Karaka is a small rural area in the south of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

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 ...

. Formerly part of

Franklin District Franklin District was a New Zealand territorial authority that lay between the Auckland metropolitan area and the Waikato Plains. As a formal territory it was abolished on 31 October 2010 and divided between Auckland Council in the Auckland Reg ...

and under the authority of the Franklin District Council, it is now part of

Auckland Council Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is ...

(under the Franklin Local Board) following the amalgamation of the Auckland region's councils. To the west of Karaka is

Kingseat Kingseat is a village in Fife, Scotland, approximately northeast of Dunfermline. It was originally a coal mining village with the first pits sunk in the area in 1800. The name of the village is thought locally to have originated from when the kin ...

, a small town where the former Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital was previously located. In 2005 the hospital was turned into a haunted attraction called Spookers. The area includes Karaka Lakes and Karaka Harbourside Estate.

History

Between 1870 and 1900, Karaka,

Waiuku Waiuku is a rural town in the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which ...

and the

Āwhitu Peninsula The Āwhitu Peninsula is a long peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand, extending north from the mouth of the Waikato River to the entrance to Manukau Harbour. The Peninsula is bounded in the west by rugged cliffs over the Tasman Sea, but i ...

were major centres for the

kauri gum Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, be ...

industry.

Demographics

Kingseat-Karaka statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Kingseat-Karaka had a population of 2,904 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 354 people (13.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 408 people (16.3%) 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 936 households, comprising 1,488 males and 1,416 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female. The median age was 41.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 588 people (20.2%) aged under 15 years, 465 (16.0%) aged 15 to 29, 1,464 (50.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 390 (13.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 85.3% 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 ...

, 13.9%

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 ...

, 3.9% Pacific peoples, 7.0%

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 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.1, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.4% had no religion, 34.8% 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 ...

, 1.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% 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 ...

, 0.8% 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 ...

, 0.6% 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 2.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 522 (22.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 339 (14.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $44,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. 699 people (30.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,284 (55.4%) people were employed full-time, 369 (15.9%) were part-time, and 60 (2.6%) were unemployed.

Economy

Karaka is now primarily a rural town associated with thoroughbred horse studs,

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or ...

and

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin an ...

. Karaka is the location of the thoroughbred yearling sales at New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sales Complex which is associated with the

Karaka Million The Karaka Million refers to two major New Zealand horse races for young horses - the original Karaka Million for two-year-old (2YO) horses and the Karaka Million 3YO Classic that started in 2018. Held at Ellerslie Racecourse, they are New Zeala ...

race meeting at Ellerslie. Westbury Stud and Haunui Farm are both located in Karaka. Traditionally the economy of Karaka was dominated by agriculture. However, following the transition to lifestyle blocks, the majority of residents now commute to urban Auckland for employment. The Karaka Sports Park provides a local sports ground as well as bar and kitchen facilities. there are also a few small restaurants in the area. The Pukekohe Golf Club is located within the Karaka area bordering Pukekohe. A

DoubleTree by Hilton DoubleTree by Hilton is an American hotel chain managed by Hilton Worldwide. DoubleTree has been the fastest growing Hilton brand by number of properties since 2007, and by number of rooms from 2007 to 2015. As of December 31, 2019, it has 587 p ...

hotel, opened in 2022, is situated adjacent to Papakura Interchange.

Marae

The Whātāpaka Marae and its meeting house, named Tamaoho, is a traditional meeting ground for local

. Three

Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zealand o ...

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 opera ...

are associated with the marae, primarily

Ngāti Tamaoho Ngāti Tamaoho is a Māori iwi (tribe) of Auckland and the Waikato District of New Zealand. It is part of the Waiohua confederation of tribes. They have three marae, which are at Karaka, Mangatangi and Pukekohe. The tribe is a strong supporter o ...

, and secondarily

Ngāi 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 ...

and Ngāti Koheriki.

Education

Karaka School and Te Hihi School are coeducational full primary schools (years 1–8) with rolls of and students, respectively. Karaka School celebrated its 75th jubilee in 1978. Te Hihi School opened in 1914. Rolls are as of Public secondary education is provided in the nearby towns of

Papakura Papakura is a southern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres south of the Auckland CBD. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. Papakura is a M� ...

and

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is in South Auckland, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. Th ...

References

{{Franklin Local Board Area Populated places in the Auckland Region Populated places around the Manukau Harbour Suburbs of Auckland Kauri gum