Paerata is a small settlement immediately to the north of

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. The town is located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Puke ...

, in the

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 ...

of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 22 some south of the

Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnett ...

. Wesley College is located close to the northern edge of Paerata. The name ''Paerata'' is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

term meaning a hill ridge (''pae'') bedecked with rata trees. Paerata was served by the Paerata railway station for more than a century, until the station was closed. However, in early 2021,

KiwiRail KiwiRail Holdings Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise (SOE) responsible for rail operations in New Zealand and operates inter-island ferries. Trading as KiwiRail and headquartered at 604 Great South Road, Ellerslie, New Zealand, Ell ...

confirmed a new railway station to be situated in Paerata Rise. Infrastructure New Zealand suggested in October 2017 that the land around Paerata could be used for a new city with initially 30,000 homes, and a population of 500,000 people by 2050. Paerata Rise, a 300-hectare development north of the settlement was opened in 2018 and is still being developed in stages. It is expected to be completed by 2040.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Paerata as a rural settlement, which covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Paerata is part of the larger Ramarama statistical area. Paerata in 1962

Paerata had a population of 1,008 in the

2023 New Zealand census The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...

, an increase of 873 people (646.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 852 people (546.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 516 males, 495 females and 3 people of other genders in 333 dwellings. 1.8% of people identified as

LGBTIQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...

. The median age was 32.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 240 people (23.8%) aged under 15 years, 213 (21.1%) aged 15 to 29, 489 (48.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 63 (6.2%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 59.5%

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

(

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

); 9.8%

; 19.0% Pasifika; 24.4% Asian; 1.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.0%, Māori language by 1.2%, Samoan by 2.4%, and other languages by 25.6%. No language could be spoken by 3.6% (e.g. too young to talk).

New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...

was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 39.6, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 42.6%

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 8.3%

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.9%

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, 0.6%

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, 0.3%

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

, 0.3%

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and 2.4% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 40.8%, and 4.2% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 294 (38.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 348 (45.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 123 (16.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $67,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 159 people (20.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 534 (69.5%) people were employed full-time, 75 (9.8%) were part-time, and 12 (1.6%) were unemployed.

Dairy factories

New Zealand Dairy Co opened a factory on 6 March 1924. A fire at its Pukekohe factory hastened construction. It was built of corrugated iron and used machinery previously intended for an upgrade to the

Mount Eden Mount Eden is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Z ...

factory. From 1950 to 1956 milk powder was produced.

Casein Casein ( , from Latin ''caseus'' "cheese") is a family of related phosphoproteins (CSN1S1, αS1, aS2, CSN2, β, K-casein, κ) that are commonly found in mammalian milk, comprising about 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and between 20% and 60% of ...

production began in 1956. Butter production ended in 1970. In 1996 it employed 170 people, but closed in 1998. The factory then became a business park. NIG Nutritional's milk powder plant in Paerata opened in 2012 and was extended in 2019. It processes

goat milk Goat milk is the milk of domestic goats. Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply. Some goats are bred specifically for milk. Goat milk naturally has small, well-emulsified fat globules, which means the cream will stay ...

Education

Wesley College is a state-integrated secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of . The college was founded in 1844, making it the oldest registered secondary school in New Zealand, and moved to its current site in 1924. It is associated with the

Methodist Church of New Zealand The Methodist Church of New Zealand () is a Methodist denomination headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a member of the World Methodist Council. History The Methodist movement was started by John Wesley, an 18th-century Church of ...

. The junior classes (years 9–10) are for boys only, and the senior classes are coeducational. Paerata School is a coeducational full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of . The school opened in 1921. In 2021, the school moved its site to the Paerata Rise development Rolls are as of

Demographics

Dairy factories

Education

Climate

References

Further reading