Feilding

Feilding is a town in the Manawatū District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatū District Council. Feilding has won the annual New Zealand's Most Beautiful Town award 16 times. It is an Edwardian-themed town, with the district plan encouraging buildings in the CBD to be built in that style. Feilding is a service town for the surrounding farming district. The Feilding Saleyards has been a vital part of the wider Manawatū community for over 125 years. As transport systems improved and farming practices changed, the need for small, local saleyards all but disappeared, leaving few major selling complexes in New Zealand. Manawatū is a diverse and fertile farming area with high production, high stock-carrying capacity, and a stable climate. These factors make Feilding Saleyards a popular medium for many farmers. A unique aspect of Feilding Saleyards is their location in the centre of town. The Manawatū Plains, on which the town is sited, are very fertile land, and as such it is a prosperous agricultural area. Being located on the floodplain of a major river has its problems, however, and in February 2004 the town suffered extensive flooding. In 2009 the Horizons Regional Council commissioned a new flood protection scheme to prevent extensive flooding in the future.

Feilding is a town in the Manawatū District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatū District Council. Feilding has won the annual New Zealand's Most Beautiful Town award 16 times. It is an Edwardian-themed town, with the district plan encouraging buildings in the CBD to be built in that style. Feilding is a service town for the surrounding farming district. The Feilding Saleyards has been a vital part of the wider Manawatū community for over 125 years. As transport systems improved and farming practices changed, the need for small, local saleyards all but disappeared, leaving few major selling complexes in New Zealand. Manawatū is a diverse and fertile farming area with high production, high stock-carrying capacity, and a stable climate. These factors make Feilding Saleyards a popular medium for many farmers. A unique aspect of Feilding Saleyards is their location in the centre of town. The Manawatū Plains, on which the town is sited, are very fertile land, and as such it is a prosperous agricultural area. Being located on the floodplain of a major river has its problems, however, and in February 2004 the town suffered extensive flooding. In 2009 the Horizons Regional Council commissioned a new flood protection scheme to prevent extensive flooding in the future. ==History== ===European settlement=== The town was named after Colonel William H. A. Feilding, a director of the Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation Ltd. who negotiated the purchase of a 100,000 acre (400 km²) block of land from the Wellington provincial government in 1871. The first European settlers arrived from Great Britain on 22 January 1874¹. The Feilding Edwardian Project Inc. was established in September 1993¹ by local businesses with the aim of revitalising the central business area of Feilding. Many of the commercial buildings were built in the 1900s (Edwardian era) and have been restored and preserved over time. Feilding is home to a number of historic collections, buildings, monuments, and museums, including Archives Central, The Coach House Museum, St Johns Church, Feilding Club, Feilding Hotel, and Feilding & Districts Steam Rail Society. ===Marae=== Feilding has two marae, connected to the iwi of Ngāti Kauwhata: Aorangi Marae and its Maniaihu meeting house; and Kauwhata Marae or Kai Iwi Pā and its Kauwhata meeting house. In October 2020, the Government committed $1,248,067 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Kauwhata Marae and 5 others, creating 69 jobs. ==Economy== Employing about 30 people with a payroll of $1.5m in 2015, Proliant, an Iowa based firm privately held by the father and son team of Wally and Nix Lauridsen, constructed a $24m factory on the outskirts of Feilding for the production of a byproduct from cattle blood plasma, bovine serum albumin (BSA), which is used in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical research. Proliant produces about half of the world's BSA. In the Manawatū District of the people aged 15 years or over: 40% earn $20,000 or less (NZ 38.8%) 14% earn more than $50,000 (NZ 16.2%) the unemployment rate is 3.8% (NZ 7.3%) 73.4% of permanent private dwellings are owned with or without a mortgage by the occupant(s) (NZ 66.9%) ==Education== All the schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of ===Secondary schools=== Feilding High School, commonly known as "FAHS" from the time when it was "Feilding Agricultural High School", is a state secondary (years 9–13) school with a roll of . It was established in 1921¹ as Feilding Technical High School, replacing Feilding District High School ( ). It later became Feilding Agricultural High School. It was renamed FAHS - Feilding High School in 2001. ===Primary and intermediate schools=== Feilding Intermediate School is a state intermediate (years 7–8) school with a roll of . It was established in 1964¹. Lytton Street School is a state contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of . It was established in 1901¹. In 1937 Makino Road school closed and its 50 pupils were bussed to Lytton Street. Makino had been established in 1886¹ and its building was moved to Bluff Road, Rangiwahia. Manchester Street School is a state contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of . It was established in 1874. North Street School is a state full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of . It opened in 1958. St Joseph's School is a Catholic integrated full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of . It opened in 1906. Taonui School, located south-east of the Feilding township, is a state full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of . It opened in 1879. ==Notable people== Notable people from Feilding include: Murray Ball, kiwiana cartoonist who drew Footrot Flats Jed Brophy, actor, Dwarf Nori in The Hobbit trilogy Air Marshal Sir Charles Roderick Carr, KBE, CB, DFC, AFC, was born in Feilding and attended a primary school there Eddie Durie was born in Feilding Mason Durie, was born in Feilding Keith Elliott, recipient of the Victoria Cross medal, attended high school in Feilding Mihingarangi Forbes, journalist Sarah Hirini, New Zealand women's national rugby union team and sevens team Perry Harris, All Black and Manawatu rugby representative Hinerangitoariari, artist Michael Houstoun, concert pianist Glen Jackson, rugby union player and referee born in Feilding Sam McNicol, rugby union player, was born in Feilding W. H. Oliver, historian and poet, was born in Feilding Tom Scott, cartoonist Jesse Sergent, olympic cyclist Aaron Smith, All Black Glenn Standring, film director, was born in Feilding Barbara Stewart politician, New Zealand First member of Parliament Codie Taylor, All Black attended FAHS Simon van Velthooven, Olympic cyclist, America's Cup winner Adam Whitelock, New Zealand national rugby sevens team, attended FAHS George Whitelock, All Black, attended FAHS Luke Whitelock, All Black, attended FAHS Sam Whitelock, All Black, attended FAHS Peter Williams, attended FAHS Groups Evermore, popular musical group composed of Dann Hume, Jon Hume and Peter Hume ==See also== Feilding Old Boys Oroua Rugby Football Club ==References== ==External links== Official Feilding website

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1356635651 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.