Rahotu

Quality 0.50 · 0 views · Updated 2 months ago

Settlement in Taranaki Region, New Zealand

title: "Rahotu" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["south-taranaki-district", "populated-places-in-taranaki"] description: "Settlement in Taranaki Region, New Zealand" topic_path: "general/south-taranaki-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahotu" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Settlement in Taranaki Region, New Zealand ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Rahotu
native_name
settlement_type	Rural settlement
etymology	rā: sun; hotu: to long for
mapframe	yes
mapframe-zoom	9
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	New Zealand
subdivision_type1	Region
subdivision_name1	Taranaki
subdivision_type2	Territorial authority
subdivision_name2	South Taranaki District
subdivision_type3	Wards
subdivision_name3
subdivision_type4	Community
subdivision_name4	Taranaki Coastal Community
subdivision_type5	Iwi
subdivision_name5	Taranaki
established_title	Settled
established_date
seat_type	Electorates
seat
leader_title	Territorial Authority
leader_name	South Taranaki District Council
leader_title1	Regional council
leader_name1	Taranaki Regional Council
leader_title2	Mayor of South Taranaki
leader_name2
leader_title3	New Plymouth MP
leader_name3
leader_title4	Te Tai Hauāuru MP
leader_name4
unit_pref	Metric
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	75.15
population_footnotes
population_as_of	2018
population_total	483
population_density_km2	auto
postal_code_type	Postcodes
postal_code	4684, 4685
area_code	06
::

Rahotu () is a rural settlement in the North Island of New Zealand, located within the Taranaki region and governed by the South Taranaki District Council. Positioned along State Highway 45, it lies between Ōpunake to the south and New Plymouth to the north. According to the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the Māori meaning of Rahotu is "long for the sun".

History

The first recorded interaction between Māori and Europeans in the area occurred on 29 April 1834, when the ship Harriet was wrecked off the coast. Among those on board was Captain Guard, a whaler traveling from Sydney to his whaling station at Port Underwood, along with his wife and two young children. All passengers safely reached shore and set up camp near the mouth of the Okahu River. Initially, their encounter with local Māori appeared friendly, but tensions soon escalated into conflict. Captain Guard and some of his companions managed to escape, while his wife and children were captured and held as prisoners before eventually being released unharmed.

Before 1880, the land between Ōpunake and Ōkato was closed to overseas visitors, as it was controlled by Chief Tohu Kākahi and Prophet Te Whiti o Rongomai. However, the government later decided to open the area for settlement. In May 1880, six hundred armed constabulary advanced from both ends of the territory, constructing and surveying what is now State Highway 45. The two contingents met near present-day Pungarehu and took possession of Rahotu in 1881 by seizing both Māori pā on either side of the newly established road. The northern pā, situated at the southwest corner of the domain, gave Rahotu its name. Once occupied, the domain was established as a site for sports activities.

The confiscated land near present-day Rahotu was retained by the government and used as a military base to house armed constabulary during and after the 1881 invasion of Parihaka. With Parihaka reduced to a smaller village and its leaders imprisoned, the government no longer needed the base and sought funding through land sales. The property boundaries extended along and down two tracks now known as Coast Road and Tipoka Road. On 18 October 1883, William Ralston Wright purchased the land. As late as 1886, cottages were still being built in the area, which had previously served as a tent encampment leading to Parihaka. It was officially recognised as a new district around this time.

Demographics

Rahotu locality covers 75.15 km2. The locality is part of the larger Parihaka statistical area.

Rahotu had a population of 483 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 30 people (6.6%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 6 people (−1.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 264 males, 222 females, and 3 people of other genders in 186 dwellings. 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 99 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 102 (21.1%) aged 15 to 29, 222 (46.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 63 (13.0%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 76.4% European (Pākehā), 36.0% Māori, 2.5% Pasifika, 6.8% Asian, and 3.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.8%, Māori by 4.3%, and other languages by 3.7%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 9.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 28.0% Christian, 1.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% Jewish, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 55.9%, and 12.4% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 27 (7.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 216 (56.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 135 (35.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 21 people (5.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 189 (49.2%) full-time, 63 (16.4%) part-time, and 15 (3.9%) unemployed.

Parihaka statistical area

Parihaka statistical area, which was called Cape Egmont statistical area before 2023, also includes Warea, Pungarehu, Parihaka, and Oaonui. It covers 434.16 km2 and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.

Parihaka had a population of 2,262 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 195 people (9.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 156 people (7.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,179 males, 1,071 females, and 12 people of other genders in 828 dwellings. 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 35.6 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 549 people (24.3%) aged under 15 years, 423 (18.7%) aged 15 to 29, 1,053 (46.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 240 (10.6%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 81.7% European (Pākehā); 30.2% Māori; 1.9% Pasifika; 3.4% Asian; 0.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.9% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori by 6.9%, Samoan by 0.1%, and other languages by 3.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 27.9% Christian, 0.4% Hindu, 1.7% Māori religious beliefs, 0.1% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 59.7%, and 9.0% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 195 (11.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,005 (58.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 513 (29.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 168 people (9.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 924 (53.9%) full-time, 273 (15.9%) part-time, and 42 (2.5%) unemployed.

Education

Rahotu School is a co-educational primary school for students in Years 1 to 8, with an enrolment of as of Established in 1884, the school originally consisted of a single classroom during the town’s early settlement period. In 1953, a new block of classrooms was constructed, and the original building was repurposed as the school hall.

Notable people

Percy Hickey (1899–1943), rugby union player

References

(16 September 2024). "1000 Māori place names". Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
(1 June 2003). "Opunake Heritage Inventory". South Taranaki District Council.
(19 June 2017). "Opunake Historical Notes Collection". Pandora Research.
(7 October 2020). "The Wrights and The Dohertys". Walking to Donegal.
(16 March 2010). "Architectural History Aotearoa". Victoria University of Wellington.
"Stats NZ Geographic Data Service".
"Geographic Boundary Viewer". Stats NZ.
{{NZ census 2018. 7017367, 7017372 and 7017373
"Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer.
"Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer.
"Stats NZ Geographic Data Service".
{{NZ census 2018. Cape Egmont (220500). cape-egmont. Cape Egmont
"Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer.
"Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer.
{{TKI. 1679. Rahotu School
(1984). "Rahotu School and District Centenary 1884-1984".
"History and Direction". Rahotu School.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::