RuatÃÂhuna is a small town in the remote country of Te Urewera, in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It is 90 kilometres directly west of Gisborne, and 18 kilometres northwest of Lake Waikaremoana. By road, it is 50 kilometres south-east of Murupara, and 110 kilometres north-west of Wairoa. It is on the upper reaches of the WhakatÃÂne River, and surrounded on three sides by the Te Urewera protected area, formerly the Te Urewera National Park. The road that runs from Murupara through Ruatahuna to ÃÂniwaniwa on Lake Waikaremoana, a large part of which is unsealed, used to be designated as part of State Highway 38. It is a subdivision of the Galatea-Murupara ward of the WhakatÃÂne District.
The area was the site of much action during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s and 1870s. From 1870 to 1888, one of the largest wharenui ever built, Te Whai-a-te-Motu, was constructed for Te Kooti and his followers.
RuatÃÂhuna covers . It is part of the Galatea statistical area.
RuatÃÂhuna had a population of 117 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 24 people (25.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 18 people (18.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 63 males and 51 females in 24 dwellings. The median age was 26.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 33 people (28.2%) aged under 15 years, 30 (25.6%) aged 15 to 29, 42 (35.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 9 (7.7%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 15.4% European (PÃÂkehÃÂ), 97.4% MÃÂori, 5.1% Pasifika, and 2.6% Asian. English was spoken by 87.2%, and MÃÂori by 69.2%. No language could be spoken by 5.1% (e.g. too young to talk). No one was born overseas.
Religious affiliations were 15.4% Christian, and 38.5% MÃÂori religious beliefs. People who answered that they had no religion were 41.0%, and 2.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 6 (7.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 51 (60.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 30 (35.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $18,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 21 (25.0%) full-time, 15 (17.9%) part-time, and 12 (14.3%) unemployed.
RuatÃÂhuna is within the rohe (tribal area) of Tà «hoe, and has several marae affiliated with Tà «hoe hapà «:
In October 2020, the Government committed $3,996,258 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade KÃÂkÃÂnui, MÃÂtaatua, Ã ÂhÃÂua, PÃÂpueru, TÃÂtÃÂhoata, UwhiÃÂrae, Te Wai-iti marae, creating 79 jobs.
Te Kura Kaupapa MÃÂori o Huiarau is a co-educational state MÃÂori language immersion area school for Year 1 to 13 students, with a roll of as of It opened in 1917 as Huiarau Native School.