Rātana Pā

Rātana Pā, or Ratana Community, is a town in the North Island of New Zealand, near Whanganui and Marton in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. The locality was the farm of Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, the founder of a Māori religious and political movement, and the settlement developed in the 1920s as followers came to see Rātana. It continues as the centre of the Rātana Church. Due to the importance of the Rātana movement in New Zealand politics, leading New Zealand politicians often attend annual gatherings at Rātana Pā.

Location
Rātana Pā is 20 km south-east of Whanganui, 5 km west of Turakina and 19 km west of Marton. It lies between State Highway 3 and the coast.

History


Rātana Pā is on what was the farm of Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, the founder of the Rātana religious and political movement and the Rātana Church. The locality became a settlement of Rātana followers in the 1920s.

Facilities at Rātana Pā include the 1,000-seat Temepara Tapu o Ihoa (Holy Temple of Jehovah), the Manuao (an accommodation facility and head office of the church), the Whare Māori (which contains crutches and wheelchairs from followers who were healed by Rātana in the 1920s and 1930s) and the Ratana Archives Centre, which contains artefacts and stories from the history of the Rātana Church.

25 January and 8 November are anniversary days of the Rātana Church. On these days thousands of members of the church converge on Rātana Pā for the special anniversary services commemorating the birth of Rātana (25 January 1873) and his first spiritual vision (8 November 1918). The gathering for the birth anniversary lasts for a week, with the highlight being the Temple Service on 25 January. Usually, Members of Parliament (MPs) visit on 24 January to talk and seek the votes of Māori.

Local government
Rātana Pā is in the Southern ward of Rangitikei District, which elects three of the eleven members of the Rangitikei District Council. There is also a Rātana Community Board, one of two community boards in the District (the other being for Taihape). The Board has four elected members and one appointed councillor from the Southern ward.

National government
Rātana Pā, like the rest of the Rangitikei District, is located in the general electorate of Rangitīkei and in the Māori electorate of Te Tai Hauāuru. Rangitīkei is a safe National Party seat since the 1938 election with the exception of 1978–1984 when it was held by Bruce Beetham of the Social Credit Party. Since 2023 it has been held by Suze Redmayne.

Te Tai Hauāuru is a more volatile seat, having been held by three different parties since 1996, i.e. New Zealand First, the Māori Party and the Labour Party. Since 2023 it has been held by Debbie Ngarewa-Packer of the Māori Party.

Demographics
Rātana is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 0.29 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2. It is part of the larger Turakina statistical area.

Before the 2023 census, the settlement had a smaller boundary, covering 0.21 km2. Using that boundary, Rātana had a population of 345 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 21 people (6.5%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 24 people (−6.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 108 households, comprising 153 males and 192 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.8 males per female, with 66 people (19.1%) aged under 15 years, 81 (23.5%) aged 15 to 29, 159 (46.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 39 (11.3%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 11.3% European/Pākehā, 96.5% Māori, 4.3% Pacific peoples, 0.9% Asian, and 0.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 4.3% had no religion, 6.1% were Christian, and 88.7% had Māori religious beliefs.

Of those at least 15 years old, 33 (11.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 78 (28.0%) people had no formal qualifications. 9 people (3.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 126 (45.2%) people were employed full-time, 39 (14.0%) were part-time, and 30 (10.8%) were unemployed.

Transport
State Highway 3 is located 2 km to the northeast of Rātana Pā. This national state highway connects Woodville (25 km east of Palmerston North) and Hamilton via New Plymouth.

InterCity runs three daily and six non-daily services at the Ratana Turn Off stop. These include Palmerston North–Auckland, Wellington–New Plymouth and Auckland–Palmerston North.

The nearest airport is Whanganui Airport, located 22 km to the northwest of the town.

Rātana had a railway station on the Marton–New Plymouth line from 27 April 1898, for goods, and 23 May for passengers. It had a shelter shed, platform, loading bank and a small passing loop. The station closed on 7 December 1947, when the Turakina Deviation diverted the railway away from Rātana. Seven died due to a crash on 26 March 1938, 1 mi from the station, to the north of Lake Waipu.

Education
Te Kura o Ratana is a state-integrated co-educational Rātana Church primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of.

The nearest secondary schools are in Whanganui and Marton.