Ward 3.78

Ward is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand, with a population of about 900 residents. It is located on State Highway 1, north of Kaikoura. The Flaxbourne River flows past to the north and into the Pacific Ocean to the south-east of Ward. A current initiative aims to have the town renamed as Flaxbourne.HistoryFlaxbourne Station was established in the area around 1847. In 1905, most of the station was subdivided as part of the government's land reform, and Ward township was formed. The area was known by the name of the station. On the initiative of Richard Seddon, who was prime minister at the time, the township was named after his friend and political colleague Joseph Ward; a measure that was controversial at the time. The township of Seddon, named after Richard Seddon at the same time, is north of Ward.In 1961 the population was 218. The population was 903 in the 2006 census, an increase of 3 from 2001.As of 2017, there is a campaign to have the town renamed as Flaxbourne. The NZ Geographic Board, i.e. the organisation that has the final say on place names in New Zealand, has advised that the name Ward has never been officially registered.EducationWard School is a coeducational full primary school with a roll of approximately. A celebration to mark 100 years of schooling in the area was held in 2006.The nearest secondary schools are Marlborough Boys' College and Marlborough Girls' College, both 48km away in Blenheim.