Mangawhai Heads

Mangawhai Heads is a township in Northland, New Zealand. Waipu is 21 kilometres northwest, and Mangawhai is 5 kilometres southwest. Mangawhai Heads is on the north shore of the Mangawhai Harbour.

Geography
The Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway, north of the township, is 4.5 kilometres long walk to Paepae-o-Tū / Bream Tail, and has a lookout point.

Mangawhai Heads Beach is an intermediate-level surf beach.

History


The Mangawhai Harbour is a part of the rohe of Te Uri-o-Hau, a tribal group either seen as an independent iwi, or as a hapū of Ngāti Whātua. The name refers to Te Whai, a historic rangatira of Ngāti Whātua, who shares his name with the short-tail stingray, whai, found in the harbour. Te Whai had a fortified pā at Mangawhai Point, a central headland in the harbour.

Mangawhai Museum, opened in 2014, features displays on the area's local history.

Demographics
Mangawhai Heads covers 6.99 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Mangawhai Heads had a population of 1,995 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 756 people (61.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,068 people (115.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 849 households, comprising 999 males and 999 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 54.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 306 people (15.3%) aged under 15 years, 195 (9.8%) aged 15 to 29, 831 (41.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 666 (33.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 91.1% European/Pākehā, 11.6% Māori, 2.6% Pacific peoples, 3.9% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 21.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.8% had no religion, 31.4% were Christian, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 2.1% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 291 (17.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 330 (19.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 240 people (14.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 612 (36.2%) people were employed full-time, 252 (14.9%) were part-time, and 45 (2.7%) were unemployed.