Urenui


Urenui is a settlement in northern Taranaki, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 3 close to the shore of the North Taranaki Bight, 13 kilometres east of Waitara and 6 km south-west of Mimi. The Urenui River flows past the settlement into the North Taranaki Bight.

Etymology

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "great courage" for Urenui, noting that courage is "a figurative expression". A fuller explanation is that the name was given by Manaia in honour of his well-endowed son. Ure means "penis", and nui means "large".

History

The town was the site of the Urenui Redoubt, created in winter 1865 during the Second Taranaki War. Originally envisioned as a settlement for Māori loyal to the colonial government, however by 1866 it was decided that the town should be a settlement for soldiers.

Demographics

Urenui is described by Stats NZ as a rural settlement, which covers. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. It is part of the larger Tikorangi statistical area, which covers.
Urenui had a population of 447 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 36 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 18 people since the 2013 census. There were 222 males and 225 females in 204 dwellings. 1.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 49.8 years. There were 72 people aged under 15 years, 51 aged 15 to 29, 201 aged 30 to 64, and 123 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.9% European, 28.2% Māori, 1.3% Pasifika, 0.7% Asian, and 1.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.0%, Māori by 6.0%, and other languages by 1.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.3%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 27.5% Christian, 0.7% New Age, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 61.7%, and 9.4% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 48 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 231 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 93 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 36 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 174 full-time, 57 part-time, and 6 unemployed.

Marae

Urenui Marae, located about 3 kilometres from the town, is the only remaining marae of Ngāti Mutunga. It includes Te Aroha meeting house.
In October 2020, the Government committed $363,060 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae, creating 21 jobs.

Education

Urenui School is a coeducational contributing primary school with a roll of students as of The school was founded in 1876 and celebrated its 125th jubilee in 2001.

Notable people