Ōtewā is a rural community in the

Ōtorohanga District Ōtorohanga District is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in the King Country area and Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a mostly rural area, with Ōtorohanga town being by far the biggest urb ...

and

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

region of New Zealand's

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 ...

Demographics

Ōtewā covers . It is part of the larger Maihiihi statistical area. Ōtewā had a population of 294 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 ...

, an increase of 9 people (3.2%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 15 people (−4.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 156 males and 135 females in 105 dwellings. There were 75 people (25.5%) aged under 15 years, 45 (15.3%) aged 15 to 29, 123 (41.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 48 (16.3%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 85.7% 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 ...

), 25.5%

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 ...

, 3.1% Asian, and 8.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.9%, Māori by 3.1%, and other languages by 3.1%. No language could be spoken by 1.0% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 9.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 25.5%

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 ...

, 1.0%

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 1.0%

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 1.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.2%, and 12.2% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (6.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 138 (63.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 57 (26.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 18 people (8.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 129 (58.9%) full-time, 27 (12.3%) part-time, and 3 (1.4%) unemployed.

Marae

The local Ōtewā Pā is a

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

of the

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on th ...

hapū In Māori language, 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 ...

of Ngāti Matakore, Ngutu, Parewaeono, Rereahu, Te Kanawa and Urunumia. It includes Ko Te Hokingamai ki te Nehenehenui

wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...

Education

Ōtewā School is a Year 1–8 co-educational state primary school. It is a decile 8 school with a roll of as of The school opened in 1916.

Notable people

* Kepa Hamuera Anaha Ehau (1885 – 1970): tribal leader, law clerk, interpreter, soldier, historian, orator

References

{{Ōtorohanga District Ōtorohanga District Populated places in Waikato