Rātana Pā
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Rātana Pā, or Ratana Community, is a town in 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, near
Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...
and Marton in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. The locality was the farm of
Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana (25 January 1873? – 18 September 1939) was the founder of the Rātana religion in the early 20th century in New Zealand. He rose to prominence as a faith healer. Beginnings Rātana was of the Ngāti Apa and Ngā ...
, the founder of a
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 ...
religious and political movement, and the settlement developed in the 1920s as followers came to see Rātana. It continues as the centre of the
Rātana Rātana () is a Māori Christian church and movement, headquartered at Rātana Pā near Whanganui, New Zealand. The Rātana movement began in 1918, when Tahupōtiki Wiremu (T. W.) Ratana claimed to experience visions, and began a mission o ...
Church. Due to the importance of the Rātana movement in New Zealand politics, leading New Zealand politicians often attend annual gatherings at Rātana Pā.


Location

Rātana Pā is 20 km south-east of
Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...
, 5 km west of Turakina and 19 km west of Marton. It lies between State Highway 3 and the coast.


History

Rātana Pā is on what was the farm of
Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana (25 January 1873? – 18 September 1939) was the founder of the Rātana religion in the early 20th century in New Zealand. He rose to prominence as a faith healer. Beginnings Rātana was of the Ngāti Apa and Ngā ...
, the founder of the
Rātana Rātana () is a Māori Christian church and movement, headquartered at Rātana Pā near Whanganui, New Zealand. The Rātana movement began in 1918, when Tahupōtiki Wiremu (T. W.) Ratana claimed to experience visions, and began a mission o ...
religious and political movement and the Rātana Church. The locality became a settlement of Rātana followers in the 1920s. Facilities at Rātana Pā include the 1,000-seat ''Temepara Tapu o Ihoa'' (Holy Temple of Jehovah), the ''Manuao'' (an accommodation facility and head office of the church), the ''Whare Māori'' (which contains crutches and wheelchairs from followers who were healed by Rātana in the 1920s and 1930s) and the Ratana Archives Centre, which contains artefacts and stories from the history of the Rātana Church. 25 January and 8 November are anniversary days of the Rātana Church. On these days thousands of members of the church converge on Rātana Pā for the special anniversary services commemorating the birth of Rātana (25 January 1873) and his first spiritual vision (8 November 1918). The gathering for the birth anniversary lasts for a week, with the highlight being the Temple Service on 25 January. Usually, Members of Parliament (MPs) visit on 24 January to talk and seek the votes of Māori. On 10 November 2024, the Sixth National Government allocated NZ$10.1 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to building upgrades and repairs at Rātana Pā.


Government and politics


Local government

Rātana Pā is in the Southern ward of
Rangitikei District The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamahanga (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay ...
, which elects three of the eleven members of the Rangitikei District Council. There is also a Rātana Community Board, one of two community boards in the District (the other being for
Taihape Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town ...
). The Board has four elected members and one appointed councillor from the Southern ward.


National government

Rātana Pā, like the rest of the Rangitikei District, is located in the general electorate of Rangitīkei and in the
Māori electorate 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 ...
of
Te Tai Hauāuru Te Tai Hauāuru () is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives, that was first formed for the . The electorate was represented by Tariana Turia from to 2014, f ...
. Rangitīkei is a safe National Party seat since the 1938 election with the exception of 1978–1984 when it was held by
Bruce Beetham Bruce Craig Beetham (16 February 1936 – 3 May 1997) was an academic and politician from New Zealand, whose career spanned the 1970s and early 1980s. A lecturer at Hamilton's University of Waikato and at the Hamilton Teachers' Training Colle ...
of the Social Credit Party. Since
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
it has been held by Suze Redmayne. Te Tai Hauāuru is a more volatile seat, having been held by three different parties since
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
, i.e.
New Zealand First New Zealand First (), commonly abbreviated to NZ First or NZF, is a political party in New Zealand, founded and led by Winston Peters, who has served three times as Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, deputy prime minister. The party has form ...
, the
Māori Party 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 the Labour Party. Since
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
it has been held by
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer Debbie Anne Ngarewa-Packer is a New Zealand politician, iwi leader and activist. She is a Member of Parliament and co-leader of Te Pāti Māori alongside Rawiri Waititi, and is the chief executive of the Ngāti Ruanui iwi. Ngarewa-Packer st ...
of the Māori Party.


Demographics

Rātana is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. It is part of the larger Turakina statistical area. Before the 2023 census, the settlement had a smaller boundary, covering . Using that boundary, Rātana had a population of 345 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 21 people (6.5%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 24 people (−6.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 108 households, comprising 153 males and 192 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.8 males per female, with 66 people (19.1%) aged under 15 years, 81 (23.5%) aged 15 to 29, 159 (46.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 39 (11.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 11.3% 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 ...
, 96.5%
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 ...
, 4.3% Pacific peoples, 0.9% Asian, and 0.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 4.3% had no religion, 6.1% 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 ...
, and 88.7% 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 ...
. Of those at least 15 years old, 33 (11.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 78 (28.0%) people had no formal qualifications. 9 people (3.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 126 (45.2%) people were employed full-time, 39 (14.0%) were part-time, and 30 (10.8%) were unemployed.


Transport

State Highway 3 is located to the northeast of Rātana Pā. This national state highway connects Woodville ( east of
Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...
) and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
via
New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...
.
InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
runs three daily and six non-daily services at the Ratana Turn Off stop. These include Palmerston North–
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
,
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
–New Plymouth and Auckland–Palmerston North. The nearest airport is
Whanganui Airport Whanganui Airport , named Wanganui Airport until 2016, is the airport that serves Whanganui, New Zealand. It is located to the south of Whanganui River, approximately 4 km from the centre of Whanganui. The airport has a single asphalt runwa ...
, located to the northwest of the town. Rātana had a railway station on the Marton–New Plymouth line from 27 April 1898, for goods, and 23 May for passengers. It had a shelter shed, platform, loading bank and a small
passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...
. The station closed on 7 December 1947, when the Turakina Deviation diverted the railway away from Rātana. Seven died due to a crash on 26 March 1938, from the station, to the north of Lake Waipu.


Education

Te Kura o Ratana is a state-integrated co-educational Rātana Church primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The nearest secondary schools are in Whanganui and Marton.


Table footnotes


References


External links


Ratana church history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratana Pa Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui Rangitikei District Rātana