Te Kopuru
Encyclopedia
Te Kopuru is the largest community on the Pouto Peninsula
in Northland, New Zealand
. The Wairoa River
separates the peninsula at this point from the main North Auckland Peninsula
to the east. Dargaville is 14 km (8.7 mi) to the north.
The population was 453 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 27 from 2001.
, but the Ngāti Whātua
displaced them in the late 17th or early 18th century. During the Musket Wars
of the early 19th century, fighting between Ngā Puhi and Ngati Whatua and the effects of influenza substantially depopulated the area. In 1841, a skull found on a Pakeha farmer's land infuriated local Māori, who attacked and plundered his farm. A court exonerated the farmer and Māori agreed to sell land at Te Kopuru to the Crown as compensation. A hui held at Te Kopuru in 1860 to make peace between Ngāti Whātua and Ngā Puhi was attended by about 600 people.
An attempt to set up a kauri
sawmill
at Te Kopuru began in 1867, but the machinery was damaged because the ship was leaky, and the owners refused its delivery. The mill was completed in 1870, and began operating the following year. The mill was the largest in New Zealand, producing 120000 feet (36,576 m) of timber per week in 1875. It was destroyed by fire in 1883, but rebuilt, and rebuilt again after another fire in 1906 The town had a stable population of about 215 by the end of the decade. By 1876, the town had stores which were "fitted up in first-rate style, and [were] well-stocked" and a library, but no hotel.. A Post Office opened in 1877. In 1878, the town was described as like the "port of some thriving inland city". A steamer service provided transport to Dargaville and Helensville twice a week from February 1878, and a road to Dargaville opened in 1879.
The population increased to 440 during the 1890s as the timber industry grew. A road was built south to Tikinui in 1897, and partially metal
led the following year. A library was built in 1899. Gum-digger
s were active in the area in the 1890s through at least 1910, and around the turn of the century W Brown and Sons established a boat building yard at Te Kopuru. Dairy herds became established in the early 20th century, In 1903, the Customs Office was moved to Te Kopuru from Pouto. A hospital was built to treat the accident victims from Te Kopuru, Aratapu and Tatarariki, with Te Kopuru as the hospital site rather than Dargaville because the mill towns had a larger population.
The first sealed road in the Kaipara District was probably the one from Te Kopuru to Mount Wesley, just south of Dargaville, in about 1918. The mill closed in 1920. Having a hospital sustained the town. The road north degraded to a metalled road by the 1930s. In 1956, the general wards of Te Kopuru Hospital moved to the new hospital in Dargaville. Maternity and services for the elderly continued, although the main hospital building burned down in 1959. In 1971, the hospital closed with maternity services moved to the Dargaville Hospital.
of 2 and a roll of 153. The school was founded in 1872. In 1937, the primary schools in Tikinui, Tatarariki and Redhill consolidated into Te Kopuru School.
Aratapu District High School, a little to the north of Te Kopuru, closed in 1965. The nearest secondary school is now in Dargaville.
Pouto Peninsula
The Pouto Peninsula is a landform on the northern Kaipara Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. The Peninsula runs in the north west to south east direction and is approximately 55 km long. The width varies from about 5.4 km to about 14 km, with the widest part of the peninsula near its...
in Northland, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The Wairoa River
Wairoa River, Northland
New Zealand's longest Wairoa River runs for 150 kilometres through the northern part of the North Auckland Peninsula. In the upper reaches, the river is formed from two separate rivers, the Manganui River and - confusingly - the Wairua River. The two streams meet to the northeast of Dargaville,...
separates the peninsula at this point from the main North Auckland Peninsula
North Auckland Peninsula
The North Auckland Peninsula, frequently referred to simply as the Northland Peninsula, is located in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is easily confused with, though not the same as Northland Region, which occupies the top 80% of the peninsula...
to the east. Dargaville is 14 km (8.7 mi) to the north.
The population was 453 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 27 from 2001.
History
The area was initially occupied by Ngāti AwaNgati Awa
Ngāti Awa is a Māori iwi centred in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand.Ngāti Awa comprises 22 hapu , with 15,258 people claiming affiliation to the iwi in 2006. The Ngāti Awa people are primarily located in towns on the Rangitaiki Plain, including Whakatane, Kawerau, Edgecumbe, Te...
, but the Ngāti Whātua
Ngati Whatua
Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It consists of four hapu : Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei....
displaced them in the late 17th or early 18th century. During the Musket Wars
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more battles mainly fought between various hapū , sometimes alliances of pan-hapū groups and less often larger iwi of Māori between 1807 and 1842, in New Zealand.Northern tribes such as the rivals Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua were the first to obtain...
of the early 19th century, fighting between Ngā Puhi and Ngati Whatua and the effects of influenza substantially depopulated the area. In 1841, a skull found on a Pakeha farmer's land infuriated local Māori, who attacked and plundered his farm. A court exonerated the farmer and Māori agreed to sell land at Te Kopuru to the Crown as compensation. A hui held at Te Kopuru in 1860 to make peace between Ngāti Whātua and Ngā Puhi was attended by about 600 people.
An attempt to set up a kauri
Agathis australis
Agathis australis, commonly known as the kauri, is a coniferous tree found north of 38°S in the northern districts of New Zealand's North Island. It is the largest but not tallest species of tree in New Zealand, standing up to 50 m tall in the emergent layer above the forest's main canopy. The...
sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
at Te Kopuru began in 1867, but the machinery was damaged because the ship was leaky, and the owners refused its delivery. The mill was completed in 1870, and began operating the following year. The mill was the largest in New Zealand, producing 120000 feet (36,576 m) of timber per week in 1875. It was destroyed by fire in 1883, but rebuilt, and rebuilt again after another fire in 1906 The town had a stable population of about 215 by the end of the decade. By 1876, the town had stores which were "fitted up in first-rate style, and [were] well-stocked" and a library, but no hotel.. A Post Office opened in 1877. In 1878, the town was described as like the "port of some thriving inland city". A steamer service provided transport to Dargaville and Helensville twice a week from February 1878, and a road to Dargaville opened in 1879.
The population increased to 440 during the 1890s as the timber industry grew. A road was built south to Tikinui in 1897, and partially metal
Metal (pavement)
The term road metal refers to the crushed rock used for road beds, surfaces, 'all-weather' walkways and paths, foundations, and railway embankments, among other things. The use of road metal dates back to antiquity.-History:...
led the following year. A library was built in 1899. Gum-digger
Gum-digger
Kauri gum, a fossilized resin detracted from kauri trees, is used for chewing or tattooing, and often is made into jewellery. The gum comes from kauri trees found in Agathis australis forests. The trees once covered much of the New Zealand North Island, before Māori and European settlers caused...
s were active in the area in the 1890s through at least 1910, and around the turn of the century W Brown and Sons established a boat building yard at Te Kopuru. Dairy herds became established in the early 20th century, In 1903, the Customs Office was moved to Te Kopuru from Pouto. A hospital was built to treat the accident victims from Te Kopuru, Aratapu and Tatarariki, with Te Kopuru as the hospital site rather than Dargaville because the mill towns had a larger population.
The first sealed road in the Kaipara District was probably the one from Te Kopuru to Mount Wesley, just south of Dargaville, in about 1918. The mill closed in 1920. Having a hospital sustained the town. The road north degraded to a metalled road by the 1930s. In 1956, the general wards of Te Kopuru Hospital moved to the new hospital in Dargaville. Maternity and services for the elderly continued, although the main hospital building burned down in 1959. In 1971, the hospital closed with maternity services moved to the Dargaville Hospital.
Notable people
- Lana Searle, Raised in Te Kopuru, A well known Broadcaster who has won several New Zealand Radio awards (2006, 2009, 2010) and is now working at the nationally recognized MORE FM Canterbury
- Jane GouldingJane GouldingJane Elizabeth Goulding is a retired field hockey player from New Zealand, who was a member of the national team that finished sixth at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California....
, born in Te Kopuru, was a member of the New Zealand field hockey team at the 1984 Summer Olympics1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. - Clem SimichClem SimichClement Rudolph "Clem" Simich or Šimić, QSO is a New Zealand politician for the National Party. He was born in Te Kopuru, Northland on 2 June 1939.-Member of Parliament:...
, born in Te Kopuru, Member of Parliament, and Cabinet Minister during the Fourth National Government of New ZealandFourth National Government of New ZealandThe Fourth National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 2 November 1990 to 27 November 1999. Following in the footsteps of the previous Labour government, the fourth National government embarked on an extensive programme of spending cuts...
. - Lawrence Carthage WeathersLawrence Carthage WeathersLawrence Carthage Weathers VC was a New Zealand born, Australian serviceman recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.Born in Te Kopuru, New Zealand, his family moved to...
, born in Te Kopuru, received the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
during the First World War. - Thomas Clifton WebbThomas Clifton WebbSir Thomas Clifton Webb KCMG was a New Zealand politician and diplomat. He was born in Te Kopuru in the Kaipara District, studied at Auckland University College, and practised law in Dargaville. He was in the army from 1917-1919, then returned to his practice in Dargaville and was a borough...
, born in Te Kopuru, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister during the First National Government of New ZealandFirst National Government of New ZealandThe First National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1949 to 1957. It was a conservative government best remembered for its role in the 1951 waterfront dispute. It also began the repositioning of New Zealand in the cold war environment...
. - Kendrick SmithymanKendrick SmithymanWilliam Kendrick Smithyman was an award-winning New Zealand poet and one of the most prolific of that nation's poets in the 20th century.-Family and early life:...
, One of New Zealand’s most prolific and widely published poets, ...was born on 9 October 1922 in Te Kopuru. His Poem "Kaipara" (unpublished) does full and honest justice to the experience of dwelling upon the Wairoa, in a village such as Te Kopuru:
- At midday there are birds springing beyond sight,
- evening is tempered. Dogs barking summer away.
Education
Te Kopuru School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile ratingSocio-Economic Decile
Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
of 2 and a roll of 153. The school was founded in 1872. In 1937, the primary schools in Tikinui, Tatarariki and Redhill consolidated into Te Kopuru School.
Aratapu District High School, a little to the north of Te Kopuru, closed in 1965. The nearest secondary school is now in Dargaville.
External links
- Te Kopuru in the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, 1902