Tinopai is a settlement on the Komiti Bay, part of the Hukatere Peninsula in the northern

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auck ...

in Northland, New Zealand. The Otamatea River flows from the north east past Tinopai and into the harbour.

Matakohe Matakohe is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Matakohe River is a short river which runs from the north into the Arapaoa River, which is part of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 12 passes through Matakohe. Ruawai is 16 km to ...

is to the north. It is now a quiet backwater. The population is approximately 240, but expands considerably during the summer holiday season. The Hukatere Scenic Reserve is on the road to

and contains a bush walk with mature

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

trees, to the north of Tinopai.

History and culture

The original settlement was called Te Komiti, which was a regular stopping point for Māori travellers on the Kaipara. A large raupo church, capable of holding several hundred people, was built here in 1852. The Komiti Fruitlands Development Association bought in 1915 to grow fruit, particularly apples, and built a wharf in 1917 from which to ship them. They renamed the area "Tinopai Fruitlands" in 1918. Apple growing finished in the mid-1930s due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and poor management. There are several

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 ...

in the Tinopai area. Ngā Tai Whakarongorua Marae and its Ngā Tai Whakarongorua meeting house, and Waihaua / Arapaoa Marae and its Kirihipi meeting house are connected with

Te Uri o Hau Te Uri-o-Hau (sometimes spelt Te Uri O Hau or Te Uriohau) is a Māori iwi (tribe) based around New Zealand's Kaipara Harbour. It is both an independent iwi and a hapū (sub-tribe) of the larger Ngāti Whātua iwi, alongside Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōr� ...

and

Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...

Rāwhitiroa Marae Tinopai is a settlement on the Komiti Bay, part of the Hukatere Peninsula in the northern Kaipara Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. The Otamatea River flows from the north east past Tinopai and into the harbour. Matakohe is to the north. It ...

and its Rāwhitiroa meeting house are a meeting place for

and the Ngāti Whātua hapū of Te Popoto. The

Waiōhou Tinopai is a settlement on the Komiti Bay, part of the Hukatere Peninsula in the northern Kaipara Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. The Otamatea River flows from the north east past Tinopai and into the harbour. Matakohe is to the north. I ...

and Waiotea / Tinopai marae grounds are also meeting places for both iwi.

Demographics

Tinopai is in an SA1 statistical area which covers . The SA1 area is part of the larger Rūāwai-Matakohe statistical area. Tinopai wharf2

The SA1 statistical area had a population of 240 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 30 people (14.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 66 people (37.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 126 males and 111 females in 99 dwellings. The median age was 57.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 42 people (17.5%) aged under 15 years, 18 (7.5%) aged 15 to 29, 102 (42.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 78 (32.5%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 71.2%

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 ...

), 50.0%

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 ...

, 2.5% Pasifika, 2.5% Asian, and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori language by 10.0%, and other languages by 2.5%. No language could be spoken by 1.2% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 7.5, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 31.2%

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 ...

, 1.2%

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, 5.0%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.5%, and 5.0% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 21 (10.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 102 (51.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 69 (34.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $22,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 6 people (3.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 54 (27.3%) people were employed full-time, 15 (7.6%) were part-time, and 9 (4.5%) were unemployed.

Education

Tinopai School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of students as of The school opened on 13 September 1916.

Notes

External links

Tinopai School website
{{Kaipara District Kaipara District Populated places in the Northland Region Populated places around the Kaipara Harbour