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Hawke's Bay

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This article is about the local government region; the article Hawke Bay relates to the bay itself.
See also Hawke's Bay located in Karachi, Pakistan
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. The Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award winning wines. The regional council sits in Napier.

Geography

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The region is situated on the east coast of the North Island. The region bears the former name of what is now Hawke Bay, a large semi-circular bay which extends for 100 kilometres from northeast to southwest from Mahia Peninsula to Cape Kidnappers. The region is frequently referred to with a definite article, as "The Hawkes Bay", and the use of the apostrophe in the name is now officially regarded as incorrect.[link]

The Hawke's Bay region includes the hilly coastal land around the northern and central bay, the floodplains of the Wairoa River in the north, the wide fertile Heretaunga Plains around Hastings in the south, and a hilly interior stretching up into the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges.

The region's boundaries vary somewhat from the former provincial boundaries of Hawke's Bay, and some towns in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region to the southwest, such as Dannevirke and Woodville regard themselves as still part of Hawke's Bay.

The region consists of Wairoa District, Hastings District, Napier City, and Central Hawke's Bay District, as well as a small part of Taupo District.

Population

The region's population at the 2001 census was 142,947. Of these, 53,661 lived in the city of Napier. The main urban areas are Napier and Hastings. Smaller communities include Wairoa, Havelock North, Tikokino, Waipawa, Waipukurau, and Takapau. The region has a significant Māori population (22% of the total population at the 2001 census). A major local Māori tribe is Ngati Kahungunu.

Climate and agriculture

Hawkes Bay's long, hot summer and cool winters are the best weather for of typical climate for growing grapes The climate is dry and temperate. Hawkes Bay is renowned for its horticulture with large orchards and vineyards on the plains. In the hilly parts of the region sheep and cattle farming predominates, with forestry blocks in the roughest areas.

Other information

Hawkes Bay also has a useful and innovative approach to community-wide care of diabetes mellitus featuring shared records held in a web-based computer system.

One trivial fact is that the region has a hill with the longest place name in New Zealand, and one of the longest in the world. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is an unremarkable hill in southern Hawke's Bay, not far from Waipukurau.

History

Between 1858 and 1876 Hawkes Bay was a provincial district of New Zealand after being separated from the Wellington provincal district following a meeting in Napier in February 1858. At the time the European population of the provincal district was only 1,185[link] The provincial district had its own elected Superintendent and provincial council. The provincial council sat at Napier.

Superintendents

Sources & Links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
[Special]

Regions of New Zealand
North Island: Northland | Auckland | Waikato | Bay of Plenty | Gisbourne¹ | Hawke's Bay | Taranaki | Manawatu-Wanganui | Wellington
South Island: Tasman¹ | Marlborough¹ | Nelson¹ | West Coast | Canterbury | Otago | Southland | Fiordland²
Unitary authority>Unitary authorities
² Informal only; not an officially-recognised entity

 


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