Maraekakaho is a rural settlement in the

Hastings District Hastings is a town in the United Kingdom, most famous for the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Hastings may also refer to: Places Australia * Hastings, Tasmania, a locality * Hastings, Victoria, Australia ** Electoral district of Hastings, Victoria, ...

and

Hawke's Bay Region Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

of New Zealand's

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 ...

. The main village was developed by Sir Douglas Maclean in the early 20th century, on a pastoral station established by his father, Sir Donald McLean, during the 19th century. The surrounding area includes lifestyle blocks, vineyards and wineries, orchards and pastoral farms. ''Maraekakaho'' is a

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 ...

name, translating as the area (''marae'') of the culm of the

toetoe ''Austroderia'' is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe.

(''kakaho''); the grasses were once very common in the area. A war memorial was set up in the settlement in 1986, commemorating the approximately 100 local men killed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The Kereru Homestead and Station was established in 1857 on land purchased by the government from local Māori at the base of the

Ruahine Ranges The Ruahine Range is the largest of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand that form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. The ridge is at its most pronounced from the cen ...

. It features mixed terrain, including flat land, rolling hills and ravines.

Demographics

The statistical area of Maraekakaho, which covers 820 square kilometres, had a population of 1,392 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 81 people (6.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 207 people (17.5%) 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 480 households. There were 711 males and 684 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 42.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 318 people (22.8%) aged under 15 years, 195 (14.0%) aged 15 to 29, 711 (51.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 171 (12.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.1% European/Pākehā, 13.4% Māori, 1.1% Pacific peoples, 1.5% Asian, and 0.9% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 13.6%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 55.2% had no religion, 35.1% were Christian and 2.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 282 (26.3%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 147 (13.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $41,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 654 (60.9%) people were employed full-time, 204 (19.0%) were part-time, and 18 (1.7%) were unemployed.

Education

Maraekakaho School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of Kereru School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of

References

{{Reflist Hastings District Populated places in the Hawke's Bay Region