Te Puke is a town located 18 kilometres southeast of
Tauranga
Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...
in the Western
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It is particularly well-known for the cultivation of
Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus '' Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwi ...
.
Te Puke is close to
Tauranga
Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...
,
Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of the Tauranga metropolitan area, located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completio ...
,
Papamoa
, image = View_to_Mayor.jpg
, caption1 = Looking towards Mayor Island down Domain Rd from the Papamoa Hills
, city1 = Tauranga
, ward =
, council = Tauranga City Council
, established =
, coor ...
, and
Maketu
Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand.
Maketu is located in the Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Maketu has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow. It is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on t ...
, which are all coastal towns/cities, as well as the small townships of Waitangi, Manoeka,
Pongakawa
Pongakawa is a rural community in the Bay of Plenty of New Zealand's North Island. runs through it.
The local Tokerau Marae and Pikiao meeting house are a traditional meeting ground of the Ngāti Pikiao tribe.
The name of the settlement com ...
, and Paengaroa. The
Tauranga Eastern Link
The Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL) is a four lane motorway in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand, covering 23 km from Te Maunga junction in Tauranga to Paengaroa. It was officially opened on 30 July 2015. It replaced a section of , improv ...
, completed in 2015, moved
State Highway 2 away from Te Puke and removed large volumes of traffic from its streets.
The town's name comes from the
Māori language, and should be pronounced "teh-pook-ee", not "te-pyook". It translates to ''the hill''; it is on a hill near the Papamoa Hills.
Demographics
Te Puke covers
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Te Puke had a population of 8,688 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 1,296 people (17.5%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 1,728 people (24.8%) 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 2,793 households, comprising 4,368 males and 4,326 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.01 males per female, with 1,809 people (20.8%) aged under 15 years, 1,893 (21.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,423 (39.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,569 (18.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 62.2% 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 Z ...
, 26.5%
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 ...
, 4.8%
Pacific peoples, 19.4%
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 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 24.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 42.2% had no religion, 30.9% were
Christian, 3.4% had
Māori religious beliefs, 2.6% were
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, 0.3% were
Muslim, 0.9% 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 13.0% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 783 (11.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,638 (23.8%) people had no formal qualifications. 570 people (8.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,363 (48.9%) people were employed full-time, 1,023 (14.9%) were part-time, and 276 (4.0%) were unemployed.
History and culture
Settlement
Around 1350, the Te Arawa canoe is said to have landed at
Maketu
Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand.
Maketu is located in the Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Maketu has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow. It is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on t ...
after sailing from
Hawaiki
In Polynesian mythology, (also rendered as in Cook Islands Māori, in Samoan, in Tahitian, in Hawaiian) is the original home of the Polynesians, before dispersal across Polynesia. It also features as the underworld in many Māori stories. ...
. The canoe was under the command of chief
Tama-te-kapua
In Māori mythology, Māori tradition of New Zealand, Tama-te-kapua, also spelt Tamatekapua and Tama-te-Kapua and also known as Tama, was the captain of the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' canoe which came to New Zealand from Polynesia in about 1350.
...
, and he was responsible for many of the original place names of the area. Māori ventured up the rivers and streams and built many
pā in the area.
Lieutenant, later
Captain James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...
, the first European known to visit the area, sailed between
Motiti Island and the coast in 1769. This was his first voyage to New Zealand, but he did not land here. Cook named the area the
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...
as he observed that it was well populated and looked very fertile. In 1830 Danish sailor Philip Tapsell, also known as Hans Homman Felk, settled at Maketu and operated as a trader.
Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries arrived shortly afterwards and established mission stations at Te Papa (
Tauranga
Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...
) and at
Rotorua. After the land wars began to ease in the 1860s, European settlers began to move to the
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...
though not in great numbers.
Maketu
Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand.
Maketu is located in the Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Maketu has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow. It is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on t ...
, however was a thriving village with a school, post office, and hotel and in 1869 an Anglican church. In 1876, surveying of the Te Puke Block commenced but it was not until 1879 that they survey was completed as the Native Land Court needed to complete their investigation of Māori titles for the land. Demand for land in the
Tauranga
Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...
area increased and the Tauranga Working Men's Land Association was formed in 1877. Forty eight members petitioned the government for 4000 acres (16 ha) of the Te Puke block under the deferred-payment system. At the same time George Vesey Stewart applied to the government to bring settlers from Great Britain to the Te Puke Block as he had already successfully done in
Katikati
Katikati is a town in New Zealand (North Island) located on the Uretara Stream near a tidal inlet towards the northern end of Tauranga Harbour, 28 kilometres south of Waihi and 40 kilometres northwest of Tauranga. State Highway 2 passes through ...
.
The first settlers on the Te Puke Block arrived in 1879 and included Peter Grant and his wife Caroline (née Moon), William Bird and his wife Sarah (née Leitch), Joseph Malyon and his wife Sara (née James) amongst others. The first of the Vesey Stewart settlers arrived in Tauranga directly from London on the ''Lady Jocelyn'' on 2 January 1881.
Development
In July 1880, work commenced on the Tauranga to Te Puke Road, via Welcome Bay. It was constructed by the Armed Constabulary and local
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 ...
who worked on their land. Before this, access to Te Puke was made across the Papamoa Hills from Ngapeke to Manoeka, following an ancient Māori trail. Peter Grant had been contracted by the Tauranga County Council to form this track into a bridle path in 1879.
Stores and passengers for the town could also come from Tauranga by boat, first to Maketu, then up the Kaituna River to Canaan Landing and then by Māori canoe up the Waiari Stream to the site of the present road bridge just to the south of the town.
By late 1881, Te Puke boasted 25 wooden buildings including two hotels, two general stores, a butcher, a post office and a smithy. The settlers quickly settled upon the land and by 1884 had established a butter factory. Draining of the swamps began and the area was found to be very suitable for crops, and maize and wheat were grown extensively. Later much of the farming land was found to be "bush sick" but was cured with the use of cobalt in the 1930s.
Flax milling had begun in the 1870s and became a major industry in the area until the early 1940s. Saw milling began in 1905 and is still a major industry in the area. In 1883 gold-bearing ore was discovered on the Papamoa Hills and during the 1920s a gold mine operated at Muir's farm on No 4 Road. With the building of the railway a large Public Works quarry operated in Te Puke and was a major employer. The freezing works at Rangiuru opened in 1968 and HortResearch opened on No 1 Road in 1971.
Disaster struck in the early hours of the 10 June 1886 with the eruption of
Mount Tarawera
Mount Tarawera is a volcano on the North Island of New Zealand within the older but volcanically productive Ōkataina Caldera. Located 24 kilometres southeast of Rotorua, it consists of a series of rhyolitic lava domes that were fissu ...
. Te Puke residents were awoken with the noise and the many related earthquakes. Many had a good view of the eruption and paintings survive of their memories. Ash and mud showered over crops and pastures up to 12 inches deep in places. The sun was not seen until 1pm.
Stock faced starvation and many farmers were forced to let their animals free to fend for themselves. Some stock was shipped from the area but many died. The settlers became short of food and water themselves and help was gratefully received from Tauranga. Evidence of the Tarawera eruption can still be found in disturbed ground in the area today. (Te Puke was again covered in ash during the 1995
Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu (; ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō, within the Tongari ...
eruption though not to the same scale.)
Te Puke town-ship began to grow and a mission/town hall was built in 1883. This was used for town meetings and as a church by three of the congregations. The first school, (Te Puke Primary) was opened in 1883. The Te Puke Times was first printed in 1912. The fire brigade and town boards were both formed in 1913.
A jockey club was formed in 1890, the brass band in 1903, the A. & P. Society in 1905, the rugby union in 1906, the bowling club in 1908, and the golf club in 1912. Planting of the trees down the centre of the main street, a major feature of the town today, began during 1914-1918 as a war memorial to the fallen. A nursing home was opened in Boucher Avenue in 1918 but any major cases were railed to Tauranga Hospital.
Railway
The
East Coast Main Trunk Railway
The East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) is a railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, originally running between Hamilton and Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The ECMT now runs between Hamilton and Kawerau ...
passes through Te Puke and opened in 1928. Rail passenger services were provided by the
Taneatua Express
The ''Taneatua Express'' was an express passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department that ran between Auckland and Taneatua in the Bay of Plenty, serving centres such as Tauranga and Te Puke. It commenced in 1929 and operated ...
which operated between
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
and
Taneatua between 1928 and 1959. In February 1959, the
steam hauled express train service was replaced by a
railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a dri ...
service operated by
88 seaters that only ran as far as Te Puke. The railcar service operated between 1959 and 1967, when it was cancelled due to both mechanical problems with the railcars and poor patronage, the latter largely due to the circuitous and time-consuming rail route between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty at that time.
Horticulture
A combination of the climate and soils in the area has always made Te Puke a popular area for horticulture. From the 1880s
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
was grown commercially but petered out in the late 1930s. Trial plantings of hops, and later rice, were also tried.
Viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
was also tried and found to be successful but for various reasons also died out. The settlers had established home orchards when finance permitted and it was found that pip and citrus fruits flourished. From this, the first commercial orchard in Te Puke was planted in 1915. Commercial plantings were of apples, pears, oranges, lemons and grapefruit. After World War Two, the Rehabilitation Department settled returned servicemen on the No 3 Road as orchardists. Followed by others with their own finance, most of No 3 Road was in orchards by 1960. By 1966, 80 owners owned about 1500 acres (6 km²) of land of which was in citrus and balance in sub-tropical fruit including tamarillos (tree tomatoes) and feijoas.
In 1934 Jim MacLoughlin had bought a lemon and passionfruit orchard in No 3 Road. His neighbour Vic Bayliss had two
Chinese gooseberry
Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus '' Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwif ...
plants and he had sold the fruit for £5. Spurred on by this Jim planted ½ acre of Chinese gooseberries in 1937. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
,
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
serviceman in New Zealand were introduced to the Chinese gooseberry and enjoyed it so much that this spurred further plantings. In 1952 the first exports were made, and in 1959 the name “Kiwifruit” was introduced. Since then many more plantings have been made with Hayward (green) being the most popular. In 1998 “
Zespri
Zespri International Limited is the world's largest marketer of kiwifruit, selling in over 50 countries. Zespri was first established in 1988 under the name of the "New Zealand Marketing Board" before it formed as a co-operative of kiwifruit gro ...
Gold” kiwifruit was introduced to the market and experiments are being carried out on new varieties including a peelable kiwifruit and "kiwiberry", a small bite-sized kiwifruit-like fruit.
Marae
There are five
marae
A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...
in Te Puke, affiliated with local
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, ...
and
hapū
In 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 and normally op ...
:
Haraki Marae and meeting house are affiliated with
Waitaha and the
Ngāti Rangiwewehi
Ngāti Rangiwewehi is an iwi of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes.
A Ngāti Rangiwewehi kapa haka group was founded in 1968 and has published their own songs and participated in various music festivals such as Te Matatini. The tribe is a two- ...
hapū of
Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki Tai
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
.
Makahae - Te Kahika Marae is affiliated with the
Tapuika
Tapuika is a Māori iwi of New Zealand.
See also
*List of Māori iwi
This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi
This list includes groups recognised as iwi (tribes) in certain contexts. Many are also hapū (sub-tribes) o ...
hapū of
Ngāti Tuheke. In October 2020, the Government committed $4,525,104 from the
Provincial Growth Fund
Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014.
Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...
to upgrade the marae and nine others, creating an estimated 34 jobs.
Manoeka Marae and Hei meeting house are affiliated with
Waitaha.
Moko - Ngāti Moko Marae and the Mokotangatakotahi meeting house are affiliated with the
Tapuika
Tapuika is a Māori iwi of New Zealand.
See also
*List of Māori iwi
This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi
This list includes groups recognised as iwi (tribes) in certain contexts. Many are also hapū (sub-tribes) o ...
hapū of
Ngāti Moko
Tapuika is a Māori iwi of New Zealand.
See also
*List of Māori iwi
This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi
This list includes groups recognised as iwi (tribes) in certain contexts. Many are also hapū (sub-tribes) o ...
.
Tawakepito Marae and Tawakepito meeting house is affiliated with the
Tapuika
Tapuika is a Māori iwi of New Zealand.
See also
*List of Māori iwi
This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi
This list includes groups recognised as iwi (tribes) in certain contexts. Many are also hapū (sub-tribes) o ...
hapū of
Ngāti Tuheke.
Economy
Agriculture is the backbone of the district's economy. The warm, moist climate and fertile soils are favourable for
horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
, with production of
kiwifruit
Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus '' Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwi ...
,
avocado
The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...
s and
citrus fruit
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...
such as
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
s and
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
s. The town markets itself as the "Kiwifruit capital of the world".
Dairy cattle
Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''.
Historically, little distinction was ...
and other livestock are also farmed.
Today, Te Puke is a thriving town with a reasonably large main shopping street, Jellicoe Street, which is also the main road passing through Te Puke. There are a number of schools, religious organisations, cultural groups, and a variety of clubs in the town.
A large number of residents work picking or packing kiwifruit during April or May, as well as others coming from other nearby towns and cities. It can swell past 10,000 some seasons.
Education
Te Puke High School
Te Puke High School is a state, co-educational secondary school located in Te Puke, New Zealand. The school serves students from Year 9 to Year 13, and had a roll of 915 students as of February 2017.
Students
The two largest ethnic groups at th ...
is the town's co-educational state high school for Year 9 to 13 students,
with a roll of as of .
Te Puke has two state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Fairhaven School,
with a roll of ,
and Te Puke Primary School,
with a roll of .
It has one state intermediate school for Year 7 to 8 students: Te Puke Intermediate,
with a roll of .
Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Matai is a co-educational state
Māori language immersion primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,
with a roll of .
References
External links
Western Bay of Plenty District Council*[http://timeframes1.natlib.govt.nz/logicrouter/servlet/LogicRouter?OUTPUTXSL=simsearch.xslt&pm_SA=Te%20Puke&pm_SC=PLAC&pm_MH=25&pm_USI=0&DDF=Y&ds_svGeneric_DDF=Y&api_2=SIMULFIND&DIRECTIVE=createSrHist&ds_svGeneric_MH=25&pm_CL=281&api_1=COLLECTION_REPOLOGIN Historic photos of Te Puke on Timeframes - Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand]
{{Authority control
Western Bay of Plenty District
Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region