Puriri is a small locality 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 ( ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It lies approximately 14 km south-east of

Thames, New Zealand Thames () ( mi, Pārāwai) is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel ...

. Puriri was originally a Ngāti Maru settlement, which the Rev. Henry Williams visited in October 1833, when the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

(CMS) missionaries, William Thomas Fairburn, John Alexander Wilson, John Morgan and James Preece established a

mission station A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...

in the settlement, In 1835 James Stack was appointed to Puriri. However, the missionaries withdrew from the mission that same year as the result of fighting in the Waikato. Fairburn returned to the Puriri Mission at the end of the fighting. Preece took over the mission in 1834 with the assistance of the Rev. James Hamlin. In 1838 the station was transferred to Parawai (part of the present town of Thames). In 1868 Puriri was the location for an official goldfield during the Thames-Coromandel gold rush. Puriri railway station was to the west of the village from

Morrinsville Morrinsville is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, with an estimated population of as of The town is located at the northern base of the Pakaroa Range, and on the south-western fringe of the Hauraki Plains ...

and was open from 1898 to 1951. The former railway is now used by the Hauraki Trail.

Demographics

Puriri is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers . Puriri is part of the larger Matatoki-Puriri statistical area. Puriri had a population of 234 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 30 people (14.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 12 people (5.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 87 households, comprising 114 males and 123 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female. The median age was 41.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 54 people (23.1%) aged under 15 years, 39 (16.7%) aged 15 to 29, 102 (43.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 45 (19.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 92.3% 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 Z ...

, 19.2%

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 ...

, 1.3% Pacific peoples, and 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.0% had no religion, 29.5% were Christian and 1.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (10.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 51 (28.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 21 people (11.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 108 (60.0%) people were employed full-time, and 21 (11.7%) were part-time.

Education

Puriri School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 7 and a roll of 31. The school celebrated its 80th anniversary in 1961 and its 125th anniversary in 2003. There was an earlier school called Puriri School, which flourished in 1837.

References

External links

Puriri School website1947 photo of train arriving at Puriri
{{Thames-Coromandel District Populated places in Waikato Thames-Coromandel District