Puketotara
Community on North Island, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Puketotara (Māori: Puketōtara) is a rural community in the Ōtorohanga District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.[6]
Puketotara | |
|---|---|
Locality | |
 Interactive map of Puketotara | |
| Coordinates: 38.049°S 175.168°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Waikato Region |
| District | Ōtorohanga District |
| Ward | Kāwhia-Tihiroa General Ward |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Ōtorohanga District Council |
| • Regional council | Waikato Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Ōtorohanga | Rodney Dow[1] |
| • Taranaki-King Country MP | Barbara Kuriger[2] |
| • Te Tai Hauāuru MP | Debbie Ngarewa-Packer[3] |
| Area | |
• Territorial | 60.61 km2 (23.40 sq mi) |
| Population (2023 Census)[5] | |
• Territorial | 435 |
| • Density | 7.18/km2 (18.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "totara hill" for Puketōtara.[7]
Demographics
Puketotara covers 60.61 km2 (23.40 sq mi).[4] It is part of the larger Honikiwi statistical area.[8]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 366 | — |
| 2018 | 456 | +4.50% |
| 2023 | 435 | −0.94% |
| Source: [5] | ||
Puketotara had a population of 435 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 21 people (−4.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 69 people (18.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 219 males and 213 females in 150 dwellings.[9] 2.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 111 people (25.5%) aged under 15 years, 63 (14.5%) aged 15 to 29, 219 (50.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 48 (11.0%) aged 65 or older.[5]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 86.2% European (Pākehā), 23.4% Māori, 2.1% Pasifika, 3.4% Asian, and 4.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.6%, Māori by 2.8%, Samoan by 0.7%, and other languages by 5.5%. No language could be spoken by 0.7% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 17.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.[5]
Religious affiliations were 24.1% Christian, 0.7% New Age, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.1%, and 10.3% of people did not answer the census question.[5]
Of those at least 15 years old, 69 (21.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 186 (57.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 66 (20.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 48 people (14.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 192 (59.3%) full-time, 57 (17.6%) part-time, and 9 (2.8%) unemployed.[5]
Marae
Hīona Marae, a meeting place of the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Pourahui, is affiliated with Waikato Tainui.[10]
It has two meeting houses: Haona Kaha and Te Awananui.[11]
In October 2020, the Government committed $2,584,751 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae and 5 other Waikato Tainui marae, creating 69 jobs.[12]
Education
Ngutunui School is a Year 1–8 co-educational state primary school[13] with a roll of 44 as of October 2025.[14] It opened in 1914.[15]
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "big lips" for Ngutunui.[16]