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Kaitaia () is a town in the Far North District of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupōuri Peninsula, about 160 km northwest of Whangārei. It is the last major settlement on State Highway 1. Ahipara, the southern end of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē / Ninety Mile Beach, is west.
The main industries are forestry and tourism. The population is as of which makes it the second-largest town in the Far North District, after Kerikeri.
The name Kaitāia means 'ample food', kai being the Māori word for food.
The Muriwhenua are a group of six northern Māori iwi occupying the northernmost part of the North Island surrounding Kaitaia.
In February 1841, about 500 Māori were present at a CMS service. In 1852 arguments developed between one chief and his tribe, however the impact of the missionaries meant that the old ways of settling disputes had passed.
Richard Matthews, the brother of Rev. Joseph Matthews, arrived in the Bay of Islands in December 1835 and for a time, joined his brother in Kaitaia. Richard Matthews had been a lay missionary on the second voyage of HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin.Darwin, Charles. Journal of a Voyage Round the World, 1831–36 Richard Matthews served the CMS as a lay Catechesis at Kaitaia. In 1838 he married Johanna Blomfield, the sister of Mrs Martha Blomfield Clarke, whose husband George was a CMS missionary at Te Waimate mission. In 1840 Richard and Johanna Matthews helped set up a missionary station at Whanganui.
There were plans to extend the Okaihau Branch railway to Kaitaia and construction was started in the 1920s, but with the line nearly complete to Rangiahua, a review in 1936 determined that the line would not be viable and construction was abandoned. The line terminated in Okaihau until it was closed on 1 November 1987. D 221, a steam locomotive tank locomotive, has been on static display at Centennial Park since 1967.
A few months later in March 2021, the building was set on fire again, causing the entire building to set ablaze. Alarms were raised at around 2:30pm. Police suspected that the blaze was 'deliberately lit'. The building was demolished upon the closing of the property.
Kaitāia had a population of 5,955 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 87 people (1.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,068 people (21.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 2,871 males, 3,069 females and 18 people of other genders in 1,962 dwellings. 2.0% of people identified as LGBTQ. The median age was 33.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,506 people (25.3%) aged under 15 years, 1,239 (20.8%) aged 15 to 29, 2,250 (37.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 960 (16.1%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 48.2% European (Pākehā); 70.4% Māori; 9.3% Pasifika; 4.1% Asian; 0.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.6%, Māori language by 22.1%, Samoan by 0.9% and other languages by 4.2%. No language could be spoken by 2.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 9.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 38.3% Christian, 0.7% Hindu, 0.1% Islam, 10.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 41.2%, and 8.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 330 (7.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 2,478 (55.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,566 (35.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $28,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 105 people (2.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,746 (39.2%) people were employed full-time, 471 (10.6%) were part-time, and 372 (8.4%) were unemployed.
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| $28,800 |
| $28,400 |
Kaitaia Airport has services from Auckland and is the only airport in the upper Far North District. Air New Zealand discontinued their services in April 2015. Barrier Air has since taken over services to Auckland.
An annual Snapper Surf Casting Competition is held in March, on Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē (Ninety Mile Beach) Snapper Bonanza Surf Casting Competition.
Extraction of ancient swamp Kauri (Agathis australis), is a contentious industry.
Wine is a growing commodity. One of the largest in the area is the Karikari Estate.
Mānuka honey is another industry experiencing growth.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Pukemiro is a full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of . It is a Kura Kaupapa Māori school which teaches fully in the Māori language.
Pompallier School is a Catholic full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of .
Kaitaia Abundant Life School was a Christian composite school (years 1–13). It was established in 1988 as a private primary school, and extended to secondary students in 1992. It became a state integrated school in 1996. The school closed and exited the state system at the end of Term 2, 2023. The school’s Trust believed that it was no longer possible to offer an education determined by their beliefs due to government and Ministry legislation, policy, and curriculum initiatives. These include: Gender neutral requirements, the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022, and the curriculum’s requirements around relationship and sexuality guidelines.
Oturu School is a primary school to the north east serving years 1–8, with a roll of .
All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of
NorthTec polytechnic also has a campus in Kaitaia.
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