Menu
Mead
Description
NameMead
DescriptionThe settlement of Mead on the north bank of the Rakaia River was originally a subdivided part of the Haldon Run, purchased by the Government in 1909 as part of the 1900 Lands For Settlement Consolidation Act, to be subdivided into smaller farms. A ballot was held in December 1902, the first settlers moved in soon after, in 1903, and the school was opened on 1 June 1907 with a roll of 16 children. There would be 24 by the end of that year. It closed in 1968, with a roll of seven. The Mead Community Centre opened in the Domain in 1956.
The weather has played a large role in the lives of Mead residents. Rain from the nor'west combined with the spring thaw in the Alps can bring the Rakaia River into flood very quickly. The 'Mother of All Wind-Storms' blew through on 1 August 1975. Snowstorms occurred in 1945 and 1992. In 1952 the area was ravaged by fire, which required the help of 200 firefighters and eight appliances, resulting in the formation of the Mead Fire Unit (now disbanded).
Mead is now a thriving farming community, with the development of the dairy industry in the district.Date Established1903
DescriptionThe settlement of Mead on the north bank of the Rakaia River was originally a subdivided part of the Haldon Run, purchased by the Government in 1909 as part of the 1900 Lands For Settlement Consolidation Act, to be subdivided into smaller farms. A ballot was held in December 1902, the first settlers moved in soon after, in 1903, and the school was opened on 1 June 1907 with a roll of 16 children. There would be 24 by the end of that year. It closed in 1968, with a roll of seven. The Mead Community Centre opened in the Domain in 1956. The weather has played a large role in the lives of Mead residents. Rain from the nor'west combined with the spring thaw in the Alps can bring the Rakaia River into flood very quickly. The 'Mother of All Wind-Storms' blew through on 1 August 1975. Snowstorms occurred in 1945 and 1992. In 1952 the area was ravaged by fire, which required the help of 200 firefighters and eight appliances, resulting in the formation of the Mead Fire Unit (now disbanded).
Mead is now a thriving farming community, with the development of the dairy industry in the district.
Date Established1903Image
Connections
Attribution
Researched ByGeorge SingletonWritten ByGeorge SingletonTaken Fromp.228 - 233 of Ellesmere: The Jewel in the Canterbury Crown (1993)
Written ByGeorge SingletonTaken Fromp.228 - 233 of Ellesmere: The Jewel in the Canterbury Crown (1993)loading google map....
Mead. Selwyn Stories, accessed 18/06/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5431