About Our District

Environment

With miles and miles of open sea, 160 kilometres of coastline, 13 clean, fast flowing rivers and 11,200 hectares of native bush and scrubland, the Opotiki District is the perfect home for a community that appreciates and enjoys outdoor activities and the natural environment. The district comprises 25% of the Bay of Plenty region and contains 50% of the Bay of Plenty coastline.

Population

Just under 9300 people live in the Opotiki District. Each year more than 30,000 visitors experience the environment that we are lucky enough to call home. Just under half of the resident population lives in the Opotiki township with the remainder living in smaller outlying communities. There are 20 marae in the district, which are a focal point for local communities, along with a number of strong farming, lifestyle and coastal settlements.

Our Ethnicity

In the 2018 Census approximately 63.7% of people in the Opotiki District said they belong to the Maori ethnic group and 50.5% identified with the European ethnic group. There was a small proportion of Pacific peoples (3.5%) and Asians (2.8%) in the community.

The Economy

The economy is driven primarily by agriculture with over 400 farms amounting to a total area of 75,660 hectares. 38% of this area is in beef and dairy farms, 29% in planted forests and 1% in horticulture units. The majority of horticultural land is planted in kiwifruit with plans for further development within this industry.

Labour Force Participation

In the 2018 Census 7.3% of working age people were unemployed, which is higher than the national average.

Income

The median income for working age people in the Opotiki District was $22,400 in 2018 compared with $31,800 nationally. In 2018 around 44% of working age people had an annual income of $20,000 or less, up from nearly 38% in 2013.

Development

A high proportion of residents (50.1%) own the homes they live in, which is comparable to the national figure. Just over a third of the district's population lives in accommodation they do not own.

Over the past three years there has been a steady increase in the value of house sales in the district.