Tatuanui
{{Short description|Locality in Waikato, New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Tatuanui
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| image_skyline = FL16294081.jpg
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| image_caption = Aerial view of Tatuanui
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| coordinates = {{coord|-37.621545|175.595736|region:NZ_type:city|display=it}}
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| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = New Zealand
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_name1 = Waikato
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = Matamata-Piako District
| subdivision_type3 = Ward
| subdivision_name3 = Morrinsville General Ward
| leader_title = Territorial Authority
| leader_name = Matamata-Piako District Council
| leader_title1 = Regional council
| leader_name1 = Waikato Regional Council
| leader_title2 = Mayor of Matamata-Piako
| leader_name2 = {{NZ officeholder data|Matamata-Piako District Mayor|y}}
| leader_title3 = Waikato MP
| leader_name3 = {{NZ officeholder data|Waikato MP|y}}
| leader_title4 = Hauraki-Waikato MP
| leader_name4 = {{NZ officeholder data|Hauraki-Waikato MP|y}}
| seat_type = Electorates
| seat = {{ubl|Waikato|Hauraki-Waikato (Māori)}}
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| unit_pref = Metric
| area_total_km2 = 48.83
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| population_total = 372
| population_as_of = 2023 Census
| population_density_km2 = auto
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Tatuanui is a settlement and rural community in the Matamata-Piako District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.
It is located north-east of Morrinsville, south-west of Te Aroha, Waihou and Waitoa, and north of Ngarua, at the intersection of State Highway 26 and State Highway 27. The intersection was converted to a roundabout between June and December 2011 for safety reasons.{{cite news |title=Tatuanui roundabout opens ahead of schedule |url=https://www.nzta.govt.nz/media-releases/tatuanui-roundabout-opens-ahead-of-schedule/ |agency=NZ Transport Agency |publisher=New Zealand Government |date=22 December 2011}}
Etymology
Tatuanui was originally known as Tatua-o-Haua, meaning 'belt of Haua'. The name was from a flax belt around where the township stands. The name was shortened to Tatua but was renamed to Tatuanui to avoid confusion with another place.{{cite book |last1=Vennell |first1=C. W. |last2=More |first2=David |title=Land of the Three Rivers: A Centennial History of Piako County |date=1976 |publisher=Wilson & Horton}}{{RP|271}}
History
Demographics
Tatuanui and its surrounds cover {{Convert|48.83|km2||abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Statistical Area 1 2023 (generalised)|access-date=30 March 2025}} The community is part of the larger Tatuanui statistical area.{{cite web|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=3a406ce8fbb14367ab5caae21c07ab8b|title=Geographic Boundary Viewer|publisher=Stats NZ|at=Statistical Area 1 – 2023 and Statistical Area 2 – 2023}}
{{Historical populations|2006|453|2013|366|2018|387|2023|372|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population of Tatuanui and surrounds|source={{NZ census 2018|7011459 and 7011464}}}}
Tatuanui and its surrounds had a population of 372 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 15 people (−3.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 6 people (1.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 198 males and 174 females in 132 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_009&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.7032564%2B7034565%2B7032566.2023&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}} 1.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 90 people (24.2%) aged under 15 years, 93 (25.0%) aged 15 to 29, 165 (44.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 27 (7.3%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 84.7% European (Pākehā); 11.3% Māori; 3.2% Pasifika; 8.1% Asian; 1.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.8%, Māori language by 3.2%, and other languages by 7.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.8%. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 25.8% Christian, 1.6% Hindu, and 1.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.1%, and 8.1% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 60 (21.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 162 (57.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 57 (20.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 36 people (12.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 162 (57.4%) people were employed full-time, 57 (20.2%) were part-time, and 9 (3.2%) 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_012&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%2Bib7%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.7032564%2B7034565%2B7032566.2013%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=7032564, 7034565 and 7032566}}
=Tatuanui statistical area=
Tatuanui statistical area covers {{Convert|144.46|km2||abbr=on}}{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised)|access-date=30 March 2025}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Tatuanui|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Tatuanui|y}}|R}}/144.46|1}} people per km2.
{{Historical populations|2006|1,479|2013|1,338|2018|1,377|2023|1,455|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population of Tatuanui statistical area|source={{NZ census 2018|Tatuanui (173700)|tatuanui|Tatuanui}}}}
The statistical area had a population of 1,455 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 78 people (5.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 117 people (8.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 750 males and 705 females in 492 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%2Bdo1.173700.2023&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}} 1.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 33.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 339 people (23.3%) aged under 15 years, 294 (20.2%) aged 15 to 29, 633 (43.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 192 (13.2%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 82.9% European (Pākehā); 17.5% Māori; 1.6% Pasifika; 7.8% Asian; 1.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.7%, Māori language by 4.9%, and other languages by 6.8%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 28.0% Christian, 1.2% Hindu, 0.8% Islam, 0.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.5%, and 9.5% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 177 (15.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 663 (59.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 273 (24.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $51,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 138 people (12.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 618 (55.4%) people were employed full-time, 207 (18.5%) were part-time, and 15 (1.3%) 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%2Bib7%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.173700.2013%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=Tatuanui (173700)}}
Dairy industry
=Dairy factory=
The Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company is a central feature of the township. Tatua is an independent co-operative dairy company owned by 101 shareholder farms, all located within a 12 kilometre radius of the processing site.{{cite web|url=http://www.tatua.com/home/Tatua-Corporate |title=Specialised Dairy Ingredients & Foods Leader |publisher=Tatua |date= |accessdate=2018-09-17}} It employs 400 staff and exports specialised dairy products worldwide.{{cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Andrea |title=Tatua delivers payout cream and improved dairy earnings |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12272654 |agency=The New Zealand Herald |publisher=New Zealand Media and Entertainment |date=1 October 2019}}
The co-operative has maintained a strong independent history within the New Zealand dairy industry. In the 2001 mega-merger for the New Zealand dairy industry which formed Fonterra, Tatua shareholders decided to remain independent. New Zealand had over 500 dairy co-operatives in the 1930s, but Tatua is the only New Zealand dairy co-operative remaining that has never been part of any merger throughout its history.{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/farming/382560|title=Tatua's payout forecast at $7.50|date=25 April 2008|work=Waikato Times|accessdate=13 October 2010}}
Tatua often records the highest payout for milk solids to the farmer shareholders in New Zealand.{{Cite web |url=http://www.agri-fax.co.nz/pdf/The_Dairy_Report_Oct_07.pdf |title=Agrifax Dairy Report |access-date=9 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205080837/http://agri-fax.co.nz/pdf/The_Dairy_Report_Oct_07.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} While the high level of payout is partly due to a small catchment area (which reduces processing costs), the high financial performance of Tatua has been attributed to its focus on value-added dairy products rather than traditional, mass-produced, commodity-based milk products such as milk powder, butter and cheese.{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/tatua-co-operative-dairy-company-ltd/news/article.cfm?o_id=204&objectid=10393224|title=Tatua payout highlights benefits of adding value - Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company Ltd|date=27 July 2006|work=The New Zealand Herald|accessdate=13 October 2010}}
=Dairy Whip can=
A giant model of a can of whipped cream sits outside the factory as an landmark for the township. The 12-metre-high stainless steel silo was rebranded as Tatua Dairy Whip in 2013. It was severely crumpled in 2016, but the cause of the damage remained a mystery.{{cite news |last1=Tanirau |first1=Katrina |title=Crumpled giant dairy whip silo talk of town in Piako |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/82029984/crumbled-giant-dairy-whip-silo-talk-of-town-in-piako |agency=Waikato Times |publisher=Stuff |date=12 July 2016}}
The model was replaced again later that year,{{cite news |last1=Tanirau |first1=Katrina |title=Cameras keep clicking as new giant can moved into place |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/83588928/cameras-keep-clicking-as-new-giant-can-moved-into-place |agency=Waikato Times |publisher=Stuff |date=29 August 2016}} and underwent a further makeover in 2019.{{cite news |title=Dairy Whip cream can has a new look |url=https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/dairy-news/dairy-general-news/dairy-whip-cream-can-has-a-new-look |agency=Dairy News |publisher=Rural News Group |date=17 October 2019}}
=Farming=
The area's sandy and silty soil makes it vulnerable to pugging and soil compaction.{{cite news |last1=Paddock |first1=Gerald |title=Tatuanui farmer boxing on after a tough start to dairy season |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/100425814/tatuanui-farmer-boxing-on-after-a-tough-start-to-dairy-season |agency=Waikato Times |publisher=Stuff |date=10 January 2018}}
The Ministry for Primary Industries held a public meeting in the township in October 2019 following several new Waikato cases of the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis.{{cite news |last1=Hope |first1=Shermae |title=Waikato farmers not out of the woods yet with Mycoplasma bovis |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/116666339/waikato-farmers-not-out-of-the-woods-yet-with-mycoplasma-bovis |agency=Waikato Times |publisher=Stuff |date=17 October 2019}}
Sports and facilities
The local tennis club began in 1921 and was formally incorporated in 1934.{{cite web |title=Tatuanui Tennis Club |url=https://www.sporty.co.nz/tatuanuitennis/Tatuanui-Tennis-Club |website=sporty.co.nz |publisher=Tatuanui Tennis Club}}{{cite web |title=Tatuanui Tennis Club Inc |url=https://www.sportwaikato.org.nz/directory/tatuanui-tennis-club-inc.aspx |website=sportwaikato.org.nz |publisher=Sport Waikato}} The club caters for players as young as 6.{{cite news |title=Youngsters give tennis club a boost |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/72518609/youngsters-give-tennis-club-a-boost |agency=Waikato Times |publisher=Stuff |date=2 October 2015}}
The township has a hall available for community events.{{cite web |title=Tatuanui Hall |url=https://www.mpdc.govt.nz/community-halls/tatanui-hall |website=mpdc.govt.nz |publisher=Matamata-Piako District Council}}
Education
Tatuanui School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students,{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=1983 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}} with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|1983|y}} as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|}}.{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=1983 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} It was established in 1918 and celebrated its centenary in October 2018.
The school buildings, drains and playground were built by volunteers from the local community, and caretaking activities have traditionally been done at parent working bees and by students during class time.{{cite news |last1=Tantau |first1=Kelly |title=Tatuanui School's 'Kiwi ingenuity' still evident after 100 years |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/piako-post/107901259/tatuanui-schools-kiwi-ingenuity-still-evident-after-100-years |agency=Piako Post |publisher=Stuff |date=17 October 2018}}