Waimate North is a small settlement in Northland, New Zealand. It is situated between

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is a town in the Bay of Islands, in the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the head of Kerikeri Inlet, a northwestern arm of the Bay of Islands, where fresh water of the Kerikeri River enters the Paci ...

and

Lake Ōmāpere Lake Ōmāpere is the largest lake in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It is located to the North of Kaikohe. The lake sits within the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands volcanic field. The lake was formed when an ancient lava flow blocked a valley, ...

, west of the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...

. It was one of the earliest centres of European settlement and features the second-oldest surviving European building in New Zealand, at Te Waimate Mission.

History

Pre-European history

Okuratope Pā was situated here and was the home to chief Te Hotete (father of

Hongi Hika Hongi Hika ( – 6 March 1828) was a New Zealand Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the iwi of Ngāpuhi. He was a pivotal figure in the early years of regular European contact and settlement in New Zealand. As one of the first Māor ...

) of the Ngai Tawake

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 ...

in the late 18th-early 19th centuries. A major disturbance took place here in 1800, when an attacking Ngare Raumati war party from Rāwhiti murdered and ate chief Te Maoi's wife, Te Auparo as well as their daughter, Te Karehu. This led to revenge attacks, which lasted over two decades; and resulted in the comprehensive defeat of the Ngare Raumati and the conquest of their lands by

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

(including Te Maoi and Te Auparo's three chiefly sons;

Te Wharerahi Te Wharerahi (born ) was a highly respected ''rangatira'' (chief) of the Ipipiri (Bay of Islands) area of New Zealand. Origins and mana Aside from other connections, he was Ngati Tautahi. His mother was Te Auparo and his father Te Maoi; his ...

, Rewa, and

Moka Te Kainga-mataa Moka Kainga-mataa e Kaingamataa/Te Kaingamata/Te Kainga-mata/Te Kainga-mataa'' (1790s–1860s) was a Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngā Puhi iwi from Northland in New Zealand. He was distinguished in war and an intelligent participant in the ...

European settlement

Te Waimate Mission was the fourth mission station established in New Zealand, and the first settlement inland from the

. The members of the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

(CMS) appointed to establish the mission were the Rev.

William Yate ] William Yate (3 November 1802 – 26 July 1877) was one of the earliest New Zealand missionaries and writers who worked for the Church Mission Society. He was born in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England in 1802. He joined the Church Missionary S ...

and lay members Richard Davis (meteorologist), Richard Davis,

George Clarke George Clarke (7 May 1661 – 22 October 1736), of All Souls, Oxford, was an English architect, print collector and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1702 and 1736. Life The son of Sir William Clark ...

and James Hamlin. The first European wedding in New Zealand was conducted on 11 October 1831 at the St. John the Baptist Church, when

William Gilbert Puckey William Gilbert Puckey (5 May 1805 – 27 March 1878), born in Penryn, England, was a missionary in New Zealand. He accompanied his parents to New Zealand at the age of 14. He became widely regarded as one of the best interpreters of Māori in ...

(26), son of a Missionary carpenter, William Puckey, married Matilda Elizabeth Davis (17), second daughter of the Missionary Rev. Richard Davis. During the

Flagstaff War The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of H� ...

(1845-1846) casualties of the

Battle of Ōhaeawai The Battle of Ōhaeawai, part of the Flagstaff War, was fought in July 1845 at Ōhaeawai in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. The battle was between British forces and their allies from the local Ngāpuhi tribe of Māori people, Māori on ...

were buried in the church yard of Church of St John the Baptist, including Captain Grant of the 58th Regiment and Lieutenant

George Phillpotts Lieutenant George Phillpotts (1814 – 1 July 1845) was an officer of the Royal Navy. Early life George Phillpotts, the eighth of fifteen children of Henry Phillpotts and Deborah Maria Surtees, was born in Durham, England in or before Jan ...

of HMS ''Hazard''. The mission station was used as the headquarters for the British army, after which the mission lost support among Māori. The mission station gradually fell into disrepair and the buildings were subsequently put up for sale. Today the only remnant on the site is the house originally occupied by George Clarke, which is preserved by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

as a museum.

Modern history

The existing St. John the Baptist Church at Waimate North was built in 1870 and 1871. Waimate North Christian School closed in 2005.

Marae

The local Tauwhara Marae and Te Rangiawhiowhio meeting house is a traditional meeting ground for the

Ngāi Tāwake Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

Ngāti Hineira Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

Ngāti Rēhia Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

Ngāti Tawake ki te Tuawhenua Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and Whānautara. In October 2020, the Government committed $500,000 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 marae, creating 29 jobs.

Demographics

Waimate North is in two SA1 statistical areas which cover and includes an area north of

Ōhaeawai Ōhaeawai is a small village at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1 and State Highway 12 in the Far North District of New Zealand, some from Auckland. The town of Kaikohe is to the west, and the Bay of Islands is a sh ...

and south of the Waitangi River. The SA1 areas are part of the larger Ōhaeawai-Waimate North statistical area. The SA1 areas had a population of 342 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 57 people (20.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 135 people (65.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 174 males and 171 females in 114 dwellings. 1.8% 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 ...

. There were 45 people (13.2%) aged under 15 years, 54 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 165 (48.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 78 (22.8%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.2%

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 ...

), 36.0%

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 ...

, 2.6% Pasifika, 4.4% Asian, and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 99.1%, Māori language by 13.2%, and other languages by 7.0%. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.3, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 26.3%

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 ...

, 2.6%

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 ...

, 1.8%

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 0.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 61.4%, and 6.1% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 39 (13.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 165 (55.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 81 (27.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 27 people (9.1%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 147 (49.5%) people were employed full-time, and 45 (15.2%) were part-time.

References

{{Far North District Far North District Populated places in the Northland Region