Waikato

"Waikato" redirects here. For other uses, see Waikato (disambiguation).

Waikato Regional Council
Country:	New Zealand
Name:	Waikato Regional Council
Chair:	Peter Buckley
Deputy chair:	Simon Friar
Population:	472,100 June 2018
Land area:	Approximately 25,000 km2 or 2.5 million hectares
Website:	http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz
Tangata whenua
Local iwi	Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, Tainui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Cities and towns
Cities:	Hamilton
Towns:	Cambridge, Coromandel, Huntly, Matamata, Miranda, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia, Ngatea, Paeroa, Pirongia, Putaruru, Raglan, Taupiri, Taupo, Te Aroha, Te Awamutu, Te Kauwhata, Te Kowhai, Te Kuiti, Thames, Tirau, Tokoroa, Waihi
Constituent territorial authorities
Names:	Hamilton City Waikato District South Waikato District Waipa District Thames-Coromandel District Matamata-Piako District Waitomo District (part) Otorohanga District Hauraki District Taupo District (part) Rotorua District (part)

Territorial authorities in Waikato region

The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District. It is governed by the Waikato Regional Council, which administers the region under the name Environment Waikato.

The region stretches from Coromandel Peninsula in the north, to the north-eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu in the south, and spans the North Island from the west coast, through the Waikato and Hauraki to Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast. Broadly, the extent of the region is the Waikato River catchment. Other major catchments are those of the Waihou, Piako, Awakino and Mokau rivers. The region is bounded by Auckland on the north, Bay of Plenty on the east, Hawke's Bay on the south-east, and Manawatu-Wanganui and Taranaki on the south. Waikato Region is the 4th-largest region in the country in terms of both area and population: it has an area of 25,000 km² and a population of 472,100 (June 2018).

The region encompasses all or part of eleven territorial authorities, the most of any region of New Zealand. It is centred on the Waikato which consists of Waikato District, Matamata-Piako District, Waipa District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City. In descending order of land area the eleven territorial authorities are: Taupo District (part), Waitomo District (part), Waikato District, Thames-Coromandel District, Otorohanga District, South Waikato District, Matamata-Piako District, Waipa District, Hauraki District, Rotorua District (part), and Hamilton City.

The name for the region is taken from the Waikato River; waikato is a Māori word traditionally translated as "flowing water" (specifically, wai = "water" and kato = "the pull of the river current in the sea").

Cities and towns

Main article: List of localities in Waikato

Map of population density in the Waikato Region (2006 census)

The largest city in the Waikato Region is Hamilton, with an urban and peri-urban population of 241,200 (June 2018). It is home to the University of Waikato and the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec).

Other major towns in the region are Tokoroa, Te Awamutu, Cambridge and Taupo with respective populations of 14,050, 17,500, 20,600 and 24,700. (These populations include the urban and peri-urban areas). The region also includes the smaller towns of Huntly, Matamata, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia, Otorohanga, Paeroa, Putaruru, Raglan, Te Aroha Te Kauwhata, Te Kuiti, Thames, Tirau, Tuakau, Turangi, Whangamata and Whitianga.

Geography

Waikato River passing through Hamilton

To the west, the region is bounded by the Tasman Sea. The coastal region is largely rough hill country, known locally as the Hakarimata Range, though it is more gently undulating in the north, closer to the mouth of the Waikato River. The coast is punctured by three large natural harbours: Raglan Harbour, Aotea Harbour, and Kawhia Harbour. The area around Raglan is noted for its volcanic black sand beaches, and also for its fine surfing conditions at Manu Bay and Ruapuke beach.

To the east of the coastal hills lies the broad floodplain of the Waikato River. This region has a wet temperate climate, and the land is largely pastoral farmland created by European settlers draining the extensive natural swamps, although it also contains undrained peat swamp. It is in the broad undulating Waikato Plains that most of the region's population resides, and the land is intensively farmed with both livestock, mainly dairy cattle but with sheep farming on the hillier west margins, and crops such as maize. The area around Cambridge has many thoroughbred stables.

The north of the region around Te Kauwhata produces some of New Zealand's best wines. Dozens of small shallow lakes lie in this area, the largest of which is Lake Waikare.

To the east, the land rises towards the forested slopes of the Kaimai and Mamaku Ranges. The upper reaches of the Waikato River are used for hydroelectricity, helped by several large artificial lakes in the region's south-east. The lowest and earliest-created such lake is Lake Karapiro, now developed as a world-class rowing centre, where the world championships were held in 2010. The river flows out of the country's largest lake, Lake Taupo, which is served by several important fishing rivers such as the Tongariro, on the Central Plateau, draining the eastern side of Mount Ruapehu and its neighbours.

The climate is mild and temperate with moderate rainfall of 1200–1600mm per annum, with the higher western hills having the most rain. Summers are drier with maximum temperatures of 25–28 degrees Celsius. Summer droughts occur one year in ten. Winter maximums are 12–15 degrees Celsius. The lower areas experience regular morning fog, under anticyclonic conditions, which burns off by late morning to produce many still, clear sunny days. Morning frosts are also common during winter anticyclones. Another distinctive feature is the low average wind speed in the interior basin due to the sheltering influence of the hills and mountains to the west and south-west. The prevailing winter wind is from the south-west. The Waikato has very high sunshine hours by world standards, averaging 2200 hours per year or about 40% higher than in the UK. This results in rapid growth of grass, crops and ornamental plants.

Economy

The Waikato Region is the fourth largest regional economy in New Zealand after Auckland Region, Canterbury Region and Wellington Region. Gross regional product (GRP) for the year ended March 2007 was estimated to be $15,606 million compared with $12,493 million in March 2004.

Between 2000 and 2004, Waikato economic growth was lower than the national average. But from 2004 to 2007, real gross regional product for the Waikato Region increased by 5 per cent per year compared with 3.2 per cent for the national average. This faster growth can be attributed to rapidly growing dairy and business services industries, facilitated by proximity to the Auckland city, the main international gateway for New Zealand.

Given the suitable geography and climate, the Waikato economy is strongly based on agriculture, especially dairy. Dairy farming has been the main agricultural activity since the late nineteenth century. Within the Waikato region, small co-operative dairy companies where widespread during the 20th century. Towards the end of the 20th century, frequent mergers of co-operative dairy companies occurred, which ultimately ended in the formation of New Zealand wide dairy co-operative Fonterra in 2001. In 2007, dairy farming and dairy processing combined contributed $2 billion (13%) to GRP. Business services is the second largest sector in the Waikato Region, contributing $1.2 billion or 8 per cent of GRP in 2007.

Dairy farms are mainly family owned with owners employing sharemilkers in many cases. The size of the average dairy herd has progressively increased and is now about 400 cows, milked in either a herringbone or automated rotary cowshed so a large herd can be milked in under two hours. The cows are kept on grassland pasture all year due to the mild climate. In the Waikato the original English grasses used by earlier settlers – browntop, fescue and Yorkshire Fog – have been replaced with higher producing Italian ryegrass and nitrogen-fixing white clover. Farmers use a variety of supplementary feeds in winter or during the infrequent summer droughts. Main feeds are hay, grass silage and chopped corn feed. The later is often fed out on a concrete pad to save transportation and wastage by trampling.

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Waikato contained the third most densely populated part of New Zealand, after Northland/Auckland and the Bay of Plenty. The Waikato rohe (area) was inhabited by iwi (tribes) such as those of the Tainui confederation, including Waikato and Ngāti Toa. Between about 1750 and 1842 the area was subject to a large number of invasions by Maori and large scale population movement by a number of hapu and iwi. The largest battle ever fought in New Zealand took place near Ohaupo about 1790-1805, between two competing alliances of hapu. During the latter stages, known as the Musket Wars (1807-1842), conflict led to a migration south to Taranaki and eventually Kapiti Island. From 1839 missionaries such as the Rev B Ashwell, based in Te Awamutu, began to have a strong civilizing influence on local Maori with the introduction of christianity. In 1841 the Rev John Morgan took over and expanded the missionary role into farming and milling of wheat. In the 20 years he was in the Waikato he assisted Maori in establishing 8 flour mills,helping to find qualified millers and assisting Maori with financial arrangements. By 1850 450 acres were in wheat, centred on the Rangiaowhia settlement. Wheat was taken to Auckland by waka and schooner and even sent overseas during the gold rush in Victoria and California 1849-1852. Other crops introduced by the missionaries were peach, apple ,plum and almond trees as well as potatoes, oats and barley. Morgan also introduced English grass seed such as Fescue and Yorkshire fog which provided superior food for the small number of cows and cattle. In his 1859 visit the geologist Hochstetter commented on the Europeanized landscape of the wider Te Awamutu area under the guiding hand of Morgan. At the time of the Waikato campaign of 1863 against the rebel Māori King Movement forces, the population was estimated by the government at about 3,500 Maori.

The Waikato has a prominent history, particularly regarding relationships between Māori and European in early colonial New Zealand. The Waikato was within the defined boundaries of the colonial provinces of New Ulster (1841–1853) and Auckland (1853–1876), but was principally Māori. During the land wars of the 1860s, the Waikato was the scene of five battles in what is referred to as the Invasion of the Waikato. In retaliation for the help Waikato Māori (mainly Ngāti Maniapoto) gave Taranaki Māori in their conflict over land in the earlier First Taranaki War, and the decision by some Waikato hapu to form a separate kingdom – the King Movement or Kingitanga – in opposition to the government, the colonial government, with the help of troops brought from Britain and Queenite Maori loyal to the Crown, pushed south from the main settlement of Auckland, fighting against Waikato raiders in Auckland before venturing into the Waikato to attack the combined hapu of the King Movement. During 1863 and 1864 fighting occurred at Pukekohe East, Titi hill, Burtts Farm, Galloway Redoubt, Kiri Kiri, Martyn's Farm, Patumahoe, Rhodes Clearing, Williamson's Clearing, Otau, Camerontown, Kakaramea and Wairoa ranges (all Auckland), Meremere, Rangiriri, Ngaruawahia, Rangiaowhia (southwest of Cambridge), Hairini Ridge and Orakau (near Kihikihi), all resulting in defeat for the Kingitanga forces. Eventually the rebel King Movement forces pulled back to positions in the area to the south of the Punui River in South Waikato, still known as the King Country, after 19 defeats by the British. Rewi's Last Stand, one of New Zealand's first motion pictures, in 1925, portrayed an entertaining but fictionalized version of the Orakau siege.

The headquarters of the Māori King Movement are now at Turangawaewae Marae at Ngaruawahia.

Politics

In the 2010 local government elections, the Waikato Region had the country's lowest rate of returned votes, with only 30.8 per cent voting in the Waikato District Council elections and 33.6 per cent in Hamilton City.

People

The people of the Waikato use the nickname Mooloo to apply to themselves or to their region, particularly in relation to sporting endeavours. The word was likely first applied to the Waikato provincial rugby team. Its origin is related to the mascot of a pantomime-like milking cow used in parades, public events and sports matches — particularly rugby, reflecting the importance of the dairy industry to the region. Waikato hosts the Chiefs Super Rugby team and Waikato ITM Cup rugby team at Waikato Stadium and the Northern Districts Knights in domestic cricket at Seddon Park, both in Hamilton.

Notable people from this area

• Jim Bolger — former Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Helen Clark — former Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Don Clarke — rugby international
• The Datsuns — rock band
• Tim and Neil Finn — songwriters and musicians (Split Enz, Crowded House)
• Rangimarie Hetet — of Oparure Marae. Died aged 103 years; regarded as living treasure of Māori handcrafts, with honorary degrees.
• Dame Malvina Major — acclaimed international singer
• Bruce McLaren — motor racing driver and team founder
• Colin Meads — rugby international
• Simon Poelman — New Zealand decathlete
• Eva Rickard — of Tainui descent; leader and defender of Māori land rights
• Hilda Ross — humanitarian, first woman elected to the Hamilton Borough Council, MP
• Frank Sargeson — celebrated NZ writer.
• Peter Snell, gold medal winning distance runner at the 1964 Olympics
• Dame Catherine Tizard (née Mclean) — former Mayor of Auckland and first woman Governor-General of New Zealand
• Mark Todd — Olympic equestrian, "Horseman of the Century"
• Te Atairangikaahu — Māori Queen 1966-2006
• Te Puea Herangi — Māori princess and leader
• Te Rauparaha — Māori chieftain and warrior
• Tuheitia Paki — Māori King 2006–present
• Wiremu Tamihana Te Piripi Te Waharoa — Māori King kingmaker
• Jools and Lynda Topp — comedy duo
• Tawera Nikau — rugby league footballer and sports broadcaster
• Maurice Shadbolt — celebrated New Zealand writer
• Rob Hamill — champion rower and author.

External links

• Waikato Regional Council
• Hamilton & Waikato Tourism