Ngatea ( mi, Ngātea) is a small town 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 ( ...

in the

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 ...

of New Zealand. It is located 18 kilometres southwest 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 70 kilometres southeast of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. Ngatea lies on the

Piako River The Piako River is a lowland river system that drains into the Firth of Thames on the North Island of New Zealand. Together with the Waihou River, it is one of the two main rivers systems which drains the Hauraki Plains. It is the dominant river ...

, eight kilometres south of its outflow into the

Firth of Thames The Firth of Thames ( mi, Tikapa Moana-o-Hauraki) is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the firth of the rivers Waihou and Piako, the former of which was formerly named the Thames River, and the town o ...

. Ngatea is the 'service centre' for the farming area of the Hauraki Plains. It was established in the 1900s as a result of a unique series of canals and stop banks which drained the land and produced rich farmlands for dairy production. The town also acts as a service town for motorists travelling from Auckland to the

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the we ...

and

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

via State Highway 2.

Demographics

Ngatea covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Ngatea had a population of 1,452 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 183 people (14.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 270 people (22.8%) 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 576 households, comprising 699 males and 750 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female. The median age was 46.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 282 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 228 (15.7%) aged 15 to 29, 564 (38.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 381 (26.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.5% 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 ...

, 16.1%

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, 3.1%

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 1.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.4, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.8% had no religion, 32.2% 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 ...

, 1.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% 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 ...

, 0.4% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 0.4% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 1.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 138 (11.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 312 (26.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 168 people (14.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 534 (45.6%) people were employed full-time, 138 (11.8%) were part-time, and 27 (2.3%) were unemployed.

Education

Ngatea has two schools: * Ngatea Primary School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of The school opened in 1960. * Hauraki Plains College is a co-educational state secondary school, with a roll of as of In 1912, the school was first opened and called Orchard School, with a roll of 15 students. In 1923 its name was changed to Ngatea District High School. The Government attempted to close the school amid declining attendance, however this was unsuccessful due to unprecedented community support. In 1963, the name was once again changed to Hauraki Plains College.

References

{{Hauraki District Populated places in Waikato Hauraki District