Himatangi
Carnarvon Hall North of Himatangi, now demolished
Carnarvon Hall North of Himatangi, now demolished
Coordinates: 40°24′S 175°19′E / 40.400°S 175.317°E / -40.400; 175.317
CountryNew Zealand
RegionManawatū-Whanganui
DistrictManawatū District
Ward
  • Manawatū Rural General Ward
  • Ngā Tapuae o Matangi Māori Ward
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityManawatū District Council
 • Regional councilHorizons Regional Council

Himatangi is a small settlement in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the junction of State Highways 1 and 56, 25 kilometres west of Palmerston North, and seven kilometres east of the coastal settlement of Himatangi Beach.

The area has two marae:

About 50 Māori land blocks are located between Himatangi and Foxton to the south.[3]

History

The area was largely undeveloped with rough terrain in 1942, according to a photograph held in the National Library of New Zealand.[4]

Himatangi was once the location of the junction between the New Zealand Railways Department's Foxton Branch railway and the Manawatu County Council's Sanson Tramway. Both lines are now closed; use of the Tramway ceased in 1945, followed by the Branch in 1959.

In 2005, a study found agricultural pesticides were being rapidly leached into the sandy soil at Himatangi.[5]

In 2009, planning approval was granted for the building of a piggery after the landowner agreed to reduce from what he originally proposed.[6]

In 2014, the community was used as a trial community for the Horizons Regional Council's emergency readiness plan. The landowner and New Zealand Pork Board had been considering legal action through the Environment Court.[7]

In 2019 a regional bus service between Levin and Palmerston North was introduced, providing a weekly return service between Himatangi and Foxton.[8]

Demographics

Oroua Downs statistical area, which also includes Himatangi Beach and Tangimoana, covers 124.62 km2 (48.12 sq mi)[9] and had an estimated population of 1,470 as of June 2023,[10] with a population density of 12 people per km2.

Historical population for Oroua Downs
YearPop.±% p.a.
20061,167—    
20131,044−1.58%
20181,254+3.73%
Source: [11]

Oroua Downs had a population of 1,254 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 210 people (20.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 87 people (7.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 540 households, comprising 642 males and 612 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female. The median age was 48.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 207 people (16.5%) aged under 15 years, 192 (15.3%) aged 15 to 29, 606 (48.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 249 (19.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 88.8% European/Pākehā, 16.0% Māori, 1.9% Pacific peoples, 2.9% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 10.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.7% had no religion, 26.8% were Christian, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were Hindu and 2.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 120 (11.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 327 (31.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $26,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 123 people (11.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 477 (45.6%) people were employed full-time, 147 (14.0%) were part-time, and 42 (4.0%) were unemployed.[11]

Education

Oroua Downs School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[12][13] with a roll of 97 as of April 2023.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  2. ↑ "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  3. ↑ "Visualising Māori Land – Himatangi". whenuaviz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Landcare New Zealand.
  4. ↑ NZ Aerial Mapping Ltd. "Himitangi". natlib.govt.nz. National Library of New Zealand.
  5. ↑ Close, Murray (January 2005). "Field study of pesticide leaching in a Himatangi sand (Manawatu) and in a Kiripaka bouldery clay loam (Northland)". Australian Journal of Soil Research. 43 (4).
  6. ↑ "Green light for Himatangi piggery". Stuff. Manawatu Standard. 31 January 2009.
  7. ↑ "Himatangi first up for community readiness". Horizons Regional Council. 24 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "New off-peak bus services from Levin to Palmerston North". Horizons Regional Council.
  9. ↑ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Oroua Downs (227400). 2018 Census place summary: Oroua Downs
  12. ↑ "Oroua Downs School Official School Website". orouadowns.school.nz.
  13. ↑ "Oroua Downs School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  14. ↑ "Oroua Downs School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
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