Whakatane
Encyclopedia
Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island
of New Zealand
, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga
and 89 km north-east of Rotorua
, at the mouth of the Whakatane River
.
The town has a population of , with another people living within the greater Whakatane District. Of the around 40% have Māori ancestry. The District has a land area of 4,442.07 km² (1,715.09 sq mi). The Whakatane District was declared in 1976.
Whakatane is part of the parliamentary electorate of East Coast
, represented by Anne Tolley
of the New Zealand National Party
. It was chosen as the seat of the Bay of Plenty Region as a compromise between the region's two larger cities, Tauranga
and Rotorua
.
Whakatane was among the towns affected by the 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake
.
(Māori fortified village) sites in the area date back to the first Polynesian settlements, estimated to have been around 1200 CE
. According to Māori tradition Toi-te-huatahi
, later known as Toi-kai-rakau, landed at Whakatane about AD 1150 in search of his grandson Whatonga. Failing to find Whatonga, he settled in the locality and built a pa on the highest point of the headland now called Whakatane Heads, overlooking the present town. Some 200 years later the Mataatua
waka
landed at Whakatane.
The name "Whakatane" is reputed to commemorate an incident occurring after the arrival of the Mataatua. The men had gone ashore and the canoe began to drift. Wairaka, a chieftainess, said “Kia Whakatāne au i ahau” (“I will act like a man”), and commenced to paddle (which women were not allowed to do), and with the help of the other women saved the canoe.
The region around Whakatane was important during the New Zealand Wars of the mid 19th century, particularly the Volkner Incident
. Its role culminated in 1869 with raids by Te Kooti
's forces. Whakatane beach heralded an historic meeting on the 23 March 1908 between Prime Minister Joseph Ward
and the controversial Māori prophet and activist Rua Kenana Hepetipa
. Kenana claimed to be Te Kooti's successor.
Whale Island
(or Motuhora) is a small island off the Bay of Plenty coast about 12 kilometres north of Whakatane. The island has numerous sites of pā. It also provided shelter for James Cook
's Endeavour
in 1769. A whaling station existed on the island during the 19th century.
burst its banks, flooding large areas of farmland, and numerous roads were closed by floods and slips. A total of 245.8 mm of rain fell in Whakatane in the 48-hour period and many small earthquakes were also felt during this time, loosening the sodden earth and resulting in landslips that claimed two lives. These were the first earthquake deaths in New Zealand for nearly 40 years.
The town's main industries are diverse: forestry
, dairy
farming, horticulture, fishing, tourism and manufacturing
are all well-established. There is a paper mill and a newspaper press. Whakatane is also home to Aotearoa Breweries, makers of Mata beer. Whakatane is the gateway to Whakaari/White Island
, New Zealand's most active volcano, located 48 kilometres north of Whakatane and a popular destination for day cruises. Whakatane is also used as a base for many tourists who wish to explore other activities in the surrounding region. Popular tourist activities include swimming with dolphins, whale watching, chartered fishing cruises, surf tours, amateur astronomy
, hunting, aviation and bushwalking.
Whakatane is home to the regional radio station Radio 1XX.
Whakatane won the title of the sunshine capital of New Zealand 2010.
More recently, the construction of an airport on the western side of the river has provided the region with access to commercial air transport which dramatically reduced passenger transport times to and from the major international airports at Auckland
and Wellington
.
A private railway line operated by the Whakatane Board Mills (now Carter Holt Harvey Whakatane) connected the company's mill on the western side of the river to the Taneatua Branch line at Awakeri. The Taneatua Branch line (now mothballed) was formerly part of the East Coast Main Trunk line and connects with the current East Coast Main Trunk Railway at Hawkens Junction. Passenger rail services were never provided on the Whakatane Board Mills line, with services insted running along the route of the East Coast Main Trunk line to Taneatua in the form of the Taneatua Express, which operated until 1959. In 1999 operation of the Whakatane Board Mills line was taken over by Tranz Rail (now KiwiRail) and the line was renamed the Whakatane Industrial line. The line has since been closed and lifted, and the Taneatua Branch line has been mothballed.
Private cars and some limited bus services and taxis (as well as cycling and walking) are the primary modes of transport for residents.
The city has access to modern telecommunications infrastructure including high speed internet access. In 2008 the content filter for the town's wireless Internet service rejected Google searches for "Whakatane" due to the pronunciation of the name. Locally the 'Wh' is pronounced as an 'F'. The phenomenon of a name being blocked due to it being mistaken for an offensive term is known as the Scunthorpe problem
.
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...
, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga
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...
and 89 km north-east of Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
, at the mouth of the Whakatane River
Whakatane River
The Whakatane River is a major river of the Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand.It flows north from near the small town of Ruatahuna through Te Urewera National Park, reaching the Bay of Plenty through the town of Whakatane. The river is 95 kilometres in length....
.
The town has a population of , with another people living within the greater Whakatane District. Of the around 40% have Māori ancestry. The District has a land area of 4,442.07 km² (1,715.09 sq mi). The Whakatane District was declared in 1976.
Whakatane is part of the parliamentary electorate of East Coast
East Coast (New Zealand electorate)
East Coast is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The electorate first existed from 1871 to 1893. From 1996 to 2002, the electorate was called Mahia...
, represented by Anne Tolley
Anne Tolley
Anne Merrilyn Tolley is a politician representing the New Zealand National Party. With the formation of the Fifth National Government in late 2008, she became the Minister of Education, the first woman ever to assume the role.Tolley is the Member for the East Coast electorate, representing...
of the New Zealand National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
. It was chosen as the seat of the Bay of Plenty Region as a compromise between the region's two larger cities, Tauranga
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...
and Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
.
Whakatane was among the towns affected by the 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake
1987 Edgecumbe earthquake
The Edgecumbe earthquake of 1987 was an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale that struck the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand on 2 March 1987 just after 1.42 pm, centred on the town of Edgecumbe. The earthquake was very shallow, being centred approximately 8 km from the Earth's...
.
Settlement
The site of the town has long been populated. Māori pāPa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
(Māori fortified village) sites in the area date back to the first Polynesian settlements, estimated to have been around 1200 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. According to Māori tradition Toi-te-huatahi
Toi (name)
Toi is a fairly common man's name in Māori and other Polynesian languages.The best known men named Toi are the following from Māori legendary history, who are sometimes confused with one another:...
, later known as Toi-kai-rakau, landed at Whakatane about AD 1150 in search of his grandson Whatonga. Failing to find Whatonga, he settled in the locality and built a pa on the highest point of the headland now called Whakatane Heads, overlooking the present town. Some 200 years later the Mataatua
Mataatua
In Māori tradition, Mataatua was one of the great voyaging canoes by which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand. Māori traditions say that the Mataatua was initially sent from Hawaiki to bring supplies of kūmara to Māori settlements in New Zealand...
waka
Waka (canoe)
Waka are Māori watercraft, usually canoes ranging in size from small, unornamented canoes used for fishing and river travel, to large decorated war canoes up to long...
landed at Whakatane.
The name "Whakatane" is reputed to commemorate an incident occurring after the arrival of the Mataatua. The men had gone ashore and the canoe began to drift. Wairaka, a chieftainess, said “Kia Whakatāne au i ahau” (“I will act like a man”), and commenced to paddle (which women were not allowed to do), and with the help of the other women saved the canoe.
The region around Whakatane was important during the New Zealand Wars of the mid 19th century, particularly the Volkner Incident
Volkner Incident
The Völkner Incident describes the murder of the missionary Carl Sylvius Völkner in New Zealand in 1865 and the consequent reaction of the Government of New Zealand in the midst of the New Zealand land wars.-Background:...
. Its role culminated in 1869 with raids by Te Kooti
Te Kooti
Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatu religion and guerrilla.While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Chatham Islands without trial along with captured Hauhau, he experienced visions and...
's forces. Whakatane beach heralded an historic meeting on the 23 March 1908 between Prime Minister Joseph Ward
Joseph Ward
Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
and the controversial Māori prophet and activist Rua Kenana Hepetipa
Rua Kenana Hepetipa
Rua Tapunui Kenana was a Māori prophet, faith healer and land rights activist.-Background:Rua Tapunui Kenana Māori prophet, faith healer and land rights activist....
. Kenana claimed to be Te Kooti's successor.
Whale Island
Whale Island, New Zealand
Moutohora Island or Whale Island is a small uninhabited island located off the Bay of Plenty coast of New Zealand's North Island, about north of the town of Whakatane. The island is a remnant of a complex volcano which has eroded, leaving two peaks...
(or Motuhora) is a small island off the Bay of Plenty coast about 12 kilometres north of Whakatane. The island has numerous sites of pā. It also provided shelter for James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
's Endeavour
HM Bark Endeavour
HMS Endeavour, also known as HM Bark Endeavour, was a British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771....
in 1769. A whaling station existed on the island during the 19th century.
Mataatua Declaration in 1993
The 'First International Conference on the Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples' was held in Whakatane from June 12 to 18, 1993. This resulted in the Mataatua Declaration on Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples', commonly referred to as the Mataatua Declaration.Flooding in 2004
Heavy rain struck the Bay of Plenty and Whakatane on 16–18 July 2004 causing severe flooding and resulting in a state of civil emergency being declared. Many homes and properties were flooded, forcing thousands of Whakatane residents to evacuate. The Rangitaiki RiverRangitaiki River
The Rangitaiki River is the longest river in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand's North Island. It is 155 kilometres in length, and rises inland from northern Hawke Bay to the east of the Kaingaroa Forest....
burst its banks, flooding large areas of farmland, and numerous roads were closed by floods and slips. A total of 245.8 mm of rain fell in Whakatane in the 48-hour period and many small earthquakes were also felt during this time, loosening the sodden earth and resulting in landslips that claimed two lives. These were the first earthquake deaths in New Zealand for nearly 40 years.
Industries and tourism
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...
, dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
farming, horticulture, fishing, tourism and manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
are all well-established. There is a paper mill and a newspaper press. Whakatane is also home to Aotearoa Breweries, makers of Mata beer. Whakatane is the gateway to Whakaari/White Island
Whakaari/White Island
Whakaari/White Island is an active andesite stratovolcano, situated from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty. The nearest mainland towns are Whakatane and Tauranga....
, New Zealand's most active volcano, located 48 kilometres north of Whakatane and a popular destination for day cruises. Whakatane is also used as a base for many tourists who wish to explore other activities in the surrounding region. Popular tourist activities include swimming with dolphins, whale watching, chartered fishing cruises, surf tours, amateur astronomy
Whakatane Astronomical Society
The Whakatane Astronomical Society is a voluntary, non-profit society for people interested in amateur astronomy in the Whakatane region of New Zealand. The society maintains a small observatory in Whakatane, which has been operating continuously since 1963...
, hunting, aviation and bushwalking.
Whakatane is home to the regional radio station Radio 1XX.
Whakatane won the title of the sunshine capital of New Zealand 2010.
Infrastructure
The mouth of the Whakatane River and Ohiwa Harbour have both provided berths for yachts, fishing trawlers and small ships since European settlement of the area.More recently, the construction of an airport on the western side of the river has provided the region with access to commercial air transport which dramatically reduced passenger transport times to and from the major international airports at 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...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
A private railway line operated by the Whakatane Board Mills (now Carter Holt Harvey Whakatane) connected the company's mill on the western side of the river to the Taneatua Branch line at Awakeri. The Taneatua Branch line (now mothballed) was formerly part of the East Coast Main Trunk line and connects with the current East Coast Main Trunk Railway at Hawkens Junction. Passenger rail services were never provided on the Whakatane Board Mills line, with services insted running along the route of the East Coast Main Trunk line to Taneatua in the form of the Taneatua Express, which operated until 1959. In 1999 operation of the Whakatane Board Mills line was taken over by Tranz Rail (now KiwiRail) and the line was renamed the Whakatane Industrial line. The line has since been closed and lifted, and the Taneatua Branch line has been mothballed.
Private cars and some limited bus services and taxis (as well as cycling and walking) are the primary modes of transport for residents.
The city has access to modern telecommunications infrastructure including high speed internet access. In 2008 the content filter for the town's wireless Internet service rejected Google searches for "Whakatane" due to the pronunciation of the name. Locally the 'Wh' is pronounced as an 'F'. The phenomenon of a name being blocked due to it being mistaken for an offensive term is known as the Scunthorpe problem
Scunthorpe Problem
The Scunthorpe problem occurs when a spam filter or search engine blocks e-mails or search results because their text contains a string of letters that are shared with an obscene word...
.