Auroa
Auroa is a locality in southern Taranaki, New Zealand. Ōpunake is to the west, Kaponga to the northeast, and Manaia to the southeast. Mount Taranaki is directly north of Auroa.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long cloud" for Auroa.
Demographics
Auroa locality covers. It is part of the larger Taungatara statistical area.Auroa had a population of 264 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 6 people since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 27 people since the 2013 census. There were 132 males and 132 females in 99 dwellings. 3.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 63 people aged under 15 years, 51 aged 15 to 29, 123 aged 30 to 64, and 27 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 93.2% European, 15.9% Māori, 2.3% Pasifika, and 3.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.6%, Māori by 2.3%, Samoan by 1.1%, and other languages by 3.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.3%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 27.3% Christian. People who answered that they had no religion were 63.6%, and 8.0% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 12 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 129 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 54 people exclusively held high school qualifications. 15 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 126 full-time, 21 part-time, and 6 unemployed.
Taungatara statistical area
Taungatara statistical area, which also includes Otakeho, Te Kiri and Pihama, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.Taungatara had a population of 1,311 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 15 people since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 69 people since the 2013 census. There were 672 males, 633 females, and 6 people of other genders in 468 dwellings. 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 34.0 years. There were 336 people aged under 15 years, 249 aged 15 to 29, 594 aged 30 to 64, and 129 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 90.2% European ; 19.5% Māori; 1.6% Pasifika; 3.2% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.9%, Māori by 2.5%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 4.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.8%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 31.6% Christian, 0.7% Hindu, 0.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.2% New Age, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.3%, and 9.2% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 123 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 606 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 243 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $45,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 90 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 573 full-time, 156 part-time, and 21 unemployed.
Otakeho
Otakeho is a part of the Taungatara statistical area, to the south of Auroa and west of the Otakeho Stream, on SH45. It has a hall, a boarded up store and a few houses. To the west of Otakeho is Ngāruahine's Tawhitinui Marae.Otakeho has a small sandy beach, beyond Dingle Road, at the foot of high cliffs. It is used for fishing and has a poorly protected, nationally threatened, variety of Craspedia, Craspedia Otakeho.
It once also had a school, a Category 2 listed church, an hotel, a post office, a smithy and a dairy factory, which occupied several buildings.
The Ōpunake to New Plymouth bus runs through Otakeho daily in each direction, except at weekends.