Eltham

The town is home to several significant employers, including ANZCO Foods’ Riverlands beef-processing plant and Fonterra’s Mainland facility, which has long been associated with specialty cheese production and processing. Eltham also has a strong sporting community, with rugby, athletics, golf and a range of other clubs and activities available.

Just 12km east of the township is the beautiful Rotokare Scenic Reserve, a 230-hectare predator-fenced sanctuary surrounding the 17.8-hectare Rotokare Lake. The reserve is an important haven for native wildlife and provides walking tracks, birdlife and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.

Eltham is also rich in heritage, with many historic buildings throughout the township. An interesting claim to fame is Bridge Street, which became New Zealand’s first tar-sealed street in 1906.

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.