Murupara is a town in the WhakatÃÂne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The town is in an isolated part of the region between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera protected area, on the banks of the Rangitaiki River, 65 kilometres southeast of Rotorua. Indigenous MÃÂori make up over 90% of the population.
It is on SH38 and is the terminus of the Murupara Railway Branch. The town's principal industries are all related to forestry.
Murupara is in the rohe (tribal area) of the NgÃÂti Manawa iwi.
The MÃÂori language name means "to wipe off mud".
Murupara was previously a staging post on the road between Rotorua and Napier. In the early 1900s, the planting of exotic trees began on the surrounding scrubland. This area is now known as the Kaingaroa Forest, with 1,400 square kilometres of planted pines. As the main service centre for the many forestry workers and their families, Murupara grew to a population of over 3,000. Recent changes to the forestry contracting system have brought about a decrease in the number of permanent residents.
The settlements of Galatea, Horomanga, Kopuriki, Aniwhenua, Waiohau and Murupara lie between the boundary of the Kaingaroa Forest, the popular Te Urewera and Whirinaki Te Pua-a-TÃÂne Conservation Park. Earlier history is also evident around Murupara. In a rock shelter approximately eight kilometres west of the town centre are a number of early MÃÂori rock carvings.
Murupara was regarded as being a "gang town" but local iwi have placed a (ban) on gang patches from being worn at the local marae and school.
Murupara has four marae, which are meeting places for NgÃÂti Manawa hapà «:
In October 2020, the Government committed $1,327,283 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the four marae, creating 12 jobs.
Stats NZ describes Murupara 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>.
Murupara had a population of 1,884 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 69 people (3.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 213 people (12.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 936 males, 939 females, and 9 people of other genders in 579 dwellings. 1.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 32.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 450 people (23.9%) aged under 15 years, 432 (22.9%) aged 15 to 29, 783 (41.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 216 (11.5%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 25.0% European (PÃÂkehÃÂ); 89.8% MÃÂori; 4.1% Pasifika; 0.8% Asian; 0.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.5%, MÃÂori by 31.7%, Samoan by 0.5%, and other languages by 1.8%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 2.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 36.1% Christian, 0.2% Islam, 11.5% MÃÂori religious beliefs, 0.6% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, and 0.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 44.7%, and 7.3% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 84 (5.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 840 (58.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 510 (35.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $27,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 27 people (1.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 480 (33.5%) full-time, 189 (13.2%) part-time, and 174 (12.1%) unemployed.
Murupara Area School is a co-educational state area school for Year 1 to 13 students, with a roll of as of It opened in 2013, when the local primary and secondary schools merged.
Te Kura Kaupapa Motuhake o TÃÂwhiuau is a co-educational state MÃÂori language immersion school, with a roll of . The school opened in 2000, and was the first Designated Character School (Kura ÃÂ-Iwi) in the country.