Waipiro Bay

{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox settlement <!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions --> | name = Waipiro Bay | image_skyline = Waipiro_Bay_looking_south_to_Koutunui_Point_(21583206556).jpg | native_name = <small>Waipiro (Māori)</small> | native_name_lang = mri | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = New Zealand | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = Gisborne District | subdivision_type2 = Ward | subdivision_name2 = Tairāwhiti General Ward | leader_title = Territorial authority | leader_name = Gisborne District Council | leader_title2 = Mayor of Gisborne | leader_name2 = {{NZ officeholder data|Gisborne District Mayor|y}} | leader_title3 = East Coast MP | leader_name3 = {{NZ officeholder data|East Coast MP|y}} | leader_title4 = Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP | leader_name4 = {{NZ officeholder data|Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP|y}} | seat_type = Electorates | seat = {{ubl|East Coast|Ikaroa-Rāwhiti (Māori)}} | area_footnotes = <ref name="Area"/> | area_total_km2 = 83.58 | population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2023"/> | population_total = 174 | population_as_of = 2023 Census | population_density_km2 = auto | postal_code_type = Postcode | timezone = NZST | utc_offset = +12 | timezone_DST = NZDT | utc_offset_DST = +13 | postal_code = 4079 | area_code = 06 | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 8 | coordinates = {{coord|38|1|10|S|178|19|59|E|region:NZ|display=inline,title}} }}

'''Waipiro Bay''' is a small coastal settlement in the Gisborne District on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The name also refers to the bay that the settlement is built on. It was named Waipiro by Chief Paoa, which translates literally to "putrid water", referring to the area's sulfuric properties.<ref name="TownshipPlan">{{cite web |date=16 March 2011 |title=Te Puia Springs and Waipiro Bay Township Plan |url=http://www.gdc.govt.nz/assets/Township-Plans/Te-Puia-Springs-and-Waipiro-Bay/Te-Puia-Springs-and-Waipiro-Bay-Township-Plan-2011.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209224120/https://www.gdc.govt.nz/assets/Township-Plans/Te-Puia-Springs-and-Waipiro-Bay/Te-Puia-Springs-and-Waipiro-Bay-Township-Plan-2011.pdf |archive-date=2013-02-09 |access-date=27 April 2012 |publisher=Gisborne District Council |page=3}}</ref> It is in the Waiapu ward, along with nearby towns Te Puia Springs, Tokomaru Bay, and Ruatoria.<ref name="GisborneWardMap">{{cite web |title=Gisborne District Ward Map |url=http://www.gdc.govt.nz/assets/Files/Land-Data/District-Map1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522060133/http://www.gdc.govt.nz/assets/Files/Land-Data/District-Map1.pdf |archive-date=2010-05-22 |access-date=27 April 2012 |publisher=Gisborne District Council |location=Gisborne, New Zealand}}</ref> It is located {{convert|15|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south of Ruatoria, {{convert|77|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} north-east of Gisborne, and {{convert|41|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south-west of the East Cape Lighthouse, the easternmost point of mainland New Zealand.<ref name="TeAraEastCapeLighthouse">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/east-coast-places/1/6 |title=East Coast places: East Cape lighthouse |first=Monty |last=Soutar |date=21 September 2011 |encyclopedia=Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |publisher=Manatū Taonga {{pipe}} Ministry for Culture and Heritage |location=Wellington, New Zealand |access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref> By road, it is {{convert|103|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Gisborne, and {{convert|231|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Ōpōtiki.<ref name="GDCWaipiroBay">{{cite web |title=Waipiro Bay |url=http://www.gdc.govt.nz/waipiro-bay |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326090823/http://www.gdc.govt.nz/waipiro-bay/ |archive-date=2010-03-26 |access-date=27 April 2012 |work=Gisborne District Council website {{pipe}} Freedom Camping |publisher=Gisborne District Council |location=Gisborne, New Zealand}}</ref> Waipiro Bay is governed by the Gisborne District Council, and is in the East Coast electorate.

At its peak in the 1900s to 1920s, Waipiro Bay was the largest town on the East Coast, with a population of up to 10,000 people.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /><ref name="TeAra">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/east-coast-places/3 |title=East Coast places - Te Puia Springs and Tokomaru Bay |first=Monty |last=Soutar |date=23 August 2011 |encyclopedia=Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |publisher=Manatū Taonga {{pipe}} Ministry for Culture and Heritage |location=Wellington, New Zealand |at=Waipiro Bay |access-date=15 May 2012}}</ref> The town's size greatly diminished after a road was built bypassing the bay in the late 1920s, and as of 2011, there were only about 96 people (20 families) still living there.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /><ref name="TeAra" />

During a predetermined season, the Gisborne District Council permits freedom camping in certain areas of the bay, which boasts good surfing, fishing and diving.<ref name="GDCWaipiroBay" /> ''Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand'' calls Waipiro Bay "one of the most scenic of the coast localities".<ref name="TeAra" />

==History and culture==

===Early history===

The Māori had a settlement at Waipiro Bay, and were whaling from there in the mid-19th century.<ref name="TeAra" />

For a while, nearby Akuaku was the hub of the area.<ref name="Carter2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/B243390E-AEE2-4B30-8AAF-15292F5D0ECA/194532/49SCMA_EVI_00DBHOH_BILL10537_1_A194207_DrApiranaMa.pdf |title=Affidavit of Paora Kahu Carter |first=Paora Kahu |last=Carter |date=26 July 2010 |work=In the Matter of The Treaty Of Waitangi Act 1975 and in the Matter of a Claim by Apirana Tuahae Mahuika on behalf of Te Runanga o Ngati Prou |publisher=Rainey Collins Wright & Co |location=Wellington, New Zealand |pages=1, 3, 5–6, 11 |access-date=15 May 2012}}</ref> However, by the late 19th century, Waipiro Bay had become the centre of a farming based community.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /> A post office was built in 1885, and from the 1890s wool bales were being shipped out of the bay, while livestock, supplies, and equipment were being shipped in (usually for J. N. Williams's holdings).<ref name="TeAra" /> There is no harbour at Waipiro Bay, so goods and passengers had to be "surfed" between the shore and waiting ships on surfboats, lighters or rafts.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /><ref name="TeAraPhoto">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/east-coast-places/3/3 |title=East Coast places: Waipiro Bay, 1910 |first=Monty |last=Soutar |date=21 September 2011 |encyclopedia=Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |publisher=Manatū Taonga {{pipe}} Ministry for Culture and Heritage |location=Wellington, New Zealand |access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref>

===20th century===

In the early 20th century, a road was built to Waipiro Bay.<ref name="TeAra" /><ref name="Mackay1949">{{cite book |last1=Mackay |first1=Joseph Angus |author-link1=Joseph Angus Mackay |title=Historic Poverty Bay and the East Coast, N.I., N.Z. |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MacHist.html |access-date=15 May 2012 |year=1949 |publisher=Joseph Angus Mackay |location=Gisborne, New Zealand |page=401 |chapter=Chapter XXXIX — Local Government: Waiapu County |chapter-url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MacHist-t1-body-d39-d6.html}}</ref> Akuaku did not have a road, so its residents began moving to Waipiro Bay — the new "place to be".<ref name="Carter2010" /> Eventually, the main highway north ran through Waipiro Bay, which made it a vital link between Gisborne and the rest of the East Coast.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /> In the 1900s to 1920s, Waipiro Bay became the largest town on the East Coast, with a population of up to 10,000.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /><ref name="TeAra" /> As the town grew, it became host to the Waiapu County Council offices, a police station, a courthouse, a school, two hotels, a general store and a variety of other stores.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /><ref name="TeAra" /> Sir Robert Kerridge, founder of Regent Cinemas, established his first cinema in the town, and a maternity hospital was established by the Waiapu Hospital Board in a house originally built for Arthur Beale, J. N. Williams's accountant.<ref name="TownshipPlan" /><ref name="TeAra" />

According to ''Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand'', a new road was constructed between Te Puia Springs and Kopuaroa in the late 1920s, bypassing the bay.<ref name="TeAra" /> However, according to a former resident of Waipiro Bay, Paora Kahu Carter, this road was not built until after she had moved to the town as a child in 1940. She remembers a thriving town, with a blacksmith, a cinema, a police station, a billiards bar, a hotel, a library, a bakery, a post office, two shops, and the Waipiro Trading Company.<ref name="Carter2010" /> Regardless of when the road was built, it had a detrimental effect on the town.<ref name="TeAra" /><ref name="Carter2010" /> With road transport rapidly replacing sea transport, Waipiro Bay became isolated, and the town's shops and services moved to Te Puia Springs.<ref name="TeAra" /> By 2011, Waipiro Bay's population was about 1% of what it was during its peak.<ref name="TownshipPlan" />

===Marae===

The local marae, Iritekura Marae, is central to the community,<ref name="TeAra" /><ref name="IritekuraMarae">{{cite web |title=Iritekura Marae Website |url=http://iritekura.comli.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515131259/http://iritekura.comli.com/ |archive-date=2013-05-15 |access-date=27 April 2012 |work=Iritekura, Waipiro Bay |publisher=Iritekura Marae |location=Waipiro Bay, New Zealand}}</ref> and includes an historic church.<ref name="opotikinz">{{cite web |author=Opotiki & Districts 10,000 Club |title=Waihau Bay to Gisborne |url=http://www.opotikinz.com/waihau_bay_to_gisborne.html#Mt_Hikurangi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306001807/http://www.opotikinz.com/waihau_bay_to_gisborne.html#Mt_Hikurangi |archive-date=2012-03-06 |access-date=11 May 2012 |work=Traveller's guide to the Pacific Coast Highway |publisher=Opotiki District Council |at=Mt Hikurangi: WAIPIRO BAY |location=Ōpōtiki, New Zealand}}</ref> It is a meeting place for the Ngāti Porou hapū of Te Whānau a Iritekura,<ref name="tkmentry">{{cite web|title=Te Kāhui Māngai directory|url= http://www.tkm.govt.nz/ |website=tkm.govt.nz|publisher=Te Puni Kōkiri}}</ref> and includes a meeting house of the same name.<ref name="maorimaps">{{cite web |title=Māori Maps |url=https://maorimaps.com/map |website=maorimaps.com |publisher=Te Potiki National Trust}}</ref>

Two other historic Ngāti Porou marae are also located north of the Waipiro Bay village:<ref name=opotikinz /> Taharora Marae and meeting house is a meeting place of the hapū of Ngāi Taharora; Kie Kie Marae and Hau meeting house is a meeting place of Te Whānau a Rākairoa and Te Whānau a Te Haemata.<ref name="tkmentry" /><ref name="maorimaps" />

In October 2020, the Government committed $5,756,639 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Iritekura, Taharora and 27 other Ngāti Porou marae. The funding was expected to create 205 jobs.<ref name="maraepgf">{{cite web |title=Marae Announcements |url=https://www.growregions.govt.nz/assets/funding-announcements/marae-announcements.xlsx |website=growregions.govt.nz |publisher=Provincial Growth Fund |format=Excel |date=9 October 2020}}</ref>

==Demographics== Waipiro Bay and its surrounds, including Takapau and Kōpuaroa, cover {{Convert|83.58|km2||abbr=on}}.<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Statistical Area 1 2023 (generalised)|access-date=17 August 2025}}</ref> It is part of the Tokomaru 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=Statistical Area 1 – 2023 and Statistical Area 2 – 2023}}</ref>

{{Historical populations|2006|147|2013|153|2018|150|2023|174|percentages=pagr|align=left|source=<ref name="Census 2023"/><ref name="Census 2018">{{NZ census 2018|7015479}}</ref>}} Waipiro Bay had a population of 174 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 24 people (16.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 21 people (13.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 93 males and 84 females in 66 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_009&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.7015479.2023&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> 1.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 43.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 33 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 27 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 78 (44.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 36 (20.7%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 24.1% European (Pākehā), 96.6% Māori, and 10.3% Pasifika. English was spoken by 91.4%, and Māori by 50.0%. No language could be spoken by 3.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 1.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Religious affiliations were 55.2% Christian, 6.9% Māori religious beliefs, and 1.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 27.6%, and 8.6% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Of those at least 15 years old, 21 (14.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 72 (51.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 48 (34.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $26,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3 people (2.1%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 51 (36.2%) full-time, 15 (10.6%) part-time, and 9 (6.4%) 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_012&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.7015479.2013%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=7015479}}</ref>

==Education==

Waipiro Bay had a local primary school called Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Waipiro, a co-ed Māori language immersion school catering for students in Years 1–8. It opened in 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reweti.tripod.com/id1.html|title=Nga Kura Kaupapa Maori|access-date=17 August 2025}}</ref> and closed in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2013-go1555|title=Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Waipiro (2724) Closure Notice|publisher=New Zealand Government|first=Hekia|last=Parata|author-link=Hekia Parata|date=14 March 2013}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/east-coast-places/3 Information about Waipiro Bay] in ''Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand's'' ''East Coast places'' story * [https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/search?keywords=waipiro%20bay&type=all&viewtype=grid Historic photos of Waipiro Bay] in the Hocken Collections * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100522075209/http://www.tairawhitimuseum.org.nz/exhibits-galleries/collections/photography/Times_A_Changin/WaipiroBay.asp Comparison of Waipiro Bay in 1910 and 1996] on the Tarawhiti Museum website

{{Gisborne District}}

Category:Bays of the Gisborne District Category:Populated places in the Gisborne District