West Melton is a town in the Selwyn District, in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island.

[3] The town has a population of 2,450 (June 2023), making it the 123rd-largest urban area in New Zealand, the 16th-largest in Canterbury and fifth-largest in the Selwyn District (behind Darfield and before Leeston).

West Melton was first settled in the 1870s, where it has long been associated with horse racing (trotting), cropping, and sheep 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".

A retirement village, developed by Marama Te Wai Ltd, is to be built to the west of Preston Downs.

[6] The spread of housing developments into fertile rural land has led to tensions between the traditional farming community and recent arrivals.

West Melton is described by Statistics New Zealand as a small urban area, and covers 2.99 km2 (1.15 sq mi).

Newtons Road is a rural statistical area south of West Melton, and north of Burnham Military Camp and Rolleston.

[8] West Melton has a shopping precinct including a Four Square supermarket, community centre and a domain, as well as a primary school.

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.

[16][17][18] 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.