Tuahiwi

Tuahiwi is the modern day primary domicile of Ngāi Tūahuriri hapū of Ngāi Tahu. In 1831, prior to European settlement, this pā, and the main Kaiapoi Pā nearby had been attacked by Te Rauparaha in a revenge raid (utu). Following a protracted siege which saw Kaiapoi Pā razed and subsequently abandoned, Tuahiwi became the central Ngāi Tūāhuriri pā. The site was reserved for Māori in 1848 by Walter Mantell following the signing of Kemp's Deed.^[6] Meanwhile, a new European settlement arose along the banks of the north branch of the Waimakariri River, named Kaiapoi.^[7]

The carved meeting house Tūtekawa that almost burnt down in 1870^[8] succumbed to fire in 1879.^[9] Significant colonial developments included the establishment of a Māori mission, which included a church, Saint Stephen's, built in 1867 with its foundation stone having been laid by Governor George Grey on his visit to the settlement.^[10]

In 1890, Tuahiwi was described as having a neat village of Māori residences. The old whare had been replaced by fenced cottages with gardens. A school, the Anglican church and country meeting hall functioning as a wharenui, were in the centre of the community. The Native Land Court used the hall from time to time.^[11]

In 1900 the Tuahiwi hall was used as a base by D Company of the 1st North Canterbury Mounted Rifle Battalion, a volunteer unit.^[12] The Mounted Rifles included Tuahiwi Māori who protested to the Premier Richard Seddon in 1901 on being refused permission to fight in the Second Boer War .^[13][14]

Reginald Koettlitz and a number of members of Scott's Discovery Expedition made a goodwill visit to Tuahiwi in December 1901 prior to the expedition's departure from Lyttelton for Antarctica.^[15]

The Tuahiwi statistical area covers 22.71 km² (8.77 sq mi).^[3] It had an estimated population of 1,000 as of June 2025,^[4] with a population density of 44 people per km².

Tuahiwi had a population of 945 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 18 people (−1.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 87 people (10.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 318 households, comprising 483 males and 462 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female. The median age was 44.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 156 people (16.5%) aged under 15 years, 189 (20.0%) aged 15 to 29, 465 (49.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 132 (14.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 85.7% European/Pākehā, 23.2% Māori, 1.9% Pasifika, 1.9% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 14.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 58.7% had no religion, 29.2% were Christian, 2.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% were Muslim and 1.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 105 (13.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 150 (19.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 126 people (16.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 432 (54.8%) people were employed full-time, 123 (15.6%) were part-time, and 24 (3.0%) were unemployed.^[16]

Tuahiwi School is a full primary state school, covering years 1 to 8, with 182 students (as of October 2025).^[17][18] The school is bilingual, offering students a choice of tuition in Māori-language or English education.^[19]

• Aroha Reriti-Crofts - Community worker
• Erihana Ryan - Māori psychiatrist
• Wiremu Nahira Te-hoika - a Māori chief born about 1812 at Kaiapoi who moved to Tuahiwi in 1850, where he died in February 1903^[20]