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Gordonton Hukanui (Māori)
Town
Woodlands Estate homestead
Coordinates: 37°40′12″S 175°18′14″E / 37.670°S 175.304°E / -37.670; 175.304
Country	New Zealand
Region	Waikato
District	Waikato District
Ward	Hukanui-Waerenga Ward
Electorates	Waikato Hauraki-Waikato
Government
• Territorial Authority	Waikato District Council
• Regional council	Waikato Regional Council
Area
• Total	88.43 km (34.14 sq mi)
Elevation	26 m (85 ft)
Population
• Total	1,970
• Density	22/km (58/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)

Gordonton (Māori: Hukanui) is a village and rural community in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located southeast of Taupiri on State Highway 1B.

The area was initially called Hukanui, which means "heavy frost" in the Māori language. It was renamed to Gordonton after John Gordon, who was a manager for the New Zealand Land Association in the Waikato from 1886.

The local Hukanui Marae is a meeting place of the local Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Makirangi and Ngāti Wairere. It includes Te Tuturu-a-Papa Kamutu meeting house.

Demographics

Kainui-Gordonton statistical area covers 88.43 km (34.14 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,970 as of June 2024, with a population density of 22 people per km.

Kainui-Gordonton had a population of 1,734 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 105 people (6.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 237 people (15.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 549 households, comprising 873 males and 861 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.01 males per female. The median age was 35.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 435 people (25.1%) aged under 15 years, 306 (17.6%) aged 15 to 29, 813 (46.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 177 (10.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 82.2% European/Pākehā, 14.4% Māori, 3.1% Pacific peoples, 8.7% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 17.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 45.0% had no religion, 44.8% were Christian, 0.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were Hindu, 1.6% were Buddhist and 2.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 312 (24.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 183 (14.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $40,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 285 people (21.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 714 (55.0%) people were employed full-time, 225 (17.3%) were part-time, and 39 (3.0%) were unemployed.

Education

Gordonton School is a co-educational state primary school covering years 1 to 8, with a roll of 230 as of August 2024.

Gordonton School opened in 1893 as Hukanui School. In 1913 it was renamed Gordonton School and in 1961 the school moved to a new site. The former teacher's residence and former school building each have a category 2 registration with Heritage New Zealand. The former school building was designed by Mitchell and Watt and the teacher's residence was designed by John Farrell.

Eastwest College of Intercultural Studies is a Category 1 Private Training Establishment established on the western side of Gordonton in 1996 by WEC Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a Christian tertiary institute that offers both NZQA Level 5 and Level 6 diplomas in intercultural studies. WEC Aotearoa New Zealand headquarters is located next door.

Woodlands Estate

Woodlands is a homestead and Garden of National Significance, established in the 1870s. The gardens occupy eight hectares and are open to the public.

References

1. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
2. ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
3. Hariss, Gavin. "Gordonton, Waikato". topomap.co.nz. NZ Topo Map.
4. "Kia Ora: Gordonton". The New Zealand Herald. 4 February 2016.
5. "Gordonton". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
6. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
7. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
8. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Kainui-Gordonton (172300). 2018 Census place summary: Kainui-Gordonton
9. Education Counts: Gordonton School
10. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
11. McEwan, Ann (3 February 2017). "Memory box". Waikato Times.
12. "Programmes". Eastwest College of Intercultural Studies. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
13. "Contact". WECNZ. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
14. "About Woodlands Estate". Retrieved 23 August 2019.

• Waikato District
• Populated places in Waikato