Matakana Island is located in the western

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

in 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 ...

. A long, flat

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

, it is in length but rarely more than wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by Māori tribes that are mostly associated with

Ngāi Te Rangi Ngāi Te Rangi or Ngāiterangi is a Māori iwi, based in Tauranga, New Zealand. Its rohe (tribal area) extends to Mayor Island / Tūhua and Bowentown in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, south of Te Puke and to Maketu in the east. ...

. The island is one of the few majority

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 ...

-speaking places in New Zealand, with 56.9% of the population being able to speak Māori as of the 2023 census. The island has two distinct parts: of farm and orchard land on the inner harbour, (where most of the population lives) and of forest-covered coastal land exposed to the Pacific Ocean. A smaller island, Rangiwaea Island, is located just offshore from Matakana's southern coast.

History and culture

Recent history

19th Century: Of the 290,000 acres the Crown seized in the Tauranga region in 1865, 240,000 acres were returned to Māori between 1865–1886. The confiscated 50,000 acres did not include Matakana Island. Matakana Island is 15,000 acres. The 5000 acre western side of the island (farmland part) was purchased by

Whitaker Whitaker (also Whittaker) is a surname of English and Scottish origin, meaning the white acre, also spelled "Whittaker" and "Whitacre (disambiguation), Whitacre." Notable people with the surname include: People with the name * The Whitaker iron ...

and Russell between 1869-1873. Whitaker and Russell then sold that 5000 acres on 2 April 1874 to the crown who then gave it back for no cost to the same Maori who had previously sold it. The coastal sand dunes of 10,000 acres were purchased by

William Daldy William Crush Daldy (1816 – 5 October 1903) was a captain and New Zealand politician. Biography Daldy was born on 20 April 1816 in Rainham, London, Rainham, Essex, England. He started going to sea aged 16 on the ''Mayflower'', a ship belong ...

of Auckland (1816 – 5 October 1903). A certificate of title under the Land Transfer Act 1870 was issued to Daldy on 3 August 1878. That transaction relates to the Wiakoura, Oturoa, Paretata, Omanuwhiri, Ohinetama, Wairaka, Pukekahu, Okotare and Hori Tupaea's Pa blocks. 20th Century: Between 1993 and 1999 the ownership of Matakana Island's forest and freehold land was in dispute. The case ''Arklow Investments Limited and Christopher Wingate v I.D. MacLean and others'', (UKPC 51) was appealed from the New Zealand Court of Appeal to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

in London.

Marae

Matakana Island has three

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

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 ...

: * Kutaroa Marae and its Tauaiti meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Tauaiti. * Opureora Marae and its Tuwhiwhia meeting house are affiliated with

Ngāi Tuwhiwhia 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 Ngāti Tauaiti. * Te Rangihouhiri or Oruarahi Marae and its Te Rangihouhiri meeting house are affiliated with

Ngāi Tamawhariua 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. ...

. In October 2020, the Government committed $4,871,246 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 Te Rangihouhiri Marae and 11 other Ngāti Awa marae, creating 23 jobs. There are also two marae sites on neighbouring Rangiwaea Island belonging to Ngāi Te Rangi hapū: * Rangiwaea Marae and its meeting house, Te Haka a Te Tupere, are a meeting place for

Ngāi Tauwhao 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. ...

. * Oponui Marae, which was dismantled between the 1980s and 2007, was traditionally a meeting place for Te Ngare.

Demographics

Matakana and Rangiwaea islands cover and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Matakana and Rangiwaea islands had a population of 306 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 123 people (67.2%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 51 people (20.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 165 males and 138 females in 132 dwellings. 2.9% 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 39.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 63 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 45 (14.7%) aged 15 to 29, 141 (46.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 57 (18.6%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 23.5%

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 ...

), 93.1%

, 2.0%

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 ...

, 2.9% Asian, and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.1%, and Māori by 56.9%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (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 1.0%. The percentage of people born overseas was 4.9, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 31.4%

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 ...

, 25.5%

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 ...

, 1.0%

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 36.3%, and 5.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (12.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 138 (56.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 69 (28.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $23,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3 people (1.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 84 (34.6%) full-time, 48 (19.8%) part-time, and 12 (4.9%) unemployed.

Geography

The island protects the entrance to the

Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...

harbour and stretches from Bowentown to

Mount Maunganui Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of Tauranga located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harb ...

. Matakana Island is largely covered with pine trees although some land is cleared for the residents. Matakana Island has a relatively small population density of 4.2, though still more than the West Coast(1.3 as of the 2006 Census). The island is the third largest by area associated with the North Island, or the fifteenth largest within New Zealand waters.The island's long, white sandy beach is popular with surfers. Surfers can either catch a water taxi from Mount Maunganui or paddle to the island across the mouth of Tauranga Harbour (depending on weather conditions). Matakana's surf side is a nesting site for a large number of sea birds, including the endangered New Zealand dotterel. In 2007, the New Zealand Fisheries Management Research Database recorded and estimated that there were 325 sting rays inhabiting the estuarial waters between Matakana Island and Rangiwaea Island.

Rangiwaea Island

Rangiwaea Island is off the south east coast of Matakana Island. It is low lying, over long and rises to , with low cliffs in places. Like Matakana, the land ownership history during colonisation is unclear, but confiscated land was returned in 1886. The main products on the island are kiwifruit, avocado, timber and cattle. Other nearby, smaller islands are Tahunamanu, Motungaio and Motutangaroa Islet.

Education

Te Kura o Te Moutere o Matakana is a co-educational Māori language immersion state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . Te Kotukutuku School House opened in 1897 and provided education for over 50 years. It is now a Category 1 Historic Place. The school was extant in 1959 and 1965.

References

External links

Last step in Matakana Island pursuit

Matakana Island Surf Report
{{Authority control Barrier islands Western Bay of Plenty District Islands of the Bay of Plenty Region Populated places around the Tauranga Harbour