morrinsville

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Town 32 km north-east of Hamilton. Auckland entrepreneurs Thomas and Samuel Morrin bought around 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) and in 1874 established an estate called ‘Lockerbie’, planning the town of Morrinsville to house their workers. Lockerbie passed to the government in the 1890s, and land around Morrinsville was subdivided for closer settlement. Morrinsville became important because it was a junction for roads and railway lines. As dairying developed, the district became one of the most intensively farmed in the Waikato. Morrinsville grew into a prosperous farming town, with large saleyards, farm machinery outlets, agricultural services and engineering firms.

Meaning of place name
The name commemorates Thomas Morrin, who made extensive land purchases in the area in the 1870s.