Whatawhata

Whatawhata, previously also spelt Whata Whata, is a small town in the Waikato region on the east bank of the Waipa River, at the junction of State Highways 23 and 39, 12 km (7.5 mi) from Hamilton. Te Araroa tramping route passes through Whatawhata.[1]

Whatawhata - Te Kowhai Golf Club and bus stop on Store Rd

Whatawhata
Township
from SH23 bridge
Coordinates: 37°48′S 175°09′E
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato region
DistrictWaikato District
Elevation
20 m (70 ft)
Population
 (2013 census)
 • Territorial2,475
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)

History and culture

Pre-European history

Whatawhata was a Ngāti Māhanga village[2] and there are still Te Papa-o-Rotu and Ōmaero maraes on the west bank of the river.[3] In early colonial times Whatawhata was one of many sites in Waikato with a flour mill.[4] It was built in 1855[5] and producing flour by the end of that year.[6] The area must have been suited to wheat, for there was another mill about 4 km (2.5 mi) downstream, at Karakariki, by 1860.[7]

European settlement

British troops arrived at Whatawhata over land and by river, as part of the Invasion of the Waikato, on 28 December 1863.[8] Whatawhata was described as having no end of peach trees, which the soldiers stripped of their fruit.[9] Within a year a telegraph line had been built.[10]

A 1915 guide described Whatawhata as, "six miles from Frankton Junction, along a good metalled road. Coaches run to and from Frankton Junction daily, the fares being 2/- single and 3/6 return. The principal industries are farming and dairying. There is one hotel in the township, also school, and post and telegraph office. Small steamers ply up and down the river from Huntly, the waters being navigable as far up as Pirongia. Whatawhata was in the early days an important Maori centre, having at one time a native population of over a thousand."[11]

Since then the post office has been replaced by a petrol station and dairy, the coach has become 4 per day and the river is rarely disturbed by any craft. Also the AgResearch hill-country research station at Whatawhata was started in 1949.[12]

Across the road from AgResearch, Campbell Coal Ltd developed a coal mine in 1920, was advertising for about 10 tons a day to be carried to Hamilton in 1921[13][14][15] and had it fully open by 1923.[16] It produced 9,272 tons in 1945 from a 10 ft (3.0 m) seam, employing 6 miners and 5 surface workers.[17] Hallyburton Johnstone said there was never a strike at the mine.[18] The coal was sub-bituminous with a fairly high calorific value, but was largely worked out by the 1970s,[19] when Hamilton gasworks closed.[20] 2.9m tons is estimated to be still recoverable.[21]

An 1880 guide said, "It is about ten miles distant from Hamilton, but a sum of money has been voted for making a direct road through a large swamp, which will bring the Hamilton station within six miles of the township. The road to Raglan crosses the, Waipa river here, and a bridge will shortly be built, when the ferry, which is now worked by natives, will be done away with. Heavy goods, such as timber, wire and manure, are brought up by the Waikato Steam Navigation Company's steamers. . . There is a convenient school in the township, where there is an average attendance of nearly forty children. The school-house and teacher's residence, erected a short time ago (1877) by the Board of Education, the settlers contributing largely towards them, are excellent buildings . . . two stores, a bakery, and comfortable hotel. Of this last Mr. G. T. M. Kellow is proprietor. He has good accommodation and stabling, and keeps excellent liquors . . . Mr,W. H. Bailey has a general store and bakery. . . convenient to the Raglan and Whatawhata bridge site. . . Mr. Day has a farm| of 1,000 acres . . . five acres in oats and the same in mangold . . . wheat thirty acres . . . a large dairy . . . pigs . . . trees are kahikatea and rimu, with a little matai . . . Whatawhata racecourse . . . runs right round the township"[22]

A post office opened in 1868, burnt down in 1913 and was rebuilt in 1915.[23]

Marae

Whatawhata has two marae, affiliated with the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Māhanga and Ngāti Hourua:[24] Ōmaero Marae and its Te Awaitaia meeting house, and Te Papa o Rotu Marae / Te Oneparepare Marae and its Papa o Rotu meeting house.[25]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20062,235—    
20132,628+2.34%
20183,267+4.45%
Source: [26]

Whatawhata, comprising the statistical areas of Whatawhata West and Whatawhata East, had a population of 3,267 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 639 people (24.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,032 people (46.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,035 households. There were 1,668 males and 1,605 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female, with 750 people (23.0%) aged under 15 years, 495 (15.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,659 (50.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 363 (11.1%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 84.5% European/Pākehā, 20.8% Māori, 2.0% Pacific peoples, 2.4% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 12.7%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 54.8% had no religion, 34.8% were Christian, 0.6% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 2.6% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 510 (20.3%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 417 (16.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,449 (57.6%) people were employed full-time, 426 (16.9%) were part-time, and 72 (2.9%) were unemployed.[26]

Education

Whatawhata School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students[27][28] with a roll of 244 as of March 2020.[29] The school opened in 1887.[30]

See also

References
  1. "Waipa Walk". www.teararoa.org.nz. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  2. Boulton, Leanne (August 2011). "Hapu and Iwi Land Transactions with the Crown and Europeans in Te Rohe Potae Inquiry District, c. 1840 – 1865" (PDF). Waitangi Tribunal.
  3. Collins, Adelaide (2005). "Te Papa-O-Rotu Marae Management and Administration" (PDF). researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  4. "Journal of the Polynesian Society: Maori Flour Mills Of The Auckland Province, 1846–1860, By R. P. Hargreaves, P 227-232". www.jps.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  5. "MAORI MILLS. (Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, 1855-03-01)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  6. "KORERO O TE POITINI TE KAI TITIRO I NGA MIRA MAORI. (Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, 1855-12-01)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  7. "THE ACQUISITION OF NATIVE LANDS. To the Editor of the Southern Cross. (Daily Southern Cross, 1860-02-14)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  8. "THE ADVANCE FROM NGARUAWAHIA TO WHATA WHATA. (Press, 1864-01-14)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  9. "WHATA WHATA. (Press, 1864-01-30)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  10. "ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH IN AUCKLAND (Daily Southern Cross, 1864-10-11)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  11. The Raglan and Kawhia Districts: E. Bradbury & Co. 1915
  12. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/waikato-region/page-9
  13. "The Geology of the Whatawhata District, South-West Auckland". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand : Geology. 5 (5): 1. 21 July 1967.
  14. "Trouble Ahead". Waikato Times. 30 September 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  15. "Page 14 Advertisements Column 1". Auckland Star. 3 July 1922. p. 14. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. "Whatawhata Coal Mine". The New Zealand Herald. 1923. p. 6. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. "AtoJs Online — Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives — 1946 Session I — C-02 Page 52". atojs.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. Representatives, New Zealand Parliament House of (1955). Parliamentary Debates.
  19. Kear, David (1967). "ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF THE WAIKATO" (PDF).
  20. "Hamilton Gasworks". Waikato Regional Council. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  21. Edbrooke, Steve. "Mineral Commodity Report 18 - Coal" (PDF). MBIE - Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Ltd.
  22. DESCRIPTIVE HANDBOOK TO THE WAIKATO ITS CONDITION AND RESOURCES: 1880 WAIKATO TIMES page 18
  23. "WHATAWHATA POST OFFICE (Waikato Times, 1915-05-31)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  24. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  25. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  26. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Whatawhata West (172500) and Whatawhata East (172800). 2018 Census place summary: Whatawhata West 2018 Census place summary: Whatawhata East
  27. "Official School Website". whatawhata.school.nz.
  28. Education Counts: Whatawhata School
  29. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  30. "History of Whatawhata School". Whatawhata School. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
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