Waitoa is a

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

in the Matamata-Piako District of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. State Highway 26 runs through the town, and connects to

Te Aroha Te Aroha ( mi, Te Aroha-a-uta) is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,906 people in the 2013 census, an increase of 138 people since 2006. It is northeast of Hamilton and south of Thames. It sits at the f ...

10 km to the north-east. A

Fonterra Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational publicly traded dairy co-operative owned by around 9,000 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exce ...

dairy factory is a prominent blue building in the middle of the town. The Waitoa River runs through the village and is prone to flooding. A railway line runs to the dairy factory, and used to go to

, however this section was closed and the line only runs to service the dairy factory. Two freezing works and a rendering plant also operate in the Waitoa area. Workers commute from nearby towns of

Morrinsville Morrinsville is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, with an estimated population of as of The town is located at the northern base of the Pakaroa Range, and on the south-western fringe of the Hauraki Plains ...

and

Matamata Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which tak ...

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Waitoa as a rural settlement, which covers . Waitoa is part of the larger Waitoa-Ngarua statistical area. Waitoa had a population of 291 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 6 people (2.1%) since the 2013 census, and unchanged since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 114 households, comprising 144 males and 150 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female, with 60 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 60 (20.6%) aged 15 to 29, 135 (46.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 42 (14.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 83.5% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New Z ...

, 24.7%

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 C ...

, 4.1% Pacific peoples, and 3.1% Asian. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.6% had no religion, 30.9% were Christian, 4.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.0% were

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 1.0% were Muslim and 1.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (5.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 72 (31.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 33 people (14.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 105 (45.5%) people were employed full-time, 33 (14.3%) were part-time, and 9 (3.9%) were unemployed.

Waitoa-Ngarua statistical area

Waitoa-Ngarua statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Waitoa-Ngarua had a population of 1,170 at the

, an increase of 18 people (1.6%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 126 people (−9.7%) since the

. There were 432 households, comprising 615 males and 555 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.11 males per female. The median age was 35.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 255 people (21.8%) aged under 15 years, 231 (19.7%) aged 15 to 29, 552 (47.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 135 (11.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 79.2% European/

, 13.3%

, 3.1% Pacific peoples, 9.7% Asian, and 3.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.9, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.3% had no religion, 33.6% were Christian, 1.0% had Māori religious beliefs, 2.6% were

, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.5% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 2.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 96 (10.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 240 (26.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $37,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 171 people (18.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 498 (54.4%) people were employed full-time, 135 (14.8%) were part-time, and 36 (3.9%) were unemployed.

Education

Waitoa had a primary school between 1904 and 2015. It opened as Waitoa Valley School and reached a roll of 222 students in 1959. The roll fell subsequently, and there were 18 students in the final year.

References

{{Matamata-Piako District Populated places in Waikato Matamata-Piako District