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Waimā is a community in the south Hokianga area of Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through the area. The Waima River flows through the Waima Valley into the Hokianga Harbour. Rawene is to the north west, and Kaikohe is to the north east.

History and culture

Pre-European settlement

In 1810, an encounter at Waimā during the Musket Wars resulted in the death of the Ngā Puhi chief Te Tauroto. Te Whareumu was killed and Muriwai mortally wounded in a skirmish in March 1828.

The chief of the sub tribe Te Mahurehure and Te Urikaiwhare was Mohi Tawhai (d.1875), who was a signatory to the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and was known as the peace maker of the North.

European settlement

Waimā was the site of a Wesleyan mission in the mid-19th century. In the 1870s timber milling commenced in the area.

In 1898, people of Waimā refused to pay a tax on dogs, and marched on Rawene in the Dog Tax War.

Marae

Waimā has four Ngāpuhi marae. Moehau Marae, Ōtātara Marae and Ohinewai meeting house; and Tuhirangi Marae are affiliated with the hapū of Te Māhurehure. Te Raukura Marae is affiliated with both Te Māhurehure and Te Rauwera.

In October 2020, the Government committed $325,525 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Tuhirangi Marae, creating 1 jobs.

Demographics

Waimā is included in the Waimā Forest statistical area, which covers 237.00 km (91.51 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,190 as of June 2024, with a population density of 5.0 people per km.

Waimā Forest had a population of 1,095 in the 2023 New Zealand census, unchanged since the 2018 census, and an increase of 222 people (25.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 567 males and 528 females in 336 dwellings. 1.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 246 people (22.5%) aged under 15 years, 204 (18.6%) aged 15 to 29, 462 (42.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 183 (16.7%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 37.0% European (Pākehā); 81.1% Māori; 7.4% Pasifika; 2.2% Asian; 0.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 0.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.6%, Māori language by 28.5%, Samoan by 0.8% and other languages by 2.2%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 7.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 35.9% Christian, 8.5% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% New Age, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 46.6%, and 8.8% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 63 (7.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 474 (55.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 294 (34.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $25,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 24 people (2.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 279 (32.9%) people were employed full-time, 87 (10.2%) were part-time, and 87 (10.2%) were unemployed.

Notable people

• William Satchell, novelist and poet.

Education

Waima School, renamed to Te Kura O Waima, is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school and has a roll of 44 students as of August 2024. The school was founded in 1881. During the Dog Tax War of 1898, the government army of 120 men set up camp at Waima School.

Notes

1. Peter Dowling, ed. (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. pp. map 7. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
2. Roger Smith, GeographX (2005). The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand. Robbie Burton. pp. map 22–23. ISBN 1-877333-20-4.
3. "POMARE II, Whetoi". Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966).
4. Smith, Stephenson Percy (1910). Maori Wars of the Nineteenth Century. p. 51.
5. "Muriwai". Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966).
6. G. W. Rusden (1883). "XVIII. — 1874—1877. — Session of 1874". History of New Zealand. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.). Melville, Mullen and Slade. p. 84. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
7. Michael King (2003). The Penguin History of New Zealand (7th ed.). Penguin Books. p. 145. ISBN 0-14-301867-1.
8. "Hokianga and Harbour". Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966).
9. "Northland – Government". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
10. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
11. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
12. "Marae Announcements" (Excel). growregions.govt.nz. Provincial Growth Fund. 9 October 2020.
13. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
14. "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
15. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Waima Forest (102700). 2018 Census place summary: Waima Forest
16. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Waimā Forest (102700). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
17. "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.
18. "SATCHELL, William". Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966).
19. Education Counts: Waima School
20. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
21. "Waima School 125th Jubilee". Education Gazette New Zealand. 19 June 2006.

External links

• Waima Valley travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Photographs of Waima held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.

• Hokianga
• Populated places in the Northland Region