Ōkato is a small town in rural Taranaki, New Zealand. It is situated about 25 minutes drive around the coast from New Plymouth on State Highway 45. Oakura is 12 km to the north-east, and Warea is 9 km to the south-west.[2][3] The place offers popular rocky surfing spots around coastal beaches. The town was established as a military settlement in the 1860s.[4]

Ōkato
Hempton Hall in Ōkato in 1968
Coordinates: 39°11′21″S 173°52′39″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Taranaki
District	New Plymouth District
Ward	South-West
Area
• Total	1.03 km2 (0.40 sq mi)
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	606
• Density	590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of Kato" for Ōkato.[5] While "Kato" was probably a personal name, an alternative translation is "place of full tide/tsunami".[6] In July 2020, the name of the locality was officially gazetted as Ōkato by the New Zealand Geographic Board.[7]

Ōkato has all the elements of a New Zealand rural community with sporting facilities (rugby grounds, bowling club, squash courts, tennis courts and swimming pool), Coastal Taranaki School, a police station, and a volunteer fire brigade.

Ōkato was also notable as the home of Okato Cheese which was manufactured by the Okato Co-operative Dairy Company. This manufacturing site closed some years after merging with Egmont Co-operative Dairy. Activities in the Ōkato area include the Stony River walkway, which has a number of locations for photographing Mt Taranaki.

The rural community of Puniho is located just south of Ōkato.

Demographics

Ōkato is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 1.02 km² (0.39 sq mi). It is part of the wider Kaitake statistical area, which covers 170.28 km² (65.75 sq mi).[8]

The population of Ōkato was 606 in the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 45 (8.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 75 (14.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 291 males and 315 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female. Ethnicities were 558 people (92.1%) European/Pākehā, 144 (23.8%) Māori, 6 (1.0%) Pacific peoples, and 3 (0.5%) Asian (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Of the total population, 159 people (26.2%) were under 15 years old, 93 (15.3%) were 15–29, 273 (45.%) were 30–64, and 81 (13.4%) were over 65.[1]

Kaitake

Kaitake had a population of 1,932 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 300 people (18.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 378 people (24.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 687 households. There were 966 males and 972 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 39.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 471 people (24.4%) aged under 15 years, 270 (14.0%) aged 15 to 29, 969 (50.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 225 (11.6%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 94.7% European/Pākehā, 13.8% Māori, 0.8% Pacific peoples, 1.6% Asian, and 1.6% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 16.0%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 57.1% had no religion, 31.8% were Christian, 0.6% were Buddhist and 2.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 312 (21.4%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 234 (16.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 771 (52.8%) people were employed full-time, 291 (19.9%) were part-time, and 51 (3.5%) were unemployed.[9]

Education

Coastal Taranaki School is a coeducational composite (years 1-13) school with a roll of 277 as of March 2022.[10][11] The school was formed in 2005 from the merger of Newall School, Okato Primary School, Okato College and Warea School. It was initially called Okato Area School but changed its name.[12]

Notable people

• Dale Copeland, artist

References

Further reading

General historical works

• History and reminiscences of Okato: Okato 100, 1865-1965, Okato, [N.Z.] ; New Plymouth, [N.Z.]: Okato Centennial Committee ; Taranaki Newspapers, 1965
• Kahui-Newall School and districts, 75th jubilee, n.p.: Newall-Kahui Jubilee Committee, 1982
• Hickford, Lawrence D. (1978), The land I have lived in and Okato as I knew it: reflections and recollections, New Plymouth, [N.Z.]: Taranaki County Council ; Taranaki Newspapers
• Rye, K.J. (1990), Okato jubilee: 125 years, 1865-1990, Okato, [N.Z.]: Okato 125th Jubilee Committee
• Skinner, W. H. (1935), History and reminiscences of the Okato district written by W.H. Skinner, W.K. Howitt and residents of the district and republished from the "Taranaki Herald" on the occasion of the septuagenary celebrations and re-union, 1865-1935, New Plymouth, [N.Z.]: Taranaki Herald

Arts and literature

• Virtual TART: art from Taranaki, New Zealand (CD-ROM), Okato, [N.Z.]: Puniho Art Press, 2000

Business history

• Okato and Puniho Co-operative Dairy Factory Company (1955), Golden jubilee, 1905-1955, New Plymouth, [N.Z.]: McLeod and Slade

Churches

Anglican

• The centenary of St Paul's Church, Okato, 1897-1997 and Okato Methodist Church (St Luke's), 1898-1998, Okato, [N.Z.]: Okato Co-operating Parish, 1997, ISBN 0-473-04613-X

• Clemance, H.J. (1972), Saint Paul's, Okato: seventy-fifth jubilee of the parochial district, Okato, [N.Z.]: St. Paul's Anglican Parish

Methodist

• The centenary of St Paul's Church, Okato, 1897-1997 and Okato Methodist Church (St Luke's), 1898-1998, Okato, [N.Z.]: Okato Co-operating Parish, 1997, ISBN 0-473-04613-X

Maori

• Prickett, Nigel (1983), Maori fortifications of the Okato District, Taranaki, Auckland, [N.Z.]: Auckland Institute and Museum
• Smith, Lee; Benton, Richard (1982), The Maori language in New Plymouth and Okato / Purongorongo whakamohio ma nga kaiuru ki te toronga tuatahi, 1973-1978 [Information bulletin (Survey of Language Use in Maori Households and Communities) ; 7], Wellington, [N.Z.]: New Zealand Council for Educational Research

New Zealand wars

• The diaries of the local farmer Alexander Cassie are held at "Puke Ariki". Access to them is restricted, but they contain the reminiscences of veterans of the New Zealand Wars and the Parihaka incident. See "Cassie, Alexander, 1900- (B873)". Retrieved 2008-01-12.

People

• The diaries of the local farmer Alexander Cassie are held at "Puke Ariki". Access to them is restricted, but they contain childhood reminiscences and incidents from the 1910s. See "Cassie, Alexander, 1900- (B873)". Retrieved 2008-01-12.
• The papers of the local historian and farmer Marc Voullaire are held at "Puke Ariki".. This collection contains research carried out on the Taranaki dairy industry, the missionary station of Johann Riemenschneider (and other matters), and can be seen at "Voullaire, Marc Frederic, 1885-1964 (B900)". Retrieved 2008-01-11.

Schools

• Kahui-Newall School and districts, 75th jubilee, n.p.: Newall-Kahui Jubilee Committee, 1982
• Okato District High School and College, 1950-2000: 50th anniversary, Christchurch, [N.Z.]: Legacy Books, 2000