Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the

Bay of Plenty Region The Bay of Plenty Region is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region in the North Island of New Zealand. Also called just the Bay of Plenty (BOP), it is situated around the Bay of Plenty, marine bight of that same name. The bay was name ...

and the fifth-most populous city 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 ...

, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century and colonised by Europeans in the early 19th century. It was constituted as a city in 1963. The city lies in the northwestern corner of the Bay of Plenty, on the southeastern edge of

Tauranga Harbour Tauranga Harbour is the natural tidal harbour that surrounds Tauranga CBD and the Mount Maunganui area of Tauranga, New Zealand, and which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mount Maunganui. The harbour is effectively two flooded river systems sepa ...

. The city extends over an area of , and encompasses the communities of

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, on the southwestern outskirts of the city; Greerton, on the southern outskirts of the city; Matua, west of the central city overlooking Tauranga Harbour; Maungatapu;

Mount Maunganui Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of Tauranga located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harb ...

, located north of the central city across the harbour facing the Bay of Plenty;

Otūmoetai Otūmoetai is a suburb of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. The Otūmoetai peninsula includes both the Otūmoetai suburb, and the neighbouring suburbs of Matua, New Zealand, Matua and Bellevue, New Zealand, Bellevue. Hist ...

;

Papamoa Papamoa or Papamoa Beach is a suburb of Tauranga, located about 11 kilometres from the city centre. It is the largest residential suburb in Tauranga. It is bordered to the west by Arataki and Mount Maunganui (east of Sunrise Avenue and Hibiscu ...

, Tauranga's largest suburb, located in the Bay of Plenty; Tauranga City; Tauranga South; and

Welcome Bay Welcome Bay is a suburb of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located from central Tauranga. Neighbouring suburbs include Hairini and Maungatapu. There are a number of schools in Welcome Bay, including three primary schools. The name Welcome Bay ...

. Tauranga is one of New Zealand's main centres for business, international trade, culture, fashion and horticultural science. The

Port of Tauranga The Port of Tauranga is situated in Tauranga, New Zealand. It is the largest port in the country both in terms of total cargo volume, and in terms of container throughput with container volumes exceeding 1.2 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equiv ...

is New Zealand's largest port in terms of gross export tonnage and efficiency. Tauranga is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing cities, with an 11% increase in population between the 2006 census and the 2013 census, and 19% between the 2013 and 2018 census. Due to its rapid population growth, Tauranga has become New Zealand's fifth-largest city, overtaking

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

and the Napier-

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

urban areas.

History

Settlement

The earliest known settlers were

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 ...

, who arrived in the 13th century at Tauranga in the

Tākitimu ''Tākitimu'' was a ''waka (canoe), waka'' (canoe) with ''whakapapa'' throughout the Pacific Ocean, Pacific particularly with Samoa, the Cook Islands, and New Zealand in ancient times. In several Māori mythology, Māori traditions, the ''Tāk ...

and the

Mātaatua ''Mātaatua'' was one of the great voyaging canoes by which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand, according to Māori tradition. Māori traditions say that the ''Mātaatua'' was initially sent from Hawaiki to bring supplies of kūmara to Māori ...

waka. At 9 am on Friday, 23 June 1826, was the first European ship to enter

. The Revd

Henry Williams Henry Williams may refer to: Politicians * Henry Williams (activist) (born 2000), chief of staff of the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign * Henry Williams (MP for Northamptonshire) (died 1558), member of parliament (MP) for Northamptonshire ...

conducted a Christian service at Otamataha Pā. In December 1826 and again in March 1827, the ''Herald'' travelled to Tauranga from the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...

to obtain supplies of potatoes, pigs and flax. In 1835 a

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

mission station was established at Tauranga by William Wade. Rev. Alfred N. Brown arrived at the CMS mission station in 1838. John Morgan also visited the mission in 1838. Europeans trading in

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

were active in the Bay of Plenty during the 1830s; some were transient, others married local women and settled permanently. The first permanent non-Maori trader was James Farrow, who travelled to Tauranga in 1829, obtaining flax fibre for Australian merchants in exchange for

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

s and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

. Farrow acquired a land area of on 10 January 1838 at Otūmoetai Pā from the chiefs Tupaea, Tangimoana and Te Omanu, the earliest authenticated land purchase in the Bay of Plenty. In 1840, a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

mission station was established. Bishop Pompallier was given land within the palisades of Otūmoetai Pā for a church and a presbytery. The mission station closed in 1863 due to land wars 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 ...

district.

New Zealand Wars–Tauranga Campaign

The

Tauranga Campaign The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion ...

took place in and around Tauranga from 21 January to 21 June 1864, during the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

. The Battle of Gate Pā is the best known. The

Battle of Gate Pā The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty region, Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a se ...

was an attack on the well fortified

Pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...

and its Māori defenders on 29 April 1864 by British forces made up of approximately 300 men of the 43rd Regiment and a naval contingent. The British casualties were 31 dead (including 10 officers), and 80 wounded – the single most devastating loss of life suffered by the British military in the whole of the New Zealand Wars. The Māori defenders abandoned the Pā during the night with casualties estimated at 25 dead and an unknown number of wounded.

Fires

In November 1916, a large fire broke out at the strand destroying 12 buildings, including the Commercial Hotel. Tauranga Fire Hotel

In 1936 another large fire occurred which started in the hotel's staff quarters and drew large crowds.

Modern era

Under the ''Local Government (Tauranga City Council) Order 2003'', Tauranga became legally a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

for a second time, from 1 March 2004. In August 2011, Tauranga received

Ultra-Fast Broadband The Ultra-Fast Broadband initiative is a New Zealand Government programme of building fibre-to-the-home networks covering 87% of the population by the end of 2022. It is a public–private partnership of the government with four companies with ...

as part of the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

's rollout.

Geography

Tauranga is located around a large harbour that extends along the western

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

, and is protected by Matakana Island and the extinct volcano of Mauao (Mount Maunganui). Ngamuwahine River is located 19 kilometres southwest of Tauranga. Tauranga and the

are situated along a faultline and so experience (infrequent) seismic activity. There are a few

volcanoes A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...

around the area (mainly dormant). The most notable of these are White Island and Mauao, nicknamed "The Mount" by locals. Tauranga is roughly the antipode of Jaén, Spain.

Administrative divisions

Suburbs

Tauranga City consists of the following suburbs, sorted by 2018 general electoral ward: * Te Papa / Welcome Bay Ward: ** Gate Pa ** Greerton ** Hairini ** Maungatapu ** Merivale ** Motuopuhi Island (Rat Island) ** Ohauiti ** Poike **

Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...

** Tauranga South ** Waikareao Estuary **

* Otumoetai / Pyes Pa Ward: **

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

** Brookfield **

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

** Matua ** Omanawa **

** Pyes Pa ** Tauriko ** The Lakes Village * Mount Maunganui / Papamoa Ward: ** Arataki ** Kairua ** Matapihi **

** Moturiki Island ** Motuotau Island ** Omanu ** Papamoa Beach ** Waitao ;Notes:

Climate

Tauranga has an oceanic or maritime temperate climate (cfb) in the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. Though in the

Trewartha Climate Classification The Trewartha climate classification (TCC), or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC), is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köp ...

it is

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

(cfbl) During the summer months the population swells as holidaymakers descend on the city, especially along the popular white coastal surf beaches from

Demographics

In 1976 Tauranga was a medium-sized urban area with a population of around 48,000. The completion of a harbour bridge in 1988 brought Tauranga and The Mount closer (they amalgamated in 1989) and re-energised the economies of both parts of the enlarged city. By 1996 Tauranga's population had grown to 82,092 and by 2006 had reached 103,635. By 2023, it had reached 152,844. In 2008 Tauranga overtook

to become the sixth-largest city in New Zealand by urban area, and the ninth largest city by

Territorial Authority Territorial authorities (Māori language, Māori: ''mana ā-rohe'') are a tier of local government in New Zealand, alongside regions of New Zealand, regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 list of cities in New Zealand, city ...

area. With continuing growth it has now surpassed the Napier-Hastings area to become New Zealand's fifth-largest city. Tauranga covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Tauranga had a population of 152,844 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 15,714 people (11.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 37,683 people (32.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 73,821 males, 78,558 females and 462 people of other genders in 55,929 dwellings. 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 39.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 29,604 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 26,316 (17.2%) aged 15 to 29, 66,786 (43.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 30,138 (19.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 78.7% 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 ...

); 19.3%

; 3.6% Pasifika; 10.3% Asian; 1.8% 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 96.2%, Māori language by 4.5%, Samoan by 0.4% and other languages by 12.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (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 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 25.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 31.3%

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 ...

, 1.5%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 1.9%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.1%

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and 3.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 53.7%, and 6.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 22,431 (18.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 64,740 (52.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 29,052 (23.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $42,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 14,001 people (11.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 61,218 (49.7%) people were employed full-time, 17,007 (13.8%) were part-time, and 3,252 (2.6%) were unemployed. 2023 NZ Census Population Density - Tauranga City

2023 NZ Census Population Density - Tauranga City

Government and politics

For elections to the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...

, the city of Tauranga is in the

and

electorates. Tauranga is located in the administrative area of the

Tauranga City Council Tauranga City Council is the Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority for the List of cities in New Zealand, city of Tauranga, New Zealand. The council consists of nine councillors, each elected from one of nine wards, and ...

. The council consists of the

Mayor of Tauranga The mayor of Tauranga is the head of local government in Tauranga, New Zealand's fifth-largest city. The mayor presides over the Tauranga City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the single transferable vote method. The current mayor i ...

and nine councillors. The mayor is elected by the city

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

, while the councillors are elected from nine wards (constituencies), each ward electing a single councillor. Elections are held via

single transferable vote The single transferable vote (STV) or proportional-ranked choice voting (P-RCV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which each voter casts a single vote in the form of a ranked ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vot ...

. The present nine wards were first established for the 2024 local elections. There are eight general wards (Mauao/Mount Maunganui, Arataki, Pāpāmoa, Welcome Bay, Matua-Otūmoetai, Bethlehem, Tauriko and Te Papa) and one Māori ward (Te Awanui, covering the entire city). Council elections are usually held every three years, most recently in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

. The next local election for Tauranga is scheduled for 2028. In December 2020, the Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta announced that, due to alleged "dysfunction" within the elected council, the council would be replaced by commissioners until the 2022 local elections. However, then Tauranga MP

Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a New Zealand retired politician, broadcaster and lawyer. He served as Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of t ...

said the appointment of commissioners was unnecessary and a "dramatic and draconian step." An independent review by law firm

Russell McVeagh Russell McVeagh is a New Zealand law firm with offices in Auckland and Wellington. It is one of New Zealand's largest law firms and is ranked highly by law firm ranking guides such as ''The Legal 500'' and ''Chambers and Partners''. History Jo ...

found that Mahuta's decision may have been unlawful. Her decision to reappoint the crown commission for a second term in 2022 through to July 2024 was subject to a legal review by

Dentons Dentons is a multinational law firm based in the United States. It was founded in March 2013 by the merger of SNR Denton, Fraser Milner Casgrain and Salans. The Dentons name originally belonged to Denton Hall, a law firm based in the City of Lo ...

Kensington Swan who found her decision was challengeable on the grounds of unlawfulness and unreasonableness.

Economy

Much of the countryside surrounding Tauranga is horticultural land, used to grow a wide range of fresh produce for both domestic consumption and export. There are many

kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi), or Chinese gooseberry, is the edible berry (botany), berry of several species of woody vines in the genus ''Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa, ...

and avocados orchards as well as other crops. The

is New Zealand's largest export port. It is a regular stop for both container ships and luxury cruise liners. Tauranga NZ7 3481-82 - 46361933804

Tauranga's main shopping malls are Bayfair, in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga Crossing in Tauriko. Most of the city's shopping centres are located in the suburbs. They include Fraser Cove, Tauranga Crossing, Bethlehem Town Centre,

Papamoa Plaza Papamoa Plaza, formerly ''Palm Beach Plaza'' is a shopping complex in Papamoa, Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zeala ...

, Fashion Island, Bayfair Shopping Centre, Bay Central and Greerton Village. Tauranga has the following business innovation centres * The Kollective * Newnham Park The following companies have their

head office Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

in Tauranga: * Ballance Agri-Nutrients * Brother NZ * C3 Limited * Craigs Investment Partners * Dominion Salt * Genera Biosecurity *

Kiwi Bus Builders Kiwi Bus Builders is a New Zealand bus bodybuilder based in Tauranga. History Kiwi Bus Builders was established in 1993. It has built bus and coach bodies for many operators including Go Bus Transport, NZ Bus and Tranzit Group, Tranzit Coachl ...

* Shuzi New Zealand Limited * Tidy International * Trimax Mowing Systems * Manawa Energy * ''UNO'' Magazine * Zespri International

Arts and culture

Religion

A wide variety of faiths are practised, including

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

Buddhism 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 ...

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

and

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

. There are many denominations of Christianity including

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Exclusive Brethren The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. The Exclusive Brethren are now spread int ...

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) and

Jacobite Syrian Christian Church The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, also known as the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, or the Syriac Orthodox Church in India is an autonomous maphrianate of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodo ...

Music

The National Jazz Festival takes place in Tauranga every Easter.

Events

New Year celebrations at the Mount in

are one of Tauranga's main events, bringing people from all around the country. In 2014 Tauranga City Council granted permission for an annual Sikh parade to celebrate

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...

's birthday. 2500 people took part in 2014, while in 2015, the number increased to 3500.

Sports

Tauranga has a large stadium complex in the Mount Manganui suburb, Baypark Stadium, rebuilt in 2001 after a similar complex closed in 1995. It hosts

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

events during summer and

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

matches in winter. Tauranga is also the home of

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club

Tauranga City United Tauranga City AFC is a football club based in Tauranga, New Zealand. The men's and women's teams currently both compete in the NRFL Championship. Club history Tauranga City AFC was formed in 1964, in 2000 they changed their name to Tauranga Cit ...

who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2. Tauranga is the home to two rowing clubs – Tauranga Rowing Club in Memorial Park and Bay of Plenty Coast Rowing Club at the picturesque Wairoa River. Both clubs have had successful NZ representation over the years. Tauranga has an all weather outdoor athletics ground at

Tauranga Domain Tauranga Domain is a park and sports stadium in Tauranga, New Zealand. It is used mainly for rugby union matches and serves as a home ground for the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union. The origins of the park go back to 1873, when Tauranga residents ap ...

. Tauranga also has a

Hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

Association, separate from the Regional Bay of Plenty body, which represents the city in domestic tournaments.

City facilities and attractions

Greater Tauranga is a very popular lifestyle and tourism destination. It features many natural attractions and scenery ranging from popular beaches and harbour environments to lush bush-clad mountains with waterfalls and lakes. Cultural attractions include the Tauranga Art Gallery, which opened in October 2007 and showcases local, national and international exhibitions in a range of media. On the 17th Avenue, the "Historic Village on 17th", recreates a historic setting with original and replica buildings from early Tauranga housing arts and gift shops. The Baycourt Community and Arts Centre is a multi-purpose performing arts and theatre facility located in the central business district. Aviation interests are well served with the Classic Flyers Museum and the Gyrate Flying Club where you can experience flying a modern gyroplane; the "motorbike of the sky". Tauranga has many parks: one of the largest is Memorial Park, and others include Yatton Park, Kulim Park, Fergusson Park and the large Tauranga Domain. The Te Puna Quarry Park has become a regional attraction, known for being converted from a disused quarry into a community park. Due to the temperate climate, outdoor activities are very popular, including golf, tramping (hiking), mountain biking and white water rafting. The Bay of Plenty coastline has miles of golden sandy beaches, and watersports are very popular, including swimming, surfing, fishing, diving, kayaking and kitesurfing. Tourists also enjoy dolphin-watching on specially run boat trips. The coastal suburb

and neighbouring

are some of the more affluent areas in Tauranga. The region's beaches attract swimmers, surfers, kayakers and kitesurfers throughout the year. Tauranga has many outlying islands and reefs that make it a notable tourist destination point for travelling scuba divers and marine enthusiasts. Extensive marine life diversity is available to scuba divers all year round. Water temperatures range from 12 degrees Celsius in winter to 22–24 degrees Celsius in summer. Tauranga houses two professional dive instructor training centres, training NAUI, PADI and SSI dive leader systems.

Infrastructure

Hospitals

Tauranga Hospital is a public secondary regional hospital located in Tauranga South, with 360 beds including neonatal, geriatric, surgical, maternity and mental health care. It provides elective and emergency healthcare across medical, surgical, paediatric, obstetric, gynaecological and psychiatric services. The main tertiary referral centre for Tauranga Hospital is

Waikato Hospital Waikato Hospital is a major regional hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand. It provides specialised and emergency healthcareWaik ...

, located in

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 ...

. As the site of the Bay of Plenty Clinical School, Tauranga Hospital provides training to medical students from the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, as well as selective and elective placements for nursing and midwifery students. Grace Hospital is Tauranga's only private specialist surgical hospital, located in Oropi. It accommodates 6 operating theatres, 48 inpatient beds, a two-bed HDU, a procedure room for minor surgery and two procedure rooms for endoscopy.

Utilities

Powerco Powerco is the largest dual-energy distribution company in New Zealand by length, and is one of only two dual-energy (electricity and gas) distributors in the country. Its networks are located in the North Island of New Zealand. Powerco is ow ...

operates the local distribution network in the city, with electricity supplied from Transpower's national grid at three substations: Greerton, Kaitemako and Matapihi. Natural gas arrived in Tauranga in 1982, following the completion of the high-pressure pipeline from the Maui pipeline near

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 ...

to the city, now operated by

First Gas First Gas Limited is a natural gas transmission and distribution company in 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 Isl ...

. First Gas also operates the gas distribution network within the city. From 24 October 2024, the

began flouridating the city's water supply in response to a directive from the Director-General of Health.

Transport

is currently responsible for approximately 530 km of roads, 700 km of footpaths, cycle ways and access ways. Tauranga City Council also has a bit of work under way with their Transportation and Roads strategy. Their aim for the future to change current travel behaviour from a focus on private cars to more sustainable modes such as buses, cycling and walking.

Air

Tauranga Airport Tauranga Airport is an airport serving the city of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located adjacent to Tauranga Harbour in the suburb of Mount Maunganui, approximately 3 km northeast of Tauranga CBD. The terminal is located to the north o ...

is served by

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 28 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline h ...

with flights to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Sunair is based in Tauranga, operating a fleet of

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a Maximum Takeoff Weight, maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are use ...

. Sunair operates from

to Whangarei,

Claris Claris International Inc., formerly FileMaker Inc., is a computer software development company formed as a subsidiary company of Apple Inc., Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) in 1987. It was given the source code and copyrights to several program ...

, Whitanga and Mōtītī Island.

Barrier Air Barrier Air is a New Zealand airline that was established in 1983 by Jim Bergman as Great Barrier Airlines. The head office is located at the Domestic Terminal at Auckland Airport in Māngere, with additional offices in the terminal buildings ...

also operates from Tauranga to Great Barrier Island.

Rail

Tauranga is located on the

East Coast Main Trunk Railway The East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) is a railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, originally running between Hamilton and Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The ECMT now runs between Hamilton and Kawerau ...

. Tauranga has no passenger rail network, however it is a busy freight rail hub due to distribution from the Port of Tauranga.

Bus

Main transportation in the city is provided by the BayBus, with twelve routes servicing the city's population. Bay Hopper buses depart the central stops in Tauranga's CBD, Ohauiti, Mount Maunganui and Bayfair every 15 minutes, with the routes to Papamoa and Greerton half-hourly. Bee Cards were introduced for fares on 27 July 2020. The city is also a waypoint for bus travel between cities, with the Bay Hopper, and Intercity having a daily schedule.

Sea

Tauranga has a passenger ferry service that transports passengers from Tauranga CBD to Mount Maunganui's Salisbury wharf. It is a 2-Way service that costs $15 each way.

Education

Tauranga is home to the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Education Partnership, made up of: *

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, also referred to as "Toi Ohomai" is a New Zealand tertiary education institute. Toi Ohomai is a provider of vocational education for over 14,000 students, including more than 1,400 international students stud ...

* The

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi is a wānanga (indigenous tertiary education provider) based in Whakatāne, New Zealand, established in 1991 by Ngāti Awa. Today it also has a campus in both Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and Whangārei. History Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiār ...

The organisations currently share two main campuses, but are planning a new central campus. Stage 1 was expected to be open in 2017, catering for 500 but with capacity for 700, which cost $67.3 million. Tauranga's secondary schools are: * Tauranga Boys' College, with about 2100 boys. *

Tauranga Girls' College Tauranga Girls' College is a state single-sex girls secondary school in Tauranga, New Zealand. It offers the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, NCEA system of qualifications. The school has a roll of students from years 9 to 13 (a ...

, with nearly 1500 girls. *

Otumoetai College Otumoetai College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Tauranga, New Zealand. The school opened in February 1965 with 206 students from years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18) to serve the western suburbs of Tauranga. ''Otumoetai'' is cla ...

, with nearly 1900 students. * Bethlehem College, a state integrated Christian school offering

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

and Year 1–13, with around 1500 students. * Aquinas College a state integrated coeducational Catholic school founded in 2003 for Years 7–13, with around 800 students. * Mount Maunganui College, a co-educational secondary school, with over 1500 students. * Pāpāmoa College, co-educational secondary school opened in 2011 for years 7–13. * Te Wharekura o Mauao, a co-educational wharekura-ā-iwi total immersion Māori secondary school for Years 7–13, founded in 2010, with around 200 students. * Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kōkiri, a co-educational

kura kaupapa Māori Kura may refer to: Places * Kura, Iran (disambiguation) * Kura Island, Azerbaijan * Kura, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Kano State * Kura (South Caucasus river), a river in Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan * Kura (Russia), a river in R ...

total immersion school for Years 1–13, founded in 2000, with around 140 students. ACG Tauranga, the city's first fully

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

school, offers school to Year 12.

Notable residents

* Corey Anderson – international cricketer *

Tim Balme Timothy Guy Balme (born 18 January 1967) is a New Zealand actor and screenwriter. He's most well known for his roles on the long-running soap opera ''Shortland Street'' and ''Mercy Peak'', as well as lead roles in the cult film ''Braindead'' an ...

– actor, director *

Trent Boult Trent Alexander Boult (born 22 July 1989) is a former New Zealand cricketer who represented the New Zealand national cricket team, New Zealand cricket team in all formats between 2011 and 2024. He continues to play in various Twenty20 leagues ar ...

– international cricketer * Tyler Boyd – footballer who represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

John Bracewell John Garry Bracewell (born 15 April 1958) is a former New Zealand cricketer who was most recently the coach of the Ireland national cricket team, Irish national team. He played 41 Test cricket, Test matches between 1980 and 1990, as well as 53 O ...

– international cricketer *

– MP for

; former Leader of the New Zealand National Party; CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce * Peter Burling – America's Cup helmsman and Olympic medallist * Moss Burmester – Olympic swimmer * Sam Cane – international rugby player * Tony Christiansen – former

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

FESPIC Games The FESPIC Games or the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, was a multi-sport event in Asia and the South Pacific region which is considered to be a precursor to the Asian Para Games, as two of its edition games in 1999 (7th) and ...

and World Games medallist, professional speaker and Tauranga City Councillor * Bob Clarkson – former Member of Parliament and property developer * Aaron de Mey – makeup artist * Dame

Susan Devoy Dame Susan Elizabeth Anne Devoy (born 4 January 1964) is a New Zealand former squash player and senior public servant. As a squash player, she was dominant in the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning the World Open on four occasions. She serve ...

– former World Squash Champion * Dame Lynley Dodd – award-winning author and illustrator, principally known for her children's picture books featuring Hairy Maclary and his friends *

Mahé Drysdale Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale (born 19 November 1978) is a New Zealand politician and retired rower. Drysdale is a two-time Olympic champion and a five-time world champion in the single sculls. He is a seven-time New Zealand national champion ...

– Olympic rower * Daniel Flynn – international cricketer * Hilda Hewlett – pioneer aviator * Gunnar Jackson – professional middleweight boxer * Jess Johnson – artist *

Tanerau Latimer Tanerau Dylan Latimer (born 6 May 1986) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays for the Bay of Plenty. Career Super Rugby Latimer made his Super Rugby debut for the in 2006, before shifting to the in 2007. In 2009 he started at op ...

– former international rugby player *

Tony Lochhead Tony James Lochhead (born 12 January 1982) is a New Zealand former professional footballer who appeared with the New Zealand men's national football team. Early life and education Lochhead was born on 12 January 1982 in Tauranga, New Zealand. ...

– footballer * Todd Muller – MP for

; former Leader of the New Zealand National Party *

Richard O'Brien Richard O'Brien (born Richard Timothy Smith; 25 March 1942) is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has since remained in continuous p ...

– author of ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

'' (spent his formative years here) * Ny Oh – folk musician *

Phil Rudd Phillip Hugh Norman Rudd (born Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis, 19 May 1954) is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of AC/DC across three stints (1975–1983, 1994–2015, 2018–present). On the 1977 departure of bass g ...

– drummer for AC/DC *

Richie Stanaway Richard Stanaway (born 24 November 1991) is a racing car driver from New Zealand. He currently competes full-time in the Supercars Championship, driving the No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation), Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for PremiAir Racing. ...

– racing driver * Andrew Stevenson – Olympic rower, Double World Champion Rower, NZ 1982 Sportsman of the Year * Sir

Gordon Tietjens Sir Gordon Frederick Tietjens (; born 9 December 1955) is a celebrated former coach of the New Zealand men's national team in rugby sevens, the All Blacks Sevens. He spent 22 years in this role. He was also head coach of the Samoa rugby seven ...

– coach of the

New Zealand national rugby sevens team The New Zealand national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Summer Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. They have won a record 14 World Rugby Sevens Series titles. The team played for ...

Kane Williamson Kane Stuart Williamson (born 8 August 1990) is a New Zealand international cricketer and a former captain of the New Zealand national team. On 27 February 2023, Williamson became the all-time leading run-scorer for New Zealand in Test cricket. ...

– international cricketer

Past residents

* Kathleen Hawkins – known as the "Pioneer Poet" *

Les Munro Squadron Leader John Leslie Munro, (5 April 1919 – 4 August 2015) was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot during World War II and the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943. Early life Born on 5 April 1919 near Gisborne o ...

– Dambusters veteran *

Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician. He has led the political party New Zealand First since he founded it in 1993, and since November 2023 has served as the 25th Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), ...

– former MP for Tauranga, leader of NZ First, politician *

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh season of ''Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Mus ...

– R&B singer, former ''

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Id ...

'' contestant and winner

Sister cities

Tauranga is twinned with: *

Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...

, Japan *

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

, United States *

Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao ...

, China

References

External links

Tauranga City Council
{{Authority control Main urban areas in New Zealand Port cities in New Zealand