Taharoa

Taharoa (Māori: Tahaaroa or Tahāroa) is a small village on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, to the southwest of Kawhia Harbour and overlooking Lake Taharoa.[1]

Taharoa
Village
Taharoa
38°09′03″S 174°44′01″E
Coordinates: 38°09′03″S 174°44′01″E
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato region
DistrictWaitomo District
Elevation
50 m (160 ft)
Population
 (2013 census)
 • Territorial228
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long coast" for Taharoa.[2]

History and culture
The plaque below the symbol reads - The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. N E Kirk, unveiled this symbol of co-operation between New Zealand Steel Limited and the Maori people of Taharoa to mark the official opening of the Taharoa ironsands operation on 24 November 1973.

It was at times the temporary home of the great Te Rauparaha used mainly as a battle ground on the vast expanses of sand dunes evident by the number of finds over the years, by 1822 they were being forced out of their land by stronger northern tribes. Te Rauparaha then began a fighting retreat or migration southwards, one which ended with them controlling a small part of the North Island and particularly Kapiti Island, which became the tribal stronghold.[3]

Marae

Taharoa has two marae: Āruka Marae and Tahaaroa meeting house, and Te Kōraha Marae and Te Ōhākī meeting house.[4] Both are affiliated with the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Mahuta ki te Hauāuru and Ngāti Rangitaka.

Iron sand mining

The main industrial activity is iron sand mining, run by New Zealand Steel, which began in 1972 was exporting about 1.4 Mt (1,500,000 short tons) a year, mainly to Japan, with small quantities to South Korea and China.[5] A 1993 study put reserves at 205 Mt of high concentrate and 360 Mt of lower grade sand.[6] An $80m investment in 2014 boosted potential exports to 4 Mt a year.[7]

In 2000 mining moved 2 km (1.2 mi) north, after the southern area was worked out. The roadway used for the move is now an airstrip.[8] Sand from the lake is dug by a 250 tonne cutter suction dredge, a 450 tonne floating Trommel screen removes particles larger than 2.5 mm (0.098 in), a 1,000 tonne floating concentrator removes lighter material and the denser sand is magnetically separated.[8]

1,375 tonnes an hour of sand[8] was piped 2.5 km (1.6 mi)[5] to an offshore mono-buoy,[9] which was extended a further 500m in 2012,[7] replaced in 2017[10] and is 17 m (56 ft) wide and weighs 250 tons.[11] The previous buoy was 11 m (36 ft) wide and weighed 185 tons.[8] The three bulk carriers used to transport the sand, Taharoa Destiny, Taharoa Providence and Taharoa Eos,[12][13] require a pilot to berth at the buoy[14] and also a support boat to move ropes and pipes.[15]

The mine employs about 150 workers,[16] though only 108 were recorded as working in the whole Taharoa area in the 2013 census.[17] To house its workers, NZ Steel built 65 houses, a hall, Kōhanga Reo, school, shop, and fire and ambulance facilities in the village.[8]

Demographics

According to the 2013 New Zealand census, Taharoa has a population of 228, an increase of 12 people since the 2006 census. Māori make up 90.4% of the population.[18]

Education

Kinohaku School is a co-educational state primary school,[19] with a roll of 20 as of March 2020.[20][21]

Te Kura o Tahaaroa is a co-educational state Māori immersion school,[22] with a roll of 25.[23]

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References
  1. Hariss, Gavin. "Taharoa, Waikato". topomap.co.nz. NZ Topo Map.
  2. "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
  3. Pollock, Kerryn. "King Country places - West coast". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  4. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  5. Tony Christie and Bob Brathwaite. "Mineral Commodity Report 15 — Iron" (PDF). MBIE.
  6. Donald C. Lawton & Manfred P. Hochstein (1993). "Geophysical study of the Taharoa ironsand deposit, west coast, North Island, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics" (PDF).
  7. "Huge ironsands expansion". Quarrying & Mining Magazine. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  8. "Taharoa ironsand mining and ship loading". www.engineeringnz.org. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  9. "TAHAROA EXPRESS experienced a complete loss of engine power". www.nzmaritimeindex.org.nz. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  10. "TAHAROA BUOY - ShipSpotting.com - Ship Photos and Ship Tracker". www.shipspotting.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  11. "Heavy lift made its way from Waiwhakaiho to Port Taranaki". Stuff. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  12. O'Connell, Tim (13 April 2017). "Taharoa vessels Destiny and Providence taking their time in Tasman Bay". Stuff. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. "Clayton Mitchell to the Minister of Transport". NZ Parliament List of Written questions. 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  14. "294m ship berth shocks marine officers". The New Zealand Herald. 12 December 2014. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  15. Ingram, John; et al. (May 1974). "Symposium on Taharoa ironsands project" (PDF). New Zealand Engineering.
  16. "Jobs go as part of Taharoa iron sands mine is shut down". Stuff. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  17. "SNZ Commuter View". archive.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  18. 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Taharoa
  19. Education Counts: Kinohaku School
  20. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  21. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  22. Education Counts: Te Kura o Tahaaroa
  23. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.

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