Te Puke

Te Puke
The giant kiwifruit in Te Puke
Coordinates: 37°46′S 176°19′E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Bay of Plenty
Territorial authority	Western Bay of Plenty District
Ward	Maketu-Te Puke Ward
Community	Te Puke Community
Settled	pre-European
Founded	1880
Electorates	Rotorua Waiariki (Māori)
Government
• Territorial authority	Western Bay of Plenty District Council
• Regional council	Bay of Plenty Regional Council
• Mayor of Western Bay of Plenty	James Denyer
• Rotorua MP	Todd McClay
• Waiariki MP	Rawiri Waititi
Area
• Total	12.13 km2 (4.68 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)
• Total	10,450
• Density	860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode	3119
Area code	07
Website	tepukegoodnessgrowshere

Te Puke (/tɛˈpʊkɛ/ teh-PUU-keh) is a town located 18 kilometres (11 miles) southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for the cultivation of kiwifruit.

Te Puke is close to Tauranga and Maketu, which are both coastal towns/cities, as well as the small townships of Waitangi, Manoeka, Pongakawa, and Paengaroa. The Tauranga Eastern Link, completed in 2015, moved State Highway 2 away from Te Puke and removed large volumes of traffic from its streets.

The town's name comes from the Māori language, which translates to the hill; it is on a hill near the Papamoa Hills.

Demographics

Te Puke covers 12.13 km² (4.68 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 10,450 as of June 2024, with a population density of 862 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	6,960	—
2013	7,326	+0.73%
2018	8,631	+3.33%
2023	9,114	+1.09%
The 2006 population is for a larger area of 13.40 km2. Source:

Te Puke had a population of 9,114 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 483 people (5.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,788 people (24.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 4,530 males, 4,566 females, and 15 people of other genders in 2,964 dwellings. 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 35.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,782 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 1,803 (19.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,912 (42.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,614 (17.7%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 61.1% European (Pākehā); 29.0% Māori; 4.9% Pasifika; 20.3% Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 92.7%, Māori by 7.0%, Samoan by 0.5%, and other languages by 16.3%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 25.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 26.6% Christian, 3.0% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 3.7% Māori religious beliefs, 1.0% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, and 11.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 47.1%, and 7.0% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,116 (15.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,750 (51.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 2,472 (33.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 399 people (5.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 3,687 (50.3%) full-time, 900 (12.3%) part-time, and 273 (3.7%) unemployed.

Individual statistical areas

Name	Area (km2)	Population	Density (per km2)	Dwellings	Median age	Median income
Te Puke West	8.11	3,597	444	1,089	33.1 years	$38,500
Te Puke East	2.18	2,736	1,255	936	36.1 years	$35,300
Te Puke South	1.84	2,775	1,508	942	40.3 years	$36,600
New Zealand					38.1 years	$41,500

History

Settlement

Around 1350, the Te Arawa canoe is said to have landed at Maketu after sailing from Hawaiki. The canoe was under the command of chief Tama-te-kapua, and he was responsible for many of the original place names of the area. Māori ventured up the rivers and streams and built many pā in the area.

Lieutenant, later Captain James Cook, the first European known to visit the area, sailed between Mōtītī Island and the coast in 1769. This was his first voyage to New Zealand, but he did not land here. Cook named the area the Bay of Plenty as he observed that it was well populated and looked very fertile. In 1830 Danish sailor Philip Tapsell, also known as Hans Homman Felk, settled at Maketu and operated as a trader. Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries arrived shortly afterwards and established mission stations at Te Papa (Tauranga) and at Rotorua. After the land wars began to ease in the 1860s, European settlers began to move to the Bay of Plenty though not in great numbers.

Maketu, however was a thriving village with a school, post office, and hotel and in 1869 an Anglican church. In 1876, surveying of the Te Puke Block commenced but it was not until 1879 that they survey was completed as the Native Land Court needed to complete their investigation of Māori titles for the land. Demand for land in the Tauranga area increased and the Tauranga Working Men's Land Association was formed in 1877. Forty eight members petitioned the government for 4000 acres (16 ha) of the Te Puke block under the deferred-payment system. At the same time George Vesey Stewart applied to the government to bring settlers from Great Britain to the Te Puke Block as he had already successfully done in Katikati.

The first settlers on the Te Puke Block arrived in 1879 and included Peter Grant and his wife Caroline (née Moon), William Bird and his wife Sarah (née Leitch), Joseph Malyon and his wife Sara (née James) amongst others. The first of the Vesey Stewart settlers arrived in Tauranga directly from London on the Lady Jocelyn on 2 January 1881.

Development

View of the main street of Te Puke in 1915

View of Main Street in 1924 including Alexander & Dowdy real estate agents, building and Farmers' Union Trading Company

In July 1880, work commenced on the Tauranga to Te Puke Road, via Welcome Bay. It was constructed by the Armed Constabulary and local Māori who worked on their land. Before this, access to Te Puke was made across the Papamoa Hills from Ngapeke to Manoeka, following an ancient Māori trail. Peter Grant had been contracted by the Tauranga County Council to form this track into a bridle path in 1879.

Stores and passengers for the town could also come from Tauranga by boat, first to Maketu, then up the Kaituna River to Canaan Landing and then by Māori canoe up the Waiari Stream to the site of the present road bridge just to the south of the town.

By late 1881, Te Puke boasted 25 wooden buildings including two hotels, two general stores, a butcher, a post office and a smithy. The settlers quickly settled upon the land and by 1884 had established a butter factory. Draining of the swamps began and the area was found to be very suitable for crops, and maize and wheat were grown extensively. Later much of the farming land was found to be "bush sick" but was cured with the use of cobalt in the 1930s.

Flax milling had begun in the 1870s and became a major industry in the area until the early 1940s. Saw milling began in 1905 and is still a major industry in the area. In 1883 gold-bearing ore was discovered on the Papamoa Hills and during the 1920s a gold mine operated at Muir's farm on No 4 Road. With the building of the railway a large Public Works quarry operated in Te Puke and was a major employer. The freezing works at Rangiuru opened in 1968 and HortResearch opened on No 1 Road in 1971.

Disaster struck in the early hours of the 10 June 1886 with the eruption of Mount Tarawera. Te Puke residents were awoken with the noise and the many related earthquakes. Many had a good view of the eruption and paintings survive of their memories. Ash and mud showered over crops and pastures up to 12 inches deep in places. The sun was not seen until 1pm.

Stock faced starvation and many farmers were forced to let their animals free to fend for themselves. Some stock was shipped from the area but many died. The settlers became short of food and water themselves and help was gratefully received from Tauranga. Evidence of the Tarawera eruption can still be found in disturbed ground in the area today. (Te Puke was again covered in ash during the 1995 Mount Ruapehu eruption though not to the same scale.)

Te Puke town-ship began to grow and a mission/town hall was built in 1883. This was used for town meetings and as a church by three of the congregations. The first school, (Te Puke Primary) was opened in 1883. The Te Puke Times was first printed in 1912. The fire brigade and town boards were both formed in 1913.

A jockey club was formed in 1890, the brass band in 1903, the A. & P. Society in 1905, the rugby union in 1906, the bowling club in 1908, and the golf club in 1912. Planting of the trees down the centre of the main street, a major feature of the town today, began during 1914–1918 as a war memorial to the fallen. A nursing home was opened in Boucher Avenue in 1918 but any major cases were railed to Tauranga Hospital.

Railway

The East Coast Main Trunk Railway passes through Te Puke and opened in 1928. Rail passenger services were provided by the Taneatua Express which operated between Auckland and Taneatua between 1928 and 1959. In February 1959, the steam hauled express train service was replaced by a railcar service operated by 88 seaters that only ran as far as Te Puke. The railcar service operated between 1959 and 1967, when it was cancelled due to both mechanical problems with the railcars and poor patronage, the latter largely due to the circuitous and time-consuming rail route between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty at that time.

Horticulture

A combination of the climate and soils in the area has always made Te Puke a popular area for horticulture. From the 1880s tobacco was grown commercially but petered out in the late 1930s. Trial plantings of hops, and later rice, were also tried. Viticulture was also tried and found to be successful but for various reasons also died out. The settlers had established home orchards when finance permitted and it was found that pip and citrus fruits flourished. From this, the first commercial orchard in Te Puke was planted in 1915. Commercial plantings were of apples, pears, oranges, lemons and grapefruit. After World War Two, the Rehabilitation Department settled returned servicemen on the No 3 Road as orchardists. Followed by others with their own finance, most of No 3 Road was in orchards by 1960. By 1966, 80 owners owned about 1500 acres (6 km²) of land of which 900 acres (3.6 km²) was in citrus and balance in sub-tropical fruit including tamarillos (tree tomatoes) and feijoas.

In 1934 Jim MacLoughlin had bought a 7-acre (28,000 m²) lemon and passionfruit orchard in No 3 Road. His neighbour Vic Bayliss had two Chinese gooseberry plants and he had sold the fruit for £5. Spurred on by this Jim planted ½ acre of Chinese gooseberries in 1937. During World War II, American serviceman in New Zealand were introduced to the Chinese gooseberry and enjoyed it so much that this spurred further plantings. In 1952 the first exports were made, and in 1959 the name “Kiwifruit” was introduced. Since then many more plantings have been made with Hayward (green) being the most popular. In 1998 “Zespri Gold” kiwifruit was introduced to the market and experiments are being carried out on new varieties including a peelable kiwifruit and "kiwiberry", a small bite-sized kiwifruit-like fruit.

Marae

There are five marae in Te Puke, affiliated with local iwi and hapū:

• Haraki Marae and meeting house are affiliated with Waitaha and the Ngāti Rangiwewehi hapū of Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki Tai.
• Makahae – Te Kahika Marae is affiliated with the Tapuika hapū of Ngāti Tuheke. In October 2020, the Government committed $4,525,104 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae and nine others, creating an estimated 34 jobs.
• Manoeka Marae and Hei meeting house are affiliated with Waitaha.
• Moko – Ngāti Moko Marae and the Mokotangatakotahi meeting house are affiliated with the Tapuika hapū of Ngāti Moko.
• Tawakepito Marae and Tawakepito meeting house is affiliated with the Tapuika hapū of Ngāti Tuheke.

Economy

Agriculture is the backbone of the district's economy. The warm, moist climate and fertile soils are favourable for horticulture, with production of kiwifruit, avocados and citrus fruit such as lemons and oranges. The town markets itself as the "Kiwifruit capital of the world". Dairy cattle and other livestock are also farmed.

Today, Te Puke is a thriving town with a reasonably large main shopping street, Jellicoe Street, which is also the main road passing through Te Puke. There are a number of schools, religious organisations, cultural groups, and a variety of clubs in the town.

A large number of residents work picking or packing kiwifruit during April or May, as well as others coming from other nearby towns and cities. It can swell past 10,000 some seasons.

Education

Te Puke High School is the town's co-educational state high school for Year 9 to 13 students, with a roll of 1,112 as of March 2025. Te Puke District High School opened in 1923, and became Te Puke High School in 1954.

Te Puke has two state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Fairhaven School, with a roll of 478, and Te Puke Primary School, with a roll of 282. Fairhaven School includes a Māori language immersion unit. The school opened in 1957. Te Puke Primary School opened in 1883.

It has one state intermediate school for Year 7 to 8 students: Te Puke Intermediate, with a roll of 513. The school includes a bilingual learning program in Māori.

Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Matai is a co-educational state Māori language immersion primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 46. It opened in 1887 and became a full immersion Māori language school in 1996. Following a decline in roll, it made English a compulsory subject in 2010. The school is located 3 km southeast of Te Puke.

Climate

Climate data for Te Puke (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	24.0 (75.2)	24.1 (75.4)	22.6 (72.7)	20.2 (68.4)	17.6 (63.7)	15.1 (59.2)	14.4 (57.9)	15.3 (59.5)	16.8 (62.2)	18.5 (65.3)	20.3 (68.5)	22.2 (72.0)	19.3 (66.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	18.8 (65.8)	19.1 (66.4)	17.4 (63.3)	15.1 (59.2)	12.7 (54.9)	10.4 (50.7)	9.8 (49.6)	10.4 (50.7)	12.0 (53.6)	13.6 (56.5)	15.2 (59.4)	17.4 (63.3)	14.3 (57.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	13.6 (56.5)	14.1 (57.4)	12.2 (54.0)	10.0 (50.0)	7.8 (46.0)	5.6 (42.1)	5.2 (41.4)	5.5 (41.9)	7.2 (45.0)	8.7 (47.7)	10.0 (50.0)	12.6 (54.7)	9.4 (48.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	96.6 (3.80)	119.3 (4.70)	128.8 (5.07)	173.0 (6.81)	148.9 (5.86)	174.8 (6.88)	168.0 (6.61)	156.4 (6.16)	130.6 (5.14)	118.7 (4.67)	93.0 (3.66)	136.2 (5.36)	1,644.3 (64.72)
Source: NIWA

External links

• Western Bay of Plenty District Council
• Te Puke Page on Sooty's Home Page: historical information and archives
• Historic photos of Te Puke on Timeframes – Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand