Whakatāne
| Whakatāne | ||
| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 37 ° 57 ′ S , 176 ° 59 ′ E | |
| Region ISO | NZ-BOP | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
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| region | Bay of Plenty | |
| District | Whakatāne District | |
| Ward | Whakatane-Ohope Ward | |
| Administrative headquarters | Seat of administration for the Whakatāne District | |
| Residents | 14th 976 (2013) | |
| height | 2 m | |
| Post Code | 3120 | |
| Telephone code | +64 (0) 7 | |
| UN / LOCODE | NZ WHK | |
| Photography of the place | ||
 Whakatāne with the Whakatane River and the Rangitaiki Plain |
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Whakatāne (spokenin Māori [ɸakaˈtaːne]) is a town in the Whakatāne District of the Bay of Plenty on the North Island of New Zealand . The city is the seat of the Whakatāne District Council .
geography
The city is located around 78 km southeast of Tauranga and around 27 km west-northwest of Opotiki directly at the confluence of the Whakatane River in the Pacific Ocean . The city center lies below the foothills of the Raungaehe Range , which ends on the coast in Kohi Point , which extends into the sea . The rocks that represent the visible fault of the Whakatane Fault , interrupt the almost 100 km long sandy beach of the Bay of Plenty at this point .
history
Settlement history
The Bay of Plenty is believed to be one of the earliest Māori settlements in New Zealand, and legends tell that the Whakatane River estuary was one of the earliest landings. 1340–1375 AD, Polynesians of the Matatua tribe are said to have landed and settled here in the great fleet from Hawaiki . From the testimonies of the numerous Pā 's (villages), Toi's Pā , on the plateau of the Kohi Point Scenic Reserve, is one of the most famous. The land, confiscated by the British Army in 1866, was returned to the Iwi Ngāti Awa on April 22, 2005 in accordance with a parliamentary resolution of March 24, 2005 .
The first Europeans to set foot on land in Whakatāne were missionaries who came to Whakatāne with the schooner Herald in 1828 . In 1831 a company from Sydney followed , which opened a shop for trading flax , the very first shop. Ten years later it was the settler Thomas Anderson who was the first to buy land from the Ngāti Awa and settle in Whakatāne . When the missionary Volkner of Māori was killed in 1865 and this happened a short time later to Commissioner James Fultoon , who had been charged with investigating the murder, the Māori land was confiscated and British Redcoats were sent to Whakatāne . The army settlement was burned down in 1869 by Māori leader Te Kooti and the military post was rebuilt by the British army across the river. As a result of the tension, many traders left the place. In 1874, Whakatāne consisted of the Māori village and only two shops, a flax mill, a military station and a school, and in 1878 there were only 29 Europeans.
In 1914 Whakatāne was declared a city and got its first city council on August 25, 1917. In 1921 the place had just 428 inhabitants. In 1922 the city's first power grid was put into operation and in 1925 the port was expanded by blasting. The big boom came when the government released the wetlands of the Rangitaiki Plain for cultivation. The population rose sharply and Whakatāne already had 1960 inhabitants in 1941. In 1958 the population had almost tripled. In 1976 the city lost its independence and was incorporated into the administrative structure of the Whakatāne District Council .
Edgecumbe earthquake
Earthquakes are nothing special for the city of Whakatāne and its surrounding area, as the city with the Whakatane Fault is located in the northern foothills of the Taupo Volcanic Zone , one of the most geologically active regions of New Zealand. The Edgecumbe earthquake of March 2, 1987 caused considerable damage in the region, including Whakatāne , despite its (relatively low) mean magnitude of 6.3 . The places Edgecumbe , Te Teko , Kawerau , Matata and Thornton were particularly affected . Luck in misfortune: A foreshock with a magnitude of 5.2 a few minutes before the main quake sent the residents onto the street, which did not harm anyone.
population
In the 2013 census, the town had 14,976 inhabitants, 1.7% less than in the 2006 census.
economy
Despite its peripheral location, the city of Whakatāne is the economic and service center of the district. Two shopping centers supply the city and the surrounding area, which is geared towards agriculture and dairy farming . As an industrial company, there is only one paper mill in the city . With access to the ocean , the deep sea fishing business flourishes . In 1970 Whakatāne was New Zealand's twelfth largest fishing port. Commercial fishing then collapsed in the 1990s. With a fleet of six ships, only tuna and crabs are currently caught.
tourism
In recent years the region has opened up more to tourism , which is gaining in economic importance. A special feature are day tours by ship or helicopter to the most active volcano off New Zealand's coast on White Island . Sightseeing flights from nearby Whakatane Airport are also available.
As an attraction for diving tourists , the Seafire trawler was sunk off Whale Island in October 2008 . As an artificial reef, it should provide habitats for the flora and fauna found in the sea .
Infrastructure
Road traffic
The New Zealand State Highway 2 runs around 7 km south of the city in an east-west direction. Whakatāne is connected to this highway via some country roads leading south and via New Zealand State Highway 30 , which connects to State Highway 2 around 9 km southwest . To Tauranga in the west are 94 kilometers by road and to Opotiki in the east 55 km.
Rail transport
From that of Kawerau leading railway of the East Coast Main Trunk branches west of Edgecumbe a range of up to Taneatua from, but is no longer used for some time.
Air traffic
The city's small regional airport is located around 7 km west-northwest of the city. Air Chathams and Sunair aircraft take off and land from the 1,280 m long asphalt runway . They serve the destinations Auckland , Gisborne and Hamilton .
media
The city's only daily newspaper is the Whakatane Beacon .
Events
On the night of February 4, 2016, an attack was carried out in the city using Molotov cocktails on the office of the Minister for Social Development , Anne Tolley, and was allegedly directed against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), which was due to be signed in New Zealand. There was only material damage.
sons and daughters of the town
- Maurice Gee (* 1931), writer
- Margaret Mahy (1936–2012), writer
- William Gugi Waaka (1937 / 38–2014), Māori guitarist and singer
- Mike Moore (1949-2020), politician
- Paul Steel (* 1970), squash player
- Benji Marshall (born 1985), rugby league player
- Sarah Walker (* 1988), BMX rider, three-time world champion and silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympics
literature
- Glimpses from Whakatane 's Past . Whakatane & District Historical Society Inc , May 1988, ISSN 0110-4004 (English, reprinted 1998).
- A. van der Wouden : Whakatane Historic Trail . Whakatane & District Historical Society Inc , October 1993, ISSN 0110-4004 .
- Heather Skelto : Bay of Plenty Volcanic Plateau & Gisborne . Whitecoulls , 2002, ISBN 1-877327-02-6 (English).
- Annual Report 2008/2009 . Whakatane District Council , Whakatane November 2009 (English).
Web links
- Whakatane District Council homepage
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Whakatane Orini , Coastland , Whakatane North, West, Trident, Allendale - Mokorua . Statistics New Zealand , accessed October 26, 2017 .
- ^ Whakatane Town . Whakatane District Council , archived from the original on October 30, 2013 ; accessed on December 26, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ a b c Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed October 26, 2017 .
- ^ Historical Review . IX, No. December 4 , 1961 (English).
- ^ New Zealand Gazette . Wellington May 12, 1914 (English).
- ^ District economy . Whakatane District , archived from the original on February 23, 2010 ; accessed on September 21, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Airport . Whakatāne District Council , accessed October 26, 2017 .
- ^ Whakatane Airport . Whakatane Info Ltd. , accessed on October 26, 2017 .
- ↑ Nicholas Jones : Attack on Anne Tolley's office likely to result in arrests . In: New Zealand Herald . NZME. Publishing , February 5, 2016, accessed March 17, 2019 .