Rissington
Settlement
River at Rissington about 1909
River at Rissington about 1909
Coordinates: 39°25′32″S 176°42′37″E / 39.42544°S 176.71020°E / -39.42544; 176.71020
CountryNew Zealand
RegionHawke's Bay Region
Territorial authorityHastings District
WardMohaka
Population
 (2018)
 • Total195
Postcode(s)
4184

Rissington is a farming settlement 15 km (9.3 mi) north west of Napier, New Zealand. It lies in Hawke's Bay Region, between Sherenden and Napier, in the Mangaone River valley, on the road to Patoka and Puketitiri.[1] A fire station,[2] cemetery (beside the river bridge)[3] and a war memorial[4] are the only remaining public structures, but it once had several more and was home to the country's first Women's Institute, co-founded by Amy Hutchinson and Bessie Spencer.[5]

History

1882 map of Rissington

In November 1851, the Crown purchased the Ahuriri block for £1,500,[6] described in 1855 as, "a million of acres at Ahuriri for a penny-three-farthings" an acre.[7] However, the land around the Mangaone wasn't surveyed until 1861, when most of it was still under dense bush.[8] There were reports of totara being floated down the river from the 1860s[9] and two timber mills were still running in 1916.[10] From 1861 the cleared land was used for large sheep stations, which were gradually split into smaller farms. Roads and other facilities spread, until cars and roads improved to put Rissington within a half hour journey from Napier, after which the area lost its post office, store, library hall and school.

Rissington Station

In September 1861 Major George Stoddart Whitmore took 2,600 acres (1,100 ha) in the Mangaone valley,[11] initially as a Crown grant for his military service, in partnership with another soldier, Captain John McNeill. Whitmore reached Napier from Auckland on 21 December 1861.[12] He was on the committee of Hawke's Bay Acclimatisation Society[13] and, shortly after his arrival, introduced rabbits,[14] brown quail,[15] blackberry, and gorse.[16] He sold his army commission on 7 November 1862 to pay for improvements to the station, which he named Rissington, after Great Rissington, a village close to his family's Gloucestershire home.[17] Whitmore added pastoral licences bought from several neighbours, until he had about 110,000 acres (45,000 ha), stretching from the Kaweka Range, towards the coast. Ngāti Hineuru claimed to own some of the land.[16] Local legend was that Whitmore repeatedly swindled his neighbours and partners.[17] In retaliation for alleged stealing of his sheep, Whitmore, as commander of the Napier Military District Defence Force, attacked Pai Mārire at Omarunui in 1866, killing 21, or 23, wounding about 30 and taking 58 prisoners and went on to raid Ngāti Hineuru areas.[16] Whitmore represented Wairoa on the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council from 10 April 1867 until 29 May 1869.[17] In July and August 1868 he pursued Te Kooti inland from Poverty Bay and was promoted to colonel on 21 October 1868. He was defeated by Tītokowaru at Moturoa on 7 November, but took Te Kooti's stronghold of Ngātapa on 5 January 1869 with great slaughter. His last campaign was invasion of Te Urewera, from 4 to 18 May. Whitmore was eased out of his post in July 1869. He sold the station in 1872.[18] It was divided into smaller farms in 1882,[19] at which time it had about 1,000 cattle and 90,000 sheep.[20]

Apley Station

15,000 acres (6,100 ha) of Rissington Station was sold in 1873 for £30,500 to William Buckland, who sold it for £37,300 in 1874. It was divided into three blocks in 1879 and further subdivided after 1929. Steam-driven shearing was introduced in Apley woolshed by 1908.[21] Since 2001 Apley homestead has been on a 700 acres (280 ha) farm,[22] between Rissington and Patoka.[23] Apley homestead and woolshed were listed as Category 2 Historic Places on 7 April 1983.[24][25]

School

Rissington School opened in 1904[26] and was extended in 1909.[27] Due to the condition of the buildings it closed in 2010 and was demolished, or removed, in 2011,[28] since when a bus has taken pupils to Patoka.[29]

Scout camp

Weka Point, a 6.8 ha (17 acres) Scouting camp,[30] opened in 1911, beside a bend in the Mangaone River. A suspension bridge links it to Puketitiri Road. In 2011 the Lions Club helped replace the bridge[31] and two rooms were moved from the old school.[28]

Library hall

Rissington Library Hall opened in 1907,[30] or 1912[32] and closed in 2001, due to its poor condition and low use. It was demolished shortly after.[28]

Post office

The post office was open by 1904.[33] It burnt down in 1954.[34]

Women's institute

Rissington had the first Women's Institute in the country, founded by Bessie Spencer,[35] on 27 January 1921[36] at Omatua lodge. The lodge replaced the original Omatua Homestead built by Captain Anderson in 1861, damaged in the 1863 earthquake.[37] It was given to the Girl Guides Association in 1961, further property was bought in 1964[38] and Omatua was rebuilt in 1979.[39]

Soldiers Settlement

In the 1920s a Soldiers Settlement was created to settle World War 1 veterans as sheep farmers, under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1915,[40] Soldiers Settlement Road being built in 1926.[41]

Demographics

At the 2018 New Zealand census Rissington had 195 living in its meshblock, 1412300, which covers 87.96 km2 (33.96 sq mi).[42]

Transport

A cartage service began in 1884.[43] In 1885[44] a bridge over the Mangaone was built by James Sellar[45] to replace a ford.[46] By 1886 the Rissington-Pakowhai road was being gravelled,[47] in 1887 the Taradale-Rissington-Patoka road was built[48] and by 1890 the whole Rissington-Napier road had been gravelled.[49] A coach service from Napier began in 1888.[50] By 1893 it had been extended to Puketitiri[51] and was still running in 1916.[52]

The 140 ft (43 m) bridge was swept away by floods in 1897[53] and 1924[54] and rebuilt in 1929.[55] Nearby properties were flooded in 2018, but the bridge wasn't damaged.[56] It was strengthened in 2021 to take 62-tonne trucks, up to 4.9 m (16 ft) high, to comply with the Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2016 rule.[57] The bridge was again destroyed in February 2023 due to flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.[58] It was replaced by a 43 m (141 ft) long Bailey bridge on 31 March 2023.[59]

References

  1. ↑ "Rissington, Hawke's Bay". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  2. ↑ "RISSINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE - STATION 76". www.111emergency.co.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  3. ↑ "1887 Puketitiri Rd". Google Maps. Jan 2013. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  4. ↑ "Rissington War Memorial". knowledgebank.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  5. ↑ Upton, Susan. "Amy Hadfield Hutchinson". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill 216-2 (2019)". www.legislation.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  7. ↑ "Correspondence. DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 Dec 1855. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  8. ↑ "PROVINCIAL GAZETTE. HAWKE'S BAY TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 29 Aug 1861. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  9. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 17 Mar 1860. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  10. ↑ "COUNTY AFFAIRS. HASTINGS STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 Sep 1916. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  11. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 16 Nov 1861. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  12. ↑ "Shipping Record. PORT OF NAPIER. HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 Dec 1861. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  13. ↑ "Hawke's Bay Acclimatisation Society Centenary 1868 – 1968". knowledgebank.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  14. ↑ "SHIPPING. HAWKE'S BAY TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 10 Apr 1862. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  15. ↑ "Chapter XXXIV. — The Invasion from the South". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. 1926. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  16. 1 2 3 "The Mohaka ki Ahuriri Report" (PDF). Waitangi Tribunal. 2004.
  17. 1 2 3 "Whitmore, George Stoddart". teara.govt.nz. 1990. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  18. ↑ "DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 29 Apr 1872. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  19. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 Apr 1882. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  20. ↑ "WANGANUI CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 30 Dec 1881. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  21. ↑ "Puketapu". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  22. ↑ Gordon, Angus (2017-01-20). Famous Times: Historic Woolsheds of Hawkes Bay. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4990-9915-7.
  23. ↑ "Map, Apley Estate". MTG Hawkes Bay. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  24. ↑ "Apley Station Homestead". www.heritage.org.nz. 2011. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  25. ↑ "Apley Station Woolshed". www.heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  26. ↑ "EDUCATION: TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1905. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  27. ↑ "Education Board. HASTINGS STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 Feb 1908. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  28. 1 2 3 "News | Rissington School Reunion". www.rissington-school-reunion.woo.co. 2011. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  29. ↑ "Patoka School". www.patoka.school.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  30. 1 2 "HeritageTrails 1" (PDF). Hastings District Council. Sep 2003.
  31. ↑ "New bridge and buildings for Weka Point scout camp". www.scoop.co.nz. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  32. ↑ "NAPIER LETTER. NEW ZEALAND TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 Oct 1912. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  33. ↑ "POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1904. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  34. ↑ "General News PRESS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 5 Jul 1954. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  35. ↑ "Silver Jubilee of N.Z. Womens Institute NORTHERN ADVOCATE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 Jul 1946. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  36. ↑ "Minute book, Rissington Country Women's Institute". MTG Hawkes Bay. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  37. ↑ "Kaweka Hawke's Bay Heritage Trail 1" (PDF). Hastings District Council. Sep 2003.
  38. ↑ "£13,900 From Golden Kiwi PRESS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 Apr 1964. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  39. ↑ "Omatua Girl Guide Camp". knowledgebank.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  40. ↑ "DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. DISCHARGED SOLDIERS SETTLEMENT". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 31 Mar 1925. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  41. ↑ "APPROPRIATIONS CHARGEABLE ON THE PUBLIC WORKS FUND AND OTHER ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31st MARCH, 1927". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  42. ↑ "SA1 Dataset Census 2018". datafinder.stats.govt.nz. 2018. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  43. ↑ "DAILY TELEGRAPH". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 Sep 1884. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  44. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY COUNTY COUNCIL. HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 Nov 1885. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  45. ↑ "Cyclopedia of New Zealand, The". knowledgebank.org.nz. p. 149. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  46. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY COUNTY COUNCIL. HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 Jan 1885. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  47. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY COUNTY COUNCIL. HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 Sep 1886. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  48. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY COUNTY COUNCIL. HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 Sep 1887. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  49. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY-COUNTY COUNCIL. HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 22 Apr 1890. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  50. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 27 Sep 1888. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  51. ↑ "HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 25 Mar 1893. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  52. ↑ "STORM AND FLOOD. HASTINGS TRIBUNE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 4 Aug 1916. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  53. ↑ "DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY (ANNUAL REPORT ON)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1898. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  54. ↑ "THE DELUGE. WAIPAWA MAIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 Mar 1924. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  55. ↑ "Mangaone Stream bridge at Rissington, under construction". National Library of New Zealand. 1929-01-01. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  56. ↑ "Rissington residents fearing third flooding call for stopbank". RNZ. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  57. ↑ "Rissington Bridge strengthening". www.hastingsdc.govt.nz. 2 Nov 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  58. ↑ Schwanecke, Gianina (23 February 2023). "Cyclone Gabrielle: The dirt bridge that reunited a tiny flood-hit community". Stuff.
  59. ↑ "Rissington reconnected by Bailey bridge". Downer NZ Site. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
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