Ātiamuri is a former hydro village in the central

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It lies alongside State Highway 1 about 27 km south of

Tokoroa Tokoroa is the fourth-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato District. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua and 20 km south of Putāruru, close to the foot of th ...

and 38 km north of

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...

. It is bordered by 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 ...

and surrounded by pine plantations. Upper Ātiamuri, just north of the Waikato River, is a small community of lifestyle blocks, dairy farms and farm servicing businesses. Pohaturoa Rock (520 m) (also known as Mount Pohaturoa) is a distinctive

volcanic plug A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcano, volcanic object created when magma hardens within a Volcanic vent, vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if risi ...

that dominates the landscape. It overlooks Lake Ātiamuri which was formed behind the

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

Atiamuri Power Station. This very visible rocky outcrop is significant in both Arawa and Ngāti Raukawa history, having been a strategic observation post during intertribal conflicts.

Demographics

The area known as Ātiamuri is entirely within the Waikato Regional Council area but is in three district council areas: Rotorua Lakes, South Waikato and Taupo. Ātiamuri village is in the Taupō District. Statistics New Zealand describes Ātiamuri village as a rural settlement, which covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². The village is part of the larger Ohakuri statistical area. Ātiamuri village had a population of 72 in the

2023 New Zealand census The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...

, unchanged since the 2018 census, and an increase of 9 people (14.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 39 males and 36 females in 24 dwellings. The median age was 41.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 15 people (20.8%) aged under 15 years, 15 (20.8%) aged 15 to 29, 33 (45.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 12 (16.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 54.2% European (

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

), 50.0% Māori, 8.3% Pasifika, and 4.2% Asian. English was spoken by 100.0%, Māori by 16.7%, and other languages by 4.2%. No language could be spoken by 4.2% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 20.8, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 33.3%

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 16.7%

Māori religious beliefs 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 ...

, and 4.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 41.7%, and 0.0% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 3 (5.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 36 (63.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 21 (36.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3 people (5.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 24 (42.1%) full-time and 6 (10.5%) part-time.

Atiamuri Power Station

Atiamuri Power Station is a hydroelectric power station on the

owned by

Mercury Energy Mercury NZ Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and multi-product utility retailer of electricity, gas, broadband and mobile telephone services. All the company's electricity generation is renewable. Mercury has a pre-paid electrici ...

. It has a total capacity of 84 MW and was first commissioned in 1958.

Education

Upper Atiamuri School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school was first mentioned in a newspaper in 1941.

In popular culture

Atiamuri was a filming location for the 1956 short film and the 2018 feature film . Pōhaturoa Rock is visible in several establishment scenes in the latter film.

Climate

References

{{Taupō District Taupō District Populated places in Waikato Geography of Waikato Populated places on the Waikato River