Waihou is a rural settlement in the

Matamata-Piako District Matamata-Piako District is a Territorial Authorities of New Zealand, local government area in the Waikato List of regions in New Zealand, region of New Zealand. It lies to the east of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton. Geography The d ...

and

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

region of 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 ...

. It is located on between

Te Aroha Te Aroha is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,906 people in the 2013 census, an increase of 138 people since 2006. It is northeast of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton and south of Thames, New Zealand, T ...

and

Morrinsville Morrinsville () is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. Morrinsville is a service town for the local dairy industry; the area surrounding the town has the highest concentration of dairy cattle in New Zealand. ...

and west of the

Waihou River The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Roung ...

Etymology

Waihou was originally known as ''Te Kapara'' and later ''Ardmore''. The name ''Waihou'' is derived from the

History

In 1879, 200 allotments had been laid out from the larger land block. Waihou was typically accessed via boat. Waihou was a pioneer settlement with most settlers coming from England, Scotland, and Ireland. In 1880 Waihou was a hamlet, with a school service conducted out of a private home, a hall, and a hotel. The Hamilton to Te Aroha railway passed through the settlement. Waihou was along the road between

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 ...

and gold fields in the Kaimais, this led to many settlers leaving for the gold fields. The sections in Waihou became cheap and many settlers who otherwise would not have been able to afford large sections purchased sections at Waihou. In the early 1900s, Waihou had a population of about 100, a railway siding, and a primary school.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Waihou as a rural settlement, which covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Waihou is part of the larger Waihou-Manawaru statistical area. Waihou had a population of 330 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 (10.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 69 people (26.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 168 males, 162 females and 3 people of other genders in 126 dwellings. 2.7% 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 41.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 57 people (17.3%) aged under 15 years, 60 (18.2%) aged 15 to 29, 144 (43.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 72 (21.8%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 92.7%

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 ...

), 20.9%

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 ...

, and 4.5%

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 ...

. English was spoken by 97.3%, Māori language by 1.8%, and other languages by 2.7%. No language could be spoken by 3.6% (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 0.9%. The percentage of people born overseas was 9.1, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 23.6%

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 ...

, 0.9%

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, 0.9%

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 1.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 61.8%, and 10.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (11.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 159 (58.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 81 (29.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 15 people (5.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 138 (50.5%) people were employed full-time, 36 (13.2%) were part-time, and 6 (2.2%) were unemployed.

Education

Waihou School opened in 1880 in the town hall and served 15 students. In 1898 it moved to a purpose built structure. At the beginning of the 20th century it has 110 students on the roll. It closed in 2000. Elstow-Waihou Combined School, called Elstow School before 2000, is a full primary school catering for years 1–8. It has a roll of as of It was founded in 1901 and is seven kilometres northwest of Waihou.

References

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