Otematata is a town in the
Waitaki District of
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
in New Zealand's
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
. It is defined as a "populated area less than a town" and the
2001 New Zealand census
The New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings ( mi, Te Tatauranga o ngā Tāngata Huri Noa i Aotearoa me ō rātou Whare Noho) is a national population and housing census conducted by government department Statistics New Zealand every five y ...
gave the "usually resident population count" as 243. By the 2018 census it had declined to 183 inhabitants. This was considerably higher in the 1960s during the construction of the
Benmore and
Aviemore dams.
Surrounded by rugged peaks and beautiful lakes of the Waitaki Valley, the earliest inhabitants of the area were Māori on hunting expeditions or travelling through the valley to reach the inland areas and mountain passes. ''Otematata'' in Māori means "place of good flint".
The Otematata township was built in 1958 as a base for the construction of the Aviemore and Benmore Dams. ECNZ (
Electricity Corporation of New Zealand) used it as a base until the early 1990s. Prior to that there were a few 'high country' sheep stations, Rostiever Run owned by the Munro family and Otematata Station owned by the Cameron family.
ECNZ's successors' presence is now minimal as the dams are operated by remote control, and Otematata is becoming a village of holiday homes. It is a popular holiday destination with a hotel, restaurant, camping ground, backpackers, and other basic services. The townships population swells to over 5000 people in the Christmas and New Year holiday season as holiday makers from around New Zealand come to enjoy the lakes. Water skiing is a popular pastime in the Waitaki Valley.
Like many inland areas, Otematata has weather that ranges from very cold in winter to very hot in summer. In the past five years, temperatures have ranged from 35.7 °C to −6.7 °C, with annual rainfall ranging from 282mm to 431mm.
Demographics
Otematata is described as a rural settlement by Statistics New Zealand, and covers .
It is part of the larger
Aviemore statistical area.
Otematata had a population of 183 at the
2018 New Zealand census
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* 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19
* one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
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, a decrease of 3 people (-1.6%) since the
2013 census, and a decrease of 6 people (-3.2%) since the
2006 census. There were 96 households. There were 96 males and 84 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.14 males per female. The median age was 58.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 9 people (4.9%) aged under 15 years, 27 (14.8%) aged 15 to 29, 78 (42.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 66 (36.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 88.5% European/Pākehā, 8.2% Māori, 1.6% Pacific peoples, and 6.6% Asian (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 49.2% had no religion, 44.3% were Christian and 1.6% were Buddhist.
Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (6.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 39 (22.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 87 (50.0%) people were employed full-time, and 24 (13.8%) were part-time.
References
{{Waitaki District, New Zealand
Waitaki District
Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand
Populated lakeshore places in New Zealand