Winton, New Zealand

Winton
Motto: 
The Heart of Southland
Map
Coordinates: 46°08′35″S 168°19′25″E / 46.14306°S 168.32361°E / -46.14306; 168.32361
CountryNew Zealand
RegionSouthland region
Territorial authorities of New ZealandSouthland District
WardOreti Ward
CommunityOreti Community
Settledc. 1861 by Thomas Winton
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial authoritySouthland District Council
 • Regional councilSouthland Regional Council
 • Mayor of SouthlandRob Scott
 • Southland MPJoseph Mooney
 • Te Tai Tonga MPTākuta Ferris
Area
 • Land3.08 km2 (1.19 sq mi)
Elevation
51 m (167 ft)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total2,550
 • Demonym
Wintonian
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)
9720
Area code03
Local iwiNgāi Tahu
Websitehttp://www.winton.co.nz

Winton is a rural town in Southland, New Zealand. It is located close to the east bank of the Ōreti River, 30 kilometres north of Invercargill and 50 kilometres south of Lumsden. The town is named after Thomas Winton, a local stockman who lived and farmed in the area in the 1850s. The district thrived with the development of sheep and fat-lamb farms in the early 1900s. Later, dairy farming became the staple economy, although the town has also seen sawmills, and flax and linen-flax industries.

Today, Winton is as an agricultural service town for local farmers and traders and as a stop-off for travellers on the InvercargillQueenstown highway. Its population is not declining, partly because farmers retire there, attracted by a climate that is warmer, drier and calmer than Invercargill or Southland’s coastal districts.[3] Population increases have also been driven by an influx of dairy workers who have migrated with their families from countries such as the Philippines and the Netherlands. Local businesses, worship centres and schools have welcomed the new community members.[4]

State Highway 6 passes through the town between Queenstown and Invercargill. State Highway 96, a regional highway, connects east to the town of Mataura and west to Ohai.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Area was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ Grant, David. "'Southland places - Central Southland'". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 2-Mar-09. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Southland town hit with influx of Filipino workers". 3 News. MediaWorks TV. Retrieved 10 April 2012.