Te Uku#Education

Te Uku settlement and its surrounds cover {{Convert|42.65|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=17 March 2025}} It is part of the larger Te Uku 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|201|2013|249|2018|264|2023|348|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Te Uku and surrounds|source={{NZ census 2018|7011336 and 7011338}}}}

File:Te Uku from Hauroto Bay Rd.jpg

Te Uku had a population of 348 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 84 people (31.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 99 people (39.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 180 males, 168 females and 3 people of other genders in 111 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%2Bdo1.7011336%2B7011338.2023&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}} 2.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 81 people (23.3%) aged under 15 years, 54 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 165 (47.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 48 (13.8%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 91.4% European (Pākehā); 18.1% Māori; 2.6% Pasifika; 1.7% Asian; 2.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori language by 6.0%, and other languages by 9.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 17.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 19.8% Christian, 1.7% Hindu, and 0.9% Islam. People who answered that they had no religion were 65.5%, and 10.3% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 75 (28.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 132 (49.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 60 (22.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 36 people (13.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 141 (52.8%) people were employed full-time, 63 (23.6%) were part-time, and 3 (1.1%) 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.7011336%2B7011338.2013%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=7011336 and 7011338}}

Until the 2023 census, Te Uku statistical area covered all of Waikato District south of Whaingaroa Harbour, with the exception of Raglan, stretching from Waitetuna, through Okete, Kauroa and Te Mata to the coast at Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour. In 2023, the statistical area was split into Te Uku and Whale Bay, which cover {{Convert|546.57|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=17 March 2025}} and had an estimated population of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Te Uku|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Whale Bay|y}}|R}}|0}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|({{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Te Uku|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Whale Bay|y}}|R}})/546.57|1}} people per km².

{{Historical populations|2006|2,028|2013|2,226|2018|2,694|2023|2,901|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for the statistical areas|source={{NZ census 2018|Te Uku (171800)|te-uku|Te Uku}}|footnote=The 2006 population is for a larger area of 549.67 km².}}

Te Uku statistical areas had a population of 2,901 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 207 people (7.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 675 people (30.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,440 males, 1,452 females and 9 people of other genders in 1,032 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%2Bdo1.171801%2B171803.2023&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+. There were 615 people (21.2%) aged under 15 years, 429 (14.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,479 (51.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 381 (13.1%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 87.4% European (Pākehā); 23.5% Māori; 2.3% Pasifika; 2.1% Asian; 1.3% 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 97.1%, Māori language by 6.5%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 9.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 22.0% Christian, 0.5% Hindu, 0.1% Islam, 0.7% Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% Buddhist, 0.7% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 66.9%, and 7.8% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 633 (27.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,182 (51.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 471 (20.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 300 people (13.1%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,143 (50.0%) people were employed full-time, 417 (18.2%) were part-time, and 51 (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%2Bib7%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.171801%2B171803.2013%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 Uku (171801) and Whale Bay (171803)}}

The village lies in the Matakotea valley, which is a tributary of the Waitetuna River. Most rocks in the area are volcanic. The village, and most of the land to the west, is on Hamilton Ash; a 350,000 year old, strongly weathered, mainly yellow-brown, clay-rich, airfall tephra, of rhyolitic and andesitic composition, which includes corroded quartz crystals, weathered hornblende and augite, halloysite nodules, and some manganese. The hills to the north are of Okete Volcanics. The vertical offsets of the Vanhoutte, Mangawhero and Mangakino Faults reach a maximum of over {{Convert|250|m|ft|abbr = on}} near Te Uku trig. The hills to the south of the fault line are of Coleman and Waiharakeke Conglomerates and Puti and Waikorea Siltstones, all of Puaroan age (about 150 million years ago), with 2 million year old Okete Volcanics forming the highest points.{{Cite book|title = Geology of the Raglan-Kawhia Area|last = Clayton Waterhouse|first = Barry|publisher = Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (N.Z.)|year = 1994|isbn = 0-478-08837-X|last2 = P. J. White}}

Pollen analysis in the sediments of the Waitetuna arm of the harbour shows that the original vegetation was kahikatea on the flats, and a mixed podocarp-hardwood forest on the slopes, with tōtara, maire, mataī, rimu, rātā, beech and tree ferns. Kauri was present, but not abundant.{{Cite web|url=http://wrcgovtnz.cwp.govt.nz/services/publications/technical-reports/tr/tr200536/|title=Whaingaroa (Raglan) Harbour: Sedimentation and the effects of historical catchment landcover changes|website=Waikato Regional Council|language=en-NZ|access-date=2018-06-14}}

Te Uku is part of the rohe of Ngāti Māhanga.{{Cite web|url = https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/Documents-Library/Files/Documents/District-Plan/Raglan-Land-Company-Private-Plan-Change-12/Vol-2/Vol-2,-section-15,-Cultural-Impact-Assessment-for-.aspx|title = Ngāti Māhanga Cultural Impact Assessment|website = Waikato District Council|last = Kelly|first = Miromiro|page = 5}}

The archaeology map shows that most pre-colonial settlement was around the harbour, with just three sites in the lower Waitetuna valley, and four sites in the Okete valley, only one of which was a pā site.{{Cite web|url=https://archsite.eaglegis.co.nz/NZAAPublic|title=NZAA Site Viewer|website=archsite.eaglegis.co.nz|access-date=2018-06-14}}

European settlement began in the 1850s. The Raglan County history said, "On 22 March 1851, eighteen chiefs of Ngati-Mahanga and Ngati-Hourua, headed by William Naylor, sold to Queen Victoria for the sum of £400 (modern equivalent about $50,000{{Cite web|title=Inflation Calculator |url=http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary_policy/inflation_calculator/ |website=www.rbnz.govt.nz |access-date=2015-12-08 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630135426/http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary_policy/inflation_calculator/ |archive-date=2013-06-30 }}), {{convert|19680|acre||abbr=on}} of country bordering on the southern shores of the harbour. The western boundary of the Whaingaroa Block, as it came to be known, began at Putoetoe (the point on which the town of Raglan now stands) and followed the Opotoru Stream inland. Leaving that stream at its junction with the Hutewai, the line ran south beyond Te Mata to a point "marked by a hole dug by the side of the path to Aotea. Here it turned north-eastward to run (again in a straight line) for eight miles through dense forest to meet the Waitetuna River, the last few miles of which formed the eastern boundary."{{Cite book|title = Raglan County Hills and Sea 1876–1976|last = CW Vennell & Susan Williams|publisher = Wilson & Horton for Raglan County Council|year = 1976|isbn = 0868640026}}

In 1852 John and George Moon, walked to Te Uku from New Plymouth, introducing the first sheep, and the first horse-drawn vehicle. In 1856 Abraham Kescel bought {{convert|242|acre||abbr=on}} at Okete and Charles Savage also came from Taranaki. James La Trobe settled in 1857.

File:Waitetuna_Redoubt_was_built_to_the_south_of_the_Narrows,_as_part_of_Colonel_Richard_Waddy’s_supply_route_to_the_Waipa_set_up_at_the_end_of_December_1863.jpg

Waitetuna Redoubt was built to the south of the Narrows, as part of Colonel Richard Waddy's end of December 1863 expedition to set up a supply line during the invasion of the Waikato. The route was too rugged and it and the redoubt were abandoned, probably before 7 February 1864. It remains as a well preserved earthwork, about {{convert|44|m||abbr=on}} across.{{Cite web|url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sap261_4._waikato.pdf|title=Fortifications of the New Zealand Wars – 4. Waikato|last=Prickett|first=Nigel|date=May 2016|website=Department of Conservation|isbn=978-0-478-15069-8}}

A 1915 guide said, "Te Uku is a small township in Raglan County, {{convert|25|mi|abbr=on}} from Frankton by coach, and about {{convert|9|mi|abbr=on}} from Raglan, being on the main coach road between Frankton and Raglan. Its principal industries are dairying, flax milling, and timber."{{Cite book|title = Bradbury's Illustrated Guide to The Raglan & Kawhia District|publisher = Bradbury|year = 1915}}

There are three through roads serving Te Uku; the main east-west SH23, the road south to Te Mata and Kawhia, and the road north to Waingaro and State Highway 22.

The first road was built in 1863 from Raglan via Okete (Okete Rd remained the main road until 1906,{{Cite book|title = Te Uku|last = Vernon|first = R. T.|year = 1975}} or possibly 1913, or later){{Cite web |date=16 January 1913 |title=Waikato Argus RAGLAN COUNTY COUNCIL |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIGUS19130116.2.16 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} to the Waitetuna River.{{cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=DSC18630102.2.11&srpos=1&e|title=Papers Past — Daily Southern Cross — 2 January 1863 — RAGLAN. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) December 27th, 1862.|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|access-date=2016-03-04}} The county history said, "For a dozen years or more before the county was formed (1875), 10 miles of roughly formed dirt road, wide enough to carry horse-drawn drays, linked Raglan township with the Waitetuna River. From there the packhorse route (originally known as the Tikihouhou Track) made by the Army during the Waikato War, wound a tortuous way across the ranges, but it was too narrow, and too steep in parts, to carry vehicles." It became a through road to Hamilton in 1879.{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WT18790225.2.16.4&srpos=15&e&zto=1|title=Page 3 Advertisements Column 4|date=1879-02-25|work=Waikato Times|pages=3|access-date=2016-03-04}} It was metalled between 1914 and 1921{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19210427.2.61&srpos=3&e&zto=1|title=Road To Raglan.|date=1921-04-27|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=7|access-date=2016-03-06}} and sealing started in 1937,{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19370318.2.25&srpos=2132&e&zto=1|title=Road Improvements|date=1937-03-18|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=8|access-date=2016-03-05}} but wasn't completed until 1961.

From the formation of Raglan Town (1868) and Karioi (1870) Highways Boards, road building was paid for by local rates. After the Immigration and Public Works Act of 1870, government also contributed.{{Cite web|title = 8. – History of immigration – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|url = http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-8|website = www.teara.govt.nz|access-date = 2016-01-16|language = en|first = New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|last = Taonga}} In 1870 the Karioi Board decided to make a start on Kauroa Rd south to Te Mata. By 1880 it was described as "a more than ordinarily good road", with the bush "felled for some distance on either hand" and "several well cultivated farms".{{cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WT18800302.2.8&srpos=19&e=-------100--1----0anglican+okete--|title=Papers Past — Waikato Times — 2 March 1880 — RAGLAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. (By our Special Reporter.) III.|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|access-date=2016-03-05}} Metal was reported as being spread to Te Mata from Ponds Rd in 1906{{Cite news|title=Raglan County Chronicle 16 March1906}} and the road was reported as metalled through to Kawhia in{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19280209.2.28&srpos=2995&e&zto=1|title=Local And General News.|date=1928-02-09|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=8|access-date=2016-03-06}} 1928.{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19280927.2.183.46&srpos=3002&e&zto=1|title=Popular Resorts.|date=1928-09-27|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=9|access-date=2016-03-06}}

The road north to Waingaro developed with settlement from 1874. Bridges over the Ohautira and Rautawhairi creeks were tendered in 1887. It was metalled in 1937{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19371201.2.33&srpos=1&e&zto=1|title=Te Uku-waingaro Road|date=1937-12-01|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=10|access-date=2016-03-05}} and seal completed in 2006.{{Cite web|url=https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/getdoc/f5b09368-68ad-427c-94c2-a13b8962eb24/SummaryAnnualReport2006_web.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115161640/http://waikatodistrict.govt.nz/getdoc/f5b09368-68ad-427c-94c2-a13b8962eb24/SummaryAnnualReport2006_web.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 January 2015|title=Summary Annual Report 2006.indd|website=www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz|access-date=2016-03-05}}

Dennis trucks were reported as replacing horses and bullock teams from 1922.R T Vernon: Around Raglan 1981

Te Uku almost got a railway too. In 1923 the Waikato-West Coast railway district was set up{{Cite news|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19230430.2.89|title=Light Railways.|date=1923-04-30|work=Auckland Star|access-date=2016-03-06|pages=7}} under the 1914 Local Railways Act, which enabled cheaper construction of railways.{{Cite web |title=Local Railways Act 1914 (5 GEO V 1914 No 32) |url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/lra19145gv1914n32231/ |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=www.nzlii.org}} It got a detailed survey done for a 2 ft 6in gauge railway{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19230529.2.154.24&srpos=2952&e&zto=1|title=Light Railway Project|date=1923-05-29|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=10|access-date=2016-03-06}} and had a contractor ready to build a line{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19210607.2.91&srpos=2922&e&zto=1|title=Light Railway Lines.|date=1921-06-07|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=6|access-date=2016-03-06}} through the Waitetuna valley, past Te Uku School and Okete Falls and along the edge of the harbour to Raglan. However, it was opposed by local MP Alexander Young,{{Cite news| url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19230529.2.154.7&srpos=2951&e&zto=1|title=Widening Horizon.|date=1923-05-29|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=2|access-date=2016-03-06}} the proposed local rate was defeated in an election in 1923{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19231005.2.11&srpos=6&e&zto=1|title=Hamilton-west Coast Railway.|date=1923-10-05|work=Auckland Star|pages=3|access-date=2016-03-06}} and the Board was wound up in 1928.{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19281109.2.99&srpos=3004&e&zto=1|title=Abandoned Project.|date=1928-11-09|work=Auckland Star|pages=8|access-date=2016-03-06}} The voting area included ratepayers who would have gained little from the railway, such as those in Ngāhinapōuri and south of Kawhia Harbour. Generally those areas which would have benefitted from the railway voted for it, the exception being Te Uku.{{Cite web |date=8 October 1923 |title=Waikato-West Coast Railway Board. Thursday's Election. Waikato Times |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19231008.2.77 |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}

Te Uku is served by the Raglan bus{{Cite web|url=http://www.busit.co.nz/regional-services/raglan/|title=Raglan 23|last=Council|website=busit.co.nz|language=en|access-date=2016-02-16}} and school buses,{{Cite web|title = Bus Timetable & Policies – Te Uku School|url = http://www.teuku.school.nz/school-info/bus-timetable-policies/|website = www.teuku.school.nz|access-date = 2016-02-16|first = Webconception|last = Ltd}} but once also had services north and south. The first Hamilton-Raglan coach ran in 1880{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WT18800219.2.4&e=-------100--1&zto=1|title=The Raglan Road.|date=1880-02-19|work=Waikato Times|pages=2|access-date=2016-03-05}} and became a service car route about 1916. From March 1922 a two and a half hour, Pakoka Landing to Frankton, via Te Mata, "Silver Trail", bus service started, with a motor launch connection to Kawhia on Fridays.[http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=AS19220315.2.133.3&e=-------100--1-byDA---0pakoka+road+public+works-- Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 62, 15 March 1922, Page 14 Pakoka-Te Mata-Frankton advert launching bus service] Problems with rough roads and tides caused it to fail. In 1938 Western Highways started a service from Kawhia to Auckland via Makomako, Te Mata, Waingaro and Tuakau (via Highway 22) and back the next day. In 1946 Brosnan Motors started a daily run, leaving Kawhia at 5.45am, arriving at Auckland at 1pm, returning at 2 pm. and back at Kawhia about 9.30pm. In 1950 Brosnan Motors sold the Raglan-Kawhia run to Norman Rankin, who ended it in 1952. Brosnan Motors sold the Raglan-Auckland run to Pavlovich Motors in 1971. The first bus used on the Auckland-Kawhia run was a 7-seater Studebaker. Then a 10-seater Dodge used by Norman Collett later gave way to a 14-seater Oldsmobile. As the roads improved 18 and 21-seater Diamond T buses took over. Later 40-seaters ran from Raglan to Auckland,R T Vernon: Aotea Chapter 32 until Pavlovich closed the route in 1976.R T Vernon: Raglan

On 29 January 1873 Abraham Kescel donated an acre or so of [http://wams.org.nz/wams/index.aspx?extent=1767392,5809817,1770874,5811931 land] to the Anglican Church. The church was also used as a school. The church was burnt down about 1880. In 1880 the Wesleyan and Anglican Churches were described as two tiny buildings near the Okete River ford.{{Cite web|title = Papers Past — Waikato Times — 2 March 1880 — RAGLAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. (By our Special Reporter.) III.|url = http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WT18800302.2.8&srpos=19&e=-------100--1----0anglican+okete--|website = paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|access-date = 2016-01-24}}

In 1872 a Congregational church was built{{Cite news|title = Local Epitome.|url = http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH18720320.2.4&srpos=51&e=-------100--1----0okete+church+fire--&zto=1|work= New Zealand Herald|date = 1872-03-20|access-date = 2016-01-23|pages = 2 3}} about 30 chains nearer Raglan, on land originally taken up by W. Cogswell. A section of about 3 acres was acquired, running from the road to the top of the hill. It was built by Jim Pearce and Joseph Pretty. A scrub fire about 1904 quickly ran up the hill, and completely demolished the building. A 20 feet high stone cairn was built here in 1971.

{{Convert|2.6|km|abbr=on}} east of Te Uku,{{Cite web |title=Te Uku to St Paul's Cemetery Te Uku |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Te+Uku,+Raglan/St+Paul%27s+Cemetery+Te+Uku+3198+State+Highway+23,+Raglan+3295/@-37.8262172,174.9600933,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x6d6d2adf437fe43f:0x4ae89988c580b4ab!2m2!1d174.9567206!2d-37.8291882!1m5!1m1!1s0x6d6d2b44b1c4f68d:0x3f85824c9c01b924!2m2!1d174.9809923!2d-37.8288944!3e1 |access-date=2022-11-23 |website=Google maps |language=en}} St Paul's Anglican church was built in 1906 by Ernest Morris of Morris and Emmett. A Building Inspector said it had to be demolished, because rain water had caused extensive rot and it had begun to fall sideways and nobody should enter while there was any wind movement. A last service was held on Sunday 13 April 1980. Demolition was on 14 January 1981 and a memorial plaque laid in 1982 and dedicated on 20 March 1983.{{Cite book|title = St Paul's Church Te Uku|last = Amoore|first = Elizabeth|year = 2003}} St Paul's Cemetery remains beside the main road.{{Cite web |date=17 Feb 2017 |title=St Paul's memorial, Te Uku |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/st-pauls-memorial-te-uku |access-date=2022-11-23 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz |language=en}}

After the 1904 fire, there seems to have been a gap in Methodist worship until the Memorial Hall was used shortly after it was built in 1919. Arthur Moon married Janet McFarlane, from the Isle of Skye, who had trained as a nurse in Glasgow. They had one son, Keith, who was killed while serving in the R.N.Z.A.F. in World War 2. In 1950, Mrs Moon built the Moon Memorial Methodist Church. Surfside (affiliated with the Assemblies of God){{Cite web|title = About Surfside|url = http://www.surfside.co.nz/about-surfside/|website = Welcome to Surfside Church, Raglan NZ|access-date = 2016-01-24}} bought it in 2003.{{Cite web|title = Moon memorial church, Te Uku {{!}} NZHistory, New Zealand history online|url = http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/moon-memorial-church-te-uku|website = www.nzhistory.net.nz|access-date = 2016-01-24}}

File:Okete_Creek_and_Falls_-_Photograph_taken_by_Gilmour_Brothers_(21015973924).jpgIn the 19th and early 20th centuries there were many flax mills around Te Uku. The longest lived started about 1868, when Wallis Brothers used a water-wheel to drive a mill at Okete Falls. The overshot wheel was replaced by a pelton wheel in 1902. In 1925, due to shortage of flax, the pelton wheel was attached to a generator and the flax mill closed.

A year later it was reported, "The flax mill belonging to Captain Johnstone is just being completed. This will make the seventh flax mill erected here within about a twelvemonth. These are all in full work, and three others are in preparation. The mills completed and working full time belong to the following gentlemen Messrs Wilson, Moon, Sutton, Wallis, McDonald, Mitchell, and Captain Johnstone. The other mills being erected are by Messrs. Ogilvie, of Auckland, McDonald. and La Trobe."[http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=DSC18691116.2.16&e Daily Southern Cross, 16 November 1869 – Raglan flax operations]

Two decades later there was a list of "industries along the Raglan and Waipa Road. Five miles from Raglan, we come to the flax-mill of Messrs Wallis just above the beautiful Okete Falls, having abundance of water for the mill. The next mill is that of Mr Wilson, now leased to Messrs Ormiston. A few miles along the flax mill of Mr La Trobe at the junction of the Waipa and Kauroa roads. The next mill is that of Mr Moon, which is not in work just now, but is expected soon to be. On the Hot Springs Road, a short distance from its junction with the Waipa Road, is the flax mill of Mr Cogswell."[http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WT18880710.2.15&e Waikato Times, 10 July 1888]

As with mills elsewhere in the country, they succumbed to shortage of flax due to fires, drainage and grazing. Little remains; a few parts of Okete mill lie near the falls and its pelton wheel stands outside Raglan museum.[http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3015/object/447 Raglan and District Museum – Pelton wheel] Of George Leakey's 1900s mill on the Okete stream, the mill race was, in 1975, still visible "for several 100 yards" below St Paul's cemetery.

The hall was built in 1919 on land donated by Arthur Moon as a memorial to the 1914–18 war. Timber was felled on Mount Karioi, milled at Armstrong's mill at Te Mata, carted by Te Uku farmers and erected by J. Munro of Raglan. Dressing rooms were added later and used for a library, and Plunket room. Apart from dancing, the hall was also used for films, Women's Institute, a garden circle, bowls, badminton and meetings. It was replaced in April 1951 due to borer damage.{{Cite web|title = Te Uku memorial hall {{!}} NZHistory, New Zealand history online|url = http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/te-uku-memorial-hall|website = www.nzhistory.net.nz|access-date = 2016-01-22}}

Te Uku limeworks opened in the 1930s, just north of Te Uku Landing. Over about 15 years it crushed several thousand tons for agricultural use and driveways, initially with a traction engine and later with electric power.

Okete quarry opened beside Okete Falls in the 1940s.{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NZH19440224.2.51&e&zto=1|title=Quarry Explosion|date=1944-02-24|work=The New Zealand Herald |pages=6|access-date=2016-03-06}} The rock is Basanite, erupted between 2.69 and 1.8 million years ago.{{Cite journal|last=R. M. BRIGGS|date=1989|title=Ages of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Alexandra and Ngatutura Volcanics, western North Island, New Zealand, and some geological implications|url=http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/5260/Lowe%20Ages%20of%20the%20Pliocene-Pleistocene%20Alexandra.pdf?sequence=3|journal=New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics |volume=32 |pages= 417–427|doi=10.1080/00288306.1989.10427549|doi-access=free}}

File:Te Uku Landing, Raglan Harbour, 1910 - Photograph taken by Gilmour Brothers (21645745851).jpg]Te Uku Landing is {{Convert|3.7|km|mi|abbr = on}} from Te Uku, though a {{Convert|17|acre|ha|abbr = on}} public reserve still exists half a mile closer,{{Cite web|title = Walking Access Mapping System|url = http://wams.org.nz/wams/index.aspx?extent=1772331,5811403,1775813,5813517|website = wams.org.nz|access-date = 2016-01-22|publisher = Geographic Business Solutions (GBS)}} which was planned to be the landing before the surveyors realised the difficulty of navigating the rapids. In a 1904 Chronicle, Langley was advertising for cargo for the launch 'Nita', which ran from Raglan to Te Uku every Tuesday. The last auction to lease Te Uku landing reserve (for a term of 14 years) seems to have been in 1918.[http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WT19181212.2.3&e Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13937, 12 December 1918, Page 2 – RCC meeting] Presumably after that it declined as the roads took over the main transport role.

A mill at Ohautira opened in 1943 and closed in the early 1960s. It was still marked on the 1978 map.{{Cite web |date=1978 |title=1:63360 map Sheet: N55 Te Akau |url=http://www.mapspast.org.nz/?zoom=14&x=1774842&y=5818655&layerid=NZMS1%201979 |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=www.mapspast.org.nz}}

Before Kauroa saleyards were first used on 21 January 1914,{{Cite news|title = Page 4 Advertisements Column 5|url = http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WAIGUS19140114.2.32.5&zto=1|work= Waikato Argus|date = 1914-01-14|access-date = 2016-01-08|pages = 4}} sheep and cattle yards had existed at the start of the road to Waingaro. Local farmers formed Kauroa Saleyards Society in 1977, when the yards were threatened with closure, and continue{{Cite web|title = Revocation of Dissolution of Incorporated Societies – 2015-is5767 – New Zealand Gazette|url = https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2015-is5767|website = gazette.govt.nz|access-date = 2016-01-08}} to hold sales.{{Cite web|title = Livestock Sales – Upcoming Sales – Agonline – The easy way to buy and sell online|url = http://agonline.co.nz/sales/Upcoming|website = agonline.co.nz|access-date = 2016-01-08}}

Te Uku store opened in 1924 on land which the Anglican Church had planned to use as a graveyard.

Te Uku's first Post Office opened in 1894, about halfway between Te Uku and Waitetuna. It was replaced on the current site, next door to the shop and school, in 1925.{{Cite news|title = Progress Of Te Uku.|url = http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19250129.2.153&srpos=3&e=-------10--1----0te+uku+post+office+opening--&zto=1|work= New Zealand Herald|date = 1925-01-29|access-date = 2016-02-02|pages = 12}} The Post Office was among many closed by Richard Prebble on 5 February 1988.{{Cite web |date=16 October 1987 |title=List of P.O. closings and modifications. Press |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19871016.2.39 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} It then became a gallery and was renovated to its current coffee bar use, as Te Uku Roast Office, in 2011.{{Cite web|title = Raglan artist publishes book on Te Uku Post Office history|url = http://www.raglan23.co.nz/2011/raglan-artist-publishes-book-on-te-uku-post-office-history/|website = www.raglan23.co.nz|access-date = 2016-02-02}}

A line connecting Raglan and Hamilton served Te Uku from 1884.{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WT18840705.2.7&srpos=13&e&zto=1|title=Saturday, July 5, 1884.|date=1884-07-05|work=Waikato Times|page=2 |access-date=2016-03-07}} A telephone office opened in 1906 and an exchange with 15 subscribers in 1924.{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19250129.2.153&srpos=3&e&zto=1|title=Progress Of Te Uku.|date=1925-01-29|work=The New Zealand Herald |page=12 |access-date=2016-03-07}} Te Uku microwave tower was built in the 1970s{{Cite web |date=1981 |title=NZMS260 map Sheet: Q15-R15 Kawhia |url=http://www.mapspast.org.nz/?zoom=13&x=1772047&y=5806787&layerid=NZMS1/260%201989 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.mapspast.org.nz}} and Te Uku exchange was automated in the 1970s. In 2016 the Te Uku cell tower, built under the Rural Broadband Initiative, improved wireless broadband and mobile phone coverage.{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/raglanchronicle/docs/250216-all|title=Raglan Chronicle|website=Issuu|access-date=2016-03-07}}

Apart from two small 1920s hydro electric schemes, Te Uku was without electricity until 27 September 1935,{{Cite news|title=THE CENTRAL ELECTRIC POWER BOARD annual report 1936}} after which there was a formal switching on ceremony.{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19351204.2.30&srpos=304&e&zto=1|title=Power For Raglan|date=1935-12-04|work=The New Zealand Herald |page=10 |access-date=2016-03-07}} Connections to other parts of the district were slow, Ruapuke not being connected until 1966.{{Cite book|title=Wiring up the Waikato|last=Gilson|first=Chris|publisher=WEL Networks|year=2005}} Te Uku windfarm opened in 2011, but there is no direct connection, Te Uku continuing to be supplied from the 11 kV substation on the corner of Ohautira Rd.{{Cite web|url=http://www.raglan23.co.nz/2011/big-transformer-delivered-to-wels-new-substation/|title=Big transformer delivered to WEL's new Substation|website=www.raglan23.co.nz|access-date=2016-03-07}}

Many photographs were taken for Gilmour Bros, the Raglan store,{{Cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WT19050520.2.12&srpos=14&e&zto=1|title=Raglan.|date=1905-05-20|work=Waikato Times|page=2 |access-date=2016-03-18}} in 1910. These are on the National Library website –

• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22815471 Pupils and staff at Te Uku Public School]
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23093388 St Paul's church]
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22861141 Mangakino Bridge] (compare [https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-37.8232852,174.9693687,3a,75y,90h,85.29t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_aPdpEroq1adSqs2oi-hxA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Google street scene])
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22708935 Bridge over the Waitetuna River] (compare [https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-37.8177639,174.9758087,3a,75y,286.2h,63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saDFCSR59bBrDnuxX4esDfg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Google street scene])
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23233970 Lynnwood Homestead] (replacing nearby Halfway House, which burnt down in 1906{{Cite news|title = Fires.|url = http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WAIGUS19060726.2.14&srpos=1&e=-------100--1----0halfway+house+fire+waitetuna--&zto=1|work= Waikato Argus|date = 1906-07-26|access-date = 2016-01-26|page = 2}})
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23082014 Te Uku post office]
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22319975 Ernest C Moon, postmaster, Te Uku] (publicised for writing with his feet){{Cite news|title = Life's Handicaps.|url = http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=ME19110324.2.72&srpos=5&e=-------100--1-byDA---0lynnwood+post+office--&zto=1|work= Mataura Ensign|date = 1911-03-24|access-date = 2016-01-26|page= 7}}
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22741277 Overton, Wallis Rd, Okete Bay]
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22830865 Copwells Bay, Te Uku]
• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22797492 The Caves, Te Uku]

There's also an Auckland Weekly News photo – [http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?BU=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aucklandcity.govt.nz%2Fdbtw-wpd%2FHeritageImages%2Findex.htm&AC=QBE_QUERY&TN=heritageimages&QF0=ID&NP=2&MR=5&RF=HIORecordSearch&QI0=%3D%22AWNS-19430908-20-12%22 Flight-Sergeant K. M. Moon, of Te Uku, missing on operations 1943]

In 1871 Waitetuna residents agreed to build a school, but an 1872 flood washed away the timber for the scheme. A half-time school and a private school ran for a while. Waitetuna School District was gazetted in 1873, but the Education Rate proved insufficient to pay the teacher and the school closed in 1875.

A new school on donated land opened, with a teacher's residence added in 1877 and an adjacent 11 acres added by the Waste Lands Board in 1878. As early as 1882 a petition requested the school be moved away from the damp hollow, but nothing happened until the main road was diverted through the grounds in 1906.

On 24 August 1903 Waitetuna School changed its name to Te Uku. In August 1908 the present school was established about 800 metres to the east, with one room on another 2 acres of donated land. Inadvertently, an acre of Church land was taken by the school until sold for a post office and store in 1923. A second classroom was added in 1935, a teacher's house in 1941, a concrete play area in 1948, a football paddock leased from 1951, a prefab added in 1954, a lavatory block in 1957, a school pool in 1961 and the Aramiro School building moved here in 1965.

Ohautira Maori School closed in 1969, shortly after the timber mill, and in 1975 another classroom was added. The Ohautira school building was moved to Motumaoho in 1969.{{Cite web|url=https://www.schoolandcollegelistings.com/NZ/Motumaoho/251119591591736/Motumaoho-School-and-District-Centenary|title=Motumaoho School and District Centenary|website=www.schoolandcollegelistings.com|access-date=2020-04-11}}

Te Uku School is now a co-educational state primary school,{{cite web |title=Official School Website |url=http://www.teuku.school.nz |website=teuku.school.nz}}{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=2024 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}} with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|2024|y}} as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|}}.{{cite web |title=Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=2024 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}}

Other primary schools in the area are at Te Mata and Waitetuna, and there is a composite school at Raglan.

File:Okete.jpg

Okete is on the north-west side of Te Uku.{{Cite web |title=Okete, Waikato |url=https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz53400/Okete/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=NZ Topo Map |language=en}} Four Okete pā sites are listed in the District Plan.{{Cite web |date=18 July 2018 |title=Proposed District Plan (Stage 1) Schedule 30.3 Maaori Sites of Significance |url=https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/docs/default-source/your-council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/plans/district-plan-review/apps-and-schedules/schedule-30-3-maaori-sites-of-significance-notified-18072018.pdf?sfvrsn=148a80c9_2 |website=Waikato District Council}} Okete Methodist Church opened in 1872{{Cite web |date=20 Mar 1872 |title=LOCAL EPITOME. NEW ZEALAND HERALD |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18720320.2.4 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} and by 1874 the church was also being used as a school.{{Cite web |date=23 Jan 1874 |title=GOVERNMENT CARE OF IMMIGRANTS. DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18740123.2.12 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} As mentioned above, a flax mill started about 1868 and another burnt down in 1885.{{Cite web |date=11 Aug 1885 |title=FIRE AT OKETE. WAIKATO TIMES |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18850811.2.8 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} Okete Post Office burnt down in 1904{{Cite web |date=4 May 1904 |title=WAIKATO ARGUS – FIRE AT OKETE |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIGUS19040504.2.16 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} and the same year, the church also burnt down.{{Cite web |date=29 Mar 1904 |title=FIRE AT RAGLAN. WAIKATO TIMES |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19040329.2.15 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} It was replaced in 1905.{{Cite web |date=1 Feb 1905 |title=WAIKATO TIMES – RAGLAN |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19050201.2.19 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} In 1886 Okete's population was 39.{{Cite web |title=RESULTS OF A CENSUS OF THE COLONY OF NEW ZEALAND taken for the night of the 28th March 1886 |url=https://www3.stats.govt.nz/Historic_Publications/1886-census/Results-of-Census-1886/1886-results-census.html}} In 1906 it was 26.{{Cite web |title=RESULTS OF A CENSUS OF THE COLONY OF NEW ZEALAND TAKEN FOR THE NIGHT OF THE 29th APRIL, 1906. |url=https://www3.stats.govt.nz/historic_publications/1906-census/1906-results-census/1906-results-census.html}} The 2013 population of meshblocks 0860500 and 0860600 was 228.{{Cite web |title=Population by meshblock (2013 Census) – GIS {{!}} New Zealand {{!}} GIS Map Data Datafinder Geospatial Statistics {{!}} Stats NZ Geographic Data Service |url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/layer/8437-population-by-meshblock-2013-census/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=datafinder.stats.govt.nz}} Okete Road was a mud road until 1921, when metalling began.{{Cite web |date=11 Nov 1921 |title=RAGLAN COUNTY COUNCIL. WAIKATO TIMES |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19211111.2.10 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} In 2011 the road south of Okete Stream was straightened and sealed.{{Cite web |title=Road Realignment-State Highway 23 Okete Intersection, Waikato District – 2011-ln5442 – New Zealand Gazette |url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2011-ln5442 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=gazette.govt.nz}} About {{Convert|2|km|abbr=on}} remains as a gravel road. The small settlement of Howdenville was built at the entrance to Okete Bay, on land sold by the Wallis family to Les Howden, a Hamilton jeweller.{{Cite book |last=Venetia Sherson |title=Baches of Raglan |year=2008 |isbn=9780958290203}} The former quarry beside Okete Falls has been planted with native trees.{{Cite web |title=Coastal forest planting completed at Okete Reserve |url=https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/news/media-releases/article/2021/07/15/coastal-forest-planting-completed-at-okete-reserve |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Waikato District Council |language=en-nz}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Te Uku}}

• [http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz53405/Te-Uku/Waikato 1:50,000 map]
• [https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23093388 1910 photo of St Paul's church]

{{Geographic Location

|title = Neighbouring areas

|Northwest =Te Ākau

|North = Waingaro

|Northeast =Glen Massey

|West = Raglan

|Centre = Te Uku

|East = Waitetuna

|South = Te Uku Wind Farm

|Southeast =Te Pahu

|Southwest = Te Mata}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Waikato District}}

Category:Populated places in Waikato

Category:Waikato District