Te Awamutu#History and culture
{{Short description|Town in Waikato, New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name =Te Awamutu
|official_name =
|other_name =
|native_name =
|nickname = T.A., "The Rose Town of New Zealand"
|settlement_type =Town
|total_type =
|motto =
|image_skyline = Te Awamutu War Memorials.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption = Te Awamutu war memorials
|image_flag =
|flag_size =
|image_seal =
|seal_size =
|image_shield =
|shield_size =
|image_blank_emblem =
|blank_emblem_type =
|blank_emblem_size =
|image_map = {{Infobox mapframe|zoom=9}}
|mapsize =
|map_caption =
|image_dot_map =
|dot_mapsize =
|dot_map_caption =
|dot_x = |dot_y =
|pushpin_map =
|pushpin_label_position = bottom
|pushpin_map_caption = Location of Te Awamutu
|pushpin_mapsize = 180
|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|established_title =
|established_date =
|established_title1 =
|established_date1 =
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = New Zealand
|subdivision_type1 = Region
|subdivision_name1 = Waikato
|subdivision_type2 = District
|subdivision_name2 = Waipā District
|subdivision_type3 = Ward
|subdivision_name3 = Te Awamutu-Kihikihi General Ward
|subdivision_type4 = Community
|subdivision_name4 = Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community
|leader_title = Territorial Authority
|leader_name = Waipā District Council
|leader_title1 = Regional council
|leader_name1 = Waikato Regional Council
|leader_title2 = Mayor of Waipa
|leader_name2 = {{NZ officeholder data|Waipa District Mayor|y}}
|leader_title3 = Taranaki-King Country MP
|leader_name3 = {{NZ officeholder data|Taranaki-King Country MP|y}}
|leader_title4 = Hauraki-Waikato MP
|leader_name4 = {{NZ officeholder data|Hauraki-Waikato MP|y}}
|seat_type = Electorates
|seat = {{ubl|Taranaki-King Country|Hauraki-Waikato (Māori)}}
|area_urban_footnotes =
|area_rural_footnotes =
|area_metro_footnotes =
|area_magnitude =
|area_note =
|area_water_percent =
|area_rank =
|area_blank1_title =
|area_blank2_title =
|area_total_km2 = 14.18
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m =
|elevation_ft =
|population_note =
|population_footnotes = {{NZ population data 2018||||y}}
|population_total = {{NZ population data 2018|Te Awamutu|y}}
|population_as_of = {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}
|population_density_km2 = auto
|population_urban =
|population_blank1_title= Town
|population_blank1 =
|timezone = NZST
|utc_offset = +12
|timezone_DST = NZDT
|utc_offset_DST = +13
|coor_type =
|coordinates = {{coord|38|01|S|175|19|E|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type =
|postal_code =
|area_code =
|website = City: [http://www.teawamutu.co.nz/ teawamutu.co.nz]
Region: [http://www.ew.govt.nz http://www.ew.govt.nz]
|footnotes =
|blank_name =
|blank_info =
}}
Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some {{convert|30|km}} south of Hamilton on State Highway 3, one of the two main routes south from Auckland and Hamilton.
Te Awamutu has a population of {{NZ population data 2018|Te Awamutu|y|y|y|(|),}} making it the fifth-largest urban area in the Waikato behind Hamilton, Taupō, Cambridge and Tokoroa.
The town is often referred to as "The Rose Town of New Zealand" because of its elaborate rose gardens in the centre of the town.{{cite web |url=http://www.tourism.net.nz/nz-north-island-things-to-see-and-do.html |title=New Zealand North Island Things To See And Do |access-date=2011-01-07}} Many local businesses use "Rosetown" in their name, and the symbol of the rose is widely used on local signs and billboards. The local paper, Te Awamutu Courier, has a symbol of a rose in the masthead on its front page.
History and culture
Tainui Māori first settled in the area in about 1450, according to noted Tainui historian Te Hurinui-Jones. Te Awamutu means "the river cut short", as it marked the end of the navigable section of the Mangapiko Stream.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/te-awamutu|year=1966|title=Te Awamutu|encyclopedia=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand}}
Te Awamutu was the birthplace of the first Māori King, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 1860).
The first European missionaries visited the area in 1834. A missionary settlement was set up by Benjamin Yate Ashwell of the Church Missionary Society (CMS).{{cite book |last1= Rogers |first1= Lawrence M. |title= Te Wiremu: A Biography of Henry Williams|year=1973 |publisher=Pegasus Press }}{{cite web|title= The Church Missionary Atlas (Church Missionary Society)|pages= 210–219|date= 1896| url= http://www.churchmissionarysociety.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/Details/CMS_OX_Atlas_01|access-date=19 October 2015 | publisher = Adam Matthew Digital}}{{cite web|last=Foster|first=Bernard John|editor= A. H. McLintock |title = ASHWELL, Benjamin Yates| date =1966|url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/ashwell-benjamin-yates|publisher= Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|access-date=29 January 2019}} and Māori Christians in July 1839 after they observed Tainui warriors, who had been fighting at Rotorua, return with 60 backpacks of human remains and proceed to cook and eat them in the Otawhao Pā.[http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov09_06Rail-t1-body-d7-d2.html A Lone Hand in Cannibal Land] James Cowan The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 6 (1 September 1934) NZETC In 1842 the Rev. John Morgan moved to the Otawhao Mission Station.{{cite web |title= The Church Missionary Gleaner, December 1846|work=The Station of Otawao, New Zealand|access-date=16 October 2015 |url= http://www.churchmissionarysociety.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/Images/CMS_OX_Gleaner_1846_12/12| publisher = Adam Matthew Digital}} Otawhao was to the south west of Te Awamutu, on the rise overlooking what is now Centennial Park.{{Cite web|date=2014-07-22|title=Early Te Awamutu|url=https://tamuseum.org.nz/te-awamutu/|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Te Awamutu Museum}}
The CMS missionaries established a flourishing trade school that focused on developing agricultural skills. The missionaries introduced European crops such as wheat, potatoes and peaches. In 1846 Morgan provided advice and some capital to help local Māori to construct eight water mills to grind wheat into flour.{{cite web |title= The Church Missionary Gleaner, August 1847|work=Advancement of New Zealanders in Civilization|access-date=16 October 2015 |url= http://www.churchmissionarysociety.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/Images/CMS_OX_Gleaner_1847_08/9| publisher = Adam Matthew Digitals}} Morgan assisted in finding a suitable miller to operate the mills and to train Māori in this skill.{{cite book |last1= Petrie |first1= Hazel |title= Chiefs of Industry: Maori Tribal Enterprise in Early Colonial New Zealand|year=2006|publisher=Auckland University Press|isbn= 9781869403768}}
File:St John's church in Te Awamutu.jpg
Possibly the oldest surviving building in the Waikato{{Cite web|title=Homewood|url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/739|url-status=|access-date=2021-06-19|website=heritage.org.nz}} is St John's church, built in 1853 as part of the mission station. It is in Gothic Revival style.{{Cite web|url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/28|title=St John's Church (Anglican)|website=heritage.org.nz|access-date=2020-03-15}} During the 1850s the wider area prospered on the back of sending surplus farm produce to Auckland. For a brief period wheat was even sent overseas. By the late 1850s prices dropped as cheaper flour and other foodstuffs were imported from Australia. This caused huge resentment among local Māori who had grown use to the wealth provided by trade. Some of the more warlike Māori such as Rewi Maniapoto blamed the missionaries for having a negative influence on Māori tikanga (cultural practices). He attempted to kill the local missionary and burnt down the trade school and other mission buildings. Some Christian Māori warned Europeans to leave the Waikato as their lives were in danger. Te Awamutu was a major site during the New Zealand Wars of the 19th century, serving as a garrison town for the colonial settlers from 1864. European settlement began at the conclusion of the Waikato Wars (1863–1865).{{cite encyclopedia | url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars | title=Story: New Zealand wars | first=Danny | last=Keenan | encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of New Zealand | access-date=1 July 2019 }}
= Marae =
The local Mangatoatoa Marae and Te Maru o Ihowa meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Ngutu, Pare te Kawa and Parewaeono, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Ngutu and Ngāti Paretekawa.{{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}}
= Local government =
Rangiaowhia,{{Cite web|date=5 February 1881|title=Waikato Times |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18810205.2.21.3|url-status=|access-date=2022-01-11|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} or Rangiaohia Highway Board administered the roads in the town until Te Awamutu Town Board's{{Cite web|date=30 December 1884|title=TE AWAMUTU. WAIKATO TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18841230.2.24|url-status=|access-date=2022-01-11|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} election on 1 November 1884.{{Cite web|date=4 November 1884|title=Waikato Times |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18841104.2.27.3|url-status=|access-date=2022-01-11|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} The board first met on 8 November,{{Cite web|date=11 November 1884|title=TE AWAMUTU. WAIKATO TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18841111.2.13|url-status=|access-date=2022-01-11|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} though there had been an earlier attempt to form a board{{Cite web|date=13 September 1884|title=A TOWN BOARD FOR TE AWAMUTU. WAIKATO TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18840913.2.29|url-status=|access-date=2022-01-11|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} and there was an unsuccessful challenge to the legality of the election.{{Cite web|date=11 December 1884|title=THE TE AWAMUTU ELECTION ENQUIRY. WAIKATO TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18841211.2.24|url-status=|access-date=2022-01-11|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} Te Awamutu Borough Council took over from the board and first met on 10 May 1915.{{Cite web|date=11 May 1915|title=TE AWAMUTU BOROUGH COUNCIL. WAIPA POST|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIPO19150511.2.20|url-status=|access-date=2022-01-11|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} It was merged into Waipā District Council on 23 October 1989.{{Cite web|title=30 years on, Waipā better than ever – Waipa District Council|url=https://www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-council/news/?item=id:27rpq6ip217q9svpv8pl|access-date=2022-01-11|website=waipadc.govt.nz}}
Geography
Te Awamutu literally means in English "The River's End".{{Cite web|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/maori-language-week/1000-maori-place-names|title=1000 Māori place names|publisher=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage|date=6 August 2019}} The town is on gently undulating land close to the banks of a tributary of the Waipā River. The Waikato Plains lie to the north and east, and the promontory of Mount Pirongia, 20 kilometres to the west, is easily visible. Inside the township are two streams called the Mangapiko Stream and the Mangaohoi Stream. The Mangaohoi ends and becomes the Tributary of the Mangapiko near Memorial park.
The town is close to the extinct Kakepuku and Pirongia volcanoes (and other volcanoes of the Alexandra Volcanic Group). Maungatautari, another extinct volcanic cone, now the site of New Zealand's largest ecological restoration project, is also nearby.
Other towns surrounding Te Awamutu include Cambridge, 25 kilometres to the northeast, Ōtorohanga, 30 kilometres to the southwest, and Raglan 50 kilometres to the northwest. The small town of Kihikihi lies just to the south of Te Awamutu.
The main thoroughfare is Alexandra Street, so named because it was once the main road to the town of Alexandra (since renamed to Pirongia to avoid confusion with the town of Alexandra in the South Island).
Demographics
Te Awamutu covers {{Convert|14.18|km2||abbr=on}}{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Urban Rural 2023 (generalised)|access-date=24 April 2025}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Te Awamutu|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|({{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Te Awamutu|y}}|R}})/14.18|0}} people per km2.
{{Historical populations|2006|10,146|2013|10,854|2018|12,543|2023|13,380|percentages=pagr|align=left|source={{NZ census 2018|Te Awamutu North (183300), Te Awamutu West (183400), Goodfellow Park (183600), Te Awamutu Stadium (184000), Te Awamutu Central (184100), Pekerau (184200), Fraser Street (184300) and Sherwin Park (184400)|footnote=The 2006 population is for a smaller area of 12.48 km2.}}}}
Te Awamutu had a population of 13,380 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 837 people (6.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,526 people (23.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 6,429 males, 6,903 females, and 45 people of other genders in 5,136 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%2Bdo1.1187%2B183300%2B183401%2B183600%2B184000%2B184100%2B184201%2B184300%2B184400.2023&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}} 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 2,532 people (18.9%) aged under 15 years, 2,355 (17.6%) aged 15 to 29, 5,580 (41.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,910 (21.7%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.4% European (Pākehā); 24.1% Māori; 3.2% Pasifika; 6.9% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.7%, Māori by 5.5%, Samoan by 0.4%, and other languages by 7.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 33.2% Christian, 1.1% Hindu, 0.4% Islam, 1.2% Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 52.9%, and 8.4% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 1,833 (16.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 5,883 (54.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 3,129 (28.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 924 people (8.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 5,469 (50.4%) full-time, 1,257 (11.6%) part-time, and 264 (2.4%) 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.1187.2013%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=Te Awamutu (1187)}}
{{table alignment}}
For earlier censuses, Te Awamutu was divided into four area units, central, east, south and west, as in this table.{{Cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/StatsMaps/Home/Maps/2013-census-quickstats-about-a-place-map.aspx?viewer=viewer_config_2013_Live.txt&webmap=map_config.txt&layerId=1&featureId=526500|title=2013 Census map – QuickStats about a place|website=stats.govt.nz|access-date=10 June 2017}} Māori formed 19.7% of the population in central, 22.8% in east, 23.2% in south and 25.7% in west.{{Cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx|title=2013 Census QuickStats about a place|access-date=2017-11-18}}
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| |Year |Population |Households |Median age |Median income |National median |
| rowspan="3" |Te Awamutu total
|2001 |9,180 |3,531 | | |$18,500 |
| 2006
|9,819 |3,828 | | |$24,400 |
| 2013
|10,308 |4,125 | | |$28,500 |
| rowspan="3" |Central
|2001 |2,892 |1,179 |40.5 |$16,900 | |
| 2006
|3,153 |1,281 |42.1 |$21,800 | |
| 2013
|3,321 |1,368 |41.6 |$26,700 | |
| rowspan="3" |East
|2001 |2,301 |849 |34.9 |$17,200 | |
| 2006
|2,511 |975 |38.9 |$23,500 | |
| 2013
|2,769 |1,107 |42.0 |$27,400 | |
| rowspan="3" |South
|2001 |2,862 |1,098 |38.7 |$16,800 | |
| 2006
|2,928 |1,131 |39.8 |$21,300 | |
| 2013
|2,913 |1,176 |41.8 |$25,100 | |
| rowspan="3" |West
|2001 |1,125 |405 |33.6 |$18,100 | |
| 2006
|1,227 |441 |35.4 |$25,400 | |
| 2013
|1,305 |474 |36.4 |$28,500 | |
Facilities and attractions
Te Awamutu Museum was established in 1935. The museum has a number of permanent exhibitions focusing on the history of Te Awamutu and the surrounding area.{{cite web |url=http://www.tamuseum.org.nz/ |title=Te Awamutu Museum |access-date=2011-07-01}}
The museum contains one of the most famous early Māori artefacts, a large carved post known simply as Te Uenuku. This impressive carving has caused much controversy because its style is markedly different from any other early Māori work, yet it is clearly of a Māori design.
Te Awamutu itself is located on SH3, one of the major routes used when touring the North Island of New Zealand.
The town has three large supermarkets, electronics retailers, a well equipped sports / leisure centre and The Kihikihi Trail cycleway,{{Cite web|url=http://www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-council/news/Pages/New-trail-route-confirmed.aspx|title=New trail route confirmed – Waipa District Council|website=waipadc.govt.nz|access-date=2017-11-16}} which opened in 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-district/MajorProjects/Pages/Kihikihi-Trail.aspx|title=Kihikihi trail – Waipa District Council|website=waipadc.govt.nz|access-date=2017-11-16}}
The town has a large dairy factory, and serves as an important centre in the local dairy industry.
Education
Te Awamutu has two state primary schools: Te Awamutu Primary School, with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|2002|y}},{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=2002 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}}{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=2002 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} and Pekapekarau School with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|1893|y}}.{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=1893 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}}{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=1893 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} Te Awamutu Primary was founded in 1877.{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/te-awamutu-primary-school-hits-600-student-mark/K5SM456WQZCSTLXYXXCI2UVK2I/|title=Te Awamutu Primary School hits 600-student mark|first=Jesse|last=Wood|newspaper=Te Awamutu Courier|date=21 November 2023}} Pekapekarau opened in 1958 as Te Awamutu No 2 School, then was given the name Pekerau School, a misspelling of Pekarau. It changed its name to Pekapekarau School in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://pekapekarau.school.nz/our-history/|title=Our History|publisher=Pekapekarau School|access-date=24 April 2025}}
Many of these students then progress on to Te Awamutu Intermediate, established 1959,{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/te-awamutu-secondary-schooling-timeline/J3UDUBZNGWNLQW7EP5REE7SS4U/|title=Te Awamutu secondary schooling timeline|newspaper=Te Awamutu Courier|date=5 November 2020}} with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|2001|y}},{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=2001 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}}{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=2001 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} and Te Awamutu College, with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|146|y}}.{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=146 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}}{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=146 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} Te Awamutu District High School was established in 1921, split between two or more sites. It was replaced by Te Awamutu College in 1947.{{cite news|url=https://www.teawamutunews.nz/2020/10/a-century-of-ta-schooling/|title=A century of TA schooling|newspaper=Te Awamutu News|date=1 October 2020|first=Viv|last=Posselt}}
There are also three other schools in the town:
- St Patrick's Catholic School is a Year 1–8 state integrated Catholic primary school,{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=1962 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}} with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|1962|y}}.{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=1962 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} It was founded in 1921.{{cite web|url=https://www.stpatta.co.nz/special-character/josephite-tradition|title=Josephite Tradition|publisher=St Patrick's Catholic School|access-date=24 April 2025}}
- Waipa Christian School is a Year 1–8 state integrated Christian primary school,{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=266 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}} with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|266|y}}.{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=266 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} It opened in the early 1990s, and plans to include years 9 and 10 in the future.{{cite web|url=https://www.teawamutunews.nz/2024/09/school-plans-expansion/|title=School Plans Expansion|newspaper=Te Awamutu News|date=19 September 2024|first=Chris|last=Gardner}}
- Te Wharekura o Ngā Purapura o te Aroha is a Year 1–15 state school,{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=641 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}} with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|641|y}} as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|}}{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=641 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} The school, which teaches in the Māori language, opened in 2007 and moved to its current site in 2020.{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/te-awamutu-kura-achieve-dream-to-have-their-own-purpose-built-wharekura/PBXFLYCC3OTNYHKUVJRTI4QPLA/|title=Te Awamutu kura achieve dream to have their own purpose-built wharekura|newspaper=Te Awamutu Courier|date=27 February 2020|first=Caitlan|last=Johnston}}
All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of {{NZ school roll data|||y}}.
Notable residents
{{main category|People from Te Awamutu}}
The town's best known residents are the Finn Brothers, Tim and Neil, whose musical careers have stretched from Split Enz through the internationally successful Crowded House to their current solo and collaborative works. The town is mentioned in Split Enz's song "Haul Away", and also in Crowded House's 1986 song "Mean to Me", the debut single from their self-titled debut album.
Writer Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, was born in the town in 1953.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-29 |title=What next for Tattooist of Auschwitz author? |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/heather-morris-comes-home-to-share-writing-secrets/X2TIZPVVLAK7VSX5FUKPACN4LU/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}{{Cite web |title=From Te Awamutu to the world: Author Heather Morris' inspiring success story - Duncan Garner: Editor-in-Chief Live |url=https://omny.fm/shows/duncan-garner-editor-in-chief/from-te-awamutu-to-the-world-author-heather-morris |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=omny.fm |language=en}} She was inducted into the Te Awamutu Walk of Fame in 2019.{{Cite web |title=Author inducted into Te Awamutu Walk of Fame - Waipa District Council |url=https://www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-council/news?item=id:288buy1qp1cxbyftutzj |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=www.waipadc.govt.nz}}
Musician Spencer P. Jones (The Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls) was also born in Te Awamutu.
Two Anglican priests of note were the last incumbent vicars of the old St Johns Church. They were The Rev Martin Gloster Sullivan, vicar prior to WW2 who in 1950 became Dean of Christchurch Cathedral and, later Dean of St Pauls Cathedral London, and The Rev John David Hogg who was to become the Anglican Archdeacon of Waikato and Vicar General of the Waikato Diocese.{{cite web | url=https://knowledgebank.org.nz/text/hogg-john-david-biography-1971/ | title=Hogg, John David Biography 1971 }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Te Awamutu}}
- [http://www.teawamutu.co.nz/ teawamutu.co.nz]
{{Authority control}}
{{Waipa District}}
Category:Populated places in Waikato
Category:Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in Waikato