Motatau or Mōtatau is a locality in the

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

of the

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 ...

of New Zealand. Maromaku is to the east. The Taikirau Stream flows from east through Motatau and then runs northwest to join the Waiharakeke Stream. The

North Auckland Line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's Rail transport in New Zealand, national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newm ...

runs through Motatau. The name is

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 ...

for "to speak to oneself". Motatau has two

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

. Mōtatau Marae and Manu Koroki are a meeting place for the

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

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 ...

Ngāti Hine Ngāti Hine is an Māori iwi (tribe) with a rohe (tribal area) in Northland, New Zealand. It is part of the wider Ngāpuhi iwi. Its rohe (tribal area) covers the areas of Waiomio, Kawakawa, Taumarere, Moerewa, Motatau, Waimahae, Pakara ...

and Ngāti Te Tāwera. Matawaia Marae and Rangimarie meeting house is a meeting place of the

Ngāti Ngāherehere Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and Te Kau i Mua.

Demographics

Motatau is in an SA1 statistical area which covers . The SA1 area is part of the larger Maromaku statistical area. The SA1 area had a population of 135 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 15 people (−10.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 12 people (9.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 69 males, 66 females and 3 people of other genders in 36 dwellings. 2.2% of people identified as

LGBTIQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...

. The median age was 31.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 45 people (33.3%) aged under 15 years, 21 (15.6%) aged 15 to 29, 48 (35.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 21 (15.6%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 28.9%

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 ...

); 86.7%

; 15.6% Pasifika; and 4.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA). English was spoken by 93.3%, Māori language by 44.4%, Samoan by 2.2%, and other languages by 4.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (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 2.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 6.7, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 44.4%

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 ...

, 2.2%

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 ...

, 13.3%

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 ...

, 2.2%

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 ...

, and 2.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 33.3%, and 6.7% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 9 (10.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 48 (53.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 30 (33.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3 people (3.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 42 (46.7%) people were employed full-time, 9 (10.0%) were part-time, and 6 (6.7%) were unemployed.

Education

Motatau School is a decile 3 coeducational primary school serving years 1–8. It has a roll of students as of The school opened in 1914.

References

{{Far North District Far North District Populated places in the Northland Region