Wakefield, New Zealand
Wakefield, also called Wakefield Village, is a settlement in the region in the north of the South Island of New Zealand Tasman. It is located 25 km southwest of Nelson on State Highway 6 had Situated on the right bank of the Wai -iti River site at the censuses of 1996, 1419, 2001 1497 and 2006, 1,875 permanent residents.
History
The settlement was founded in 1843 under the name " Pitfure ", a short time later after the city of Wakefield in Yorkshire, England in " Wakefield " renamed The village was developed in connection with the settlement and founding of Nelson by the New Zealand Company in 1842. Later they brought the name with Arthur Wakefield in conjunction, who was a well known figure in the early settlement history of Nelson as an agent of the New Zealand Company.
Education
In the village is the oldest still operating public school in New Zealand. This school was founded on October 8, 1843 by the Nelson School Society under the leadership of Matthew Campbell and opened as a Sunday school with about 30 children on January 1, 1844. In addition to a modest tourism, the community lives mainly from agriculture, growing of fruit ( berries, increasingly, vineyards) and wood processing.
Monuments and sights
The village has several registered by NZHPT monuments:
- St John's Church in the village center, second oldest church in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island
- Old Flourmill, former mill
- Paintons General Store, a former shop
- Former post office of the place
- St John's Church Hall, Sunday School
- The Catholic St. Joseph 's Church and the associated cemetery
- The public library of the town
- Bradley's Kiln
The Painton House Museum is dedicated to the local history. There is also the nearby Pidgeon Valley the little Pigeon Valley Steam Museum with historic steam engines.
Sports
In the village there is a golf course.