Te Teko

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Te Teko is a small inland township in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. According to the 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings, its population is 630, unchanged from the previous census in 1996. 90.1% of the town's population identify as Māori, one of the highest percentages in a country where Māori comprise 14.7% of the national population. The town's unemployment rate of 32.1% is dramatically higher than the regional average of 10% and the national average of 7.5%, and the average income is NZ$7,200 lower than the national average of NZ$18,500.[1]

Te Teko has the highest mean daily maximum temperature (20.26°C) of any settlement in New Zealand, although it is not the warmest town in New Zealand as the mean daily minimum temperature of 8.56°C is comparatively low. Rainfall is high, averaging 1474mm per year.[2]

The Rangitaiki River passes through the town as it flows northwards to its mouth on the Pacific Ocean, and State Highways 30 and 34 meet in the town. SH 30 cuts through the town on its route from Whakatane to Rotorua, while SH 34 crosses it in the town's west and runs southwest to Kawerau. To the west of the town runs the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, and from it diverges the Murupara Branch line, which skirts the south of Te Teko.

In the mid-1860s, Te Teko was the site of a significant siege on a Māori pā as part of the East Cape War.[3] After peace came to the region, a hotel was established on the banks of the Rangitaiki River in 1879 and Te Teko rose in importance as a boat service was established to ferry hotel customers and travellers across the river. A bridge made the boat service redundant in 1915.[4]

The present day township of Te Teko includes a racecourse, golf course, police station,[5] and a primary school.[6] The primary school was established in 1881.[7]