Maungatapere

Maungatapere
Coordinates: 35°45′18″S 174°12′28″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Northland Region
District	Whangarei District
Ward	Mangakahia-Maungatapere Ward
Electorates	Whangārei Te Tai Tokerau
Government
• Territorial Authority	Whangarei District Council
• Regional council	Northland Regional Council
• Mayor of Whangārei	Vince Cocurullo
• Whangārei MP	Shane Reti
• Te Tai Tokerau MP	Mariameno Kapa-Kingi
Area
• Total	1.33 km2 (0.51 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)
• Total	350
• Density	260/km2 (680/sq mi)

Maungatapere is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 14 runs through it. Whangārei is 11 km to the east, and Tangiteroria is 18 km to the south west. The settlement takes its name from a rounded volcanic peak of the same name (a Maori name meaning "meeting house by the mountain") that lies to the southwest, and has a summit 359 metres above sea level. Maungatapere is at the junction of State Highways 14 and 15. Maungatapere is the antipode of the city of Tangier, Morocco.

History

Thomas Elmsley bought 60,000 acres (24,000 ha) of land in Maungatapere and northern Wairoa from Te Tirarau Kukupa in 1839, and in 1840 he and the brothers Henry and Charles Walton came with workers to establish farms in the area. Henry Walton's farm was on the slopes of Maungatapere Mountain and was called "Maungatapere Park". After the Flagstaff War, Walton employed former soldiers to build stone walls which are still a feature of the area. Henry Walton married Kohura, Te Tirarau Kukupa's niece, in 1846. After she died in childbirth, he married her sister, Pehi, but she died in a measles epidemic in 1856. Walton built a road between Maungatapere and Whangarei in 1858. He also became involved in coal mining and shipbuilding, and was one of the partners in the timber mill at Te Kōpuru. Walton was one of the founding shareholders in the Bank of New Zealand. In 1863 he became a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council and two years later he was elected to the Auckland Provincial Council. However, in 1867 he left New Zealand and returned to England.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Maungatāpere as a rural settlement. The settlement covers 1.33 km² (0.51 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 350 as of June 2024, with a population density of 263 people per km². The settlement is part of the larger Maungatāpere statistical area.

Historical population for the settlement

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	231	—
2013	261	+1.76%
2018	273	+0.90%
2023	321	+3.29%
The 2006 population is for a smaller area of 1.29 km2 Source:

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 82.2% European (Pākehā), 32.7% Māori, 2.8% Pasifika, 5.6% Asian, and 3.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.2%, Māori language by 7.5%, and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 15.0, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 30.8% Christian, 0.9% Hindu, 0.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.9% Buddhist, and 0.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.9%, and 7.5% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 36 (14.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 138 (55.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 63 (25.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $38,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 18 people (7.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 135 (54.2%) people were employed full-time, 30 (12.0%) were part-time, and 3 (1.2%) were unemployed.

Maungatāpere statistical area

Maungatāpere statistical area covers 174.48 km² (67.37 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 3,920 as of June 2024, with a population density of 22 people per km².

Historical population for the statistical area

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	2,757	—
2013	2,994	+1.19%
2018	3,477	+3.04%
2023	3,651	+0.98%
Source:

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.4% European (Pākehā); 20.1% Māori; 2.5% Pasifika; 3.3% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.8%, Māori language by 3.0%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.5, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 29.9% Christian, 0.2% Hindu, 0.1% Islam, 0.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.7% New Age, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 59.1%, and 8.3% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 462 (15.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,749 (59.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 570 (19.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $42,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 333 people (11.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,596 (54.3%) people were employed full-time, 498 (16.9%) were part-time, and 54 (1.8%) were unemployed.

Education

Maungatapere School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of 320 students (as of August 2024). The school celebrated its 125th jubilee in 2004.

External links

• Maungatapere School website