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Flaxmere
Suburb
Aerial photo looking towards Napier
Coordinates: 39°37′S 176°47′E / 39.617°S 176.783°E / -39.617; 176.783
Country	New Zealand
City	Hastings
Local authority	Hastings District Council
Electoral ward	Flaxmere General Ward Heretaunga General Ward Takitimu Māori Ward
Area
• Land	718 ha (1,774 acres)
Population
• Total	13,230

Omahu	Twyford
	Flaxmere	Frimley
Bridge Pa		Camberley

Flaxmere (Māori: Paharakeke) is a township in the Hastings District and outlying suburb of Hastings City, in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island.

History

The original European owner of the land was Sir William Russell, for many years of local member of parliament and Leader of the Opposition from 1894 to 1901. Russell called his estate Flaxmere. When Hastings City Council needed to expand, subdivision of the land started in 1963 and in the following year, the area was incorporated into the area held by the (then) city council. The subdivision was named after the original estate name. Russell's son, Harold Russell, inherited a homestead Little Flaxmere and land that was part of original estate. This is today located in nearby Twyford.

For the subdivision Hastings City Council bought 455 acres (184 ha), which had 150 acres (61 ha) zoned for industry, 40 acres for Flaxmere Park and 12 acres (4.9 ha) for Flaxmere Shopping Centre, including a car park for about 600 cars.

Demographics

Flaxmere covers 7.18 km (2.77 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 13,230 as of June 2024, with a population density of 1,843 people per km.

Before the 2023 census, Flaxmere had a smaller boundary, covering 5.87 km (2.27 sq mi). Using that boundary, Flaxmere had a population of 11,142 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,623 people (17.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,203 people (12.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 2,949 households, comprising 5,439 males and 5,697 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female, with 3,408 people (30.6%) aged under 15 years, 2,685 (24.1%) aged 15 to 29, 4,002 (35.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,035 (9.3%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 36.5% European/Pākehā, 59.1% Māori, 24.4% Pacific peoples, 2.0% Asian, and 0.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 12.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 41.6% had no religion, 41.9% were Christian, 7.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.6% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 420 (5.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 2,289 (29.6%) people had no formal qualifications. 258 people (3.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 4,011 (51.9%) people were employed full-time, 861 (11.1%) were part-time, and 474 (6.1%) were unemployed.

Description

Flaxmere was built to cater to the housing demand of Hastings. It was intended to be an upper-middle class subdivision, but because land was subdivided into smaller lots, it became a low income neighbourhood.

It has a small shopping centre with a petrol station, post office, bakery, video store, butchery, indoor rock climbing centre, and various other businesses offering necessities and/or leisure. Other amenities include a library, police station, several churches and Flaxmere Waterworld, an indoor swimming complex.

Education

Flaxmere has four primary schools:

• Flaxmere Primary School is a state primary school, with a roll of 458.
• Peterhead School is a state primary school, with a roll of 508.
• Irongate School is a state primary school, with a roll of 234.
• Te Kura o Kimi Ora is a state primary school, with a roll of 143.

The township also has two other schools:

• Flaxmere College is a state secondary school, with a roll of 338.
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngati Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga is a Year 1–13 Māori immersion school, with a roll of 231.

All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of August 2024.

References

Flaxmere travel guide from Wikivoyage

1. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
2. ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
3. "18. Flaxmere" (PDF). Hastings District Council. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
4. Schamroth, Melina (12 February 1992). "It's goodbye to Little Flaxmere". Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
5. "Hawke's Bay Photo News 1966 – Number 096 October". knowledgebank.org.nz. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
6. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Flaxmere West (208800), Omahu Strip (208900), Lochain Park (209000), Flaxmere Park (209100) and Flaxmere South (209200).
7. 2018 Census place summary: Flaxmere West
8. 2018 Census place summary: Omahu Strip
9. 2018 Census place summary: Lochain Park
10. 2018 Census place summary: Flaxmere Park
11. 2018 Census place summary: Flaxmere South
12. "Official School Website". flaxmere.school.nz.
13. Education Counts: Flaxmere Primary School
14. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
15. Education Counts: Peterhead School
16. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
17. Education Counts: Irongate School
18. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
19. Education Counts: Te Kura o Kimi Ora
20. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
21. "Official School Website". flaxmerecollege.co.nz.
22. Education Counts: Flaxmere College
23. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
24. Education Counts: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngati Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga
25. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
26. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.

• Suburbs of Hastings, New Zealand