Wingatui

Wingatui
Settlement
Wingatui Railway Station and Signal Box
Coordinates: 45°52′37″S 170°23′06″E / 45.877°S 170.385°E / -45.877; 170.385
Country	New Zealand
Island	South Island
Region	Otago
District	Dunedin
Community board	Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board[1]
Electorates	Taieri Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Government
• Territorial authority	Dunedin City Council
• Regional council	Otago Regional Council
• Mayor of Dunedin	Jules Radich
• Taieri MP	Ingrid Leary
• Te Tai Tonga MP	Tākuta Ferris
Area [2]
• Total	6.84 km2 (2.64 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)[3]
• Total	1,030
• Density	150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Area code	03
Local iwi	Ngāi Tahu

Wingatui is a small settlement almost 15 kilometres west of Dunedin, and two kilometres east of Mosgiel. It has become a suburb of Mosgiel, but continues to maintain its own unique identity and heritage.

Known primarily for the historic Wingatui railway station and for the Wingatui Racecourse, Wingatui is home to a population of 1,030 as of June 2024.^[3]

Wingatui is one of the principal stops on the Taieri Gorge Railway, and is also the entrance point to the currently defunct Chain Hills Tunnel single track rail tunnel, which links Wingatui with the Dunedin suburb of Abbotsford to the east. Construction of the railway at Wingatui began in 1879.^[4] Local action groups are working with the Dunedin City Council in assessing the possibility of refurbishing and re-opening the disused tunnel to cycle and pedestrian traffic.^[5]

Wingatui is home to several lifestyle blocks, the owners of many of which keep horses and are associated with the horse racing industry. On race days, trains from Dunedin are known to carry several hundred racegoers ^[6] through to Wingatui railway station for races.