Hicks Bay or Wharekahika (officially Wharekahika / Hicks Bay) is a bay and coastal area in the

Gisborne District Gisborne District or the Gisborne Region (Māori language, Māori: ''Te Tairāwhiti'' or ''Te Tai Rāwhiti'') is a local government area of northeastern New Zealand. It is governed by Gisborne District Council, a unitary authority (with the co ...

of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

of New Zealand. It is situated 150 km east of

Ōpōtiki Ōpōtiki (; from ''Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti'') is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Ōpōtiki District Council, the mayor of Ōpōtiki and comes under the Bay of Plenty Region ...

and 186 km north of Gisborne city, along State Highway 35 between Potaka and

Te Araroa Te Araroa (The Long Pathway) is New Zealand's long distance tramping route, stretching circa along the length of the country's two main islands from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Officially opened in 2011, it is made up of a mixture of previously m ...

. The area is named after Zachary Hickes, second-in-command of

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 ...

's '' Endeavour'', which sailed along the

East Cape East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is at the northern end of the Gisborne District of the North Island. East Cape was originally named "Cape East" by British explorer James Cook during his 1769–1779 voy ...

on 31 October 1769. On 10 June 2019, the name of the bay was officially changed to Wharekahika / Hicks Bay.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Hicks Bay as a rural settlement, which covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². It is part of the wider East Cape statistical area. Dilapidated Hicks Bay Wharf

Hicks Bay had a population of 162 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 9 people (5.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 15 people (10.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 54 households, comprising 75 males and 87 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.86 males per female. The median age was 26.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 57 people (35.2%) aged under 15 years, 30 (18.5%) aged 15 to 29, 57 (35.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 18 (11.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 14.8% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 96.3%

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 ...

, and 1.9% Pacific peoples. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.0% had no religion, 37.0% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 1.9% had

Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

and 1.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (14.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 27 (25.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $20,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 9 people (8.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 39 (37.1%) people were employed full-time, 15 (14.3%) were part-time, and 9 (8.6%) were unemployed.

Climate

Marae

The local Hinemaurea ki Wharekahika Marae is a meeting place for the

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. It has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi, behind Ngāpuhi, with an estimated 102,480 people according to the ...

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

Ngāti Tuere 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. ...

, Te Whānau a Te Aotakī and Te Whānau a Tuwhakairiora. It includes the Tūwhakairiora meeting house. In October 2020, the Government committed $520,760 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party. Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...

to upgrade Hinemaurea ki Wharekahika Marae and Pōtaka Marae, creating 12 jobs.

Education

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti is a Year 1–13 Māori language immersion school. It had a roll of as of

References

{{Gisborne District Bays of the Gisborne District Populated places in the Gisborne District