Methven, New Zealand

Methven (Māori: Piwakawaka[2]) is a small town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located near the western edge of the Canterbury Plains, 35 kilometres north of Ashburton. It was originally the railhead of a short branch railway off the Main South Line. Branching off from Rakaia, the Methven Branch travelled through Lauriston and Lyndhurst to Methven and operated from 1880 until 1976.

Methven

Piwakawaka (Māori)
Methven town centre
Methven
Coordinates: 43°38′S 171°39′E
CountryNew Zealand
RegionCanterbury
Territorial authorityAshburton District
Population
 (June 2019)[1]
 • Total1,890
Postcode
7730
Area code03

It is a rural service town throughout the year, but undergoes a stark transformation in winter. Mount Hutt skifield is around half an hour away from Methven, the closest town. As such, a number of cafes, bars, and restaurants lie relatively dormant over the summer months. Similarly, the town's accommodation providers have a strongly seasonal trade. In addition to skiing, another popular attraction is hot air ballooning, the annual Mountain Thunder motorcycle street-races and the annual rodeo. Mount Hutt college is Methven's main school and has a very popular Outdoor Pursuits class available which attracts students from all over the country.

The population was 1707 in the 2013 census, an increase of 309 from 2006.[3]

Methven was home to Rajah, New Zealand's first police dog.[4]

Methven also served as a base to cast and crew for the filming of Edoras (located further inland), for The Lord of the Rings.

Methven was named by an early colonial pioneer, a Mr Patton, who named it for his home in Scotland.[5]

Education

Methven has three schools.

  • Methven Primary School is a state contributing primary (Year 1 to 6) school. It has 264 students as of March 2020.[6]
  • Mount Hutt College is a state Year 7 to 13 secondary school. It has 492 students as of March 2020.[6]
  • Our Lady of Snow School is a state-integrated Catholic full primary (Year 1 to 8) school. It has 27 students as of March 2020.[6]

Notable people
  • Sir Graeme Harrison (born 1948), business executive born in Methven and has retired to his birth town
  • John Kennedy (1926–1994), journalist born in Methven
  • Kathy Lynch (born 1957), competitive cyclist who has retired to Methven

References
  1. "Subnational Population Estimates: At 30 June 2019". Statistics New Zealand. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  2. Methven
  3. 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Methven
  4. Duffy, Barbara. "RAJAH – the wonder dog from Methven". Ashburton Online. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  5. "Hall of Memories". Mt Hutt Memorial Hall. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  6. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
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