town district under the provision of the Town Districts Act 1881. The Hawke's Bay County Council confirmed the petition and the Town District of Taradale was proclaimed on 2 December 1886. A town board was formed with John Drummond (Chairman), Robert Davidson, Richard Martin, Richard Neagle and George Bradley. William Waterhouse was the first Town Clerk. Taradale was administered by the town board from 1886 to 1953, and by a borough council from 1953 to 1968. Military history Taradale's military history is typical of an early New Zealand town. The Battle of Omarunui, fought nearby on 12 October 1866, saw the settlers and local Māori join to defend against an intrusion by the Hauhau faction during the New Zealand Wars. District residents volunteered to fight in South Africa against the Boers, and again in World War 1, World War 2 and subsequent engagements that New Zealand has committed to. Twentieth century 1931 earthquake Before the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, Taradale and Greenmeadows were separated from distant Napier by a harbour lagoon and tidal mudflats, bridged from 1874 by the corduroy Taradale Road. Other access was by the coastal sandpits road to Awatoto, then to Meeanee village and the Great North Road (Meeanee Road). These barriers forced Taradale's township and pioneer farming settlers to develop staunch independence, setting up their own facilities, businesses and recreational resources. Many of the elements of this historical heritage remain today; as well as the geographical boundaries, Anderson Park and green patches on the edge of Greenmeadows are visual boundaries that separate Taradale and Greenmeadows from the rest of Napier City. As a consequence of the 1931 earthquake, the raised seabed enabled Napier's residential suburbs to spread slowly south towards Taradale and Greenmeadows as swamps were reclaimed. Buildings destroyed by the earthquake were rebuilt in Art Deco style architecture, examples being Taradale Town Hall and Taradale Hotel (now a McDonald's restaurant). Garden Borough Taradale in the 1960s was one of the fastest-growing boroughs in New Zealand. Retailers considered it a good place to establish shops with rapidly expanding population. People took pride in their property and Taradale became known as the Garden Borough. Amalgamation Amalgamation with Napier had been proposed and disputed for many years, and the merger was passed by referendum in 1968. The final meeting of the Borough Council was held on 26 March 1968 and Taradale became a part of Napier City Council,