Waitomo District is a
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 ...
, located 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, at the north of the
King Country
The King Country (Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of ...
area 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
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 ...
. A small part of the district, the locality of
Tiroa, however, lies in the
Manawatū-Whanganui region.
The District covers the west coast from Te Maika, on
Kawhia Harbour
Kawhia Harbour (Maori: ''Kāwhia'') is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwe ...
, to the north of
Taharoa, to
Mokau in the south and extends inland to
Maniaiti / Benneydale and
Mount Pureora.
Demographics
Waitomo District covers
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Waitomo District had a population of 9,303 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 396 people (4.4%) since the
2013 census, and a decrease of 135 people (−1.4%) 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 3,384 households, comprising 4,695 males and 4,605 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.02 males per female. The median age was 38.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 2,082 people (22.4%) aged under 15 years, 1,701 (18.3%) aged 15 to 29, 4,071 (43.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,446 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 63.5% 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 ...
, 44.8%
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 ...
, 3.7%
Pacific peoples, 3.7%
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 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 10.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.2% had no religion, 31.6% 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 ...
, 3.8% had
Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% 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 ...
, 0.6% 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 ...
, 0.3% 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 1.2% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 783 (10.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,932 (26.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 684 people (9.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,597 (49.8%) people were employed full-time, 1,263 (17.5%) were part-time, and 282 (3.9%) were unemployed.
District council
The seat of the Waitomo District Council is at
Te Kuiti, which had a population of in . No other village in the district has a population of over 500. The district has a land area of , 94.87% of which lies in the Waikato Region and only 5.13% in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region. The Waitomo district was declared in 1976. The current district mayor is John Robertson, who defeated incumbent Brian Hanna in the
2019 New Zealand local elections.
Economy
The district is a rural, predominantly
dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
farming, region. The area's main industries include
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
farming,
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. Th ...
, and
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
quarrying. The area is known for the popular
Waitomo Caves
Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region of New Zealand's North Island. There are several solutional cave systems in the area around the village, which are popular tourist attractions. Restaurants and accommodation are centred i ...
, a
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
ic system with stalactites, stalagmites and glowworms 12 kilometres northwest of Te Kuiti. Waitomo also has an
Edwardian hotel, built in 1908 and added onto in the 1930s. The hotel overlooks the Waitomo Caves village.
Attractions
Te Anga Road, a winding road from
State Highway 3 in the
Marokopa River area, leads past the Waitomo Caves,
Mangapohue Natural Bridge
The Mangapohue Natural Bridge consists of two rock arches formed by the Mangapohue Stream in the Marokopa River valley near Waitomo, New Zealand.
The 17 m high limestone arches are a remnant of an ancient cave system. The smaller lower rock ar ...
, Piripiri Caves, and Marokopa Falls. Numerous other limestone caves are found throughout the Waitomo district.
References
External links
Waitomo District CouncilDestination WaitomoHamilton & Waikato Regional Tourism
{{Cities and districts of New Zealand