Matatoki is a locality on the

Hauraki Plains The Hauraki Plains are a geographical feature and non-administrative area (though Hauraki Plains County Council existed from 1920 to 1989 and a statistical Area Unit remains) located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the lower ( ...

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 lies on State Highway 26, south east of

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and north of

Paeroa Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 kilo ...

. The Matatoki Stream runs from the

Coromandel Range A true-colour image showing Auckland city (left), the Hauraki Gulf (centre) and the Coromandel Peninsula (right). The scene was acquired by NASA's Terra satellite, on October 23, 2002. The Coromandel Range is a mountain range running the length ...

through the area to join the

Waihou River The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Roun ...

. The Kopu sawmill, a few km north of Matatoki, closed at the end of June, 2008, with the loss of 145 jobs.

History

The eastern bank of the

near Matatoki was the location for many

Hauraki Māori The Hauraki Māori are a group of Māori iwi at or around Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. It includes Ngāti Tara Tokanui, Ngāti Koi, Te Patukirikiri, Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Huarere, Ngāti Hei, Ngāi Tai, Ngāti Pūkenga and Ngāti Rāhiri. It also ...

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites o ...

, such as Oruarangi pā and Paterangi pā, which were likely first settled in the 1300s. Between the 1930s and 1960s, Oruarangi pā was an important archaeological site for

Classic period Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE – ...

Māori artifacts.

Demographics

Matatoki-Puriri statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Matatoki-Puriri had a population of 1,059 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 57 people (5.7%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 3 people (−0.3%) 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 396 households, comprising 540 males and 519 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 45.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 204 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 165 (15.6%) aged 15 to 29, 507 (47.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 180 (17.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.2% 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 Ze ...

, 17.0%

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 ...

, 1.4% Pacific peoples, 0.6%

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 0.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.5, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.5% had no religion, 28.0% 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 ...

, 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% 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 ...

and 0.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 90 (10.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 234 (27.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 108 people (12.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 477 (55.8%) people were employed full-time, 153 (17.9%) were part-time, and 15 (1.8%) were unemployed.

Education

Matatoki School is a coeducational full primary school (years 1-8) with a roll of as of The school opened in 1920.

References

{{Thames-Coromandel District Thames-Coromandel District Populated places in Waikato