nelson city

Events In History

Biography
Jane Atkinson

Pioneer, writer, and the first Pākehā woman to climb Mt Taranaki.

Read more...
Edward Stafford

Edward Stafford was New Zealand's youngest leader and a stable influence on the early colonial government. He held the post of premier on three different occasions - 1856 - 1861, 1865 - 1869, and 1872.

Read more...
Charles Monro

The man credited with introducing rugby to New Zealand is the Nelson-born Charles Monro.

Read more...
Thomas Brunner

Thomas Brunner’s exploits in the north and west of the South Island between 1846 and 1848 were the greatest single piece of overland exploration in New Zealand's European history.

Read more...

Articles

Regional rugby

  • Regional rugby

    The passion and parochialism of provincial rugby has helped give the game a special place in New Zealand’s social and sporting history. Read brief histories, highlights and quirky facts about each of New Zealand's 26 regional rugby teams.

    Read the full article

  • Page 22 - Tasman rugbyHistory and highlights of rugby in the Tasman

Nelson is the largest urban area in the upper South Island, positioned on the shores of Tasman Bay. The site of the city was chosen in 1841 as it had the best harbour in the region – Nelson Haven – and was close to the fertile Waimea Plains. Māori have lived in the region since the 1300s, and knew the area that is now Nelson city as Whakatū. In 1858 Nelson became a city when Queen Victoria made it the seat of an Anglican bishop. Yet it had just over 5,000 people, and cattle still wandered the streets. Nelson grew very slowly from the 1860s until the 1950s, when population growth increased and new suburbs developed.

Meaning of place name
As Wellington had been named on honour of Britain's most famous soldier, the New Zealand Company felt it was fitting to call the settlement across the strait by the name of her most famous sailor - Vice-Admiral The Viscount Nelson.