Eskdale is a rural settlement in the

Hastings District Hastings is a town in the United Kingdom, most famous for the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Hastings may also refer to: Places Australia * Hastings, Tasmania, a locality * Hastings, Victoria, Australia ** Electoral district of Hastings, Victoria, ...

and

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

region of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. It is located north of Napier on State Highway 5, near the mouth of the Esk River.

Description and history

The valley has many vineyards, wineries, orchards and fishing spots. The local Eskdale War Memorial Church was designed by

James Chapman-Taylor James Walter Chapman-Taylor (24 June 1878 – 25 October 1958) was a New Zealand architect. One of the country's most important domestic architects of his time, he is noted mainly for his Arts and Crafts-influenced houses. Chapman-Taylo ...

, and dedicated to Percival Moore Beattie, a local man killed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The river has a history of flooding. Flash flooding inundated the settlement in March 2018, leaving most of the local holiday parks underwater. Large parts of the valley were inundated during

Cyclone Gabrielle Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle was a severe tropical cyclone that devastated the North Island of New Zealand and affected parts of Vanuatu and Australia in February 2023. It is the costliest tropical cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphe ...

in February 2023. The floods caused significant damage in the settlement, destroying houses and sections of State Highway 5 and the Palmerston North–Gisborne Railway Line. A wildfire broke out near Eskdale in March 2019.

Demographics

Puketapu-Eskdale statistical area, which also includes Puketapu, Whirinaki and

Waiohiki Waiohiki is a rural community in the Hastings District and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between the Ngaruroro and Tutaekuri Rivers, south of Taradale and north of Hastings on State Highway 50. Napier Golf C ...

, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Puketapu-Eskdale had a population of 2,673 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 489 people (22.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 621 people (30.3%) 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 915 households, comprising 1,392 males and 1,284 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.08 males per female. The median age was 45.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 480 people (18.0%) aged under 15 years, 414 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,395 (52.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 384 (14.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 88.3% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

, 13.6%

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 ...

, 5.2% Pacific peoples, 1.2%

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 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 17.6, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.2% had no religion, 37.3% 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 ...

, 1.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.1% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 0.3% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 1.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 453 (20.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 348 (15.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 495 people (22.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,272 (58.0%) people were employed full-time, 363 (16.6%) were part-time, and 39 (1.8%) were unemployed.

Education

Eskdale School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of The school opened in 1859 and was redeveloped in the 1990s.

Hukarere Girls' College Hukarere Girls' College is a girls secondary boarding school in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand. It has a strong Māori character and follows the Anglican tradition. The School motto "Kia Ū Ki Te Pai" means "Cleave to that which is good" ...

is a single-sex state-integrated secondary school, with a roll of as of The school was founded as Hukarere Native School for Girls in 1875 in Napier. It moved to its current site in 2003. It has strong ties to both the Anglican Church and to Māori culture.

References

{{Hastings District Hastings District Populated places in the Hawke's Bay Region Populated places around Hawke Bay