Wairakei is a small settlement, and geothermal area a few kilometres north of

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wa ...

, in the centre of 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-larges ...

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 coun ...

, on 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 part of the

Taupō Volcanic Zone The Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ) is a volcanic area in the North Island of New Zealand that has been active for the past two million years and is still highly active. Mount Ruapehu marks its south-western end and the zone runs north-eastward throu ...

and features several natural geysers, hot pools. boiling mud pools, and the Wairakei Power Station, a major geothermal electric power generating station. The station was the second large-scale geothermal facility worldwide, and was commissioned in 1958. It was listed in the book ''70 Wonders Of The Modern World'' published in 2000 by Reader's Digest to record ''The Eventful 20th Century''. The settlement, referred to as Wairakei Village, was constructed to house the workers of both the power station and the neighbouring Aratiatia hydro power station. From 31 October 2022 it had buses to Taupō, Mondays to Fridays.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Wairakei Village as a rural settlement, which covers . The settlement is part of the larger Wairakei-Broadlands statistical area. Wairakei Village had a population of 507 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 short ...

, an increase of 54 people (11.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 42 people (9.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 132 households, comprising 267 males and 240 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.11 males per female, with 153 people (30.2%) aged under 15 years, 114 (22.5%) aged 15 to 29, 204 (40.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 36 (7.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 68.6% 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 ...

, 47.9%

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 Co ...

, 6.5% Pacific peoples, 1.8% Asian, and 0.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 69.2% had no religion, 18.3% 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� ...

, and 3.6% had Māori religious beliefs. Of those at least 15 years old, 21 (5.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 87 (24.6%) people had no formal qualifications. 27 people (7.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 174 (49.2%) people were employed full-time, 54 (15.3%) were part-time, and 36 (10.2%) were unemployed.

Wairakei-Broadlands statistical area

Wairakei-Broadlands statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Dragon's Mouth geyser at Wairakei ATLIB 313207

Dragon's Mouth geyser at Wairakei ATLIB 313207

Wairakei-Broadlands had a population of 1,236 at the

, an increase of 84 people (7.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 144 people (13.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 387 households, comprising 648 males and 588 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.1 males per female. The median age was 31.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 315 people (25.5%) aged under 15 years, 261 (21.1%) aged 15 to 29, 555 (44.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 105 (8.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 74.8% European/

, 36.7%

, 4.4% Pacific peoples, 3.6% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 12.9, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 64.1% had no religion, 22.3% were

, 2.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.2% 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 ...

, 0.2% 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 ...

, 0.2% 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 0.7% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 75 (8.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 210 (22.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 117 people (12.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 516 (56.0%) people were employed full-time, 138 (15.0%) were part-time, and 51 (5.5%) were unemployed.

Education

Wairakei School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of The school opened in 1959.

Notable people

Louise Rennison Louise Rennison (11 October 1951 – 29 February 2016) was an English author and comedian who wrote the ''Confessions of Georgia Nicolson'' series for teenage girls. The series records the exploits of a teenage girl, Georgia Nicolson, and her best ...

, lived here as a teenager

References

External links

Wairakei
- information at Environment Waikato
Wairakei Geyser (1933 article)
{{Authority control Geysers of New Zealand Taupō District Landforms of Waikato Populated places on the Waikato River Whakamaru caldera complex