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Opotiki is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Opotiki District Council and comes under the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Demographics
(All figures are based on the 1996 census, from Statistics New Zealand)
Population
- of the town: approx. 4,400
- total for the district: 9375
Ethnicity (of the district)
- Maori 54%
- European (Pakeha) 40%
- Other or undefined comprise the balance
Tribal
Iwi based within the district are:
- Whakatohea - from Ohiwa Harbour to Opape, including Opotiki township.
- Ngaitai are based in Torere.
- Te Whanau A Apanui and Te Ehutu cover the area from Hawaii to Potaka.
Natural History
The Opotiki district has large stretches of coastline intersected by rivers of which the two main ones are the Otara River and the Waioeka River. The lower river valleys and adjacent tablelands provide productive farming areas whilst the majority of the district comprises very steep and rugged hinterland country covered in native forest, although exotic plantings for commercial timber (mainly pinus radiata) occur on the fringes.
Wildlife is plentiful in the district with birdlife, animals and fish. Animals come from introduced species considered to be pests (deer, pig, goat, opossum) and are common in the forested areas but wild sheep and cattle can be found as "escapees", from adjacent farmland. In the developed areas, birdlife is a mix of introduced pastoral species from Britain (blackbird, song thrush, various finches, sparrows, pheasant, mallard duck, harrier hawk), california quail and native species (tui, fantail, grey warbler, waxeye, kingfisher, pukeko). In the forested areas the birdlife is mainly native species which in addition to the above include wood pigeon (kereru), blue duck (whio), bellbird, morepork (native owl). In the past the rare kokako (a blue parrot) has even been sighted. Fish species are predominantly indigenous and whitebait are plentiful in-season but introduced trout is present. The district is rich in other exploitable sea life such as molluscs (pipi, tuatua, kina, scallop) and commercial aquaculture is beginning (mussel, oyster).
The district has the longest coastline of all local authorities in the Bay of Plenty region and the smallest population density (3.3 people per km2). Pressures to develop the Opotiki coastline have therefore not been as great as in other districts. As a result, the coastline retains a larger proportion of indigenous ecosystems in its landscapes than most other segments of the New Zealand coastline.
The district has a high variety of landforms in what is a relatively small area. The coastline offers bluffs with tidal rocks on one edge to mud-flat estuary on the other extremity, whilst grey sandy beaches and rivers are interspersed between these. The main river valleys stretch back about 16 km to the rugged hills and uplifted flatter areas suitable for farming occur between the valleys.
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