Louis Andreas was originally named Ludwig Andreas Niederer, although his name was registered as Louis Andreas.

Louis married Dorothy Jeanette Monteath on June 26, 1912.  Dorothy (known by all as Nan, 04/05/1893 - 15/12/1973), formerly of Edindale, produced eight children, seven boys and one girl.

• Mervyn Allister (07/05/1913 - 21/09/1993)

• Dorothy Eileen Ellen (called Sister) (12/09/1914 - 06/04/2012)

• Bruce Aubery (01/10/1916 - 12/05/1981)

• Louis Selwyn (called Selwyn) (29/12/1918 - 05/06/1979)

• Rex Keith (20/11/1920 - 08/06/1945)

• Garth Dale (20/02/1923 - 07/04/1980)

• Glamis Morrell (30/10/1926 - 25/11/2013)

• Blair Montieth (09/1928 - 18/12/2019)

Louis died of a cerebral haemorrhage in 1951, aged 66, in Auckland while on business.

He left a lasting legacy and is remembered in Gorge Road by a memorial stone inscribed "in memory of L.A. Niederer," at the foot of an ornamental tree planted in the township beside the Gorge Road Dental Clinic.

The following is extracted from Kings of the Counties

A History of the Southland County Council

FWG Millar 1977 (page 103)

Louis did a great deal for the advancement of the province, more especially in the flax milling industry, land development and local body work. Born in Waikiwi, he was taken by his parents to Gorge Road at the age of four. Because of difficult circumstances, he did not complete his education, but grit and determination spurred him on to make his way in the world.

He was Chairman of the Gorge Road School Committee for nearly 25 years and worked at Ocean Beach Freezing Works and then as a farm labourer in the North Island. He went to Western Australia and took up a tract of land on the newly opened railway line and returned to New Zealand in 1911 when he took up the first portion of his Gorge Road property. At the time of his death on 28 December 1951, he owned a big cattle and sheep grazing run and a flax mill. He was recognised as a leading authority on the flax industry in New Zealand and was a member of the Flax Rehabilitation Board.

During the Depression years, he kept his men employed and was always assiduous for their welfare. He won their unswerving loyalty, and at the time of his death, there were three employees who had been with him for more than 30 years. He was a member of the Southland County Council for 27 years from 1923 and was Chairman in 1929, 1935 and 1943.

He was also an enthusiast for mechanical aids to relieve hard manual toil, and he had the first grader in the Southland County in his own Riding of Waihopai - and thanks to his efforts, the surface men in his Riding were the first in the County to be provided with motor lorries in place of old horse and dray.

In 1943, Mr Niederer became the County's representative on the Bluff (now Southland) Harbour Board, a member of the Southland Catchment Board since its inception and Chairman in 1947 and 1848. He was also County representative on the Southland Electric Power Board from 1924 till 1926.

In 1935 he stood for Parliament as the Democratic Party candidate for the Awarua electorate, along with Gordon Read as candidate for Invercargill; both polled the highest votes for the party in New Zealand.

The attached article relating to Louis and his brother Otto is an extract from the book "The Gorge Road Story," written by A.H.H. Webster and published in 1970. The work was commissioned by the Committee appointed to oversee the 75th Jubilee of the Gorge Road School and the Centenary of Gorge Road in 1964.

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