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Tīnui

Coordinates: 40°52′40″S 176°04′20″E / 40.87778°S 176.07222°E / -40.87778; 176.07222
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Tīnui
Locality
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Interactive map of Tīnui
Coordinates: 40°52′40″S 176°04′20″E / 40.87778°S 176.07222°E / -40.87778; 176.07222
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWellington Region
Territorial authorityMasterton District
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityMasterton District Council
 • Regional councilGreater Wellington Regional Council
 • Mayor of MastertonBex Johnson[1]
 • Wairarapa MPMike Butterick[2]
 • Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MPCushla Tangaere-Manuel[3]
Area
[4]
 • Total
123.94 km2 (47.85 sq mi)
Population
 (2023 census)[5]
 • Total
150
 • Density1.2/km2 (3.1/sq mi)

Tīnui, also spelled Tinui and formerly spelled Tenui, is a small village approximately 40 kilometres from Masterton, in the Wairarapa, New Zealand. The name comes from the Māori words tī, cabbage tree, and nui, many.[6]

History

Settlement

The land between the Whareama and Tīnui Rivers was purchased by the Crown from the Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne iwi in the mid-1850s.[7] The settlement was founded in the 1860s[8] and by the 1870s the small town contained churches, a school, a post office and other public buildings, as well as businesses such as blacksmiths and saddlers, cake shops and hotels.[7] The post office and general store buildings, built in 1878, survive to the present day.[9]

The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd opened in 1902. The church was moved from its original site on Manawa Road to Blackhill Road in 2019 due to the ongoing flood risk.[7] The building was restored and ownership transferred from the Anglican Diocese of Wellington to the Tīnui and Castlepoint Community Trust.[10]

Anzac memorial

It has often been reported that Tīnui held the first Anzac memorial service in the world. However, historian Neil Frances says evidence shows there were in fact hundreds of Anzac services that took place on April 25, 1916, all over New Zealand. According to Frances, the cross placed on the Tīnui Taipo on that day, along with a flagpole at Petone[11] are the first two memorials raised strictly to commemorate those who fell during the Gallipoli Campaign.[9]

On 25 April 1916, the local vicar led an expedition to place a large cross to commemorate the dead on Tīnui Taipo, a 360 m (1200 ft) high promontory behind the village. The Tīnui Taipo, also known as Mount Maunsell, is part of Tinui Station, which was owned by the Maunsell family, whose son fought at Gallipoli. The family of Private John Robert Dunn who died in the attack on Chunuk Bair at Gallipoli, also lived on the station.[12][13]

The original wooden cross was replaced by a metal one in 1965 and is a Category I Heritage New Zealand historic place.[13]

In 2006, the 90th anniversary was commemorated with a 21-gun salute fired by soldiers from Waiouru Army Camp. In 2009, the Air Force began promoting Tīnui as an alternative to travelling to Gallipoli. Veterans' Affairs Minister Judith Collins said of the promotion: "I would be delighted to see Tīnui become a place where people come to pay their respects and remember those who have fallen."[14] The centenary of the first service was marked in 2016 with a flyover during the service by four WWI aircraft from director Peter Jackson's Masterton-based collection.[15]

Flooding

Tīnui has been flooded often, as it is situated on the river flats next to the confluence of the Whareama River and the Tīnui River. The first recorded flood was in 1858, when water covered the river flats. In 1936, floods caused thousands of sheep to drown and floodwaters reached a depth of 450 mm inside the Tīnui Hotel. The 1991 floods devastated the village when 200 mm of rain fell over a 24-hour period, and the river flooded again in July 1992.[16][17]

The settlement was flooded again in February 2023 during Cyclone Gabrielle, when it was the worst-affected area in the Wairarapa, receiving three times as much rainfall as inland areas. Flood waters reached up to 400mm inside the school buildings.[18]

The historic Tinui Hotel building was relocated to Greytown in 2008 where it became a private residence.[19][20] The remaining building housing the Tinui Cafe and Bar was affected by the Cyclone Gabrielle flooding.[18]

Demographics

Tīnui locality covers 123.94 km2 (47.85 sq mi).[4] It is part of the Whareama statistical area.[21]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
2006159—    
2013153−0.55%
2018144−1.21%
2023150+0.82%
Source: [5][22]

Tīnui had a population of 150 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 6 people (4.2%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 3 people (−2.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 84 males and 66 females in 60 dwellings.[23] The median age was 42.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 30 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 24 (16.0%) aged 15 to 29, 66 (44.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 27 (18.0%) aged 65 or older.[5]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 88.0% European (Pākehā), 24.0% Māori, and 4.0% Pasifika. English was spoken by 98.0%, and Māori by 4.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 8.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.[5]

The sole religious affiliation given was 30.0% Christian. People who answered that they had no religion were 60.0%, and 8.0% of people did not answer the census question.[5]

Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (12.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 66 (55.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 36 (30.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3 people (2.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 66 (55.0%) full-time, 18 (15.0%) part-time, and 3 (2.5%) unemployed.[5]

Education

Tīnui School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students from the Mangapakeha, Tīnui, Annedale, Tīnui Valley, Whakataki, Castlepoint, and Mataikona areas.[24] It has a roll of 20 as of July 2026.[25]

The school opened in 1876 with a combination master's residence and boarding school on Manawa Road, before moving to its current Charles Street site in 1955.[26][27]

References

  1. ↑ "2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result" (PDF). Electionz. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "Wairarapa - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "Ikaroa-Rāwhiti – Official Result". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 1 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. 7022196. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Reed, A.W. (2002) The Reed dictionary of New Zealand place names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-790-00761-4.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. "Church of the Good Shepherd (Anglican) [Relocated]". New Zealand Heritage List. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  8. ↑ Schrader, Ben (2 March 2009). "Wairarapa places: Castlepoint". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Illya McLellan (10 January 2018). "Tinui retains small town identity thanks to Anzac tradition and community spirit". Sunday Star Times. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  10. ↑ Judson, Kate (25 April 2025). "Restored Tīnui church ready for its new owners". Wairarapa Times Age. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage (24 July 2024). "Petone railway station war memorial ! NZ History". NZ History. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Tīnui memorial cross". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Tinui ANZAC Memorial Cross Site". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  14. ↑ Katterns, Tanya (18 April 2009). "Tiny Tinui proposed as our 'new Gallipoli'". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  15. ↑ Harris, Caleb (25 April 2016). "Crowds gather to remember and reflect at centenary of first Anzac service in Tinui, Wairarapa". Stuff. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  16. ↑ Casey, C. (1996) After the rains came : The Tinui Flood of April 1991. Masterton District Library. ISBN 0-473-03793-9
  17. ↑ Pacey, Mark (11 July 2025). "Wairarapa Disasters: The 1991 Tinui flood". The Post. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Fuller, Piers (20 February 2023). "Cyclone Gabrielle: Tiny Wairarapa settlement 'truckin' on' after community rallies". Stuff. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "Tinui Hotel cleared to go to Greytown as dwelling". Wairarapa Times Age. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  20. ↑ "Former Tinui Hotel sold". Wairarapa Times Age. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  21. ↑ "Geographic Boundary Viewer". Stats NZ. Statistical Area 1 – 2023 and Statistical Area 2 – 2023.
  22. ↑ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. 7022196.
  23. ↑ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  24. ↑ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  25. ↑ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  26. ↑ "Court sessions, floods and epidemics: Tīnui School's colorful history exposed as it approaches 150-year anniversary". Wairarapa Times-Age Midweek. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  27. ↑ Schwanecke, Gianina (25 September 2026). "Country Life:150 years of Tinui School". RNZ. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
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