Matakana Island
| Matakana Island | ||
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| Waters | South pacific | |
| Geographical location | 37 ° 35 ′ S , 176 ° 5 ′ E | |
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| length | 25 km | |
| width | 6 km | |
| surface | 60 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 72 m | |
| Residents | 244 | |
Matakana Island is an island in the west of the Bay of Plenty on the North Island of New Zealand .
geography
The flat island of around 60 km² extends from the city of Tauranga with a length of almost 25 km in a north-westerly direction. The width of the island is usually between one and three kilometers. Almost in the middle, on the populated part, it widens to just over six kilometers. The south-eastern end of the island forms the 800 m wide entrance to the port of Tauranga with the mountain Mauao on the opposite side , which is the remnant of an old volcanic cone . At the same time, the strait also gives access to the shallow water area of Tauranga Harbor, which is closed off from the South Pacific Ocean by Matakana Island . The northeastern end of the island is the so-called Katikati entrance at Bowentown Heads, not far from Athenree . The island can be reached daily from the mainland via Omokoroa by ferry and from the port of Tauranga by boat.
population
In 2012 there were 244 inhabitants on the island, mainly members of the Māori from the two Hapū (tribal groups) Ngai Tuwhiwhia and Ngāti Tauaiti . Their share of the population is 94.5%. The fact that 13.3% of citizens of European descent live there at the same time is due to the fact that in New Zealand you can assign yourself to several ethnic groups . However, only 61.1% of the population speak the Māori language .
landscape
The island can be roughly divided into two areas, the agricultural part and the forested part. At the widest point of the island towards Tauranga Harbor there are around 20 km² of farmland, orchards and housing developments, while on the long sea side there is around 40 km² of wooded coastal landscape that has been placed under protection. In the forest planted in the 1920s, the non-New Zealand Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) is the most common tree species.
The Department of Conservation had started a program in 1992 to allow the Maori plover ( Charadrius obscurus ) (in English : New Zealand Dotterel ) to settle on the island. And with success, as over 300 fledgling chicks have already been registered over the years. The protection of birds is in a critical status in New Zealand. Cats , rats , ermines and possums endanger the survival of the animals. Due to its relative remoteness, the island offers excellent conditions for the Maori plover to have a safe habitat.
Another conservation project was the Wetland Restoration on Matakana Island project. The Māori long complained that the wetlands that provided them with fresh water , food and medicinal herbs had been destroyed by the Pākehā , the white settlers, through modern agriculture , overfertilization and littering are. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) started a two-year project to recultivate the wetlands on the island in 2006 .
use
The island is used for agriculture in the inhabited part. The dairy industry is there in the foreground, but also fruit cultivation and the cultivation of crops under the Māori -Bevölkerung is recorded. The forest is partly used for forestry. In the sawmill on the island , the wood is processed by the local Māori and transported to the port of Tauranga for transport and trade . Open fires are strictly prohibited on the island. Between 1993 and 1999 the ownership of 40 km 2 of forest land as freehold land was disputed. The case of Arklow Investments Ltd and Another v. ID Maclean and Others went to the New Zealand High Court and the Privy Council in London . The island's long sandy beach is popular with surfers who, when the weather is good, can reach the island from Mount Maunganui on a surfboard or take a water taxi to take them over.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Matakana Island Plan . (PDF 2.7 MB) Western Bay of Plenty District Council , archived from the original on January 26, 2015 ; accessed on September 22, 2019 (original website no longer available).
- ^ Matakana Island . Tauranga Library , accessed June 20, 2014 .
- ↑ Mt Maunganui / Matakana . Tauranga Marine Industry Association , accessed June 20, 2014 .
- ↑ Privy Council Appeal No. 17 of 1999 . (PDF 61 kB) Privy Council Office , archived from the original on June 11, 2011 ; accessed on June 20, 2014 (original website no longer available, link to WaybackMachine).