Ōhaeawai

Nearby is the site of the bloody Battle of Ohaeawai fought at Pene Taui's pā (fort) during the Flagstaff War in 1845. The therapeutic mercurial waters of the minor health spa of Ngawha Springs are in a small thermal area to the west, where Northland prison is situated. The village is the centre of a rich farming district as a result of the fertile volcanic soils, with the district known to the Ngāpuhi as Tai-a-mai.{{cite book |last1=Best |first1=Elsdon |title= The Pa Maori |year= 1927 |publisher= Whitcombe and Tombs Limited|chapter=Old Forts of the Taiamai District, Bay of Islands |chapter-url= http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-BesPaMa-t1-body-d5-d1-d20.html }}

File:St_Michael's_Church,_Ōhaeawai_(17502404795).jpg

Taiamai was the name given to a large boulder of volcanic rock situated about 400 m (quarter mile) south east of the Ohaeawai Hotel. This prominent rock stands about {{convert|3.5|m}} high, and was formerly an uruuru whenua, a place where travellers recited a charm and placed a small offering, such as a branch or tuft of grass, in order to placate the spirits of that place.

In 1845 Te Ruki Kawiti and Pene Taui fortified Taui's pā (fort), which British forces laid siege to in July that year. The outcome of the Battle of Ohaeawai is considered to be a defeat of the British colonial forces. St. Michael's Anglican Church was built in 1870 on the site of the pā.{{cite journal |title= New Zealand - Has the Work Died Out? |journal= The Church Missionary Gleaner |year=1870 |volume=20 |pages=115 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rCsEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PP1 |access-date=1 December 2013}}

St. Michael's Anglican Church is {{cvt|7.2|km}} from Kaikohe and 3.2 km from the township of Ohaeawai, situated on a gentle rise a short distance west of the main road.{{cite web |url= http://don-donovan.blogspot.com/2009/07/country-churches-of-nz-9-st-michaels.html |title= St. Michael's, Ngawha |publisher= Don Donovan}} In August 2018 the battleground area around the church, including the urupā (cemetery), was added to the Heritage New Zealand list as a wāhi tapu, a place sacred to the Ngāti Rangi hapū and of historic significance.{{cite web |url= https://www.neighbourly.co.nz/e-edition/northern-news/33579 |title= Bloody battle site tapu |access-date= 8 August 2018 |author= Jenny Ling |date= August 2018 |publisher= Northern News }}

The locality is usually called Ngawha, from the hot springs in the neighbourhood. Cowan (1922) asserts that the site of the church (and earlier pā) is the true Ohaeawai and the European township which has appropriated the name should properly be known as Taiamai.{{cite book |last= Cowan |first= James |title= The New Zealand Wars: a history of the Maori campaigns and the pioneering period |url= https://archive.org/stream/newzealandwarshi01cowa/newzealandwarshi01cowa_djvu.txt |year= 1922 |publisher= R.E. Owen |location= Wellington |pages=73–144 |chapter= Volume I: 1845–1864 }}

In June 2019, the name of the locality was officially gazetted as Ōhaeawai by the New Zealand Geographic Board.{{cite news |url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2019-ln2814 |title=Notice of approved official geographic names |date=21 June 2019 |work=New Zealand Gazette |access-date=3 September 2020}}

Statistics New Zealand describes Ōhaeawai as a rural settlement. It covers {{Convert|12.74|km2||abbr=on}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Ohaeawai|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Ohaeawai|y}}|R}}/12.74|0}} people per km². The settlement is part of the larger Ōhaeawai-Waimate North statistical area.

{{Historical populations|2006|342|2013|339|2018|399|2023|429|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Ōhaeawai settlement|source={{NZ census 2018|7000209 and 7000214}}}}

Ōhaeawai had a population of 429 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 30 people (7.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 90 people (26.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 204 males, 222 females and 3 people of other genders in 126 dwellings.{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.1028.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}} 4.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 105 people (24.5%) aged under 15 years, 63 (14.7%) aged 15 to 29, 198 (46.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 66 (15.4%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 64.3% European (Pākehā); 53.1% Māori; 3.5% Pasifika; 2.1% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.6%, Māori language by 14.0%, Samoan by 0.7% and other languages by 2.8%. No language could be spoken by 0.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 29.4% Christian, 7.0% Māori religious beliefs, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 59.4%, and 3.5% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (9.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 201 (62.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 78 (24.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $38,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 15 people (4.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 168 (51.9%) people were employed full-time, 48 (14.8%) were part-time, and 15 (4.6%) were unemployed.{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.1028.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Ōhaeawai (1028)}}

Ōhaeawai-Waimate North statistical area covers {{Convert|87.37|km2||abbr=on}}{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=30 November 2023|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Ohaeawai-Waimate North|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Ohaeawai-Waimate North|y}}|R}}/87.37|0}} people per km².

{{Historical populations|2006|864|2013|933|2018|1,140|2023|1,251|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Ohaeawai-Waimate North|source={{NZ census 2018|Ōhaeawai-Waimate North (103200)|ohaeawai-waimate-north|Ōhaeawai-Waimate North}}}}

Ōhaeawai-Waimate North had a population of 1,251 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 111 people (9.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 318 people (34.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 609 males, 636 females and 6 people of other genders in 411 dwellings.{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.103200.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}} 2.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 46.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 219 people (17.5%) aged under 15 years, 198 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 576 (46.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 255 (20.4%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 70.3% European (Pākehā); 45.8% Māori; 3.1% Pasifika; 2.2% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.9% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.1%, Māori language by 12.9%, Samoan by 0.5% and other languages by 4.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 28.1% Christian, 0.2% Islam, 5.0% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.7% New Age, and 0.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 60.0%, and 5.8% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 123 (11.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 603 (58.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 258 (25.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 66 people (6.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 510 (49.4%) people were employed full-time, 165 (16.0%) were part-time, and 24 (2.3%) were unemployed.{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.103200.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Ōhaeawai-Waimate North (103200)}}

There are three Ngāpuhi marae in the Ōhaeawai area. Parawhenua Marae is affiliated with the hapū of Ngāti Hineira, Ngāti Korohue, Te Uri Taniwha and Te Whanauwhero. Rāwhitiroa or Te Ahuahu Marae is affiliated with Ngāti Hineira, Te Kapotai, Te Popoto, Te Uri Taniwha and Ngawha Marae affiliated with Ngati Rangi.{{cite web|title=Te Kāhui Māngai directory|url= http://www.tkm.govt.nz/ |website=tkm.govt.nz|publisher=Te Puni Kōkiri}}{{cite web |title=Māori Maps |url=https://maorimaps.com/map |website=maorimaps.com |publisher=Te Potiki National Trust}}

In October 2020, the Government committed $499,093 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the Parawhenua Marae, creating 10 jobs.{{cite web |title=Marae Announcements |url=https://www.growregions.govt.nz/assets/funding-announcements/marae-announcements.xlsx |website=growregions.govt.nz |publisher=Provincial Growth Fund |format=Excel |date=9 October 2020}}

Ohaeawai School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|1058|y}} students as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|y||.}}{{TKI|1058|Ohaeawai School}} The school's history extends to 1874.{{cite web|url=http://pearlspad.net.nz/OhaeawaiSchoolRolls.htm|title=Ohaeawai School Rolls|publisher=Pearls Pad|accessdate=9 April 2022}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.ohaeawaiprimary.co.nz/ Ohaeawai School website]

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{{Far North District}}

Category:Far North District

Category:Populated places in the Northland Region