Wairoa

Wairoa
Riverbank adjacent to town centre, viewed from the bridge over the Wairoa River, 2010
Riverbank adjacent to town centre, viewed from the bridge over the Wairoa River, 2010
Map
Coordinates: 39°02′06″S 177°25′05″E / 39.035°S 177.418°E / -39.035; 177.418
CountryNew Zealand
RegionHawke's Bay
Territorial authorityWairoa District
Electorates
Government
 • MayorCraig Little
 • Deputy MayorDenise Eaglesome-Karekare
Area
 • Total
7.57 km2 (2.92 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total
4,940
 • Density650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Postcode(s)
4108
WebsiteOfficial website

Wairoa is the largest town in the Wairoa District and the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Māhia Peninsula. It is 118 kilometres (73 mi) northeast of Napier, and 92 kilometres (57 mi) southwest of Gisborne, on State Highway 2. It is the nearest town to the Te Urewera protected area and former national park, which is accessible from Wairoa via State Highway 38.[3] It is one of three towns in New Zealand where Māori outnumber other ethnicities (the other towns being Kawerau and Ōpōtiki), with 62.29% of the population identifying as Māori.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Area was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Where the land speaks". Otago Daily Times. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  4. ^ McQuillan, Laura (23 September 2016). "Which is New Zealand's whitest region?". Stuff. Retrieved 4 October 2021.