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Te Awamutu

Coordinates: 38°01′S 175°19′E / 38.017°S 175.317°E / -38.017; 175.317
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(Redirected from Te Awamutu, New Zealand)

Te Awamutu
Town
Te Awamutu war memorials
Te Awamutu war memorials
Nickname(s): 
T.A., "The Rose Town of New Zealand"
Map
Coordinates: 38°01′S 175°19′E / 38.017°S 175.317°E / -38.017; 175.317
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato
DistrictWaipā District
WardTe Awamutu-Kihikihi General Ward
CommunityTe Awamutu-Kihikihi Community
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityWaipā District Council
 • Regional councilWaikato Regional Council
 • Mayor of WaipaSusan O'Regan[1]
 • Taranaki-King Country MPBarbara Kuriger[2]
 • Hauraki-Waikato MPHana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke[3]
Area
[4]
 • Total
14.18 km2 (5.47 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[5]
 • Total
14,150
 • Density1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
WebsiteCity: teawamutu.co.nz
Region: http://www.ew.govt.nz

Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Hamilton on State Highway 3, one of the two main routes south from Auckland and Hamilton.

Te Awamutu has a population of 14,150 (June 2024),[5] making it the fifth-largest urban area in the Waikato behind Hamilton, Taupō, Cambridge and Tokoroa.

The town is often referred to as "The Rose Town of New Zealand" because of its elaborate rose gardens in the centre of the town.[6] Many local businesses use "Rosetown" in their name, and the symbol of the rose is widely used on local signs and billboards. The local paper, Te Awamutu Courier, has a symbol of a rose in the masthead on its front page.

History and culture

[edit]

Tainui Māori first settled in the area in about 1450, according to noted Tainui historian Te Hurinui-Jones. Te Awamutu means "the river cut short", as it marked the end of the navigable section of the Mangapiko Stream.[7]

Te Awamutu was the birthplace of the first Māori King, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 1860).

The first European missionaries visited the area in 1834. A missionary settlement was set up by Benjamin Yate Ashwell of the Church Missionary Society (CMS).[8][9][10] and Māori Christians in July 1839 after they observed Tainui warriors, who had been fighting at Rotorua, return with 60 backpacks of human remains and proceed to cook and eat them in the Otawhao Pā.[11] In 1842 the Rev. John Morgan moved to the Otawhao Mission Station.[12] Otawhao was to the south west of Te Awamutu, on the rise overlooking what is now Centennial Park.[13]

The CMS missionaries established a flourishing trade school that focused on developing agricultural skills. The missionaries introduced European crops such as wheat, potatoes and peaches. In 1846 Morgan provided advice and some capital to help local Māori to construct eight water mills to grind wheat into flour.[14] Morgan assisted in finding a suitable miller to operate the mills and to train Māori in this skill.[15]

St John's church built 1853

Possibly the oldest surviving building in the Waikato[16] is St John's church, built in 1853 as part of the mission station. It is in Gothic Revival style.[17] During the 1850s the wider area prospered on the back of sending surplus farm produce to Auckland. For a brief period wheat was even sent overseas. By the late 1850s prices dropped as cheaper flour and other foodstuffs were imported from Australia. This caused huge resentment among local Māori who had grown use to the wealth provided by trade. Some of the more warlike Māori such as Rewi Maniapoto blamed the missionaries for having a negative influence on Māori tikanga (cultural practices). He attempted to kill the local missionary and burnt down the trade school and other mission buildings. Some Christian Māori warned Europeans to leave the Waikato as their lives were in danger. Te Awamutu was a major site during the New Zealand Wars of the 19th century, serving as a garrison town for the colonial settlers from 1864. European settlement began at the conclusion of the Waikato Wars (1863–1865).[18]

Marae

[edit]

The local Mangatoatoa Marae and Te Maru o Ihowa meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Ngutu, Pare te Kawa and Parewaeono, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Ngutu and Ngāti Paretekawa.[19][20]

Local government

[edit]

Rangiaowhia,[21] or Rangiaohia Highway Board administered the roads in the town until Te Awamutu Town Board's[22] election on 1 November 1884.[23] The board first met on 8 November,[24] though there had been an earlier attempt to form a board[25] and there was an unsuccessful challenge to the legality of the election.[26] Te Awamutu Borough Council took over from the board and first met on 10 May 1915.[27] It was merged into Waipā District Council on 23 October 1989.[28]

Geography

[edit]

Te Awamutu literally means in English "The River's End".[29] The town is on gently undulating land close to the banks of a tributary of the Waipā River. The Waikato Plains lie to the north and east, and the promontory of Mount Pirongia, 20 kilometres to the west, is easily visible. Inside the township are two streams called the Mangapiko Stream and the Mangaohoi Stream. The Mangaohoi ends and becomes the Tributary of the Mangapiko near Memorial park.

The town is close to the extinct Kakepuku and Pirongia volcanoes (and other volcanoes of the Alexandra Volcanic Group). Maungatautari, another extinct volcanic cone, now the site of New Zealand's largest ecological restoration project, is also nearby.

Other towns surrounding Te Awamutu include Cambridge, 25 kilometres to the northeast, Ōtorohanga, 30 kilometres to the southwest, and Raglan 50 kilometres to the northwest. The small town of Kihikihi lies just to the south of Te Awamutu.

The main thoroughfare is Alexandra Street, so named because it was once the main road to the town of Alexandra (since renamed to Pirongia to avoid confusion with the town of Alexandra in the South Island).

Demographics

[edit]

Te Awamutu covers 14.18 km2 (5.47 sq mi)[4] and had an estimated population of 14,150 as of June 2024,[5] with a population density of 998 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
200610,146—    
201310,854+0.97%
201812,543+2.93%
202313,380+1.30%
Source: [30][31]

Te Awamutu had a population of 13,380 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 837 people (6.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,526 people (23.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 6,429 males, 6,903 females, and 45 people of other genders in 5,136 dwellings.[32] 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 2,532 people (18.9%) aged under 15 years, 2,355 (17.6%) aged 15 to 29, 5,580 (41.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,910 (21.7%) aged 65 or older.[30]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.4% European (Pākehā); 24.1% Māori; 3.2% Pasifika; 6.9% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.7%, Māori by 5.5%, Samoan by 0.4%, and other languages by 7.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.[30]

Religious affiliations were 33.2% Christian, 1.1% Hindu, 0.4% Islam, 1.2% Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 52.9%, and 8.4% of people did not answer the census question.[30]

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,833 (16.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 5,883 (54.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 3,129 (28.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 924 people (8.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 5,469 (50.4%) full-time, 1,257 (11.6%) part-time, and 264 (2.4%) unemployed.[30]

Individual statistical areas
Name Area
(km2)		 Population Density
(per km2)		 Dwellings Median age Median
income
Te Awamutu North 2.82 1,185 420 447 41.8 years $42,000[33]
Te Awamutu West 1.18 1,482 1,256 534 37.4 years $44,600[34]
Goodfellow Park 0.95 1,788 1,882 747 38.3 years $36,000[35]
Te Awamutu Stadium 1.17 1,815 1,551 693 42.5 years $42,700[36]
Te Awamutu Central 0.71 384 541 180 47.0 years $34,800[37]
Pekerau 4.01 3,084 769 1,134 39.0 years $41,900[38]
Fraser Street 1.14 1,506 1,321 579 44.4 years $41,100[39]
Sherwin Park 2.21 2,130 964 828 39.7 years $38,200[40]
New Zealand 38.1 years $41,500

For earlier censuses, Te Awamutu was divided into four area units, central, east, south and west, as in this table.[41] Māori formed 19.7% of the population in central, 22.8% in east, 23.2% in south and 25.7% in west.[42]

Year Population Households Median age Median income National median
Te Awamutu total 2001 9,180 3,531 $18,500
2006 9,819 3,828 $24,400
2013 10,308 4,125 $28,500
Central 2001 2,892 1,179 40.5 $16,900
2006 3,153 1,281 42.1 $21,800
2013 3,321 1,368 41.6 $26,700
East 2001 2,301 849 34.9 $17,200
2006 2,511 975 38.9 $23,500
2013 2,769 1,107 42.0 $27,400
South 2001 2,862 1,098 38.7 $16,800
2006 2,928 1,131 39.8 $21,300
2013 2,913 1,176 41.8 $25,100
West 2001 1,125 405 33.6 $18,100
2006 1,227 441 35.4 $25,400
2013 1,305 474 36.4 $28,500

Facilities and attractions

[edit]

Te Awamutu Museum was established in 1935. The museum has a number of permanent exhibitions focusing on the history of Te Awamutu and the surrounding area.[43]

The museum contains one of the most famous early Māori artefacts, a large carved post known simply as Te Uenuku. This impressive carving has caused much controversy because its style is markedly different from any other early Māori work, yet it is clearly of a Māori design.

Te Awamutu itself is located on SH3, one of the major routes used when touring the North Island of New Zealand.

The town has three large supermarkets, electronics retailers, a well equipped sports / leisure centre and The Kihikihi Trail cycleway,[44] which opened in 2017.[45]

The town has a large dairy factory, and serves as an important centre in the local dairy industry.

Education

[edit]

Te Awamutu has two state primary schools: Te Awamutu Primary School, with a roll of 583,[46][47] and Pekapekarau School with a roll of 262.[48][49] Te Awamutu Primary was founded in 1877.[50] Pekapekarau opened in 1958 as Te Awamutu No 2 School, then was given the name Pekerau School, a misspelling of Pekarau. It changed its name to Pekapekarau School in 2022.[51]

Many of these students then progress on to Te Awamutu Intermediate, established 1959,[52] with a roll of 442,[53][54] and Te Awamutu College, with a roll of 1,416.[55][56] Te Awamutu District High School was established in 1921, split between two or more sites. It was replaced by Te Awamutu College in 1947.[57]

There are also three other schools in the town:

  • St Patrick's Catholic School is a Year 1–8 state integrated Catholic primary school,[58] with a roll of 242.[59] It was founded in 1921.[60]
  • Waipa Christian School is a Year 1–8 state integrated Christian primary school,[61] with a roll of 93.[62] It opened in the early 1990s, and plans to include years 9 and 10 in the future.[63]
  • Te Wharekura o Ngā Purapura o te Aroha is a Year 1–15 state school,[64] with a roll of 94 as of March 2025[65] The school, which teaches in the Māori language, opened in 2007 and moved to its current site in 2020.[66]

All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of March 2025.

Notable residents

[edit]
Main category: People from Te Awamutu

The town's best known residents are the Finn Brothers, Tim and Neil, whose musical careers have stretched from Split Enz through the internationally successful Crowded House to their current solo and collaborative works. The town is mentioned in Split Enz's song "Haul Away", and also in Crowded House's 1986 song "Mean to Me", the debut single from their self-titled debut album.

Writer Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, was born in the town in 1953.[67][68] She was inducted into the Te Awamutu Walk of Fame in 2019.[69]

Musician Spencer P. Jones (The Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls) was also born in Te Awamutu.

Two Anglican priests of note were the last incumbent vicars of the old St Johns Church. They were The Rev Martin Gloster Sullivan, vicar prior to WW2 who in 1950 became Dean of Christchurch Cathedral and, later Dean of St Pauls Cathedral London, and The Rev John David Hogg who was to become the Anglican Archdeacon of Waikato and Vicar General of the Waikato Diocese.[70]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mayor and Councillors". Waipā District Council. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Taranaki-King Country - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Hauraki-Waikato – Official Result". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Urban Rural 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  6. ^ "New Zealand North Island Things To See And Do". Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  7. ^ "Te Awamutu". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. 1966.
  8. ^ Rogers, Lawrence M. (1973). Te Wiremu: A Biography of Henry Williams. Pegasus Press.
  9. ^ "The Church Missionary Atlas (Church Missionary Society)". Adam Matthew Digital. 1896. pp. 210–219. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  10. ^ Foster, Bernard John (1966). A. H. McLintock (ed.). "ASHWELL, Benjamin Yates". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  11. ^ A Lone Hand in Cannibal Land James Cowan The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 6 (1 September 1934) NZETC
  12. ^ "The Church Missionary Gleaner, December 1846". The Station of Otawao, New Zealand. Adam Matthew Digital. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Early Te Awamutu". Te Awamutu Museum. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  14. ^ "The Church Missionary Gleaner, August 1847". Advancement of New Zealanders in Civilization. Adam Matthew Digitals. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  15. ^ Petrie, Hazel (2006). Chiefs of Industry: Maori Tribal Enterprise in Early Colonial New Zealand. Auckland University Press. ISBN 9781869403768.
  16. ^ "Homewood". heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  17. ^ "St John's Church (Anglican)". heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  18. ^ Keenan, Danny. "Story: New Zealand wars". The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  20. ^ "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  21. ^ "Waikato Times". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 5 February 1881. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  22. ^ "TE AWAMUTU. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 30 December 1884. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Waikato Times". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 4 November 1884. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  24. ^ "TE AWAMUTU. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 November 1884. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  25. ^ "A TOWN BOARD FOR TE AWAMUTU. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 13 September 1884. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  26. ^ "THE TE AWAMUTU ELECTION ENQUIRY. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 December 1884. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  27. ^ "TE AWAMUTU BOROUGH COUNCIL. WAIPA POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 May 1915. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  28. ^ "30 years on, Waipā better than ever – Waipa District Council". waipadc.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  29. ^ "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Te Awamutu (1187). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Te Awamutu North (183300), Te Awamutu West (183400), Goodfellow Park (183600), Te Awamutu Stadium (184000), Te Awamutu Central (184100), Pekerau (184200), Fraser Street (184300) and Sherwin Park (184400).
  32. ^ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  33. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Te Awamutu North. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Te Awamutu West. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  35. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Goodfellow Park. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Te Awamutu Stadium. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  37. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Te Awamutu Central. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  38. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Pekerau. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  39. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Fraser Street. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  40. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Sherwin Park. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  41. ^ "2013 Census map – QuickStats about a place". stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  42. ^ "2013 Census QuickStats about a place". Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  43. ^ "Te Awamutu Museum". Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  44. ^ "New trail route confirmed – Waipa District Council". waipadc.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  45. ^ "Kihikihi trail – Waipa District Council". waipadc.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  46. ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  47. ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  48. ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  49. ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  50. ^ Wood, Jesse (21 November 2023). "Te Awamutu Primary School hits 600-student mark". Te Awamutu Courier.
  51. ^ "Our History". Pekapekarau School. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  52. ^ "Te Awamutu secondary schooling timeline". Te Awamutu Courier. 5 November 2020.
  53. ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  54. ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  55. ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  56. ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  57. ^ Posselt, Viv (1 October 2020). "A century of TA schooling". Te Awamutu News.
  58. ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  59. ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  60. ^ "Josephite Tradition". St Patrick's Catholic School. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  61. ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  62. ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  63. ^ Gardner, Chris (19 September 2024). "School Plans Expansion". Te Awamutu News.
  64. ^ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  65. ^ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  66. ^ Johnston, Caitlan (27 February 2020). "Te Awamutu kura achieve dream to have their own purpose-built wharekura". Te Awamutu Courier.
  67. ^ "What next for Tattooist of Auschwitz author?". The New Zealand Herald. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  68. ^ "From Te Awamutu to the world: Author Heather Morris' inspiring success story - Duncan Garner: Editor-in-Chief Live". omny.fm. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  69. ^ "Author inducted into Te Awamutu Walk of Fame - Waipa District Council". www.waipadc.govt.nz. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  70. ^ "Hogg, John David Biography 1971".
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