Karaka is a small rural area in the south of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

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 ...

. Formerly part of

Franklin District Franklin District was a New Zealand territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority that lay between the Auckland metropolitan area and the Waikato Plains. As a formal territory, it was abolished on 31 October 2010 and divided be ...

and under the authority of the Franklin District Council, it is now part of

Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...

(under the Franklin Local Board) following the amalgamation of the Auckland region's councils. The area includes Karaka Lakes and Karaka Harbourside Estate.

History

Between 1870 and 1900, Karaka,

Waiuku Waiuku is a rural town in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuary, estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which extends to th ...

and the

Āwhitu Peninsula The Āwhitu Peninsula is a long peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand, extending north from the mouth of the Waikato River to the entrance to Manukau Harbour. The Peninsula is bounded in the west by rugged cliffs over the Tasman Sea, but ...

were major centres for the

kauri gum Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, bef ...

industry.

Government

Karaka was originally governed by the Karaka Road District Board, formed 26 September 1867, before amalgamating with Franklin County in 1918.

Demographics

Kingseat-Karaka statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Kingseat-Karaka had a population of 2,994 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 90 people (3.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 444 people (17.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,509 males, 1,470 females and 15 people of other genders in 1,017 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 43.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 588 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 465 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,440 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 498 (16.6%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.3% 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 ...

); 16.5%

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 ...

; 4.0% Pasifika; 12.2% Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.0%, Māori language by 2.4%, Samoan by 0.6%, and other languages by 12.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.8% (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 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 20.1, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 30.5%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 1.3%

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 2.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.8%, and 8.6% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 591 (24.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,275 (53.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 546 (22.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $49,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 504 people (20.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,287 (53.5%) people were employed full-time, 378 (15.7%) were part-time, and 60 (2.5%) were unemployed.

Economy

Karaka is now primarily a rural town associated with thoroughbred horse studs,

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

and

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin ...

. Karaka is the location of the thoroughbred yearling sales at New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sales Complex which is associated with the Karaka Million race meeting at Ellerslie. Westbury Stud and Haunui Farm are both located in Karaka.

Marae

The Whātāpaka Marae and its meeting house, named Tamaoho, is a traditional meeting ground for local

. Three Waikato Tainui

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 ...

are associated with the marae, primarily

Ngāti Tamaoho Ngāti Tamaoho is a Māori iwi (tribe) of Auckland and the Waikato District of New Zealand. It is part of the Waiohua confederation of tribes. They have three marae, which are at Karaka, Mangatangi and Pukekohe. The tribe is a strong support ...

, and secondarily Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Koheriki.

Education

Karaka School and Te Hihi School are coeducational full primary schools (years 1–8) with rolls of and students, respectively. Karaka School celebrated its 75th jubilee in 1978. Te Hihi School opened in 1914. Rolls are as of Public secondary education is provided in the nearby towns of

Papakura Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. The ar ...

and

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. The town is located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Puke ...

References

{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Populated places in the Auckland Region Populated places around the Manukau Harbour Kauri gum Franklin Local Board Area