Mokai () is a rural community in the

Taupō District Taupō District is a territorial authority district in New Zealand. It covers 6,333 km² of land, and a further 610 km² of lake area, including Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, and Lake Rotoaira. The district stretches from th ...

and

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'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 ...

. The local Mōkai Marae and Pakake Taiari meeting house is a meeting place for:

Pouākani Pouākani is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. They have a marae at Mokai, north of Lake Taupō. See also *List of Māori iwi This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi This list includes groups recognised as iwi ( ...

, the

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North ...

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 Hā, Ngāti Moekino, Ngāti Parekāwa, Ngāti Tarakaiahi, Ngāti Te Kohera, the Ngāti Wairangi and the

Ngāti Raukawa Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi (tribe) with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupō and Manawatū/ Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa. History Early history Ngāti ...

hapū of Ngāti Moekino, Ngāti Parekāwa, Ngāti Tarakaiahi, Ngāti Te Kohera, the Ngāti Wairangi hapū of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Whaita and Ngāti Hā.

Mokai Power Station The Mokai Power Station is a geothermal power station owned by the Tuaropaki Power Company and operated by Mercury NZ Limited. It is located approximately 30 km north west of Taupō in New Zealand New Zealand () is an island c ...

is a

geothermal Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to: * Geothermal energy, useful energy generated and stored in the Earth * Geothermal activity, the range of natural phenomena at or near the surface, associated with release of the Earth's internal he ...

power station owned by the Tuaropaki Power Company and operated by

Mercury Energy Mercury NZ Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and multi-product utility retailer of electricity, gas, broadband and mobile telephone services. All the company's electricity generation is renewable. Mercury has a pre-paid electrici ...

. It was constructed in 1999 and expanded in 2005 and 2007.

Demographics

Mokai locality covers . It is part of the larger Marotiri statistical area. Taupo Totara Timber Company sawmill at Mokai ATLIB 314138

Mokai had a population of 153 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 21 people (−12.1%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 21 people (−12.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 75 males, 78 females, and 3 people of other genders in 51 dwellings. 2.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 29.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 33 people (21.6%) aged under 15 years, 45 (29.4%) aged 15 to 29, 60 (39.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 15 (9.8%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 70.6% 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 ...

), 49.0%

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 ...

, 3.9% Pasifika, and 3.9% Asian. English was spoken by 98.0%, Māori by 21.6%, and other languages by 2.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 9.8, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 25.5%

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 ...

, 3.9%

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 ...

, and 2.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 68.6%, and 3.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 6 (5.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 81 (67.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 33 (27.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $51,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 9 people (7.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 69 (57.5%) full-time, 12 (10.0%) part-time, and 6 (5.0%) unemployed.

Education

Tirohanga School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of It opened in 1961.

References

{{Taupo District Taupō District Populated places in Waikato