Te Puna
Te Puna is a rural community near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on State Highway 2, north of Bethlehem and south of Katikati.
The local Te Puna Quarry has been redeveloped by volunteers into a park.
Former National Party leader Todd Muller was raised in Te Puna in the 1970s, where his parents started a kiwifruit orchard. He attended Te Puna Primary School. He entered parliament at the 2014 general election as the MP for Bay of Plenty, and was National Party leader and the Leader of the Opposition from 22 May to 14 July 2020.
Demographics
Te Puna statistical area, which includes Motuhoa Island, Plummers Point and Te Puna West, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.Te Puna had a population of 3,024 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 93 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 441 people since the 2013 census. There were 1,521 males, 1,497 females, and 6 people of other genders in 1,059 dwellings. 1.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 48.1 years. There were 525 people aged under 15 years, 444 aged 15 to 29, 1,431 aged 30 to 64, and 624 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 76.7% European ; 30.3% Māori; 3.7% Pasifika; 2.9% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori by 12.1%, Samoan by 0.1%, and other languages by 5.9%. No language could be spoken by 1.4%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 36.9% Christian, 0.5% Hindu, 4.0% Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 49.2%, and 7.5% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 579 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,425 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 492 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $42,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 369 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 1,206 full-time, 453 part-time, and 45 unemployed.
Marae
Te Puna has four marae belonging to the Ngāti Ranginui hapū of Pirirākau:- Paparoa Marae and Werahiko meeting house
- Poutūterangi Marae and Takurua meeting house
- Tutereinga Marae and meeting house
- Tawhitinui and Maka meeting house
Education