Tauranga () is a coastal city in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by Europeans in the early 19th century, and was constituted as a city in 1963. The city lies in the north-western corner of the

, on the south-eastern edge of

Tauranga Harbour Tauranga Harbour is the natural tidal harbour that surrounds Tauranga CBD and the Mount Maunganui area of Tauranga, New Zealand, and which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mount Maunganui. The harbour is effectively two flooded river systems separ ...

. The city extends over an area of , and encompasses the communities of

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, on the south-western outskirts of the city;

Greerton Greerton is a major suburb of Tauranga, the largest city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Greerton is named after Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Harpur Greer, commander of the British forces during the Battle of Gate Pā. Demographics Gree ...

, on the southern outskirts of the city; Matua, west of the central city overlooking Tauranga Harbour; Maungatapu;

Mount Maunganui Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of the Tauranga metropolitan area, located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completio ...

, located north of the central city across the harbour facing the Bay of Plenty;

Otūmoetai Otūmoetai is a suburb of the city of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. The Otūmoetai peninsula includes both the Otūmoetai suburb, and the neighbouring suburbs of Matua and Bellevue. History The name is claimed to trans ...

;

Papamoa , image = View_to_Mayor.jpg , caption1 = Looking towards Mayor Island down Domain Rd from the Papamoa Hills , city1 = Tauranga , ward = , council = Tauranga City Council , established = , coor ...

, Tauranga's largest suburb, located on the Bay of Plenty; Tauranga City;

Tauranga South Tauranga South is a suburb of Tauranga, on New Zealand's North Island. It is located south-east of Judea, north-east of Gate Pa and south-west of Tauranga Central. Property prices in the suburb have risen sharply, largely due to demand for lan ...

; and

Welcome Bay Welcome Bay is a suburb of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located from central Tauranga. Neighbouring suburbs include Hairini and Maungatapu. There are a number of schools in Welcome Bay, including three primary schools. The name Welcome Bay has ...

. Tauranga is one of New Zealand's main centres for business, international trade, culture, fashion and horticultural science. The

Port of Tauranga The Port of Tauranga is situated in Tauranga, New Zealand. It is the largest port in the country both in terms of total cargo volume, and in terms of container throughput with container volumes exceeding 1.2 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equival ...

is New Zealand's largest port in terms of gross export tonnage and efficiency. Tauranga is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing cities, with an 11% increase in population between the 2006 census and the 2013 census, and 19% between the 2013 and 2018 census. Due to its rapid population growth, Tauranga has become New Zealand's fifth-largest city, overtaking

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

and the Napier-

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

urban areas.

History

Settlement

The earliest known settlers were

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 ...

, who arrived in the 13th century at Tauranga in the

Tākitimu ''Tākitimu'' was a ''waka'' (canoe) with ''whakapapa'' throughout the Pacific particularly with Samoa, the Cook Islands, and New Zealand in ancient times. In several Māori traditions, the ''Tākitimu'' was one of the great Māori migration ...

and the

Mātaatua ''Mātaatua'' was one of the great voyaging canoes by which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand, according to Māori tradition. Māori traditions say that the ''Mātaatua'' was initially sent from Hawaiki to bring supplies of kūmara to Māori ...

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

. At 9 am on Friday, 23 June 1826, was the first European ship to enter

. The Revd.

Henry Williams Henry Williams may refer to: Politicians * Henry Williams (activist) (born 2000), chief of staff of the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign * Henry Williams (MP for Northamptonshire) (died 1558), Member of Parliament (MP) for Northamptonshire ...

conducted a Christian service at Otamataha Pā. In December 1826 and again in March 1827, the ''Herald'' travelled to Tauranga from the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...

to obtain supplies of potatoes, pigs and flax. In 1835 a

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 ...

mission station was established at Tauranga by William Wade. Rev. Alfred N. Brown arrived at the CMS mission station in 1838. John Morgan also visited the mission in 1838. Street on the waterfront at Tauranga, 1924

Street on the waterfront at Tauranga, 1924

Europeans trading in

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

were active in the Bay of Plenty during the 1830s; some were transient, others married local women and settled permanently. The first permanent non-Maori trader was James Farrow, who travelled to Tauranga in 1829, obtaining flax fibre for Australian merchants in exchange for

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

s and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

. Farrow acquired a land area of on 10 January 1838 at Otūmoetai Pā from the chiefs Tupaea, Tangimoana and Te Omanu, the earliest authenticated land purchase in the Bay of Plenty. In 1840, a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

mission station was established.

Bishop Pompallier Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier (11 December 1801 – 21 December 1871) was the first Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two m ...

was given land within the palisades of Otūmoetai Pā for a church and a presbytery. The mission station closed in 1863 due to land wars 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 ...

district.

New Zealand Wars–Tauranga Campaign

The

Tauranga Campaign The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion of ...

took place in and around Tauranga from 21 January to 21 June 1864, during the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...

. The Battle of Gate Pa is the best known. The

Battle of Gate Pā The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion of ...

was an attack on the well fortified Pā and its Māori defenders on 29 April 1864 by British forces made up of approximately 300 men of the 43rd Regiment and a naval contingent. The British casualties were 31 dead (including 10 officers), and 80 wounded - the single most devastating loss of life suffered by the British military in the whole of the New Zealand Wars. The Māori defenders abandoned the Pā during the night with casualties estimated at 25 dead and an unknown number of wounded.

Tauranga CBD Fire 1936

In 1936 a large fire occurred which started in the hotel's staff quarters and drew large crowds.

Modern era

Under the ''Local Government (Tauranga City Council) Order 2003'', Tauranga became legally a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

for a second time, from 1 March 2004. In August 2011, Tauranga received

Ultra-Fast Broadband The Ultra-Fast Broadband initiative is a New Zealand Government programme of building fibre-to-the-home networks covering 87% of the population by the end of 2022. It is a public–private partnership of the government with four companies with ...

as part of the

New Zealand Government , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

's rollout.

Geography

Tauranga is located around a large harbour that extends along the western Bay of Plenty, and is protected by

Matakana Island Matakana Island is located in the western Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. A long, flat barrier island, it is in length but rarely more than wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by Māori tribes that ar ...

and the extinct volcano of Mauao (Mount Maunganui).

Ngamuwahine River The Ngamuwahine River is a river of the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows initially north from its source in the Kaimai Range before turning southeast to meet the Mangakarengorengo River southwest of Tauranga. Ngamuw ...

is located 19 kilometres southwest of Tauranga. Street in Tauranga, 1924

Tauranga and the

are situated along a faultline and so experience (infrequent) seismic activity. There are a few

volcanoes A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

around the area (mainly dormant). The most notable of these are

White Island White Island may refer to: Places Oceania *Whakaari / White Island, volcanic island in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand **2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption *White Island (Otago), Dunedin, New Zealand North America *White Island, Paget, Bermuda ...

and Mauao, nicknamed "The Mount" by locals. Tauranga is roughly the antipode of Jaén, Spain. Here is a list of suburbs by electoral ward: Te Papa / Welcome Bay: *

Gate Pa Gate Pa or Gate Pā is a suburb of Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is the location of the Battle of Gate Pā in the 1864 Tauranga campaign of the New Zealand Wars. Demographics Gate Pa covers and had ...

Hairini Hairini is a suburb of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The New Zealand Transport Agency is constructing a road underpass through the suburb. It has two marae. Hairini Marae and Ranginui meeting house is a m ...

Maungatapu Maungatapu is a mountain in New Zealand located on the border of the Nelson, New Zealand and Marlborough Regions. It lies in the Bryant Range. The mountain is 1014 metres high. ''Maungatapu'' is Māori for "sacred mountain". The mountain was t ...

* Merivale *

Poike Poike is one of the three main extinct volcanoes that form Rapa Nui (Easter Island), a Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. At 370 metres above sea level, Poike's peak is the island's second-highest point after the peak of the extinct volcano T ...

* Tauranga CBD *

Otumoetai / Pyes Pa: *

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...

* Brookfield *

Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous L ...

* Matua * Omanawa *

Pyes Pa Pyes Pa is a suburb of Tauranga, New Zealand. The suburb is located in the southern part of Tauranga about 40.3 km from Rotorua. It includes The Lakes, Cheyne Road and the TECT All Terrain Park. It is named for Captain Charles Pye (1820 - ...

Tauriko Tauriko is a suburb of Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. According to ''Place Names of New Zealand'' by A. W. Reed and Peter Dowling, "Tauriko" is not a Māori name—the suburb was originally named Taurico a ...

* The Lakes Village Mount Maunganui / Papamoa: *

Arataki Arataki is a neighbourhood of Mount Maunganui Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. Bayfair Shopping Centre is located in Arataki. Demographics Arataki covers and had an estimated population of as of with a ...

Kairua Kairua is a rural area of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. runs along its northern side, and crosses it at the northeast. Baypark Stadium is in the northwest of the area. The East Coast Main Trunk railway ru ...

Matapihi Matapihi is a suburb and peninsula of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island, surrounded on most sides by the Tauranga Harbour. It is connectected to Mount Maunganui in the northeast by a landbridge, and Maungatapu ...

* Moturiki Island * Omanu *

Papamoa Beach , image = View_to_Mayor.jpg , caption1 = Looking towards Mayor Island down Domain Rd from the Papamoa Hills , city1 = Tauranga , ward = , council = Tauranga City Council , established = , coord ...

* Waitao Others: * Motuopuhi Island (Rat Island) * Motuotau Island *

Ohauiti Ohauiti is a semi-rural suburb of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The original Ohauiti, a rural settlement, is located 10 kilometres to the south of the city centre, although the name is also used for new subu ...

* Waikareao Estuary

Climate

Tauranga has an oceanic or maritime temperate climate. It can also be described as

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

. During the summer months the population swells as holidaymakers descend on the city, especially along the popular white coastal surf beaches from

Demographics

In 1976 Tauranga was a medium-sized urban area with a population of around 48,000. However, the completion of a harbour bridge in 1988 brought Tauranga and The Mount closer (they amalgamated in 1989) and re-energised the economies of both parts of the enlarged city. By 1996 Tauranga's population had grown to 82,092 and by 2006 it had reached 103,635. In 2008 Tauranga overtook

to become the sixth-largest city in New Zealand by urban area, and the ninth largest city by

Territorial Authority Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. District councils serve a c ...

area. With continuing growth it has now surpassed the Napier-Hastings area to become New Zealand's fifth-largest city. Tauranga City covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Tauranga City had a population of 136,713 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 21,924 people (19.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 32,832 people (31.6%) 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 50,442 households, comprising 65,868 males and 70,845 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female. The median age was 40.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 27,564 people (20.2%) aged under 15 years, 23,235 (17.0%) aged 15 to 29, 58,938 (43.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 26,979 (19.7%) 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 ...

, 18.2%

, 2.9% Pacific peoples, 7.6%

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 2.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 21.7, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.8% had no religion, 35.5% 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 ...

, 2.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.0% 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 ...

, 0.3% 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 ...

, 0.5% 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, 21,570 (19.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 18,957 (17.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 17,493 people (16.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 51,591 (47.3%) people were employed full-time, 16,233 (14.9%) were part-time, and 3,753 (3.4%) were unemployed. The city hosts five major head offices – Port of Tauranga, Zespri International, Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, Trustpower and Craigs Investment Partners (formerly, ABN AMRO Craigs). Mount Maunganui main beach in Tauranga, New Zealand

Mount Maunganui main beach in Tauranga, New Zealand

Government and politics

Tauranga is located in the administrative area of the Tauranga City Council. The council consists of ten councillors and a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. Four councillors are elected by the city at large; the remainder are elected from three wards (constituencies), with each ward electing two councillors: * Te Papa / Welcome Bay * Otūmoetai / Pyes Pa * Mount Maunganui / Papamoa Council elections are held every three years, most recently in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. In December 2020, the Minister of Local Government

Nanaia Mahuta Nanaia Cybele Mahuta (born 21 August 1970) is a New Zealand politician who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hauraki-Waikato and serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Sixth Labour Governm ...

announced that, due to dysfunction within the elected council, the council would be replaced by commissioners until the 2022 local elections. However, then Tauranga MP

Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a former New Zealand politician and lawyer. He served as Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition between 2018 and 2020, and as the Member of Parliament for Tauranga from the to ...

said the appointment of commissioners was unnecessary and a "dramatic and draconian step." For elections to the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand ( King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by h ...

, the city of Tauranga is in the

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

and

electorates.

Economy

Much of the countryside surrounding Tauranga is horticultural land, used to grow a wide range of fresh produce for both domestic consumption and export. There are many

kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' ...

and

avocados The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for i ...

orchards as well as other crops. The

is New Zealand's largest export port. It is a regular stop for both container ships and luxury cruise liners. Tauranga NZ7 3481-82 - 46361933804

Tauranga's main shopping malls are Bayfair, in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga Crossing in Tauriko. Most of the city's shopping centres are located in the suburbs. They include Fraser Cove, Tauranga Crossing, Bethlehem Town Centre,

Papamoa Plaza Papamoa Plaza, formerly ''Palm Beach Plaza'' is a shopping complex in Papamoa, Tauranga, New Zealand opened in 1997. It has an immediate catchment of 17,000 people; this rises to over 200,000 people in the summer holidays. There are 37 stores in ...

, Fashion Island,

Bayfair Shopping Centre Bayfair Shopping Centre, (usually referred to as 'Bayfair' by locals), is the main shopping mall in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. Location Bayfair Shopping Centre is located on the corner of Maunganui Road ( State Highway 2) and Girven Road. ...

, Bay Central and Greerton Village. Tauranga has the following business innovation centres * The Kollective * Newnham Park The following companies have their

head office Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top ...

in Tauranga: * Ballance Agri-Nutrients * Brother NZ * C3 Limited * Craigs Investment Partners Ltd * Dominion Salt * Genera Biosecurity *

Kiwi Bus Builders Kiwi Bus Builders is a New Zealand bus bodybuilder based in Tauranga. History Kiwi Bus Builders was established in 1993. It has built bus and coach bodies for many operators including Go Bus Transport, NZ Bus NZ Bus is New Zealand's large ...

* Shuzi New Zealand Limited * Tidy International *

Trimax Mowing Systems Trimax Mowing Systems is a New Zealand-based manufacturer of professional turf maintenance equipment. Trimax designs, develops, builds and markets high quality roller mowers with flail or rotary blade systems. The company's headquarters are locate ...

TrustPower Manawa Energy Limited, formerly Trustpower, is a New Zealand electricity generation company that offers bespoke electricity products to commercial and industrial customers across New Zealand. Manawa Energy has 26 hydro-electricity schemes, with a ...

* UNO. Magazine * Zespri International

Arts and culture

Religion

A wide variety of faiths are practised, including

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Taoism and Judaism. There are many denominations of Christianity including Pentecostal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Exclusive Brethren, Baptist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and Jacobite Syrian Christian Church.

Music

The National Jazz Festival takes place in Tauranga every Easter.

Events

New Year celebrations at the Mount in

are one of Tauranga's main events, bringing people from all around the country. In 2014 Tauranga City Council granted permission for an annual Sikh parade to celebrate Guru Gobind Singh's birthday. 2500 people took part in 2014, while in 2015, the number increased to 3500.

Sports

Tauranga has a large stadium complex in the Mount Manganui suburb, Baypark Stadium, rebuilt in 2001 after a similar complex closed in 1995. It hosts Dirt track racing in New Zealand, Speedway events during summer and rugby football, rugby matches in winter. Tauranga is also the home of Association football, football (soccer) club Tauranga City United who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2. Tauranga is the home to two rowing clubs – Tauranga Rowing Club in Memorial Park and Bay of Plenty Coast Rowing Club at the picturesque Wairoa River (Bay of Plenty), Wairoa River. Both clubs have had successful NZ representation over the years. Tauranga has an all weather outdoor athletics ground at Tauranga Domain.

City facilities and attractions

Greater Tauranga is a very popular lifestyle and tourism destination. It features many natural attractions and scenery ranging from popular beaches and harbour environments to lush bush-clad mountains with waterfalls and lakes. Tauranga strand & fisherman 2017

Cultural attractions include the Tauranga Art Gallery, which opened in October 2007 and showcases local, national and international exhibitions in a range of media. On the 17th Avenue, the "Historic Village on 17th", recreates a historic setting with original and replica buildings from early Tauranga housing arts and gift shops. Aviation interests are well served with the Classic Flyers Museum and the Gyrate Flying Club where you can experience flying a modern gyroplane; the "motorbike of the sky". Tauranga has many parks: one of the largest is Memorial Park, and others include Yatton Park, Kulim Park, Fergusson Park and the large Tauranga Domain. The Te Puna Quarry Park has become a regional attraction, known for being converted from a disused quarry into a community park. Due to the temperate climate, outdoor activities are very popular, including golf, tramping (hiking), mountain biking and white water rafting. The Bay of Plenty coastline has miles of golden sandy beaches, and watersports are very popular, including swimming, surfing, fishing, diving, kayaking and kitesurfing. Tourists also enjoy dolphin-watching on specially run boat trips. The coastal suburb

and neighbouring town Mount Maunganui are some of the more affluent areas around Tauranga. The region's beaches attract swimmers, surfers, kayakers and kitesurfers throughout the year. Tauranga has many outlying islands and reefs that make it a notable tourist destination point for travelling scuba divers and marine enthusiasts. Extensive marine life diversity is available to scuba divers all year round. Water temperatures range from 12 degrees Celsius in winter to 22–24 degrees Celsius in summer. Tauranga houses two professional dive instructor training centres, training NAUI, PADI and SSI dive leader systems.

Infrastructure

Hospitals

Tauranga Hospital is a public secondary regional hospital located in Tauranga South, with 360 beds including neonatal, geriatric, surgical, maternity and mental health care. It provides elective and emergency healthcare across medical, surgical, paediatric, obstetric, gynaecological and psychiatric services. The main tertiary referral centre for Tauranga Hospital is Waikato Hospital, located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton. As the site of the Bay of Plenty Clinical School, Tauranga Hospital provides training to medical students from the University of Auckland, as well as selective and elective placements for nursing and midwifery students. Grace Hospital is Tauranga's only private specialist surgical hospital, located in Oropi. It accommodates 6 operating theatres, 48 impatient beds, a two-bed HDU, a procedure room for minor surgery and two procedure rooms for endoscopy.

Utilities

Powerco operates the local distribution network in the city, with electricity supplied from Transpower New Zealand Limited, Transpower's national grid at three substations: Tauranga (Greerton), Kaitemako and Mount Maunganui (Matapihi). Natural gas arrived in Tauranga in 1982, following the completion of the high-pressure pipeline from the Maui gas field, Maui pipeline near Te Awamutu to the city, now operated by First Gas. First Gas also operates the gas distribution network within the city.

Transport

Tauranga City Council is currently responsible for approximately 530 km of roads, 700 km of footpaths, cycle ways and access ways. Tauranga City Council also has a bit of work under way with their Transportation and Roads strategy. Their aim for the future to change current travel behavior, travel behaviour from a focus on private cars to more sustainable modes such as buses, cycling and walking.

Air

Tauranga Airport is served by Air New Zealand with flights to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Sunair is based in Tauranga, operating a fleet of light aircraft. Sunair operates from Tauranga Airport to Whangarei Airport, Whangarei, Great Barrier Aerodrome, Claris, Whitianga Aerodrome, Whitanga and Motiti Island. Barrier Air also operates from Tauranga to Great Barrier Island.

Rail

Tauranga is located on the East Coast Main Trunk Railway.

Bus

Main transportation in the city is provided by the BayBus, with twelve routes servicing the city's population. Bay Hopper buses depart the central stops in Tauranga's CBD, Ohauiti, Mount Maunganui and Bayfair every 15 minutes, with the routes to Papamoa and Greerton half-hourly. Project NEXT#Regional Consortium: Bee Card, Bee cards were introduced for fares on 27 July 2020. The city is also a waypoint for bus travel between cities, with the Bay Hopper, and Intercity having a daily schedule.

Education

Tauranga is home to the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Education Partnership, made up of: * Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi * The University of Waikato * Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi The organisations currently share two main campuses, but are planning a new central campus. Stage 1 is expected to be open in 2017, catering for 500 but with capacity for 700, which will cost $67.3 Million. Tauranga's secondary schools are: * Tauranga Boys' College, with about 1850 boys. * Tauranga Girls' College, with over 1500 girls. * Otumoetai College, with around 1900 students. * Bethlehem Campus, Bethlehem College, a state integrated Christian school offering kindergarten and Year 1–13, with around 1500 students. * Aquinas College, Tauranga, Aquinas College a state integrated coeducational Catholic school founded in 2003 for Years 7–13, with around 800 students. * Mount Maunganui College, a co-educational secondary school, with over 1500 students. * Papamoa College, co-educational secondary school opened in 2011 for years 7 – 13. * Te Wharekura o Mauao, a co-educational wharekura-ā-iwi total immersion Māori secondary school for Years 7–13, founded in 2010, with around 200 students. * Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kōkiri, a co-educational kura kaupapa Māori Kura Kaupapa Maori, total immersion school for Years 1–13, founded in 2000, with around 140 students. ACG Tauranga, the city's first fully Private school#New Zealand, private school, offers school to Year 12. There is also a Rudolf Steiner School in Welcome Bay, catering for birth to 12-year-olds.

Notable residents

* Corey Anderson (cricketer), Corey Anderson – international cricketer * Trent Boult – international cricketer * Tyler Boyd (footballer), Tyler Boyd – footballer * Peter Burling (sailor), Peter Burling – America's Cup helmsman and Olympic medallist * Sam Cane – international rugby player * Bob Clarkson – former Member of Parliament and property developer * Dame Lynley Dodd – award-winning author and illustrator, principally known for her children's picture books featuring Hairy Maclary and his friends * Mahé Drysdale – Olympic rower * Tim Balme – actor, director * John Bracewell – international cricketer *

– MP for

; former Leader of the New Zealand National Party * Moss Burmester – Olympic swimmer * Tony Christiansen – former Paralympics, FESPIC Games and World Games medallist, professional speaker and Tauranga City Councillor * Dame Susan Devoy – former World Squash Champion * Daniel Flynn (cricketer), Daniel Flynn – international cricketer * Hilda Hewlett – pioneer aviator * Gunnar Jackson – professional middleweight boxer * Jess Johnson – artist * Tanerau Latimer – former international rugby player * Tony Lochhead – footballer *Todd Muller – MP for

; former Leader of the New Zealand National Party * Richard O'Brien – author of ''The Rocky Horror Show'' (spent his formative years here) * Phil Rudd – drummer for AC/DC * Andrew Stevenson – Olympic rower, Double World Champion Rower, NZ 1982 Sportsman of the Year * Sir Gordon Tietjens – Coach of the New Zealand national rugby sevens team * Kane Williamson – international cricketer

Past residents

* Kathleen Hawkins – known as the "Pioneer Poet" * Les Munro – Operation Chastise, Dambusters veteran * Winston Peters – former MP for Tauranga, leader of NZ First, politician * Stan Walker (singer), Stan Walker – R&B singer, Former Australian Idol contestant and winner

Sister cities

Tauranga is Sister city, twinned with: *Hitachi, Ibaraki, Hitachi, Japan *San Bernardino, California, San Bernardino, United States *Yantai, China

References

External links

Tauranga City Council
{{Authority control Tauranga, Populated places around the Tauranga Harbour, Main urban areas in New Zealand Territorial authorities of New Zealand Port cities in New Zealand