Hastings, New Zealand

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Hastings Town Square

Hastings

Urban Zone	Population	61,700
Urban Zone	Extent	Clive to Pakipaki, Fernhill to Waimarama & Havelock North
Territorial Authority	Name	Hastings District
	Population	77,500
	Extent	Waikari River to Lake Poukawa, and east to the Kaweka Range; excluding area in Napier
	See also	Napier
Regional Council	Name	Hawke's Bay

Hastings City is a city in Hawke's Bay, close to the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is New Zealand's eighth biggest city.

Less than 20 kilometres separates the centres of Hastings City and Napier, and as such the two often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities". In local government terms, however, the two are considerably different. While Napier has a City Council, Hastings City's council lost its city status in 1989 when it was amalgamated with Havelock North, Waimarama and Clive, a set of other villages and a rural hinterland to form the Hastings City District. This has left Hastings with the much larger population of the two centres, with a 2001 population of 73,428.

The Hastings District is made up of three main centres - Hastings City, Flaxmere and Havelock North. These main centres are surrounded by 38 rural settlements including Clive and Bridge Pā. The whole of the Hastings District covers an area of 5229 square kilometres (2018 square miles) and has 1.8% of the population of New Zealand, ranking it 14th in size out of the 74 territorial authorities.

Hastings City, since the merger of the surrounding and satellite settlements, has grown to become the largest city in Hawke's Bay. Now the region's main centre of commerce, industry and trade, as shown by the ever-expanding skyline of multi-story office buildings in its centre, Hastings has grown rapidly with the help of the smart and tidy gridiron city planning system, crisscrossed by the railway line running north-south and the main east-west artery, Heretaunga Street, which also links the city with its suburban centres of Havelock North and Flaxmere.

Many Hastings residents work in the city, and the area is populated by middle-to-upper income families in some suburbs and areas, and then middle-to-lower income families in other areas, especially towards Camberley and Flaxmere.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Tourism
4 Returning to Former Glory
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The Māori owners leased approximately 70 square kilometres, in the Heretaunga Plains, to Thomas Tanner in 1867, Tanner had been trying to purchase the land since 1864. In 1870 12 people, called the "12 apostles", formed a syndicate to purchase the land for around 30 shillings (£1.50) an acre (£371/km²).

An early name for the town of Hastings was Hicksville, after a prominent local settler, Francis Hicks, who had purchased a 100 acre (0.4 km²) block from Tanner. Many locals also called the town Heretaunga. Tobias Hicks, Francis' nephew, opened a general store (site of the present day ANZ bank) in 1871, and in owning the store became the town's first post master. In 1873, Tobias, to entice business, offered to give the government a section of land for a railway station, he then offered 144 sections on a 100 acres (0.4 km²) for a town site, offering to sell the lots at 56 pounds per acre (£13,800/km²). Some residents were betting on Havelock North for the town site. In keeping with other local towns (such as Napier for Charles James Napier, and Clive for Robert Clive), in what seems to have been a political move to seal the deal, Hicks put forth the name Hastings, for that of a prominent statesman or soldier from Imperial India, Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of India. Hastings was thus chosen as the railway stop, and town, by the government.

The first train took the twelve-mile trip from Napier to the new Hastings station in 1874.

A big jump in the local economy occurred when Edward Newbigin opened a brewery in 1881. By the next year there were 195 freeholders of land in the town.

Vineyards and fruit growing were the first industries for Hastings. With around 600 people, the town was incorporated on 20 October 1886, as a borough.

In 1918 nearly 300 people died of a flu epidemic that swept Hawke's Bay.

Electricity came to Hastings in 1919.

93 people were killed in Hastings by the Hawke's Bay Earthquake of 03 February 1931, which destroyed or damaged almost every building in the town.

During World War II allied troops were billeted at the Army, Navy and Air Force (ANA) Club, and in private homes. 150 members belonging to 16 different local clubs packed supplies to be sent to allied soldiers.

[edit] Geography

Situated on the fertile, alluvial Heretaunga Plains, Hastings City is rather flat with no natural landmarks aside from the few rivers and streams which wind through the outer suburbs of the city. The local area is very productive, with orchards, farms and vineyards surrounding the city. Commonly referred to as the 'Fruit Bowl of New Zealand', the main industries are largely agricultural, with food processing plants and canneries being major local employers. Honey is also a well-known local product. A common New Zealand brand, 'Watties' (part of the Heinz-Watties group), is known for its well-known 'Watties Tomato Sauce'.

Hastings has a mediterranean climate, with over 2200 sunshine hours annually and an average rainfall of less than 800 mm (31.5 in). The city is one of the country's warmest annually and the hottest place in summer with New Zealand's highest January maximum average of 26 °C (79 °F): Alexandra 23.5 °C (74 °F); Christchurch 22.5 °C (73 °F). Because of its location 15 km (9 mi) inland, the sea breeze does not tend to have the same effect on Hastings' climate as it does on Napier's. It is not uncommon for the temperature to be over 30 °C (86 °F) on summer days. Hastings only received an official weather station in 2003, so high temperature readings prior to that are disputed. Some unofficial estimates show that it may have reached the national record of 42.4 °C (108.3 °F) during the 1973 heat wave. In winter, maximum highs of 17 °C (59 °F) are frequent, and occasionally the temperature will exceed 20 °C (68 °F) with northwest winds. Hastings' mediterranean climate brings dry weather which means humidity is low for farmers but often causes droughts in summer.

[edit] Tourism

Hastings is quite historic and is very welcoming of tourists, but due to its perceived lack of landmarks and its close proximity to the more picturesque Napier, with which it shares its Art Deco architectural theme, the city isn't seen as the region's major tourist destination. However, to beat the heat, Hastings City does have Hawke's Bay's largest amusement park, a large water park called 'Splash Planet' which replaced 'Fantasyland' near the turn of the millennium. This is a massive attraction in Hastings City and draws many people.

Hastings suffered similar to Napier in the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. However, because of the lesser damage by fire and more intact buildings, Hastings was able to regenerate faster, with many new businesses started in the town rather than in Napier. Both towns, though, gained a legacy from the disaster by rebuilding in the then-fashionable and highly distinctive Art Deco style, similar to that of Miami, FL, USA. Sadly, as commerce has improved in Hastings of late, resulting in the skyrocketing of land prices, many of these historic buildings are being demolished and replaced with modern, multi-storey office buildings.

[edit] Returning to Former Glory

By the end of the twentieth century, Hastings was a declining city, suffering economic downturn with industries and businesses closing or moving elsewhere. This decline had led to a poor image of Hastings by non-residents, choosing Napier for its beaches, hills, palm trees and waterways. However, after multi-million dollar regeneration projects and the employment of artists, Hastings has seen a change in its aesthetics, as well as in people's perspectives of the city. By reminding people that Hastings has custody over the rapidly-growing Havelock North, the city has had a slice of the growth, seeing businesses returning, and once abandoned shops being replaced with new bars, cafés, restaurants and shops. Along with the regeneration of the retail district, heightened commercial activity has led to the building of multi-storey office blocks in the city centre, marking Hastings as one of New Zealand's major commercial centres. With its renewed confidence, Hastings District Council has been exploiting the boom, promoting tourism around its thriving and accessible shopping district, and commissioning new works of art, sculptures and public buildings around the city, including the new Hawke's Bay opera house, due for completion in late 2006.