Matakana Island

Matakana Island
Location of Matakana Island
Geography
Location Bay of Plenty Region
Coordinates 37°35′S 176°05′E / 37.583°S 176.083°E / -37.583; 176.083Coordinates: 37°35′S 176°05′E / 37.583°S 176.083°E / -37.583; 176.083
Total islands 5
Area 60.7 km2 (23.4 sq mi)
Length 20 km (12 mi)
Width 3 km (1.9 mi)
Highest elevation 18 m (59 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population 255 (2013 Census)
Pop. density 4.2 /km2 (10.9 /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 2013 Census, the island has a population of 255 people, up from 225 people in the 2006 Census.[1] This makes Matakana Island the third least populated area in the Western Bay of Plenty. There are only 90 inhabited dwellings.[2] Most persons living on the island belong to the Ratana Church or the Catholic Church,

History

Between 1993 and 1999 the ownership of Matakana Island's 10,000 acres (4,047 ha) forest and freehold land was in dispute. The case Arklow Investments Limited and Christopher Wingate v I.D. MacLean and others was appealed the New Zealand High Court to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.[3]

Geography

The island protects the entrance to the Tauranga harbour and stretches from Bowentown to Mount Maunganui.[4] Matakana Island is largely covered with pine trees although some land is cleared for the residents. Matakana Island has a relatively small population density of 4.2, though still more than the West Coast(1.3 as of the 2006 Census).[5] The island is the third largest by area associated with the North Island, or the fifteenth largest within New Zealand waters.

The island's long, white sandy beach is popular with surfers. Surfers can either catch a water taxi from Mount Maunganui or paddle to the island across the mouth of Tauranga Harbour (depending on weather conditions). Matakana's surf side is a nesting site for a large number of sea birds, including the endangered New Zealand dotterel.[6] In 2007 the New Zealand Fisheries Management Research Database recorded and estimated that there were 325 sting rays inhabiting the estuarial waters between Matakana Island and Rangiwaea Island.

Culture

There are marae (tribal meeting grounds) on Matakana Island, belonging to the hapū (sub-tribes) of the Ngāi Tahu iwi (tribe). Each marae has a wharenui (meeting house). Kutaroa marae is affiliated with Ngāti Tauaiti, and includes the Tauaiti wharenui. Te Rangihouhiri marae, also known as Oruarahi, is affiliated with Ngāi Tamawhariua and includes Te Rangihouhiri wharenui. Opureora marae is affiliated with both Ngāi Tuwhiwhia and Ngāti Tauaiti, and includes the Tuwhiwhia meeting house.[7][8]

There is also a marae on Rangiwaea Island, called Rangiwaea marae; it is affiliated with the Ngāi Tauwhao hapū and includes Te Haka a Te Tupere meeting house.[7][8] Another marae, called Oponui marae, was dismantled between the 1980s and 2007; the marae site is affiliated with Te Ngare hapū and included the Romainohorangi wharenui.[7][9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sunlive.co.nz/mobile/news/55970-more-than-6000-pyes-pa.html
  2. ↑ "Census 2006". Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
  3. ↑ "Arklow Investments Limited and "Christopher Wingate v I.D. MacLean and others" (PDF). Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. 1 December 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  4. ↑ http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/tauranga_local_history/topics/show/219-matak
  5. ↑ http://m.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/housing/housing-indicators/2-living-density?sc_device=default
  6. ↑ http://www.tikitouring.co.nz/bop-tauranga-watertaxi.htm
  7. 1 2 3 "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  8. 1 2 "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  9. ↑ "Tauwhao-Te Ngare Trust Cultural Values Assessment" (PDF). westernbay.govt.nz. Boffa Miskell Limited.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.