Mangawhai
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mangawhai is a township at the south-west extent of the Mangawhai Harbour, or Mangawhai Estuary, in Northland, New Zealand. The adjacent township of Mangawhai Heads is 5 km north-east, on the lower part of the harbour.
Kaiwaka Kaiwaka, known as "the little town of lights", is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Kaiwaka River runs from the east through the area and joins with the Wairau River to form the Otamatea River, which drains into the Kaipara Harbour ...
is 13 km south-west, and Waipu is 20 km north-west of Mangawhai Heads. In 2018 it was proposed to develop a new town between Mangawhai and Mangawhai Heads, called Mangawhai Central, to accommodate the rapid increase of population expected and overcome the space limitations of the existing commercial areas. The business area was largely complete by the end of 2022 but the residential development stalled. A new residential area called Mangawhai Hills is planned west of the existing settlement.


History

Mangawhai is the traditional
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 ...
name for the area, referring to the
stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...
s which live in the harbour. In the early and mid 19th century, Mangawhai Harbour was one of the main access points for the Kaipara.
Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...
used to drag waka from Kaiwaka to Mangawhai. A Ngā Puhi war party landed at Mangawhai in February 1825 and moved 12 km inland to confront the
Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...
at Te Ika-a-ranga-nui near Kaiwaka. Later in the 19th century, settlers would travel by boat from
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
to Mangawhai, walk to Kaiwaka, and then travel on the water again across the
Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auck ...
. By the early 1860s, a dray road existed between Mangawhai and Kaiwaka. In the latter 19th century, 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 ...
digging trade became an important industry in the area. On 26 January 2025 the town was hit by a
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
, causing extensive damage and two serious injuries.


Sand mining

Sand mining Sand mining is the extraction of sand, mainly through an open pit (or sand pit) but sometimes mined from beaches and inland dunes or dredged from ocean and river beds. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in conc ...
began at the Mangawhai Harbour entrance pre 1940. In 1978 the collapse of sand dunes, believed to be caused by sand mining, closed the harbour for five and a half years. From 1993 to 2004, sand was commercially suction-dredged from the sandbars of Mangawhai Heads. In 2004, the Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society won an
Environment Court The Environment Court of New Zealand () is a specialist court for plans, resource consents and Natural environment, environmental issues. It mainly deals with issues arising under the Resource Management Act 1991, Resource Management Act, meani ...
decision to stop the issue of new licences. The companies such as McCallum Brothers, re-applied to the
Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...
for resource consent but the application was turned down in 2005. In January 2008 another application to sand mine in the Mangawhai Forest was being heard by the Environment Court.


Governance

The Mangawai Road District was formed 26 September 1867. It first operated 29 October 189 and was transferred from Rodney County to the nascent
Otamatea County Otamatea County was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island, from 1887 until 1989. It was created by the Counties Act 1886, which came into effect on 1 January 1887, from parts of the existing Hobson, Rodney and Whangarei Count ...
in 1886.


Demographics

Mangawhai township covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Mangawhai had a population of 1,206 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 270 people (28.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 699 people (137.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 585 males and 624 females in 528 dwellings. 1.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 50.6 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 228 people (18.9%) aged under 15 years, 99 (8.2%) aged 15 to 29, 480 (39.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 399 (33.1%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 94.3%
European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
(
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 ...
); 12.4%
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 ...
; 2.2% Pasifika; 3.5% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.0%, Māori language by 2.0%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 7.5%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (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 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 20.6, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 24.4%
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 ...
, 0.7%
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 ...
, 0.5%
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 ...
, 0.7%
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 ...
, 0.2%
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 ...
, 0.2%
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 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 66.9%, and 4.7% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 147 (15.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 564 (57.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 225 (23.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $32,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 90 people (9.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 375 (38.3%) people were employed full-time, 144 (14.7%) were part-time, and 15 (1.5%) were unemployed.


Rural surrounds

Mangawhai Rural, which surrounds but does not include Mangawhai township and Mangawhai Heads, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Mangawhai Rural had a population of 2,940 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 840 people (40.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,542 people (110.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,503 males, 1,425 females and 9 people of other genders in 1,167 dwellings. 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 49.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 516 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 306 (10.4%) aged 15 to 29, 1,392 (47.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 726 (24.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 94.1%
European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
(
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 ...
); 12.3%
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 ...
; 3.5% Pasifika; 2.3% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.1%, Māori language by 1.4%, and other languages by 6.7%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (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 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.9, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 23.4%
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 ...
, 0.3%
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 ...
, 0.1%
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 ...
, 0.2%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 66.8%, and 7.4% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 426 (17.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,395 (57.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 471 (19.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $35,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 282 people (11.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,011 (41.7%) people were employed full-time, 468 (19.3%) were part-time, and 42 (1.7%) were unemployed.


Education

Mangawhai Beach School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of students as of Mangawhai Hills College is an independent private school due to open in February 2025. This school will serve students from Years 7 to 13 and is being established by the Mangawhai Education Trust.


References

Kaipara District Populated places in the Northland Region


External links

{{subject bar, auto=y, d=y