Last updated October 2026
Todds Valley is a small rural settlement in northern Nelson, tucked into a valley southeast of State Highway 6 near the northern end of Nelson Haven. It is a recognised locality inside Nelson City, not a built-up suburb, and it falls in the Central Ward.
The name comes from early settler Robert Tod, who farmed here in the 1840s, although the spelling later shifted from Tod to Todd.
Today the valley is a quiet mix of lifestyle properties, steep bush-covered hillsides and narrow local roads, including Little Todd Valley Road and Todd Bush Road. People who live here trade city convenience for space, darker night skies and a landscape still shaped by streams, slips and regenerating native cover.
Official Locality Facts
- Population (2023 Census)
- About 260, up 19% since 2018
- Land area
- 5.00 km²
- Location
- 6.9 km north-east of central Nelson
- Council
- Nelson City Council
- Ward or local board
- Central Ward (general roll); Whakatū Māori Ward (Māori roll, covering all of Nelson)
- Getting there
- Drive north from central Nelson on State Highway 6, then into the valley on local roads including Little Todd Valley Road and Todd Bush Road. A Ministry of Education school bus route serves The Glen and Todds Valley for Nelson College and Nelson College for Girls.
- Nearby landmarks
- Tod Reserve on Todd Bush Road; Little Todd Valley Stream; the northern end of Nelson Haven
Who Lives in Todds Valley
About 260 residents in 110 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.
About Todds Valley
Todds Valley sits in the northern part of Nelson City, off State Highway 6 and close to the head of Nelson Haven. It is one of the city’s rural localities, grouped with places such as Wakapuaka, Glenduan and Hira rather than with the urban northern suburbs.
Housing is scattered along the valley floor and up the hillsides. There is no town centre, and daily services are in Nelson rather than in the valley itself.
The official name is Todds Valley. Council and heritage writing also uses Todd Valley, Todd’s Valley and Little Todd Valley for roads, the stream and flood works in the same area.
Little Todd Valley Road and Todd Bush Road are the local names that appear in Nelson City Council’s stormwater work. The valley is lived in and open. It is not a closed reserve or a visitor precinct.
The land is steep, rocky and prone to slips. Dry spells followed by heavy rain are hard on the hillsides, and the stream that runs beside Little Todd Valley Road has overflowed onto the road in severe weather.
Some landowners have fenced out goats, pigs and possums and replanted native species such as kānuka, tītoki, kahikatea and beech. That work is private restoration, not a public park network, but it shows the character of the country above the valley floor.
For anyone thinking of living here, the appeal is space and quiet within a short drive of Nelson, not walkable shops or frequent buses. Roads are narrow, properties are often lifestyle blocks, and flood and slip risk are part of the setting.
Visitors will mostly pass through on the way to the northern coast, or stop only if they have a reason to be on the valley roads.
History and Heritage
Robert Tod was a Glasgow-born merchant, shipbroker and commission agent who reached Nelson in November 1841. He held a 50 acre farm in the valley from 1842 to 1847.
Tod Reserve, on Todd Bush Road, is named for him. He also chaired the council naming committee in 1842 and served as a justice of the peace. The Prow, Nelson’s regional heritage site, notes the irony that the valley and road named for him were later spelled Todd rather than Tod.
Tod assigned his New Zealand assets in 1847 and left for Adelaide. Families who then took up land included the Small, Wastney, Cummings and Sutherland families. George Cummings took the head of the valley, and that holding stayed with the Cummings family for many years. The Small family built a cob house that grew room by room.
Irvine Norris, from Yorkshire, bought part of the Small property, and The Prow records that some of his descendants have continued to live in the valley. A German settler, C. H. Martin, lived near the blue metal quarry of that period, chaired the school committee and left money for school prizes.
From 1910 to 1916 the Nelson Acclimatisation Society ran a deer park on about 3.5 acres leased from Henry Wastney. The enclosure had established native trees, a small stream and a high wire-netting fence. The trial did not last.
A prize stag died trying to jump the fence, breeding stock was short, and in May 1916 the park closed and the land went back to Wastney. There is no public deer park in the valley now. The story belongs to the settler and acclimatisation history of northern Nelson, not to a site you can visit as a farm park.
Getting Around
The practical way in is by car. State Highway 6 is the main road north from Nelson. Valley access is then on local roads, including Little Todd Valley Road and Todd Bush Road. These are residential and rural roads, not a signed tourist drive, and they can be affected when the stream overtops culverts.
Public transport into the valley itself is limited. Nelson’s urban eBus network is built around the city, Stoke and Richmond, with rural expresses toward Motueka, Māpua, Wakefield and Brightwater. It is not a service that runs up Todds Valley.
School students do have a dedicated link: Nelson College publishes a Ministry of Education route named for The Glen and Todds Valley, running to Nelson College and Nelson College for Girls. There is no verified school inside the settlement, so children travel out to Nelson schools.
There is no verified shopping centre or retail strip in Todds Valley. Groceries, health services and most community facilities mean a trip back toward Nelson. Plan errands before you head up the valley, especially if you are visiting rather than living here.
Streams, Hills and Flood Risk
Water is the main hazard to know about. The August 2022 weather event, and later storms, hit the stream along Little Todd Valley Road hard.
Nelson City Council modelling found that culverts on Little Todd Valley Stream, and the Todd Bush Road culvert, were undersized. A separate part of the same flood programme covers three undersized culverts in Todd Valley, to be upgraded toward Nelson Tasman Land Development Manual standards.
For Little Todd Valley, council set out a two-stage approach. The first stage covers wingwalls and stream capacity around the Todd Bush Road culvert, replacement of the twin culvert at 20 Little Todd Valley Road with a box culvert, and stabilising the stream upstream.
The second stage includes replacing a road culvert with a bridge downstream of 45 Little Todd Valley, and reprofiling the road so water is steered back into the stream rather than running down the carriageway. The point of doing the downstream work in sequence is to avoid pushing floodwater from the top of the valley onto properties further down.
That programme is council infrastructure work, not a reason the valley is closed. It does mean drivers should expect works, changed culverts and wet-weather caution on Little Todd Valley Road. Hillside erosion is a separate, ongoing issue. Established plantings help hold soil, but slips still occur on the steep rocky country above the houses.
Near Todds Valley
Just outside Todds Valley, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Businesses
Where to Learn More
The Prow: Robert Tod of Todds Valley: Nelson heritage account of the settler the valley is named for, and of the families who followed him.
Nelson City Council: Little Todd Valley culvert upgrades: Council description of stream damage and the staged culvert and drainage works.
Nelson City Council: representation review: Official ward description that places Todds Valley in the Central Ward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Todds Valley?
It is a rural locality in northern Nelson City, southeast of State Highway 6, near the northern end of Nelson Haven.
Is Todds Valley part of Nelson?
Yes. It is inside Nelson City and is listed among the city’s localities, in the Central Ward.
How do I get to Todds Valley?
Drive north from Nelson on State Highway 6, then take local roads such as Little Todd Valley Road and Todd Bush Road. There is no verified urban bus route into the valley.
Which ward is Todds Valley in?
Central Ward for voters on the general roll. Voters on the Māori roll are in the Whakatū Māori Ward, which covers the whole of Nelson.
Why is it called Todds Valley if the settler was Robert Tod?
The valley is named for Robert Tod, who farmed here from 1842 to 1847. Over time the spelling shifted from Tod to Todd, which is why maps and road signs use Todds Valley and Todd Bush Road.
Is there a school or shops in Todds Valley?
No school or shopping centre in the settlement could be verified. Students travel to Nelson schools, including on a school bus route that serves The Glen and Todds Valley, and everyday shopping is back in Nelson.
What is Tod Reserve?
Tod Reserve is on Todd Bush Road and is named for Robert Tod. It is a named reserve linked to his 1840s farm, not a developed visitor attraction with published facilities.
Does Todds Valley flood?
The stream along Little Todd Valley Road was heavily affected in the August 2022 weather event. Nelson City Council has a flood mitigation programme to enlarge undersized culverts and keep floodwater in the stream rather than on the road. The valley remains lived in and accessible.
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Explore Nelson only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Todds Valley is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.