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Ngapuke or Ngāpuke is a village and rural community in the Ruapehu district and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the south side of the valley of Pungapunga River, a tributary of the upper Whanganui River, east of Taumarunui and west of Tongariro and Kuratau on State Highway 41.

In 1920, the settlement was a logging town for local forests. Since the 1950s it has been a farming community and outlying satellite town of Taumarunui.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "the hills" for Ngāpuke.

Marae

The Kauriki Marae and Te Ōhākī meeting house is a tribal meeting place for the Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū of Ngāti Hinemihi and Ngāti Turumakina.

In October 2020, the Government committed $1,560,379 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae and 7 other nearby marae, creating 156 jobs.

Maniaiti Marae is also located nearby.

Demographics

Ngapuke statistical area, which surrounds but does not include Taumarunui, covers 621.83 km (240.09 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,370 as of June 2024, with a population density of 2.2 people per km.

The statistical area had a population of 1,263 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 33 people (−2.5%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 93 people (−6.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 474 households, comprising 639 males and 624 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.02 males per female. The median age was 42.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 255 people (20.2%) aged under 15 years, 225 (17.8%) aged 15 to 29, 561 (44.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 216 (17.1%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 73.9% European/Pākehā, 40.6% Māori, 2.1% Pacific peoples, 2.1% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 5.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.5% had no religion, 34.4% were Christian, 2.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% were Hindu, 0.2% were Buddhist and 0.5% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 66 (6.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 285 (28.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 108 people (10.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 510 (50.6%) people were employed full-time, 180 (17.9%) were part-time, and 33 (3.3%) were unemployed.

Education

Te Kura o Ngapuke is a co-educational Māori language immersion state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 36 as of August 2024.

The school was established in 1916 and celebrated its centenary in 2016 with an inter-generational game of Kī-o-rahi.

In recent years, the school has transitioned from English language mainstream schooling, to a Kuri a Iwi schooling model, in which children are taught in te reo Māori and connected to their ancestor.

References

1. ^ "Ngapuke". natlib.govt.nz. National Library of New Zealand.
2. ^ Ferguson, Frances (26 October 2016). "Ngapuke School celebrates proud history". Stuff.
3. "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
4. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
5. ^ "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
6. "Marae Announcements" (Excel). growregions.govt.nz. Provincial Growth Fund. 9 October 2020.
7. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
8. "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
9. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Ngapuke (222400). 2018 Census place summary: Ngapuke
10. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
11. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.

• Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui
• Ruapehu District