Greerton is a major suburb of

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

, the largest city in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...

region of New Zealand. Greerton is named after Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Harpur Greer, commander of the British forces during the Battle of Gate Pā.

Demographics

Greerton covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Greerton had a population of 4,128 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sh ...

, an increase of 393 people (10.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 432 people (11.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,671 households, comprising 1,926 males and 2,205 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.87 males per female, with 762 people (18.5%) aged under 15 years, 828 (20.1%) aged 15 to 29, 1,593 (38.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 945 (22.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 77.5% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New ...

, 20.2% Māori, 3.3% Pacific peoples, 11.0% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.9, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.6% had no religion, 31.4% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, 1.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 2.8% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.8% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 4.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 402 (11.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 843 (25.0%) people had no formal qualifications. 237 people (7.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,488 (44.2%) people were employed full-time, 450 (13.4%) were part-time, and 135 (4.0%) were unemployed.

History

It was originally a small village located several kilometers south of Tauranga but was swallowed up by urban development. A military village of 125 one acre lots, the Township of Greerton, was surveyed near Gate Pā. Military settlers were allowed a choice of one acre there or a quarter acre in Te Papa. Originally, very few settlers took up town sections in Greerton. In 1864 the Tauranga Campaign was fought in the neighbouring suburb of Gate Pā with Māori troops withdrawing through Greerton to Pyes Pa.

Culture

The Greerton community celebrates the cherry blossom festival in the third week of September every year.

Education

Greerton has two co-educational state primary schools: Greerton Village School, with a roll of , and Greenpark School, with a roll of . Greerton is also zoned for Tauranga Intermediate, Tauranga Boys' College and Tauranga Girls' College.

Recreation

Tauranga Racecourse , Mārawaewae is situated on Cameron Road next to Tauranga Golf Course, at the southern end of Greerton Village. Greerton also has several parks: Greerton Park, Liston Park, Moreland Fox Park, Pemberton Park and Yatton Park.

References

{{Tauranga Suburbs of Tauranga