Waipukurau

Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings on the banks of the Tukituki River.

The town is close to the site of a Māori pa, from which it gets its name. The pa was situated on the town's main hill, named Pukekaihau. The name is said to mean "water of pukerau", pukerau being a type of fungus. The town was the site of the first church in inland Hawke's Bay, built in 1847. Much of the town dates from a model village built by local land-owner [http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=2R32 H.R.Russell] in 1867.

At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 4,008 compared with 4,002 in 1996

Employment

Most employment is seasonal related and is dependent on either the local meat processing plant owned by Bernard Matthew's New Zealand Limited or surrounding local agricultural and horticultural industries.

The town is a farming based community and provides dairy, fruit, vegetable and meat exports.

Born in Waipukurau

* Errol Brathwaite - author

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=waipukurau+new+zealand&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=14&ll=-40.000465,176.554499&spn=0.029982,0.086002&iwloc=addr/ Map of Waipukurau]

* [http://www.chbdc.govt.nz/ Central Hawkes Bay District Council]

* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/W/Waipukurau/Waipukurau/en/ 1966 New Zealand Encyclopedia Page]

* [http://www.centralhawkesbay.co.nz/index.shtml/ Central Hawkes Bay Tourism Site]