Some of the region's earliest settlers settled in the Longburn area, including former Prime Minister of Denmark Bishop Ditlev Monrad and his family.
Dairy
A butter factory was opened in 1884, butter and cheese were exported in kegs to Britain.[4]
An entirely new plant was opened at Longburn in 1966. Today Fonterra's Longburn milk processing plant in conjunction with its sister plant in Pahiatua collects milk daily from Lake Tutira in northern Hawke's Bay down to Whitemans Valley near Wellington.[5]
In the peak milk season milk goes to casein production. There is a two-month winter shut-down each year. Raw milk is also processed at Longburn into concentrated milk and sent by rail to Fonterra Hāwera where it becomes whole milk powder, cheeses and associated products.[5]
Fonterra Longburn has just over 90 staff in 2021 of which more than 70 are tanker drivers.[5]
Fonterra from Longburn and its other plants in New Zealand is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports[6]
Freezing works
New freezing works under construction, 1958
Longburn Freezing Company Limited began their substantial operation in November 1889 on a 26 acres site beside the railway line. It soon experienced severe financial difficulties and, the undercapitalised business having borrowed large sums from them, the National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand took control of the business during 1896.[7] It was sold by NMA in 1940 to Manchester's Co-operative Wholesale Society, and closed in October 1987[8] under the management of Waitaki International.
The freezing works site covers over 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) and various temperature-controlled buildings cover some 35,000 square metres.[9]
On 8 December 1908, the Wellington and Manawatu was absorbed into the New Zealand Railways, and Longburn lost its significant interchange status. However, the Foxton Branch was retained until it closed in 1959. The branch line resulted in the official name of the station changing from Long Burn to Longburn Junction. The name was adopted by the Junction Hotel opposite the station. The line through Longburn is now part of the North Island Main Trunk railway.
Growth
In an attempt to attract growth to the Manawatu region, the Manawatu District Council agreed to cede part of its territory to Palmerston North City. However, Longburn was a part of this only to the eastern side of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, effectively cutting the settlement in half.
Demographics
Longburn is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 0.94 km2 (0.36 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 380 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 404 people per km2. It is part of the larger Newbury statistical area.[10]
Longburn had a population of 348 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 6 people (−1.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 39 people (12.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 114 households, comprising 180 males and 174 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 90 people (25.9%) aged under 15 years, 84 (24.1%) aged 15 to 29, 150 (43.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 27 (7.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 85.3% European/Pākehā, 34.5% Māori, 3.4% Pacific peoples, 4.3% Asian, and 0.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 67.2% had no religion, 18.1% were Christian, 2.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 2.6% were Muslim and 1.7% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 21 (8.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 63 (24.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 18 people (7.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 150 (58.1%) people were employed full-time, 39 (15.1%) were part-time, and 18 (7.0%) were unemployed.[3]
Education
Longburn School is a co-educational state primary school,[11][12] with a roll of 106 as of August 2024.[13]
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