Taumarere is a locality in the Bay of Islands in Northland, New Zealand. The Kawakawa River and State Highway 11 run through Taumarere. The town of Kawakawa is 3 km to the southwest. Opua is 7 km to the north and Paihia 14 km.[1]

Taumarere
Map
Coordinates: 35°21′47″S 174°05′38″E / 35.363°S 174.094°E / -35.363; 174.094
CountryNew Zealand
RegionNorthland Region
DistrictFar North District
WardBay of Islands/Whangaroa
CommunityBay of Islands-Whangaroa
SubdivisionKawakawa-Moerewa
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityFar North District Council
 • Regional councilNorthland Regional Council
 • Mayor of Far NorthMoko Tepania
 • Northland MPGrant McCallum
 • Te Tai Tokerau MPMariameno Kapa-Kingi

History

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Taumarere was at the head of navigable tidal water on the Kawakawa River and a natural landing place, so a township developed here. It would likely have become the main town in the area,[2] but after coal was discovered at Kawakawa in 1864, a new town developed there, becoming more important than Taumarere.[3]

On 2 March 1868 a bush tramway line opened between Kawakawa and Taumarere wharf at what is now known as Derrick Landing[4] to carry coal for export. It was built to the international 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge and motive power was provided by horses that hauled wagons along wooden rails. It was converted into a metal railway in 1870. In 1875, the government purchased the line and converted it to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge two years later. The line was extended to Opua in 1884 and called the Opua Branch. In 1925, it became part of the North Auckland Line.[5] This line has since become a part of the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, a tourist-oriented heritage railway.

Mary Tautari ran the Taumārere Native School in the locality from 1875 to 1906.[6]

St. Andrew's Church originally stood on the site of the Church Missionary Society's Paihia Mission Station.[7] In 1927 the building was transported by barge and bullock waggon to its present site.[8]

Demographics

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The statistical area of Matawaia-Taumarere surrounds but does not include the towns of Kawakawa and Moerewa. Matawaia-Taumarere covers 408.24 km2 (157.62 sq mi)[9] and had an estimated population of 1,440 as of June 2024,[10] with a population density of 3.5 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20061,224—    
20131,089−1.66%
20181,272+3.16%
20231,473+2.98%
The 2006 population is for a larger area of 410.68 km2
Source: [11][12]

Matawaia-Taumarere had a population of 1,473 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 201 people (15.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 384 people (35.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 738 males, 732 females and 3 people of other genders in 468 dwellings.[13] 1.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 39.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 327 people (22.2%) aged under 15 years, 258 (17.5%) aged 15 to 29, 639 (43.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 249 (16.9%) aged 65 or older.[12]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 49.5% European (Pākehā); 66.8% Māori; 5.3% Pasifika; 1.2% Asian; 0.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 0.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.3%, Māori language by 27.3%, Samoan by 0.6%, and other languages by 3.3%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 30.8% Christian, 5.7% Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% New Age, and 0.4% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.2%, and 6.5% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 105 (9.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 681 (59.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 318 (27.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $28,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 39 people (3.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 489 (42.7%) people were employed full-time, 171 (14.9%) were part-time, and 57 (5.0%) were unemployed.[12]

Notes

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  1. ^ Harriss, Gavin (November 2021). Taumarere, Northland (Map). NZ Topo Map.
  2. ^ "The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway". Beez Neez. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  3. ^ Davis, Johnson (16 October 2018). "Letters: Bay of Islands Vintage Steam Railway celebrates 150 years". Northland Age. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  4. ^ Leadley, Frank (23 October 2018). "Kawakawa celebrates 150 years of steam - and a whole lot more". The Northland Age. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  5. ^ Bromby, Robin (2003). Rails That Built a Nation. Wellington: Grantham House. 17.
  6. ^ Oliver, Steven (1993). "Tautari, Hēmi and Tautari, Mary". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  7. ^ "St Paul's Anglican Church, Paihia, Bay of Islands".
  8. ^ "St. Andrew's, Taumarere, Northland". Don Donovan.
  9. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Matawaia-Taumarere (104100). 2018 Census place summary: Matawaia-Taumarere
  12. ^ a b c "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Matawaia-Taumarere (104101). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.