Whakatāne District

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Whakatāne District
Geographical location
Whakatane DC.PNG
Location of the Whakatāne District
Photo from Whakatāne District
Toi's Pa - Whakatane.jpg
The village used to stand on the Toi's Pa plateau in Whakatāne
Local authority
Country New Zealand
island North island
region Bay of Plenty
Local authority District
Council Whakatāne District Council
Headquarters of the administration Whakatāne
mayor Tony Bonne
founding 1989
Post Code 3025, 3073, 3081, 3120, 3179, 3191-3194, 3196, 3198, 4195
Telephone code +64 (0) 7
Website www.whakatane.govt.nz
geography
Region ISO NZ-BOP
Coordinates 37 ° 57 ′  S , 176 ° 59 ′  E Coordinates: 37 ° 57 ′  S , 176 ° 59 ′  E
Highest elevation 1017 m
Lowest point Height of sea level
surface 4th 450  km 2
Residents 32 691 (2013)
Population density 7.35 inhabitants per km 2
Statistical data
Public revenue NZ $ 52.4 million  (2015)
Public expenditure NZ $ 57.2 million  (2015)
Number of households 13 827 (2013)
Ø income NZ $ 25,600  (2013)
Māori population 39.9% (2013)

The Whakatāne District is an administrative unit in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand . The district council, called Whakatāne District Council ( District Council ), has its seat in the city of Whakatāne , as does the district administration.

geography

Geographical location

With 4450 km² of pure land, the district is the largest district in the Bay of Plenty region. With 32,691 inhabitants in 2013, the district has a population density of 7.3 people per km², making it the district with the second lowest population density behind Opotiki District .

The Whakatāne District adjoins the Western Bay of Plenty District and the Rotorua Lakes District in the west and the Taupo District in the southwest . To the southeast lie the two districts of Wairoa and Gisborne , of which the Wairoa District belongs to the Hawke's Bay region and Gisborne forms an independent Territorial Authority and does not belong to any other region. In the east the Opotiki District borders and in the north the coast to the Pacific Ocean forms the natural border.

A special feature is the enclave of the Kawerau District , which is only 24 km² largest in the northwest of the Whakatāne District .

The major rivers in the district that are entirely within the district include the Rangitaiki River , the Whakatane River, and the Waimana River from west to east . All three flow north towards the Pacific. Another river that flows through the district and flows into the ocean on its coast is the Tarawera River . It originated in the Rotorua District and is fed by Lake Tarawera .

The highest mountains are the volcano Mount Edgecumbe ( Putauaki ) with 821  m , the Te Whakaumu with 765  m and the Tawhiuau with 1017  m . The two largest lakes in the district are artificially created and are both in the course of the Rangitaiki River . The Lake Aniwhenua and Lake Matahina serve both power generation. The Te Urewera National Park is only partially in the district area, but occupies a large part of the Southeast. Numerous hiking trails provide access to the national park.

The largest cities include Whakatāne with around 15,000 inhabitants, Murupara with around 1,800 inhabitants and Edgecumbe with around 1,600 inhabitants.

and display information about the image
Whakatāne with Whakatane River and district along the coast to the west

climate

Summers in the district are very warm and winters are quite mild. The average summer temperatures are between 25 ° C and 28 ° C, in the winter months it rarely gets colder than 11 ° C. Whakatāne has the highest average temperatures in New Zealand on around 55 days a year . The duration of sunshine is around 2300 hours a year and the annual rainfall is around 1200 mm.

history

The history of the Whakatāne District and its administration goes back to the year 1876. In that year the Whakatāne County Council (District Council) was formed for the first time , which roughly covered the present-day districts of Whakatāne and Opotiki . At that time the administration was still in Opotiki . In 1900 the county was divided into Whakatāne County and Opotiki County . A Whakatāne Road Board formed in 1876 was dissolved and also integrated into the new administration. When Whakatāne was declared a city in 1914 and a city council was established on August 25, 1917, the county council lost its jurisdiction over the city.

The two administrative bodies, Whakatāne Borough Council and the third Whakatāne County Council , were merged with the Whakatāne Harbor Board in 1976 and the Whakatāne District Council was formed. In the course of the territorial reform made in 1989, the Murupara Borough Council was finally taken over and parts of the Opotiki District and the Taupo District integrated into the Whakatāne District, and thus a large part of the Kaingaroa Forest

population

Population development

Of the district's 32,691 inhabitants, 13,032 were of Māori origin in 2013 (39.9%). This means that 2.2% of the country's Māori population lived in the Whakatāne District . The median income for the population in 2013 was NZ $ 25,600  compared to NZ $ 28,500 national average.

Origin and languages

When asked about ethnic group membership in the 2013 census, 66.3% said they were European, 43.5% said they had Māori roots, 2.5% came from the islands of the Pacific and 2.4% % came from Asia (multiple answers were possible). 12.0% of the population said they were born overseas and 16.9% of the population spoke Māori , 37.2% of the Māori .

politics

administration

The Whakatāne District is again divided into four wards , the Whakatāne-Ōhope Ward with four Councilors and the Rangitāiki Ward with three, the Tāneatua-Waimana Ward and the Galatea-Murupara Ward with one councilor each . Together with the Mayor (mayor) they form the District Council (district council). The mayor and the nine council members are re-elected every three years.

Town twinning

The Whakatāne District Council has three partnerships with other cities:

economy

Industrial and agricultural development took place in the district since 1910. Changes in economic conditions have always changed the Whakatāne region . But what has remained of everything is agriculture and dairy farming , which are still the largest economic factor in the district. Since the 1950s, however, the proportion of forestry and the wood processing industry has been growing .

Even the tourism gained more importance in recent years. The coast, hiking tours and fishing in the national park, rafting , speedboat driving and canoe tours on the Rangitaiki River make the region more attractive. As an adventure excursion of a special kind, daily tours are offered from Whakatāne to the most active volcano in New Zealand, White Island . There are enough possibilities by ship or helicopter with an expedition in volcanic terrain or by plane as a sightseeing flight.

Infrastructure

Road traffic

The Whakatāne District is connected by the New Zealand State Highway 2 , which crosses the district from the northwest in a southeast direction and through the State Highways 30 , 34 and 38 , the latter as a connection between the small town of Murupara and Rotorua in the west.

Air traffic

The Whakatane -airport is located about eight kilometers west from the city of Whakatane and connects the district with five daily flights to Auckland and one each daily flight to Gisborne and Hamilton .

Web links

  • Homepage . Whakatāne District Council,accessed June 16, 2016.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Postcode Boundaries - Whakatane District . (PDF 1.7 MB) New Zealand Post , accessed on May 3, 2017 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Whakatāne District - Population and dwellings . Statistics New Zealand , accessed June 16, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Whakatāne District Council . In: Local Councils . Department of Internal Affairs , accessed June 16, 2016 .
  4. ↑ a b c Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed June 16, 2016 .
  5. ^ A b Whakatāne District Council (Ed.): Arts & Culture Assets Management Plan . Whakatāne August 2009 (English).
  6. ^ New Zealand Government (Ed.): NZ Gazette . Wellington May 12, 1914 (English).
  7. ^ Whakatāne District Council (Ed.): Historical Information . Whakatāne December 2007 (English).
  8. ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Whakatāne District - Cultural diversity . Statistics New Zealand , accessed June 16, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Mayor and Councilors Profiles . Whakatāne District Council , accessed June 16, 2016 .
  10. ^ Sister Cities . Whakatāne District Council , accessed June 16, 2016 .
  11. ^ Whakatāne Airport . Whakatāne . info , accessed on June 16, 2016 (English).