Waipawa
Waipawa | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of Waipawa | |
| Coordinates: 39°56′S 176°35′E / 39.933°S 176.583°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Hawke's Bay |
| Territorial authority | Central Hawke's Bay District |
| Ward | Ruataniwha |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Central Hawke's Bay District Council |
| • Regional council | Hawke's Bay Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Central Hawke's Bay | Will Foley |
| • Wairarapa MP | Mike Butterick |
| • Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.80 km2 (2.63 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2025) | |
• Total | 2,430 |
| • Density | 357/km2 (926/sq mi) |
| Postcode(s) | 4210 |
Waipawa is the second-largest town in Central Hawke's Bay in the east of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of 2,430 (June 2025).
The town is located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northeast of Waipukurau and 46 km (29 mi) southwest of Hastings, on the northern bank of the Waipawa River, a tributary of the Tukituki River. Waipawa was settled in the early 1860s.
It holds the main office of the Central Hawke's Bay District Council, and is New Zealand's oldest inland European settlement.
Frederick Abbot was one of the early settlers and Waipawa was originally called Abbotsford, when the township was being sold in 1859, and there is still a children's home in Waipawa named Abbotsford. However, it was often shown as Abbotsford, Waipawa and Waipawa was more commonly used alone after the opening of the Waipawa railway station and Waipawa Mail in the late 1870s.
A local newspaper, the Waipawa Mail, was published for most of the period from 1878 to 1980. It was one of 45 started by Joseph Ivess. In 1980 it merged to become the CHB Mail, which is now a free weekly paper, published in Waipukurau.