# Inglewood, New Zealand

Inglewood is a town in the Taranaki Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of New Plymouth on State Highway 3, close to Mount Taranaki, and sits 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level. The town services a mainly dairy farming region.

## History

The settlement was founded in 1873 and was originally called Moatown. The name was then changed to Milton, before ultimately being renamed to Inglewood in 1875 to avoid confusion with Milton in the South Island.
The railway reached Inglewood in 1877, connecting it with New Plymouth as part of the first extension of what is now the Marton–New Plymouth line.
Until 1991, Inglewood was home to the Moa-Nui Co-operative Dairies factory (which was the fourth largest dairy factory in New Zealand) before it was shut down in favour of centralised processing near Hāwera.
From 1949 until the late 1980s, Inglewood was home to Fun Ho! Toys, a manufacturer of collectible die cast metal toys and one of New Zealand's largest toy companies. The factory shut down in 1987 but a museum in the town still exists with over 3000 toys on display.
Despite its small population, the town has gained notoriety from a string of violent crimes which tend toward the gruesome, bizarre and barbaric. A 2015 book by the anthropologist Michael D. Jackson refers to "Inglewood's violent past" and "the popular claim that Inglewood is the 'murder capital' and 'psychopathic centre' of New Zealand".
   Studies lend some support to this claim. While the national murder rate is about two per hundred thousand per annum, my hometown boasts a rate of twenty five per hundred thousand—not alarming by US standards (Inglewood, California has thirteen murders per thousand yet is safer than 25 percent of cities in the U.S.), but troubling for New Zealanders. It isn't just the discrepancy between the pastoral appearance of my hometown and its hidden history of violence that is so mystifying; it is the brutal and bizarre form that this violence takes.
A number of buildings are listed by Heritage New Zealand. The Railway Station and Yard is listed as Category I. The Shoe Store Building on the corner of Rata and Richmond Streets is one of eight listed as Category II.

### Marae

Te Kōhanga Moa Marae is located in Inglewood. It features the Matamua meeting house, and is affiliated with the Te Āti Awa hapū of Pukerangiora.
In October 2020, the Government committed $817,845 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade it and Muru Raupatu marae, creating 15 jobs.

## Demographics

Inglewood covers 3.18 km$^2$ (1.23 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 3,960 as of June 2024, with a population density of 1,245 people per km$^2$.
Before the 2023 census, the town had a smaller boundary, covering 2.94 km$^2$ (1.14 sq mi). Using that boundary, Inglewood had a population of 3,543 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 300 people (9.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 456 people (14.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,404 households, comprising 1,707 males and 1,836 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female. The median age was 38.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 741 people (20.9%) aged under 15 years, 654 (18.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,503 (42.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 648 (18.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 91.1% European/Pākehā, 14.4% Māori, 2.3% Pacific peoples, 2.5% Asian, and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 11.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 55.9% had no religion, 33.3% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.1% were Buddhist and 1.4% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 312 (11.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 738 (26.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 339 people (12.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,371 (48.9%) people were employed full-time, 414 (14.8%) were part-time, and 96 (3.4%) were unemployed.

## Education

Inglewood has a number of coeducational schools.
Inglewood High School is a secondary (years 9–13) school with a roll of 514. The school was established in 1957.
Inglewood Primary School and St Patrick's School are full primary (years 1–8) schools with rolls of 418 and 55, respectively. Inglewood Primary School was founded in 1875. St Patrick's is a state integrated Catholic school.
Rolls are as of November 2024.

## Notable people

Inglewood has produced four All Blacks (John Major, Handley Brown, Dave "Trapper" Loveridge, Chris Masoe), and a leading contemporary artist, Michael Stevenson, who represented New Zealand at the 2003 Venice Biennale.
Other notable people include:
* Fleur Beale (née Corney; born 1945), fiction writer
* Henry Brown (1842–1921), sawmiller and Member of the House of Representatives (1896–1899)
* Fiona Clark (born 1954), photographer
* Harry Kerr (1879–1951), athlete
* Margaret Sparrow (born 1935), medical doctor and reproductive rights activist
* Ben Hana a.k.a. Blanket Man (1957–2012), Wellington identity, famous for wearing only a blanket
* Bill Sullivan (1891–1967), politician