West Melton, New Zealand

Settlement in Canterbury, New Zealand

West Melton was first settled in the 1870s, where it has long been associated with horse racing (trotting), cropping, and sheep farming. Recently, it has become associated with wine growing and deer farming. In 1881, Alfred Saunders arrived in West Melton, where he bought a farm that he referred to as a “bleak and wild looking property”. On 26 October 2014, West Melton residents celebrated the town's 150th anniversary.

In 2007, West Melton saw the start of its urban expansion. The spread of housing developments into fertile rural land has led to tensions between the traditional farming community and recent arrivals. It is common for these tensions to spill onto community notice boards.

West Melton has a shopping precinct including a Four Square supermarket, community centre and a domain, as well as a primary school. West Melton Aerodrome is located in the area, as is the Canterbury Astronomical Society. West Melton also has a Rugby Football club with a long and proud history. The club is known for its exciting style of Rugby at the Rippa Rugby level, with many of those players going on to play U8. Although success at senior level has been elusive, the following players have gone on to higher representative level

The West Melton Car Key club is another popular club enjoyed by the residents of this small Canterbury town. Established in 2015 in the Gainsborough subdivision, this club was set up to promote stronger relationships between neighbours and to provide alternative entertainment to the local pubs on cold winter nights. The West Melton community centre was demolished in 2020 and replaced with an improved Gymnasium with multiple features such as; Badminton courts and a yoga room. A skate park and playground were built next to the community centre. The skate park finished completion in 2022, while the playground was completed in 2023

West Melton School is a full primary school catering for years 1 to 8. It had a roll of as of The school opened in 1871.

West Melton is serviced with the 86 bus route, a weekday morning and evening express route that connects Darfield with the Central Christchurch.

West Melton is accessed by which pass through the centre of the town. West Melton is also closely linked to the newly built extension of the Christchurch Southern Motorway via Weedons Ross Road Interchange. On 20 March 2023, West Melton's first set of traffic lights were installed and turned on at the intersection of State Highway 73 and Weedons Ross Road.

Moore Park Speedway is a motorcycle speedway venue approximately 5 kilometres north of the town. It is located on Weedons Ross Road, adjacent to West Melton airfield. The track is a significant venue for important motorcycle speedway events and has held the final of the New Zealand Solo Championship in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021.