Story: Nelson region

Nelson town blocks (1st of 2)

This map shows the street plan of Nelson – which survives largely as planned – and the distribution of the urban sections. The centre of the plan was Trafalgar Square, which never became a market square, but the site of Nelson Cathedral. The colour coding shows land sales and reserves: blue was land that had been sold, yellow were New Zealand Company reserves, red were colonial (government) reserves and green were native (Māori) reserves – the Native Tenths Reserves. One hundred acres (40 hectares) of Nelson town (one-eleventh, not one-tenth) was set aside for Native Reserves in 1842, but much of this was later alienated by the Crown, to the severe detriment of local Māori.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: MapColl 834.1953gbbd/1842/Acc.3045

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Nelson region - European settlement', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/28951/nelson-town-blocks (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, updated 1 Aug 2015