Bulls (Neuseeland) 5.3

Bulls is a small town near Palmerston North on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is in a fertile farming area in the Rangitikei District at the junction of State Highways 1 and 3 about 160 kilometres north of Wellington. According to a June 2015 Statistics New Zealand estimate, Bulls has a population of 1,630 inhabitants.Recent marketing makes puns with the name, for example "New Zealand gets its milk from Bulls" or the sign for the local police station "Const-a-bull".EtymologyThe town is named after James Bull, who founded the town and owned the first general store there. The town was originally called Bull Town, but this was changed to Clifton and then renamed back to Bulls at the urging of Sir William Fox.HistoryThe eastern end of the State Highway 1 bridge over the Rangitikei River south-east of the town collapsed suddenly in 1973 while being crossed by a bus. No-one was killed and the collapsed part was rebuilt.The former Lake Alice Psychiatric hospital is 8 km north of Bulls, the hospital closed in 1999. Lake Alice was a large contributor to the Bulls and Marton economy.Government and politicsLocal governmentAs part of the Rangitikei District, the current Mayor of Rangitikei since 2013 is Andy Watson.