 Matakana Island as seen from the top of Mount Maunganui | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bay of Plenty Region |
| Coordinates | 37°35′S 176°05′E / 37.583°S 176.083°E |
| Total islands | 5 |
| Area | 64.56 km2 (24.93 sq mi)[1] |
| Length | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Width | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Territorial authority | Western Bay of Plenty District |
| Ward | Waihi Beach/Katikati |
| Electorate | Coromandel |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 250 (June 2023)[2] |
| Pop. density | 3.9/km2 (10.1/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Maori |
Matakana Island is located in the western Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. A long, flat barrier island, it is 20 kilometres (12 mi) in length but rarely more than 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by Māori tribes that are mostly associated with Ngāi Te Rangi.
The island has two distinct parts: 5,000 acres (2,023 ha) of farm and orchard land on the inner harbour, (where most of the population lives) and 10,000 acres (4,047 ha) of forest-covered coastal land exposed to the Pacific Ocean. A smaller island, Rangiwaea Island, is located just offshore from Matakana's southern coast.
As of the 2018 census, the island has a population of 183 people, down from 255 people in the 2013 Census.[3] This makes Matakana Island the third least populated area in the Western Bay of Plenty. There are only 90 inhabited dwellings.[4] Most people living on the island belong to the Ratana Church or the Catholic Church.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Areawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "SunLive Mobile". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Census 2006". Western Bay of Plenty District Council.