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- Te Puke : Nga Tangata me Nga Wahi: People and Places
- The Te Puke and District World War One Memorial
- The Pioneers, Settlers and Families of Te Puke and District
- Te Puke Flaxmills
- The Story of Te Puke
- Maori Place Names : their meanings and origins
- Tauranga 1882-1982 : the Centennial of Gazetting Tauranga as a Borough
- A history of Tauranga County
- A Centennial History of Tauranga
- Aku Taumata Korero : Nga Marae me nga Iwi o te Moana o Tauranga
Te Puke
Place Details
DescriptionTe : The and Puke : Hill.
Te Puke is a town located 28 kilometres southeast of Tauranga and is known as the Kiwifruit Capital of the World. More than half of New Zealand's kiwifruit is grown in Te Puke.
Its history is rich and varied. There are 6 marae in the area: Hei marae belongs to Waitaha of the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is named Hei. The name Manoeka (1000 acres) alludes to the history of land confiscations and raupatu, and the subsequent granting to Waitaha of 1000 acres at Motungarara (now known as Manoeka).
Haraki marae also belongs to Waitaha of the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tipuna is also named Haraki.
Makahae marae is located just outside Te Puke and is also known by the name of Te Kahika. The primary hapū is Ngāti Tuheke of Tapuika, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is also named Makahae. The marae connects ancestrally to the Arawa waka, the maunga Rangiuru and the awa Kaituna.
Moko marae is located 3 km east of Te Puke on State Highway 2. The primary hapū is Ngāti Moko of Tapuika, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is named Mokotangatakotahi and the wharekai is Te Rauwharangi. The marae connects ancestrally to Te Arawa waka, the maunga Tarawera and the awa Kaituna.
Te Matai marae is located 6 km southeast of Te Puke. The primary hapū is Ngāti Kurī of Tapuika, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is named Tapuika. The marae connects ancestrally to the Arawa waka, the maunga Rangiuru and the awa Kaituna.
Tūhourangi marae is located 5 km east of Te Puke. The primary iwi is Tūhourangi, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is also named Tūhourangi. The marae connects ancestrally to Te Arawa waka, the maunga Tarawera and the awa Kaituna.
The details of the many battles fought for the right to occupy the land in the Te Puke district would require far more space than what is available here, but do give us an indication of how sought after this part of the coast was. White settlement did not occur in an organised way until the 1860s, and then in the 1880s, George Vesey Stewart appeared on the scene and changed the landscape of the Western Bay of Plenty forever with his two “special Settlements”, Katikati to the north and west and Te Puke to the south and east of Tauranga. The tenant farmers who balloted for blocks of land worked hard, and formed the basis of the town as it is today. The area around Te Puke was best known for its flax milling industry, but dairying, and eventually horticulture took over when Chinese gooseberries were introduced into Te Puke, and the Kiwifruit industry was born in the 1960s and 70s.
Te Puke is a town located 28 kilometres southeast of Tauranga and is known as the Kiwifruit Capital of the World. More than half of New Zealand's kiwifruit is grown in Te Puke.
Its history is rich and varied. There are 6 marae in the area: Hei marae belongs to Waitaha of the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is named Hei. The name Manoeka (1000 acres) alludes to the history of land confiscations and raupatu, and the subsequent granting to Waitaha of 1000 acres at Motungarara (now known as Manoeka).
Haraki marae also belongs to Waitaha of the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tipuna is also named Haraki.
Makahae marae is located just outside Te Puke and is also known by the name of Te Kahika. The primary hapū is Ngāti Tuheke of Tapuika, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is also named Makahae. The marae connects ancestrally to the Arawa waka, the maunga Rangiuru and the awa Kaituna.
Moko marae is located 3 km east of Te Puke on State Highway 2. The primary hapū is Ngāti Moko of Tapuika, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is named Mokotangatakotahi and the wharekai is Te Rauwharangi. The marae connects ancestrally to Te Arawa waka, the maunga Tarawera and the awa Kaituna.
Te Matai marae is located 6 km southeast of Te Puke. The primary hapū is Ngāti Kurī of Tapuika, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is named Tapuika. The marae connects ancestrally to the Arawa waka, the maunga Rangiuru and the awa Kaituna.
Tūhourangi marae is located 5 km east of Te Puke. The primary iwi is Tūhourangi, which affiliates to the Te Arawa confederation. The whare tupuna is also named Tūhourangi. The marae connects ancestrally to Te Arawa waka, the maunga Tarawera and the awa Kaituna.
The details of the many battles fought for the right to occupy the land in the Te Puke district would require far more space than what is available here, but do give us an indication of how sought after this part of the coast was. White settlement did not occur in an organised way until the 1860s, and then in the 1880s, George Vesey Stewart appeared on the scene and changed the landscape of the Western Bay of Plenty forever with his two “special Settlements”, Katikati to the north and west and Te Puke to the south and east of Tauranga. The tenant farmers who balloted for blocks of land worked hard, and formed the basis of the town as it is today. The area around Te Puke was best known for its flax milling industry, but dairying, and eventually horticulture took over when Chinese gooseberries were introduced into Te Puke, and the Kiwifruit industry was born in the 1960s and 70s.
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PersonMALYON JosephSTEWART George VeseyBooksTe Puke : Nga Tangata me Nga Wahi: People and Places The Te Puke and District World War One MemorialThe Pioneers, Settlers and Families of Te Puke and DistrictTe Puke FlaxmillsThe Story of Te PukeMaori Place Names : their meanings and originsTauranga 1882-1982 : the Centennial of Gazetting Tauranga as a BoroughA history of Tauranga CountyA Centennial History of TaurangaAku Taumata Korero : Nga Marae me nga Iwi o te Moana o Tauranga
STEWART George VeseyBooksTe Puke : Nga Tangata me Nga Wahi: People and Places The Te Puke and District World War One MemorialThe Pioneers, Settlers and Families of Te Puke and DistrictTe Puke FlaxmillsThe Story of Te PukeMaori Place Names : their meanings and originsTauranga 1882-1982 : the Centennial of Gazetting Tauranga as a BoroughA history of Tauranga CountyA Centennial History of TaurangaAku Taumata Korero : Nga Marae me nga Iwi o te Moana o Taurangaloading google map....
Te Puke. Western Bay of Plenty Community Archives, accessed 11/04/2026, https://westernbay.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/980
