Kawhia Harbour (Maori: ''Kāwhia'') is one of three large natural inlets in the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...

coast of the

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

region of

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 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is 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 ...

. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and

Aotea Harbour Aotea Harbour ( mi, Aotea Moana) is a settlement and smallest of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Raglan Harbour to the north and Kawhia Harbour to th ...

, 40 kilometres southwest of Hamilton. Kawhia is part of the Ōtorohanga District Council and is in the

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 the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of ...

. It has a high-tide area of and a low-tide area of . Te Motu Island is located in the harbour. The settlement of Kawhia is located on the northern coast of the inlet, and was an important port in early colonial New Zealand. The area of Kawhia comprises and is the town block that was owned by the New Zealand Government. The government bought it from the

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (20 ...

in 1880 "not from the original Māori owners, but from a European who claimed ownership in payment of money owed by another European".

History and culture

Early history

The Kawhia Harbour is the southernmost location where

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

trees historically grew. Kawhia is known in Māori lore as the final resting-place of the ancestral waka (canoe) ''

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato. There are ...

''. Soon after arrival, captain

Hoturoa According to Māori tradition, Hoturoa was the leader of the ''Tainui'' canoe, during the migration of the Māori people to New Zealand, around 1400. He is considered the founding ancestor of the Tainui confederation of tribes (iwi), who now inh ...

made it first priority to establish a whare wananga (sacred school of learning) which was named Ahurei. Ahurei is situated at the summit of the sacred hill behind Kawhia’s seaside marae – Maketu Marae. The harbour area was the birthplace of prominent Māori warrior chief

Te Rauparaha Te Rauparaha (c.1768 – 27 November 1849) was a Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars, receiving the nickname "the Napoleon of the South". He was influential in the origin ...

of the

Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and in the northern South Island of New Zealand. Its '' rohe'' (tribal area) extends from Whanganui in the north, Palmerston ...

tribe, who lived in the area until the 1820s, when he, and his tribe along with Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Koata migrated southwards. Tainui was buried at the base of Ahurei by Hoturoa himself, and other members of the iwi. Hoturoa marked out the waka with two limestone pillars which he blessed. Firstly, there is "Hani (Hani-a-te-waewae-i-kimi-atu) which is on the higher ground and marked the prow of the canoe". Marking the stern of the canoe, Hoturoa placed the symbol of Puna, the spirit-goddess of that creation story. "In full it is named Puna-whakatupu-tangata, and represents female fertility, the spring or source of humanity". It is said that a pure woman who touches this stone will be given the gift of a child, and become pregnant. There have been cases of women using Puna when they have had difficulty conceiving a child.

Marae

Maketu Marae is located next to Kawhia Harbour. The main meeting house of the marae, Auau ki te Rangi, is named after Hoturoa’s father who was a high chief (ariki) and was built and opened in 1962. The eldest and most prestigious meeting house that was first built on Maketu Marae is Te Ruruhi (the Old Lady) which was used as the dining hall until 1986. It was replaced by a two-storey dining hall, Te Tini O Tainui, to cater for the large numbers that visit for occasions such as annual poukai, tangi and hui. The marae is affiliated with 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 the ...

hapū In 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 and normally ope ...

of Apakura and Hikairo, and the

Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in 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 Zealan ...

Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia and Huntly areas of the Waikato region. History Ngāti Mahuta is descende ...

and

Ngāti Te Weehi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. Six other marae are also based at or near Kawhia Harbour: * Mōkai Kainga Marae and Ko Te Mōkai meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Apakura and Hikairo, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of Apakura. * Mokoroa Marae and Ngā Roimata meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of

Ngati Kiriwai ''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea. Production ''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film writte ...

. * Ōkapu or Oakapu Marae and Te Kotahitanga o Ngāti Te Weehi meeting house is a meeting place for the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Mahuta and Ngāti Te Weehi. * Te Māhoe Marae is a meeting ground for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Peehi, Te Kanawa, Te Urupare and Uekaha. * Waipapa Marae and Ngā Tai Whakarongorua and Takuhiahia meeting houses are a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Hikairo, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of

Ngāti Hikairo Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in 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 Zealand ...

and

Ngāti Puhiawe Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in 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 Zealand ...

. *Rākaunui Marae and Moana Kahakore meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Ngāti Ngutu, Ngāti Te Kiriwai,

Ngāti Paretekawa Ngāti Paretekawa (Paretekawa) are a very numerous hapū (sub-tribe, or clan) 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, t ...

and the Waikato Tainui hapū Ngāti Apakura. In October 2020, the Government committed $196,684 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014. Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour G ...

to upgrade Ōkapu Marae, creating 16 jobs.

European history

The Kawhia Harbour area was important to 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, ...

trade of the late 19th/early 20th centuries, as it was the southernmost area where the gum could be found. The Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser was established in May 1901 by

William Murray Thompson William Murray Thompson was a railway contractor and politician in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He was Mayor of Brisbane in 1907. William Thompson was born at Tyrrell, in Cumberland, England in 1841. He travelled to the gold diggings of N ...

and Thomas Elliott Wilson, who also ran the Bruce Herald,

Waimate Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand and the seat of Waimate District. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main No ...

Times, Egmont Settler (later briefly part of Taranaki Central Press at Stratford) and the Mangaweka Settler. From 1909 Edward Henry Schnackenberg, whose father was a missionary here from 1858 to 1864, owned the paper, until it closed in April 1936. In January 2018, the health board issued a statement that there was no additional risk from tuberculosis in Kawhia after reports of three possible cases.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Kawhia as a rural settlement, which covers . The settlement is part of the larger Pirongia Forest statistical area. Kawhia had a population of 384 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 sh ...

, an increase of 45 people (13.3%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 6 people (−1.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 162 households, comprising 198 males and 186 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female, with 66 people (17.2%) aged under 15 years, 51 (13.3%) aged 15 to 29, 147 (38.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 120 (31.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 55.5% 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 ...

, 57.0% Māori, 5.5% Pacific peoples, 1.6% Asian, and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.1% had no religion, 37.5% 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'' (Χρ ...

, 7.0% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 39 (12.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 99 (31.1%) people had no formal qualifications. 18 people (5.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 81 (25.5%) people were employed full-time, 69 (21.7%) were part-time, and 21 (6.6%) were unemployed. Before 2018, Kawhia was in its own statistical area In 2013 231 dwellings were unoccupied. In the much wider Pirongia Forest area 396 dwellings were unoccupied in 2018, when it was estimated that 70% of Kawhia's houses were holiday homes. As of 2017, New Zealand's median centre of population is located around one kilometre off the coast of Kawhia.

Pirongia Forest statistical area

Pirongia Forest statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Pirongia Forest which includes

Pirongia Forest Park Pirongia Forest Park is a protected area 30 km southwest of Hamilton, New Zealand. It covers across four blocks of land - Pirongia (the largest), Te Maunga O Karioi Block, and the small Mangakino Block and Te Rauamoa Block. The park encompasses ...

had a population of 966 at the

, an increase of 138 people (16.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 69 people (7.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 393 households, comprising 498 males and 468 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 50.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 189 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 117 (12.1%) aged 15 to 29, 417 (43.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 243 (25.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 64.3% European/

, 46.9% Māori, 3.1% Pacific peoples, 1.6% Asian, and 1.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 6.8, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.0% had no religion, 31.4% were

, 3.7% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 81 (10.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 246 (31.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $19,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 60 people (7.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 270 (34.7%) people were employed full-time, 141 (18.1%) were part-time, and 39 (5.0%) were unemployed.

Te Puia Hot Springs

2 hours either side of low tide (for tide times see tide-forecast.com) about 100m of the

beach, 4 km from Kawhia (see 1:50,000 map), oozes hot water, which can be formed into shallow bathing pools with a spade. A council sample taken on 30 March 2006 listed these in the water. File:Te Puia Springs are on the beach to the right from this track across the dunes.JPG, Te Puia Springs are on the beach to the right from this track across the dunes. File:Te Puia springs on beach.jpg, about 100 metres of beach oozes hot water, which is uncovered for about 4 hours at spring low tides, but not at neap tides.

Kawhia County Council

Kawhia County Council was formed in 1905 and first met on 12 July 1905. New offices were built by Buchanan Bros in 1915-16 over the former beach, and designed by Hamilton architects and engineers, Warren and Blechynden. In 1923 Kawhia County covered and had a population of 1,098, with of

gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the Uni ...

s, of mud roads and of tracks. Kawhia Town Board was formed in 1906, with an area of 470 acres (190 ha). Its population in 1923 was 195, when it had 6 mi 14 ch (9.9 km) of streets and a 10 acres (4.0 ha) domain. The County merged into Ōtorohanga and Waitomo in 1956, after a Local Government Commission inquiry.

Kāwhia Community Board

The Community Board meets monthly and consists of 4 members, plus the Kāwhia - Tihiroa Ward councillor. Three members are elected from the Kawhia area and one from Aotea. Kāwhia_Pou_Maumahara_was_unveiled_in_2016

Pou Maumahara

In 2016 a tall pou maumahara (remembrance pillar) was put up at Omimiti Reserve, behind the museum. Te Kuiti Stewart began carving it in 2014, from a Pureora Forest

totara ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and ...

. It represents 150 years of Kingitanga on one side and the Elizabeth Henrietta's 1824 arrival, on the other. At night it is floodlit, with coloured LED lights inside. Kawhia_hospital_in_1963

Hospital

Kawhia hospital overlooked the town, on the site of Te Puru pa, which became the Armed Constabulary

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect sold ...

in 1863. Like the County Office, the hospital was also designed by Warren and Blechynden and opened in 1918. It was still a

cottage hospital A cottage hospital is a semi-obsolete type of small hospital, most commonly found in the United Kingdom. The original concept was a small rural building having several beds.The Cottage Hospitals 1859–1990, Dr. Meyrick Emrys-Roberts, Tern Publicati ...

in 1948, but had become a maternity hospital by 1959 and closed in March 1967.

Education

Kawhia School is a Year 1–8 co-educational state primary school. It is a decile 1 school with a roll of as of

Notable people

* Te Rangihaeata, chief, born about 1780 * John Kent, European trader, 1820s–1830s * John Whiteley, Cort and

Annie Jane Schnackenberg Annie Jane Schnackenberg ( Allen; 22 November 1835 – 2 May 1905) was a New Zealand Wesleyan missionary, temperance and welfare worker, and suffragist. She served as president of the Auckland branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union N ...

, missionaries *

Hoana Riutoto Hoana Riutoto was a Māori woman from the Ngāti Mahuta sub-tribe (hapū) of the Kāwhia area of Waikato, New Zealand. Hoana Riutoto signed the Treaty of Waitangi around March/April 1840, at the Waikato Heads Waikato () is a local gover ...

, signatory of Treaty of Waitangi *

Jim Rukutai Puhipi James Rukutai (1877 – 11 January 1940) was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played representative rugby league (RL) and coached New Zealand. The Auckland Rugby League's minor premiership, the Rukut ...

, rugby player, born about 1877 * Mary Reidy, sister at Kawhia Hospital 1921-1947 *

Carole Shepheard Carole Marie Shepheard (born 6 November 1945) is a New Zealand artist. She specialises in printmaking and her work is held in national and international collections including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Auckland Art Gall ...

(born 1945), artist

References

External links

*
1911 map of Kawhia County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawhia Harbour Ōtorohanga District Geography of Waikato Ports and harbours of New Zealand Kauri gum