Pirongia is a small town in the Waipa District of the Waikato region 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 ...

. It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipā River, close to the foot of the 962 metre

Mount Pirongia Mount Pirongia is an extinct stratovolcano located in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It rises to 959 metres and is the highest peak in the Waikato region. It was active in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene times. ...

, which lies in

Pirongia Forest Park Pirongia Forest Park is a protected area 30 km southwest of Hamilton, New Zealand. It covers across four blocks of land - Pirongia (the largest), Te Maunga O Karioi Block, and the small Mangakino Block and Te Rauamoa Block. The park encompasses ...

to the west of the town. Pirongia was originally named Alexandra, after the English

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton). The title was firs ...

, but to avoid confusion with the town of that name in the

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 ...

the name was changed to Pirongia. Some of the village's businesses and organisations such as the Alexandra Hotel and the Alexandra Racing Club retain the earlier name. Alexandra Racing Club, established in 1866, is reputed to be the second oldest racing club in New Zealand.

History

Early history

At the northern end of the town, between the Waipā River and the

Mangapiko Stream The Mangapiko Stream is mostly a low-lying peat stream that flows through the heart of the Waipa district, Waikato. The stream begins near the summit of Mt Maungatautari and then weaves westward through low-lying dairy farmland and eventually b ...

, is the site of Mātakitaki

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites o ...

. This was the location of 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 ...

battle in May 1822 between invading musket-armed Ngāpuhi led by Hongi Hika and defending Waikato led by

Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori warrior, leader of the Waikato iwi (confederation of tribes), the first Māori King and founder of the Te Wherowhero royal dynasty. He was first known just as ''Te Wherowhero'' and took the ...

, during the musket wars. Pirongia was sited where it is because of its proximity to the Aukati (the confiscation line along the

Puniu River The Puniu River is a river of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. As a tributary of the Waipā River (itself a tributary of the Waikato River), and at a length of , it is one of the longest secondary tributaries in New Zealand. T ...

) and because in those days this was as far up the Waipā River that river steamers, supplying the new frontier settlements, could safely travel. As a result, Pirongia (Alexandra) was planned to be the hub servicing several redoubt settlements in the area. A large settlement was envisaged and 800 town sections were surveyed. Initially, there were two military redoubts here on the east and west sides of the river. Later a third Armed Constabulary Redoubt was constructed to replace the other two. The Armed Constabulary redoubt site can be viewed on Bellot Street and the site of the military redoubt is on Aubin Close. The AC Redoubt is well preserved and is protected by the

Historic Places Trust Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

19th century

Pirongia remained of strategic importance until 1881 when King Tāwhiao and his followers symbolically laid down their arms near the intersection of Crozier and Franklin Streets and declared peace, signaling an end to the armed conflict. Initially, the settlement prospered. In its heyday of the mid-1870s, there were two hotels, a variety of shops, a bank, a blacksmith, a lending library, a school and later a creamery, mainly on Crozier and Franklin Streets. However, the decision to route the main trunk railway via Te Awamutu, and the resulting gradual decline in the importance of river transport, together with the dispersal from the King Country of King Tāwhiao and his followers, meant that by the 1890s, Pirongia (Alexandra) was being superseded by Te Awamutu and other settlements on the railway line. One solution which was surveyed was a light railway, but an election in 1923 saw the scheme dropped. Many businesses moved to Te Awamutu or closed and the settlement gradually assumed the character of a small farming centre.

Modern history

The village has experienced rapid population growth since the 1980s as city-dwellers seeking a rural lifestyle have migrated to Pirongia. This has changed the town's character from rural to suburban in a short period of time. Pirongia has a rural fire force located in the village to protect native bush in the area. The rural fire force has a specialised off-road appliance designed for tough off-road terrain. Pirongia Rugby Club has strong teams in the Waikato competition. Pirongia is also home to Pirongia Clydesdale horses regularly seen at public events throughout the countryside. The Pirongia Heritage and Information Centre (Te Whare Taonga O Ngaa Rohe o Arekahana) has displays and items of historical interest and is located on Franklin Street in the centre of the village. The local Pūrekireki Marae is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of

Apakura In Māori mythology, Apakura is the wife of Tūhuruhuru, the son of Tinirau. She had several children, among whom are Tūwhakararo, Mairatea, Reimatua, and Whakatau (or ) was a supernatural person in Māori mythology. One day Apakura th ...

and Hikairo, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of

. It includes the Marutehiakina meeting house.

Demographics

Pirongia covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Pirongia had a population of 1,224 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 102 people (9.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 177 people (16.9%) 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 432 households, comprising 594 males and 633 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.94 males per female. The median age was 42.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 291 people (23.8%) aged under 15 years, 168 (13.7%) aged 15 to 29, 579 (47.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 186 (15.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.9% European/ Pākehā, 14.0%

, 1.2% Pacific peoples, 1.0%

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, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.7, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.8% had no religion, 30.1% 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 ...

, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.7% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 195 (20.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 159 (17.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $35,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 189 people (20.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 474 (50.8%) people were employed full-time, 159 (17.0%) were part-time, and 24 (2.6%) were unemployed.

Education

Pirongia School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of . The school was founded in 1873.

References

External links

1865 map
{{Waipa District Populated places in Waikato Waipa District