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Portland is a locality on the western side of Whangārei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Whangārei is about 10 km to the north. Tikorangi is a hill to the west with a summit 161 m above sea level.

The major industry is Portland Cement, which is New Zealand's largest cement manufacturer. It has a specialised loading dock on the harbour, and quarries Tikorangi for lime.

History

The Portland Cement Works, which started on Limestone Island in Whangārei Harbour in 1885, moved to Portland in 1916. The Cement works is now owned by Golden Bay Cement, a division of Fletcher Building.

Dominion Cement built a mile-long pier of disused tram rails in 1913.

The town had a railway station on the North Auckland Line from 1918 to 1975.

Demographics

Portland is in two SA1 statistical areas which cover 12.12 km (4.68 sq mi). The SA1 areas are part of the larger Otaika-Portland statistical area.

Portland had a population of 483 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 42 people (9.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 150 people (45.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 246 males and 237 females in 141 dwellings. 3.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 99 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 102 (21.1%) aged 15 to 29, 216 (44.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 60 (12.4%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.7% European (Pākehā), 42.9% Māori, 5.6% Pasifika, 0.6% Asian, and 1.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.7%, Māori language by 7.5%, and other languages by 3.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 9.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 27.3% Christian, 3.1% Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% New Age, 0.6% Jewish, and 0.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.7%, and 4.3% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 42 (10.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 225 (58.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 99 (25.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 30 people (7.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 183 (47.7%) people were employed full-time, 57 (14.8%) were part-time, and 15 (3.9%) were unemployed.

Education

Portland School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of 106 students as of August 2024.

Notes

1. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
2. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. 7000860 and 7000865. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
3. Peter Dowling, ed. (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. pp. map 7. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
4. Roger Smith, GeographX (2005). The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand. Robbie Burton. pp. map 27. ISBN 1-877333-20-4.
5. "Northland – Industries". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
6. "Northland – Transport links". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
7. Pickmere, Nancy Preece (1986). Whangarei: The Founding Years. p. 65.
8. "Whangarei Harbour". Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966).
9. "Brief History of the Cement Industry in New Zealand". Cement & Concrete Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2008. This source gives a date of 1918 for the move to Portland.
10. "MANAWATU TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 18 August 1913. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
11. Juliet Scoble: Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand
12. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. 7000860 and 7000865.
13. "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
14. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
15. Education Counts: Portland School

• Whangarei District
• Populated places in the Northland Region