Pukeatua is a rural farming community in

Waipā District Waipā District (or Waipa District) is a municipality in the Waikato region of New Zealand that is administered by the Waipā District Council. Its most populous town is Cambridge. The seat of the council is at the second most populous town, Te ...

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 ...

. It is situated at the south-western foot of the Pukeatua hill, of the

Maungatautari Maungatautari is a mountain near Cambridge in the Waikato region in New Zealand's central North Island. The mountain is an extinct stratovolcano. It is a prominent peak and is visible across the Waipa District. The mountain is the site of Sanc ...

mountain range. The area is west of

Tīrau Tīrau is a small town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometres southeast of Hamilton. The town has a population of 804 (2018 census). In the Māori language, "Tīrau" means "place of many cabbage trees." Tīrau ...

Putāruru Putāruru is a small town in the South Waikato District and the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It lies on the western side of the Mamaku Ranges and in the upper basin of the Waihou River. It is on the Oraka Stream 65 kilometres s ...

and

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

, and east of

Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato, Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south ...

and State Highway 3. Pukeatua translates as ''hill of god'' (''puke'' = hill, ''atua''= god).

Demographics

Pukeatua locality covers . The locality is part of the larger Rotongata statistical area. Pukeatua had a population of 189 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 21 people (12.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 9 people (5.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 99 males and 90 females in 69 dwellings. 1.6% 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 29.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 42 people (22.2%) aged under 15 years, 51 (27.0%) aged 15 to 29, 78 (41.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 15 (7.9%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.8%

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 ...

); 30.2%

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% Asian; 3.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.8%, Māori by 11.1%, and other languages by 7.9%. No language could be spoken by 3.2% (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 1.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 12.7, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 25.4%

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 ...

, and 9.5%

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 ...

. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.1%, and 9.5% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 21 (14.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 87 (59.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 39 (26.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $45,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 15 people (10.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 87 (59.2%) full-time, 18 (12.2%) part-time, and 3 (2.0%) unemployed.

Rotongata statistical area

Rotongata statistical area, which also includes

Wharepapa South Wharepapa South is a rural community in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is split between Waipā District and Ōtorohanga District. It is located west of Tokoroa and east of Ōtorohanga. Marae The local Aotearoa Marae and ...

, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Rotongata had a population of 918 in the

, an increase of 84 people (10.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 99 people (12.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 486 males, 429 females, and 3 people of other genders in 321 dwellings. 2.6% of people identified as

. The median age was 34.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 222 people (24.2%) aged under 15 years, 186 (20.3%) aged 15 to 29, 429 (46.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 84 (9.2%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.4%

(

); 20.6%

; 2.6%

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 ...

; 9.8% Asian; 1.0% 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 96.4%, Māori by 5.9%, and other languages by 7.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.9% (e.g. too young to talk).

was known by 1.0%. The percentage of people born overseas was 17.3, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 28.1%

, 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 ...

, 3.3%

, 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 ...

, and 1.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.5%, and 9.2% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 120 (17.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 408 (58.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 171 (24.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $46,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 69 people (9.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 402 (57.8%) full-time, 102 (14.7%) part-time, and 18 (2.6%) unemployed.

Education

Pukeatua School is a Decile 8 primary school, providing full education for Years 1 to 8. The school has a roll of as of . The school was founded in 1911. The village also has a small war memorial church and a playcentre.

References

{{Waipa District Waipa District Populated places in Waikato