Whangārei () is the northernmost city 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 Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and the largest settlement of the

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

. It is part of the

Whangarei District Whangarei District is a territorial authority district in the Northland Region of New Zealand that is governed by the Whangarei District Council. The district is made up in area largely by rural land, and includes a fifth of the Northland Regio ...

, created in 1989 from the former Whangarei City, Whangarei County and Hikurangi Town councils to administer both the city and its hinterland. The city population was estimated to be an increase from 47,000 in 2001.

Etymology

The origin of the name Whangārei is unclear, as a number of (Māori traditional stories) are associated with the harbour. One major tradition involves the sisters Reitū and Reipae of the ''

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...

'' migratory waka, who either flew from 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 ...

north on the backs of birds, or in the form of birds. Other traditions describe the meaning of Whangārei as "lying in wait to ambush", referring to warriors watching over the harbour from Castle Rock, or Whangārei meaning "to gather", referring to the harbour as a gathering place for whales or for important

rangatira In Māori culture, () are tribal chiefs, the leaders (often hereditary) of a (subtribe or clan). Ideally, were people of great practical wisdom who held authority () on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land ( ...

History

The harbour is known from traditional histories as a landing point for many of the migratory waka which reached New Zealand, including '' Tūnui-ā-rangi'' and ''

Te Arawa Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori people, Māori iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' migration canoe (''waka''). The tribes are based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plent ...

''. Many stories involving the Whangārei Harbour involve the legendary chief Manaia. Whangārei was traditionally an important location for trade during much of pre-European Māori history, linking the

Muriwhenua Muriwhenua are a group of northern Māori people, Māori iwi, based in Te Hiku o te Ika, the northernmost part of New Zealand's North Island. It consists of six iwi, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Takoto, Te Pātū, Ngāti Kahu, Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa, w ...

iwi of the far north, the residents of the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Tāmaki Māori iwi to the south. An overland route, the Mangapai portage, allowed waka to be hauled between the Whangārei Harbour in the east, and the Wairoa River and

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auck ...

to the west along the Mangapai River. A number of

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 ...

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. ...

are associated with the early history of Whangārei, including Ngare Raumati, Ngāi Tāhuhu,

Ngātiwai Ngātiwai or Ngāti Wai is a Māori people, Māori iwi of the east coast of the Northland Region of New Zealand. Its historical tribal area or rohe stretched from Cape Brett in the north to Takatū Point on Tawharanui Peninsula in the south and ...

and Te Parawhau. In the late 18th century,

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

expanded south into the Whangārei area. Captain

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

and the crew of the '' Endeavour'' were the first Europeans to sight the Whangārei Harbour entrance. On 15 November 1769 they caught about a hundred fish in the harbour, which they classified as "

bream Bream (, ) are species of freshwater fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Ballerus'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', '' Lepomis'', '' Gymnocranius'', ...

" (probably snapper), prompting Cook to name the area Bream Bay. In the early 19th century, when Europeans began visiting the harbour more regularly, Ngāpuhi occupied Whangārei, and the Te Parawhau

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 ...

lived at the head of the harbour. In the 1820s, the area was repeatedly attacked by

and

Ngāti Paoa 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. ...

raiders during the

Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...

. The first European settler was William Carruth, a Scotsman and trader, who arrived in 1839 and was joined six years later by Gilbert Mair and his family. Relations between the settlers and local Māori were generally friendly, but in February 1842, all settler farms were plundered in revenge for transgressions of tapu. In April 1845, during the

Flagstaff War The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of H� ...

, all settlers fled from Whangārei. Most of the original settlers never returned, but by the mid-1850s there were a number of farmers and orchardists in the area. From 1855, a small town developed, driven by 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, bef ...

trade. Today's 'Town Basin' on the Hatea River was the original port. Early exports included kauri gum and native timber, followed later by coal from Whau Valley, Kamo, and

Hikurangi Hikurangi is a settlement in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. The city of Whangārei is to the south, and Kawakawa, New Zealand, Kawakawa is northwest. The Glenbervie Forest is southeast of the settlement. New Zealand State Highway ...

. Coal from the Kiripaka field was exported via the Ngunguru River. By 1864, the nucleus of the present city was established. View of Whangarei from the foot of Parahaki

View of Whangarei from the foot of Parahaki

Fire bricks made from fire clay deposits near the Kamo mines supported a brickworks over several decades. Good quality limestone was quarried at Hikurangi, Portland and Limestone Island, and initially sold as agricultural lime, and later combined with local coal to produce Portland cement at the settlement of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

on the south side of the harbour. Local limestone is still used in cement manufacture, but the coal is now imported from the West Coast of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. Whangārei was the most urbanised area in Northland towards the end of the 19th century, but grew slowly in the 20th century. The district slowly exhausted most of its natural resources but was sustained by agriculture, especially dairying. Shipping was the main transport link until the North Auckland railway line reached the town in 1925, and the road from Auckland was not suitable for travel in poor weather until 1934. These terrestrial travel routes forced a rapid decline in coastal shipping but stimulated Whangārei to become the service centre for Northland. The population was 14,000 in 1945, but grew rapidly in the 1960s, incorporating Kamo and other outlying areas. In 1964, Whangārei was declared a city. Its population the following year was 31,000. The second half of the twentieth century brought the establishment and expansion of the

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...

Marsden Point Marsden Point is a broad, flat peninsula that is the southern head of the Whangārei Harbour entrance on the east coast of Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand, southeast of the city of Whangārei. It is the location of Marsden Point Oil R ...

on Bream Bay, the adjacent development of timber processing and the establishment of Northland Port, which is mainly focused on timber exporting. Building of the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery commenced in 2018 after the funding target of $20.97 million was raised by a volunteer team in time for a June 2017 deadline, and the centre opened in February 2022.

Future

A container port could follow, linked by rail to Auckland. The extensive, flat undeveloped land around Northport is a suggested solution to excess population growth in Auckland and the associated lack of industrial land.

Geography

Geographical features

Mount Parihaka is a volcanic dome rising to the northeast of the city centre and part of the Whangārei volcanic field. It is about 20 million years old, and aligns with the Harbour Fault, which also aligns with the volcanoes of Parakiore near Kamo, and

near the town of the same name. The dome is surrounded by the Parihaka Scenic Reserve. There is road access to the summit of Parihaka and walking tracks through the reserve, and a bridge linking it to Mair Park. The dome is frequently called Mount Parahaki, but the original Māori spelling of Parihaka was confirmed by the government in 2005. The Hatea River flows south through the city and empties into Whangārei Harbour. The river has a spectacular waterfall in Tikipunga, north of the city. Matakohe, or Limestone Island, lies in the harbour close to the city. Owned by Whangarei District, it is subject to ecological

island restoration The ecological restoration of islands, or island restoration, is the application of the principles of ecological restoration to islands and island groups. Islands, due to their isolation, are home to many of the world's endemic (ecology), endemic ...

by the Friends of Matakohe/Limestone Island Society.

Suburbs

Whangārei Central is the main business district. The city's urban area spreads through the valleys of the surrounding area. The suburbs are: * Northern: Te Kamo, Springs Flat, Tikipunga, Three Mile Bush, Otangarei, Mairtown,

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

and Whau Valley * Southern/Western: Morningside, Raumanga, Maunu, Horahora,

Woodhill Woodhill or Wood Hill may refer to: People * Herbert Woodhilll (1875–1963), Australian rugby league footballer * Joan Mary Woodhill (1912–1990), Australian dietitian * Constance Caroline Woodhill Naden (1858–1889), English poet and phil ...

, and The Avenues * Eastern: Riverside, Port Whangārei, Sherwood Rise,

Onerahi Onerahi, for half a century known as Grahamtown, is a seaside suburb of Whangārei, New Zealand's northernmost city. It is the city's only seaside suburb. It is located 9 km south-east of the centre of Whangārei and is principally a penins ...

, and Parahaki.

Climate

Whangārei has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cfb''). The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows. Summer days occasionally exceed 30 °C, and there is plentiful rainfall spread relatively evenly throughout the year. Using the Trewartha classification Whangārei is firmly a maritime

subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...

due to its absence of winter cold.

Demographics

The Whangārei urban area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². The urban area had a population of 53,841 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 1,947 people (3.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 9,111 people (20.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 25,776 males, 27,918 females and 147 people of other genders in 19,821 dwellings. 3.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 11,022 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 9,714 (18.0%) aged 15 to 29, 22,353 (41.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 10,752 (20.0%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 68.5% 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 ...

); 37.3%

; 5.6% Pasifika; 8.9% Asian; 0.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.3%, Māori language by 9.6%, Samoan by 0.4% and other languages by 9.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (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 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 32.9%

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 ...

, 1.4%

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 ...

, 3.5%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.6%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 5,895 (13.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 23,538 (55.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 11,589 (27.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $35,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 2,832 people (6.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 19,677 (46.0%) people were employed full-time, 5,100 (11.9%) were part-time, and 1,500 (3.5%) were unemployed.

Government

National

Whangārei is within the Whangārei electorate and the

Te Tai Tokerau Te Tai Tokerau () is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate that was created out of the Northern Maori electorate ahead of the first Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) election in 1996. It was held first by Tau Henare representing New Zea ...

Māori electorate. The current MP of the Whangārei electorate is

Shane Reti Shane Raymond Reti (born 5 June 1963) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and a Cabinet Minister with the roles of Minister for Pacific Peoples, Minister of Science, Innovation, and Technology, ...

of the National Party. The current MP of the Te Tai Tokerau electorate is Mariameno Kapa-Kingi of Te Pāti Māori.

Local

At a local level, Whangārei comes under the Northland Regional Council, of which the city is the seat. Whangārei is governed locally by the Whangarei District Council. The city is split into two of the council wards, Denby, which takes the northern suburbs, and Okara, which takes the southern half of the city. Whangārei is covered by the Northland Police District, which is split into two areas, Whangārei/Kaipara and Mid/Far North. Judicially, the town is served by the Whangarei District Court and is also the base of the region's only High Court.

Transport

State Highway 1 from

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Cape Reinga Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua (; sometimes spelled Rēinga, ) is the northwestern most tip of the Aupōuri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is more than 100 km north of the nearest small town ...

passes through Whangārei. State Highway 14 from

Dargaville Dargaville () is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River (Northland), Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland Region, Northland region. Dargaville is located south ...

connects to State Highway 1 in Whangārei. Whangārei Airport is located southeast of the city centre, in the suburb of

. In July 2013, a second road crossing of the Hatea River was opened, in the form of a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

. There are several cycle/walk ways under development connecting the city centre with the outer suburbs. These include Kamo (currently under construction), Onerahi (completed) and Raumanga/Maunu (several sections completed). The Hatea Loop (Huarahi o te Whai) is a central mixed space walkway connecting the Town Basin, Hihiaua Peninsula, Okara, Pohe Island and Riverside areas of the central city. Whangārei is served by Northport, a seaport at

. It was previously served by Port Whangārei, in the upper harbour near the city, which was operated by the Northland Harbour Board until 1988, when it was transferred to the Northland Port Corporation. The first two berths at Marsden Point opened in 2002, and Port Whangārei closed to commercial shipping in 2007 when the remaining cargo operations were transferred to Marsden Point.

Bus

Northland Regional Council organises the CityLink bus service. This bus service runs eight urban bus routes, with bicycle racks from 1 October 2018. On 20 November 2019, Whangārei became the first city to use Bee Cards. 2% of arrivals and 3% of departures in the Whangārei Central census area were by public bus in 2018. In other neighbouring census areas, even fewer used buses.

Intercity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...

operates 3 buses a day from Whangārei, taking about 3 hours for the to Auckland and 1hr 45 mins to

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is a town in the Bay of Islands, in the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the head of Kerikeri Inlet, a northwestern arm of the Bay of Islands, where fresh water of the Kerikeri River enters the Paci ...

Railway

Whangārei is connected to Auckland and Otiria by the

North Auckland line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's Rail transport in New Zealand, national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newm ...

, which carries freight only, the container transfer depot being at 33 Porowini Ave. From 1911 to 1933 it was also on the

Onerahi Branch The Onerahi Branch, sometimes known as the Grahamtown Railway, was a branch line railway in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It operated from 1911 until 1933 and linked the city of Whangārei to the nearby harbour in Onerahi. History ...

Station

The railway station lost its last scheduled passenger service on 15 September 1975, although a "with-car" (goods train with a carriage attached) service lasted until June 1976. Restoration of the station by its

Men's Shed Men's sheds or community sheds are non-profit local organisations that provide a space for craftwork and social interaction. The movement originated in Australia around the 1980s as a way to improve the health and wellbeing of older men. Howev ...

occupant began in 2014 and was largely complete by 2020. Its Type C design was protected by a NZHPT Category II listing on 24 March 2006 (List Number 7646). The station was opened by the Minister for Railways,

Gordon Coates Joseph Gordon Coates (3 February 1878 – 27 May 1943) served as the 21st prime minister of New Zealand from 1925 to 1928. He was the third successive Reform prime minister since 1912. Born in rural Northland, Coates grew up on a farm, which ...

, on 11 March 1925. Predecessor stations had been opened in 1880 and 1903. The 1880 station was about to the north, near Walton Street. The station was enlarged and a

refreshment room A railway refreshment room is a catering facility attached to a railway station that was formerly common in United Kingdom, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. They were opened in the ...

added in 1912. In 1929, the fastest train took 6 hrs 14 mins from Whangārei to Auckland. From 1956, railcars reduced the journey to 4hrs 10 mins. In 1943, the distance was measured as .

Arts and culture

The Whangārei Art Museum is located in the Town Basin. Artisan markets are held at the nearby Canopy Bridge. The

Hundertwasser Art Centre The Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery is an art and cultural centre in Whangārei, New Zealand. It is the conception of artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who lived near Kawakawa, New Zealand, Kawakawa for ...

was built on the site of the former Northland Harbour Board building. The Quarry Arts Centre is located on the edge of the Western Hills in the Avenues. The Hātea Loop walkway is an accessible, circular walkway which connects Town Basin, William Fraser Memorial Park,Te Matau a Pohe, Canopy Bridge, Clapham's Clocks and Reyburn House gallery. The walkway offers marina views and various family friendly outdoor activities. The Whangārei Theatre Company (formerly WOADS) has been staging theatre productions in Whangārei since 1946. They have currently made their home at the Riverbank Centre in the town basin. Disruptive Performers (Theatre Group) was formed in 2019, and they staged their first production in November 2020. Whangārei is home to many music organisations, such as Whangārei Youth Music, the Northland Sinfonia, and Sistema Whangārei.

Education

Tertiary education

NorthTec NorthTec (Tai Tokerau Wānanga) is a tertiary education provider in northern New Zealand, with its main campus in Raumanga, Whangārei. NorthTec provides programmes ranging from foundation, certificate, diploma and degree levels. The degrees are ...

, with its main campus located in the Whangārei suburb of Raumanga, is the chief provider of tertiary education in the

. It offers degrees, diplomas and certificates in a wide variety of academic, professional and technical fields. The degrees are nationally monitored for quality and so can lead to postgraduate study at universities and other institutions. NorthTec has around 23,000 students studying either part-time or full-time. 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 ...

maintains a campus in the city centre. There are also a number of private tertiary educational organisations that provide technical and vocational training.

Schools

There are several schools which offer secondary schooling education within the urban area. Most suburbs have their own primary school.

Secondary schools

Whangārei Boys' High School Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the largest settlement of the Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, created in 1989 from the former Whangarei City, Whangarei County and Hikurangi Town councils to admi ...

, a boys' secondary school with a roll of (). * Whangārei Girls' High School, a girls' secondary school with a roll of (). :These two secondary schools have a decile rating of 5 and cover years 9–13. Both schools opened in 1881. * Kamo High School, which accommodates years 9–13. * Tikipunga High School, which caters for years 7–13. :Both of these are co-educational secondary schools serving the northern suburbs. * Huanui College, a private secondary school just out of the urban area in Glenbervie. * Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rāwhitiroa. A Māori language immersion school catering for primary and secondary students. * Pompallier Catholic College, a catholic semi-private secondary school located slightly west of Whangārei in Maunu.

Intermediate and primary schools

There are two intermediate schools (years 7–8) in the urban area. Several primary schools offer education from years 1–8. * Whangārei Intermediate is an intermediate (years 7–8) school with a roll of 639. * Kamo Intermediate is a popular intermediate school serving the northern suburbs. Primary schools in the urban area include Hurupaki School, Kamo Primary School, Totara Grove School (formerly Kamo East School), Tikipunga Primary School, Otangarei School, Whau Valley School, Whangārei School, a contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of 577, Maunu School, Horahora School, Morningside School, Manaia View School (formerly Raumanga Primary and Raumanga Middle schools, amalgamated), Raurimu Avenue School, and Onerahi School.

Religious and state-integrated schools

Pompallier Catholic College (opened in 1971) is a Catholic state integrated co-educational secondary school (years 7 to 13) with a roll of 560 and a decile ranking of 7, located in the suburb of Maunu. It is the only Catholic secondary school in Northland serving the wider district. Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School, the city's Catholic primary school, located in the suburb of Whau Valley adjacent to the Catholic Parish. Christian Renewal School is a composite state integrated co-educational secondary and primary (years 1–13) school with a roll of 201. Around 110 of those students are in high school (years 9–13), as of June 2018. The school was established in 1993 and integrated into the state system in 1997. The secondary half of the school is situated upstairs, and the primary downstairs. The school operates in the Christian Renewal buildings, beside the Renew Church work buildings and auditorium. Excellere College, a Christian school (years 1–13) located in the northern suburb of Springs Flat. One half of the school is secondary, and the other half is primary. There are 205 students at this school. The Whangārei Adventist Christian School, located at Whau Valley Road, has been operating for some 50 years and is the second oldest of the independent Christian schools in Whangārei as well. It was formerly called the Whangārei Seventhday Adventist School. Over 30 students attend the school, as of June 2018.

Special school

Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre provides education and care to students between the ages of five and twenty-one years, and has a roll of 68. The school operates from five locations, four in Whangārei and one in

Kaitaia Kaitaia () is a town in the Far North District of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupōuri Peninsula, about 160 km northwest of Whangārei. It is the last major settlement on State Highway 1. Ahipara Bay, the southern end of Te Oneroa-a- ...

Infrastructure and services

Healthcare

Whangārei is within the Northland District Health Board. The single primary health care organisation (PHO), Te Kaupapa Mahitahi Hauora Papa O Te Raki Trust, commonly known as Mahitahi Hauora, was created in 2019 through a process of coming together with the previous Northland PHOs. Whangārei Hospital (formerly Northland Base Hospital) is Northland DHB's largest and provides secondary specialist care to all of Northland. It has 246 inpatient beds, and is based in the suburb of Horahora. Mercy Hospital was established in 1963 by the Sisters of Mercy. Kensington Hospital, opened in March 2001, is a private healthcare facility.

Utilities

Northpower Northpower Limited (Northpower) is an electricity distribution company, based in Whangārei, New Zealand. Northpower owns and manages the electricity lines network in the Whangārei and Kaipara districts. The service area covers 5,700 ...

owns and operates the local electricity distribution network servicing the city, with electricity supplied from Transpower's national grid at the Maungatapere substation southwest of the city. There is very little generation in Northland and Auckland, so most of the city's electricity is transmitted from the Waikato. Natural gas arrived in Whangārei in 1983, with the completion of the high-pressure pipeline north from Auckland 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.

Sports

Whangārei is home to the

Northland rugby union The Northland Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand; Northland is a Regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand that covers areas in the districts of Far North District, Far North, Kaipa ...

team, a professional side competing in the

Bunnings NPC Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian hardware and garden centre chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand. Bunnings was founded in Pert ...

, the highest level of provincial rugby in New Zealand. They play out of

Okara Park Okara Park, currently known commercially as Semenoff Stadium (previously known as Toll Stadium due to a sponsorship agreement) is a multi-purpose stadium in Whangārei, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the ...

(currently known as "Semenoff Stadium" due to a sponsorship agreement), the largest stadium in the region, which also hosted two matches during Rugby World Cup 2011. The city also hosted a match on 3 June between a Provincial XV team (NZ Provincial Barbarians) and the British and Irish Lions during their 2017 tour.

Cobham Oval Cobham Oval is a cricket ground in Whangārei, New Zealand, next to the Okara Park rugby stadium. It stages daytime-only first-class and List A matches. It is the home ground and headquarters of the Northland cricket team and one of the hom ...

has hosted Black Caps

one-day international One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...

cricket matches, with the first taking place in 2012. The

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 North Force who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1 are based in Whangārei. Whangārei has a

Field Hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

facility that hosted several international matches. Several hockey players from Northland have been selected for the Black Sticks Women since 2000. Whangārei is home to the northernmost

parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents. Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinto ...

in New Zealand. This is a free, weekly, timed 5 km (3 mile), held every Saturday at 8am. The start and finish is under Te Matau o Pohe bridge. The International Rally of Whangārei is based in the region with competitors from Australia, India, China, Japan, South East Asia and Pacific Islands racing on dirt roads in the districts surrounding Whangārei. It is the season opening event for both the

Asia-Pacific Rally Championship The Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) is an international rally championship organized by the FIA encompassing rounds in Asia and Oceania. Group N cars dominated the championship for many years but in recent years cars built to R5 and S20 ...

and the New Zealand Rally Championship and is New Zealand's second-largest international motorsport competition, second only to the world championship event,

Rally New Zealand The Rally New Zealand is an annual rally race in New Zealand. It was first included as a round of the World Rally Championship in 1977. The race is famous for its fast flowing gravel roads which carry the competitors through forests and alongsid ...

. Whangārei Speedway attracts drivers from outside the Northland Region. Northland is also represented at the highest national domestic level in golf. The Northland rugby league team, representing the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league, rugby league football in New Zealand.#SPARC-2009, SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a 1910 Great Britain Lions tour o ...

competitions, is based in Whangārei. They currently compete in the Albert Baskerville Trophy as the Northern Swords. Between 2006 and 2007 they were part of the Bartercard Cup, playing under the name the Northern Storm. Northland was originally known as North Auckland and has previously used the nickname the Wild Boars.

Notable people

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Whangārei District Council

Whangārei Information & Travel Centre

Whangarei Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whangarei Whangarei District Populated places in the Northland Region Port cities in New Zealand