city (“district”) and port, east-central South Island, New Zealand, on Canterbury Bight. Although the settlement's boundaries were delineated as early as 1856, the actual founding did not take place until 1859, when the first ship taking immigrants directly from Britain to New Zealand arrived. Made a borough in 1868 and a city late in the 1940s, Timaru derives its name from Maori terms meaning either “shady cabbage tree” or “place of shelter.”

The city, on the South Island Main Trunk Railway to Christchurch (102 miles 【163 km】 northeast), is the chief port of the southern Canterbury Plains, a region of sheep, cattle, grain, and fruit farming. Its industries include the manufacture of agricultural implements, footwear and brickworks, and freezing and general engineering works. The port is artificial, and its extensive system of moles and breakwaters, constructed from 1864 to 1906, has caused the deposition of sandbars to form Caroline Bay, capable of handling ships up to 18,000 tons. The harbour exports frozen meat, timber, wool, cereal products, and manufactured goods and is the base for a commercial fishing fleet. A sunny mild climate, splendid beaches, and easy access to the Southern Alps make Timaru a popular resort. Pop. (2001) 26,745.