Dairy Flat is a rural district 8 km south of Orewa

Orewa

Orewa, a town in New Zealand's North Island lies on the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the base of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and 40 kilometres north of central Auckland. Orewa's population was 7,326 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 1,692 from 2001. It is a popular holiday destination...

 beach in the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, 28 km north of central Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

. Until the early 1990s most of the district was in dairy farms of 40 to 60 hectares (100 to 150 acres), but with the growth of Auckland City and the extension of the Northern Motorway into the area, these are being gradually subdivided into lifestyle blocks of around 2 to 5 hectares (5 to 12 acres), many of which are grazing sheep, horses, beef cattle or deer. Although it still retains a rural character, it is counted as part of the Auckland urban area in official statistics.

The population of Dairy Flat and the surrounding area was 2,151 in the 2006 Census

New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings

The New Zealand government department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. The census scheduled for 2011 was cancelled due to circumstances surrounding the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, however, and legislation introduced to hold the next...

, an increase of 504 from 2001.

'Dairy Flat' lies within the Rodney District on State Highway 1 and State Highway 17.

There is a small village shopping centre and the Dairy Flat Primary School. A major facility is the North Shore Aerodrome

North Shore Aerodrome

North Shore Aerodrome sometimes also called Dairy Flat airfield, is a small, uncontrolled aerodrome located south southwest of Silverdale, near Auckland in New Zealand's North Island.- Operational Information :*Lighting...

 owned and operated by the North Shore Aero Club. In addition to club and private aircraft, the field is used by Great Barrier Airlines

Great Barrier Airlines

Great Barrier Airlines is a New Zealand airline that was established in 1983. They flew their first scheduled service to Great Barrier Island in December 1983, departing from Ardmore Airport, an airport three nautical miles southeast of Manurewa in Auckland, New Zealand.The head office is located...

 to run a scheduled air service in 12 seat aircraft to Great Barrier Island

Great Barrier Island

Great Barrier Island is a large island of New Zealand, situated to the north-east of central Auckland in the outer Hauraki Gulf. With an area of it is the fourth-largest island of New Zealand's main chain of islands, with its highest point, Mount Hobson, rising...

, some 40 nm

Nautical mile

The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...

 (75 km) offshore.

Education

Dairy Flat School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating

Socio-Economic Decile

Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....

 of 10 and a roll of 219. The school was established in 1878.

The secondary schools serving Dairy Flat are Orewa College

Orewa College

Orewa College is a Year 7 to 13 college/high school in Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast, north of Auckland, New Zealand.The 2007 roll is 1,696. The school has strong music, media, drama and sport departments with a prosperous international programme...

, Westlake Boys High School, Westlake Girls High School, Long Bay College

Long Bay College

Long Bay College is a secondary school in New Zealand with over 1,500 students. The school offers a wide variety of sports and arts and boasts a high overall academic achievement within the school.-Location:...

 and Rangitoto College

Rangitoto College

Rangitoto College is the largest secondary school in New Zealand with over 3,000 students as of 2007. The Correspondence School has more enrolled secondary students, but fewer full-time equivalent secondary students....

. Catholic students usually commute to St Mary's College

Saint Mary's College Auckland

St Mary's College is a year 7 - 13 integrated Catholic girls' high school situated at 11 New Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.-History:St Mary’s College is the oldest existing secondary school for girls in Auckland and one of the oldest existing schools in New Zealand...

 or St Peter's College

St Peter's College, Auckland

St Peter's College is a Catholic college for year 7 to 13 boys . The school, located in Auckland, is one of the largest Catholic schools in New Zealand and is an integrated school under an integration agreement entered into by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and the Government of New Zealand in...

.