HÃÂwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established in 1866, and the town of HÃÂwera grew up around a blockhouse in the early 1870s.
HÃÂwera is 75 kilometres south of New Plymouth on State Highway 3 and 30 minutes' drive from Mount Taranaki. It is located on State Highway 45, known as Surf Highway 45 for its numerous surf beaches. State Highway 45 passes through Manaia, à Âpunake and Oakura en route to New Plymouth. Kaponga is a 20-minute drive to the north-west. The MartonâÂÂNew Plymouth Line railway passes through HÃÂwera and has served the town since 1 August 1881, though it has been freight-only since the cancellation of the last railcar passenger service between Wellington and New Plymouth on 30 July 1977.
The MÃÂori-language name means "burnt place"; it arose as a result of fighting between two local sub-tribes, which culminated in the setting ablaze of the sleeping whare (house) of the tribe under attack. An older MÃÂori name was , referring to the patatÃÂ or seven-finger tree Schefflera digitata. Spelled "Hawera" for most of its European history, a macron was added to the official name by the New Zealand Geographic Board in June 2019.
The town's name meaning "burnt place" became apt when the town suffered extensive blazes in 1884, 1888, and 1912.
For this reason a large water tower was built in the centre of town to increase water pressure; and this became one of Taranaki's best-known landmarks (appearing, for example, on the cover of the 1974 telephone directory). After falling into disrepair the tower was closed to the public in 2001, but after an extensive restoration programme it opened again in 2004.
There are four marae in the HÃÂwera area:
In October 2020, the Government committed $1,479,479 from the Provincial Growth Fund to renovate Meremere Marae, Ketemarae PÃÂ, Pariroa Marae and TaiporohÃÂnui Marae, creating 35 jobs.
Stats NZ describes HÃÂwera as a small urban area, which covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km<sup>2</sup>.
HÃÂwera had a population of 10,365 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 573 people (5.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,236 people (13.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 5,049 males, 5,271 females, and 39 people of other genders in 4,014 dwellings. 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 2,076 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 1,737 (16.8%) aged 15 to 29, 4,341 (41.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,208 (21.3%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.5% European (PÃÂkehÃÂ); 29.0% MÃÂori; 3.4% Pasifika; 5.8% Asian; 0.6% 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 97.2%, MÃÂori by 6.4%, Samoan by 0.8%, and other languages by 5.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.8% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 32.9% Christian, 1.3% Hindu, 0.6% Islam, 1.6% MÃÂori religious beliefs, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, and 1.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 53.4%, and 8.7% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 861 (10.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 4,719 (56.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 2,706 (32.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $35,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 639 people (7.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 3,891 (46.9%) full-time, 948 (11.4%) part-time, and 270 (3.3%) unemployed.
The cornerstone of HÃÂwera's economy is the dairy industry. The Whareroa Dairy Factory, located approximately 4 km southeast of the township, was once the largest dairy-production site in the world. The complex is currently owned by Fonterra, having been built by the Kiwi Co-operative Dairies, whose original plant opened on the site in 1975.
During peak season, the complex employs around 1,000 staff members and processes up to 14 million litres of milk. The site also features a gas-fired power plant that supplies electricity and heat for dairy. Excess electricity from the plant is fed into the national power grid.
HÃÂwera is home to the Tawhiti Museum. The museum is known for its handcrafted life-sized figures and scale models. Exhibits in the museum portray the cultural history and heritage of the region. The museum's displays include detailed recreations of local MÃÂori pÃÂ sites. Exhibit provide educational insight into the historical lifestyles and structures of the indigenous community. The historical significance of such sites is exemplified by the Turuturu-Mokai complex, which is an archaeological treasure and provides a tangible connection to the region's past.
HÃÂwera Primary School was established in 1875. It developed into a District High School in 1901. HÃÂwera High School opened as HÃÂwera Technical High School in 1919, and moved to a new site in 1921. The intermediate school opened in 1961. In October 2021, it was announced that HÃÂwera High School and HÃÂwera Intermediate would be closing at the end of 2022. A new, years 7âÂÂ13 school, Te Paepae o Aotea, was created on the former HÃÂwera High School campus at the beginning of 2023. Te Paepae o Aotea is a secondary school for years 7 to 13 with a roll of .
The Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki has a campus in HÃÂwera, established in 1990.
HÃÂwera Primary School, Ramanui School, Tawhiti School and Turuturu School are contributing primary (years 1âÂÂ6) schools with rolls of , , and respectively. HÃÂwera Primary celebrates its 150th jubilee in 2025. Ramanui school celebrated its 50th jubilee in 2003. Tawhiti School was established in 1920. Turuturu School opened in 1927.
HÃÂwera Christian School and St Joseph's School are state integrated full primary (years 1âÂÂ8) schools with rolls of and respectively. HÃÂwera Christian School, originally Belmont Christian Academy, was acquired by the NZ Christian Proprietors Trust in 2013, and moved to a leased site in HÃÂwera, and again to a new site in 2024âÂÂ2025. St Joseph's opened in 1875.
Te Kura Kaupapa MÃÂori o Ngati Ruanui is a full primary (years 1âÂÂ8) school with a roll of . It is a Kura Kaupapa MÃÂori school which teaches in the MÃÂori language. It opened in 1998.
All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of
HÃÂwera is in the South Taranaki district. After serving four terms as mayor of South Taranaki, Ross Dunlop did not stand in the 2019 election, and was replaced as mayor by District Councillor Phil Nixon.