Arapuni
Arapuni is a rural town centre on the Waikato river in the South Waikato District of New Zealand.
The town sits next to the Arapuni Dam, a hydroelectric dam at Lake Arapuni commissioned in 1929. The Arapuni Power Station consists of eight turbines which give a total output of 196 MW, the largest of the power stations on the Waikato river. The Arapuni hydro station is owned and operated by Mercury Energy.
The name Arapuni derives from Ara, meaning path, and puni, meaning blocked or covered, and translates as blocked or covered path. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "blocked path" for Arapuni.
The Arapuni Suspension Bridge below the dam is freely open to public.
Marae
The local Pōhara Marae is a meeting ground of the Ngāti Raukawa hapū of Ngāti Korokī and Ngāti Mahuta, the Ngāti Korokī Kahukura hapū of Ngāti Hourua, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Korokī and Ngāti Raukawa ki Panehākua.It features the Rangiātea meeting house.
In October 2020, the Government committed $2,584,751 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae and 5 other Waikato Tainui marae, creating 69 jobs.
Demographics
Statistics New Zealand describes Arapuni as a rural settlement, which covers. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. The settlement is part of the larger Putāruru Rural statistical area.Arapuni had a population of 324 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 33 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 87 people since the 2013 census. There were 150 males and 177 females in 141 dwellings. 0.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 47.2 years. There were 63 people aged under 15 years, 39 aged 15 to 29, 159 aged 30 to 64, and 63 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 88.9% European ; 20.4% Māori; 5.6% Pasifika; 1.9% Asian; 1.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 5.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.2%, Māori by 4.6%, and other languages by 4.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.8%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.9%. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 21.3% Christian, 0.9% Hindu, 1.9% Buddhist, 0.9% New Age, 0.9% Jewish, and 1.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.3%, and 15.7% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 45 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 156 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 57 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 18 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 138 full-time, 27 part-time, and 6 unemployed.