Eketāhuna

Eketāhuna is a small rural service town, the most southerly in the Tararua District in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand, but is considered to be in northern Wairarapa. It was called Mellemskov, but was renamed soon after its founding,[2] and was colloquially known as Jackeytown.[3] The 2013 census recorded Eketahuna's population at 441; down from 456 in 2006.

Eketāhuna
Eketāhuna
Coordinates: 40°39′S 175°42′E
Country New Zealand
RegionManawatū-Whanganui
Territorial authorityTararua District
WardSouth Tararua
ElectorateWairarapa
Government
 • MPJohn Hayes (National)
 • MayorRoly Ellis[1]
Population
 • Urban
441
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode
4900
Area code(s)06

The town is located at the foot of the Tararua Ranges which lie to the west. It is 35 kilometres north of Masterton and a similar distance south of Palmerston North. It is situated on State Highway 2 and the eastern bank of the Makakahi River.[4]

Eketāhuna is considered by some to be the stereotypical rural New Zealand town, and is occasionally used in conversation to represent "the real New Zealand". New Zealanders colloquially refer to the town of Eketāahuna the way other English speakers refer to Timbuktu, i.e., the middle of nowhere, "the sticks", the end of the world. Likewise, Eketāhuna is a booming metropolis compared to the mythical town of Waikikamukau (pronounced "Why-kick-a-moo-cow").

The Mount Bruce bird sanctuary is located to the south of the town.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "land on the sandbank" for Eketāhuna.[5] The name of the town, when spoken, sounds like a sentence in Afrikaans which translates to "I have a chicken". This is a source of amusement to immigrant Afrikaans-speaking South Africans in New Zealand.

On 20 January 2014, the town was the epicenter of the 2014 Eketahuna earthquake. Measuring 6.2 on the Richter magnitude scale, the quake caused moderate damage all over the southern North Island.

In July 2020, the name of the town was officially gazetted as Eketāhuna by the New Zealand Geographic Board.[6]

Education

Eketahuna School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[7][8] with a roll of 121 as of March 2020.[9]

Notable people
  • Tania Lineham, born 1966 in Eketahuna. Royal Society of New Zealand, Science and Technology Teacher Fellowship in 1999 and the Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize in 2015.

See also

Notes
  1. KATTERNS, TANYA (9 October 2010). "Retired farmer wins in Tararua". The Dominion Post. Wellington: Fairfax NZ News. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  2. Horizons Regional Council – Regional Policy Statement
  3. "Maori Place Names". The New Zealand Herald. 19 February 1921. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  4. "Eketahuna Travel Guide". Jasons Travel Media.
  5. "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
  6. "Notice of approved official geographic names" (PDF). New Zealand Gazette. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  7. "Official School Website". eketahuna.school.nz.
  8. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  9. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
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