Ngaere
Ngaere
Coordinates: 39°23′25″S 174°17′58″E / 39.39028°S 174.29944°E / -39.39028; 174.29944
Country	New Zealand
Region	Taranaki
District	Stratford District

Ngaere is a village situated on State Highway 3, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Stratford, New Zealand.^[1][2] The name "Ngaere" means "swamp" in English, and before settlement, the area was covered by a vast and ancient wetland.

Ngaere Gardens, which once hosted a menagerie of exotic animals, was a popular picnic spot for early 20th century families. Several attempts at resurrecting the gardens have been to no avail. The gardens have now been cleared, and all that remains now is the large lake, and a number of mature exotic trees.

Another well-known landmark is the Ngaere dairy factory, founded in 1914. It produced its own brand of cheese called "Triumph". The Ngaere factory closed in 1973, after the Ngaere dairy cooperative merged into the Taranaki dairy cooperative.^[3] Since its closure, the factory has been put to many uses - as a clothing factory, an indoor cricket arena, a rave dance hall, and currently a saw mill.

Ngaere had a service station, which closed in the 1990s. The building has been put to a variety of uses, including as a brewery and a health shop. It is currently a motorcycle repair shop. "Fred's Place" is well known for its antiques.

Maori legend says that the Ngaere swamp was formed when Mt. Taranaki stopped and wept on its journey to its current resting place. Most of the swamp was drained in the early 20th century for dairy farming.

It has been speculated that Ngaere, which until 1934 was also spelt Ngaire,^[4] is the origin of the name Ngaire, a common girl's name in New Zealand.

Ngaere School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 8 and a roll of 138.^[5] The school was founded in 1882.^[6]

• Ngaere School website

• Carncross, Claude (1957). Ngaere School, 1882-1957: souvenir booklet: a history of the school and district. Ngaere, [N.Z.]; Eltham, [N.Z.]: 75th Jubilee Committee; Eltham Argus.
• Robinson, Alison (1982). The Ngaere story. Ngaere, [N.Z.]; New Plymouth, [N.Z.]: Ngaere Centennial Committee; Taranaki Newspapers.
• Robinson, Alison (1992). Finnerty Road School and the Lowgarth district. Lowgarth, [N.Z.]: Finnerty Road School 75th Jubilee Committee.

• The records of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Factory and Timber Company (which had a sawmill in Ngaere) can be found at "Puke Ariki". Archived from the original on 20 June 2008.. A summary of this holding may be seen at "New Plymouth Sash and Door Factory and Timber Company (C148)". Retrieved 10 January 2008.

• Slightly related to the above (in that it involves a sawmill) are the dissenting letters from residents of Cheal and Windsor Roads to the a train operated by Inglewood businessman Henry Brown and the local Ngaire Sawmills. The letters date from 1897. See "Stratford County Council (ARC2003-853)". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.

• Ngaire (Ngaere) Co-operative Dairy Factory Co., Ltd. (1953). Triumph, Ngaire (Ngaere) Co-operative Dairy Factory Co., Ltd., 1893-1953, cheese. Eltham, [N.Z.]: Eltham Argus.

• Architectural drawings for a curing room and accommodation house for the above company are housed within "Puke Ariki". Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. in New Plymouth. They date from 1929. See "Ngaire Co-operative Dairy Company Limited (ARC2003-1031)". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.

• Some of the papers of Alistair and Mary Dickson are held within "Puke Ariki". Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. in New Plymouth. The Dicksons farmed in the Ngaere district in the 1920s and 1930s. See "Dickson, Alistair and Mary (ARC2002-216)". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.

• Betteridge, Cyril (1999). From bondage to liberty: a collection of stories, gathered and bound into a single volume, which portray the heroism of the Pioneers in relation to the Johnson and Betteridge clans. New Plymouth, [N.Z.]: Cyril Betteridge.

• The oral historian Alison Robinson interviewed Bruce and Jenny Clarke in 1992. They talk about their farm, Jenny's experience as a teacher (at Finnerty Road School), and the district in general. The interview is held within "Puke Ariki". Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. in New Plymouth. See "(ARC2002-390)". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.

• The oral historian Alison Robinson interviewed Alf Willan in 1992. He talks about the district, Lowgarth, and the Lowgarth dairy co-operative (which later merged with the Ngaere Co-operative Dairy Company) The interview is held within "Puke Ariki". Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. in New Plymouth. See "Willan, Alf. S. (ARC2002-377)". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.

• A typed manuscript by local farmer Henry Arthur Wood (1873-1956) chronicled his life draining and farming swampy land in the Ngaere district. This document is held within "Puke Ariki". Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. in New Plymouth. See "Wood, Henry Arthur (ARC2002-412)". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.

• Carncross, Claude (1957). Ngaere School, 1882-1957: souvenir booklet: a history of the school and district. Ngaere, [N.Z.]; Eltham, [N.Z.]: 75th Jubilee Committee; Eltham Argus.
• Robinson, Alison (1992). Finnerty Road School and the Lowgarth district. Lowgarth, [N.Z.]: Finnerty Road School 75th Jubilee Committee.

• The oral historian Alison Robinson interviewed Jenny Clarke in 1992. Jenny talks about her experience as a teacher (at Finnerty Road School). The interview is held within "Puke Ariki". Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. in New Plymouth. See "(ARC2002-390)". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.

39°23′S 174°18′E / 39.383°S 174.300°E / -39.383; 174.300