Place:Taihape, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand

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Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Early history

The Taihape region was originally inhabited by Māori. These iwi (tribes) still live in the area. The first record of a European to the region is William Colenso's visit in 1845. In 1884, the surveyor's party for the Main Trunk railway line cut a rough track through the district.

The town was founded in 1894, when European settlers arrived from Canterbury in the South Island. The site of the town was a small natural clearing in dense native bush, which the first settlers set about clearing. Many of the original families have descendants still living in the area. The settlement was first called Hautapu after the local river, then Otaihape ("the place of Tai the Hunchback"), and finally Taihape.

Before the establishment of the railway, the bulk of farming produce (wool) had to be transported east by horse and bullock cart to Napier, from where it was exported. Until the establishment of roads and railways in the early 1900s, Taihape, like other rural towns, remained largely an isolated pioneer settlement.

Recent history

Taihape developed as a key railway and transport town, reaching its peak of population and activity during the heyday of the 1950s and 1960s. The town declined during the downturn of the 1980s and today it is largely a refreshment stop for travellers and a service point for the local farming community.

Taihape is home of the annual Gumboot Day, first celebrated on 9 April 1985. This festival was devised by local business people who decided to capitalise on its rural image. Taihape's association with gumboots is marked by a large sculpture of a gumboot positioned prominently on the edge of town. Local business owners commissioned the New Zealand sculptor Jeff Thomson to produce the oversized gumboot using his signature material, corrugated iron. Entertainer John Clarke used Taihape as a location for his Fred Dagg comedy persona.

Marae

There are five marae in the Taihape area, where local iwi and hapū meet:

• Kuratahi Marae and Te Karere meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Rangi hapū of Ngāti Rangituhia and Ngāti Parenga
• Opaea Marae and Tumakaurangi meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū of Ngāti Tamakōpiri
• Raketapauma Marae and Rangituhia meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Rangi hapū of Ngāti Rangituhia
• Tamakopiri Marae and Tumakaurangi meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu hapū of Ngāti Tama
• Winiata Marae and Tautahi meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Hauiti hapū of Ngāti Hinemanu and Ngāti Te Ngahoa, and the Ngāti Kahungunu hapū of Ngāti Hinemanu and Ngāti Paki

In October 2020, the Government committed $836,930 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade a cluster of 7 marae, including Opaea Marae and Raketapauma Marae, creating 95 jobs. It also committed a further $239,367 towards Raketapauma Marae and another marae, creating 34 jobs.

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