Upper Moutere

Upper Moutere
Rural locality
Centre of village
Centre of village
Interactive map of Upper Moutere
Coordinates: 41°16′12″S 173°00′22″E / 41.270°S 173.006°E / -41.270; 173.006
CountryNew Zealand
Territorial authorityTasman
WardMoutere-Waimea Ward
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityTasman District Council
 • Mayor of TasmanTim King[3]
 • West Coast-Tasman MPMaureen Pugh[4]
 • Te Tai Tonga MPTākuta Ferris[5]
Area
[1]
 • Total
34.82 km2 (13.44 sq mi)
Population
 (2023 Census)[2]
 • Total
432
 • Density12.4/km2 (32.1/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (New Zealand Standard Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Postcode
7173

Upper Moutere (originally called Sarau by its founding German settlers) is a locality in the Tasman District near Motueka at the top of New Zealand's South Island.[6]

History

As early as 1839 the New Zealand Company had resolved to "take steps to procure German emigrants" and appointed a Mr Bockelman as agent of the Company in Bremen. In September 1841 the Company made an agreement in principle to sell the Chatham Islands to the Hamburg-based Deutsche Colonisation-Gesellschaft, but the British Government thwarted this move.

However, Lord Stanley, then the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, did agree to make the German colonists instant British subjects upon arrival in Nelson after being vetted in Hamburg first.

Most of the 140 German immigrants who arrived on the ship St Pauli in 1843[7] and formed the nucleus of the villages of Sarau (now known as Upper Moutere) and Neudorf. They were Lutheran Protestants with a small number of Bavarian Catholics.

The trip had lasted 176 days, during which time four young children had perished, seven couples had been joined in Holy Matrimony, one baby had been born and two passengers had jumped ship at a re-provisioning harbour. After a brief initial period of prosperity the inherent problems of lack of land and capital caught up with the Nelson settlements and they entered a prolonged period of relative depression. Organised immigration ceased until the 1850s and labourers had to accept a cut in their wages by one third. By the end of 1843 artisans and labourers began leaving Nelson and by 1846 a quarter of the immigrants had moved away.

Charles Kelling was in charge of the second German immigration ship to the Nelson region, the Skjold, which arrived in 1844. He moved to Sarau after first having established the village of Ranzau with his brother Fedor. Charles Kelling became a community leader in Sarau.[8] He represented the Moutere (1862–1869) and then the Waimea West (1869–1873) electorates on the Nelson Provincial Council.[9]

Sarau was renamed Upper Moutere as a result of the anti-German feeling aroused by the First World War.[10]

Demographics

Upper Moutere locality covers 34.82 km2 (13.44 sq mi)[1] It is part of the Moutere Hills statistical area.[11]

Historical population of Upper Moutere locality
YearPop.±% p.a.
2006372—    
2013390+0.68%
2018408+0.91%
2023432+1.15%
Source: [2][12]
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Moutere Inn

Upper Moutere had a population of 432 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 24 people (5.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 42 people (10.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 210 males, 222 females, and 3 people of other genders in 153 dwellings.[13] 3.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 72 people (16.7%) aged under 15 years, 48 (11.1%) aged 15 to 29, 213 (49.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 108 (25.0%) aged 65 or older.[2]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 96.5% European (Pākehā); 6.9% Māori; 0.7% Pasifika; 2.1% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.2%, Māori by 2.1%, and other languages by 11.1%. No language could be spoken by 1.4% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 30.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.[2]

Religious affiliations were 20.8% Christian, 0.7% Hindu, 0.7% Islam, 2.8% Buddhist, 1.4% New Age, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 65.3%, and 6.9% of people did not answer the census question.[2]

Of those at least 15 years old, 111 (30.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 198 (55.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 57 (15.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 36 people (10.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 174 (48.3%) full-time, 66 (18.3%) part-time, and 9 (2.5%) unemployed.[2]

Upper Moutere statistical area

Upper Moutere statistical area, which includes Dovedale, Ngātīmoti and Woodstock, is west of the locality, and does not include it. It covers 445.94 km2 (172.18 sq mi)[14] and had an estimated population of 2,020 as of June 2025,[15] with a population density of 4.5 people per km2.

Historical population of Upper Moutere statistical area
YearPop.±% p.a.
20061,677—    
20131,830+1.26%
20181,962+1.40%
20231,971+0.09%
Source: [16][17]

The statistical area had a population of 1,971 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 9 people (0.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 141 people (7.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,002 males, 966 females, and 6 people of other genders in 753 dwellings.[18] 1.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 47.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 318 people (16.1%) aged under 15 years, 276 (14.0%) aged 15 to 29, 978 (49.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 396 (20.1%) aged 65 or older.[16]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 94.1% European (Pākehā); 8.2% Māori; 2.1% Pasifika; 1.5% Asian; 0.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.5%, Māori by 1.8%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 10.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 24.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.[16]

Religious affiliations were 19.9% Christian, 0.8% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 0.6% Buddhist, 0.9% New Age, 0.2% Jewish, and 0.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 66.5%, and 10.2% of people did not answer the census question.[16]

Of those at least 15 years old, 381 (23.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 903 (54.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 372 (22.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $31,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 129 people (7.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 768 (46.5%) full-time, 312 (18.9%) part-time, and 24 (1.5%) unemployed.[16]

Education

Upper Moutere School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[19][20] with a roll of 98 as of October 2025.[21] The first school in Upper Moutere opened in 1857. The current school opened in 1929, with the classroom from the first school moved to the current grounds in the 1940s. This classroom may be the oldest still in use in New Zealand.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 1 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. 7022649, 7022650 and 7022651. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Election results". Tasman District Council. 17 October 2025.
  4. ^ "West Coast-Tasman - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  5. ^ "Te Tai Tonga – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Place name detail: Upper Moutere". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  7. ^ Bade, James N. "Germans – Early settlements". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 November 2017. The first group of Germans arrived on the St Pauli in 1843, and founded the village of St Paulidorf in the Moutere valley, near Nelson. Bad flooding forced the abandonment of the village scarcely a year after it began, and now nothing remains but farmland. [...] Around 1850, some Germans returned to Moutere, this time settling further up the valley. Over the next 20 years, joined by a number of their compatriots, they established settlements at Sarau (now called Upper Moutere), Rosental (Rosedale) and Neudorf.
  8. ^ Lash, Max D. "Carl Friederich Christian Kelling". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  9. ^ Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 213.
  10. ^ "The History of the Moutere Inn" (PDF). p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Geographic Boundary Viewer". Stats NZ. Statistical Area 1 – 2023 and Statistical Area 2 – 2023.
  12. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. 7022649, 7022650 and 7022651.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  15. ^ "Subnational population estimates - Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Upper Moutere (300900). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Upper Moutere (300900). 2018 Census place summary: Upper Moutere
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "Upper Moutere School Official School Website". uppermoutere.school.nz.
  20. ^ "Upper Moutere School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  21. ^ "Upper Moutere School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  22. ^ "Our History". Upper Moutere School. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
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