Te Pōhue
Te Pōhue is a small settlement in inland Hawke's Bay, in New Zealand's eastern North Island. It lies on New Zealand [State Highway 5|State Highway 5], 31 kilometres inland from Whirinaki.
The remote settlement was once on a Māori track cutting across the tribal boundaries of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, two tribes who had made peace after a conflict. The modern settlement began as a hotel for travellers in the 1870s, when the original Napier to Taupo coach road was being cut through what was then a dense forest.
Two wind farms were approved for the area in 2006, despite some opposition from local residents. An application for the expansion of one on Te Waka Range was declined in 2007 and again in 2009. Harapaki Wind Farm opened in 2024.
Demographics
Te Pōhue and its surrounds cover. It is part of the Puketitiri-Tutira statistical area.Te Pōhue had a population of 486 in the 2023 [New Zealand census], an increase of 78 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 123 people since the 2013 census. There were 264 males and 225 females in 177 dwellings. 1.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 114 people aged under 15 years, 84 aged 15 to 29, 231 aged 30 to 64, and 57 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.9% European ; 21.0% Māori; 5.6% Pasifika; 4.3% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 8.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori by 2.5%, Samoan by 0.6%, and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.9%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 38.9% Christian, 0.6% Māori religious beliefs, 1.2% New Age, 0.6% Jewish, and 0.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 53.7%, and 6.2% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 66 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 201 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 108 people exclusively held high school qualifications. 30 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 210 full-time, 51 part-time, and 3 unemployed.