Edgecumbe

For other uses, see Edgecumbe (disambiguation).

Edgecumbe
Minor urban area
Coordinates: 37°58.5′S 176°49.5′E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Bay of Plenty
Territorial authority	Whakatāne District
Ward	Rangitāiki General Ward
Community	Rangitāiki Community
Electorates	East Coast Waiariki (Māori)
Government
• Territorial authority	Whakatāne District Council
• Regional council	Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Area [1]
• Total	2.01 km^2 (0.78 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)[2]
• Total	1,750
• Density	870/km^2 (2,300/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3120

Edgecumbe (Māori: Pūtauaki)^[3] is a town in the Bay of Plenty Region of the North Island of New Zealand, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the west of Whakatāne and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the Bay's coast.

It is the main service town for the agricultural region surrounding the plains of the Rangitaiki River, which flows through the town.

State Highway 2 and the Tāneatua Branch railway line (disused) pass through the town.

The Edgecumbe Dairy Factory, established in 1915, employs 358 people, roughly a fifth of Edgecumbe's total population.^[4]

History

The town is named after the small village of Edgecumbe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, between Penryn and Helston. Edgecumbe was linked with Tauranga and Auckland by rail, with the opening of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway and Taneatua Express in 1928.

In 1987, a large earthquake centred on Edgecumbe shook the Bay of Plenty, causing widespread damage and causing much of the population to leave Edgecumbe.

In July 2004, May 2005 and April 2017, the town experienced heavy flooding that ruined many homes.^[5][6] In the 2005 flood, the river swelled to within 5 cm of breaching the flood banks that had been put in place seven years prior.

1987 Edgecumbe earthquake

Main article: 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake

1987 Earthquake memorial (on right).

The earthquake was a major turning point in the history of Edgecumbe. It measured 6.3 on the Richter magnitude scale and struck the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand on 2 March 1987, just after 1.42 pm. The earthquake was very shallow, being centred approximately 8 km from the Earth's surface. The earthquake was one of the most damaging New Zealand's North Island has experienced in recent decades, with approximately 50% of the houses in Edgecumbe being damaged by the quake. There was extensive damage to a local milk factory, with large storage tanks toppled. Kawerau was another nearby town that suffered damage and Whakatāne was also badly shaken. An 80-tonne New Zealand Railways DC class locomotive was thrown onto its side.

The earthquake caused no fatalities.^[7][8][9]

However, one person died at the time as a result of a heart attack, possibly due to the quake.^[10] A foreshock just minutes before had cut the power supply and many people had moved away from heavy machinery and out of their houses. The largest aftershock was measured at 5.2 and struck at 1.52 pm.

A crack 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long opened in the Rangitaiki Plains near Edgecumbe, as a result of the earthquake. It is now known as the 'Edgecumbe Fault'. At one point, the land close to the fault dropped 2 metres (6.6 ft).

The epicentre of the quake was approximately 2.24 kilometres (1.39 mi) south-south-east of the town of Matata, or 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-north-west of Edgecumbe. The intense ground-shaking caused by the earthquake led to a large number of ground surface failures, including sand boils, ridge-top shatters and debris avalanches on steeper slopes.^[11] Because of the earthquake, many people left and therefore Edgecumbe's population dropped considerably. Edgecumbe is slowly recovering as it has increased by 21 in the years 2006 to 2013, possibly due to many kiwifruit orchards being affected by PSA.

2017 Edgecumbe flood

In April 2017, remnants of Cyclone Debbie caused heavy rainfall in the region. At 8:30 am on April 6, water from the Rangitaiki River breached a stopbank next to Edgecumbe, causing widespread flooding across the township.^[12] A state of emergency was declared for the Whakatāne District, and around 2000 people were evacuated to Kawerau and Whakatāne.^[12][13] More than 300 homes were damaged, with some becoming uninhabitable.^[14][6]

There were no deaths due to the flood, yet, over 50 percent of people there were highly affected by it.

The largest animal rescue in New Zealand history was recorded during the aftermath of the flood. Approximately 1000 animals were rescued by an SPCA led operation, with support from local civil defence rescue teams and veterinarians from Massey University. The event highlighted a significant gap in animal welfare emergency management capability in New Zealand.^[15]

Demographics

Edgecumbe covers 2.01 km² (0.78 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 1,750 as of June 2024,^[2] with a population density of 871 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	1,626	—
2013	1,638	+0.11%
2018	1,644	+0.07%
Source: [16]

Edgecumbe had a population of 1,644 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 6 people (0.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 18 people (1.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 546 households, comprising 855 males and 786 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female. The median age was 34.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 402 people (24.5%) aged under 15 years, 330 (20.1%) aged 15 to 29, 654 (39.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 255 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 66.6% European/Pākehā, 46.4% Māori, 3.3% Pacific peoples, 4.7% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 9.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.2% had no religion, 28.5% were Christian, 4.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 2.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 126 (10.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 318 (25.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $25,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. 144 people (11.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 618 (49.8%) people were employed full-time, 165 (13.3%) were part-time, and 66 (5.3%) were unemployed.^[16]

Geography

Edgecumbe is located inland from the coast on the end of the fertile Rangitaiki Plains. The nearby beach is part of Maketu. The volcanic cone of Mount Edgecumbe, 15 kilometres to the south and close to the town of Kawerau, is visible from Edgecumbe.

Climate

Climate data for Edgecumbe (1971–2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	23.9 (75.0)	24.1 (75.4)	22.4 (72.3)	20.2 (68.4)	17.5 (63.5)	14.9 (58.8)	14.6 (58.3)	15.3 (59.5)	16.9 (62.4)	18.6 (65.5)	20.3 (68.5)	22.1 (71.8)	19.2 (66.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	18.9 (66.0)	19.2 (66.6)	17.5 (63.5)	14.9 (58.8)	12.2 (54.0)	9.9 (49.8)	9.4 (48.9)	10.1 (50.2)	11.7 (53.1)	13.6 (56.5)	15.4 (59.7)	17.3 (63.1)	14.2 (57.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	13.9 (57.0)	14.2 (57.6)	12.6 (54.7)	9.7 (49.5)	6.9 (44.4)	4.9 (40.8)	4.3 (39.7)	4.9 (40.8)	6.5 (43.7)	8.5 (47.3)	10.5 (50.9)	12.4 (54.3)	9.1 (48.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	91.7 (3.61)	89.2 (3.51)	149.2 (5.87)	95.1 (3.74)	114.8 (4.52)	170.9 (6.73)	119.6 (4.71)	120.7 (4.75)	119.1 (4.69)	96.8 (3.81)	74.5 (2.93)	123.9 (4.88)	1,365.5 (53.75)
Source: NIWA[17]

Clubs and organisations

The Association Football Club Plains Rangers AFC^[18] is based at the Edgecumbe Domain, along with rugby and hockey.

The Edgecumbe Volunteer Fire Brigade^[19] is located on SH2 and services the township and surrounding area.

The town has a local rugby club,^[20] and a Kart Sport track.^[21]

Education

Edgecumbe School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,^[22][23] with a roll of 208 as of November 2024.^[24]

Edgecumbe College is a co-educational state high school for Year 9 to 13 students,^[25][26] with a roll of 155.^[27]

Notable people

• Eve Rimmer, paraplegic athlete

References

1. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
2. "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
3. "Pūtauaki - te Aka Māori Dictionary".
4. "Edgecumbe". Fonterra. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
5. "Disaster Mitigation Projects". Whakatane District Council. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
6. Noted. "Edgecumbe flood: What the river washed away". Noted. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
7. McSaveney, Eileen (1 December 2010). "Historic earthquakes – The 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
8. "1987 Edgecumbe earthquake" (PDF). Rumblings Issue 19. Earthquake Commission. July 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
9. "M 6.5, Edgecumbe, March 2, 1987". GeoNet. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
10. "Earthquake: Edgecumbe". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
11. Franks, C.A.M. (1988). "Engineering geological aspects of the Edgecumbe, New Zealand earthquake of 2 March 1987". Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology. 21 (4): 337–345. doi:10.1144/GSL.QJEG.1988.021.04.06.
12. "Edgecumbe evacuates as water swamps the town - National - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
13. "State of emergency declared". SunLive. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
14. "Edgecumbe flood anniversary: A year of highs and lows". Nzherald.co.nz. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
15. Glassey, Steve (28 October 2017). "SPCA Rescue: Operation Edgecumbe 2017 After Action Report". Wellington SPCA. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
16. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Edgecumbe (202200). 2018 Census place summary: Edgecumbe
17. "NIWA Datahub (Agent number: 1668)". NIWA. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
18. "Gary Fowell Builders Plains Rangers A.F.C." Archived from the original on 26 October 2009.
19. "Home – Edgecumbe Fire Brigade". Freewebs.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
20. "Club Contacts". boprugby.co.nz. Bay of Plenty Rugby.
21. "Kart Sport Eastern Bay of Plenty". kartsportebop.co.nz.
22. "Edgecumbe School Official School Website". edgecumbe.school.nz.
23. "Edgecumbe School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
24. "Edgecumbe School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
25. "Edgecumbe College Official School Website". edgecumbecollege.school.nz.
26. "Edgecumbe College Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
27. "Edgecumbe College Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.