Matatā is a town in the
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...
in the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
of New Zealand, to the north-west of
Whakatāne
Whakatāne ( , ) is a town located in the Bay of Plenty Region, Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and northeast of Rotorua. The town is situated at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. The Whakatāne Dis ...
. Much of the town was relocated between the years 2006 and 2021 due to increased natural threats arising from
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. As an example of
forced retreat, Matatā is seen as providing lessons for future actions elsewhere.
History and culture
Recent history
In 2005 the town was inundated by two
debris flow
Debris flows are geological phenomena in which water-laden masses of soil and fragmented Rock (geology), rock flow down mountainsides, funnel into stream channels, entrain objects in their paths, and form thick, muddy deposits on valley floors. ...
s from the Awatarariki and Waitepuru Streams that devastated a number of buildings, but did not cause any
casualties
A casualty (), as a term in military usage, is a person in military service, combatant or non-combatant, who becomes unavailable for duty due to any of several circumstances, including death, injury, illness, missing, capture or desertion.
In c ...
. The debris flows were caused by a band of intense rain, at a rate of over 2 mm per minute, that fell into the catchments southwest of Matatā, dislodging a huge amount of debris that had built up behind a temporary dam.
From January 2005 the area was subject to hundreds of shallow, low intensity
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
s, with the most intense swarms occurring in 2005 and 2007, but continuing to at least February 2009. The largest event was of
magnitude
Magnitude may refer to:
Mathematics
*Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction
*Magnitude (mathematics), the relative size of an object
*Norm (mathematics), a term for the size or length of a vector
*Order of ...
4.2 in May 2007.
In 2016, scientists discovered a large amount of volcanic activity, including "an inflating magma" buildup, below the surface of the town.
In 2019, the name of the town was officially gazetted as "Matatā".
Forced retreat under climate change
As a result of the 2005 landslides,
Whakatāne District Council
Whakatāne District Council or Whakatane District Council () is the territorial authority for the Whakatāne District of New Zealand.
The council is led by the mayor of Whakatāne, who is currently . There are also 10 ward councillors.
Composi ...
began to plan for a managed retreat over the next decade. The vast majority of residents accepted the need to relocate and did so with council assistance and compensation but one resident has rejected both the process and the need to move and is now the township's sole remaining occupant.
NIWA
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA (), is a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. Established in 1992, NIWA conducts research across a broad range of disciplines in the environmental sciences. It also maintai ...
coastal hazards expert, Rob Bell, says the general issue of forced retreat is primarily sociopolitical rather than technocratic.
[
]
Marae
Matatā has four
marae
A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
:
* Iramoko Marae and Te Paetata meeting house, affiliated with the
Ngāti Awa
Ngāti Awa is a Māori iwi (tribe) centred in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. It is made of 22 hapū (subtribes), with 15,258 people claiming affiliation to the iwi in 2006. The Ngāti Awa people are primarily located in towns ...
hapū
In Māori language, 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 ...
of
Te Tāwera.
* Ngāti Umutahi Marae and Umutahi meeting house, affiliated with the
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North ...
hapū of
Ngāti Iramoko,
Ngāti Umutahi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English.
...
and
Te Tāwera.
* Ōniao Marae and Tūwharetoa meeting house, affiliated with the
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North ...
hapū of
Ngāi Tamarangi,
Ngāti Umutahi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English.
...
and
Ngāti Manuwhare.
* Rangitihi Marae and Rangiaohia meeting house is affiliated with
Ngāti Rangitihi.
In October 2020, the Government committed $1,646,820 from the
Provincial Growth Fund
Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party.
Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...
to upgrade Rangitihi Marae and five other local marae, creating 10 jobs.
Demographics
Matatā 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 km
2. Matatā is part of the larger Matatā-Otakiri statistical area.
Matatā had a population of 678 at the
2018 New Zealand census
The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census.
Resu ...
, an increase of 30 people (4.6%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 39 people (6.1%) since the
2006 census. There were 249 households, comprising 333 males and 348 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female, with 138 people (20.4%) aged under 15 years, 99 (14.6%) aged 15 to 29, 294 (43.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 147 (21.7%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 62.4% European/
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
, 56.6%
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 Co ...
, 3.5%
Pacific peoples, 3.5%
Asian, and 0.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.9% had no religion, 40.7% were
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 3.1% had
Māori religious beliefs
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 Co ...
, 0.4% were
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 0.4% were
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and 1.3% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 63 (11.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 144 (26.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 72 people (13.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 234 (43.3%) people were employed full-time, 72 (13.3%) were part-time, and 27 (5.0%) were unemployed.
Matatā-Otakiri statistical area
Matatā-Otakiri statistical area, which also includes the settlement of
Otakiri
Otakiri () is a rural community just outside Edgecumbe, in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of loosening or freeing ...
, covers
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Matatā-Otakiri had a population of 1,737 at the
2018 New Zealand census
The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census.
Resu ...
, an increase of 66 people (3.9%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 129 people (8.0%) since the
2006 census. There were 618 households, comprising 861 males and 876 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age was 41.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 378 people (21.8%) aged under 15 years, 279 (16.1%) aged 15 to 29, 801 (46.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 279 (16.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 74.8% European/
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
, 35.4%
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 Co ...
, 1.7%
Pacific peoples, 4.0%
Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 11.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.7% had no religion, 34.4% were
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 2.4% had
Māori religious beliefs
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 Co ...
, 0.2% were
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.2% were
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 0.2% were
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and 1.6% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 174 (12.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 291 (21.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 213 people (15.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 666 (49.0%) people were employed full-time, 234 (17.2%) were part-time, and 60 (4.4%) were unemployed.
Education
Matata School is a decile 5 state primary school with a roll of students. St Joseph's Catholic School is a decile 2 integrated primary school with a roll of students.
Both schools are coeducational and cater for years 1–8. Rolls are as of
References
External links
2001 Census information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matatā
Whakatāne District
Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region