Ōpōtiki District
Ōpōtiki District | |
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UTC+13 (NZDT) | |
Postcode(s) | |
Area code | 07 |
Website | www |
Ōpōtiki District is a
The district has an area of 3101 square kilometres, of which 3090 square kilometres are land.[2] The population was 10,550 as of June 2023.[1]
Council history
The Whakatane County Council established in 1876 included
Geography
Ōpōtiki District is bounded on one long side by the eastern half of the
The district is predominantly steep hills dissected by fast-flowing rivers, the largest being the
Geology
Geologically, the district is predominantly
Botany
Natural vegetation is preserved in many parts of the district because of the unsuitability of steep land for cultivation. The district is at a natural geographic and climatic boundary. It is the southern limit for mangroves (Avicennia resinifera) on this side of the North Island of New Zealand, the southern limit for the coastal tree taraire (Beilschmiedia taraire),[9] and the mountains are the furthest north for many New Zealand alpine plants (Ranunculus insignis, Ourisia caespitosa etc.[10]). A remnant sea-level stand of an alpine southern beech (Nothofagus solandri) exists at the head of Ohiwa Harbour,[11] a drowned Ice Ages valley system.
Coastal forest consists of
Further inland is temperate rainforest. The canopy is dominated by tall trees such as
In mountainous areas, the rainforest gives way to less dense Nothofagus beech forest. The understory is dominated by Gahnia sedges, with sparse shrubs such as the foul-smelling Coprosma foetidissima. Above the treeline there is tough-leaved Olearia shrub and alpine herbfield. The diminutive alpine tutu shrub Coriaria pottsiana is endemic to the district.
The lower river valleys and adjacent tablelands provide productive farming areas, whilst exotic plantings for commercial timber (mainly pinus radiata) occur on the fringes of the hill country.[13]
Zoology
Introduced animal species considered to be pests (
In the forested areas the birdlife is mainly native species which in addition to the above include wood pigeon (
Indigenous freshwater fish, apart from eels, are all small species and are caught as ‘whitebait’ in season. Introduced
History and culture
Early Māori history
The first known inhabitants of the district were probably members of the Tini o Toi people, who apparently derived from the Tākitimu waka which came to the Whakatāne area from Taranaki. There followed, perhaps a few generations later, the Tainui and Te Arawa people, from the first of which the present Ngaitai tribe claim direct descent. Also in this period were migrations by the Nukutere waka from Taranaki, and the Rangimatoru waka.[15]
Several more generations later, the
One of the earliest Whakatōhea ancestors, Tarawa, deliberately concealed his origins and claimed to have swum to the district from across the sea, supported by supernatural fish he called his pets or children (‘pōtiki’). Coming ashore just west of Ōpōtiki, he installed his pets into a spring, which thereby became imbued with his
Late eighteenth to early nineteenth century
The first contact between local Māori and Europeans was in 1769 when Captain James Cook passed down the Bay of Plenty coast. Early in the nineteenth century, a few European and American traders and whalers began to visit.[17]
The 1820s saw numerous well-armed invasions by Ngāpuhi war parties from Northland. Although the Ōpōtiki iwi had begun to acquire firearms by that time, they were outgunned and had to retreat from the coast to the rugged forested interior.[18]
The 1830s to 1840s were more peaceful, and the tribes again returned to the coast to take advantage of trading opportunities with trading and whaling ships. Māori Christian missionaries began to instruct in literacy and religion. In 1840, the
The 1850s and early 1860s saw continued development. The Māori tribes took up European agricultural methods and crops, primarily wheat, pigs and peaches, which were traded with Auckland.[23] There were still only a few Westerners living in the district, fewer still of whom were British by birth. Among these foreigners were Dr Albert Agassiz (1840–1910), a distant cousin of the famous Swiss/American scientist Louis Agassiz, and Carl Völkner, a German missionary who had gone over to the Anglican Church.
Warfare
The British
In accordance with Māori custom,
Warfare again erupted in 1870 when the guerilla chief Te Kooti shifted his operations to the area. For a few years, he and his followers lived in the rugged Te Wera area in the extreme southwest of the Ōpōtiki district.[28] After an amnesty was granted, he eventually moved to Ohiwa Harbour on the coast between Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne where he later died.[29]
Recent history
When peace eventually came to the district, most of the cultivable land had been taken by British settlers and was converted to sheep and cattle (later dairy) farming. By the end of the nineteenth century, a generation of both settlers and Māori had grown up together and there was some form of accommodation, including intermarriage. The district lost men to the two World Wars, but an even greater blow was the
Because of the relatively small area of cultivable hinterland and a treacherous harbour entrance, early hopes of Ōpōtiki town becoming a major centre for the region were dashed. During the twentieth century, the town suffered from repeated shifts of businesses and local government to Whakatāne, a situation which has only begun to reverse very recently with increasing population. Major floods in the 1950s and 1960s led to the protection of the town by levees (‘stopbanks’) which have successfully prevented any further inundations. A major boost to prosperity occurred with the kiwifruit boom of the late twentieth century. Mussel farming is the next project to develop the town, alongside kiwifruit and bike riding on the Motu trail becoming popular with locals and tourists.[31]
Iwi
Iwi based within the district are:
- Te Whakatōhea from Ohiwa Harbour to Opape, including Ōpōtiki township.
- Ngāitai are based in Tōrere.
- Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and hapu Te Ehutu cover the area from Hāwai to Potaka.
Demographics
Ōpōtiki District covers 3,089.78 km2 (1,192.97 sq mi)[32] and had an estimated population of 10,550 as of June 2023,[1] with a population density of 3.4 people per km2.
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 8,973 | — |
2013 | 8,436 | −0.88% |
2018 | 9,276 | +1.92% |
Source: [33] |
Ōpōtiki District had a population of 9,276 at the
Ethnicities were 50.5% European/Pākehā, 63.7% Māori, 3.5% Pacific peoples, 2.8% Asian, and 1.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 8.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 42.1% had no religion, 32.2% were Christian, 16.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 789 (11.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,944 (27.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 549 people (7.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,108 (43.3%) people were employed full-time, 1,041 (14.5%) were part-time, and 525 (7.3%) were unemployed.[33]
Name | Area (km2) | Population | Density (per km2) | Households | Median age | Median income |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coast Ward | 1,568.88 | 1,449 | 0.92 | 579 | 46.0 years | $20,400 |
Waioeka-Waiotahi Ward | 1,507.05 | 3,003 | 1.99 | 1,101 | 46.4 years | $25,600 |
Opotiki Ward | 13.85 | 4,827 | 348.52 | 1,542 | 34.9 years | $21,500 |
New Zealand | 37.4 years | $31,800 |
Name | Population | Households | Median age | Median income |
---|---|---|---|---|
Waiotahi |
1,518 | 603 | 48.9 years | $28,900[34] |
Cape Runaway | 1,449 | 579 | 46 years | $20,400[35] |
Woodlands | 1,047 | 396 | 46.6 years | $27,500[36] |
Ōpōtiki | 3,759 | 1,143 | 31.9 years | $20,000[37] |
Otara-Tirohanga |
1,176 | 408 | 46.2 years | $24,600[38] |
Oponae |
330 | 93 | 35.1 years | $19,900[39] |
New Zealand | 37.4 years | $31,800 |
Notes
- ^ a b c "Subnational population estimates (RC, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (regional councils); "Subnational population estimates (TA, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (territorial authorities); "Subnational population estimates (urban rural), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (urban areas)
- ^ "Data Table | Territorial Authority 2020 Clipped (generalised) | Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". datafinder.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ a b c "Council History". Whakatāne District Council. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ a b McKinnon, Malcolm (1 July 2015). "Bay of Plenty places - Ōpōtiki". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ a b c McKinnon, Malcolm (1 August 2016). "Bay of Plenty region - Government". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ Heginbotham & Esler p. 379-381 give a useful scientific summary.
- ^ Check current activity at
- ^ The basic Mesozoic geology is described in Suggate et al. vol. 2 p. 368-375. But geological research is constantly progressing, and this now somewhat dated (although still fairly correct) description should be read along with numerous papers which have appeared since then in the NZ Journal of Geology & Geophysics, as well as in other publications e.g. J.S. Crampton, Inoceramid bivalves from the late Cretaceous of New Zealand (Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited, 1996) which updates the paleontology.
- ^ Heginbotham & Esler p. 383 list others.
- ^ Beadel et al., in alphabetical checklist.
- ^ Heginbotham & Esler p. 394.
- ^ Heginbotham & Esler p. 387 state it may now be extinct elsewhere on mainland NZ.
- ^ A detailed description of the botany has been given by Heginbotham & Esler. Best read with updates provided in Beadel et al. which also covers mountain areas omitted by the earlier paper.
- ^ Phillipps, p. 142-144, mentions kokako in the context of possible sightings of the extinct huia.
- ^ Lyall, p.1-37. See also Halbert p. 37-46.
- ^ Lyall, p. 2; Walker, p.11-12.
- ^ Lyall ch. 20.
- ^ Lyall, ch. 21.
- ^ Lyall, p. 151.
- ^ Rogers, Lawrence M. (1973). Te Wiremu: A Biography of Henry Williams. Pegasus Press.
- ^ "The Church Missionary Gleaner, October 1842". Anxiety of a New Zealander of Rank for the Word of God. Adam Matthew Digital. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "The Church Missionary Gleaner, January 1845". Missionary Tour in the Eastern District of New Zealand. Adam Matthew Digital. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ Walker, p. 63-69.
- ^ Walker, p. 77.
- ^ A transcript of one is in Lyall, p. 194-196.
- ^ Cowan, vol. 2 ch. 10
- ^ Walker, p. 95-122.
- ^ Cowan, vol. 2 chs 37–42; Binney, p. 227-231 esp. Map 5.
- ^ Binney, ch. 14.
- ^ "North Island influenza death rates – the 1918 influenza pandemic | NZHistory, New Zealand history online".
- ^ "Motu Trails Cycleway – Opotiki District Council".
- ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Ōpōtiki District (027). 2018 Census place summary: Ōpōtiki District
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Waiotahi
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Cape Runaway
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Woodlands
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Ōpōtiki
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Otara-Tirohanga
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Oponae
References
- S. Beadel, C. Ecroyd, P. de Lange, P. Cashmore, W. Shaw & C. Crump, Checklist of Indigenous and Naturalised Vascular Plants in the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua Botanical Society, 2009, special issue #2.
- Judith Binney, Redemption Songs: a life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki. Auckland University Press, 1995. ISBN 1-86940-131-X.
- James Cowan, The New Zealand Wars, 1983 edition, NZ Govt Printer, vols 1 & 2 (ISBN 0-477-01230-2).
- ISBN 0-7900-0623-5
- M. Heginbotham & A.E. Esler, "Wild vascular plants of the Opotiki-East Cape region, North Island, New Zealand". NZ Journal of Botany, 1985, vol. 23: 379–406.
- Alfred C. Lyall, Whakatohea of Opotiki, AH & AW Reed, 1979. ISBN 0-589-01113-8.
- W.J. Phillipps, The Book of the Huia, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1963.
- ISBN 978-0-477-01034-4.
- Ranginui Walker, Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti, Capital of Whakatōhea. Penguin, 2007. ISBN 978-0-14-300649-7.
External links
Media related to Ōpōtiki District at Wikimedia Commons