Maungatautari is a mountain, rural community, and ecological area near

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

in the

Waikato region Waikato () is a 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 City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

in New Zealand's central North Island. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "mountain of the upright stick" for . The Maungatautari Restoration Project is the largest

ecological restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

project in

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 ...

. The project is engineered to remove all non-native pest

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...

and predators and restore endangered native flora and fauna to Maungatautari. There is no intention to restrict all introduced birds, but efforts will be made to control exotic

wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

. It includes private land and a government-owned scenic reserve administered by Waipa District Council. It is a community project managed by the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust. Maungatautari Marae and Te Manawanui meeting house located on the northern edge of the mountain, overlooking the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

. It is a meeting place for the Ngāti Korokī Kahukura

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 Hourua and Ngāti Ueroa, the

Ngāti Raukawa Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupo and Manawatu/Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa. History Early history Ngāti Raukawa rec ...

hapū of Ngāti Korokī and

Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia and Huntly areas of the Waikato region. History Ngāti Mahuta is descended ...

and the

Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zealand ...

hapū of Ngāti Korokī and Ngāti Raukawa ki Panehākua. It is the main marae for the, Taute, Kara, Tupaea, Wirihana, Poka and Tauroa

whānau Whānau () is Māori for extended family. It is also used in everyday New Zealand English, as well as in official publications. In Māori society, the whānau is also a political unit, below the levels of hapū (subtribe) and iwi (tribe or nati ...

, among others. Waniwani Pā is also a traditional meeting ground for the Ngāti Korokī Kahukura hapū of Ngāti Waihoro.

History

According to

oral history, the mountain was named by Rakatāura / Hape, the

tohunga In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teache ...

of the ''Tainui'' migratory canoe. After settling at the

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 ...

, Rakatāura and his wife Kahukeke explored the interior of the Waikato.

Geology

Maungatautari is an extinct high

andesitic Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomin ...

dacitic Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyol ...

stratovolcano with a prominence of at least above its surroundings and an estimated age of 1.8 ± 0.10 million years. Its eroded flanks take in most of the surrounding district of the same name as its edifice is between to in diameter but it does abut an exposed greywacke basement range to its west, south of

Lake Karapiro Lake Karapiro () is an artificial reservoir lake on the Waikato River at Karapiro, south-east of Cambridge in New Zealand's North Island. The lake was formed in 1947 by the damming of the Waikato River to store water for the 96-megawatt Karapir ...

. A wide range of volcanic rocks are found from pumiceous and ash flow deposits near the summit and hydrothermally altered

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...

on its southern flanks to

labradorite Labradorite (( Ca, Na)( Al, Si)4 O8) is a calcium-enriched feldspar mineral first identified in Labrador, Canada, which can display an iridescent effect (schiller). Labradorite is an intermediate to calcic member of the plagioclase series. It ...

, pyroxene, and

hornblende Hornblende is a complex inosilicate series of minerals. It is not a recognized mineral in its own right, but the name is used as a general or field term, to refer to a dark amphibole. Hornblende minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rock ...

andesite and

dacite Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite ...

in the bulk of the stratovolcano and a small cone of olivine basalt is located at Kairangi, to the northwest. However the Kairangi cone is much older being the most eastern of the basaltic Alexandra Volcanic Group. Maungatautari's surface ring plain deposits are mainly on the northern and northeastern flanks and include a prominent rock and debris avalanche to the north east of volume , as to its south and east the flanks are covered by the younger and very thick ignimbrite sheets from the massive

Mangakino caldera complex The Mangakino caldera complex (other names are Mangakino volcanic center, Mangakino Caldera) is the westernmost and one of oldest extinct rhyolitic caldera volcanoes in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of New Zealand's North Island The North Island, ...

eruptions of about 1 million years ago.

Ecological area

Maungatautari, as an eroded

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

was chosen as a suitable site for a major ecological project for a number of reasons, including the diversity of its terrain, the relative integrity of natural areas in spite of some human engineered changes, the commitment of surrounding communities, and the feasibility of fence-construction given surrounding developed terrain. Some elements of the diversity of Maungatautari took scientists by surprise. In April 2006, the discovery of 100

silver beech ''Nothofagus menziesii'', commonly known as silver beech ( mi, tawhai, tahina), is a tree of the southern beech family endemic to New Zealand. Its common name probably comes from the fact that its bark is whitish in colour, particularly in younge ...

trees caused considerable excitement in the botanical community. The tree, native to southern New Zealand, had not previously been believed to be present on Maungatautari, although researchers who came to investigate emphasized that the tree had probably been established during the last ice age. The largest of the trees were estimated to be several centuries old. Jim Mylchreest, Maungatautari Trust's chief executive, pointed out that the trees were not only exciting in themselves, but also for the fungi and insects they might host that also may not have been expected to be present on Maungatautari. Hochstetters Frog on Moss

Species found

In December 2004, eleven endangered

Hochstetter's frog Hochstetter's frog or Hochstetter's New Zealand frog (''Leiopelma hochstetteri'') is a primitive frog native to New Zealand, one of only four extant species belonging to the taxonomic family Leiopelmatidae. They possess some of the most ancient f ...

s were found living on Maungatautari in a rocky region. There had already been discussions about potentially reintroducing the Hochstetter's frog to the preserve, and the rare discovery of the small population in an environment being prepared to protect them excites the scientific community. A dead Duvaucel's gecko was found in a mouse trap in March 2010; this was the first sighting of this species on mainland New Zealand for almost 100 years, probably indicating a surviving population of the gecko within Maungatautari.

Ecological restoration plan

Because poisons and trapping, traditional methods of pest control, have limited success and seldom last long, the creators of the plan decided to enclose the 34 square kilometres of bush with a 47 km

pest-exclusion fence 280px, Xcluder pest-exclusion fence around perimeter of Maungatautari A pest-exclusion fence is a barrier that is built to exclude certain types of animal pests from an enclosure. This may be to protect plants in horticulture, preserve grass ...

to create an

ecological island An ecological island is a term used in New Zealand, and increasingly in Australia, to refer to an area of land (not necessarily an actual island) isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land, where a natural micro-habitat exists ...

. When the environment was rendered suitable, the area was to be repopulated with the entire suite of charismatic species that may now be locally extinct, such as

North Island brown kiwi The North Island brown kiwi (''Apteryx mantelli''; ''Apteryx australis'' or ''Apteryx bulleri'' as before 2000, still used in some sources) is a species of kiwi that is widespread in the northern two-thirds of the North Island of New Zealand an ...

North Island kōkako The North Island kōkako (''Callaeas wilsoni'') is an endangered forest bird which is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is grey in colour, with a small black mask. It has blue wattles (although this colour develops with age: in the ...

, kakariki,

tuatara Tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') are reptiles endemic to New Zealand. Despite their close resemblance to lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia. The name ''tuatara'' is derived from the Māori language and m ...

and many others. Kaka already visited regularly and were likely to become resident if suitable methods are employed. In November 2003, the Trust constructed two exclosures, at the north and south of Maungatautari, totalling 1.1 square kilometres. The Trust used these areas to demonstrate the fence's feasibility and to test pest removal methods, which were launched in September 2004. The exclosures are now predator-free and were used as holding areas for native species while the main fence was being built. In November 2005 a 3 hectare area adjacent to the Southern Enclosure, the Tautari Wetland, was gifted to the Trust by the Tauroa family for

takahē The South Island takahē (''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') is a flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, which it shares with the recently ...

and other wetland birds. A Tuatarium for the future was designed and planted inside the area. North Cell Fence

In July 2004, the Trust began constructing the Xcluder fence. In September 2006 the Trust completed fencing the entire 34 square kilometres to exclude all pests (and was able to take advantage of parts of the exclosures' fencing constructed at Stage 1). Then the Trust began eliminating pests by dropping poison, starting with

brodifacoum Brodifacoum is a highly lethal 4-hydroxycoumarin vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant poison. In recent years, it has become one of the world's most widely used pesticides. It is typically used as a rodenticide, but is also used to control larger ...

in November 2006. A second application was made in December 2006. The combined effect of the poison, trapping and hunting eliminated

brown rat The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat and Parisian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown o ...

s, black rats,

stoat The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender b ...

s, ferrets,

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

fallow deer ''Dama'' is a genus of deer in the subfamily Cervinae, commonly referred to as fallow deer. Name The name fallow is derived from the deer's pale brown colour. The Latin word ''dāma'' or ''damma'', used for roe deer, gazelles, and antelopes ...

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s, possums,

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

s, rabbits and hares. In 2007 the sole remaining pest species was mice, and poison was dropped a third time, in September that year, to eradicate them. This failed, and in 2011 the trust introduced a new policy, focusing on controlling rather than eradicating mice. One of the greater challenges facing the designers of the Xcluder fence adopted for the purpose was addressing entry at streams. Since water levels fluctuate and a fence needed to address both debris and fish migration, the Xcluder was outfitted with an electronic surveillance system to alert the Trust if a watergate fails to properly close. There have been other challenges with the fence, including storm damage in July 2007 that was quickly repaired. In July 2006, a viewing tower was constructed near a northern rata grove in the southern exclosure.

Species reintroduction

Since the beginning of the project, native species have returned to the area either naturally or through reintroduction. In July 2007, a 300% increase was discovered in the native beetle population of the southern enclosure. In December 2005 Maungatautari witnessed its first kiwi call in approximately a hundred years. Radio signals in April 2007 suggested that the kiwi may be sitting on an egg, but that nest was found to be bare. In September 2007, two kiwi eggs were discovered. Although one proved infertile, the other hatched in December 2007, the first kiwi egg known to have hatched on Maungatautari in a century. Karuwai at August 2005 Health Check

As of 2021, 320 founders of the

(Apteryx mantelli) western taxon have been introduced. In June 2006, the Trust began reintroducing species, starting with a pair of critically endangered

. In April 2007, three species of endangered whitebait (

kokopu Kokopu ( mi, kōkopu) is a common name used for three species of fish of the genus ''Galaxias''. They are found in the rivers, lakes and swamps of New Zealand, to which they are endemic. Kokopu are galaxiids and like others members of that fami ...

or native trout) were reintroduced. In May, kākā were put into a special enclosure to allow them to acclimatise before they were released; they quickly attracted wild companions. In November of that year, seven kākā were released from the

aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Avi ...

. On 3 December 2007 the trust announced that they planned to reintroduce

North Island robin The North Island robin (''Petroica longipes'') is a species of Australasian robin endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is also known in Māori as the Toutouwai. It and the South Island robin (''P. australis'') of the South Island an ...

, popokatea ( whiteheads) and hihi ( stitchbirds) in 2008. March 2009 saw the release of 60 whiteheads (popokatea). Between 2009 and 2011, 155 hihi (stitchbirds) were released over 3 translocations (135 from Tiritiri Matangi Island and 20 from Little Barrier Island). 2011 saw the release of 40

s from Pureora Forest with a further 40 in 2012. In 2012 and 2013 200 Mahoenui giant weta ( Deinacrida mahoenui) were introduced into the sanctuary. Also in 2012, 50

from Stephens Island were reintroduced. In 2013, 40

North Island saddleback The North Island saddleback (''Philesturnus rufusater'') is a forest-dwelling passerine bird species endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It was once considered conspecific with the South Island saddleback. The IUCN lists the species as Ne ...

were translocated from Tiritiri Matangi Island. In 2015, 40 North Island

kōkako Kōkako (''Callaeas'') are two species of endangered forest birds which are endemic to New Zealand, the North Island kōkako (''Callaeas wilsoni'') and the presumably extinct South Island kōkako (''Callaeas cinereus''). They are both slate-gr ...

were translocated from Pureora Forest. In 2021, 80 rifleman (bird), titiponamu were translocated from Pirongia and Pureora.

Native species

Mammals

New Zealand long-tailed bat The New Zealand long-tailed bat (''Chalinolobus tuberculatus''), also known as the long-tailed wattled bat or pekapeka-tou-roa (Māori), is one of 15 species of bats in the genus '' Chalinolobus'' variously known as "pied bats", "wattled bats" o ...

(''Chalinolobus tuberculatus'')

Birds

Grey teal The grey teal (''Anas gracilis'') is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in Australia and New Zealand. Description It can be identified due to the presence of a crimson coloured iris in its eyes.Winter, M. (2018). Grey Teal. Wilderness Mag ...

(''Anas gracilis'') *

Australasian shoveler The Australasian shoveler (''Spatula rhynchotis'') is a species of dabbling duck in the genus ''Spatula''. It ranges from 46 to 53 cm. It lives in heavily vegetated swamps. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildl ...

(''Anas rhynchotis'') * Grey duck (''Anas superciliosa'') *

New Zealand bellbird The New Zealand bellbird (''Anthornis melanura''), also known by its Māori names korimako, makomako, and kōmako, is a passerine bird endemic to New Zealand. It has greenish colouration and is the only living member of the genus ''Anthornis''. ...

(korimako) (''Anthornis melanura'') *

(kiwi) (''Apteryx mantelli'') *

Australasian bittern The Australasian bittern (''Botaurus poiciloptilus''), also known as the brown bittern or matuku hūrepo, and also nicknamed the "bunyip bird", is a large bird in the heron family Ardeidae. A secretive bird with a distinctive booming call, it is ...

(''Botaurus poiciloptilus'') * Shining cuckoo (''Chrysococcyx lucidas'') * Australasian harrier (''Circus approximans'') *

White-faced heron The white-faced heron (''Egretta novaehollandiae'') also known as the white-fronted heron, and incorrectly as the grey heron, or blue crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Ind ...

(''Egretta novaehollandiae'') *

New Zealand falcon The New Zealand falcon ( mi, kārearea or ''kāiaia''; ''Falco novaeseelandiae'') is New Zealand's only falcon. Other common names for the bird are Bush Hawk and Sparrow Hawk. It is frequently mistaken for the larger and more common swamp harri ...

(kārearea) (''Falco novaeseelandiae'') *

Grey warbler The grey warbler (''Gerygone igata''), also known by its Māori name or outside New Zealand as the grey gerygone, is an insectivorous bird in the family Acanthizidae endemic to New Zealand. Its natural habitat is temperate forest A for ...

(riroriro) (''Gerygone igata'') * New Zealand kingfisher (''Halcyon sancta'') * Wood pigeon (kererū) (''Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae'') *

Welcome swallow The welcome swallow (''Hirundo neoxena'') is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It is a species native to Australia and nearby islands, and self-introduced into New Zealand in the middle of the twentieth century. It is very similar ...

(''Hirundo neoxena'') *

Morepork The morepork (''Ninox novaeseelandiae''), also called the ruru, is a small brown owl found in New Zealand, Norfolk Island and formerly Lord Howe Island. The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, including mopoke and boobook—many of t ...

(''Ninox novaeseelandiae'') * Stitchbird (hihi) (''Notiomystis cincta'') * North Island tomtit (Miromiro) (''Petroica macrocephala toitoi'') * Whitehead (pōpokotea) (''Mohoua albicilla'') * Black shag (''Phalacrocorax carbo'') *

Little pied cormorant The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka (''Microcarbo melanoleucos'') is a common Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapo ...

(''Phalacrocorax melanoleucos'') * New Zealand dabchick (''Poliocephalus rufopectus'') *

Takahē The South Island takahē (''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') is a flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, which it shares with the recently ...

(''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') * Pūkeko (''Porphyrio porphyrio'') * North Island fantail (Piwakawaka) (''Rhipidura fulginosa placabilis'') *

Paradise shelduck The paradise shelduck (''Tadorna variegata''), also known as the paradise duck, or in Māori, is a species of shelduck, a group of goose-like ducks, which is endemic to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin placed it in the genus ''Anas'' with ...

(''Tadorna variegata'') *

Silvereye The silvereye or wax-eye (''Zosterops lateralis'') is a very small omnivorous passerine bird of the south-west Pacific. In Australia and New Zealand its common name is sometimes white-eye, but this name is more commonly used to refer to all membe ...

(''Zosterops lateralis'') *

Tūī The tūī (''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'') is a boisterous medium-sized bird native to New Zealand. It is blue, green, and bronze colored with a distinctive white throat tuft. It is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, and the only spe ...

(''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'') *

Kākā The New Zealand kākā (''Nestor meridionalis'') is a large species of parrot of the family Nestoridae found in New Zealand's native forests. The species is often known by the abbreviated name kākā, although it shares this name with the rece ...

, (''Nestor meridionalis'')

Amphibians

(''Leiopelma hochstetteri'')

Reptiles

Copper skink The copper skink (''Oligosoma aeneum'') is a skink of the family Scincidae that is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. Taxonomy and systematics The number of skink species endemic to New Zealand is not yet known, as advancing molecular ...

(''Cyclodina aenea'') * Forest gecko (''Hoplodactylus granulatus'') * Pacific gecko (''Hoplodactylus pacifica'') *

Auckland green gecko The Auckland green gecko (''Naultinus elegans'') is a species of gecko found only in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, except north of Whangaroa. The Wellington green gecko, formerly considered a subspecies (together called ...

(''Naultinus elegans elegans'') * Duvaucel's gecko (''Hoplodactylus duvaucelli'')

Fish

New Zealand longfin eel The New Zealand longfin eel (''Anguilla dieffenbachii'') is a species of freshwater eel that is endemic to New Zealand. It is the largest freshwater eel in New Zealand and the only endemic species – the other eels found in New Zealand are the n ...

(''Anguilla dieffenbachii'') * Giant kokopu, (''Galaxias argenteus'') * Banded kokopu, (''Galaxias fasciatus'') * Shortjaw kokopu, (''Galaxias postvectis'')

Invertebrates

Onychophora Onychophora (from grc, ονυχής, , "claws"; and , , "to carry"), commonly known as velvet worms (due to their velvety texture and somewhat wormlike appearance) or more ambiguously as peripatus (after the first described genus, '' Peripatus ...

* '' Mecodema oconnori'' (Survey yet to be done)

Community

The main township of Maungatautari is on the northern slopes of the volcano, between its peak and the

. Horohora township is to its north west. Pukeatua township is on the southern flank of the volcano over looked by a south eastern peak called Te Akatarere.

Demographics

Maungatautari community is in an SA1 statistical area which covers . The SA1 area is part of the larger Maungatautari statistical area. The SA1 area had a population of 135 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 (9.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 18 people (15.4%) 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 51 households, comprising 69 males and 69 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 35.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 27 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 30 (22.2%) aged 15 to 29, 57 (42.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 18 (13.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.1% 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 ...

, 17.8%

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 ...

, 2.2% Pacific peoples, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.7% had no religion, 48.9% were Christian, and 2.2% had Māori religious beliefs. Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (16.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 (19.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 18 people (16.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 69 (63.9%) people were employed full-time, 12 (11.1%) were part-time, and 3 (2.8%) were unemployed.

Maungatautari statistical area

Maungatautari statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Maungatautari statistical area had a population of 822 at the

, an increase of 72 people (9.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 105 people (14.6%) since the

. There were 303 households, comprising 414 males and 408 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.01 males per female. The median age was 39.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 165 people (20.1%) aged under 15 years, 165 (20.1%) aged 15 to 29, 390 (47.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (12.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.1% European/

, 12.0%

, 1.1% Pacific peoples, 3.3%

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 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 18.6, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.4% had no religion, 36.5% were Christian, 1.8% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% 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 1.5% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 141 (21.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 87 (13.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $41,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. 138 people (21.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 381 (58.0%) people were employed full-time, 96 (14.6%) were part-time, and 15 (2.3%) were unemployed.

Education

Horahora School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of . The school was established in 1909. Maungatautari School was a primary school established in 1903 and closed in 2011.

References

External links

Maungatautari Restoration Project
{{Waipa District Waipa District Populated places in Waikato Environment of Waikato Nature reserves in New Zealand Wildlife sanctuaries of New Zealand Conservation projects in New Zealand Protected areas of Waikato Cambridge, New Zealand Volcanoes of Waikato Mountains of Waikato Landforms of Waikato Populated places on the Waikato River