Rolleston, New Zealand

Rolleston is a place in Selwyn District in Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located in the Canterbury Plains near the State Highway 1, about 22 kilometers southwest of Christchurch.

Rolleston was established as a temporary end of the railway line from Christchurch and was named after the politician William Rolleston (1831-1903) of Canterbury.

In Rolleston, the railway lines of the Midland Line branch to Greymouth and the Main South Line on Dunedin to Invercargill. However, the station is now served only by the TranzAlpine train passenger. 1993 there was a terrible accident here as a concrete mixer went on a railway crossing in the edge of a train. Three deaths were the result.

By 1990 the town had fewer than 1000 inhabitants and only a little paved roads. Since then, the population has grown substantially, the Census 2006 was 3,822 inhabitants. For the next 10 years, 14,000 residents are forecast. Therefore, the district administration was moved from the smaller Leeston Rolleston after.

In the environment it grows, here also is a prison that " Rolleston Prison".