WhakatÃÂne ( , ) is a town located in the Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and northeast of Rotorua. The town is situated at the mouth of the WhakatÃÂne River. The WhakatÃÂne District is the territorial authority that encompasses the town, covering an area to the south and west of the town, excluding the enclave of Kawerau District.
WhakatÃÂne has an urban population of , making it New Zealand's 33rd-largest urban area and the Bay of Plenty's third-largest urban area, after Tauranga and Rotorua. Another people live in the rest of the WhakatÃÂne District. Around 42% of the population identify as having MÃÂori ancestry, and 66% as having European/ ancestry, compared with 17% and 72% nationally (some people identify with multiple ethnicities).
WhakatÃÂne is part of the parliamentary electorate of East Coast, currently represented by Dana Kirkpatrick of the New Zealand National Party. The town is the main urban centre of the eastern Bay of Plenty sub-region, which includes WhakatÃÂne, Kawerau, and à Âpà Âtiki, stretching from Otamarakau in the west to Cape Runaway in the northeast and Whirinaki in the south. WhakatÃÂne is also the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which was chosen as a compromise between the region's two larger cities, Tauranga and Rotorua.
The site of the town has long been populated. MÃÂori pÃÂ (MÃÂori fortified village) sites in the area date back to the first Polynesian settlements, estimated to have been around 1200 CE. According to MÃÂori tradition Toi-te-huatahi, later known as Toi-kai-rakau, landed at WhakatÃÂne about 1150 CE in search of his grandson Whatonga. Failing to find Whatonga, he settled in the locality and built a pa on the highest point of the headland now called WhakatÃÂne Heads, overlooking the present town. Some 200 years later the MÃÂtaatua waka landed at WhakatÃÂne.
The Maori name is reputed to commemorate an incident occurring after the arrival of the Mataatua. The men had gone ashore and the canoe began to drift. Wairaka, a chieftainess, said "Kia whakatÃÂne au i ahau" ("I will act like a man"), and commenced to paddle â something that women were not allowed to do. With the help of the other women, the canoe was saved. Wairaka's efforts are commemorated by a bronze statue of her at the mouth of the WhakatÃÂne River, which was installed in 1965.
The region around WhakatÃÂne was important during the New Zealand Wars of the mid-19th century, particularly the Völkner incident. Its role culminated in 1869 with raids by Te Kooti's forces and a number of its few buildings were razed, leading to an armed constabulary being stationed above the town for a short while. WhakatÃÂne beach heralded a historic meeting on 23 March 1908 between Prime Minister Joseph Ward and the MÃÂori prophet and activist Rua Kenana Hepetipa. Kenana claimed to be Te Kooti's successor.
The town was a notable shipbuilding and trade centre from 1880 and with the draining of the RangitÃÂiki swamp into productive farmland from 1904, WhakatÃÂne grew considerably. In the early 1920s, it was the fastest-growing town in the country for a period of about three years and this saw the introduction of electricity for the first time. The carton board mill at WhakatÃÂne began as a small operation in 1939 and continues operating to this day.
The WhakatÃÂne River once had a much longer and more circuitous route along the western edge of the WhakatÃÂne urban area, having been significantly re-coursed in the 1960s with a couple of its loopier loops removed to help prevent flooding and provide for expansion of the town. Remnants of the original watercourse remain as Lake Sullivan and the Awatapu lagoon. The original wide-span ferro-concrete bridge constructed in 1911 at the (aptly named) Bridge Street was demolished in 1984 and replaced by the Landing Road bridge.
WhakatÃÂne has in recent years benefited from its relative dominance over numerous smaller and less prosperous towns surrounding it, such as Te Teko (affectionately known as 'Texas') and Waimana, and its popularity as a retirement and lifestyle destination.
The 'First International Conference on the Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples' was held in WhakatÃÂne from 12 to 18 June 1993. This resulted in the Mataatua Declaration on Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples', commonly referred to as the Mataatua Declaration.
WhakatÃÂne has five marae, which are meeting places for NgÃÂti Awa hapà «:
In October 2020, the Government committed from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrading Te Hokowhitu a Tà « ki te RÃÂhui Marae and 11 other NgÃÂti Awa marae, creating 23 jobs. It also committed $282,275 to upgrade Te Whare o Toroa Marae, creating an estimated 21 jobs.
WhakatÃÂne urban area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km<sup>2</sup>.
WhakatÃÂne had a population of 16,419 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 624 people (4.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,031 people (14.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 7,848 males, 8,532 females, and 39 people of other genders in 6,114 dwellings. 2.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 3,399 people (20.7%) aged under 15 years, 2,712 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 6,786 (41.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 3,522 (21.5%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 65.7% European (PÃÂkehÃÂ); 43.3% MÃÂori; 4.2% Pasifika; 6.6% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.3%, MÃÂori by 12.7%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 7.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 31.8% Christian, 0.7% Hindu, 0.3% Islam, 6.4% MÃÂori religious beliefs, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, and 1.4% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.6%, and 7.3% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,301 (17.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 7,326 (56.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 3,384 (26.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $34,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,005 people (7.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 5,736 (44.1%) full-time, 1,866 (14.3%) part-time, and 501 (3.8%) unemployed.
Moutohora Island is a small island off the Bay of Plenty coast about north of WhakatÃÂne. The island has numerous sites of pÃÂ. It also provided shelter for James Cook's Endeavour in 1769. A whaling station existed on the island during the 19th century.
Whakaari/White Island is an active marine volcano located 48 kilometres (25 n.mi.) offshore of WhakatÃÂne and was a popular visitor attraction. Sulphur mining on the island was attempted but abandoned in 1914 after a lahar killed all 10 workers.
The mouth of the WhakatÃÂne River and Ohiwa Harbour have both provided berths for yachts, fishing trawlers and small ships since European settlement of the area. Nearby à Âhope Beach is a sandy beach stretching from the Ohiwa Harbour entrance.
WhakatÃÂne has frequently recorded the highest annual sunshine hours in New Zealand (year and respective sunshine hours shown below). Since official recording began in 2008, the town has frequently attained upwards of 2600 hours a year. The town recorded an average of over 7.5hrs of sunshine a day in 2013. WhakatÃÂne also records the national daily high (temp) on approximately 55 days of the year.
WhakatÃÂne was affected by the 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake. Heavy rain struck the Bay of Plenty region between 16 and 18 July 2004, resulting in severe flooding and a state of civil emergency being declared. Many homes and properties were flooded, forcing thousands of WhakatÃÂne residents to evacuate. The Rangitaiki River burst its banks, flooding large areas of farmland, and numerous roads were closed by floods and slips. A total of 245.8 mm (9") of rain fell in WhakatÃÂne in the 48-hour period and many small earthquakes were also felt during this time, loosening the sodden earth and resulting in landslips that claimed two lives.
Whakatane is also the closest town to Whakaari / White Island, which experienced a fatal eruption in 2019. The town was heavily affected by the disaster in which 22 lost their lives.
The town's main industries are diverse: forestry, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, fishing and manufacturing are all well-established. There is a large carton board packaging mill, a newspaper press, and a brewery.
While farming and forestry activities remain the dominant sectors, tourism is a growing industry for WhakatÃÂne, with a continued increase in guest nights in the district. White Island is a key attraction. Popular tourist activities include the beaches, swimming with dolphins, whale watching, chartered fishing cruises, surf tours, amateur astronomy, hunting, experiences of Maori culture and bush walking. WhakatÃÂne is also used as a base for many tourists who wish to explore other activities in the surrounding region.
Aquaculture is an emerging industry for the Eastern Bay, with the development of a 3800 hectare (15 sq. mi.) marine farm 8.5 km (4 n.mi.) offshore of à Âpà Âtiki, expected to produce 20,000 tonnes of mussels per annum by 2025 and add $35 million to regional GDP. WhakatÃÂne is home to the regional radio station One Double X â 1XX â one of the first privately owned commercial radio stations on air in New Zealand in the early 1970s.
WhakatÃÂne has become the dominant commercial service centre for the Eastern Bay. In 2006, a large-format shopping centre (The Hub Whakatane) was built on the edge of town anchored by national chains Bunnings Warehouse and Harvey Norman. Its retail space totals 24,000sqm (6 acres) and includes 900 car parks. Prior to the centre's construction, it was estimated around $30 million in local retail spending was being lost to large format retail stores in neighbouring Tauranga and Rotorua.
WhakatÃÂne Museum, a local museum operating across two premises with changing exhibitions, opened in 1972.
WhakatÃÂne Airport is served by Air Chathams with direct flights to Auckland using Saab 340 aircraft. Air New Zealand previously operated the Auckland service until April 2015. Private cars, limited public transport and taxis (as well as cycling and walking) are the primary modes of transport for residents.
WhakatÃÂne sits at the eastern end of State Highway 30. State Highway 2 bypasses the urban area.
Baybus runs between WhakatÃÂne and à Âhope. Furthermore, once-daily return bus services operate to Tauranga, en route from Kawerau and à Âpà Âtiki on alternate weekdays. Bee Cards were introduced for fares on 27 July 2020.
Coastal trading, including scows and steamships â notably the Northern Steamship Company service, which ran until 1959, used WhakatÃÂne as a port of call. Today it primarily services charter vessels, commercial & recreational fishing vessels. The depth of water over the WhakatÃÂne River entrance has been a limiting factor to the development of better port facilities, but it is generally held that a training wall along the western edge of the entrance would allow greater depths and safer crossings.
A passenger train called the Taneatua Express ran on the East Coast Main Trunk Railway (ECMT) as far as Taneatua until 1959. The TÃÂneatua Branch line was formerly part of the ECMT and connected with the current ECMT at Hawkens Junction.
A private railway line operated by Whakatane Board Mills (now Carter Holt Harvey WhakatÃÂne) formerly connected the company's mill on the western side of the river to the TÃÂneatua Branch line at Awakeri. The Whakatane Board Mills Line was freight only, with no passenger service. In 1999 operation of the Whakatane Board Mills line was taken over by Tranz Rail (now KiwiRail) and the line was renamed the Whakatane Industrial line. The line has since been closed and lifted, and the TÃÂneatua Branch line is used for tourist excursions.
WhakatÃÂne has two secondary schools: WhakatÃÂne High School, with a roll of , and Trident High School, with a roll of . WhakatÃÂne High School opened in 1920 as Whakatane District High School, and became a full high school (dropping primary classes) in 1950. Trident High School opened in 1973.
Two tertiary institutes, Te Whare WÃÂnanga o AwanuiÃÂrangi and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, have campuses in WhakatÃÂne.
The town has three state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Allandale School, established , with a roll of ; Apanui School, established by 1955, with a roll of ; and James Street School, established in 1958, with a roll of .
There is one public state intermediate school for Year 7 to 8 students: WhakatÃÂne Intermediate, with a roll of . It opened in 1968.
WhakatÃÂne also has two state-integrated Christian primary schools for Year 1 to 8 students: St Joseph's Catholic School, established in 1933, with a roll of ; and Whakatane Seventh-day Adventist School, with a roll of .
Te Kura Kaupapa MÃÂori o Te Orini ki Ngati Awa is a state MÃÂori language immersion primary school in Coastlands for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of . It opened in 2013.
All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of