Western Bay of Plenty District
Encyclopedia
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Bay of Plenty Region
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
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...
. The seat of the district council is at Greerton in Tauranga City
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
(which is a separate area that is not part of the district). The district envelopes Tauranga City by land, and includes Matakana Island
Matakana Island
Matakana Island is located in the western Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. A long, flat island, it is in length but rarely more than wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by a number Māori tribes that are mostly associated with Ngai Te Rangi...
, at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour
Tauranga Harbour
The Tauranga Harbour is the natural tidal harbour that surrounds Tauranga CBD and the Mount Maunganui area of Tauranga, New Zealand which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mount Maunganui and Bowentown. The harbour is effectively two flooded river systems separated from the Pacific Ocean, by the...
.
The district came into being in the local government reorganisation of 1989; with minor modifications to the boundaries, it merged the old Tauranga County and Te Puke Borough. The greatest changes were in the northeast, with Waihi Beach
Waihi Beach
Waihi Beach is a coastal town at the western end of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. It lies 10 kilometres to the east of the town of Waihi, at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula. Waihi Beach has 10 kilometres of white sand linking it to the small settlement of Bowentown...
being transferred to the district from the old Ohinemuri County, and in the vicinity of Tauranga City, where some of the hinterland, formerly in the county, was transferred to the city.
The wards (for the purposes of electing district councillors) are Waihi Beach
Waihi Beach
Waihi Beach is a coastal town at the western end of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. It lies 10 kilometres to the east of the town of Waihi, at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula. Waihi Beach has 10 kilometres of white sand linking it to the small settlement of Bowentown...
, Katikati
Katikati
Katikati is a town located on the Uretara Stream near the tidal inlet opened by Matakana Island in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The nearest city is Tauranga, which is 40 kilometres to the southeast. Katikati lies 28 kilometres south of Waihi.Katikati was settled in 1875 by settlers from County...
, Kaimai
Omokoroa
Omokoroa is a small urban area in the Western Bay of Plenty District of New Zealand. The suburb is considered part of Greater Tauranga, , but is actually within the Coromandel Electorate...
, Te Puke
Te Puke
Te Puke is a town located 28 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. It is particularly famous for the cultivation of kiwifruit...
and Maketu
Maketu
Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand. It is located on Okurei point and has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow out of, it is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on the south eastern side of Okurei point. The name is sometimes informally abbreviated...
.
The current mayor is Ross Paterson, who has held the position since the death of Graeme Weld in November 2008.