30 years of Tararua

Longtime Pahiatua resident Jean Eddie said her town had always felt a bit like ‘‘piggy-in-the-middle’’ as far as its identity was concerned but having the stability of a council boundary had helped define the wider region.

‘‘This area has changed. One time we were North Wairarapa and Woodville was southern Hawke’s Bay. Those of us that have lived here and known the former set-up, it’s taken us a while to adjust.’’

Though there were advantages to having a larger council there were also disadvantages, because representation wasn’t as local.

‘‘Each town had its borough council and it had county council. Like with any amalgamation there was always opposition. We were individual towns and we were known as the Bush district,’’ Eddie said.

Woodville author and public relations consultant Paula McCool said they had a close association with Palmerston North as many Woodville people worked in the city.

She believed the town was in the ideal spot because they also had great access to Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay.

‘‘I’ve always felt like we were in the centre, but I didn’t think we were really attached to any one place.’’

She believed a place’s sense of identity was something that evolved naturally and was not dependent on branding or council boundaries.

‘‘I’ve always thought Tararua was an extremely stupid name. I know it’s supposed to be a combination of the Tararua ranges and the Ruahine ranges but it actually just sounds like Tararua, which is a block of cheese."

Home to around 18,000 people and 4360 square kilometres, Tararua is one of the more sparsely populated North Island districts.

The local authority was determined to make a big effort for its 30th birthday this year, with celebrations culminating in a weekend of events in November to mark the Tararua District Council’s inaugural meeting.