Kawhia Harbour () is one of three large natural inlets in the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...
coast of the
Waikato
The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
region 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 ...
's
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 is located to the south of
Raglan Harbour
Raglan ( or ) is a small beachside town located west of Hamilton, New Zealand on State Highway 23. It is known for its surfing, and volcanic black sand beaches.
History
The Ngāti Māhanga iwi occupied the area around Raglan in the late ...
,
Ruapuke
Ruapuke is a small farming community (predominantly sheep and cattle farmers) in the Waikato region on the slopes of Karioi, between Raglan, New Zealand, Raglan and Kawhia in New Zealand.
History
The introduction to 'Ruapuke' says, "The grea ...
and
Aotea Harbour
Aotea Harbour () is a settlement and smallest of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Raglan Harbour to the north and Kawhia Harbour to the south, 30 kilom ...
, 40 kilometres southwest of
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
. Kawhia is part of the
Ōtorohanga District
Ōtorohanga District is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in the King Country area and Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a mostly rural area, with Ōtorohanga town being by far the biggest urb ...
and is in the
King Country
The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...
. It has a high-tide area of and a low-tide area of . Te Motu Island is located in the harbour.
The settlement of Kawhia is located on the northern coast of the inlet, and was an important port in early colonial New Zealand.
The area of Kawhia comprises and is the town block that was owned by the New Zealand Government. The government bought it from the
Europeans
Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...
in 1880 "not from the original
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 ...
owners, but from a European who claimed ownership in payment of money owed by another European".
History and culture
Early history
Kawhia Harbour is the southernmost location where
kauri
''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...
trees historically grew.
Kawhia is known in Māori lore as the final resting-place of the ancestral
waka (canoe) ''
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
''. Soon after arrival, captain
Hoturoa
According to Māori tradition, Hoturoa was the leader of the ''Tainui'' canoe, during the migration of the Māori people to New Zealand, around 1400. He is considered the founding ancestor of the Tainui confederation of tribes (iwi), who now in ...
made it first priority to establish a whare wananga (sacred school of learning) which was named Ahurei. Ahurei is situated at the summit of the sacred hill behind Kawhia’s seaside marae – Maketu Marae. The harbour area was the birthplace of the prominent
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 ...
warrior chief
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha ( – 27 November 1849) was a Māori rangatira, warlord, and chief of the Ngāti Toa iwi. One of the most powerful military leaders of the Musket Wars, Te Rauparaha fought a war of conquest that greatly expanded Ngāti Toa south ...
of the
Ngāti Toa
Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...
tribe, who lived in the area until the 1820s, when he, and his tribe along with
Ngāti Rārua
Ngāti Rārua are a Māori tribe ( of the Tainui tribal confederation.
Ngāti Rārua stem from the marriage of Rārua-ioio and Tū-pāhau and, like other Tainui tribes, had their original home in the Waikato, specifically on the west coast of ...
and
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 ...
migrated southwards.
Tainui was buried at the base of Ahurei by Hoturoa himself, and other members of the iwi. Hoturoa marked out the waka with two limestone pillars, which he blessed. Firstly, there is "Hani (Hani-a-te-waewae-i-kimi-atu) which is on the higher ground and marked the prow of the canoe". Marking the stern of the canoe, Hoturoa placed the symbol of Puna, the spirit-goddess of that creation story. "In full it is named Puna-whakatupu-tangata, and represents female fertility, the spring or source of humanity."
Marae
Maketu Marae is located next to Kawhia Harbour. The main meeting house of the marae, Auau ki te Rangi, is named after Hoturoa’s father, who was a high chief (ariki) and was built and opened in 1962.
The eldest and most prestigious meeting house that was first built on Maketu Marae is Te Ruruhi (the Old Lady) which was used as the dining hall until 1986. It was replaced by a two-storey dining hall, Te Tini O Tainui, to cater for the large numbers that visit for occasions such as annual poukai, tangi and hui.
The marae is affiliated to Waikato through the
hapū
In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...
of
Ngāti Mahuta
Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...
, with connections to Ngāti
Apakura, Ngāti
Hikairo, and
Ngāti Te Wehi.
Six other marae are also based at or near Kawhia Harbour:
* Mōkai Kainga Marae and Ko Te Mōkai meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Apakura and Hikairo, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of
Apakura.
* Mokoroa Marae and Ngā Roimata meeting house is a meeting place for the Waikato hapū of
Ngati Kiriwai.
* Ōkapu or Oakapu Marae and Te Kotahitanga o Ngāti Te Wehi meeting house is a meeting place for the Waikato hapū of Ngāti Mahuta and Ngāti Te Wehi.
* Te Māhoe Marae is a meeting ground for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of
Peehi,
Te Kanawa,
Te Urupare and
Uekaha.
* Waipapa Marae and Ngā Tai Whakarongorua and Takuhiahia meeting houses are a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Hikairo, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of
Ngāti Hikairo and
Ngāti Puhiawe.
*Rākaunui Marae and Moana Kahakore meeting house is on Ngati Tamainu (Waikato) land, the hapu of whichu are
Ngāti Te Kiriwai, Ngati Huiarangi, Ngati Te Kanawa, and Ngati Mahuta). It also affiliates to
Ngāti Ngutu
Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato, Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers ...
,
Ngāti Paretekawa of Maniapoto, and Ngāti Apakura.
In October 2020, the Government committed $196,684 from the
Provincial Growth Fund
Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party.
Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...
to upgrade Ōkapu Marae, creating 16 jobs.
European history

The Kawhia Harbour area was important to the
kauri gum
Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, bef ...
trade of the late 19th/early 20th centuries, as it was the southernmost area where the gum could be found.
The Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser was established in May 1901 by
William Murray Thompson and Thomas Elliott Wilson, who also ran the
Bruce Herald,
Waimate
Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand, and the seat of Waimate District. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main N ...
Times, Egmont Settler
(later briefly part of Taranaki Central Press at
Stratford) and the
Mangaweka Settler. From 1909
Edward Henry Schnackenberg, whose father was a missionary here from 1858 to 1864, owned the paper, until it closed in April 1936.
In January 2018, the health board issued a statement that there was no additional risk from tuberculosis in Kawhia after reports of three possible cases.
Demographics
Statistics New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand (), branded as Stats NZ, is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the collection of statistics related to the economy, population and society of New Zealand. To this end, Stats NZ produces New Zealand c ...
describes Kāwhia as a rural settlement, which covers .
It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2. The settlement is part of the larger Pirongia Forest statistical area.
Kāwhia had a population of 378 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 ...
, a decrease of 6 people (−1.6%) since the
2018 census, and an increase of 42 people (12.5%) since the
2013 census. There were 186 males and 192 females in 168 dwellings. 1.6% of people identified as
LGBTIQ+. The median age was 57.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 48 people (12.7%) aged under 15 years, 36 (9.5%) aged 15 to 29, 168 (44.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 126 (33.3%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 58.7%
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 ...
), 55.6%
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 ...
, 6.3%
Pasifika, 1.6%
Asian, and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.8%, Māori by 19.0%, Samoan by 0.8%, and other languages by 2.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.4% (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 1.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 9.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 28.6%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
, 3.2%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had
no religion were 57.9%, and 8.7% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 42 (12.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 180 (54.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 114 (34.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $27,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 21 people (6.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 102 (30.9%) full-time, 42 (12.7%) part-time, and 15 (4.5%) unemployed.
Before 2018, Kawhia was in its own statistical area
In 2013 231 dwellings were unoccupied. In the much wider Pirongia Forest area, 396 dwellings were unoccupied in 2018,
when it was estimated that 70% of Kawhia's houses were holiday homes.
As of 2017, New Zealand's median
centre of population is located around one kilometre off the coast of Kawhia.
Pirongia Forest statistical area
Pirongia Forest statistical area, which also includes
Hauturu, covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Pirongia Forest had a population of 984 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 18 people (1.9%) since the
2018 census, and an increase of 156 people (18.8%) since the
2013 census. There were 489 males and 495 females in 429 dwellings. 1.5% of people identified as
LGBTIQ+. The median age was 53.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 150 people (15.2%) aged under 15 years, 108 (11.0%) aged 15 to 29, 450 (45.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 279 (28.4%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 63.1%
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 ...
), 49.4%
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 ...
, 4.0%
Pasifika, 1.8%
Asian, and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.9%, Māori by 13.1%, Samoan by 0.6%, and other languages by 2.7%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (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 8.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 26.5%
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 ...
, 0.3%
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 ...
, 3.7%
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 ...
, 0.3%
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 0.6% other religions. People who answered that they had
no religion were 61.0%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 108 (12.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 447 (53.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 270 (32.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $27,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 45 people (5.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 312 (37.4%) full-time, 117 (14.0%) part-time, and 30 (3.6%) unemployed.
Te Puia Hot Springs
2 hours either side of low tide (for tide times, see tide-forecast.com) about 100 m off the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...
beach, 4 km from Kawhia (see 1:50,000 map), oozes hot water, which can be formed into shallow bathing pools with a spade.
A council sample taken on 30 March 2006 listed these in the water.
File:Te Puia Springs are on the beach to the right from this track across the dunes.JPG, Te Puia Springs are on the beach to the right from this track across the dunes.
File:Te Puia springs on beach.jpg, about 100 metres of beach oozes hot water, which is uncovered for about 4 hours at spring low tides, but not at neap tides.
Kawhia County Council

Kawhia County Council was formed in 1905 and first met on 12 July 1905. New offices were built by Buchanan Bros in 1915-16 over the former beach, and designed by Hamilton architects and engineers, Warren and Blechynden. In 1923, Kawhia County covered and had a population of 1,098, with of
gravel road
A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. Gravel roads are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and ...
s, of mud roads and of tracks. Kawhia Town Board was formed in 1906, with an area of 470 acres (190 ha). Its population in 1923 was 195, when it had 6 mi 14 ch (9.9 km) of streets and a 10 acres (4.0 ha) domain. The County merged into Ōtorohanga and Waitomo in 1956, after a Local Government Commission inquiry.
Kāwhia Community Board
The
Community Board meets monthly and consists of 4 members, plus the Kāwhia - Tihiroa Ward councillor. Three members are elected from the Kawhia area and one from Aotea.
Pou Maumahara
In 2016, a tall
pou maumahara (remembrance pillar) was put up at Omimiti Reserve, behind the museum. Te Kuiti Stewart began carving it in 2014, from a
Pureora Forest totara. It represents 150 years of
Kīngitanga on one side and the
Elizabeth Henrietta's 1824 arrival, on the other. At night it is floodlit, with coloured LED lights inside.
Hospital
Kawhia hospital overlooked the town, on the site of Te Puru pa, which became the
Armed Constabulary redoubt
A redoubt (historically redout) is a Fortification, fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks (engineering), earthworks, although some are constructed of ston ...
in 1863. Like the County Office, the hospital was also designed by Warren and Blechynden and opened in 1918. It was still a
cottage hospital
A cottage hospital is a mostly obsolete type of small hospital, most commonly found in the United Kingdom.
The original concept was a small rural building having several beds.The Cottage Hospitals 1859–1990, Dr. Meyrick Emrys-Roberts, Tern Publ ...
in 1948, but had become a maternity hospital by 1959 and closed in March 1967.
Education
Kāwhia School is a Year 1–8 co-educational state primary school.
It is a
decile 1 school with a roll of as of
A Kawhia School was established in 1845. In 1863, the school was described as 'mixed' (racially). It was taught by
Annie Allen and supervised by her future husband, Cort Schnackenberg. The school, by then called Kawhia Native School, closed in 1904 in favour of the public school at
Te Maika on the southern head of Kawhia Harbour. The current Kāwhia School moved to its present site in 1922.
Notable people
*
Te Rangihaeata, chief, born about 1780
*
John Kent, European trader, 1820s–1830s
*
John Whiteley, Cort and
Annie Jane Schnackenberg, missionaries
*
Hoana Riutoto
Hoana Riutoto was a Māori people, Māori woman from the Ngāti Mahuta sub-tribe (hapū) of the Kāwhia Harbour, Kāwhia area of Waikato, New Zealand.
Hoana Riutoto signed the Treaty of Waitangi around March/April 1840, at the Port Waikato, Waik ...
, signatory of Treaty of Waitangi
*
Jim Rukutai
James (Jim) Kumiti Rukutai (born – 11 January 1940) was a prominent Māori people, Māori leader, interpreter as well as a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer. He played representative rugby league (RL) and coac ...
, rugby player, born about 1877
*
Mary Reidy, sister at Kawhia Hospital 1921–1947
*
Carole Shepheard (born 1945), artist
See also
*
SH31
*
Kairuku waewaeroa, extinct giant penguin
References
External links
1911 map of Kawhia County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawhia Harbour
Ōtorohanga District
Geography of Waikato
Ports and harbours of New Zealand
Kauri gum