Whirinaki, Hawke's Bay

Whirinaki is a small coastal settlement in Hawke's Bay, in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It sits just north of the mouth of the Esk River, a few kilometres north of Bay View and a similar distance east of Eskdale. It lies on State Highway 2, just north of its junction with State Highway 5.

Whirinaki
Coordinates: 39°22′34″S 176°53′36″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Hawke's Bay
Territorial authority	Hastings District
Ward	Mohaka General Ward Takitimu Māori Ward
Electorates	Tukituki Ikaroa-Rāwhiti (Māori)
Government
• Territorial Authority	Hastings District Council
• Regional council	Hawke's Bay Regional Council
Area
• Total	1.23 km2 (0.47 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)
• Total	450
• Density	370/km2 (950/sq mi)

Pan Pac timber and wood pulp mill, one of Hawke's Bay's largest industrial plants, is at Whirinaki. The diesel-powered Whirinaki Power Station opened next to the mill in 1978, later closed and then reopened in 2004. Designed to be a standby power station, it has a total capacity of 155MW and is owned and operated by Contact Energy. A mountain bike park is immediately north of the mill.

Pētane Marae is in a rural area nearby. It is a meeting place for Ngāti Matepū and Ngāti Whakaari, two hapū (sub-tribes) of the Ngāti Kahungunu iwi (tribe). Te Amiki is the name of the meeting house. In October 2020, the Government committed $6,020,910 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade 19 Hawke's Bay marae, including Pētane Marae. The funding was expected to create 39 jobs. The marae was flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Whirinaki as a rural settlement, which covers 1.23 km² (0.47 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 450 as of June 2024, with a population density of 366 people per km². It is part of the larger Puketapu-Eskdale statistical area.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	342	—
2013	336	−0.25%
2018	384	+2.71%
Source:

Whirinaki had a population of 384 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (14.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 42 people (12.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 150 households, comprising 192 males and 198 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female, with 57 people (14.8%) aged under 15 years, 42 (10.9%) aged 15 to 29, 204 (53.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 84 (21.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 92.2% European/Pākehā, 13.3% Māori, 0.8% Pasifika, 3.1% Asian, and 3.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.0% had no religion, 33.6% were Christian, 0.8% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% were Muslim, 0.8% were Buddhist and 1.6% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 66 (20.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 63 (19.3%) people had no formal qualifications. 78 people (23.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 171 (52.3%) people were employed full-time, 66 (20.2%) were part-time, and 9 (2.8%) were unemployed.