Kaka Point is a small town at the northern edge of

The Catlins The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprise an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha, New Zealand, Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between ...

, an area of the southern

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. It is located south of Balclutha and 8 km north of the headland of Nugget Point. It has a seasonally fluctuating population, and there are numerous cribs (holiday homes) at the settlement. The settlement's best−known resident was

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 ...

poet

Hone Tuwhare Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tuwhare (21 October 1922 – 16 January 2008) was a noted Māori people, Māori New Zealand poet. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter ...

, who lived in Kaka Point for many years until he died in 2008. Kaka Point is named for the

kākā The New Zealand kākā (''Nestor meridionalis'') is a large species of parrot of the family New Zealand parrot, Strigopidae found in New Zealand, New Zealand's native forests across the three main Islands of New Zealand. The species is often kn ...

bird, whose signature call is "ka-aa." There is a restaurant, a motel, bed and breakfasts establishments, and a camping grounds in Kaka Point.

Demographics

Kaka Point is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers , and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². It is part of the much larger Catlins statistical area. Kaka Point had a population of 231 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 ...

, an increase of 9 people (4.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 30 people (14.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 114 households, comprising 114 males and 117 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female. The median age was 54.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 33 people (14.3%) aged under 15 years, 12 (5.2%) aged 15 to 29, 120 (51.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 63 (27.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 96.1% 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 ...

, 3.9%

, and 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.2% had no religion, 39.0% 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 ...

, 1.3% were

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 ...

and 1.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 33 (16.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 54 (27.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $35,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 27 people (13.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 99 (50.0%) people were employed full-time, 30 (15.2%) were part-time, and 3 (1.5%) were unemployed.

References

{{Clutha District Clutha District Populated places in Otago The Catlins