The Far North District is the northernmost territorial authority district of

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 Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, consisting of the northern part of the

Northland Peninsula The Northland Peninsula, called the North Auckland Peninsula in earlier times, is in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is joined to the rest of the island by the Auckland isthmus, a narrow piece of land between the Waitemat� ...

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 ...

. It stretches from North Cape / Otou and Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua in the north, down to the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...

, the

Hokianga The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long Estuary, estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Mā ...

and the town of

Kaikohe Kaikohe is the seat of the Far North District of New Zealand, situated on State Highway 12 about from Auckland, and about from Whangārei. It is the largest inland town and highest community above sea level in the Northland Region. With a pop ...

. The

Far North District Council Far North District Council () is the territorial authority for the Far North District of New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and th ...

is based in

, and has ten ward councillors representing four wards: Te Hiku (in the north), Kaikohe-Hokianga (in the west), Bay of Islands-Whangaroa (in the east) and the district-wide Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori ward. The council is led by the current mayor of Far North, Moko Tepania, who entered the role in 2022.

Geography

The Far North District is the largest of three territorial authorities making up the

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

. The district stretches from the capes and bays at the northern tip of the

Aupōuri Peninsula The Aupōuri Peninsula is a tombolo at the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It projects between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It constitutes the northern part of the Far North District, incorpora ...

past Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe / Ninety Mile Beach to the main body of the

, where it encompasses the Parengarenga Harbour, Whangaroa Harbour and

(on the east coast) and

(on the west coast). It borders on the Kaipara and Whangarei Districts, which are the other two territorial authorities in the Northland Region.

Population

Far North District covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Far North District had a population of 71,430 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 6,180 people (9.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 15,696 people (28.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 35,529 males, 35,709 females and 192 people of other genders in 26,049 dwellings. 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 44.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 14,193 people (19.9%) aged under 15 years, 10,914 (15.3%) aged 15 to 29, 30,588 (42.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 15,735 (22.0%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 64.6% 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 ...

); 49.9%

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 ...

; 5.4% Pasifika; 3.2% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.8%, Māori language by 15.6%, Samoan by 0.4% and other languages by 6.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (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 15.3, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 32.4%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 5.9%

Māori religious beliefs 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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.4%, and 7.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 6,780 (11.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 31,995 (55.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 16,353 (28.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $29,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3,126 people (5.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 22,947 (40.1%) people were employed full-time, 7,950 (13.9%) were part-time, and 2,670 (4.7%) were unemployed.

Urban areas and settlements

2023 NZ Census Population Density - Far North District

The Far North District has eight towns with a population over 1,000. Together they are home to % of the district's population. The northernmost town in the district is Kaitaia. Kerikeri, Moerewa, Kawakawa, Paihia, Opua and Russell are clustered on the east coast around the Bay of Islands with Kaikohe centrally situated to their west. Another cluster of small settlements,

Ōmāpere Ōmāpere is a settlement on the south shore of Hokianga Harbour in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. New Zealand State Highway 12, State Highway 12 runs through Ōmāpere. Opononi is on the shore to the north of Ōmāpere. The New Zeala ...

Opononi Opononi is a settlement on the south shore of Hokianga Harbour in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. New Zealand State Highway 12, State Highway 12 runs through Opononi. Ōmāpere is on the shore to the south of Opononi and Pakanae is to ...

, Rawene,

Panguru Panguru is a community in the northern Hokianga harbour, in Northland, New Zealand. The Whakarapa Stream flows from the Panguru Range in the Warawara Forest to the west, through Panguru and into the Hokianga. Demographics The SA1 statistical a ...

, Kohukohu, and Horeke, surrounds the

Hokianga Harbour The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ...

on the west coast.

References

External links

Far North District Council official website
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