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Te Puke ( ) is a town located southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for the cultivation of kiwifruit.
Te Puke is close to Tauranga and Maketu, which are both coastal towns/cities, as well as the small townships of Waitangi, Manoeka, Pongakawa, and Paengaroa. The Tauranga Eastern Link, completed in 2015, moved State Highway 2 away from Te Puke and removed large volumes of traffic from its streets.
The town's name comes from the Māori language, which translates to the hill; it is on a hill near the Papamoa Hills.
Te Puke had a population of 9,114 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 483 people (5.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,788 people (24.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 4,530 males, 4,566 females, and 15 people of other genders in 2,964 dwellings. 2.1% of people identified as LGBTQ. The median age was 35.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,782 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 1,803 (19.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,912 (42.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,614 (17.7%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 61.1% European (Pākehā); 29.0% Māori; 4.9% Pasifika; 20.3% Asian; 1.1% 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 92.7%, Māori by 7.0%, Samoan by 0.5%, and other languages by 16.3%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 25.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 26.6% Christian, 3.0% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 3.7% Māori religious beliefs, 1.0% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, and 11.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 47.1%, and 7.0% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 1,116 (15.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,750 (51.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 2,472 (33.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 399 people (5.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 3,687 (50.3%) full-time, 900 (12.3%) part-time, and 273 (3.7%) unemployed.
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| $38,500 |
| $35,300 |
| $36,600 |
Today, Te Puke is a thriving town with a reasonably large main shopping street, Jellicoe Street, which is also the main road passing through Te Puke. There are a number of schools, religious organisations, cultural groups, and a variety of clubs in the town.
A large number of residents work picking or packing kiwifruit during April or May, as well as others coming from other nearby towns and cities. It can swell past 10,000 some seasons.
Te Puke has two state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Fairhaven School, with a roll of , and Te Puke Primary School, with a roll of . Fairhaven School includes a Māori language immersion unit. The school opened in 1957. Te Puke Primary School opened in 1883.
It has one state intermediate school for Year 7 to 8 students: Te Puke Intermediate, with a roll of . The school includes a bilingual learning programme in Māori.
Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Matai is a co-educational state Māori language immersion primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of . It opened in 1887 and became a full immersion Māori language school in 1996. Following a decline in roll, it made English a compulsory subject in 2010. The school is located 3 km southeast of Te Puke.
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