Ruakura is a semi-rural

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of Hamilton City, in the

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 of

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 ...

. The

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

is nearby. The area lies to the east of urban Hamilton and to the west of

State Highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

1B (a variant of

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

which avoids the urban area).

Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre

Waikato Agricultural College and Model Farm was set up in 1888, so that Ruakura is now synonymous with the Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre, the location of institutes such as

AgResearch AgResearch Ltd (formerly known as New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute Limited) is one of New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institutes with over 700 staff and revenue of NZ$160.7 million in the year to June 2014. Main areas ...

and

Plant & Food Research Plant & Food Research (Māori: Rangahau Ahumāra Kai) is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute (CRI). Its purpose is to enhance the value and productivity of New Zealand's horticultural, arable, seafood and food & beverage industries. The inte ...

. Areas of AgResearch's research at Ruakura include animal

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

(

genomics Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...

and

cloning Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, cl ...

reproductive technologies Reproductive technology encompasses all current and anticipated uses of technology in human and animal reproduction, including assisted reproductive technology, contraception and others. It is also termed Assisted Reproductive Technology, where it ...

, agricultural systems modelling, land management, dairy science,

meat science Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chick ...

, food processing technology and safety, and animal behaviour and welfare. Plant & Food Research's site in Hamilton is home to its

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...

nursery, its Bioengineering Group and its Food and Biological Chemistry laboratory. Work is also carried out on biological control agents and plant fertilizer (''Ruakura solution''). The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

-based economy, and Ruakura has an important role in that industry. The Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre is on land owned by the

Tainui, to whom it was returned by the Crown as part of their 1995 Waikato Raupatu Land Settlement. The Waikato Regional Council included a majority of the land at Ruakura in the proposed Regional Policy Statement (PWRPS) as a future employment area. The Hamilton City Council Proposed District Plan gave effect to the PWRPS incorporating the Ruakura structure plan. The long-term plan for Ruakura is that it will be New Zealand's largest integrated commercial and lifestyle development anchored by a freight and logistics hub.

Demographics

Ruakura covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Ruakura had a population of 1,158 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 258 people (28.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 327 people (39.4%) 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 189 households, comprising 549 males and 612 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.9 males per female. The median age was 20.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 132 people (11.4%) aged under 15 years, 666 (57.5%) aged 15 to 29, 312 (26.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 48 (4.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 61.1% 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 ...

, 13.7%

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 ...

, 5.4% Pacific peoples, 27.2%

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 4.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 39.1, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.0% had no religion, 30.8% 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 ...

, 0.8% had Māori religious beliefs, 5.7% were

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 2.3% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 2.1% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 3.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 240 (23.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 51 (5.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $10,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 105 people (10.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 300 (29.2%) people were employed full-time, 174 (17.0%) were part-time, and 69 (6.7%) were unemployed. In the 2018 census a new Ruakura area was created, covering the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and a rural area on the city fringe. It is . Up to 2013 Ruakura was part of the Newstead area, which covered a similar area, but excluded the university. As shown below, the change resulted in a much larger, younger and poorer population in 2018 than previously and younger than the 37.4 years of the national average. 61.1% were European, 27.2% Asian and 13.7% Māori. Only 3 people lived in

meshblock Mesh blocks or meshblocks are a small geographic unit used in the census of several countries. New Zealand New Zealand's countrywide meshblock framework was first set up in 1976, although the term dates back to at least the 1916 census. The me ...

0955300, at the Research Centre, in 2013.

Education

Tai Wananga is a co-educational state secondary school located in Ruakura. It had a roll of . Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Toku Mapihi Maurea is a coeducational full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of . The school teaches primarily in the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

. Both schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of

Ruakura Junction railway station

Ruakura had a railway station from 1 October 1884 to 1 January 1967 at the junction of the

East Coast Main Trunk The East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) is a railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, originally running between Hamilton and Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The ECMT now runs between Hamilton and Kawerau ...

and the

Cambridge Branch The Cambridge Branch (officially named the Hautapu Branch since 2011) is a rural railway line in the Waikato, New Zealand. The line stretched from Ruakura Junction for 19.27 km to the town of Cambridge. It had five stations along its leng ...

. The branch had its first public train on 8 October 1884. Ruakura was west of Eureka and east of Claudelands. it was north of Mongaonui (or Mongonui), later renamed Newstead. When the line opened, Ruakura station was described as an island in a swamp, with no road connection. In 2020 reopening as a "passenger rail Metro Station" was put forward as a COVID-19 recovery scheme, as part of a $150m scheme to relay tracks to Cambridge.

Employment area and Inland port

In 2016 approval was given to create an employment area, with an

inland port An inland port is a port on an inland waterway, such as a river, lake, or canal, which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port. Examples The United States Army Corps of Engineers publ ...

, served by the railway and the Hamilton Bypass. The development will cover , including a inland port to the west of the Research Centre. Opening was planned in 2021. In 2021, further developments for Ruakura have been planned to expand it as a residential and logistics suburb, in addition to integrating Ruakura Road into the Waikato Expressway and improving business between regions outside of Waikato.

Residential areas

The 2016 Structure Plan included residential development to the north and south of the employment areas.

Greenhill Park

Greenhill Park is a medium density suburb at the north west of the development, begun in 2016, It adjoins

Fairview Downs Fairview Downs is a suburb in eastern Hamilton in New Zealand. It was developed in stages. Tramway Road, the western boundary of Fairview, was shown as a proposed tramway on an 1865 map. It seems to have been of double width to accommodate a ...

. A 110kV transmission line was undergrounded in 2020 to make way for more housing.

References

External links

Ruakura
website
AgResearch
website
Information on AgResearch's
campuses – ''AgResearch'' is a

Crown Research Institute In New Zealand, Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) are corporatised Crown entities charged with conducting scientific research. Crown Research Institutes date from 1992, with most formed out of parts of the former Department of Scientific and Indus ...

owned by the New Zealand Government.
Street map of Ruakura
from the Hamilton City Council site {{Hamilton, New Zealand Navbox Populated places in Waikato Suburbs of Hamilton, New Zealand Science and technology in New Zealand