Eltham

Major employers in the 2000s were the ANZCO Foods Riverlands beef-processing plant and Fonterra’s Mainland factory, which manufactured specialty cheeses and processed and packaged products from the company’s other sites.

A 17.8-hectare lake 12 km east of Eltham, set in the 230-hectare Rotokare Scenic Reserve. In 2007 a pest-proof fence was built around the reserve and a programme was planned to re-introduce endangered native birds, reptiles and invertebrates.

History: Eltham was named after a village in Greenwich, England. Although european settlers began occupying nearby rural land from the late 1870s, the town was only established in 1884. Local businessman Charles Wilkinson had a major impact on the town both economically and politically.

In 1887 Chinese merchant Chew Chong established the Jubilee dairy factory, one of New Zealand’s first alongside the Waingongoro Stream, and in 1916 the New Zealand Co-operative Rennet Company was founded in the township.