Te Ākau

Te Ākau is a small farming settlement in the North Island of New Zealand, located north west of Hamilton, south west of Huntly, south of Port Waikato and , or by ferry and road, north of Raglan. It has a hall and a school.

(Te Ākau (officially, Te Ākau / Black Beach) is also the name of a beach in the Marlborough Region of the South Island.)

Boundaries

Te Ākau's only defined boundaries are as a New Zealand census 'statistical area' and a former station. Te Ākau hamlet is near the centre of both, but has no defined boundary. This article covers the southwestern part of the statistical area.

Historically the name was applied to a sheep and cattle station extending from Port Waikato to Raglan, as shown on maps of 1905 (south) and 1906 (north).

Politically it is part of the Onewhero-Te Akau ward of Waikato District Council ( Onewhero is the statistical area to the north, extending to the Waikato River and including Limestone Downs, Naike, Port Waikato and Pukekawa) and most of the area unit has been in the Taranaki-King Country general parliamentary constituency since 2014, though the northern area remains in Hunua. The Māori electorate is Hauraki-Waikato.

Demographics

Te Ākau is in two SA1 statistical areas which cover . The SA1 areas are part of the larger Te Ākau statistical area.

The SA1 areas had a population of 273 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 27 people (−9.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 9 people (3.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 141 males and 129 females in 105 dwellings. 1.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 60 people (22.0%) aged under 15 years, 36 (13.2%) aged 15 to 29, 132 (48.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 42 (15.4%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 90.1% European (Pākehā), 15.4% Māori, 1.1% Pasifika, 2.2% Asian, and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.7%, Māori language by 3.3%, and other languages by 1.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 26.4% Christian, 1.1% Hindu, 3.3% Māori religious beliefs, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 61.5%, and 8.8% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 39 (18.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 120 (56.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 51 (23.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 24 people (11.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 111 (52.1%) people were employed full-time, 36 (16.9%) were part-time, and 9 (4.2%) were unemployed.

Te Ākau statistical area

Te Ākau statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km².

Te Ākau had a population of 1,668 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (3.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 231 people (16.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 882 males, 777 females and 9 people of other genders in 621 dwellings. 1.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 43.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 315 people (18.9%) aged under 15 years, 243 (14.6%) aged 15 to 29, 867 (52.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 243 (14.6%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 86.2% European (Pākehā); 22.8% Māori; 2.3% Pasifika; 1.4% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori language by 5.6%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 4.3%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 25.2% Christian, 0.2% Hindu, 2.2% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, 0.2% Jewish, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.8%, and 8.3% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 252 (18.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 753 (55.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 354 (26.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 135 people (10.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 741 (54.8%) people were employed full-time, 192 (14.2%) were part-time, and 39 (2.9%) were unemployed.

Geology

The main geological groups represented in the area are the Kaihu Group of Holocene and Pleistocene pumiceous sands, silts, lignite, and dune sands, the Waitemata Group of Early Miocene sandstones, siltstones and limestones and Te Kuiti Group of Oligocene siltstones and limestones. There are also a couple of small intrusions of Okete Volcanics on the fault to the north of Whaingaroa Harbour, at Te Kaha Point and Horea.

Te Ākau hamlet is mostly on Te Kuiti Group rocks of Waimai Limestone, with Carter Siltstone and Raglan Limestone on the higher ground.

Ironsand

Following the successful smelting of 100 tons of ironsand in 1866, in 1873 the station leaseholder asked the Government for a lease of the whole foreshore, including permission to use the ironsand, but was refused. The major iron ore mineral is titanomagnetite.

In 1957 New Zealand Steel Investigating Co started investigating creation of a steel industry in New Zealand, using N Island W coast ironsands. Its 1962 report led to Glenbrook steelworks and ironsand working at Taharoa and at Waikato North Head. However, in the Raglan North Head area it is estimated there are 25.5 million tons of iron ore concentrate and in the Waikorea/Waimai area 20 million tons.

Caves

The 1946 one-inch map showed many tomos