# Whakatāne District

Whakatāne District is a territorial authority district on the North Island of New Zealand. The Whakatāne District Council is headquartered in the largest town, Whakatāne. The district falls within the Bay of Plenty Region. Victor Luca has been the mayor of Whakatāne since the 2022 local elections.
The district has an area of 4465 square kilometres, of which 4450 square kilometres are land. The population was 38,400 as of June 2024.

## History

A Whakatane County Council was established in 1876, and covered a wider area than the present district, including Ōpōtiki. Whakatane Road Board was established at the same time.
The county was split into Whakatane and Opotiki counties in 1900, and the Road Board was made part of Whakatane County. In 1913, the Whakatane Harbour Board was established, and in 1914, Whakatane Town became a separate entity from Whakatane County. The town became Whakatane Borough in 1917. Kawerau Town and Murupara Town District split in 1954 and 1955, and both became boroughs in 1962.
In 1976, Whakatane County, Whakatane Borough and Whakatane Harbour Board amalgamated to form Whakatane District. This expanded in 1989 by amalgamating with Murupara Borough, and taking parts of Opotiki and Taupo districts.

## Populated places

Whakatāne District consists of the following towns, localities, settlements and communities:

### Notes

* ↑ Formerly known as Edgecumbe-Tarawera Ward until 2010.
* 1 2 Formerly a general ward until 2022.

## Demographics

Whakatāne District covers 4,449.71 km$^2$ (1,718.04 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 38,400 as of June 2024, with a population density of 8.6 people per km$^2$.
Whakatāne District had a population of 37,149 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,449 people (4.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 4,458 people (13.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 18,210 males, 18,852 females and 84 people of other genders in 13,185 dwellings. 1.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 7,776 people (20.9%) aged under 15 years, 6,324 (17.0%) aged 15 to 29, 15,837 (42.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,218 (19.4%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 62.3% European (Pākehā); 48.6% Māori; 3.9% Pasifika; 4.3% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori language by 17.5%, Samoan by 0.2% and other languages by 5.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 12.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 29.3% Christian, 0.4% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 9.1% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 52.2%, and 7.5% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 3,861 (13.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 16,800 (57.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 7,572 (25.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $35,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 2,463 people (8.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 13,185 (44.9%) people were employed full-time, 4,275 (14.6%) were part-time, and 1,365 (4.6%) were unemployed.
Individual wards :
| Name | Area (km$^2$) | Population | Density (per km$^2$) | Dwellings | Median age | Median income |
| Rangitāiki General Ward | 631.90 | 9,864 | 15.6 | 3,318 | 39.5 years | $38,100 |
| Whakatāne-Ōhope General Ward | 56.91 | 19,359 | 340.2 | 7,461 | 43.2 years | $36,300 |
| Te Urewera General Ward | 3,760.90 | 7,923 | 2.1 | 2,403 | 34.1 years | $30,700 |
| New Zealand | | | | | 38.1 years | $41,500 |

## Sister cities

* Kamagaya, Chiba, Japan (since 1997)
* Warwick, Queensland, Australia (since 1994)
Whakatāne has a friendship agreement with Shibukawa, Gunma, Japan.