Athenree is a rural settlement coastal town in the Western Bay of Plenty District of New Zealand. It is on the northern side of

Tauranga Harbour Tauranga Harbour is the natural tidal harbour that surrounds Tauranga CBD and the Mount Maunganui area of Tauranga, New Zealand, and which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mount Maunganui. The harbour is effectively two flooded river systems separ ...

, and separated from Waihi Beach by the Waiau River on its north and east side. The area includes a holiday park with hot springs and Athenree Wetland, which includes a walking track. The settlement was named for Athenry in Country Galway, Ireland by settlers arriving in 1878, including Captain Hugh Stewart (a brother of

George Vesey Stewart George Vesey Stewart (1832–1920) was a notable New Zealand farmer, coloniser and local politician. He was born in Brighton, Sussex, England in about 1832. The in the newly formed electorate was hotly contested. Four candidates were nomin ...

) and his wife,

Adela Blanche Stewart Adela Blanche Stewart (1846–1910) was a New Zealand homemaker and writer. She was born in Clifton, Gloucestershire (now in Bristol), England in 1846. She and her husband Hugh Stewart emigrated to New Zealand in 1878 and settled at Katikati, ...

, who wrote a book about her experiences called ''My Simple Life in New Zealand''. The settlement was initially successful due to the 1878 opening of the Martha gold mine in Waihi, and later because of dairy farming.

Demographics

Athenree covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Athenree waterfront

Athenree had a population of 804 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 sho ...

, an increase of 129 people (19.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 192 people (31.4%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 291 households, comprising 381 males and 426 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.89 males per female. The median age was 55.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 123 people (15.3%) aged under 15 years, 84 (10.4%) aged 15 to 29, 342 (42.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 258 (32.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 92.2% European/ Pākehā, 13.8%

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 C ...

, 1.1% Pacific peoples, 1.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 20.1, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.3% had no religion, 34.7% 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'' (Χρι ...

, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 129 (18.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 126 (18.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $26,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 81 people (11.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 246 (36.1%) people were employed full-time, 120 (17.6%) were part-time, and 27 (4.0%) were unemployed.

References

{{Authority control Western Bay of Plenty District Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region Populated places around the Tauranga Harbour