West Melton, New Zealand
West Melton is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, New Zealand, about 24 kilometres west of Christchurch. It’s part of the Christchurch metropolitan area and had about 2,700 residents in 2025.
The town was settled in the 1870s and has long been known for horse racing, cropping and sheep farming. In recent years it has also become associated with wine growing and deer farming. West Melton celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2014. Since 2007, housing developments such as Gainsborough, Halkett Grove, Preston Downs and Wilfield have expanded the town, with more plans in the works. A proposed 50-hectare subdivision in 2020 was scaled back in 2022.
West Melton has a shopping area with a Four Square, a community centre and a park, plus a primary school (West Melton School). The skate park was completed in 2022 and the playground in 2023. West Melton School is for years 1–8 and had about 489 students in 2025; the school opened in 1871.
Transport and nearby facilities: The town sits on State Highway 73 and is served by the 86 bus route to central Christchurch. It’s connected to the Christchurch Southern Motorway via Weedons Ross Road. Traffic lights at the SH73 and Weedons Ross Road intersection were installed in March 2023. The area also includes the West Melton Aerodrome and the Canterbury Astronomical Society. Moore Park Speedway, a motorcycle speedway track about 5 km north on Weedons Ross Road, hosts major events and has hosted the NZ Solo Championship in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:46 (CET).