Tokomaru Bay is a small beachside community located on the isolated East Coast 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 ...

's North Island. It is 91 km north of Gisborne, on State Highway 35, and close to Mount Hikurangi. The district was originally known as Toka-a-Namu, which refers to the abundance of sandflies. Over the years the name was altered to Tokomaru Bay. The two hapu or sub-tribes that reside in Tokomaru Bay are Te Whanau a Ruataupare and Te Whānau a Te Aotawarirangi. The ancestral mountain of Tokomaru Bay is Marotiri. The ancestral river is Mangahauini.

History and culture

The seven-kilometre wide bay is small but sheltered, and was a calling place for passenger ships until the early 20th century.

Captain Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

spent time here on his 1769 journey of discovery, and later European settlement included a

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industr ...

station. A visit by missionaries William Williams,

William Colenso William Colenso (17 November 1811 – 10 February 1899) FRS was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician. He attended the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and later wrote an accou ...

, Richard Matthews and James Stack heralded the coming of Christianity to the district in 1838 and their crusade proved very successful with the local people. The area around the bay has long been a Māori stronghold. The nearby pā at Te Mawhai was refortified by Henare Potae in the 1860s during the battles between the

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion and has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zeala ...

and the warriors that followed the

Pai Mārire The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori spiritua ...

movement (commonly known as Hauhau). The town's modern economy is mainly based on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

, with some

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

. Tokomaru Bay's population is predominantly Māori, with the area being a stronghold for the

iwi 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, ...

. Southern right whales sometimes come into bay to calve or rest.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Tokomaru Bay as a rural settlement, which covers . It is part of the wider Tokomaru statistical area. Tokomaru Bay had a population of 444 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 12 people (2.8%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 54 people (−10.8%) 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 162 households, comprising 228 males and 219 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female, with 90 people (20.3%) aged under 15 years, 66 (14.9%) aged 15 to 29, 192 (43.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 90 (20.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 32.4% 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 ...

, 84.5%

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, 0.7%

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, 34.5% had no religion, 40.5% were Christian, 14.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% 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 ...

, 0.7% 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 1.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 51 (14.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 75 (21.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 30 people (8.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 135 (38.1%) people were employed full-time, 45 (12.7%) were part-time, and 21 (5.9%) were unemployed.

Tokomaru statistical area

Tokomaru statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Tokomaru had a population of 954 at the

, an increase of 21 people (2.3%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 102 people (−9.7%) since the

. There were 348 households, comprising 504 males and 450 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.12 males per female. The median age was 43.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 207 people (21.7%) aged under 15 years, 156 (16.4%) aged 15 to 29, 417 (43.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 174 (18.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 34.3% European/

, 82.1%

, 6.0% Pacific peoples, 1.3%

, and 0.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 2.8, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 34.9% had no religion, 41.8% were Christian, 11.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were

, 0.3% were

and 0.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 102 (13.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 186 (24.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 69 people (9.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 297 (39.8%) people were employed full-time, 102 (13.7%) were part-time, and 51 (6.8%) were unemployed. Tokomaru Bay Wharf

Marae

Te Whānau a Ruataupare ki Tokomaru, a

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 op ...

of Ngāti Porou, has three meeting places in the area: Pakirikiri Marae and Te Hono ki Rarotonga meeting house, Tuatini Marae and Huiwhenua meeting house, and Waiparapara Marae and Te Poho o Te Tikanga meeting house. In October 2020, the Government committed $5,756,639 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014. Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...

to upgrade Pakirikiri, Tuatini, Waiparapara, and 26 other Ngāti Porou marae. The funding was expected to create 205 jobs. Te Ariuru Marae and Te Poho o Te Aotawarirangi meeting house, located in the northern bay, is a meeting place of another Ngāti Porouhapū hapū, Te Whānau a Te Aotawarirangi.

Parks

Hatea-A-Rangi Memorial Park is Tokomaru Bay's sports ground and local park.

Education

Hatea-A-Rangi is a Year 1–8 state school with a roll of . Mata School, located inland from Tokomaru Bay, is a Year 1–8 state primary school with a roll of . Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tokomaru is a year 1–8

Kura Kaupapa Māori Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools () in New Zealand where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture. Kura kaupapa Māori are establish ...

school. It has a roll of . All these schools are co-educational. School rolls are as of

Notable people

*Tokomaru Bay was the birthplace of

Ngoi Pēwhairangi Te Kumeroa "Ngoingoi" Pēwhairangi (29 December 1921 – 29 January 1985) was a prominent teacher of, and advocate for, Māori language and culture, and the composer of many songs, including ''Poi E''. She spearheaded the Māori Renaissance in ...

, famous Maori composer and performance artist, and former All Black, Buff Milner. * Hakaraia Pahewa

References

External links

Photo and description
* Ngati Porou in their own language
Biography of Ngoi Pēwhairangi
{{Gisborne District Populated places in the Gisborne District Bays of the Gisborne District