Ernest Rutherford memorial

Brightwater (Māori: Wairoa) is a town 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Nelson in Tasman district in the South Island of New Zealand. It stands on the banks of the Wairoa River. Brightwater was first named Spring Grove. Alfred Saunders, the owner of a local flax mill situated on the banks of the Wairoa River and a prominent temperance activist, renamed it Brightwater because of the clarity of the water in Wairoa River. The settlement was named in 1855, but the area was settled as early as 1843.Brightwater was the birthplace of Nobel Prize-winning scientist, the "father of nuclear physics", Sir Ernest Rutherford, and has an elaborate Lord Rutherford Birthplace memorial on Lord Rutherford Road.

The Wai-iti River is in the north of the South Island of New Zealand. It flows northeast for 45 kilometres (28 mi) before combining with the Wairoa River to form the Waimea River. This flows into the southern end of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere near Richmond. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "little stream" for Wai-iti.

The Wairoa River is located in the north of the South Island of New Zealand. It flows north for 45 kilometres before combining with the Wai-iti River to form the Waimea River. This flows into the southern end of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere near Richmond.

The Roding River is a river of the Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows generally southwest from its sources in the hills above the city of Nelson, reaching the Wairoa River five kilometres south of Richmond. The rock type Rodingite is named after the Roding River. The catchment has numerous mine sites and shafts which attempted to make the copper and chromite deposits in the Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt profitable in the late 19th century.

St Michael's Church is an heritage listed Anglican church, located in Brightwater in the Tasman District of New Zealand. St Michael's was the first church in the wider Nelson Region. The building was listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I heritage building on 5 April 1984.

The Waimea Plains is a small but fertile area of low-lying land southwest of the port city of Nelson, situated on Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere in the South Island of New Zealand. It is irrigated by the Waimea River from the Waimea Inlet in the north and bounded by the town of Brightwater in the south. The fertile soil promotes the growth of kiwifruit, apples and vineyards.The temperate climate allows for the growth of crops such as hops and grapes.

The Waimea River is located in the north of the South Island of New Zealand. It is formed from the confluence of the Wairoa River and the Wai-iti River, which meet near Brightwater. The combined waters flow into Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere near Appleby, opposite Rabbit Island.

Wakefield (Māori: Tiraweke or Wekipira) is a settlement in the Tasman District of New Zealand's South Island, located about 25km south west of Nelson. The settlement began in 1843 as Pitfure, but the name was changed to Wakefield a short time later. It may have been named after the birthplace of one of its original settlers, who was from Wakefield in Yorkshire. It may have also been named after Captain Arthur Wakefield, who led the expedition that first established Nelson City and Province. Arthur Wakefield was killed in the Wairau Affray, which may have helped confirm the change of name from Pitfure to Wakefield.Wakefield comes under the responsibility of the Tasman District Council, which has its offices in the nearby town of Richmond. It is part of the West Coast-Tasman general electorate. St John's Church in 120 Edward Street, built in 1846, is New Zealand's second oldest surviving church. It is registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I heritage structure, with registration number 40. The church was designed by Marianne Reay and is considered the first European building designed by a woman in New Zealand.

Hope, previously known as Ranzau, is a small settlement in the Tasman District of New Zealand. It lies south of Nelson city, between Richmond and Wakefield. Hope began as a German settlement, founded by many of the families on the barque Skjold, which left Hamburg on 21 April 1844 and arrived in Nelson on 1 September. The voyage was underwritten by German nobleman Count von Rantzau; in appreciation, Carl Kelling, an early farmer and Count von Rantzau's representative, gave his homestead the name "Ranzau", a name used for the entire village until it was renamed after Jane Hope, another early settler. The German influence survives in Ranzau Road, which itself houses Ranzau School (dating from 1848) as well as a Lutheran church (established in 1849) opposite the newer Hope Community Church.Today the settlement remains largely rural, dominated by farms and orchards. There are two primary schools (Ranzau School and Hope School), scattered speciality shops (many operating from an orchard or market garden), a restaurant/bar, a convenience store, and a park with tennis courts and a recreation hall.

Appleby is a locality in the Tasman district in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located around the Waimea River near the Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It was first settled in the early 1840s. State Highway 60 passes through the settlement. There are three buildings in Appleby registered with Heritage New Zealand: Springfield, a house on the corner of State Highway 60 and Cotterill Road, is registered as Category II with registration number 1646. St Alban's Church on State Highway 60 is registered as Category II with registration number 1654. Stafford Place at 61 Redwood Road is registered as Category I with registration number 1678.In addition, the Redwood Racing Stables, which belonged to Stafford Place, were located on State Highway 60, and were relocated to Richmond, are registered as Category I with registration number 246.

Stafford Place at 61 Redwood Road, Appleby, New Zealand (near Richmond), is registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I structure. Stafford Place was built in 1866 for Henry Redwood and his wife Mary. Through his sister Martha (1820–1893), Redwood was brother in law with Joseph Ward.The house is in Carpenter Gothic style. The adjacent brick stables were significantly damaged in the 1929 Murchison earthquake. During the 2000s, the stables were rebuilt in accordance with the original design.

Tasman District Council (Māori: Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere) is the unitary local authority for the Tasman District of New Zealand.The council is led by the mayor of Tasman, who is currently Tim King.Tasman elects its 13 councillors from five different wards: three from Motueka, three from Moutere/Waimea, four from Richmond, one from Murchison and two from Golden Bay.