Feilding

Main	Births etc

For other places with a similar name, see Fielding.

Feilding
—  Town  —
Manchester Square
Nickname(s): 'Friendly' Feilding
<div style="position: absolute; top: %; left: -1219.1%; height: 0; width: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> Feilding
Country	New Zealand
Region	Manawatū-Whanganui region
Territorial authority	Manawatu District
Ward	Feilding
Named for	Colonel William Henry Adelbert Feilding
Electorate	Rangitikei
Government
• MP	Ian McKelvie (New Zealand National Party)
• Mayor	Helen Worboys
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population (June 2020)
• Total	17,050
Time zone	NZST (UTC+12)
• Summer (DST)	NZDT (UTC+13)
Postcode	4702
Telephone	06
Website	www.feilding.co.nz

Feilding (Māori: Aorangi) is a town in the Manawatu District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatu District Council.

Feilding has won the annual New Zealand's Most Beautiful Town award 16 times. It is an Edwardian-themed town. The town is currently extending its CBD beautification featuring paving and planter boxes on the footpaths on the main streets in the CBD, including the realignment and beautification of Fergusson Street to the South Street entrance of Manfeild Park.

The town is a service town for the surrounding farming district. The Feilding Saleyards have been a vital part of the wider Manawatu community for over 125 years. As transport systems improved and farming practices changed, the need for small, local saleyards all but disappeared, leaving few major selling complexes in New Zealand. Manawatu is a diverse and fertile farming area with high production, high stock-carrying capacity and a stable climate. These factors make Feilding Saleyards a popular medium for many farmers. A unique aspect of Feilding Saleyards is their location in the centre of town.

The Manawatu Plains, on which the town is sited, are very fertile land, and as such it is a prosperous agricultural area. Being located on the floodplain of a major river has its problems, however, and in February 2004 the town suffered extensive flooding. In 2009 the Horizons Regional Council commissioned a new flood protection scheme to prevent extensive flooding in the future.

Feilding Hotel

Feilding Clocktower

A reminder to keep Feilding's tidy and attractive image

History

European settlement

The town was named after Colonel William H. A. Feilding, a director of the Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation Ltd. who negotiated the purchase of a 100,000 acre (400 km²) block of land from the Wellington provincial government in 1871. The first European settlers arrived from Great Britain on 22 January 1874.

The Feilding Edwardian Project Inc. was established in September 1993 by local businesses with the aim of revitalising the central business area of Feilding. Many of the commercial buildings were built in the 1900s (Edwardian era) and have been restored and preserved over time. Feilding is home to a number of historic collections, buildings, monuments and museums, including THE Coach House Museum, St Johns Church, Feilding Club, Feilding Hotel, AND Feilding & Districts Steam Rail Society.

Military presence

In recent years there has been a steady increase in military families from the Royal New Zealand Air Force buying property and living in Feilding, mainly due to the close proximity of RNZAF Base Ohakea.

In 2017 it was announced that the Republic of Singapore Air Force was looking to establish a permanent F-15 fighter jet training base at Ohakea, but this was scrapped in December 2018 due to "excessive costs involved".

Marae

Feilding has two marae, connected to the Iwi of Ngāti Kauwhata: Aorangi Marae and its Maniaihu meeting house; and Kauwhata Marae or Kai Iwi Pā and its Kauwhata meeting house.

In October 2020, the Government committed $1,248,067 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Kauwhata Marae and 5 others, creating 69 jobs.

Demographics

The Feilding urban area had a usual resident population of 15,990 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,521 people (10.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,352 people (17.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 7,704 males and 8,286 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female. Of the total population, 3,252 people (20.3%) were aged up to 15 years, 2,817 (17.6%) were 15 to 29, 6,570 (41.1%) were 30 to 64, and 3,354 (21.0%) were 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 87.0% European/Pākehā, 19.5% Māori, 2.5% Pacific peoples, 3.2% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

Economy

Employing about 30 people with a payroll of $1.5m in 2015, Proliant, an Iowa based firm privately held by the father and son team of Wally and Nix Lauridsen, constructed a $24m factory on the outskirts of Feilding for the production of a byproduct from cattle blood plasma, bovine serum albumin (BSA), which is used in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical research. Proliant produces about half of the world's BSA.

In the Manawatu District of the people aged 15 years or over:

• 40% earn $20,000 or less (NZ 38.8%)
• 14% earn more than $50,000 (NZ 16.2%)
• the unemployment rate is 3.8% (NZ 7.3%)
• 73.4% of permanent private dwellings are owned with or without a mortgage by the occupant(s) (NZ 66.9%)

  

  Cheltenham Co-Operative Dairy Factory, Makino, Feilding

Features

• • One of New Zealand's main motor racing circuits, Manfeild, is located at the southern edge of the town
  • There is an active light aircraft airfield at the eastern edge of the town
  • The depot of the Feilding and District Steam Rail Society is located in the town and it runs railway excursions from this base.
  • Feilding's stock saleyards were once one of the largest in the southern hemisphere and are right in the central business area.
  • The Coach House Museum
  • Focal Point Cinema Feilding
  • There are no traffic lights and no parking meters

Education

Secondary schools

• Feilding High School

Primary and intermediate schools

• Feilding Intermediate School is a state, coeducational intermediate (years 7–8) school with a roll of 332. It was established in 1964.
• Lytton Street School is a state, coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of 436. It was established in 1901.
• Manchester Street School is a state, coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of 400. It was established in 1874.
• North Street School is a state, coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 358.
• St Joseph's School is an integrated coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 126.
• Taonui School, located south-east of the Feilding township, is a state, coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 65.

Notable personalities

Famous people from Feilding include:

• Murray Ball, kiwiana cartoonist who drew Footrot Flats
• Jed Brophy, actor, Dwarf Nori in The Hobbit trilogy
• Eddie Durie, was born in Feilding
• Mason Durie, was born in Feilding
• Keith Elliott, recipient of the Victoria Cross medal, attended high school in Feilding
• Michael Houstoun, concert pianist
• Glen Jackson (rugby player), was born in Feilding
• Sam McNicol, was born in Feilding
• W. H. Oliver, was born in Feilding
• Tom Scott, also a New Zealand cartoonist
• Jesse Sergent, cyclist
• Aaron Smith, All Black
• Glenn Standring, film director, was born in Feilding
• Barbara Stewart politician
• George Whitelock, All Black, attended FAHS
• Luke Whitelock, All Black, attended FAHS
• Sam Whitelock, All Black, attended FAHS
• Mihingarangi Forbes, Journalist

Groups

• Evermore popular musical group

See also

• Feilding Old Boys RFC

External links

• Official Feilding website
• Official Manawatu website
• Manawatu District Council website

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