Turua is a small village community on the banks of the

Waihou River The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Roun ...

in 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 ( ...

in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

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 is located close to the mouth of the river, 9 kilometres south of the

Firth of Thames The Firth of Thames ( mi, Tikapa Moana-o-Hauraki) is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the firth of the rivers Waihou and Piako, the former of which was formerly named the Thames River, and the town o ...

and 12 km south of

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. It is connected by road (Hauraki Road) to SH 25 in the north and SH 2 to the south. Turua is a

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 ...

place name meaning "twice seen," referring to reflections in the river. Before European settlement, the town site was a Māori pā surrounded by vast forests of

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori) and white pine, is a coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand. A podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining heights of 60 m and a life span of 600 years. It was firs ...

that came to be known as the "Turua Woods." In the late 19th century the village of Turua became one of the most important sites of kahikatea exploitation in New Zealand when the family of George and Martha Bagnall bought the Turua sawmill in 1875. Over the next forty years the stands of kahikatea surrounding the town were replaced by small family farms.Hatvany, M, "Environmental Failure, Success and Sustainable Development: The Hauraki Plains Wetlands Through Four Generations of New Zealanders," Environment and History, 14 (2008): 469–95.

Demographics

Turua is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It is part of the wider Hauraki Plains East statistical area. Waihou_River_at_Turua_01

Turua had a population of 381 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 3 people (0.8%) since the 2013 census, and unchanged 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 153 households, comprising 183 males and 198 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female, with 75 people (19.7%) aged under 15 years, 60 (15.7%) aged 15 to 29, 168 (44.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 81 (21.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 87.4% 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 Ze ...

, 19.7%

, 1.6% Pacific peoples, 3.1%

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 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 63.0% had no religion, 25.2% 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 ...

, 1.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% 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 ...

, 1.6% 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 3.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (4.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 93 (30.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 36 people (11.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 144 (47.1%) people were employed full-time, 39 (12.7%) were part-time, and 15 (4.9%) were unemployed.

Hauraki Plains East

Hauraki Plains East statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Hauraki Plains East had a population of 1,365 at the

, an increase of 48 people (3.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 27 people (2.0%) since the

. There were 495 households, comprising 681 males and 684 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 40.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 297 people (21.8%) aged under 15 years, 225 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 648 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 198 (14.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.3% European/

, 16.5%

, 0.9% Pacific peoples, 2.6%

, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 9.9, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 61.3% had no religion, 26.6% were

, 0.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% were

, 0.4% were

and 2.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 114 (10.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 282 (26.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 147 people (13.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 570 (53.4%) people were employed full-time, 162 (15.2%) were part-time, and 30 (2.8%) were unemployed.

Education

Turua Primary School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of

References

{{Waihou Populated places in Waikato Hauraki District