Te Rahu

Te Rahu is a rural locality in the Waipa District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.

Te Rahu
Village
Te Rahu Hall
Coordinates: 37.978°S 175.327°E / -37.978; 175.327
Country	New Zealand
Region	Waikato
District	Waipa District
Ward	Kakepuku Ward Te Awamutu Ward
Community	Te Awamutu Community
Electorates	Taranaki-King Country Hauraki-Waikato
Government
• Territorial Authority	Waipa District Council
• Regional council	Waikato Regional Council
Area [1]
• Territorial	15.82 km2 (6.11 sq mi)
Population  (2018 Census)[2]
• Territorial	345
• Density	22/km2 (56/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)

It is located south of Ōhaupō and north of Te Awamutu, on State Highway 3.

Lake Ngaroto is northwest of the locality.

History

The Battle of Hingakākā was fought west of Te Rahu in the late 18th or early 19th centuries.^[3]

Te Rahu was established after the Invasion of the Waikato of 1863–64,^[4] and described as a thriving village in 1867.^[5]

Farming in Te Rahu was more varied than other settlements in the area: two German settlers, Messrs Karl lived on the Overdale estate and farmed bees, an acacia farm was managed by a Mr Storey. Some settlers tried farming Monterey pines but this was not very profitable in comparison to the other ventures.^[6]

A school was operating by 1878^[4][7] and continued until at least 1939^[8] but was gone by 1943.^[9]

The Te Rahu District Hall Society was incorporated in 1905 and the design of the building's design matches the period; however, an article in the New Zealand Herald from 1927 report the opening of a new hall in Te Rahu.^[4]

Demographics

Te Rahu settlement is in two SA1 statistical areas which cover 15.82 km² (6.11 sq mi).^[1] The SA1 areas are part of the larger Te Rahu statistical area.

Historical population for Te Rahu and surrounds

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	339	—
2013	300	−1.73%
2018	345	+2.83%
Source: [2]

The SA1 areas had a population of 345 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 45 people (15.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 6 people (1.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 120 households, comprising 174 males and 177 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female, with 69 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 60 (17.4%) aged 15 to 29, 168 (48.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 51 (14.8%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 90.4% European/Pākehā, 12.2% Māori, 0.0% Pacific peoples, 7.8% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.6% had no religion, 42.6% were Christian, 0.9% were Buddhist and 4.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 51 (18.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 48 (17.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 54 people (19.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 156 (56.5%) people were employed full-time, 36 (13.0%) were part-time, and 6 (2.2%) were unemployed.^[2]

Te Rahu statistical area

Te Rahu statistical area covers 54.04 km² (20.86 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 940 as of June 2024,^[10] with a population density of 17 people per km².

Historical population for the statistical area

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	906	—
2013	978	+1.10%
2018	1,167	+3.60%
Source: [11]

Before the 2023 census, the statistical area had a larger boundary, covering 55.23 km² (21.32 sq mi).^[1] Using that boundary, Te Rahu had a population of 1,167 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 189 people (19.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 261 people (28.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 411 households, comprising 609 males and 558 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female. The median age was 39.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 240 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 195 (16.7%) aged 15 to 29, 561 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 171 (14.7%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 91.0% European/Pākehā, 11.1% Māori, 0.5% Pacific peoples, 5.7% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 14.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.9% had no religion, 39.1% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.5% were Buddhist and 2.8% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 180 (19.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 177 (19.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $44,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. 225 people (24.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 528 (57.0%) people were employed full-time, 147 (15.9%) were part-time, and 18 (1.9%) were unemployed.^[11]