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The second-largest town in southern Taranaki, New Zealand, is Patea. It is 55 kilometres west of Wanganui, on the banks of the Patea River, and had a 2001 population of 1302. The town's name is pronounced approximately as "pah-tay-ah". The town was initially founded as a garrison settlement during the New Zealand land wars of the 1860s.
The town came to national attention in the second half of the 20th century for the closure of the main employer, a freezing works. Subsequently it gained more fame, in and beyond New Zealand, as the home of Maori singer Dalvanius Prime and the group Patea Maori Club, whose single, "Poi E", was one of the early indicators of a renewed impetus in Maori popular music.
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