Pākiri is a locality in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, in the former

Rodney District Rodney District was a local government area in the northernmost part of New Zealand's Auckland Region from 1989 to 2010. It included Kawau Island. It was created from the amalgamation of Helensville, Helensville Borough and Rodney County, New Ze ...

of New Zealand.

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

is about to the south-east. The Pākiri River flows through the area and into the

Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Ngāti Wai Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

chief, Te Kiri. The beach was originally known by the name Ngā One Haea o Pākiri ("The Gleaming White Sands of Pakiri"), Pākiri being the name of the Ngāti Wai

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 ...

found at the headlands of the Pākiri River.

Ngāti Manuhiri Ngāti Manuhiri is a Māori iwi of the Mahurangi Peninsula area of New Zealand. They have an interest in the region from the Okura River in the south to Mangawhai in the north, and extending out to Great Barrier Island. They are descended from ...

, an iwi descended from the early Ngāti Wai ancestors in the area, are the

mana whenua In New Zealand, tangata whenua () is a Māori term that literally means "people of the land". It can refer to either a specific group of people with historical claims to a district, or more broadly the Māori people as a whole. Etymology Accordi ...

for the Pākiri area. Pākiri Beach is a white sandy beach to the north. It is a tourist destination known for its natural environment. The

Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The AR ...

purchased two blocks of land in 2005, totalling , with of beach frontage, and is developed this into the

Pākiri Regional Park Pākiri Regional Park is a regional park located near Pakiri north of Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country an ...

. During the 1860s, Pākiri Beach was the location of a

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

sawmill at the mouth of the Pākiri River. Suction

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

has been used to mine sand from the sea floor off the coast since the 1950s. This caused controversy in 1994, when of sand was to be extracted to bolster the popular Mission Bay in Auckland, and was brought to the Planning Tribunal in the case ''Haddon v Auckland Regional Council'' for violation of the

Resource Management Act 1991 The Resource Management Act (RMA) passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources such as land, air and water. New Zea ...

, and its provisions for

kaitiakitanga Kaitiaki is a New Zealand Māori people, Māori term used for the concept of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land. A kaitiaki is a Tutelary deity, guardian, and the process and practices of protecting and looking after the Natural envir ...

Demographics

Pākiri is in an SA1 statistical area which covers and includes Pākiri Beach. The SA1 area is part of the larger Cape Rodney statistical area. The SA1 statistical area had a population of 171 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 (21.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 24 people (16.3%) 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 57 households, comprising 87 males and 81 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 45.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 30 people (17.5%) aged under 15 years, 24 (14.0%) aged 15 to 29, 81 (47.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 33 (19.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 82.5% 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 ...

, 35.1%

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 ...

, 5.3% Pasifika, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.9% had no religion, 26.3% 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 17.5% had Māori religious beliefs. Of those at least 15 years old, 27 (19.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 24 (17.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 15 people (10.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 57 (40.4%) people were employed full-time, 39 (27.7%) were part-time, and 3 (2.1%) were unemployed.

Education

Pakiri School is a coeducational full primary school (years 1-8) with a roll of students as of Most children are of Māori descent and are affiliated to Ngati Wai and Ngati Manuhiri. The school celebrated its 125th jubilee in 2002.

References

{{Rodney Local Board Area Wellsford Subdivision Rodney Local Board Area Populated places in the Auckland Region