Pukawa or Pukawa Bay ( mi, Pūkawa) is a bay and a small township on the southern shores of

Lake Taupo A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

on 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 off State Highway 41 between Turangi and Taumarunui, in the Taupo District and

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

region. It is home of the

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua (Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North Isla ...

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 opera ...

of Ngāti Manunui, who established the Pūkawa Marae and Manunui a Ruakapanga meeting house in November 2006. The opening ceremony was attended by Tuheitia Paki, the

Māori King 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 Co ...

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 ...

was formally selected as king by a conference of chiefs of the Māori tribes held at Pukawa in April

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

and was crowned during elaborate ceremonies held at his marae in

Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...

in April 1858. In 1906

and the Tongariro Timber Company struck an agreement for the construction of a 40-mile railway line from Kakahi (on the main trunk line) to Pukawa. This line was never completed.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Ōmori, Pukawa and Oreti Village as a rural settlement, which covers . The settlement is part of the larger Lake Taupo Bays statistical area. The settlement had a population of 213 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 42 people (24.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 3 people (1.4%) 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 99 households, comprising 108 males and 108 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 61.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 24 people (11.3%) aged under 15 years, 21 (9.9%) aged 15 to 29, 81 (38.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 87 (40.8%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 81.7% 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 ...

, 31.0%

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%

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 1.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.3% had no religion, 42.3% 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 ...

, and 1.4% had Māori religious beliefs. Of those at least 15 years old, 42 (22.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 30 (15.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $30,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 30 people (15.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 66 (34.9%) people were employed full-time, 24 (12.7%) were part-time, and 6 (3.2%) were unemployed.

Lake Taupo Bays statistical area

The statistical area of Lake Taupo Bays covers square kilometres to the south and west of Lake Taupo. It surrounds but does not include

Tūrangi Tūrangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro hydro-electric pow ...

. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Lake Taupo Bays had a population of 1,566 at the

, a decrease of 12 people (−0.8%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 54 people (−3.3%) since the

. There were 645 households, comprising 810 males and 756 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 52.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 267 people (17.0%) aged under 15 years, 174 (11.1%) aged 15 to 29, 687 (43.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 438 (28.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 69.2% European/

, 41.0%

, 2.5% Pacific peoples, 2.3%

, and 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.9, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 48.3% had no religion, 36.4% were

, 7.7% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 219 (16.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 240 (18.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 174 people (13.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 552 (42.5%) people were employed full-time, 189 (14.5%) were part-time, and 48 (3.7%) were unemployed.

Notable people

* Bessie Te Wenerau Grace, teacher, first Māori woman university graduate

References

{{Taupō District Populated places in Waikato Taupō District Bays of Waikato Populated places on Lake Taupō