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Auroa
Settlement in Taranaki Region, New Zealand From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Auroa is a locality in southern Taranaki, New Zealand. Ōpunake is to the west, Kaponga to the northeast, and Manaia to the southeast. Mount Taranaki is directly north of Auroa.[6][7]
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long cloud" for Auroa.[8]
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Demographics
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Auroa locality covers 41.13 km2 (15.88 sq mi).[4] It is part of the larger Taungatara statistical area.[9]
Auroa had a population of 264 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 6 people (−2.2%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 27 people (−9.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 132 males and 132 females in 99 dwellings.[11] 3.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 63 people (23.9%) aged under 15 years, 51 (19.3%) aged 15 to 29, 123 (46.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 27 (10.2%) aged 65 or older.[5]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 93.2% European (Pākehā), 15.9% Māori, 2.3% Pasifika, and 3.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.6%, Māori by 2.3%, Samoan by 1.1%, and other languages by 3.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.[5]
Religious affiliations were 27.3% Christian. People who answered that they had no religion were 63.6%, and 8.0% of people did not answer the census question.[5]
Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (6.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 129 (64.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 54 (26.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 15 people (7.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 126 (62.7%) full-time, 21 (10.4%) part-time, and 6 (3.0%) unemployed.[5]
Taungatara statistical area
Taungatara statistical area, which also includes Otakeho, Te Kiri and Pihama, covers 313.03 km2 (120.86 sq mi)[12] and had an estimated population of 1,490 as of June 2024,[13] with a population density of 4.8 people per km2.
Taungatara had a population of 1,311 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 15 people (−1.1%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 69 people (−5.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 672 males, 633 females, and 6 people of other genders in 468 dwellings.[16] 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 34.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 336 people (25.6%) aged under 15 years, 249 (19.0%) aged 15 to 29, 594 (45.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 129 (9.8%) aged 65 or older.[14]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 90.2% European (Pākehā); 19.5% Māori; 1.6% Pasifika; 3.2% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.9%, Māori by 2.5%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 4.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.8% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.[14]
Religious affiliations were 31.6% Christian, 0.7% Hindu, 0.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.2% New Age, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.3%, and 9.2% of people did not answer the census question.[14]
Of those at least 15 years old, 123 (12.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 606 (62.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 243 (24.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $45,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 90 people (9.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 573 (58.8%) full-time, 156 (16.0%) part-time, and 21 (2.2%) unemployed.[14]
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Otakeho
Otakeho is a part of the Taungatara statistical area, to the south of Auroa and west of the Otakeho Stream (rising on Mount Taranaki and reaching the Tasman Sea at Otakeho),[17] on SH45.[18] It has a hall (built in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee),[19] a boarded up store[20] (probably built about 1920)[21] and a few houses. To the west of Otakeho is Ngāruahine's Tawhitinui Marae.[22]
Otakeho has a small sandy beach, beyond Dingle Road,[23] at the foot of 40 m (130 ft) high cliffs.[24] It is used for fishing[23] and has a poorly protected,[25] nationally threatened, variety of Craspedia, Craspedia Otakeho.[26]
It once also had a school (1884[27]-2003[28] - the buildings remain),[29] a Category 2 listed church (sold in 2018[30] and moved to Pihama in 2021),[31] an hotel[32] (rebuilt[33] after a 1907 fire[34] and since burnt down again),[35] a post office, a smithy and a dairy factory,[36] which occupied several buildings.[37]
The Ōpunake to New Plymouth bus runs through Otakeho daily in each direction, except at weekends.[38]
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Education
Auroa School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of 172 students as of July 2025.[39][40] It opened in 1891 as Ratana School, and was renamed Auroa School in 1898.[41] Schools at Pihama, Riverlea and Te Kiri were closed and merged into Auroa School in 2004.[42]
Association Football
The Auroa Association Football club was formed in May 1907.[43] After the First World War the club re-emerged with two sides. A story of an Auroa player who covered nearly 20 miles on a ladies bicycle in just over an hour to deliver a misplaced bag to the Hawera train station appeared in the local newspaper in 1923.[44] In 1924 Mr. W. Brown from Auroa captained Taranaki against Chinese Universities at Hawera's Showgrounds. In 1926 Auroa won the Taranaki Championship and Julian Cup.[45] In 1927 Mr. Freakley from Auroa captained Taranaki against Canada at New Plymouth's Pukekura Park.[46]
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References
Further reading
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