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

Matiere School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[8] with a roll of 28 as of April 2023.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Morris, Bruce (14 June 2011). "Land of contrasts: Taumarunui and Auckland". APN New Zealand. The New Zealand Herald.
  2. 1 2 Packer, Ann (12 May 2015). "The couple who live in a church they bought for $1100". Fairfax New Zealand. NZ House & Garden.
  3. Braae, Alex (29 March 2020). "Ohura Medieval Market Day, and the fight to keep a small town standing". The Spinoff.
  4. Ferguson, Frances (23 August 2016). "Into the swing of business at Matiere". Stuff.
  5. Donaldson, Rachel (24 April 2019). "Regional rollercoaster: Selling to the Kardashians from Matiere". ICG Media. The Register.
  6. Nadkarni, Anuja (19 December 2018). "Taumarunui-made Solvej swings on Kardashian's Christmas wishlist". Stuff.
  7. Piddock, Gerald (3 September 2018). "US company snaps up farmland for forestry plantation". Stuff.
  8. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  9. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.

38°45′54″S 175°06′05″E / 38.764990°S 175.101457°E / -38.764990; 175.101457

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