Omaui is a small coastal village in Southland region, New Zealand. It is located approximately 20 km southwest of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

near a small estuary opposite Sandy Point between Invercargill and

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New So ...

. The New Zealand

Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...

gives a translation of "place of Māui" for ''Ōmaui''.

History

Omaui was originally 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 ...

settlement. Sealers and whalers had already utilised the area as a

Foveaux Strait The Foveaux Strait, (, or , ) separates Stewart Island, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. The strait is about 130 km long (from Ruapuke Island to Little Solander Island), and it widens (from 14 km at Ruapuk ...

base camp in the early 19th century. The first European to survey the village was Robert Williams who had arrived from Australia to scope the possibility of setting up a timber and

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

industry on the South Coast. Omaui Reserve was originally covered in coastal bush of a similar nature to the remnants that remain in the area. This vegetation was completely cleared in the early days and used initially for grazing. Regeneration growth in the early 1950s was mainly of manuka which was harvested for firewood in the mid 1960s. Over the past 30 years the area has started to regenerate and now has a diversity of species.

Demographics

Omaui covers . It is part of the Woodend-Greenhills statistical area. Omaui had a population of 102 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 ...

, a decrease of 3 people (−2.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 9 people (9.7%) 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 48 households. There were 57 males and 45 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.27 males per female. The median age was 49.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 18 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 6 (5.9%) aged 15 to 29, 54 (52.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (23.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.2% European/Pākehā, 17.6% Māori, and 2.9% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Although some people objected to giving their religion, 55.9% had no religion, and 32.4% were Christian. Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (14.3%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 27 (32.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 48 (57.1%) people were employed full-time, and 9 (10.7%) were part-time.

References

{{Invercargill Populated places in Southland, New Zealand Invercargill