Whareama is a rural area in the

Wellington Region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori language, Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is the southernmost regions of New Zealand, region of the North Island of New Zealand. The local government region covers an area of , and ...

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 ...

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

Whareama River The Whareama River is a river of the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows generally south from its origins west of Castlepoint to reach the Pacific Ocean east of Masterton. See also *List of rivers of New Zealand *List of r ...

flows through the area.

Marae

The community 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 ...

'' affiliated with the

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi (tribe) located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapū (sub-tribes ...

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

Ngāi Tumapuhia-a-Rangi 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. ...

: Motuwairaka Marae, which lost its meeting house to fire in 2017, and Ngāi Tumapuhia a Rangi ki Okautete Marae, which is still constructing its meeting house by 2020. In October 2020, the Government committed $2,179,654 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 both marae, alongside

Pāpāwai Pāpāwai is a historic settlement and marae located near Greytown, New Zealand. In the late 19th century, the marae was an important site of Te Kotahitanga, the Māori people, Māori parliament movement. Description Pāpāwai is located inl ...

Kohunui Pirinoa is a rural community east of Lake Wairarapa, in the South Wairarapa District and Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. It includes the rural settlement of Pirinoa, and the coastal settlement of Whāngaimoana. Marae Kohunui M ...

Hurunui o Rangi Gladstone is a lightly populated locality in the Carterton District of New Zealand's North Island, located on the Mangahuia Stream near where the Tauweru River joins the Ruamahanga River. The nearest town is Carterton 15 kilometres to the no ...

and

Te Oreore Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

marae. Together, the upgrades were expected to create 19.8 full time jobs.

Demographics

Whareama statistical area covers and also includes

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...

Castlepoint Castlepoint is a small beachside settlement on the Wairarapa coast of the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is home to a lighthouse which stands near the top of the northern end of a reef. The reef is about one kilometre long. At the southe ...

Riversdale Beach Riversdale Beach is a settlement in New Zealand. It is located on the sparsely populated southeast coast of the North Island, 40 kilometres east of Masterton. It is one of the longest beaches in the Wairarapa and is also known for having a year- ...

Tauweru Tauweru, alternatively Taueru, and previously known as Wardell,Sharpe, Marty, 6 July 2002, ''Wairarapa Times-Age''. or WardelltownResults of the New Zealand Census, 28 March 1886/ref> is a locality in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand's North I ...

Tīnui Tīnui, also spelled Tinui and formerly spelled Tenui, is a small village approximately 40 kilometres from Masterton, in the Wairarapa, New Zealand. The name comes from the Māori language, Māori words , Cabbage tree (New Zealand), cabbage tree, ...

and

Wainuioru Wainuioru is small rural settlement in Wellington Region, New Zealand, just east of Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton Distric ...

. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Whareama had a population of 1,410 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 129 people (10.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 120 people (9.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 555 households, comprising 729 males and 681 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 43.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 291 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 204 (14.5%) aged 15 to 29, 726 (51.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 189 (13.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.0% 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 ...

, 17.4%

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 ...

, 1.7%

Pasifika Pasifika may refer to: *Pacific Islander people, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands **Pasifika New Zealanders, Pacific peoples living in New Zealand *Pacific Islands, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia *The Pasifika Festival, an a ...

, 0.6% Asian, and 1.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.0, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.0% had no religion, 35.5% 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 ...

, 1.1% had

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 ...

, 0.2% 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 0.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 192 (17.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 204 (18.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 153 people (13.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 612 (54.7%) people were employed full-time, 231 (20.6%) were part-time, and 30 (2.7%) were unemployed.

Education

Whareama School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of .

References

{{Masterton District, New Zealand Masterton District Populated places in the Wellington Region