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Māhia Peninsula () is located on the east coast 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 ...
'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 ...
, in the
Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...
region, between the towns of Wairoa and Gisborne. It includes
Rocket Lab Rocket Lab Corporation is a Public company, publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and List of launch service providers, launch service provider. Its Rocket Lab Electron, Electron orbital rocket launches Small satellite, small satellites, and ha ...
's Launch Complex 1, located near Ahuriri Point at the southern tip of the Māhia Peninsula, for launching its
Electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
rockets. Since 2018, it has been used as a commercial launcher of small satellites in the range of 135–235 kg, and miniature satellites called
CubeSat A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit,, url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/5f24997b6deea10cc52bb016/1596234122437/CDS+REV14+2020-07-3 ...
s. New Zealand's first orbital space launch took place from Launch Complex 1 on 21 January 2018.


Geography

The peninsula is long and wide. Its highest point is Rahuimokairoa, above sea level. The peninsula was once an island, but now a
tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. It is a deposition landform by which an island becomes attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island. The word ''t ...
joins it to the North Island.


Demographics

Māhia Beach, which is on the northeast coast of the peninsula, is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. It is part of the larger Mahia statistical area. Māhia Beach had a population of 183 at the
2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...
, a decrease of 3 people (−1.6%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 57 people (−23.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 93 households, comprising 81 males and 99 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.82 males per female. The median age was 60.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 21 people (11.5%) aged under 15 years, 12 (6.6%) aged 15 to 29, 84 (45.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 60 (32.8%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 68.9% 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 ...
, 37.7%
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 ...
, 1.6% Pacific peoples, and 1.6% Asian. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 36.1% had no religion, 50.8% were
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 ...
, and 6.6% had
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 ...
. Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (11.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 33 (20.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $24,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 24 people (14.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 48 (29.6%) people were employed full-time, 27 (16.7%) were part-time, and 3 (1.9%) were unemployed.


Mahia statistical area

Mahia statistical area, which includes Nūhaka, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. The peninsula itself covers Mahia had a population of 1,119 at the
2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...
, an increase of 15 people (1.4%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 153 people (−12.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 456 households, comprising 552 males and 567 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female. The median age was 49.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 210 people (18.8%) aged under 15 years, 159 (14.2%) aged 15 to 29, 498 (44.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 252 (22.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 48.8% 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 ...
, 64.9%
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 ...
, 1.1% Pacific peoples, 0.8% Asian, and 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 4.8, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 35.4% had no religion, 49.3% were
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 ...
, 8.3% had
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 0.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 126 (13.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 207 (22.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $21,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 78 people (8.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 339 (37.3%) people were employed full-time, 150 (16.5%) were part-time, and 72 (7.9%) were unemployed.


History and culture


Māori history

In Maori legend, Whatonga, who came to New Zealand in search of his grandfather Toi, settled at Mahia. The peninsula is the tribal area of the Ngāti Rongomaiwahine
iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...
. The word ''māhia'' means "indistinct sound" or "scrofulous swelling". The name "Te Māhia" comes from "Te Māhia-mai-tawhiti" (the sound heard from a distance). Portland Island, also called Waikawa, is a small island off the southern tip of Mahia Peninsula. It was named ''Waikawa'' by Kahungunu when he visited there to look for fresh drinking water and only found salt water – Waikawa means "sour water". Portland Island had a lighthouse, first lit in February 1878 and then replaced with a fully electrified unmanned town in 1955 .


European history

Shore whaling was briefly important on the Mahia Peninsula. Early whalers had a whaling station on the farm "Kini Kini", sheltered by "Long Point" on the west coast of the peninsula. The peninsula community these days is still generally a mix of Maori and European. Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...
was proposed to by her partner, Clarke Gayford, on Mokotahi Hill.


Marae

There are five
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 ...
in the Mahia area affiliated with the
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 Rongomaiwahine iwi: * The Kaiuku or Oku-ra-renga Marae and its Kiwi meeting house are affiliated with the hapū of Ngāi Tama and Ngāi Tū * Te Rākatō Marae is affiliated with the hapū of Ngāi Te Rākatō. * Tuahuru Marae and its Hine te Rongo meeting house are affiliated with the hapū of Ngai Tama and Ngāi Tū. * Ruawharo Marae is also affiliated with Ngai Tama. * Mahanga Marae and its meeting house, Te Poho o Rongomaiwahine, are home to the hapū, Te Hokowhitu o Ngai Tu. In October 2020, the Government committed $1,949,075 from the
Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party. Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...
to upgrade 24 Ngāti Kahungunu marae, including both Kaiuku and Ruawharo Marae, creating 164 jobs. It also committed $102,644 to upgrading Tuahuru Marae, creating 4 jobs.


Economy

Sheep and cattle farms are an important part for the local community, but tourism is now the peninsula's main industry. Mahia's population swells greatly during the warmer months and in particular during school holidays. Mahia is well known for its surf, scuba diving, hiking, and fishing. Morere Hot Springs is 15 minutes away, towards Gisborne. The area is a popular school holiday destination and contains a holiday park dating back to the 1960s. The remaining settlement consists mostly of holiday houses and baches. From 2007 to 2010 Mahia became known for the presence of Moko, a dolphin. The peninsula is the location of Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, which is used to launch commercial and government satellites on the company's
Electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
orbital launch vehicle.


Education

Te Mahia School is a year 1–8 co-educational state primary school. It is a decile 1 school with a roll of as of The school opened in 1917.


Climate


References

{{Authority control Wairoa District Landforms of Hawke's Bay Populated places in Hawke's Bay Peninsulas of New Zealand Surfing locations in New Zealand Ngāti Rongomaiwahine Populated places around Hawke Bay