Urenui is a settlement in northern
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...
, 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 ...
of New Zealand. It is located on
State Highway 3 close to the shore of the
North Taranaki Bight
The North Taranaki Bight is a large bay that extends north and east from the north coast of Taranaki in New Zealand's North Island. The name is echoed by the South Taranaki Bight to the south of Cape Egmont.
As with its southern counterpart, the ...
, 13 kilometres east of
Waitara and 6 km south-west of
Mimi. The Urenui River flows past the settlement into the North Taranaki Bight.
Etymology
The New Zealand
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...
gives a translation of "great courage" for , noting that courage is "a figurative expression". A fuller explanation is that the name was given by
Manaia in honour of his well-endowed son. means "penis", and means "large".
History
The town was the site of the Urenui Redoubt, created in winter 1865 during the
Second Taranaki War
The Second Taranaki War is a term used by some historians for the period of hostilities between Māori and the New Zealand Government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand between 1863 and 1866. The term is avoided by some historians, who eit ...
. Originally envisioned as a settlement for Māori loyal to the colonial government, however by 1866 it was decided that the town should be a settlement for soldiers.
Demographics
Urenui is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It is part of the wider
Tikorangi
Tikorangi is a settlement in Taranaki, New Zealand. Waitara lies about 6 kilometres to the north-west. The Waitara River flows to the west of the settlement, with the Bertrand Road suspension bridge providing access to the other side. The Manga ...
statistical area, which covers .
The population of Urenui was 411 in 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 ...
, a decrease of 18 (-4.2%) since the 2013 census, and also a decrease of 18 (-4.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 213 males and 201 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. Ethnicities were 369 people (89.8%) European/Pākehā, 84 (20.4%) Māori, and 3 (0.7%) Asian (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Of the total population, 60 people (14.6%) were under 15 years old, 45 (10.9%) were 15–29, 177 (43.1%) were 30–64, and 126 (30.7%) were over 65.
Marae
Urenui Marae, located about 3 kilometres from the town, is the only remaining
marae
A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...
of
Ngāti Mutunga
Ngāti Mutunga is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand, whose original tribal lands were in north Taranaki. They migrated from Taranaki, first to Wellington (with Ngāti Toa and other Taranaki Hāpu), and then to the Chatham Islands (along with ...
. It includes Te Aroha meeting house.
In October 2020, the Government committed $363,060 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 the marae, creating 21 jobs.
Education
Urenui School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of students as of The school was founded in 1876 and celebrated its 125th jubilee in 2001.
[ ]
Notable people
*
Māui Pōmare
Sir Māui Wiremu Pita Naera Pōmare (1875 or 1876 – 27 June 1930) was a New Zealand doctor and politician, being counted among the more prominent Māori political figures. He is particularly known for his efforts to improve Māori health and ...
, politician
*
Te Rangi Hīroa
Sir Peter Henry Buck (ca. October 1877 – 1 December 1951), also known as Te Rangi Hīroa or Te Rangihīroa, was a New Zealand doctor, military leader, health administrator, politician, anthropologist and museum director. He was a prominen ...
(Sir Peter Buck), doctor, politician
See also
*
Ngati Mutunga
''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea (director), John O'Shea.
Production
''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first ...
*
Taranaki Region
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...
References
Further reading
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External links
Urenui MaraeUrenui School website
{{coord, 39, 00, S, 174, 23, E, display=title, region:NZ_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
New Plymouth District
Populated places in Taranaki