Makarora

Makarora
Community
Interactive map of Makarora
Coordinates: 44°14′S169°14′E / 44.233°S 169.233°E / -44.233; 169.233
Country	New Zealand
Region	Otago
Territorial authority	Queenstown-Lakes District
Ward	Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward
Community	Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community
Electorates	Waitaki Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Government
• Territorial authority	Queenstown-Lakes District Council
• Regional council	Otago Regional Council
•  Mayor of Queenstown-Lakes	John Glover [1]
•  Waitaki MP	Miles Anderson
•  Te Tai Tonga MP	Tākuta Ferris
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Local iwi	Ngāi Tahu

Makarora is a small community within the Queenstown-Lakes District of the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand.

It is situated on State Highway 6 on the eastern side of the Haast Pass and adjacent to the Makarora River.

Local tourism operators offer scenic plane flights and jetboating tours on the Makarora River, which is the border of the Mount Aspiring National Park. The 2022 film Nude Tuesday was shot at the Wonderland Lodge in Makarora. ^{[2] [3]}

Demographics

Makarora is part of the Outer Wānaka statistical area, which covers 3,176.08 km² (1,226.29 sq mi) ^[4] and had an estimated population of 450 as of June 2025, ^[5] with a population density of 0.14 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	336	—
2013	378	+1.70%
2018	399	+1.09%
Source: [6]

Outer Wānaka had a population of 399 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 21 people (5.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 63 people (18.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 162 households, comprising 204 males and 192 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 45.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 72 people (18.0%) aged under 15 years, 57 (14.3%) aged 15 to 29, 228 (57.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 36 (9.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 96.2% European/Pākehā, 10.5% Māori, 0.8% Asian, and 0.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 18.8, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 64.7% had no religion, and 29.3% were Christian.

Of those at least 15 years old, 87 (26.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 (6.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 63 people (19.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 183 (56.0%) people were employed full-time, 78 (23.9%) were part-time, and 3 (0.9%) were unemployed. ^[6]

Panorama of Makarora as seen from State Highway 6

Education

Makarora Primary School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, ^{[7] [8]} with a roll of 10 as of July 2025. ^[9] The school was first established in 1895. ^[10]

References

1. "2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result" (PDF). Electionz. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
2. "Nude Tuesday". NZ Film. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
3. Hawkes, Colleen (12 June 2022). "Nude Tuesday mad romp awarded five stars by The Guardian reviewer". Stuff . Retrieved 17 June 2022.
4. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
5. "Subnational population estimates - Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
6. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Outer Wānaka (345900). 2018 Census place summary: Outer Wānaka
7. "Makarora Primary School Official School Website". makarora.school.nz.
8. "Makarora Primary School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
9. "Makarora Primary School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
10. "Telegraphic". Lake Whakatip Mail. 23 August 1895.