Te Puke

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Town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

title: "Te Puke" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["western-bay-of-plenty-district", "populated-places-in-the-bay-of-plenty-region"] description: "Town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand" topic_path: "general/western-bay-of-plenty-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Puke" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand ::

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

FieldValue
nameTe Puke
image_skylineKiwi360 Yellow.JPG
image_captionThe giant kiwifruit in Te Puke
mapframeyes
mapframe-zoom9
coordinates
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameNew Zealand
subdivision_type1Region
subdivision_name1Bay of Plenty
subdivision_type2Territorial authority
subdivision_name2Western Bay of Plenty District
subdivision_type3Ward
subdivision_name3Maketu-Te Puke Ward
subdivision_type4Community
subdivision_name4Te Puke Community
leader_titleTerritorial authority
leader_nameWestern Bay of Plenty District Council
leader_title1Regional council
leader_name1Bay of Plenty Regional Council
leader_title2Mayor of Western Bay of Plenty
leader_name2
leader_title3Rotorua MP
leader_name3
leader_title4Waiariki MP
leader_name4
seat_typeElectorates
seat
established_datepre-European
established_titleSettled
established_date11880
established_title1Founded
area_footnotes
area_total_km212.13
population_footnotes
population_total
population_as_of
population_density_km2auto
timezoneNZST
utc_offset+12
timezone_DSTNZDT
utc_offset_DST+13
postal_code_typePostcode
postal_code3119
area_code07
website
::

|name = Te Puke |image_skyline = Kiwi360 Yellow.JPG |image_alt = |image_caption = The giant kiwifruit in Te Puke | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 9 |coordinates = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = New Zealand |subdivision_type1 = Region |subdivision_name1 = Bay of Plenty |subdivision_type2 = Territorial authority |subdivision_name2 = Western Bay of Plenty District |subdivision_type3 = Ward |subdivision_name3 = Maketu-Te Puke Ward |subdivision_type4 = Community |subdivision_name4 = Te Puke Community |leader_title = Territorial authority |leader_name = Western Bay of Plenty District Council |leader_title1 = Regional council |leader_name1 = Bay of Plenty Regional Council |leader_title2 = Mayor of Western Bay of Plenty |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = Rotorua MP |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = Waiariki MP |leader_name4 = |seat_type = Electorates |seat = |established_date = pre-European |established_title = Settled |established_date1 = 1880 |established_title1 = Founded |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = 12.13 |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = |population_footnotes = |population_total = |population_as_of = |population_density_km2 = auto |timezone = NZST |utc_offset = +12 |timezone_DST = NZDT |utc_offset_DST = +13 |postal_code_type = Postcode |postal_code = 3119 |area_code = 07 |website =

Te Puke ( ) is a town located 18 km southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for the cultivation of kiwifruit.

Te Puke is close to Tauranga and Maketu, which are both coastal towns/cities, as well as the small townships of Waitangi, Manoeka, Pongakawa, and Paengaroa. The Tauranga Eastern Link, completed in 2015, moved State Highway 2 away from Te Puke and removed large volumes of traffic from its streets.

The town's name comes from the Māori language, which translates to the hill; it is on a hill near the Papamoa Hills.

Demographics

Te Puke covers 12.13 km2 and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.

Te Puke had a population of 9,114 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 483 people (5.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,788 people (24.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 4,530 males, 4,566 females, and 15 people of other genders in 2,964 dwellings. 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 35.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,782 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 1,803 (19.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,912 (42.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,614 (17.7%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 61.1% European (Pākehā); 29.0% Māori; 4.9% Pasifika; 20.3% Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 92.7%, Māori by 7.0%, Samoan by 0.5%, and other languages by 16.3%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 25.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 26.6% Christian, 3.0% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 3.7% Māori religious beliefs, 1.0% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, and 11.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 47.1%, and 7.0% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,116 (15.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,750 (51.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 2,472 (33.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 399 people (5.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 3,687 (50.3%) full-time, 900 (12.3%) part-time, and 273 (3.7%) unemployed.

::data[format=table title="Individual statistical areas"] | Name | Area (km2) | Population | Density (per km2) || Dwellings | Median age | Median income | New Zealand | 38.1 years | $41,500 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Te Puke West | 8.11 | 3,597 | 444 | 1,089 | 33.1 years | $38,500 | | | | Te Puke East | 2.18 | 2,736 | 1,255 | 936 | 36.1 years | $35,300 | | | | Te Puke South | 1.84 | 2,775 | 1,508 | 942 | 40.3 years | $36,600 | | | ::

History

Settlement

Development

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Main_Street,Te_Puke-_Photograph_by_Henry_Winkelmann.jpg" caption="View of the main street of Te Puke in 1915"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/View_of_Main_Street_in_Te_Puke,_1924._ATLIB_293908.png" caption="View of Main Street in 1924 including Alexander & Dowdy real estate agents, building and Farmers' Union Trading Company"] ::

Railway

The East Coast Main Trunk Railway passes through Te Puke and opened in 1928. Rail passenger services were provided by the Taneatua Express which operated between Auckland and Taneatua between 1928 and 1959. In February 1959, the steam hauled express train service was replaced by a railcar service operated by 88 seaters that only ran as far as Te Puke. The railcar service operated between 1959 and 1967, when it was cancelled due to both mechanical problems with the railcars and poor patronage, the latter largely due to the circuitous and time-consuming rail route between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty at that time.

Horticulture

Marae

There are five marae in Te Puke, affiliated with local iwi and hapū:

Economy

Agriculture is the backbone of the district's economy. The warm, moist climate and fertile soils are favourable for horticulture, with production of kiwifruit, avocados and citrus fruit such as lemons and oranges. The town markets itself as the "Kiwifruit capital of the world". Dairy cattle and other livestock are also farmed.

Today, Te Puke is a thriving town with a reasonably large main shopping street, Jellicoe Street, which is also the main road passing through Te Puke. There are a number of schools, religious organisations, cultural groups, and a variety of clubs in the town.

A large number of residents work picking or packing kiwifruit during April or May, as well as others coming from other nearby towns and cities. It can swell past 10,000 some seasons.

Education

Te Puke High School is the town's co-educational state high school for Year 9 to 13 students, with a roll of as of . Te Puke District High School opened in 1923, and became Te Puke High School in 1954.

Te Puke has two state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Fairhaven School, with a roll of , and Te Puke Primary School, with a roll of . Fairhaven School includes a Māori language immersion unit. The school opened in 1957. Te Puke Primary School opened in 1883.

It has one state intermediate school for Year 7 to 8 students: Te Puke Intermediate, with a roll of . The school includes a bilingual learning programme in Māori.

Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Matai is a co-educational state Māori language immersion primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of . It opened in 1887 and became a full immersion Māori language school in 1996. Following a decline in roll, it made English a compulsory subject in 2010. The school is located 3 km southeast of Te Puke.

Climate

|metric first=y |single line=y |location = Te Puke (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973–present) | Jan record high C = 32.5 | Feb record high C = 33.0 | Mar record high C = 30.1 | Apr record high C = 27.4 | May record high C = 24.0 | Jun record high C = 20.6 | Jul record high C = 19.5 | Aug record high C = 20.5 | Sep record high C = 24.9 | Oct record high C = 25.3 | Nov record high C = 31.5 | Dec record high C = 32.2 | year record high C = | Jan avg record high C = 28.3 | Feb avg record high C = 28.6 | Mar avg record high C = 26.5 | Apr avg record high C = 24.3 | May avg record high C = 21.4 | Jun avg record high C = 18.5 | Jul avg record high C = 17.7 | Aug avg record high C = 18.6 | Sep avg record high C = 21.0 | Oct avg record high C = 22.8 | Nov avg record high C = 25.6 | Dec avg record high C = 26.7 | year avg record high C = 29.5 |Jan high C = 24.0 |Feb high C = 24.1 |Mar high C = 22.6 |Apr high C = 20.2 |May high C = 17.6 |Jun high C = 15.1 |Jul high C = 14.4 |Aug high C = 15.3 |Sep high C = 16.8 |Oct high C = 18.5 |Nov high C = 20.3 |Dec high C = 22.2 | year high C = |Jan mean C = 18.8 |Feb mean C = 19.1 |Mar mean C = 17.4 |Apr mean C = 15.1 |May mean C = 12.7 |Jun mean C = 10.4 |Jul mean C = 9.8 |Aug mean C = 10.4 |Sep mean C = 12.0 |Oct mean C = 13.6 |Nov mean C = 15.2 |Dec mean C = 17.4 | year mean C = |Jan low C = 13.6 |Feb low C = 14.1 |Mar low C = 12.2 |Apr low C = 10.0 |May low C = 7.8 |Jun low C = 5.6 |Jul low C = 5.2 |Aug low C = 5.5 |Sep low C = 7.2 |Oct low C = 8.7 |Nov low C = 10.0 |Dec low C = 12.6 | year low C = | Jan avg record low C = 7.9 | Feb avg record low C = 8.6 | Mar avg record low C = 7.0 | Apr avg record low C = 3.8 | May avg record low C = 1.6 | Jun avg record low C = 0.0 | Jul avg record low C = -0.4 | Aug avg record low C = -0.1 | Sep avg record low C = 1.5 | Oct avg record low C = 2.5 | Nov avg record low C = 4.0 | Dec avg record low C = 6.9 | year avg record low C = -1.2 |Jan record low C = 2.4 |Feb record low C = 3.4 |Mar record low C = 1.3 |Apr record low C = 0.0 |May record low C = -2.0 |Jun record low C = -3.5 |Jul record low C = -2.9 |Aug record low C = -2.6 |Sep record low C = -0.5 |Oct record low C = -0.3 |Nov record low C = 0.7 |Dec record low C = 2.0 |year record low C = |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 96.6 |Feb rain mm = 119.3 |Mar rain mm = 128.8 |Apr rain mm = 173.0 |May rain mm = 148.9 |Jun rain mm = 174.8 |Jul rain mm = 168.0 |Aug rain mm = 156.4 |Sep rain mm = 130.6 |Oct rain mm = 118.7 |Nov rain mm = 93.0 |Dec rain mm = 136.2 |year rain mm = |source 1 = Earth Sciences NZ{{cite web |url = https://data.niwa.co.nz/ |title = Datahub (Agent number: 1645, 1646, 12428) |publisher = Earth Sciences New Zealand |access-date = 9 Oct 2025}}

References

References

  1. "Te Puke Township, Kiwifrut Capital of the World".
  2. (8 March 2013). "Kia ora: Te Puke". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
  3. "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service".
  4. {{NZ census 2018. Te Puke West (191900) and Te Puke East (192100)
  5. "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer.
  6. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer.
  7. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer.
  8. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer.
  9. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer.
  10. T. A. McGavin. (Spring 1967). "Railcars No More to Whangarei, Tauranga or Westport". [[New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society]].
  11. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". [[Te Puni Kōkiri]].
  12. "Māori Maps". Te Potiki National Trust.
  13. (9 October 2020). "Marae Announcements". [[Provincial Growth Fund]].
  14. "Te Puke High School Official School Website".
  15. "Te Puke High School Ministry of Education School Profile". [[Ministry of Education (New Zealand).
  16. "Te Puke High School Education Review Office Report". [[Education Review Office]].
  17. Gemming, Jack. (1998). "Te Puke High School 75 years : secondary education jubilee, 1923-1998". Te Puke High School 75th Jubilee Executive Committee.
  18. "Fairhaven School Official School Website".
  19. "Fairhaven School Ministry of Education School Profile". [[Ministry of Education (New Zealand).
  20. "Fairhaven School Education Review Office Report". [[Education Review Office]].
  21. "Te Puke Primary School Official School Website".
  22. "Te Puke Primary School Ministry of Education School Profile". [[Ministry of Education (New Zealand).
  23. "Te Puke Primary School Education Review Office Report". [[Education Review Office]].
  24. "Māori Immersion". Fairhaven School.
  25. (1982). "Fairhaven School 25th jubilee, 1957-1982". Fairhaven School.
  26. Malcolm, Lesley Ann. (1983). "Reflections of the past : Te Puke Primary School centenary, 1883-1983". Te Puke Primary School Centennial Committee.
  27. "Te Puke Intermediate Ministry of Education School Profile". [[Ministry of Education (New Zealand).
  28. "Te Puke Intermediate Education Review Office Report". [[Education Review Office]].
  29. "Charter 2022". Te Puke Intermediate.
  30. "Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Matai Ministry of Education School Profile". [[Ministry of Education (New Zealand).
  31. "Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Matai Education Review Office Report". [[Education Review Office]].
  32. Boyer, Sam. (9 February 2012). "Rosy future for Te Matai school". [[Bay of Plenty Times]].

::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. ::

western-bay-of-plenty-districtpopulated-places-in-the-bay-of-plenty-region