Waipu, New Zealand

Waipu (Māori: Waipū) is a small town in Bream Bay, in the Northland Region of New Zealand. The town has a Scottish heritage; a highlight of the town's calendar is the annual Highland Games held at New Year. Near the town are the Waipū Caves, which contain a significant population of glow worms.

The local Māori hapū, Patuharakeke, are the descendants of Te Toru (also known as Urekuri), Te Taotahi and Te Pirihi Whakaariki. It is through the descendants of Te Toru that Patuharakeke are closely related to iwi including Ngapuhi, Ngati Wai, Ngati Whatua and Te Uri o Hau.

Waipu was the centre of a significant Presbyterian settlement led by Rev. Norman McLeod, a Presbyterian minister who led his people from the Highlands of Scotland to New Zealand via Pictou and St. Ann's in Nova Scotia and Australia. In 1854 the land was purchased by the crown and then on sold to the settlers. About 800 settlers arrived at Waipu in the 1850s. Waipu was a location for the late 19th/early 20th century kauri gum digging trade.

The Waipu Scottish Migration Museum was established in 1953.

In 1914, a railway branch line from the North Auckland Line was surveyed to Waipu to serve agricultural activity in the area. Construction of the Waipu branch line was delayed due to World War I, but by 1920, 25 men were employed in the construction of formation. However, by 1924, private motor vehicles were becoming more common and railway lines to sparsely populated rural areas accordingly became less necessary. Due to the lack of significant industrial activity in the Waipu area, the branch line was no longer seen as economic and construction was cancelled before any rail tracks were laid. A new railway line, the Marsden Point Branch, is currently proposed for construction and will follow a route similar to that of the abortive Waipu branch.

Statistics New Zealand describes Waipū as a small urban area. The urban area covers 3.53 km² (1.36 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,450 as of June 2025, with a population density of 411 people per km².

Waipū had a population of 1,392 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 327 people (30.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 525 people (60.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 660 males, 726 females and 6 people of other genders in 588 dwellings. 2.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 57.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 192 people (13.8%) aged under 15 years, 150 (10.8%) aged 15 to 29, 474 (34.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 576 (41.4%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.2% European (Pākehā); 17.9% Māori; 2.6% Pasifika; 3.9% Asian; 0.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.1%, Māori language by 3.2%, and other languages by 8.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.