Kōpuaranga

Kōpuaranga, previously called Dreyerton, is a rural locality.[1] in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand's North Island, between Masterton and Mauriceville.

Etymology

The name Kōpuaranga comes from Māori words meaning 'deep hole' and 'shoal of fish'.[2]

History

The area was a temporary camp used by Scandinavians who had been brought in to clear and settle the Seventy Mile Bush, but could not take up their allotted land until it had been surveyed, and the area was thus known simply as The Camp[2] or The Scandinavian Camp,[3] the camp was officially closed on 31 December 1873, and an estimated 700 people had occupied the camp during its existence.

In 1876 a Post Office was opened, named Opaki, however the settlement's name was changed to Dreyerton[4] in 1881,[3] after Danish interpreter Alexander Svend Dreyer,[4] who had accompanied the pioneers and conceived the idea for a township.[5]

Dreyerton school was founded in 1885, and in 1897 the school had an average attendance of about forty.[6] One amusing incident during the school's history was the school committee election of 1889, which fell through when only the committee members arrived, and refused to vote for themselves.[5] The school was closed in 1975.

The name was changed to Kopuaranga in 1906, after the government assigned railway stations Māori language names. The Wellington Education Board then changed the name of the local school to match the station,[5] and the name of the settlement changed also. Kopuaranga railway station eventually closed in 1983. In December 2019, the approved official geographic name of the locality was gazetted as "Kōpuaranga".[7]

References
  1. "Place name detail: Kōpuaranga". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  2. "About the profile areas - Kopuaranga - profile.id". Profile.idnz.co.nz.
  3. "Photographic image of camp sign" (JPG). Farm4.static.flickr.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  4. "Masterton District- Registered Heritage Items (NZHPT Registration includes the whole premises) : Awamaru, 20 McKenna Street (RC II)" (PDF). Mstn.govt.nz. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  5. "Dreyerton/Kopuaranga School" (PDF). Wairarapaschoolhistory.co.nz. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  6. "Dreyerton - NZETC". Nzetc.victoria.ac.nz.
  7. "NZGB notices – December 2019". Land Information New Zealand. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.

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