Māhia Peninsula
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Māhia Peninsula (Maori: or ) is located on the east coast of
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 ...
'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 ...
, in the
Hawke's Bay 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 ...
region, between the towns of
Wairoa Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west o ...
and Gisborne.
Rocket Lab Rocket Lab is a public American aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider, with a New Zealand subsidiary. The company operates lightweight Electron orbital rockets, which provide dedicated launches for small satellites. Rocket Lab also ...
has set up its Launch Complex 1 close to Ahuriri Point at the southern tip of the peninsula to launch its
Electron The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no kn ...
rocket. Currently, it is being used as a commercial launcher of small satellites in the range of 135–235 kg, and miniature satellites called
CubeSat A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
s. New Zealand's first orbital space launch took place from Launch Complex 1 on 21 January 2018.


Geography

The peninsula is long and wide. Its highest point is Rahuimokairoa, above sea level. The peninsula was once an island, but now a
tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island becom ...
joins it to the North Island.


Demographics

The statistical area of Mahia, which at 472 square kilometres is larger than the peninsula and includes
Nūhaka Nūhaka is a small settlement in the northern Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's eastern North Island, lying on New Zealand State Highway 2, State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Gisborne, New Zealand, Gisborne. The road to Mahia turns off the highw ...
, had a population of 1,119 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 ...
. This was a decrease of 153 people (−12.0%) 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 456 households. The median age was 49 years, compared with 37.4 years nationally. Ethnicities were 64.9% Māori, 48.8% European/Pākehā, 1.1% Pacific peoples, 0.8% Asian, and 1.3% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). This compares with a 16.5% of New Zealanders identifying as Māori. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 35.4% had no religion, 49.3% were Christian and 9.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 126 (13.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 207 (22.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $21,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 339 (37.3%) people were employed full-time, 150 (16.5%) were part-time, and 72 (7.9%) were unemployed.


History and culture


Māori history

In Maori legend, Whatonga, who came to New Zealand in search of his grandfather Toi, settled at Mahia. The peninsula is the tribal area of the
Ngāti Rongomaiwahine Ngāti Rongomaiwahine or Rongomaiwahine is a Māori '' iwi'' (tribe) traditionally centred in the Māhia Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand. In the 2006 census, 4,254 people identified as Rongomaiwahine; by the 2013 census, this has i ...
iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, ...
. The word ''māhia'' means "indistinct sound" or "scrofulous swelling". The name "Te Māhia" comes from "Te Māhia-mai-tawhiti" (the sound heard from a distance).
Portland Island Portland Island, also called Waikawa, is a small island off the southern tip of the Māhia Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand. It is used for sheep farming. The area of the island fluctuates rapidly between high and low tides due to ...
, also called Waikawa, is a small island off the southern tip of Mahia Peninsula. It was named ''Waikawa'' by Kahungunu when he visited there to look for fresh drinking water and only found salt water – Waikawa means "sour water". Portland Island has an unmanned lighthouse.


European history

Shore whaling was briefly important on the Mahia Peninsula. Early whalers had a whaling station on the farm "Kini Kini", sheltered by "Long Point" on the west coast of the peninsula. The peninsula community these days is still generally a mix of Maori and European. Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...
was proposed to by her partner,
Clarke Gayford Clarke Timothy Gayford (born 24 October 1976) is a New Zealand radio and television broadcaster, presenter of the fishing documentary show ''Fish of the Day''. He is the fiancé of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Education and career ...
, on Mokotahi Hill.


Marae

There are four
marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...
in the Mahia area affiliated with the
hapū In 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 and normally op ...
of the
Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...
iwi: * The Kaiuku or Oku-ra-renga Marae and its Kiwi meeting house are affiliated with the hapū of
Ngāti Tama Ngāti Tama is a historic Māori iwi of present-day New Zealand which whakapapas back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru waka. The iwi of Ngati Tama is located in north Taranaki around Poutama. The Mōhakatino river marks the ...
, Ngāi Tū and Rongomaiwahine. * Te Rākatō Marae is affiliated with the hapū of Ngāi Rākatō. * Tuahuru Marae and its Hine te Rongo meeting house are affiliated with the hapū of Ngāti Tama, Ngāi Tū and Rongomaiwahine. * Ruawharo Marae is also affiliated with Ngāti Tama and Rongomaiwahine. In October 2020, the Government committed $1,949,075 from the
Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014. Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...
to upgrade 24 Ngāti Kahungunu marae, including both Kaiuku and Ruawharo Marae, creating 164 jobs. It also committed $102,644 to upgrading Tuahuru Marae, creating 4 jobs.


Economy

Sheep and cattle farms are an important part for the local community, but tourism is now the peninsula's main industry. Mahia's population swells greatly during the warmer months and in particular during school holidays. Mahia is well known for its surf, scuba diving, hiking, and fishing. Morere Hot Springs is 15 minutes away, towards Gisborne. The area is a popular school holiday destination and contains a holiday park dating back to the 1960s. The remaining settlement consists mostly of holiday houses and baches. From 2007 to 2010 Mahia became known for the presence of
Moko In the mythology of Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Moko is a wily character and grandfather of the heroic Ngaru. Moko is a ruler or king of the lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging acro ...
, a dolphin. The peninsula is the location of the Rocket Labs launch facility, which has been used to launch spy satellites for the United States of America.


Education

Te Mahia School is a year 1–8 co-educational state primary school. It is a decile 1 school with a roll of as of The school opened in 1917.


References

{{Authority control Wairoa District Landforms of the Hawke's Bay Region Populated places in the Hawke's Bay Region Peninsulas of New Zealand Surfing locations in New Zealand Ngāti Rongomaiwahine Populated places around Hawke Bay