Ōkiwi Bay is a small town in the

Marlborough Sounds The Marlborough Sounds (Māori language, te reo Māori: ''Te Tauihu-o-te-Waka'') are an extensive network of ria, sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds were created by a combination ...

, New Zealand, within

Croisilles Harbour Croisilles Harbour (formerly spelt Croixelles Harbour) is a natural inlet north of Nelson at the westernmost edge of the Marlborough Sounds on the northern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It has two major arms, Ōkiwi Bay and Squally Cove. T ...

. It has about 200 houses and about 80 permanent residents.A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem
Stuff.co.nz, Selina Powell, published 10:14 Jun 09 2015, retrieved 26 July 2019 The area was noted for its

oysters Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of Seawater, salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in Marine (ocean), marine or Brackish water, brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly Calcification, calcified, a ...

Name

Ōkiwi Bay officially had a

macron Macron may refer to: People * Emmanuel Macron (born 1977), president of France since 2017 * Brigitte Macron (born 1953), French teacher, wife of Emmanuel Macron * Jean-Michel Macron (born 1950), French professor of neurology, father of Emmanuel ...

added to its name on 5 November 2018 by the New Zealand Geographic Board. 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 the

kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), an informal name for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible hairy fruit with many seeds * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of curren ...

" for ''Ōkiwi''.

About

There were pre-European

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 ...

settlements in this area and the Bay's name dates from those times. The primary

Ngāti Koata Ngāti Koata or Ngāti Kōata is a Māori iwi of New Zealand, originating on the west coast of Waikato, but now mainly at the northern tip of South Island. Ngāti Koata whakapapa back to Koata who lived near Kāwhia in the 17th century. She ha ...

settlement in the area was at Whangarae, adjacent to Ōkiwi Bay on the western side of Goat Hill. In 1880 50 acres was leased by the Crown to Alabby Hobbs. A

saw mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

was opened in the 1890s by Messrs Mace and Holland who had lease 3,200 acres of Māori land. A track to the Rai Valley was made in 1895. By 1904 Ōkiwi Bay had become a popular destination for holiday makers. In 1957 a unique

patu A patu is a club or pounder used by the Māori. The word in the Māori language means to strike, hit, beat, kill or subdue. Weapons These types of short-handled clubs were mainly used as a striking weapon. The blow administered with this ...

was uncovered while excavating a load of single from a beach in Ōkiwi Bay. The patu was described as being stone and resembling a medieval mace. The style was more in line with those from the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

, but the stone was definitely of local, Ōkiwi Bay, origin. It is a base for the Okiwi Bay Voluntary Rural Fire Force and St John's Ambulance. There is a holiday park and the area is predominantly a holiday resort. In 2015 when a Dutch

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

company,

Skretting Skretting is the world's largest producer of feeds for farmed fish. and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². It is part of the larger

Marlborough Sounds West __NOTOC__ Havelock is a small town in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand, at the head of Pelorus Sound, one of the Marlborough Sounds, and at the mouth of the Pelorus and Kaituna Rivers State Highway 6 from Nelson to Blenheim passes thro ...

statistical area. Ōkiwi Bay had a population of 63 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, a decrease of 18 people (−22.2%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 36 people (−36.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 36 households, comprising 30 males and 33 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.91 males per female. The median age was 66.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 0 people (0.0%) aged under 15 years, 3 (4.8%) aged 15 to 29, 27 (42.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 36 (57.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 95.2% European/

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 ...

, and 4.8%

. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.4% had no religion, and 33.3% were

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 ...

. Of those at least 15 years old, 27 (42.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $21,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 3 people (4.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 15 (23.8%) people were employed full-time, 12 (19.0%) were part-time, and 3 (4.8%) were unemployed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okiwi Bay Populated places in the Marlborough District Marlborough Sounds Populated places in the Marlborough Sounds