Bay of Plenty Region

Bay of Plenty
Horticultural, farming and residential land in the Ōmokoroa area near Tauranga
Horticultural, farming and residential land in the Ōmokoroa area near Tauranga
Northland RegionAuckland RegionWaikato RegionTaranakiBay of Plenty RegionGisborne DistrictHawke's BayManawatū-WhanganuiWellington RegionNelson, New ZealandTasman DistrictMarlborough DistrictCanterbury RegionOtagoSouthland RegionSouthland RegionWest Coast Region
Bay of Plenty within New Zealand
Coordinates: 38°S 177°E / 38°S 177°E / -38; 177
CountryNew Zealand
IslandNorth Island
SeatWhakatāne
Government
 • BodyBay of Plenty Regional Council
 • ChairpersonDoug Leeder
Area
 • Total
12,231 km2 (4,722 sq mi)
 • Land12,072.00 km2 (4,661.03 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[1]
 • Total
355,200
 • Density29/km2 (75/sq mi)
GDP
 • TotalNZ$21.666 billion (2021) (5th)
 • Per capitaNZ$62,673 (2021)
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
ISO 3166 codeNZ-BOP
HDI (2021)0.921[3]
very high · 9th
Websitewww.boprc.govt.nz

The Bay of Plenty Region is a local government region in the North Island of New Zealand. Also called just the Bay of Plenty (BOP), it is situated around the marine bight of that same name. The bay was named by James Cook after he noticed the abundant food supplies at several Māori villages there, in stark contrast to the earlier observations he had made in Poverty Bay.

The Bay of Plenty had an estimated resident population of 354,100 as of June 2024,[1] and is the fifth-most populous region in New Zealand.[4] It also has the third-highest regional population density in New Zealand, with only the 11th-largest land area. The major population centres are Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne. The Bay of Plenty is one of the fastest growing regions in New Zealand: the regional population increased by 7.5% between 2001 and 2006,[5] with significant growth along the coastal and western parts, and grew by 8.3% between 2018 and 2023. It has the second-largest Māori population in New Zealand, with over 30% of its population being of Māori descent, and the second-highest number of Māori speakers in the country. The Bay of Plenty also has the largest number of iwi of any region.[6] There are 35 local iwi, 260 hapū and 224 marae, with the most significant iwi being Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa and Te Whakatōhea.[7]

Significant horticultural, forestry and tourism industries are well established in the region. However, the Bay of Plenty is the third-most economically deprived region in New Zealand, with the eastern districts being among the least economically developed in the country.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2022". Statistics New Zealand. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census 2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Quickstats about Bay of Plenty Region
  6. ^ "Working with iwi". Bay Of Plenty Regional Council. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Kaupapa Maori". Bay Of Plenty Regional Council. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  8. ^ Environment Bay of Plenty (September 2004). "Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Strategy" (PDF). pp. 15–32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2008.