page_title: Taumarunui
section_title: 1900s
hierarchical_section_title: Taumarunui / History and culture / Timeline / 1900s
caption_attribution_description: English: Junction of the Whanganui and Ongarue Rivers at Taumarunui. Taken by William A Price between 1900 and 1930. Inscriptions: Inscribed - Photographer's title on negative -bottom left: Junct Wanganui &amp; Ongarue Rivers Taumarunui. 743. B. Quantity: 1 b&amp;w original negative(s). Physical Description: Dry plate glass negative Junction of the Whanganui and Ongarue Rivers at Taumarunui. Price, William Archer, 1866-1948 :Collection of post card negatives. Ref: 1/2-000791-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. natlib.govt.nz/records/22853819
context_page_description: Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of Turangi. It is under the jurisdiction of Ruapehu District and Manawatū-Whanganui region.
  Its population is 4,503, making it the largest centre for a considerable distance in any direction. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk railway.
  The name Taumarunui is reported to be the dying words of the Māori chief Pehi Turoa – taumaru meaning screen and nui big, literally translated as Big Screen, being built to shelter him from the sun, or more commonly known to mean – "The place of big shelter". There are also references to Taumarunui being known as large sheltered location for growing kumara.
  In the 1980s publication Roll Back the Years there are some details on how Taumarunui got its name. Extract: "According to Frank T Brown, who wrote in the Taumarunui Press in 1926, the name Taumarunui is closely connected with the arrival of and conquering of that portion of the King Country by the Whanganui River natives during the 18th century. ..
context_section_description: 1900 – town-to-be reportedly held only 13 European males. Another report said 40 or 50 members of Ngāti Hau and Mr Bell.
  1901 – Railways line joining Te Kuiti to Taumarunui opened.
  1903 – Railway line passes through Taumarunui, and Taumarunui Railway Station opened on 1 December 1903 and Matapuna on 22 June 1903.
  1904 – First European child is born in township.
  1904 – £10,000 houseboat built then floated to Ohura river junction. In 1927 this is transferred down river to Retaruke River junction where it was destroyed by fire in 1933.
  1906 – Native town council set up: Hakiaha Tawhiao, J.E.Ward (Interpreter), J.Carrington. E.W.Simmons, A.J.Langmuir (Chairman), J.E.Slattery.
  1906, 14 Sep – First issue of the Taumarunui Press.
  1907 – First hospital erected, 5 beds.
  1908–09 – North Island Main Trunk opened to through Auckland-Wellington trains from 9 November 1908, with the first NIMT express trains from 14 February 1909.
  1908–11 William Thomas Jennings elected Member of Parliament for Taumarunui electorate
  1910 – Borough of Taumarunui proclaimed.
  1910 – Kaitieke Co-op Dairy Co. formed.
  1910 – George Henry Thompson defeated Rev John E. Ward (166 to 143 votes) to become the first borough council mayor.
  1912 – Population: Males: 641; Females: 487 – Note: 1912 census did not include a count of Maori.
  1912 – Township started getting water supply from Waitea Creek, just south of Piriaka.  Project cost £13,000.  Pipeline 8 miles long.
  1913 – William Henry Wackrow – Mayor
  1913, 22 Jul – First reported cases of Smallpox in district.
  1911–14 Charles Wilson elected Member of Parliament
  1914 – Taumarunui gas supply begins
  1914–18 – World War I
  1914–19 – William Thomas Jennings re-elected Member of Parliament
  1915 – Taumarunui Hospital Board formed, 30 beds.
  1915 – Only a single car in town.
  1915–1917 – Mayor: G.S. Steadman.
  1916 – Census: 3,021 (Taumarunui & Manunui)
  1917 – Tuku Te Ihu Te Ngarupiki, Chief of Rangatahi, dies in Matapuna near Taumarunui aged 97.
  1917–1919 – Mayor: A.S. Laird.
  1919–1923 – Mayor: G.S. Steadman.
  1923–1925 – Mayor: C.C. Marsack.
  1924 – The Piriaka Power Station was built to supply electricity to Taumarunui.
  1925–1929 – Mayor: G.E. Manson.
  1928 – Four thousand bales of wool shipped down river
  1929–1944 – Mayor: Cecil Boles.
  1932 – Stratford–Okahukura Line completed.
  1939 – Hatricks's steamer ceased running, final section of the journey having been done by coach from Kirikau landing since 1927.
  1939–1945 – World War II
  1941 – Cosmopolitan Club established with Father Conboy as first president.
  1944–1947 – W.S.N. Campbell.
  1947–1953 – Mayor: D.H. Hall.
  1951 – Census: 3,220
  1952 – Kaitieke County and Ohura County amalgamated with Taumarunui County.
  1953–1956 – Mayor: David C. Seath – later Member of Parliament for the King Country
  1956 – Mayor: Frank D. House – later Taumarunui High School governor.
  1956 – Census: 3,341
  1961 – Census: 4,961
  1962 – The King Country Electric Power Board commissioned its Kuratau Power Station.
  1966 – 1 October, 6:00pm – King Country Radio 1520AM with the call sign 1ZU first broadcasts from Taumarunui.
  1968 – N.Z. Sportsmen's dinner – attended by Fred Allen, Peter Snell, Waka Nathan, Colin Meads, Bob Skelton, Taini Jamieson, Tilley Vercoe, Ivan Grattan, Bill Wordley, Don Croot, Trevor Ormsby, Hine Peni and Sonny Bolstad.
  1971 – Additional generator to the Piriaka Power Scheme
  1976, Oct 4 – Daniel Houpapa shot by Armed Offenders Squad after he fires at an officer
  1981 – Census: 6,540, Full-time in labour force: 2,727
  1986 – Census: 6,468, Full-time in labour force: 2,514
  1988 – Taumarunui District Council formed.
  Town Mayors immediately prior to 1988 include: Charles Binzegger, Les Byars and Terry Podmore.
  1989, Nov 1 – Taumarunui District Council merged into Ruapehu District Council.
  1991 – Census: 6,141, Full-time in labour force: 1,935
  1996 – Census: 5,835, Full-time in labour force: 1,438
  1997/98 – AFFCO Holdings freezing works closes.
caption: Junction of the Whanganui and Ongarue River
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