Over the following years Hastings steadily grew until finally achieving city status in 1956.

This small provincial city is situated about 20 k/m (13 miles) inland from Napier and has developed as a business centre, mainly servicing the large agricultural community while Napier has tended to be more Tourist Oriented.

The land surrounding Hastings is mainly Horticultural with hundreds of orchards and Vineyards, and the area is rapidly developing into one of the premier wine growing regions in NZ. One of the remarkable things about HB as a wine-growing region, is its ability to produce exceptional wine across a broad spectrum of styles. From the early ripening varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, to the later Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc - HB produces stunning examples of them all. In fact, one HB vineyard produces a red wine recently voted in the 10 best wines in the world. HB currently has over 40 wineries, (with new ones under development all the time) many of which have restaurants and cater for the increasing volume of Tourists.

Orcharding in the area mainly concentrates on Pip Fruit, and has one of the largest Packing Houses in New Zealand. However out mild climate allows the growing of many other types of fruit and vegetables and many growers exploit this flexibility. Recently as in other areas in New Zealand, a few growers are starting to experiement with Olive production and it has been found that Olive Oil of world standard can be produced. The rest of the Province is mainly devoted to sheep & beef farming, cropping and many other varieties of horticulture.

For nature enthusiasts, about 20 k/m from Hastings is Cape Kidnappers. This is one of the largest, most accessible mainland Gannet colonies in the world. Nearby are a several mountain Ranges, which are popular with Hunters and Trampers. There are also a number of excellent beaches within a 30k/m radius of the two cities.

As a parting comment, As I mentioned, NZ has a population of about 3.6 million, but we also have 50 million sheep, so please pray that the sheep never start an uprising or we are in deep trouble.