Rawene is a town on the south side of the Hokianga harbour, in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 passes to the south.[3] The town lies at the apex of a peninsula. A car ferry links it to Kohukohu and the northern Hokianga.[4]
This strange shaped building was originally a joinery factory making doors, windows and coffins.
Rawene started as a timber centre, with a mill and shipyards[5] established in the early 19th century. An attempted settlement by the first New Zealand Company in 1826 failed.[4] Captain James Herd in 1822 had taken out the first shipment of kauri from the Hokianga in his ship Providence. In 1825 he returned as an agent for the Company, sailing the Rosanna in company with the Lambton,[6] and 60 settlers between the two vessels. Starting at Stewart Island/Rakiura,[7] Herd sailed up the east coast eventually rounding North Cape to enter Hokianga - his old stamping ground. Herd negotiated to buy a vast tract of land.[8] The deal was contested[by whom?] but for decades Europeans referred to the town as "Herd's Point".[9] Later it was called "Hokianga Township", and in 1884 it became "Rawene", possibly to identify the post office and telegraph.[10][need quotation to verify]
The post office had started operating by 1845 - one of eight in the country.[11]
By 1872 Rawene had two hotels and two stores. There was a Wesleyan church, and the Roman Catholics owned a section. Von Sturmer was the Postmaster, Customs Officer and Magistrate.[15]
During the Dog Tax War of 1898 the residents of Rawene left for Kohukohu or took refuge on a steamer after the tax rebels threatened to march on the town.[16] On 5 May 1898 120 men marched from Rawene to Waima to deal with the "rebels", but the dispute was settled without them.[17]
View of Rawene in 1918
A small cottage hospital was built on a hill overlooking the town in 1910.[18] A new hospital was completed in 1928.[19] Dr George McCall Smith headed the hospital from 1914 to 1948 and developed a unique health-system for the Hokianga.[20]
Dr Smith became a practitioner of "painless childbirth" in the early 1930s, using premedication with the barbiturate Nembutal combined with Hyoscine. This proved very popular and attracted women to Rawene from far afield. The annual average of thirty births per year now peaked at two hundred. In 1937 a "Commission of Inquiry into Maternity Services" investigated Smith's practice. Smith fronted up with case notes on his last two hundred patients, and his results could not be bettered anywhere.[21]
Parliament declared a special health area in the 1940s.[22] This meant that all medical officers in the Hokianga were salaried, and all consultations, pharmaceuticals, investigations and hospital admissions were free. The whole scheme was funded through a per-capita grant.[4][23][24]
Demographics
Statistics New Zealand describes Rawene as a rural settlement. It covers 2.15km2 (0.83sqmi)[1] and had an estimated population of 540 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 251 people per km2. The settlement is part of the larger Hokianga South statistical area.
Rawene had a population of 498 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 27 people (5.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 57 people (12.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 189 households, comprising 246 males and 246 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female, with 96 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 63 (12.7%) aged 15 to 29, 201 (40.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 132 (26.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 54.8% European/Pākehā, 60.8% Māori, 8.4% Pacific peoples, 1.2% Asian, and 1.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 47.6% had no religion, 39.2% were Christian, 4.2% had Māori religious beliefs, and 0.6% were Buddhist.
Of those at least 15 years old, 66 (16.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 78 (19.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 27 people (6.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 102 (25.4%) people were employed full-time, 63 (15.7%) were part-time, and 33 (8.2%) were unemployed.[25]
Hokianga South statistical area
The statistical area of Hokianga South, which also includes Whirinaki, covers 126.04km2 (48.66sqmi)[1] and had an estimated population of 1,390 as of June 2023,[26] with a population density of 11.0 people per km2.
Hokianga South had a population of 1,236 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 3 people (−0.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 171 people (16.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 444 households, comprising 612 males and 624 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age was 46.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 270 people (21.8%) aged under 15 years, 162 (13.1%) aged 15 to 29, 531 (43.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 273 (22.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 52.4% European/Pākehā, 63.1% Māori, 6.3% Pacific peoples, 1.5% Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 10.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 42.7% had no religion, 41.5% were Christian, 6.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 129 (13.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 198 (20.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $18,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 66 people (6.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 288 (29.8%) people were employed full-time, 162 (16.8%) were part-time, and 66 (6.8%) were unemployed.[27]
Education
Rawene School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school[28] has a roll of 62 students as of February 2024.[29]
A room for secondary students was added to Rawene Primary School in 1922. In 1947 a stand-alone Rawene District High School was built. It was extended in 1952, but was destroyed by fire in 1972.[10][30]
The Rawene Learning Centre is a campus of NorthTec polytechnic.[31][32]
The Northland Region is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population centre is the city of Whangārei, and the largest town is Kerikeri. At the 2018 New Zealand census, Northland recorded a population growth spurt of 18.1% since the previous 2013 census, placing it as the fastest growing region in New Zealand, ahead of other strong growth regions such as the Bay of Plenty Region and Waikato.
The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand.
Kaikohe is the seat of the Far North District of New Zealand, situated on State Highway 12 about 260 km from Auckland. It is the largest inland town and highest community above sea level in the Northland Region. With a population of over 4000 people it is a shopping and service centre for an extensive farming district and is sometimes referred to as "the hub of the north".
The Far North District is the northernmost territorial authority district of New Zealand, consisting of the northern part of the Northland Peninsula in the North Island. It stretches from North Cape / Otou and Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua in the north, down to the Bay of Islands, the Hokianga and the town of Kaikohe.
Opononi is a settlement on the south shore of Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through Opononi. Ōmāpere is on the shore to the south of Opononi and Pakanae to the northeast.
Ōkaihau is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island, just north of Kaikohe. State Highway 1 passes through Ōkaihau making it fairly busy. Ōkaihau has a primary school and a secondary school.
Ngawha Springs is a small settlement and hot water springs approximately five kilometres east of the town of Kaikohe in Northland, New Zealand. Ngāwhā means "boiling spring".
Kohukohu is a village on the Hokianga Harbour in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It was one of the first European settlements in New Zealand.
Pukenui is a locality on the southwest side of Houhora Harbour on the Aupouri Peninsula of Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 1 runs through it. The name means "large hill" in the Māori language.
Broadwood is a town about 25 km to the north of the north side of the Hokianga harbour, in Northland, New Zealand. Herekino is 21 km to the west, and Mangamuka Bridge is the same distance to the east.
Panguru is a community in the northern Hokianga harbour, in Northland, New Zealand. The Whakarapa Stream flows from the Panguru Range in the Warawara Forest to the west, through Panguru and into the Hokianga.
Waimā is a community in the south Hokianga area of Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through the area. The Waima River flows through the Waima Valley into the Hokianga Harbour. Rawene is to the north west, and Kaikohe is to the north east.
Whangarei District is a territorial authority district in the Northland Region of New Zealand that is governed by the Whangarei District Council. The district is made up in area largely by rural land, and includes a fifth of the Northland Region. It extends southwards to the southern end of Bream Bay, northwards to Whangaruru and almost to the Bay of Islands, and westwards up the Mangakahia River valley past Pakotai and almost to Waipoua Forest. It includes the Hen and Chicken Islands and the Poor Knights Islands.
Pataua is a settlement in Northland Region, New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Pataua River on the Pacific Ocean. Pataua North and Pataua South are separated by a footbridge over the estuary.
Hihi or Hihi Beach is a village and rural community in the Far North District and Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island.
Ōmāpere is a settlement on the south shore of Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through Ōmāpere. Opononi is on the shore to the north of Ōmāpere.
Mangōnui is a settlement on the west side of Mangōnui Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 10 runs through it. It is the easternmost of the Taipa-Mangonui string of settlements, separated from Coopers Beach to the northwest by Mill Bay Road.
Haruru is a residential and commercial locality in the Far North District of New Zealand. State Highway 11 runs through the locality. Puketona is 10 kilometres west, and Paihia is 4 kilometres east, The name means a continuous noise or roar in the Māori language, which refers to the sound of Haruru Falls, a five metre high broad waterfall about a kilometre away.
Tokerau Beach is a settlement on the northwestern side of Doubtless Bay on the Karikari Peninsula of Northland, New Zealand.
Cable Bay is a settlement on the southern side of Doubtless Bay in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 10 runs through it. It is one of the Taipa-Mangonui string of settlements, separated from Taipa on the west by the Taipa River and from Coopers Beach on the east by Otanenui Stream.
↑ Moon, Paul (2012). A Savage Country. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN9781742532431. Retrieved 2016-05-03. The company acquired two ships – the Rosanna and the Lambton – with James Herd, whom the Company had appointed to lead the expedition, as captain of the former.
↑ Olive Harris and Chris Lancaster, ed. (2006). "The Pioneers Reminisce - Memoirs of Alfred Cooke Yarborough". Remember the Hokianga. O. Harris. p.162. ISBN978-0-473-11859-4.
↑ Alfred Cooke Yarborough in Remember the Hokianga p 164
↑ "HOKIANGA AND HARBOUR". Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966). In May 1898 Hokianga was the scene of the famous "Dog Tax Rebellion". This arose when the Mahurehure hapu of Ngapuhi tribe refused to pay a dog tax recently instituted by the local county council. On 5 May 120 men of the Permanent Force under Colonel Newall marched from Rawene to Waima, the seat of the "rebellion", only to find that Hone Heke, M.H.R., had already interceded to preserve the peace.
↑ Parliament gazetted the scheme on 1 September 1941 (NZ Gazette, 28 August 1941, p2702, but it lay in limbo until September 1945 before a "trial period" could begin. By 1947 the hospital boards in Northland were amalgamated but Hokianga retained its special area - it was finally official.
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