It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Before the 2023 census, Paekākāriki had a smaller boundary, covering .
Using that boundary, Paekākāriki had a population of 1,746 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 78 people (4.7%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 144 people (9.0%) since the
2006 census. There were 711 households, comprising 831 males and 915 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.91 males per female. The median age was 44.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 327 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 222 (12.7%) aged 15 to 29, 930 (53.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 267 (15.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 89.3% 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 ...
, 17.4%
Māori, 3.1%
Pasifika, 2.7%
Asian, and 3.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 21.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 68.9% had no religion, 19.9% 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 ...
, 0.5% 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 ...
, 0.2% were
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 ...
, 0.2% were
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 0.9% were
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 ...
and 2.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 573 (40.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 126 (8.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $35,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 339 people (23.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 702 (49.5%) people were employed full-time, 267 (18.8%) were part-time, and 48 (3.4%) were unemployed.
Local government
Paekākāriki is administered by the
Kāpiti Coast District Council and elects the Paekākāriki Community Board, one of the Council's four community boards.
Education
Paekākāriki School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,
with a roll of as of .
In popular culture
* The town was featured in the 1999 song ''"Paekakariki Beach"'', by the British rock group
New Model Army
The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...
. and in the 1948 song ''"Paekakariki, the land of the Tiki"'' by
Ken Avery.
* The town also appeared in an animated
documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
by the Simmonds Brothers, entitled: "Paekakariki: Center of the Universe".
* The American writer
Leon Uris was stationed as a marine in Paekākāriki during World War II. He drew on his experiences there when writing his first novel ''Battle Cry''.
* An album entitled "Paekakariki Moon" by
Warwick Murray, featuring songs written and sounds recorded in the town, was released in 2017.
Notes
References
*
External links
Paekakariki Surf Lifeguards''Paekakariki in the land of the Tiki'' (cover of music to 1948 song, with photo of composer Ken Avery)*
*
The US Marines in Kāpiti, New Zealand, 1942–1944*
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{{Authority control
Populated places in the Wellington Region
Kāpiti Coast District