Papakōwhai

Papakōwhai is a suburb of Porirua City. It lies approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of Wellington in New Zealand.

Papakōwhai
Suburb
A view from the north-east: Porirua Harbour to the right, Porirua city centre and Rangituhi/Colonial Knob ridge in the background
Interactive map of Papakōwhai
Country	New Zealand
City	Porirua City
Local authority	Porirua City Council
Electoral ward	Pāuatahanui General Ward Porirua Māori Ward
Area
• Land	143 ha (350 acres)
Population  (June 2025)[1]
• Total	2,360
• Density	1,650/km2 (4,270/sq mi)
Postcode	5024

(Porirua Harbour)		Paremata[2]
	Papakōwhai	Ascot Park
	Aotea

Kōwhai tree in bloom at Papakowhai School

The name "Papakōwhai" (Māori pronunciation: [papaˈkɔfai]) in the Māori language means "yellow earth". As well as being the name of the suburb it is the name of the main road connecting the suburb to the south. Most of the other streets in Papakōwhai take their names from Scottish rivers.^[3][4][5]

The first European known to have settled in the area was William Bowler in the early 19th century.

As of 2016^[update] Papakōwhai includes the Royal New Zealand Police College and Aotea Lagoon public park.

Demographics

Papakōwhai statistical area covers 1.43 km² (0.55 sq mi).^[6] It had an estimated population of 2,360 as of June 2025, with a population density of 1,650 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	2,304	—
2013	2,280	−0.15%
2018	2,268	−0.11%
Source: [7]

Papakōwhai had a population of 2,268 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 12 people (−0.5%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 36 people (−1.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 759 households, comprising 1,086 males and 1,185 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female. The median age was 42.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 411 people (18.1%) aged under 15 years, 393 (17.3%) aged 15 to 29, 1,077 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 390 (17.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 83.6% European/Pākehā, 13.6% Māori, 6.9% Pasifika, 8.7% Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 21.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.2% had no religion, 39.2% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.7% were Hindu, 1.2% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 531 (28.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 210 (11.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $43,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 543 people (29.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,026 (55.3%) people were employed full-time, 282 (15.2%) were part-time, and 57 (3.1%) were unemployed.^[7]

Education

Papakowhai School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,^[8][9] with a roll of 486 as of July 2025.^[10]