Otakiri () is a rural community just outside
Edgecumbe, in the
Whakatāne District
Whakatāne District is a territorial authority district on the North Island of New Zealand. The Whakatāne District Council is headquartered in the largest town, Whakatāne. The district falls within the Bay of Plenty Region. Victor Luca has ...
and
Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
.
The New Zealand
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the Creative New Zealand, arts, Culture of New Zealand, culture, New Zealand Historic Places Trust, built heritage, Sport Ne ...
gives a translation of "place of loosening or freeing from
tapu" for ''Ōtākiri''.
A dairy factory was established in the area in 1912.
The settlement was known as Tarawera until 1928.
In 2017, the Chinese company which owned rights to water from the Otakiri Springs sought planning and regulatory permission to expand its water bottling operation.
Permission was granted in June 2018.
cabinet minister
Eugenie Sage's involvement in the decision led to a revolt within the party.
A local
crowd-funded
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...
environment group appealed the decision in 2019,
with support from local iwi
Ngāti Awa.
Education
Otakiri School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 0 to 8 students,
with a roll of as of .
The Otakiri School logo consists of
Maori patterns and designs, and shows a
pūkeko in front of a triangle, representing the nearby mountain of
Putauaki (Mt Edgecumbe). The school's motto is "''Learners Forever, Leading the Future''".
The school was founded in 1920. It now consists of a field, sports turf, computer suite, library, hard court and several playgrounds, and uses the neighbouring Otakiri District Hall for assemblies, fundraising and school events.
The school hosts a Country Fair and a Calf-Club Day every spring and regular sports competitions. It alternates each year between a talent show and a school show.
Currently, there are four school houses:
*Walker (Yellow) - Named after BMX rider
Sarah Walker
*Jackson (Green) - Named after New Zealand director
Peter Jackson
*McCaw (Black) - Named after the All Black captain
Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh McCaw (born 31 December 1980) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He captain (sports), captained the New Zealand national rugby union team, New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, in 110 out of his 148 t ...
*Blake (Red) - Named after yachtsman Sir
Peter Blake
Previously, there were five school houses:
*Te Kanawa/T.K. (Purple) - Named after New Zealand opera singer Dame
Kiri Te Kanawa
*Kendall (Black) - Named after
Barbara Kendall
Barbara Anne Kendall (born 30 August 1967) is a former boardsailor from New Zealand. She competed at five Summer Olympic Games and won gold, silver and bronze medals.
Biography
Kendall was born in Papakura on 30 August 1967, the daughter o ...
, a former New Zealand boardsailor
*Mahy (Orange) - Named after New Zealand author,
Margaret Mahy
*Hillary (Green) - Named after
Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer
*Blake (Red) - Named after yachtsman Sir
Peter Blake
References
{{Whakatāne District
Whakatāne District
Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region