Te Teko


Te Teko is a small inland town in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. According to the 2013 New Zealand census, Te Teko has a population of 489, a decrease of 138 people since the 2006 census.
The township includes a racecourse, golf course, police station, and a primary school. The primary school was established in 1881.
Te Hoko is in the rohe of the Ngāti Awa iwi.

History and culture

History

In the mid-1860s, Te Teko was the site of a significant siege on a Māori pā as part of the East Cape War.
After peace came to the region, a hotel was established on the banks of the Rangitaiki River in 1879 and Te Teko rose in importance as a boat service was established to ferry hotel customers and travellers across the river. A bridge made the boat service redundant in 1915.

Marae

Te Teko has several marae, which are meeting grounds for Ngāti Awa hapū:
The Rangitaiki River passes through the town as it flows northwards to its mouth on the Pacific Ocean, and State Highways 30 and 34 meet in the town. SH 30 cuts through the town on its route from Whakatane to Rotorua, while SH 34 crosses it in the town's west and runs southwest to Kawerau. To the west of the town runs the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, and from it diverges the Murupara Branch line, which skirts the south of Te Teko.
Te Teko has the highest mean daily maximum temperature of any settlement in New Zealand, although it is not the warmest town in New Zealand as the mean daily minimum temperature of 8.56 °C is comparatively low. Rainfall is high, averaging 1474mm per year.

Demographics

93.9% of the town's population identify as Māori, one of the highest percentages whereas Māori comprise 14.9% of the national population. 52.7% of the population speak the Māori language, compared to 8.5% for the entire Bay of Plenty region. The town's unemployment rate of 31.9% is dramatically higher than the regional average of 9.0% and the national average of 7.1%, and the 2013 median income was $NZ16,200, below the regional median of $26,200

Education

Te Kura o Te Teko is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of.