Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/Week 12, 2006

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Plymouth is the port and main city in the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The area where New Plymouth was founded had been the home for several Maori iwi for centuries. The ship William Bryant arrived in 1840 to disembark the first of the European settlers. The newcomers found it easy to purchase land at first, but as the years passed more and more Maori-owned fertile farming land was wanted. Many Maori were not interested in selling and this led to ten years of war in the area - see First Taranaki War and Second Taranaki War.

The city is a service centre for the region's principle economic activities including intensive pastoral activities (mainly dairy farming) as well as oil, gas and petrochemical exploration and production. New Plymouth is also a bustling financial centre as the home of the Taranaki Savings Bank. The population is about 49,000. Notable features are the excellent botanic gardens, a controversial 45 m high artwork called the wind wand designed by Len Lye, and the picturesque views of Mount Taranaki.