Mamaku is a small village in the

Bay of Plenty Region 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 Runaway ...

of the

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 ...

of New Zealand. It lies on the Mamaku Plateau at an elevation of above sea level. Situated at the highest point of the now-mothballed

Rotorua Branch The Rotorua Branch is a railway line from Putāruru to Rotorua, in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Construction of the line was commenced by the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company and finished b ...

railway line, the town is south of State Highway 5.

History

Mamaku was originally called Kaponga, but the name was changed to Mamaku in 1890 to avoid confusion with the town of

Kaponga Kaponga is a small town in the southern part of the Taranaki region of New Zealand. It is known as "The Gateway to Dawson's Falls" on Mount Taranaki. Kaponga is located inland from Manaia and Eltham, and is on the main road connecting Eltham to ...

in Taranaki. Ironically, the plant known as

Mamaku Mamaku is a small village in the Bay of Plenty Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Mamaku Plateau at an elevation of above sea level. Situated at the highest point of the now-mothballed Rotorua Branch railway line, the ...

, the Black tree fern, is not found in the area. European settlement commenced in the 1880s, and for a time Mamaku rivalled

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

for size. The main industry in Mamaku was originally native timber logging. In the late 19th century and early 20th century Mamaku had, at one time, 5 timber mills, all logging native timber from the surrounding bush. This reduced over time and today there are no timber mills operating in the village, with the last mill ceasing operations on 31 March 2015. Another major industry established in Mamaku was farming, primarily dairy and sheep. This continues today as perhaps the main source of income for the village. Some recent additions to local industry include blueberry winemaking and off-road biking.

Demographics

Mamaku is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Mamaku is part of the larger Ngongotahā Valley statistical area. Mamaku Church - panoramio

Mamaku had a population of 840 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 153 people (22.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 114 people (15.7%) 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 267 households, comprising 399 males and 435 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female, with 234 people (27.9%) aged under 15 years, 135 (16.1%) aged 15 to 29, 387 (46.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 81 (9.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 79.3% 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 ...

, 36.8%

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 ...

, 2.9% Pacific peoples, 2.9%

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 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 62.9% had no religion, 23.9% 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 and 2.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 45 (7.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 162 (26.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 33 people (5.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 285 (47.0%) people were employed full-time, 81 (13.4%) were part-time, and 45 (7.4%) were unemployed.

Education

Mamaku School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school opened in the village in 1895.

References

* New Zealand 1:50000 Topographic Map Series sheet BE36 - Mamaku {{Rotorua District Rotorua Lakes District Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region Populated places in Waikato