Te Kaha is a small New Zealand community situated in the

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 ...

near

Ōpōtiki Ōpōtiki (; from ''Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti'') is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Ōpōtiki District Council, the mayor of Ōpōtiki and comes under the Bay of Plenty Region ...

. The New Zealand

Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the Creative New Zealand, arts, Culture of New Zealand, culture, New Zealand Historic Places Trust, built heritage, Sport Ne ...

gives a translation of "the rope" for . The full name of Te Kaha is Te-Kahanui-A-Tikirākau. Te Kaha is a little outpost that contains a couple of dairies and the Te Kaha resort.

Marae

The township is in the ''

rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several . Background In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...

'' (tribal area) of

Te Whānau-ā-Apanui Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is a Māori iwi (tribe) located in the eastern Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions of New Zealand's North Island. In 2006, the iwi registered 11,808 members, representing 13 hapū. History Early history During the 17th ce ...

. It has four

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 local

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 ...

: * Te Kaha Marae and Tūkākī meeting house, is affiliated with Te Whānau a Te Ēhutu. * Maungaroa Marae and Kaiaio meeting house, is affiliated with Te Whānau a Kaiaio. * Pāhāōa Marae and Kahurautao meeting house, is affiliated with Te Whānau a Kahurautao. * Waiōrore Marae and Toihau meeting house, is affiliated with Te Whānau a Toihau / Hinetekahu. In October 2020, the Government committed $497,610 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 the Pāhāōa Marae, creating 14 jobs. It also committed $1,646,820 upgrade a cluster of 6 marae, including Maungaroa Marae, creating 10 jobs.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Te Kaha as a rural settlement, which covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². It is part of the wider Cape Runaway statistical area. Te Kaha had a population of 327 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 ...

, a decrease of 60 people (−15.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 24 people (7.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 129 households, comprising 147 males and 177 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.83 males per female, with 72 people (22.0%) aged under 15 years, 54 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 135 (41.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 63 (19.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 30.3% 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 ...

, 86.2%

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 ...

, 1.8% Pacific peoples, and 0.9% Asian. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 33.0% had no religion, 42.2% 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 22.9% 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, 21 (8.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 66 (25.9%) people had no formal qualifications. 15 people (5.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 117 (45.9%) people were employed full-time, 36 (14.1%) were part-time, and 18 (7.1%) were unemployed.

Education

Te Kura o Te Whānau-a-Apanui is a coeducational composite (years 1–13) school with a roll of students as of The school opened in 2016 to replace three East Cape schools, and is presently in Ōmaio while premises are being built in Te Kaha.

Climate

Notable people

* Corporal

Willie Apiata Bill Henry "Willie" Apiata, VC (born 28 June 1972) is an honorary warrant officer class one in the New Zealand Army Reserve Forces. As a corporal in the New Zealand Special Air Service, he became the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for N ...

, recipient of the New Zealand Victoria Cross, awarded on 2 July 2007 *

Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu VC (7 April 1918 – 27 March 1943) was a New Zealand soldier and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth ...

, recipient of the VC, awarded posthumously in October 1943 *

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. Known for quirky comedy films and expanding his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects, he ...

, Filmmaker, actor, comedian

References

{{Ōpōtiki District Ōpōtiki District Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region