Ōtorohanga
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ōtorohanga is a north
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 Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...
town in the
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 in the
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 ...
of
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 is located south of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
and north of
Te Kūiti Te Kūiti is a town in the north of the King Country region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 3, State Highways 3 and New Zealand State Highway 30, 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk rail ...
, on the
Waipā River The Waipā River is in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. The headwaters are in the Rangitoto Range east of Te Kūiti. It flows north for , passing through Ōtorohanga and Pirongia, before flowing into the Waikato Ri ...
. It is a service town for the surrounding dairy-farming district. It is recognised as the "gateway" to the
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 in ...
and as the " Kiwiana Town" of New Zealand. Until 2007, Ōtorohanga held a yearly 'Kiwiana Festival.'


History


Early history

Until the 1860s Ōtorohanga was a
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 ...
village, with several
whare 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 '' whare' ...
(houses), peach trees and a flour mill. Huipūtea is a 300-year-old
kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori language, Māori) and white pine, is a Pinophyta, coniferous tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. A Podocarpaceae, podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining hei ...
tree, just to the south east of Ōtorohanga, which was the site of a skirmish in 1822 between Ngāti Maniapoto and
Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...
. The village was abandoned after the
invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
, except for Lewis Hettit's (or Hetet) farm. The area remained insecure, with Hettit's store being robbed by
Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki ( 1832–1893) was a Māori leader and guerrilla fighter who was the founder of the Ringatū religion. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to ...
in 1869, but a meeting with Donald McLean later that year signalled moves towards peace.
John William Ellis John William Ellis Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (1853 – 6 August 1918) was a New Zealand businessman and Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand, mayor of Hamilton from 1917 to 1918. His progressive mother encouraged hi ...
became postmaster and opened a store in 1885 with
Henry Valder Henry Valder (14 August 1862 – 12 February 1950) was a New Zealand storekeeper, sawmiller and business reformer. Early life Valder was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England, in 1862, the son of Mary Collingridge and George Valder, a corn ...
and John Taonui Hetet. In 1886 Ngāti Maniopoto built a court room for the
Native Land Court Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nati ...
and from that year mail was delivered 3 times a month and disputes which had delayed development were settled. On 9 March 1887 the railway was extended from
Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato, Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south ...
and a 14-room hotel was built, primarily for those attending the Court. The sawmill, later run by Ellis and Burnand, started in 1890 and closed in 1912.


Modern history

In the early 1900s many businesses were established by Māori, in particular John Ormsby (Hōne Ōmipi). The Otorohanga Times was formed in 1912; it merged with the King Country Chronicle to form the Waitomo News in 1980. McDonald’s began a limestone quarry south of Otorohanga in 1968, which was bought by Graymont in 2015. Otorohanga’s population grew from 367 in 1916 to 1,569 in 1951, after which growth slowed. Although population dropped from 2,652 in 1991 and to 2,514 in 2013, the fall was much less than in the rest of King Country.


Harrodsville

In 1986, the town briefly changed its name to "Harrodsville". This was a protest in support of a restaurateur, Henry Harrod of Palmerston North, who was being forced to change the name of his restaurant following the threat of lawsuits from
Mohamed Al-Fayed Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed (; 27 January 192930 August 2023) was an Egyptian businessman whose residence and primary business interests were in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s. His business interests included ownership of the Hôtel R ...
, the then owner of
Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...
department store in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. As a show of solidarity for Henry Harrod, and in anticipation of actions against other similar-sounding businesses, it was proposed that every business in Otorohanga change its name to "Harrods". With the support of the District Council, Otorohanga temporarily changed the town's name to Harrodsville. After being lampooned in the British tabloids, Al Fayed dropped the legal action and Harrodsville and its shops reverted to their former names. The town's response raised widespread media interest around the world, with the
BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...
and newspapers in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Canada covering the story.


Floods

Ōtorohanga is built on the Waipā's flood plain, but is largely protected by stop banks built between 1961 and 1966, following a major flood in 1958. However, in 2004 Ōtorohanga Primary was flooded by about of water and children were temporarily transferred to the then recently closed Tihiroa Primary School, about north of Ōtorohanga on SH31. In 1907 the whole town was flooded. Houses were also flooded in 1893 and 1926.


Local government

Ōtorohanga is part of 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 ...
, which stretches from
Kawhia Harbour Kawhia Harbour () 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 southwest of Hamilton, Ne ...
on the west coast inland to the
Pureora Forest Park Pureora Forest Park is a protected area in the North Island of New Zealand. Within its rich rainforest are an abundance of 1,000-year-old Podocarpaceae, podocarp trees. It is "recognised as one of the finest rain forests in the world". Establi ...
. The town is the largest in the District and the seat of the District Council.


Demographics

Stats NZ describes Ōtorohanga as a small urban area, which covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Ōtorohanga had a population of 3,180 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 153 people (5.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 555 people (21.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,560 males, 1,617 females, and 6 people of other genders in 1,179 dwellings. 2.2% of people identified as
LGBTIQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...
. The median age was 36.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 681 people (21.4%) aged under 15 years, 636 (20.0%) aged 15 to 29, 1,233 (38.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 630 (19.8%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 64.4%
European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
(
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 ...
); 45.5%
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 ...
; 3.9% Pasifika; 5.9% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori by 12.0%, Samoan by 0.1%, and other languages by 5.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.7% (e.g. too young to talk).
New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...
was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 26.8%
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 ...
, 1.4%
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 ...
, 0.1%
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 3.9%
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 ...
, 0.5%
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, 0.3%
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, and 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.2%, and 7.5% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 258 (10.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,440 (57.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 804 (32.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $34,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 129 people (5.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 1,200 (48.0%) full-time, 336 (13.4%) part-time, and 102 (4.1%) unemployed.


Marae

Six
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 ...
are located in and around Ōtorohanga: * Kahotea Marae and Whatihua meeting house is a meeting place for 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 Apakura, Hinetū,
Ngāti Matakore Matakore was a Māori ''rangatira'' (chieftain) of Ngāti Maniapoto in the Tainui tribal confederation from the Waikato region, New Zealand. He is an ancestor of the Ngāti Matakore hapū (sub-tribe) of Ngāti Maniapoto and of the southern branch ...
and Pare te Kawa, and the
Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the 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 Zeal ...
hapū of Apakura. * Rereamanu Marae and Te Kawau Kaki Maro meeting house is a meeting place for the Maniapoto hapū of Huiao and Te Kanawa. * Tārewānga Marae and Te Rau a te Moa meeting house is a meeting place for the Maniapoto hapū of Pare te Kawa, Rungaterangi, Urunumia and Tārewānga. * Te Keeti Marae and Parewaeono meeting house is a meeting place of the Maniapoto hapū of Ngutu, Parewaeono and Urunumia. * Te Kotahitanga Marae and Te Kotahitanga meeting house is a meeting place for the Maniapoto hapū of Pourahi and Urunumia. * Turitea Marae and Turitea meeting house is a meeting place for the Maniapoto hapū of Pourahui.


Attractions

Ōtorohanga is internationally renowned for its Kiwi House, which was the first place in the world where the general public could view
kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), an informal name for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible hairy fruit with many seeds * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of curren ...
in captivity, and recorded an average of 5,000 visitors per month . The town has a public library, a swimming complex, a supermarket and a 24-hour
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
restaurant.


Transport

Ōtorohanga is on the
North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...
railway line.
Otorohanga railway station Otorohanga railway station serves the town of Ōtorohanga, on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand. The current station dates from 1924. Trains calling at Ōtorohanga included Overlander (train)#Former passenger stops, The Overlander, ...
opened in 1887. The
Northern Explorer The ''Northern Explorer'' is a long-distance passenger train operated by the Great Journeys New Zealand division of KiwiRail between Auckland and Wellington in the North Island of New Zealand, along the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT). Three se ...
passenger train stops in Ōtorohanga on its service between Auckland and Wellington.


Education

Ōtorohanga School is a Year 1–8 state primary school. It is a decile 2 school with a roll of . The first school in Ōtorohanga opened in 1893. Ōtorohanga South School is a Year 1–8 state primary school. It is a decile 4 school with a roll of . St Mary's Catholic School is a Year 1–8 state integrated Catholic primary school. It is a decile 5 school with a roll of . It opened in 1955 and moved to its current site in 1985.
Ōtorohanga College Ōtorohanga College is a coeducational state secondary school in Ōtorohanga, New Zealand. It was established as Otorohanga District High School in 1895. The school includes a Monday-to-Friday boarding hostel, Falloon House, opened in 1975, for ...
is a Year 9–13 state secondary school and community education centre. It is a decile 4 school with a roll of . All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of


References


External links


District council official website

Ōtorohanga District Development Board
{{Authority control Ōtorohanga District Populated places in Waikato