Otago
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Otago [pronunciation] is a region of New Zealand in the south-east of the South Island. It measures approximately 32,000 km² (12,350 mi²) in area, making it the second-largest region. In the 2001 census it had a population of 181,542.
The Otago Settlement, sponsored by the Free Church of Scotland, materialised in March 1848 with the arrival of the first two immigrant ships from Greenock on the Firth of Clyde -- the John Wickliffe and the Philip Laing. Captain William Cargill, a veteran of the Peninsular War, served as the colony's first leader: Otago citizens subsequently elected him to the office of Superintendent.
Initial settlement concentrated on port and city, then expanded, notably to the south-west, where the fertile Taieri Plains offered good farmland. The 1860s saw rapid commercial expansion after Gabriel Read discovered gold at Gabriel's Gully near Lawrence, and the Central Otago goldrush ensued. Veterans of goldfields in California and Australia, plus many other fortune-seekers from Europe, North America and China poured into the then Province of Otago, swamping its Scottish Presbyterian character. Further gold discoveries at Clyde and on the Arrow River round Arrowtown led to a boom, and Otago became for a period the cultural and economic centre of New Zealand, if not of Australasia. New Zealand's first daily newspaper, the Otago Daily Times, originally edited by Julius Vogel, dates from this period.
The Province of Southland separated from Otago and set up its own Provincial Council at Invercargill in 1861. After difficulties ensued, Otago re-absorbed it in 1870, but for local government purposes Southland is a separate region.
Provincial government in New Zealand ceased in 1876, and the national limelight gradually shifted northwards. The colony divided itself into counties in 1876, two in Otago being named after the Scottish independence heroes Wallace and Bruce.
Major centres include Dunedin, Oamaru (made famous by Janet Frame), Balclutha, and the tourist attractions Queenstown, Alexandra, and Wanaka. Kaitangata in South Otago provides a prominent coal source.
New Zealand's first university, The University of Otago, was founded in 1869 as the provincial university in Dunedin.
Central Otago area produces excellent quality wine made from the Pinot Noir grape.
The Otago electorate is currently represented in parliament by Jacqui Dean of the National Party.
See also
External links
- [Otago Daily Times Newspaper]
- [Otago Regional Council]
- [Otago Peninsula]
- [Otago Rugby Football Union]
- [Otago New Zealand,Everything about Otago]
- [Otago Polytechnic]
- [The University of Otago]
| Regions of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| North Island: | Northland | Auckland | Waikato | Bay of Plenty | Gisbourne¹ | Hawke's Bay | Taranaki | Manawatu-Wanganui | Wellington |
| South Island: | Tasman¹ | Marlborough¹ | Nelson¹ | West Coast | Canterbury | Otago | Southland | Fiordland² |
| Unitary authority>Unitary authorities ² Informal only; not an officially-recognised entity | |
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