Motueka

Motueka looking toward the south-west and the airport

The name Motueka, or more correctly Motuweka, comes from the Maori language, and means weka island, the weka being a bird of the rail family. The town is colloquially called "Mot" by some residents.

The Motueka District Museum

The first known European visitor to the coast near Motueka in 1827 was French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, of the French corvette Astrolabe. He explored and described much of the Tasman Bay shore line. Three ships carrying the New Zealand Company's Nelson expedition, led by Captain Arthur Wakefield, anchored at Astrolabe Roads, north of Kaiteriteri Beach—about 16 kilometres (10 mi) due north of Motueka—in October 1841. Kaiteriteri was selected as a site for the first settlement but was later abandoned in favour of Nelson Haven. The exceptional fertility of the soil and the suitability of the surrounding land for small farm settlement were the main reasons for the establishment of the second town of the Nelson settlement at Motueka in 1842. Motueka was created as a borough in 1900. During the period, 1853 to 1876, Motueka was administrated as part of the Nelson Province.

Motueka is situated on the small Motueka Plain near the Motueka River which enters Tasman Bay about 4 km north of the town. To the west of the valley the land rises steeply to the Arthur and Pikiruna Ranges, and to the south the flat is broken by the gently rolling Moutere Hills.

The source of the Pearse River near Motueka is the deepest known cold-water cave in the world.[5]

The Motueka Ward of the Tasman District Council had an estimated population of 10,900 at 30 June 2009.

Talley's Seafood Division at Port Motueka

Horticulture is the main industry in the area surrounding Motueka, and the town benefits directly from this. Some of the main crops are apples, beer hops and kiwifruit. Due to the seasonal growth of many crops, the town's population increases greatly with seasonal workers, especially during late summer and early autumn for the apple 'pick'.

At the height of tobacco production, Motueka was home to two tobacco factories. One owned by Australian company WD & HO Wills Holdings and the other by Rothmans International. The tobacco industry has ceased to exist in the area.

Major employers in Motueka include:

• Motueka Lumber Company now known and recognised globally as the MLC Group. Operates a timber processing facility that specialises in cut-to-length componentry, small end section and specialised timber mouldings.
• Nelson Aviation College trains pilots for the aviation industry.
• Prime Pine operates a sawmill in Riwaka.
• Prowood has a manufacturing facility in Lower Moutere that produces glulam beams, i beams, LVL timber, posts, wood flooring, timber retaining walls, mid floors.
• Talley's Group was established in 1936 by Ivan Peter Talijancich. One of the town's largest employers, the company's Port Motueka site incorporates the Group Head Office, the Seafood Division and the Dairy Division. The Vegetable Division began operations in 1978 at Motueka, but has since been relocated to Blenheim and Ashburton.[8]

New Zealand Energy Limited is a Motueka-based company that operates small hydroelectric power stations in Haast, Fox, Opunake and Raetihi.

Motueka Fire Station

Motueka High School is a co-educational state secondary school for Year 9 to 13 students,[9][10] with a roll of 756 as of March 2020.[11]

There are two co-educational state primary schools in the township for Year 1 to 8 students: Parklands School,[12][13] with a roll of 203,[14] and Motueka South School,[15][16] with a roll of 238.[17]

There are two private primary schools in the township for Year 1 to 8 students: Motueka Rudolf Steiner School,[18][19] with a roll of 80,[20] and St Peter Chanel School,[21][22] with a roll of 53.[23]

There are also five other primary schools in the area surrounding Motueka.[24]

There are two local newspapers in Motueka: The Guardian Motueka, out every Wednesday and The Motueka Golden Bay News, out every Thursday. The area has a local radio station, Fresh FM, which also broadcasts to Blenheim, Nelson, Takaka and Tasman.

State Highway 60 runs through the centre of Motueka.

Motueka is served by State Highway 60 which runs 114.5 kilometres (71.1 mi) from Collingwood in Golden Bay to State Highway 6 near Richmond.

The former State Highway 61, now known as the Motueka Valley Highway connects State Highway 60 at Motueka to State Highway 6 at Kohatu Junction near Tapawera.

Port Motueka, 3 kilometres (2 mi) south-east of Motueka, on a tidal lagoon of some 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres), provides sheltered berthage for coastal vessels and is the Gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park.

The Motueka Aerodrome is 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of the town centre and serves as a base for the Motueka Aero Club and the Nelson Aviation College. In 1984, Motueka Air started scheduled passenger flights from Motueka to Wellington, New Zealand using a Piper Aztec aircraft. Within a couple of years the Motueka Air network had grown to include Nelson, Wellington and Palmerston North using additional Piper Chieftains. In 1988, Motueka Air was renamed Air Nelson and relocated to Nelson Airport.[25]

Motueka is twinned with:

• Kiyosato, Hokkaido, Japan[28]

• Denis Aberhart, cricketer
• Michael Bennett, film director, screenwriter
• George Black, politician
• Tony Blain, cricketer
• Ann Boyce, New Zealand pioneer and herbalist.[29]
• Edward Chaytor, military commander
• Bevan Congdon, cricketer
• Josh Coppins, professional motocross racer
• Herbert Curtis, politician
• James George Deck, evangelist
• Shannon Francois, netballer
• Owen Franks, Rugby Player, Crusaders, All Black
• David Havili, Rugby Player, Crusaders, All Black
• Ruth Gilbert, poet
• Toni Hodgkinson, middle distance runner
• Keith Holyoake, Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Denny Hulme, 1967 Formula One world champion
• Richmond Hursthouse, politician
• Simon Mannering, rugby league player
• Roderick McKenzie, politician
• Glenn Milnes, cricketer
• Walter Moffatt, Mayor of Nelson
• Michael Myers, Chief Justice of New Zealand
• Charles Parker, politician
• Richard Hudson, politician
• Alfred Christopher Picard, politician
• Bill Rowling, politician
• Jerry Skinner, politician
• Brigette Thomas, winner of New Zealand's Next Top Model, Cycle 3
• Shelton Woolright, musician, best known as the drummer for Blindspott
• Florence Young, missionary

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Motueka.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Motueka.

• Motueka Community Board
• Motueka Online
• Motueka Photo Gallery