Eketāhuna
Town in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eketāhuna is a small rural town, in the south of the Tararua District and the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.
Eketāhuna | |
|---|---|
Eketāhuna Kiwi | |
 Interactive map of Eketāhuna | |
| Coordinates: 40.647°S 175.704°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| Territorial authority | Tararua District |
| Ward |
|
| Community | Eketāhuna Community |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Tararua District Council |
| • Regional council | Horizons Regional Council |
| • Tararua Mayor | Scott Gilmore[1] |
| • Wairarapa MP | Mike Butterick[2] |
| • Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.18 km2 (1.61 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2025)[5] | |
• Total | 580 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (360/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode | 4900 |
| Area code(s) | 06 |
The town is located at eastern foot of the Tararua Ranges, 35 kilometres north of Masterton and a similar distance south of Palmerston North. It is situated on State Highway 2, on the eastern bank of the Mākākahi River.[6]
Eketāhuna has become synonymous with stereotypes of remote rural New Zealand towns, with New Zealanders colloquially referring to the town in the same way other English speakers refer to Timbuktu.[7]
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "land on the sandbank" for Eketāhuna.[8] When pronounced in the typical Pākehā way, the name sounds like the Afrikaans sentence "I have a chicken" (Afrikaans: Ek het 'n hoender), making it amusing to immigrant Afrikaans-speaking South Africans in New Zealand.[9]
Geography
The corresponding Statistics New Zealand statistical area covers an area of 892.66 km².[10]
The Pukaha / Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre is located to the south of the town.[9]
History
Early settlement
Eketāhuna was settled in 1872, under the name Mellemskov.[9] It was renamed soon after its founding.[11]
Modern history
The population of Eketāhuna and the wider area has plummeted in the 21st century, dropping from 1,920 in 1996 to just 630 in 2013.[12]
On 20 January 2014, the town was the epicentre of the 2014 Eketāhuna earthquake. Measuring 6.2 on the Richter magnitude scale, the quake caused moderate damage all over the southern North Island.[13]
In July 2020, the name of the town was officially gazetted as Eketāhuna by the New Zealand Geographic Board.[14]
Mayors
The Eketahuna Borough Council existed from 1907 until 1974 where it superseded by Eketahuna County Council which was later merged into Tararua District.
| Name | Term | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfred Henry Herbert | 1907-1909 |
| 2 | Edward Page | 1909-1912 |
| 3 | F.C. Turnor | 1912-1919 |
| 4 | T. Parsons | 1919-1921 |
| 5 | P. Pike | 1921-1923 |
| 6 | W. Simpson | 1923-1927 |
| 7 | T.M. Page | 1927-1929 |
| (6) | W. Simpson | 1929-1940 |
| 8 | W. Olsen | 1940-1944 |
| 9 | O. Walton | 1944-1950 |
| 10 | D.D. Ryan | 1950-1953 |
| 11 | Seymour Alfred Young | 1953-1959 |
| 12 | Victor Anderson | 1959-1968 |
| 13 | Graham Adam | 1968-1974 |
Demography
Eketāhuna is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, which covers 4.18 km2 (1.61 sq mi).[4] It had an estimated population of 580 as of June 2025,[5] with a population density of 139 people per km2. It is part of the larger Nireaha-Eketahuna statistical area.[15]
Eketāhuna had a population of 570 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 66 people (13.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 126 people (28.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 276 males, 288 females, and 6 people of other genders in 240 dwellings.[18] 7.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 47.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 84 people (14.7%) aged under 15 years, 87 (15.3%) aged 15 to 29, 273 (47.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 126 (22.1%) aged 65 or older.[16]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 87.9% European (Pākehā); 28.9% Māori; 2.6% Pasifika; 2.1% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.9%, Māori by 3.2%, and other languages by 4.2%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 12.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.[16]
Religious affiliations were 24.7% Christian, 1.1% Hindu, 2.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% Buddhist, 1.6% New Age, and 1.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 55.8%, and 12.6% of people did not answer the census question.[16]
Of those at least 15 years old, 48 (9.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 273 (56.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 159 (32.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $28,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 15 people (3.1%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 198 (40.7%) full-time, 51 (10.5%) part-time, and 21 (4.3%) unemployed.[16]
Nireaha-Eketāhuna
Nireaha-Eketāhuna statistical area covers 892.62 km2 (344.64 sq mi)[19] and had an estimated population of 1,620 as of June 2025,[20] with a population density of 1.8 people per km2.
Nireaha-Eketāhuna had a population of 1,590 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 24 people (1.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 138 people (9.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 807 males, 780 females, and 3 people of other genders in 618 dwellings.[23] 4.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 41.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 294 people (18.5%) aged under 15 years, 276 (17.4%) aged 15 to 29, 753 (47.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 264 (16.6%) aged 65 or older.[21]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.6% European (Pākehā); 21.3% Māori; 2.1% Pasifika; 2.5% Asian; 0.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori by 3.0%, and other languages by 4.2%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.[21]
Religious affiliations were 24.0% Christian, 0.6% Hindu, 1.3% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 1.3% New Age, and 0.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 61.7%, and 10.0% of people did not answer the census question.[21]
Of those at least 15 years old, 180 (13.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 750 (57.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 369 (28.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $34,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 84 people (6.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 654 (50.5%) full-time, 189 (14.6%) part-time, and 33 (2.5%) unemployed.[21]
Economy
In 2018, 5.0% of the workforce worked in manufacturing, 6.1% worked in construction, 5.0% worked in hospitality, 1.4% worked in transport, 3.9% worked in education, and 6.4% worked in healthcare.[12]
Transport
As of 2018, among those who commute to work, 46.4% drove a car, 3.2% rode in a car and 2.9% walked or jogged. No one commuted by public transport or cycled.[12]
Education
Eketāhuna School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[24][25] with a roll of 86 as of March 2026.[26][27] It opened in 1879, with a roll of 15 and an average of 10 attending.[28]
Eketahuna District High School opened in 1912[29] and was merged with Woodville and Pahiatua schools to Pahiatua in 1960.[30]
Notable people
- Ellen Anderson (1882–1978), district nurse in Eketāhuna
- John Dawson (1928–2019), botanist
- Tania Lineham, born 1966 in Eketāhuna. Royal Society of New Zealand, Science and Technology Teacher Fellowship in 1999 and the Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize in 2015.
- Kieran McAnulty (born 1985), politician
