Te Poi is a small village in rural

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, t ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, established in 1912 at the base of the

Kaimai Range The Kaimai Range (sometimes referred to as the ''Kaimai Ranges'') is a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of a series of ranges, with the Coromandel Range to the north and the Mamaku Ranges to the south. The Kaimai R ...

. Te Poi is part of a thriving

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

area, particularly for dairying, thoroughbred horse breeding and cropping. The village is serviced by a garage, a cafe, a pub/restaurant and many other small businesses, and has a public tennis court. There are trout fishing spots nearby. From Te Poi, it is 40 minutes to

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

, 35 minutes to Rotorua, 45 minutes to Hamilton, two hours to skiing at

Mount Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu (; ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō, within the Tong ...

on the Central Plateau and two hours to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

History and culture

Te Poi built a memorial hall in 1922 to commemorate fallen soldiers from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. It built another memorial hall to commemorate its fallen sons from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Te Poi was the site of the Sunny Park-Hinuera Cooperative Dairy Company, known for its casein production. In 1983 Sunny Park buildings were auctioned off after the merger with the Waikato Dairy Company. The village has weathered the loss of the factory well due to its central location. The town celebrated its district centenary on 31 March 2012.

Marae

Te Poi has three

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term ...

, affiliated with

Ngāti Raukawa Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupo and Manawatu/Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa. History Early history Ngāti Raukawa rec ...

hapū. Rengarenga Marae is affiliated with Ngāti Mōtai and

Ngāti Te Apunga Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. Te Omeka Marae and Tiriki Teihaua meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Kirihika. Te Ūkaipō Marae and Wehiwehi meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Kirihika and Ngāti Wehiwehi.

Demographics

Te Poi settlement is in an SA1 statistical area, which covers . The SA1 area is part of the larger Te Poi statistical area. The SA1 area had a population of 210 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sh ...

, an increase of 18 people (9.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 30 people (16.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 72 households, comprising 117 males and 90 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.3 males per female. The median age was 34.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 48 people (22.9%) aged under 15 years, 39 (18.6%) aged 15 to 29, 102 (48.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (11.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.0% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New ...

, 15.7%

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 ...

, 0.0% Pacific peoples, 2.9% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 61.4% had no religion, 30.0% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, 2.9% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (11.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 36 (22.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 21 people (13.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 96 (59.3%) people were employed full-time, 30 (18.5%) were part-time, and 3 (1.9%) were unemployed.

Te Poi statistical area

Te Poi statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Te Poi statistical area had a population of 840 at the

, an increase of 39 people (4.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 21 people (2.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 288 households, comprising 450 males and 393 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.15 males per female. The median age was 33.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 213 people (25.4%) aged under 15 years, 159 (18.9%) aged 15 to 29, 390 (46.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 78 (9.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 84.3% European/

, 18.6%

, 2.5% Pacific peoples, 6.1% Asian, and 2.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.3, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 48.6% had no religion, 38.9% were

, 5.0% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% were Muslim and 0.7% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 87 (13.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 120 (19.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $39,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 99 people (15.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 369 (58.9%) people were employed full-time, 117 (18.7%) were part-time, and 12 (1.9%) were unemployed.

Education

Te Poi School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of as of . Older children go to

Matamata Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which takes ...

by bus for intermediate and secondary school.

References

External links

Matamata Piako District Council
{{Matamata-Piako District Populated places in Waikato Matamata-Piako District