Waikato District
Encyclopedia
| Waikato District | |
| Population: | 43,959 (territorial) (2006 census) |
| Main town: | Ngaruawahia |
| Other towns: | Huntly, Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Taupiri |
| Territorial Authority | |
|---|---|
| | | |
| Name: | Waikato District Council |
| Mayor: | Allan Sanson |
| Extent: | Hauraki Gulf to (but excludes) Hamilton City; Tasman Sea to Tamahere |
| Land area: | 3,188.89 km² (1,231.24 sq mi) |
| Website: | http://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz |
| Regional Council | |
| Name: | Environment Waikato (Waikato Regional Council) |
| Website: | http://www.ew.govt.nz |
Waikato District is a territorial authority of New Zealand
Territorial authorities of New Zealand
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council...
, in the northern part of Waikato Region, 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...
. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngaruawahia
Ngaruawahia
Ngāruawāhia is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers...
.
The district is centred to the north and west of the city of Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, and takes in much of the northern Waikato Plains
Waikato Plains
The Waikato Plains are a large area of low-lying land in the northwest of the North Island of New Zealand. They are the floodplains of the Waikato River, the country's longest river....
and also the Hakarimata Range
Hakarimata Range
Hakarimata Range is the name of the hills on the western edge of Ngaruawahia township in the Waikato region of New Zealand, lying along the Waikato River and Waipa River....
. The north of the district contains swampy floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
of the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
and several small lakes, of which the largest is Lake Waikare
Lake Waikare
Lake Waikare is the largest of several shallow lakes in the upper floodplain of the Waikato River in New Zealand's North Island. It is a riverine lake, located to the east of Te Kauwhata and 40 kilometres north of Hamilton...
.
Other than Ngaruawahia, the main population centres are Huntly
Huntly, New Zealand
Huntly is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, 93 kilometres south of Auckland and 35 kilometres north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and straddles the Waikato River.Huntly was called Rahui Pokeka when...
, Raglan, and Te Kauwhata
Te Kauwhata
Te Kauwhata is a small town in the north of the Waikato region of New Zealand, situated close to the western shore of Lake Waikare, some 40 km north of Hamilton...
. The main industries in the district are dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. There is a major coal-fired power station at Huntly. Te Kauwhata is at the centre of a major wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
region.
At the 2006 census the district had a population of 43,959. Of these, 6834 lived in Huntly, 5106 in Ngaruawahia, 2637 in Raglan, and 1294 in Te Kauwhata. In 2010, the district is scheduled to acquire part of the adjacent Franklin District
Franklin District
The territorial authority of Franklin District was abolished on 31 October 2010 and was divided between Auckland Council in the Auckland Region to the north and Waikato and Hauraki districts in the Waikato Region to the south and east. It was administered from the town of Pukekohe...
, which will be dissolved.