereChristian, 3.2% hadMāori religious beliefs, 0.3% wereHindu, 0.3% wereMuslim, 0.2% wereBuddhist and 1.3% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 411 (9.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,212 (28.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 285 people (6.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,641 (38.9%) people were employed full-time, 609 (14.4%) were part-time, and 183 (4.3%) were unemployed.[11]
| Name | Area (km2) | Population | Density (per km2) | Households | Median age | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marton North | 8.74 | 3,030 | 347 | 1,239 | 49.9 years | $24,100[12] |
| Marton South | 4.86 | 2,238 | 460 | 798 | 38.1 years | $22,100[13] |
| New Zealand | 37.4 years | $31,800 |
Marton Rural covers 194.35 km2 (75.04 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 1,120 as of June 2024,[14] with a population density of 5.8 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 924 | — |
| 2013 | 963 | +0.59% |
| 2018 | 987 | +0.49% |
| Source:[15] | ||
Before the 2023 census, Marton Rural had a larger boundary, covering 192.56 km2 (74.35 sq mi).[1] Using that boundary, Marton Rural had a population of 987 at the2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 24 people (2.5%) since the2013 census, and an increase of 63 people (6.8%) since the2006 census. There were 381 households, comprising 507 males and 480 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 45.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 192 people (19.5%) aged under 15 years, 120 (12.2%) aged 15 to 29, 483 (48.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 189 (19.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 94.2% European/Pākehā, 8.8%Māori, 2.7%Pacific peoples, 0.6%Asian, and 0.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 9.1, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 45.6% had no religion, 43.2% wereChristian, 1.5% hadMāori religious beliefs, 0.3% wereHindu and 0.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 126 (15.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 147 (18.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 132 people (16.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 435 (54.7%) people were employed full-time, 147 (18.5%) were part-time, and 18 (2.3%) were unemployed.[15]
The currentMayor of the Rangitikei District isAndy Watson.[16]
Marton is located in thegeneral electorate ofRangitīkei and in theMāori electorate ofTe Tai Hauāuru.[17] Rangitīkei is a safeNational Party seat since the1938 election with the exception of 1978–1984 when it was held byBruce Beetham of theSocial Credit Party. Since2023 it is held bySuze Redmayne.[18]
Te Tai Hauāuru is a more volatile seat, having been held by three different parties since1996, i.e.New Zealand First, theMāori Party and theLabour Party.[19] Since2023 it is held byDebbie Ngarewa-Packer of Te Pāti Māori.[20]
Marton has four sports clubs: Marton Cricket Club, Marton Rugby and Sports Club, Marton Bears Rugby League Club and Marton United AFC.[21][22]
State Highway 1 passes 4 km (2 mi) east of Marton, whieState Highway 3 passes 7 km (4 mi) to the south.
The nearest airports to the town areWhanganui Airport, located 37 km west, andPalmerston North Airport, located 44 km southeast. Both airports are domestic only.
Marton is on theNorth Island Main Trunk Line; and on theMarton-New Plymouth Line which leaves the NIMT at Marton. However although theOverlander on the NIMT used to stop atMarton railway station, the replacementNorthern Explorer introduced in 2012 has fewer stops and does not stop at Marton.
Marton has four co-educational state primary schools for Year 1 to 8 students: Marton School,[23] with a roll of 231;[24] Marton Junction School,[25] with a roll of 105;[26] James Cook School,[27] with a roll of 172;[28] and South Makirikiri School,[29][30] with a roll of 130.[31]
There are also two other primary schools. St Matthew's School is a state-integrated Catholic primary school,[32] with a roll of 49.[33]Huntley School is a private Anglican boarding school,[34][35] with a roll of 164.[36]
Rangitikei College is a co-educational state primary school,[37][38] with a roll of 302.[39]
Nga Tawa Diocesan School is a state-integrated girls' boarding school for Year 9 to 13 students,[40][41] with a roll of 194.[42]
Until 2016 there was a third secondary school,Turakina Māori Girls' College.[43][44]
