Waipukurau
Waipukurau, known locally as just Waipuk, is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings.
The town is close to the site of a Māori pa, from which it gets its name. The pa was situated on the town's main hill, named Pukekaihau. The name is said to mean water of pukerau, pukerau being a type of fungus. The town was the site of the first church in inland Hawke's Bay, built in 1847. Much of the town dates from a model village built by local land-owner H.R.Russell in 1867.
The epicenter of the devastating 1863 Hawke's Bay earthquake was located just outside of Waipukurau, causing moderate to major damage across central New Zealand. [1]
It has a population of 3,980 (June 2014 estimate)[2]. It had a population of 3,741 as at the 2013 census, which was a decrease of 264 (6.6%) since the 2006 census.[3]
Employment
Most employment is seasonal related and is dependent on either the local meat processing plant owned by Ovation New Zealand Limited or surrounding local agricultural and horticultural industries.
The town is a farming based community and provides dairy, fruit, vegetable and meat exports.
Through the 1940s-1970s one of the town's main businesses was Denne Bros/Peter Pan Frozen Foods, well known throughout the country for their ice cream brand. The two factories were considered local landmarks. The company was the main employer of Waipukurau, as well the nearby township Waipawa in the 1950s and 1960s.
Climate
| Climate data for Waipukurau | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 23 (74) |
24 (75) |
22 (71) |
18 (65) |
15 (59) |
13 (55) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
16 (60) |
17 (63) |
20 (68) |
22 (72) |
17.9 (64.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 11 (52) |
12 (53) |
10 (50) |
8 (46) |
6 (42) |
3 (38) |
2 (36) |
3 (38) |
5 (41) |
7 (44) |
8 (47) |
10 (50) |
7.1 (44.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 74 (2.9) |
71 (2.8) |
46 (1.8) |
58 (2.3) |
91 (3.6) |
81 (3.2) |
79 (3.1) |
71 (2.8) |
53 (2.1) |
53 (2.1) |
50 (2) |
58 (2.3) |
785 (31) |
| Source: Weatherbase [4] | |||||||||||||
Notable residents
- Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG (13 January 1911 – 23 April 2005), Premier of Queensland (1968-1987)
- Errol Brathwaite - author
- Matt Berquist - professional rugby player
- John Atcherly Cardinal Dew, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington.[5]
- Campbell Johnstone - professional rugby player
- Robert Taylor - guitarist Dragon (band)
- Andrew Williams - Former North Shore mayor
References
- ↑ http://wildland.owdjim.gen.nz/?p=85
- ↑ "Subnational Population Estimates: At 30 June 2014 (provisional)". Statistics New Zealand. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Also "Infoshare; Group: Population Estimates - DPE; Table: Estimated Resident Population for Urban Areas, at 30 June (1996+) (Annual-Jun)". Statistics New Zealand. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place:Waipukurau
- ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Waipukurau, New Zealand". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
- ↑ "Wellington Archbishop 'humbled' and surprised by cardinal appointment," ONE News, 5 January 2015 (see video) (Retrieved 6 January 2015)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waipukurau. |