Editing Kurow (section)

==History==
The town was the terminus of the [[Kurow Branch]] railway, opened in 1881 to [[Hakataramea]], across the [[Waitaki River]], but cut back to Kurow in 1930. It closed in 1983: the line can be traced on the ground, and the station building still stands on Liverpool St. From 1928 until 1937, a line owned by the Public Works Department ran from Kurow to the hydroelectric project 6.4&nbsp;km to the west.

In the 1920s, the town was the base for the building of the nearby [[Waitaki Dam]] and forming [[Lake Waitaki]] in the first of a series of [[hydroelectric]] projects on the Waitaki River. Further hydroelectricity development on the lower Waitaki River was proposed by [[Project Aqua]] and the North Bank Tunnel, however neither of these proceeded past the planning stage.<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Nick |last1=Taylor |first2=Simon |last2=Harris |first3=Wayne |last3=McClintock |first4=Mike |last4=Mackay|date=May 2015|title=Upper Waitaki Limit Setting Process: Social-economic Profile of the Waitaki Catchment|url=https://api.ecan.govt.nz/TrimPublicAPI/documents/download/2369930|access-date=19 January 2022|website=Ecan}}</ref>

The first social security scheme for New Zealand workers was designed in the town, arising from [[Presbyterian]] Minister of Kurow [[Arnold Nordmeyer]]'s experience of working with families of workers on the Waitaki hydro-electric project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/pm-commemorates-world-first-social-security-system|title=PM commemorates world-first social security system|last=Clark|first=Helen|author-link=Helen Clark|date=August 12, 2008|website=beehive.govt.nz}}</ref>

The land around the town includes summerfruit [[orchard]]s, and the [[Waitaki Valley wine region]] was established in 2001 with the first [[Pinot noir]] vineyards planted in the limestone soils. In 2021, there were 13 wineries and vineyards in operation in the Waitaki Valley.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yardley|first=Mike|title=Mike Yardley: Drifting through Waitaki's Lakes District|url=https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle/travel/mike-yardley-drifting-through-waitaki-s-lakes-district/|access-date=2021-11-13|website=ZB|language=en-nz}}</ref>

Kurow had been trying to fund a statue of [[Richie McCaw]] since 2016 but has struggled to raise the required money. A seven metre tall statue was being considered at one stage.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-22|title=Kurow considers 7m Richie McCaw industrial-style statue|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/118986036/kurow-considers-7m-richie-mccaw-industrialstyle-statue|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Stuff|language=en}}</ref>