Rai Valley

The Valley was one of the last areas explored by Europeans in northern Marlborough. John Tinline discovered it while looking for a route to Nelson in January 1850.^[12]

The Rai Valley was densely forested in the 19th century. A township grew up at Carluke, just to the west of Rai Valley locality, around a sawmill built by William Brownlee in 1907. About 100 people worked at the mill, and a light railway connected it to a port on the Pelorus River.^[13][14]

Returned servicemen took up many local farms in 1919.^[15]

Rai Valley is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 27.96 km² (10.80 sq mi)^[4] and had an estimated population of 170 as of June 2025,^[5] with a population density of 6.1 people per km². It is part of the larger Marlborough Sounds West statistical area.^[16]

Rai Valley had a population of 171 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 6 people (−3.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 24 people (16.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 87 males, 84 females, and 3 people of other genders in 63 dwellings.^[19] 3.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 39.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 39 people (22.8%) aged under 15 years, 27 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 78 (45.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 27 (15.8%) aged 65 or older.^[17]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 96.5% European (Pākehā), 10.5% Māori, and 3.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 100.0%, Māori by 1.8%, and other languages by 7.0%. The percentage of people born overseas was 12.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.^[17]

Religious affiliations were 15.8% Christian. People who answered that they had no religion were 71.9%, and 12.3% of people did not answer the census question.^[17]

Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (9.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 84 (63.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 39 (29.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $36,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3 people (2.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 69 (52.3%) full-time, 21 (15.9%) part-time, and 3 (2.3%) unemployed.^[17]

Rai Valley Area School is a coeducational composite (years 1–13) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 94.^[20]

There were many schools in the area in the early 20th century:

• Ronga School opened in 1913, was destroyed by fire in 1918 and rebuilt in 1920.^{[21]: 29, 69}
• Opouri Valley School, 1911-1921^[21]: 43
• Upper Opouri School 1928-1938^[21]: 41
• Carluke School opened in 1907 as Rimu Gully School, and became Carluke School from 1908 to 1938^{[21]: 2, 23, 26}
• Rai Valley School was open by 1901. It was sometimes called Flat Creek School.^{[21]: 24, 65}
• Billy Goat School, late 1920s to c. 1938^[21]: 1
• Kaiuma Flat Creek School, 1919 to c. 1927^{[21]: 24–26}
• Tinline Valley School, 1923-1949^[21]: 32
• Tunakino School, 1920-1933^{[21]: 36–38}

Ronga, Opouri and Carluke schools were merged into Rai Valley School in 1939. Rai Valley became an area school in 1978.^[22]