Matiere
Matiere is a rural community in the Ruapehu District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.
European settlers arrived in the early 1900s, establishing the Matiere School in 1906.[1]
The settlement is now a ghost town,[1] consisting of a small number of homes, former shops and former churches.[2] However, there is still a small but active community.[3]
The former post office has been converted to a business making swings for babies and toddlers.[4] The business supplies just 35 stockists,[5] but Kourtney Kardashian is among its customers.[6] The couple who make the swings live in the former Catholic church, and have turned the former Methodist church into a woodworking workshop.[2]
In September 2018, American forestry company Soper Wheeler Co received regulatory approval to convert to convert a 1148 hectare farm north of the main settlement into a redwood forest.[7]
Education
[edit]Matiere School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[8] with a roll of 28 as of August 2024.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Morris, Bruce (14 June 2011). "Land of contrasts: Taumarunui and Auckland". APN New Zealand. The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ a b Packer, Ann (12 May 2015). "The couple who live in a church they bought for $1100". Fairfax New Zealand. NZ House & Garden.
- ^ Braae, Alex (29 March 2020). "Ohura Medieval Market Day, and the fight to keep a small town standing". The Spinoff.
- ^ Ferguson, Frances (23 August 2016). "Into the swing of business at Matiere". Stuff.
- ^ Donaldson, Rachel (24 April 2019). "Regional rollercoaster: Selling to the Kardashians from Matiere". ICG Media. The Register.
- ^ Nadkarni, Anuja (19 December 2018). "Taumarunui-made Solvej swings on Kardashian's Christmas wishlist". Stuff.
- ^ Piddock, Gerald (3 September 2018). "US company snaps up farmland for forestry plantation". Stuff.
- ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
- ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.