Rangitikei District

Local government

The current Mayor of Rangitikei is Andy Watson, elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2016.^[6] Watson was first elected in 2013 by obtaining 1,983 votes (41.5%) of the vote and a majority of 486 (10.2%) beating incumbent mayor Chalky Leary.^[7]

Rangitikei District Council is served by eleven councillors elected across five wards. Two councillors are elected from the Bulls ward, one from the Hunterville ward, four from the Marton ward, three from the Taihape ward and one from the Turakina board.^[8] The mayor and councillors are due for re-election in October 2016.^[9]

District Council, 2016–19 term:

Regional government

Rangitikei District is one of ten districts located partially or entirely within the Manawatu-Wanganui region. As such it is represented on the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council, known as Horizons Regional Council. Two of the twelve regional councillors are elected by the district in the Manawatu - Rangitikei ward; the two regional councillors elected in the 2016 elections are Bruce Gordon and Gordon McKellar.^[10]

National government

Rangitikei is located in the general electorate of Rangitīkei and in the Māori electorate of Te Tai Hauāuru.^[11] Rangitīkei is a safe National Party seat since the 1938 election with the exception of 1978–1984 when it was held by Bruce Beetham of the Social Credit Party. Since 2011 it is held by Ian McKelvie.^[12]

Te Tai Hauāuru is a more volatile seat, having been held by three different parties since 1996, i.e. New Zealand First, the Māori Party and the Labour Party.^[13] Since 2014 it is held by Adrian Rurawhe of the Labour Party.^[14]

Climate

Rangitikei's climate is temperate and has few extremes compared to many parts of New Zealand. According to the Köppen climate classification, this climate is classified as oceanic climate (Cfb). Summers are warm with average temperatures in the low 20s. The most settled weather occurs in summer and early autumn. Winters are mild near the coast and on the plains; it is colder inland and in the hill country, but often frosty, clear and calm. Snowfall occasionally settles in areas 400 m above sea level, such as Taihape. Annual rainfall is moderate and annual hours of bright sunshine can average over 2,000.^[15]

2013 census

Rangitikei District had a population of 14,019 according to the 2013 New Zealand census. This is a decrease of 693, or 4.7 percent, since the 2006 census. There were 5,733 occupied dwellings, 912 unoccupied dwellings, and 18 dwellings under construction.^[19] The district's population at the June 2017 census was 15,000.^[2]

Of the residential population, 6,951 (49.6%) were male compared to 48.7% nationally, and 7,068 (50.4%) were female, compared to 51.3% nationally. The district had a median age of 41.8 years, 3.8 years above the national median age of 38.0 years. People aged 65 and over made up 17.6% of the population, compared to 14.3% nationally, and people under 15 years made up 21.1%, compared to 20.4% nationally.^[19]

Rangitikei's ethnicity is made up of (national figures in brackets): 80.6% European (74.0%), 24.3% Māori (14.9%), 1.6% Asian (11.8%), 3.9% Pacific Islanders (7.4%), 0.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American or African (1.2%), and 2.4% Other (1.7%).^[19]

The district had an unemployment rate of 6.1% of people 15 years and over, compared to 7.4% nationally. The median annual income of all people 15 years and over was $25,700, compared to $28,500 nationally. Of those, 39.9% earned under $20,000, compared to 38.2% nationally, while 19.7% earned over $50,000, compared to 26.7% nationally.^[19]

Subdivisions

The district is further subdivided into seven towns and four meshblocks. The meshblocks encompass the surrounding rural areas that are not towns and as such are larger in geographic size. Rangitikei's towns are: Bulls, Hunterville, Koitiata, Mangaweka, Marton, Ratana Community and Taihape; and its meshblocks are: Lake Alice, Moawhango, Ngamatea and Pohonui-Porewa.^[21]

As meshblocks—despite their larger size—are the smallest administrative units recorded by Statistics New Zealand, there are small townships of which the demographic statistics are not recorded; all of which are in these meshblocks. These include: Crofton, Mangamahu, Mataroa, Ohingaiti, Pukeokahu, Santoft, Turakina, Utiku and Whangaehu.

Roads

State Highway 1 goes through Bulls. The North Island portion of this national state highway, one of only eight in New Zealand, begins at Cape Reinga and ends at Wellington International Airport—passing through Bulls at 925 km.

State Highway 3 passes through Bulls. This highway connects Woodville (25 km east of Palmerston North) and Hamilton via New Plymouth.

State Highway 54 connects Palmerston North and SH 1 at Vinegar Hill via Feilding.

Public transport

InterCity runs five daily and three non-daily bus services in Marton and Bulls. These include Wanganui–Wellington, Palmerston North–Auckland, Tauranga–Wellington, Wellington–New Plymouth and Auckland–Palmerston North.^[22]

Marton used to be serviced by the North Island Main Trunk (or Overlander), a railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington. However, in 2012 the Overlander was replaced by the Northern Explorer, which has fewer stops and does not stop in Marton.

The nearest airports to the district are Whanganui Airport, located 37 km west (of Marton), and Palmerston North Airport, located 44 km southeast. Both airports are domestic only.