# Ōhura

Ōhura is a small town in the west of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the west of Taumarunui in the area known as the King Country, in inland Manawatū-Whanganui. It lies on the banks of the Mangaroa Stream, a tributary of the Ōhura River which is a tributary of the Whanganui River.

## Background

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place which is uncovered" for Ōhura. In July 2020, the name of the locality was officially gazetted as Ōhura by the New Zealand Geographic Board.
Ōhura was the centre for coal mining in the region, operating through to circa 1965, where previously the mines, railway network and farming had been major parts of the local industry.
A proud piece of the town is the Ohura Museum which provides a repository for much of the history of Ōhura and the surrounding area.
Te Rukirangi Marae and Papakainga meeting house is located in Ōhura. It is the tribal meeting ground of the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Te Rukirangi.

## Demographics

Ōhura is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 2.79 km$^2$ (1.08 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 130 as of June 2024, with a population density of 47 people per km$^2$. It is part of the wider Otangiwai-Ohura statistical area.
Before the 2023 census, the settlement had a larger boundary, covering 3.25 km$^2$ (1.25 sq mi). Using that boundary, Ōhura had a population of 126 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 3 people (−2.3%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 36 people (−22.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 66 households, comprising 78 males and 51 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.53 males per female. The median age was 59.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 12 people (9.5%) aged under 15 years, 12 (9.5%) aged 15 to 29, 60 (47.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 42 (33.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 90.5% European/Pākehā, 21.4% Māori, and 2.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 47.6% had no religion, 31.0% were Christian and 2.4% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 9 (7.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 39 (34.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $19,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 3 people (2.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 36 (31.6%) people were employed full-time, and 15 (13.2%) were part-time.

### Otangiwai-Ohura statistical area

Otangiwai-Ohura statistical area covers 2,011.70 km$^2$ (776.72 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,070 as of June 2024, with a population density of 0.53 people per km$^2$.
Otangiwai-Ohura had a population of 1,020 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 66 people (−6.1%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 213 people (−17.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 423 households, comprising 546 males and 477 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.14 males per female. The median age was 43.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 204 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 153 (15.0%) aged 15 to 29, 519 (50.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 144 (14.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 84.4% European/Pākehā, 30.3% Māori, 1.5% Pacific peoples, 1.8% Asian, and 0.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 8.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.5% had no religion, 29.7% were Christian, 2.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 78 (9.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 204 (25.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 84 people (10.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 453 (55.5%) people were employed full-time, 138 (16.9%) were part-time, and 30 (3.7%) were unemployed.

## Education

Ohura Valley Primary is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 3 as of November 2024. The school opened in 1908 providing both primary and secondary education. It became a primary school only at the beginning of 1999.

## Ohura County Council

Ohura County Council was formed from Waitomo County by the Ohura County Act 1908. It had earlier been part of Taranaki County. It was bounded by Awakino County and Clifton County to the west, Waitomo County to the north, Taumarunui County to the east and Whangamomona County and Kaitieke County to the south. In 1908 its boundaries were defined by roads, rivers and streams. The 1906 population of the county was 1,226 and in 1956 was 1,893. The first meeting was on Monday 27 September 1909. It was agreed future meetings would be on the Wednesday closest to a full moon, which continued as the meeting date for at least a decade. Ohura Town Board was created in 1918 from an area formerly part of the county. In 1955 the Municipal Corporations Act 1954 renamed all Town Boards as Town Councils. In 1976 the Ohura Town Council also merged into Taumarunui County, as Ohura County had done in 1956, when Kaitieke also merged with Taumarunui.

## Ōhura railway station

Ōhura had passenger and goods trains on the Stratford–Okahukura Line run by the Public Works Department (PWD) from 18 December 1926, when the Public Works Minister, Kenneth Williams, officially opened the Okahukura line, from its previous railhead at Toi Toi. In 1927 Carroll & O'Reilly started building the 40 ft (12 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, cart access, loading bank (extended for 4 wagons in 1959) and stockyards for £1168 and in 1928 S Bone started work on the station buildings for £9689. The Mayors of Taumarunui and Stratford held the ribbon on 7 November 1932, when the last spike was driven at Heao by the Prime Minister, George Forbes, and the Minister of Public Works, Gordon Coates, then drove the first train as the ribbon was cut.
Ōhura was no longer a terminal once the final 31.4 km (19.5 mi) Tāngarākau–Ōhura section, including 12 tunnels, opened on Monday, 12 December 1932 and trains began running the length of the line, though limited to 20 mph (32 km/h) on the new section. On Monday, 4 September 1933 New Zealand Railways (NZR) took over the Tahora–Okahukura section from PWD. A mixed train ran each way and overnight trains stopped at Ōhura in the middle of the night, on their almost 12-hour journeys between New Plymouth and Auckland, with a sleeping car included in their trains.
Ōhura had a stationmaster and there was an engine shed, a passing loop for 66 wagons and 2 railway houses were added in 1956. The houses were sold to the Housing Corporation in 1983. Mixed trains and Auckland-New Plymouth railcars called at Ōhura until they stopped running in 1970 and 1971 respectively, after which a daily New Plymouth–Taumarunui return trip, usually a DC locomotive, coach and van (though sometimes a railcar), carried newspapers, mail, parcels, small goods lots and an average of around a dozen passengers on weekdays until it stopped running on 21 January 1983. As late as 1980 NZR employed 16 at Ōhura.
A 48 ha (120 acres) water supply reserve, which supplied water for the steam engines and railway accommodation, was transferred to the Department of Conservation in 1996.
Between 1988 and 2013 all the station buildings were removed and only the passing loop remains. Some Forgotten World Adventures rail carts call at Ōhura. The rail carts started running in 2012 and had about 20,000 passengers to 2017.

## Notable people

* Frank Glasgow, All Black rugby player