Far North District

Far North District Te Hiku o te Ika
Territorial authority district
Far North district within the North Island
Country	New Zealand
Region	Northland Region
Wards	Te Hiku Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ngā Tai o Tokerau (Māori)
Seat	Kaikohe
Government
• Mayor	Moko Tepania
• Territorial authority	Far North District Council
Area
• Total	7,323.86 km2 (2,827.76 sq mi)
• Land	6,686.61 km2 (2,581.71 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)
• Total	74,700
• Density	10/km2 (26/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)	Map of postcodes
Area code	09
Website	FNDC.govt.nz

The Far North District is the northernmost territorial authority district of New Zealand, consisting of the northern part of the Northland Peninsula in the North Island. It stretches from North Cape / Otou and Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua in the north, down to the Bay of Islands, the Hokianga and the town of Kaikohe.

The Far North District Council is based in Kaikohe, and has ten ward councillors representing four wards: Te Hiku (in the north), Kaikohe-Hokianga (in the west), Bay of Islands-Whangaroa (in the east) and the district-wide Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori ward. The council is led by the current mayor of Far North, Moko Tepania, who entered the role in 2022.

Geography

The Far North, while generally a pleasant climate, can also be affected by the sometimes stormy maritime weather of the country, especially at places like Cape Reinga.

The Far North District is the largest of three territorial authorities making up the Northland Region. The district stretches from the capes and bays at the northern tip of the Aupōuri Peninsula past Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe / Ninety Mile Beach to the main body of the Northland Peninsula, where it encompasses the Parengarenga Harbour, Whangaroa Harbour and Bay of Islands (on the east coast) and Hokianga (on the west coast).

It borders on the Kaipara and Whangarei Districts, which are the other two territorial authorities in the Northland Region.

Population

Far North District covers 6,686.61 km² (2,581.71 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 74,700 as of June 2024, with a population density of 11.2 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	55,845	—
2013	55,734	−0.03%
2018	65,250	+3.20%
2023	71,430	+1.83%
Source:

Far North District had a population of 71,430 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 6,180 people (9.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 15,696 people (28.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 35,529 males, 35,709 females and 192 people of other genders in 26,049 dwellings. 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 44.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 14,193 people (19.9%) aged under 15 years, 10,914 (15.3%) aged 15 to 29, 30,588 (42.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 15,735 (22.0%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 64.6% European (Pākehā); 49.9% Māori; 5.4% Pasifika; 3.2% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.8%, Māori language by 15.6%, Samoan by 0.4% and other languages by 6.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 32.4% Christian, 0.5% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 5.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.4%, and 7.9% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 6,780 (11.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 31,995 (55.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 16,353 (28.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $29,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3,126 people (5.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 22,947 (40.1%) people were employed full-time, 7,950 (13.9%) were part-time, and 2,670 (4.7%) were unemployed.

Individual wards

Name	Area (km2)	Population	Density (per km2)	Dwellings	Median age	Median income
Te Hiku General Ward	2,326.32	22,740	9.8	8,358	42.6 years	$28,600
Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward	2,088.23	33,045	15.8	12,537	47.2 years	$33,200
Kaikohe-Hokianga General Ward	2,272.06	15,645	6.9	5,154	39.1 years	$26,600
New Zealand					38.1 years	$41,500

Urban areas and settlements

Population density in the 2023 census

The Far North District has eight towns with a population over 1,000. Together they are home to 36.9% of the district's population.

Urban area	Population (June 2024)	% of district
Kerikeri	8,360	11.2%
Kaitaia	6,380	8.5%
Kaikohe	4,890	6.5%
Moerewa	2,100	2.8%
Paihia	1,690	2.3%
Kawakawa	1,630	2.2%
Opua	1,290	1.7%
Haruru	1,230	1.6%

The northernmost town in the district is Kaitaia. Kerikeri, Moerewa, Kawakawa, Paihia, Opua and Russell are clustered on the east coast around the Bay of Islands with Kaikohe centrally situated to their west. Another cluster of small settlements, Ōmāpere, Opononi, Rawene, Panguru, Kohukohu, and Horeke, surrounds the Hokianga Harbour on the west coast.

External links

• Far North District Council official website