Omakere

Omakere
Town
Coordinates: 40.050849°S 176.754430°E / -40.050849; 176.754430
Country	New Zealand
Region	Hawke's Bay
Territorial authority	Central Hawke's Bay District
Ward	Aramoana-Ruahine
Electorates	Wairarapa Ikaroa-Rāwhiti (Māori)
Government
• Territorial Authority	Central Hawke's Bay District Council
• Regional council	Hawke's Bay Regional Council

Omakere (Māori: Ōmakere) is a farming settlement in the Central Hawke's Bay District and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island.^[1] It is located east of Waipawa.^[2]

Ōmakere translates as place (Ō) someone was lost or died (makere).^[3]

The Omakere Church includes a stained glass memorial wall, depicting Jesus Christ's crucifixion, in memory of three local men who died in war.^[4]

The Omakere and neighbouring Elsthorpe rugby union teams were featured in a New Zealand television advertisement for coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Demographics

Omakere is in Mangarara statistical area, which also includes Ōtāne and covers 838.07 km² (323.58 sq mi)^[5] and had an estimated population of 3,020 as of June 2024,^[6] with a population density of 3.6 people per km².

Historical population for Mangarara

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	2,001	—
2013	2,076	+0.53%
2018	2,400	+2.94%
Source: [7]

Mangarara had a population of 2,400 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 324 people (15.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 399 people (19.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 900 households, comprising 1,200 males and 1,200 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 44.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 513 people (21.4%) aged under 15 years, 282 (11.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,197 (49.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 411 (17.1%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 85.6% European/Pākehā, 20.9% Māori, 1.9% Pacific peoples, 1.0% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 12.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.5% had no religion, 36.0% were Christian, 1.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim and 1.4% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 294 (15.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 423 (22.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 249 people (13.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,023 (54.2%) people were employed full-time, 291 (15.4%) were part-time, and 48 (2.5%) were unemployed.^[7]

Education

Omakere School is a Year 1-8 co-educational state primary school.^[8] It is a decile 8 school with a roll of 81 as of November 2024.^[9][10] The school opened in 1912.^[11]

References

1. Pollock, Kerryn (30 November 2015). "Hawke's Bay places – Southern coast". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
2. Hariss, Gavin. "Omakere, Hawke's Bay". topomap.co.nz. NZ Topo Map.
3. "Omakere". nzhistory.govt.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
4. Phillips, Jock (1986). "Omakere church window war memorial". nzhistory.govt.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
5. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
6. "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
7. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Mangarara (215900). 2018 Census place summary: Mangarara
8. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
9. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
10. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
11. "The History of Omakere School". Omakere School. Retrieved 2 March 2023.