{{short description|Settlement in Manawatū-Whanganui Region, New Zealand}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox settlement <!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions --> | name = Pohangina | native_name = | native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead --> | settlement_type = Village | image_skyline = Pohangina Methodist Church.JPG | imagesize = | image_alt = | image_caption = Pohangina Methodist Church, built {{Circa}} 1907 | image_flag = | nickname = | motto = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|40|10|S|175|48|E|display=inline,title|region:NZ_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki}} | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = New Zealand | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = Manawatū-Whanganui | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Manawatū District | subdivision_type3 = Ward | subdivision_name3 = {{ubl|Manawatū Rural General Ward|Ngā Tapuae o Matangi Māori Ward}} | seat_type = Electorates | seat = {{ubl|Rangitīkei|Te Tai Hauāuru (Māori)}} | leader_title = Territorial Authority | leader_name = Manawatū District Council | leader_title1 = Regional council | leader_name1 = Horizons Regional Council | leader_title2 = Mayor of Manawatu | leader_name2 = {{NZ officeholder data|Manawatu District Mayor|y}} | leader_title3 = Rangitīkei MP | leader_name3 = {{NZ officeholder data|Rangitīkei MP|y}} | leader_title4 = Te Tai Hauāuru MP | leader_name4 = {{NZ officeholder data|Te Tai Hauāuru MP|y}} | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 9 | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | named_for = | total_type = | unit_pref = | area_magnitude = | area_footnotes = <ref name="Area"/> | area_total_km2 = 5.81 | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_km2 = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_km2 = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_note = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = | population_footnotes = {{NZ population data 2018||||y}} | population_as_of = {{NZ population data 2018|||y}} | population_total = {{NZ population data 2018|Pohangina|y}} | population_density_km2 = auto | population_est = | pop_est_as_of = | population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Pohangina''' is a small rural community in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand, just north of Ashhurst.
Pohangina is located along the foot of the Ruahine Range, and is primarily farming land. Farming varies from sheep and cattle to crops of maize and 'chow'. The farmland was originally ancient native forest.<ref name="knightbook">{{cite book|title=Ravaged Beauty: An Environmental History of the Manawatu|author=Knight, Catherine|publisher=Dunmore Press|location=Auckland|year=2014|isbn=978-1-927212-13-4}}</ref><ref name="knightjournal">Knight, Catherine. "Totara Reserve: A Window into Manawatu’s Environmental History", ''The Manawatu Journal of History'', 4, 2008: 50–58.</ref> Rimu and northern rātā grew above 1000 feet, with kāmahi, kaikawaka and pink pine growing at higher and steeper slopes, leatherwood scrub growing at higher altitudes, and wild tussocks growing at the summits of the range.<ref name="romst">{{cite web |title=Pohangina |url=https://www.romst.co.nz/pohangina-river.html |website=romst.co.nz |publisher=Rangitāne O Manawatū Settlement Trust}}</ref>
The area still includes many conservation areas, including the Totara Reserve camping ground, the Pohangina River, Pohangina Wetlands reserve, and Pohangina Base, a former DOC field centre in the Ruahine Forest Park.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.horizons.govt.nz/managing-natural-resources/parks-projects/totara-reserve-regional-park | title=Totara Reserve Regional Park | publisher=Horizons Regional Council | accessdate=June 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.manawatunz.co.nz/item/totara-reserve/ | title=Totara Reserve | publisher=Central Economic Development Agency, Palmerston North City & Manawatu | accessdate=June 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/manawatu-whanganui/places/ruahine-forest-park/things-to-do/lodges/pohangina-base/ | title=Pohangina Base, Pohangina Valley area and Ruahine Forest Park in the Manawatu/Whanganu | publisher=Department of Conservation (New Zealand) | accessdate=June 1, 2018}}</ref>
Pohangina includes a village, with several historical buildings,<ref name="pohanginaorg">{{cite web |title=Pohangina Valley New Zealand |url=http://pohangina.org/ |website=pohangina.org}}</ref> including a small chapel and at community hall built in 1933.<ref name="pohanginahall">{{cite web |title=Pohangina Hall |url=https://www.mdc.govt.nz/Residents/Recreation-Complexes-and-Halls/Pohangina-Hall |website=mdc.govt.nz |publisher=Manawatu District Council}}</ref> The area is a fishing spot for brown trout and rainbow trout.<ref name="nzfishing">{{cite web |title=Pohangina River |url=https://nzfishing.com/wellington/where-to-fish/pohangina-river/ |website=nzfishing.com |publisher=NZFishing.com}}</ref>
Pohangina translates as "''ulcerated night''", possibly suggesting the valley had been a place of bloodshed between the local Rangitāne Māori people and their enemies. However, the name is a corruption of the proper form, "Pou hangina",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Te Aue |last2=O'Regan |first2=Tipene |last3=Wilson |first3=John |title=Ngā tohu pūmahara : ngā pou taunaha o Aotearoa = The survey pegs of the past : understanding Māori place names |date=1990 |publisher=The Board |location=[Auckland] |isbn=0-477-01462-3 |page=12 |url=https://www.linz.govt.nz/system/files_force/media/pages-attachments/nga-tohu-pumahara.pdf?download=1 |accessdate=23 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fletcher |first1=Henry James |title=Index of Māori Names |url=https://www.waikato.ac.nz/library/resources/digital-collections/index-of-maori-names/search-the-fletcher-index?name=Pou%20Hangina |publisher=The University of Waikato |accessdate=23 October 2020}}</ref> so is likely to reference posts or supports, metaphoric or physical.
==Demographics== Pohangina is described by Stats NZ as a rural settlement. It covers {{Convert|5.81|km2||abbr=on}}<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Urban Rural 2023 (generalised)|access-date=11 December 2025}}</ref> and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Pohangina|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Pohangina|y}}|R}}/5.81|0}} people per km<sup>2</sup>. It is part of the larger Pohangina-Apiti statistical area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=3a406ce8fbb14367ab5caae21c07ab8b|title=Geographic Boundary Viewer|publisher=Stats NZ|at=Urban Rural – 2023 and Statistical Area 2 – 2023}}</ref>
{{Historical populations|2006|186|2013|186|2018|210|2023|225|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Pohangina|source=<ref name="Census 2023"/><ref name="Census 2018">{{NZ census 2018|7018059 and 7018060}}</ref>}} thumb|Pohangina Valley Pohangina had a population of 225 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 15 people (7.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 39 people (21.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 108 males, 114 females, and 3 people of other genders in 87 dwellings.<ref>{{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%2Bdo1.1360.2023&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}}</ref> 5.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 49.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 42 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 30 (13.3%) aged 15 to 29, 111 (49.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 42 (18.7%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 94.7% European (Pākehā), 16.0% Māori, 1.3% Pasifika, 2.7% Asian, and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.3%, Māori by 2.7%, and other languages by 4.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 21.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023"/>
Religious affiliations were 22.7% Christian, 1.3% Māori religious beliefs, 1.3% Buddhist, and 2.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 60.0%, and 12.0% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023"/>
Of those at least 15 years old, 63 (34.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 102 (55.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 18 (9.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $44,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 36 people (19.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 93 (50.8%) full-time, 30 (16.4%) part-time, and 3 (1.6%) unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023">{{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.1360.2013%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=Pohangina (1360)}}</ref>
===Pohangina-Apiti statistical area=== Pohangina-Apiti statistical area, which also includes Āpiti, covers {{Convert|681.60|km2||abbr=on}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised)|access-date=11 December 2025}}</ref> and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Pohangina-Apiti|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Pohangina-Apiti|y}}|R}}/681.60|1}} people per km<sup>2</sup>.
{{Historical populations|2006|1,065|2013|1,095|2018|1,227|2023|1,290|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Pohangina-Apiti|source=<ref name="Census 2023 PA"/><ref name="Census 2018 PA">{{NZ census 2018|Pohangina-Apiti (227600)|pohangina-apiti|Pohangina-Apiti}}</ref>}} Pohangina-Apiti had a population of 1,290 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 63 people (5.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 195 people (17.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 627 males, 654 females, and 9 people of other genders in 501 dwellings.<ref>{{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%2Bdo1.227600.2023&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}}</ref> 2.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 44.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 243 people (18.8%) aged under 15 years, 162 (12.6%) aged 15 to 29, 675 (52.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 207 (16.0%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023 PA"/>
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 96.0% European (Pākehā); 11.6% Māori; 0.9% Pasifika; 0.7% Asian; 0.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.6%, Māori by 3.3%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 4.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023 PA"/>
Religious affiliations were 24.4% Christian, 0.7% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, and 1.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 64.0%, and 8.8% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023 PA"/>
Of those at least 15 years old, 291 (27.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 582 (55.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 174 (16.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $44,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 144 people (13.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 576 (55.0%) full-time, 189 (18.1%) part-time, and 15 (1.4%) unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023 PA">{{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.227600.2013%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=Pohangina-Apiti (227600)}}</ref>
==Education==
Awahou School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,<ref name="official">{{cite web |title=Awahou School Official School Website |url=http://www.awahou.school.nz |website=awahou.school.nz}}</ref><ref name="moe">{{cite web |title=Awahou School Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=2338 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}}</ref> with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|2338|y}} as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|y||.}}<ref name="ero">{{cite web |title=Awahou School Education Review Office Report |url=https://www.ero.govt.nz/institution/2338/awahou-school |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}}</ref> It opened in 1894.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digitalnz.org/records/40498802/awahou-school-cententary-1894-1994-a-history-of-the-pohangina-valley|title=Awahou School Cententary 1894-1994: A History of the Pohangina Valley|publisher=Awahou School|year=1994|first=Lois|last=Hall}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}} {{Manawatu District}} Category:Manawatū District Category:Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui