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Blenheim
Waiharakeke (Māori) | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 41°30′50″S 173°57′36″E / 41.514°S 173.960°E | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Marlborough |
Territorial authority | Marlborough District |
Named for | Battle of Blenheim |
Member of Parliament | Stuart Smith, Kaikoura Electorate |
Suburbs | List
|
Government | |
• Mayor | Nadine Taylor |
Area | |
• Total | 27.46 km2 (10.60 sq mi) |
Population (June 2024)[1] | |
• Total | 30,600 |
• Density | 1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi) |
Postcode | 7201 |
Area code | 03 |
Blenheim (/ˈblɛnɪm/ BLEN-im; Māori: Waiharakeke[2]) is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an estimated urban population of 30,600 (June 2024).[1] The surrounding Marlborough wine region is well known as the centre of the New Zealand wine industry. It enjoys one of New Zealand's sunniest climates, with warm, relatively dry summers and cool, crisp winters.
Blenheim is named after the Battle of Blenheim (1704) in the War of the Spanish Succession, where troops led by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough defeated a combined French and Bavarian force. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "flax stream" for the town's Māori name, Waiharakeke.[3]