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Rongotea is a small rural township in the Manawatu District of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region. Located on the western Manawatu Plains, approximately 19 km (12 mi) northwest of the region's main city, Palmerston North.
Like most of the small settlements around the Manawatu, Rongotea is surrounded by dairy farms and the township serves as the service centre.
The township is served by Rongotea School which serves students years 1-8. There are no secondary schools in Rongotea, so secondary students travel to Palmerston North by bus to get to school. Glen Oroua school is also nearby.
In the late 1860s, the Government put the Carnarvon Block up for sale, along with the neighbouring Sandon Block. Two businessmen from Otago, the Hon Robert Campbell and John Douglas, bought the 21,400 acre “Oroua Downs Estate” in the Carnarvon Block. The land, having been declared a special settlement area was by contract compelled to settlement of at least 70 families. The result was Campbelltown, based on a central square (named Douglas). Later, due to many other settlements in New Zealand called Campbelltown, the township's name was changed to Rongotea. The Manawatu County Council chose this name as it meant "Peaceful place", although local tangata whenua Ngāti Rangitāne claim the name recalls a local respected chief.
Historic information:
Rongotea, formerly Campbelltown, is a lovely farming centre, some eighteen miles north-east of Foxton, and about six miles from Carnarvon on the Foxton Tramway, and a similar distance west of Palmerston North. It is on the Oroua River, and is a portion of the Oroua Downs Estate. The town itself is prettily laid out and well situated, and the roads are named after English Rivers:
The land being chiefly occupied by dairy farmers, who are fairly prosperous. The creamery and butter factory of the town is jointly owned by the suppliers, who manage the concern so well that they are enabled to get three pence per gallon for all the milk they can supply. Rongotea has a post and telephone office, with moneyorder, postal-note, and post-office savings bank, and daily mails, a public State school, and four churches—the English, Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist, and Roman Catholic. The communication from Foxton, Palmerston North, Greatford, Sanson, and Longburn, is by mail coach. There is a fairly good boardinghouse, but no hotel. The products of the district are wool, grain, butter, and cheese. Rongotea is in the County and Electorate of Manawatu.
The Rongotea Public School, which was opened in 1881. The playground consists of six acres, and is divided into three paddocks.
The Rongotea Dairy Factory was established in 1893, and was acquired by the present Company in 1895. A large quantity of milk is put through the factory, and it is anticipated that the amount treated for the season 1896–97 will be 720,000 gallons, producing 310,000 lbs. of butter. The factory's brand for pat butter is “Makino” and for bulk butter “Milkmaid”. The suppliers number sixty.
Rongotea Pioneer Families - Information gathered from the book "Campbelltown Rongotea" by Vera Hunt, ISBN 978-0-473-18152-9, published 2011
Hammond, Henry: (1840-1907) (p197)
Hammond, Matthew (1809-1876) Arrived in NZ on SS George Fyfe in 1842 with his wife Amelia and his brother Richard and his wife Amelia
Hammond, Richard (1815-1889) Arrived in NZ on SS George Fyfe in 1842 with his wife Amelia and his brother Matthew and his wife Sarah.
Cockburn, John ( Came to NZ on the Ashburton arriving in 1858 with his wife Isabella and children: Alexander married Christina Sutherland, their daughter Catherine Jane married Ernest Walter Tompkins, Son of John Tompkins Helen Nichol married Henry Hammond James Robinson married Sarah Creighton Catherine Murray married ? Smith
Baker, John (P199) came to NZ on the SS Golden Sea in 1874 with his wife Charlotte and 2 children. The Gore family of Henry and his wife Emily (nee Wiggins) and 3 children were on the same sailing. The Baker children were: Amina married John Mudford (refer Mudford family) Rowland Verona Grace Ernest Wilfred Walter Stanley
Hintz, August and his wife Emily from Germany (p 199) are buried in the Rongotea cemetery. They bought sections 248 and 249 on Banks Road North from the Duker family. Three sons were killed in action in WWI. Son Arthur married Louisa Stern, daughter of Christian Stern
Foster, Simon: Simon purchased 28 acre block on Hammond Road from John Cockburn.
Feildhouse, Herbert: married Irene Palmer. Herbert was re-allotted two sections as a returned serviceman of WWI on SH1, section 24s and 25s. These two sections were originally allotted to A Coward and ER Quinlan.
Tew, George (p202) was granted section 22s and 23s on return from WWI (behind section 20s on SH1)
Waugh, Donald farmed on section DP 661 on SH1
Clark, Henry Lewis: (p202) In 1904-06 Henry leased 81 acres on Coupers Line, extension of Sansons Road (Block 11 lot 108), currently owned by Mervyn and Rea Craw. Theire children: Thomas John (Jack) married Maude Vallender, daughter of Lon and Ethel Vallender of Kellow Road Nellie married William Bottcher Elizabeth married Albert (Mick) Bottcher Alice married Charles Donovan and had a son Harry, then married William Gust
Claasen, John Henry William, he maried Annie Harvey, he purchased section Pt 48 and 49 on the corner of Tompkins Line and Kaimatarau Road. (P203)
Mossop, John (Jack): came to Rongotea to work for the Hams milking 80-90 cows by hand on their farm on Kellow Road (Tompkins Line). Jack married Susan Vallender. Their son Jack Mossop Jnr married Hazel Angus, the eldest daughter of Noel and Vera(nee Richards-Reed) Angus of Kaimatarau Road (Vera being the elder sister of Louisa Barnaby, nee Richards-Reed).
Stern, Wilhelm (William) and Wilhelmina (Minnie), farmed on the corner of Jones and Leens Lines in a 2 story house, the farm often flooded and the family were forced upstairs. the farm was later owned by William Bottcher. their family was Christian married Auguste Gust (daughter of August and Ottillie Gust) and bought section 20 on Longburn Road. daughter Louisa married Arthur Hintz, William married Vera Pearl Claasen John, moved to Shannon
Arnott, Eric: Arnott & Sons builders
Bower, Reginald and wife Maud (nee Anthony). Daughter Mary Bower married Frederick Landers who was storekeeper in partnership with his brother Albert in Rongotea (Landers Brothers).
Bottcher Johann : purchased 3 section on Banks Line 30, 31, 32
Nolan, John : was born in Bulls in 1882 (p208)
Cleaver, Alfred Ebbels : can to NZ in 1874 and married Caroline Humphrey. Their eldest daughter Una married Edward Pedley of Kaimatarau Road.
Arnold, Albert James: (p209) came to NZ on the SS Mataura in 1877, he purchase section 20, 119 acres, on the Longburn Road. Daughter Sarah Arnold married John Glover Snr.
Canning, James: General Storekeeper, Postmaster, and Telegraphist, Campbelltown North. Mr. Canning is a native of Ireland, and came to New Zealand per ship “Martaban,” landing in Auckland. Mr. Canning established the general store business in 1886. The premises comprise a wood and iron building of one story, erected on freehold land, which was built for the purposes of the business, and affords about 1500 square feet of floor space. The trade extends to all parts within a radius of ten miles. Mr. Canning was agent for the Standard Insurance Company and various colonial newspapers. He had considerable commercial experience in the Colony, and while resident in Auckland was for two years in the colonial militia. James took over the Post Office and Telegraph Office providing the services of money orders, postal notes and Post Office savings bank plus daily mail.
Glover, John: Married Sarah Maria Arnold, sister Albert Arnold, butcher in Rongotea). John Farrier and General Blacksmith, Rongotea. Established 1890.
Alderson, Martin: Butcher, Rougotea. Established 1885 and conducted by present proprietor since 1894.
Darragh, William: General Storekeeper, Rongotea. Established 1893.
Hickford, Abner: Coach Proprietor, Carrier and Commission Agent, Rongotea. Established 1890.
Buchanan, Neil (1828-1915): Farmer, Rongotea. Born at Loch Awe, Argyllshire, Scotland, in 1831. Mr. Buchanan passed his early years in his native district, and joined the 92nd Regiment of the Gordon Highlanders when under sixteen years of age, serving with that regiment for the next five years in Ireland, during the Smith-O'Brian troubles. On receiving his discharge he went to America, but, returning to Scotland, joined the police force at Glasgow, serving two years. He then joined the Liverpool police, and served three years. Emigrating to Now South Wales, he was with the police force in that colony for five years. He then tried his luck at gold-digging, with variable success. On the breaking out of the New Zealand War, Mr. Buchanan joined as a volunteer and crossed the Tasman Sea. Having received a grant of land at Hamilton East for military service, he settled there with his family, but soon afterwards proceeded to the goldfields of the West Coast of the South Island. After a short stay he returned to Hamilton, and once more tried his luck on the Thames diggings, prospecting and working for ten years. He subsequently came to Wellington, and at a later date to the Oroua Downs, where he took up his present holding in the Featherston Block. In 1853 Mr. Buchanan married Miss Anne Elizabeth Burke, of Liverpool, and had thirteen children, ten of whom are living, two sons and eight daughters, all being married except one. There are thirty-eight grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Edward married Jane Marsom, purchased section 5 on the corner of Hammond and Rongotea Roads Sarah married George William Blunden Jane married Andrew Campbell Agnes married Neil married Ellen Harriet Elizabeth Smith Catherine married Thomas Rowe Grace married Warren Innes Hunt (their daughter Mary Ellen married a Pedley) Margaret married Frederick William Thomas Jessie married Robert Martin Hunt Nellie (Mary Ellen) married Nicholas Rowe
Ransom, Vincent C: Settler, Rongotea. An early and prominent settler, Mr. Ransom arrived in the district in 1878, at a time when there were no roads. Though the country at that time was covered with dense bush, Mr. Ransom soon made his mark. This land is now cleared, fenced, subdivided, and covered with a thick sward of grasses, and supports a fine herd of dairy cattle. As settlement advanced Mr. Ransom took a prominent part in public affairs, and was chairman of the school committee, the county council, and the cemetery board, and is at present (1896) chairman of the dairy factory. He also took a leading part in securing Prohibition for the district. Born in London in 1852, Mr. Ransom came to the Colony in 1854, in the ship “Cornwall.” Landing at Wellington, he removed to the Hutt, where he was educated. In 1875 he married Miss Knight, of the Lower Hutt, and has six boys and three girls.