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|population_density_km2 = auto |population_urban = |population_demonym = Invercargillite |timezone = NZST |utc_offset = +12 |timezone_DST = NZDT |utc_offset_DST = +13 |postal_code_type = Postcode(s) |postal_code = 9810, 9812 |area_code = 03 |website = }} Invercargill ((マオリ語:Waihōpai))〔(List of Place Names – Māori Language Resources – Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori – Māori Language Commission )〕 is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town in the South Island. It sits amid rich farmland that is bordered by large areas of conservation land and marine reserves, including Fiordland National Park covering the south-west corner of the South Island, and the Catlins coastal region. Many streets in the city, especially in the centre and main shopping district, are named after rivers in Great Britain, mainly Scotland. These include the main streets Dee and Tay, as well as those named after the Forth, Tyne, Esk, Don, Thames, Mersey, Ness, Yarrow, Spey, and Eye rivers. The 2013 Census showed the population was 51,696, up 2.7% on the 2006 census number. ==History== Southland was a scene of early extended contact between Europeans and Maori, in this case sealers, whalers and missionaries – Wohlers at Ruapuke.〔Wright (2009), p. 61〕 In 1853, Walter Mantell purchased Murihiku from local Maori iwi, claiming the land for European settlement.〔Wright (2009), p. 140〕 Otago, of which Southland was itself part, was the subject of planned settlement by the Free Church, an offshoot of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.〔King (2003), p. 170〕 Settlement broadened with the discovery of gold in Central Otago in the 1860s. Today, traces of Scottish speech persist in Southland voices, with R often pronounced with a rolling burr. This is more noticeable among country people. In 1852, James Menzies, leader of the Southland separatist movement, became the first Superintendent of the tiny Southland electorate which was still part of the large Otago Region.〔Wright (2009), p. 236〕 In 1856, a petition was put forward to Thomas Gore Browne, the Governor of New Zealand, for a port at Bluff. Due to the Otago gold rush, the region's population grew during the 1860s with the settlement of Bluff.〔Wright (2009), p. 148〕 Browne agreed to the petition and gave the name Invercargill to the settlement north of the port. ''Inver'' comes from the Scottish Gaelic word ''inbhir'' meaning ''a river's mouth'' and ''Cargill'' is in honour of Captain William Cargill, who was at the time the Superintendent of Otago, of which Southland was then a part.〔Wright (2009), p. 224〕 Under the influence of Menzies, Southland Province (a small part of the present Region, centred on Invercargill) seceded from Otago in 1861 following the escalation of political tensions. However, rising debt forced Southland to rejoin Otago in 1870 and the provincial system, and with it the province of Otago, was abolished entirely in 1876.〔Wright (2009), p. 237〕 This debt was caused by a population decline stemming from poor returns from pastoral farming. In 1874, Invercargill's population was less than 2,500 which reflected the drift north to large centres.〔 In the 1880s, the development of an export industry based on butter and cheese encouraged the growth of dairy farming in Southland.〔King (2003), p. 238〕 In December 1905, Invercargill voted in local prohibition of alcohol sales. This lasted for 40 years until voted out by returning servicemen in World War II. Drinking continued meanwhile, thanks to hotels and liquor merchants in outlying districts, huge volumes of beer, often in kegs, brought to private homes, or sold by the glass by keggers at hiding spots round the City. When prohibition ended, a committee of citizens persuaded the Government to give the monopoly on liquor sales in Invercargill to the specially formed Invercargill Licensing Trust. Based on a scheme in Carlisle, England, it returns profits to city amenities. Even today, alcohol is not sold in supermarkets. In recent years, publicity has been brought to the southern city by the election of Tim Shadbolt, a colourful and outspoken former student activist and former mayor of Waitemata City, as mayor. He once appeared on a cheese advertisement stating "I don't mind where, as long as I'm Mayor". His supporters like the colour he brings to the city. His opponents refer to his controversial mayoral career in the Auckland suburbs and to his attitude to veterans during his opposition to the Vietnam War. Publicity and students have also come to the city by the Southern Institute of Technology's "Zero Fees" scheme, which allows New Zealand citizens and permanent residents to study while only paying for material costs of their study, and not tuition fees. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Invercargill」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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