Eltham is a small inland town in South Taranaki, New Zealand, located south of the city ofNew Plymouth and southeast of the volcanic cone of Mount Taranaki/Egmont. Stratford is north, Kaponga13 km west, and Hāwera is south. State Highway 3 runs through the town. Eltham is South Taranaki's second largest town. The population was 1941 in the 2013 Census, a decrease of 42 from 2006. Eltham is known as the cradle of the Taranaki dairy industry, and for being the one place in New Zealand that manufactured rennet which is important in cheesemaking. It was also the first place to export butter to England.
History
European settlement began in Eltham in the 1870s, with blocks of densely forested land being taken up mainly to the north of Mountain Road. A profusion of sawmilling companies cleared the district which, when grassed, proved ideal for dairy farming. In 1884, the year Eltham was declared a town district, settlers, mainly from England, arrived there and the town had a population of 25. Eltham was declared a borough in 1901, and became part of South Taranaki District with the local body amalgamations of 1989. High Street and Bridge Street, were the first tar-sealed roads in New Zealand.
Industry
The town's main industry is cheese production, with much of Mainland Cheese's speciality range such as feta and camembert being produced in the Bridge Street factory. Other cheese products such as the processed cheese used in many burgers are produced at the company's Collingwood Street site, formerly occupied by the Taranaki Co-operative Dairy Company's milk powder plant, but now extensively remodelled. Cheese has been used as a central symbol of the town, and to reinforce this view, the town's water supply tank was painted to represent a large block of cheese in 2002. Eltham's other significant industry is the ANZCO freezing works, which has a satellite plant in Bulls, in Manawatu. Both plants can process up to 1250 head of cattle daily.
The two main watercourses which run through Eltham itself are the Mangawharawhara Stream, and the Waingongoro River. The Mangawharawhara Stream runs to the east of the Main Trunk railway line, flows under the central business district via a culvert, and on past Eltham School and the Eltham Golf Club to the south of the town. The Waingongoro River forms a western boundary to the town itself, flowing through the Presbyterian Church campsite and Taumata Park and winding itself southwestward to meet the Tasman Sea at Ohawe Beach, near Hāwera. Eltham is also the gateway to Lake Rotokare, a scenic, natural lake surrounded by native bush, and to the man-made Lake Rotorangi.
Local administration
Eltham and the surrounding community enjoys a full library and council service. Services provided include being able to register your dog, pay your rates or inquire about obtaining a building permit. The LibraryPlus is also a NZ Post agency. Other services include a Tot Time for the under 5s and regular ‘coffee and blog’ meetings for locals to learn about new technologies in a friendly environment. The LibraryPlus also has three APN computers, offering free internet and Skype to the public.
Education
Eltham School is a coeducational full primary school, with a decile rating of 3 and a roll of 186. The school was founded in 1886.
