Whirinaki, Hawke's Bay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whirinaki | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Whirinaki in March 2026 | |
 Interactive map of Whirinaki | |
| Coordinates: 39°22′34″S 176°53′36″E / 39.37611°S 176.89333°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Hawke's Bay |
| Territorial authority | Hastings District |
| Ward |
|
| Community | Hastings District Rural Community |
| Subdivision | Tūtira subdivision |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Hastings District Council |
| • Mayor of Hastings | Wendy Schollum[1] |
| • Napier MP | Katie Nimon[2] |
| • Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.23 km2 (0.47 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2025)[5] | |
• Total | 440 |
| • Density | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) |
Whirinaki is a small coastal settlement in Hastings District, in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It sits just north of the mouth of the Esk River, a few kilometres east of Eskdale and a similar distance north of Bay View, which is part of Napier. It lies on State Highway 2, just north of its junction with State Highway 5.
Pan Pac timber and wood pulp mill, which opened in 1973 and is one of Hawke's Bay's largest industrial plants, is at Whirinaki. The diesel-powered Whirinaki Power Station opened next to the mill in 1978, later closed and then reopened in 2004. Designed to be a standby power station, it has a total capacity of 155 MW and is owned and operated by Contact Energy.[6] A mountain bike park is immediately north of the mill.
Pētane Marae[a] is in a rural area nearby. It is a meeting place for Ngāti Matepū and Ngāti Whakaari, two hapū (sub-tribes) of the Ngāti Kahungunu iwi (tribe). Te Amiki is the name of the meeting house.[7][8] In October 2020, the Government committed $6,020,910 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade 19 Hawke's Bay marae, including Pētane Marae. The funding was expected to create 39 jobs.[9]
Pan Pac mill and Pētane Marae were flooded when the Esk River overtopped stopbanks during Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.[10][11]