Paroa is a rural locality situated near WhakatÃÂne in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. The small, predominantly MÃÂori community is located along State Highway 30, and contains a school and a sports rugby club.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "broad fortified village" for PÃÂroa.
Puawairua Marae, located in Paroa, is a traditional meeting ground for the NgÃÂti Awa hapà « of NgÃÂti Hikakino.
In October 2020, the Government committed $4,871,246 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Puawairua Marae and 11 other NgÃÂti Awa marae, creating 23 jobs.
Te Kura o Te Paroa is a co-educational state MÃÂori language immersion primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of .