Central Hawke's Bay District

Central Hawke's Bay District
Central Hawke's Bay District
Territorial authority
	Waipawa
Country	New Zealand
Region	Hawke's Bay
District	Central Hawke's Bay District Council
Wards	Aramoana-Ruahine (rural); Ruataniwha (urban)
Seat	Waipawa
Government
• Mayor	Alex Walker
• Deputy Mayor	Kelly Annand
Area
• Total	3,327.92 km2 (1,284.92 sq mi)
Population (June 2020)
• Total	15,250
• Density	4.6/km2 (12/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)	Map of postcodes
Website	chbdc.govt.nz

Central Hawke's Bay District is part of the Hawke's Bay Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Formed in 1989, it has an area of 3,327.92 square kilometres with a population of 15,250 (June 2020).^[1] It had a population of 12,717 people as of the 2013 census. This is a decrease of 237 people, or 1.8 percent, since the 2006 census.^[2] It covers the area from Pukehou in the north to Takapau in the south, and from the western Ruahine Range to the Pacific coast in the east.

History[]

Central Hawke's Bay District was formed through the 1989 local government reforms by amalgamating Waipukurau and Waipawa districts.^[3]

Access[]

State Highway 2 runs through the centre of Central Hawke's Bay leading south to Palmerston North (108 km) and the Wairarapa and north to Hastings (50 km) and Napier. It is 70 kilometres to Napier Port and 75 kilometres to Napier Airport. The Palmerston North – Gisborne railway line runs through the district with one station at Waipukurau. This line connects to the Wairarapa Line at Woodville, and continues through the Manawatu Gorge to Palmerston North.

Each of the four corners of the district has a marae. These are at Pukehou, , Pōrangahau and Takapau.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	12,957	—
2013	12,717	−0.27%
2018	14,142	+2.15%
Source: ^[4]

Central Hawke's Bay District had a population of 14,142 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,425 people (11.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,185 people (9.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 5,418 households. There were 7,014 males and 7,125 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age was 44.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 2,943 people (20.8%) aged under 15 years, 1,974 (14.0%) aged 15 to 29, 6,426 (45.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,796 (19.8%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 83.1% European/Pākehā, 23.7% Māori, 2.9% Pacific peoples, 2.5% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 12.1%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 50.8% had no religion, 37.2% were Christian, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.3% were Buddhist and 3.8% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,482 (13.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 2,631 (23.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 5,640 (50.4%) people were employed full-time, 1,746 (15.6%) were part-time, and 330 (2.9%) were unemployed.^[4]

Individual wards
Name	Population	Households	Median age	Median income
Aramoana-Ruahine Ward	7,074	2,592	42.6 years	$32,000
Ruataniwha Ward	7,068	2,826	45.9 years	$26,900
New Zealand			37.4 years	$31,800

Towns and local government[]

The district is administered by the Central Hawke's Bay District Council with the seat in the town of Waipawa. The two main towns are Waipukurau (population 4,610) and Waipawa (2,250)^[1] and smaller townships include Ōtāne, Takapau, Tikokino and Ongaonga. There are also several small beach communities including Kairakau, Pourerere, Aramoana, Blackhead and Pōrangahau.

Central Hawke's Bay District is divided into 2 wards: