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Bell Block, New Zealand
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Bell Block, New Zealand
Bell Block is a town in Taranaki, New Zealand. State Highway 3 runs through it. It is 6 km north-east of the centre of New Plymouth and 1 km from the outer edge of New Plymouth at Waiwhakaiho. Waitara is about 9 km to the north-east. New Plymouth Airport is located immediately to the north-east of Bell Block.
The land was purchased in November 1848 by Dillon Bell from the Puketapu iwi. The initial purchase was 1,500 acres (610 ha) but more land was added subsequently. Disagreements over the sale of the land contributed to the First Taranaki War. A blockhouse was built by local settlers in early 1860, in order to protect their homes and farms during heightened tensions just prior to the advent of the First Taranaki War. When government troops arrived, a full stockade was built at the site, known as Bell Block Stockade, Bell Blockhouse or Hua Blockhouse. During this time, almost all Bell Block residents took refuge at New Plymouth. Some of the earthworks continued until 1972 when a hotel was built on the site.
Much of New Plymouth's heavy and medium industry is situated around Bell Block, which led to heavy traffic congestion. Construction of an arterial bypass of the town commenced in late 2006. A previously unknown Māori Pā site was discovered during site investigations and was excavated by archaeologists prior to construction.
Muru Raupatu marae and meeting house is a meeting place for the Puketapu hapū.
In October 2020, the Government committed $817,845 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade it and Te Kohanga Moa marae, creating 15 jobs.
Bell Block covers 11.93 km2 (4.61 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 8,290 as of June 2025, with a population density of 695 people per km2.
Bell Block had a population of 7,869 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 828 people (11.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,010 people (34.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 3,810 males, 4,038 females, and 21 people of other genders in 2,889 dwellings. 1.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 1,584 people (20.1%) aged under 15 years, 1,245 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,318 (42.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,719 (21.8%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 79.0% European (Pākehā); 19.0% Māori; 3.4% Pasifika; 11.9% Asian; 0.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori by 3.1%, Samoan by 0.7%, and other languages by 10.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 20.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.
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Bell Block, New Zealand
Bell Block is a town in Taranaki, New Zealand. State Highway 3 runs through it. It is 6 km north-east of the centre of New Plymouth and 1 km from the outer edge of New Plymouth at Waiwhakaiho. Waitara is about 9 km to the north-east. New Plymouth Airport is located immediately to the north-east of Bell Block.
The land was purchased in November 1848 by Dillon Bell from the Puketapu iwi. The initial purchase was 1,500 acres (610 ha) but more land was added subsequently. Disagreements over the sale of the land contributed to the First Taranaki War. A blockhouse was built by local settlers in early 1860, in order to protect their homes and farms during heightened tensions just prior to the advent of the First Taranaki War. When government troops arrived, a full stockade was built at the site, known as Bell Block Stockade, Bell Blockhouse or Hua Blockhouse. During this time, almost all Bell Block residents took refuge at New Plymouth. Some of the earthworks continued until 1972 when a hotel was built on the site.
Much of New Plymouth's heavy and medium industry is situated around Bell Block, which led to heavy traffic congestion. Construction of an arterial bypass of the town commenced in late 2006. A previously unknown Māori Pā site was discovered during site investigations and was excavated by archaeologists prior to construction.
Muru Raupatu marae and meeting house is a meeting place for the Puketapu hapū.
In October 2020, the Government committed $817,845 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade it and Te Kohanga Moa marae, creating 15 jobs.
Bell Block covers 11.93 km2 (4.61 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 8,290 as of June 2025, with a population density of 695 people per km2.
Bell Block had a population of 7,869 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 828 people (11.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,010 people (34.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 3,810 males, 4,038 females, and 21 people of other genders in 2,889 dwellings. 1.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 1,584 people (20.1%) aged under 15 years, 1,245 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,318 (42.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,719 (21.8%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 79.0% European (Pākehā); 19.0% Māori; 3.4% Pasifika; 11.9% Asian; 0.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori by 3.1%, Samoan by 0.7%, and other languages by 10.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 20.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.
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