Ngunguru

The waka Tūnui-ā-rangi, which brought Ngāi Tāhuhu to New Zealand according to traditional accounts, visited Ngunguru on its way from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/CanoeTraditions/3/en|title=Canoe traditions – Other northern canoes|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand}} The area was named by Puhi, captain of another waka, Mataatua.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/WhangareiTribes/1/en|title=Whangārei tribes – Ancestors|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand}}

In pre-European times, there was a substantial Māori population in the area.{{cite book|title=Guide to Whangarei City and District|last=Parkes|first=W. F.|year=1992|isbn=0-473-01639-7|pages=37}} A large battle was fought on the Ngunguru sandspit between the local Te Waiariki and Waikato tribes led by Te Wherowhero in 1832.{{cite web|url=http://ncag.org.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=235&Itemid=49|title=Sandspit Timeline|accessdate=2010-04-01}}

The first chart of "Nongodo" was drawn by Captain N. C. Phillips of {{HMS|Buffalo|1813|6}} in 1836. James Busby, Gilbert Mair and W. J. Lewington bought {{convert|40000|acre}} at Ngunguru in 1840, although the government disputed the sale for the next 30 years and attempted to buy the land itself from the original Māori owners.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/B/BusbyJames/BusbyJames/en|title=Busby, James|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966)}}{{cite book|title=Whangarei: The Founding Years|last=Pickmere|first=Nancy Preece|year=1986|pages=27}} They established one of the earliest sawmills in the country at Ngunguru in 1840 to take advantage of the abundant kauri timber. It was water-powered.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/Places/Northland/NorthlandPlaces/16/en|title=Whangārei Harbour and north|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand}} The mill failed financially in 1844,Pickmere, pp. 27–30 but others succeeded in the industry and Ngunguru exported timber and especially roofing shingles for many years.

The Melanesian Mission ship {{ship||Southern Cross|Melanesian Mission ships|2}} was wrecked in Ngunguru Bay in 1860.{{cite web|url=http://members.tripod.com/~L_Alfano/anz7.txt|title=Australian and New Zealand shipwrecks}}

A bullock track was built to Whangarei in the 1860s.Pickmere, p. 132 In 1892, coal was discovered at Kiripaka, at the headwaters of the Ngunguru River. {{convert|620000|long ton}} were mined until 1921.

The beach settlement developed after roading was improved in the 1950s.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/W/Whangarei/Whangarei/en|title=Whangarei|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966)}} An attempt to sell the Ngunguru sandspit for property development in 2005 attracted considerable local opposition, and no buyers.{{cite news|url=http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=localnews&storyid=3644221|title=Ngunguru Sandspit off market|publisher=The Northern Advocate|date=16 July 2005|last=Powley|first=Kathryn}} In August 2011 the government purchased the spit from the Todd Property Group. The Department of Conservation will administer the reserve, which is one of a small number of sand spits that are relatively intact from an ecological perspective. Four separate assessments have ranked the spit as nationally significant{{cite web|url=http://beehive.govt.nz/release/ngunguru-spit-purchase-win-conservation|title=Ngunguru Spit purchase a win for conservation|date=25 August 2011|publisher=New Zealand Government (Beehive)|accessdate=25 August 2011}}

In October 2022 the Scotland women's national rugby team visited Ngunguru Marae in what was called a celebration of "the genealogical links between Scotland and Māori" by Te Ao Māori News.{{Citation |title=Ngunguru welcomes Scotland's women's rugby team {{!}} Te Ao Mārama |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEfXm_Ff23s |language=en |access-date=2022-12-24}}{{Citation |title=Scotland Women’s Rugby welcomed onto Ngunguru Marae |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVl4BAFEWTc |language=en |access-date=2022-12-24}}

Ngunguru covers {{Convert|3.57|km2||abbr=on}}{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=22 April 2022|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Ngunguru|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Ngunguru|y}}|R}}/3.57|0}} people per km².

{{Historical populations|2006|879|2013|918|2018|1,164|2023|1,173|percentages=pagr|align=left|source={{NZ census 2018|Ngunguru (107600)|ngunguru|Ngunguru}}}}

Ngunguru had a population of 1,173 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 9 people (0.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 255 people (27.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 582 males, 588 females and 3 people of other genders in 450 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%2Bdo1.107600.2023&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}} 2.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 46.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 222 people (18.9%) aged under 15 years, 147 (12.5%) aged 15 to 29, 516 (44.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 291 (24.8%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 88.0% European (Pākehā); 20.7% Māori; 2.6% Pasifika; 2.8% Asian; 1.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.5%, Māori language by 4.9%, and other languages by 8.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 21.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 22.3% Christian, 0.8% Hindu, 0.3% Islam, 0.5% Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, 1.3% Jewish, and 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 65.7%, and 7.4% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 210 (22.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 492 (51.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 177 (18.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 105 people (11.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 414 (43.5%) people were employed full-time, 162 (17.0%) were part-time, and 21 (2.2%) 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.107600.2013%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=Ngunguru (107600)}}

Ngunguru School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|1056|y}} students as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|y||.}}{{TKI|1056|Ngunguru School}} The school celebrated its centennial in 1970.{{cite book|url=http://hip.wdc.govt.nz/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=link=3100006~!13353~!3100001~!3100028|title=Ngunguru School Centennial 1870–1970 : souvenir booklet|year=1971|publisher=Ngunguru School|accessdate=14 August 2009}}

Ngunguru has a sports and recreation club, which started in the late 1970s in a leased farm paddock. Then in 1979 the first club committee took over the land lease and started building up the club's facilities. The sports ground was officially opened on 20 March 1982 with a gala and a rugby match "between the Northland Vikings (a virtual Northland side) and a star-studded Ngunguru Invitation side which included three former All Blacks".{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} Ngunguru Sports & Recreation Club |url=https://www.ngunguruclub.co.nz/ |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=Ngunguru Sports & Recreation Club |language=en}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.ngunguru.school.nz/ Ngunguru School]
• [http://ncag.org.nz/ Ngunguru Sandspit Protection Society]

{{Whangarei District}}

Category:Whangarei District

Category:Populated places in the Northland Region