Mangatāwhiri is a locality about 10 km north-east of Pōkeno and 7 km west of Mangatangi in the

Waikato District Waikato District is a territorial authority of New Zealand, in the northern part of Waikato region, North Island. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngāruawāhia. The district is centred to t ...

in the North Island of New Zealand. The Mangatawhiri area unit, which is much larger than the locality and includes Mangatangi, had a population of 1,533 at the

2013 New Zealand census The 2013 New Zealand census was the thirty-third national census. "The National Census Day" used for the census was on Tuesday, 5 March 2013. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,242,048, – an increase of 214,101 or 5.3% over the 20 ...

, an increase of 153 people since the 2006 census. There were 825 males and 708 females. 83.1% were European/Pākehā, 14.8% were Māori, 4.1% were Pacific peoples and 4.5% were Asian. The locality is in

meshblock Mesh blocks or meshblocks are a small geographic unit used in the census of several countries. New Zealand New Zealand's countrywide meshblock framework was first set up in 1976, although the term dates back to at least the 1916 census. The me ...

s 0841700 and 0843401, which had a population of 117 people in 48 households in the census. The New Zealand

Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...

gives a translation of " tāwhiri tree stream" for ''Mangatāwhiri''. The Mangatāwhiri castle is a prominent building on Mangatawhiri Road which once housed the Castle Cafe but is now empty. Mangatāwhiri River flows south from the

Hunua Ranges The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland city, in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui.

through Mangatāwhiri, and joins the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

near

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

History

During the 19th Century

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...

, Mangatāwhiri (specifically the Mangatāwhiri River) was set down by the second Māori King as an 'aukati', or demarcation line, indicating the boundary between the lands controlled by the Government (to the north of the river) and those controlled by the then nascent King Movement. Responding to the movement of British colonial troops southward from Auckland, King Tāwhiao stated that should these same troops cross the Mangatāwhiri River, then war would then ensue. On the 12th of July 1863, the British forces led by General Cameron duly crossed the river and thus commenced the

invasion of the Waikato The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

. This led to some of the most significant conflicts of the 19th century colonisation of New Zealand. In the late 19th century, Mangatāwhiri was a major location 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 ...

digging trade.

Education

Mangatawhiri School is a co-educational state full primary school covering years 1 to 8, with a roll of as of The school started in the Lyons Homestead in the 19th century, and was moved to McKenzie Road in 1925. In 1962 a new school was built on the same site, and it has since been expanded to seven classrooms.

References

{{Commons category Waikato District Populated places in Waikato Kauri gum