Welcome Bay

Welcome Bay is a suburb of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located 7 km from central Tauranga. Neighbouring suburbs include Hairini and Maungatapu. There are a number of schools in Welcome Bay, including three primary schools.

The name Welcome Bay has been used for the area as early as 1872 by the Bay of Plenty Times.

Demographics
Welcome Bay covers 11.65 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Welcome Bay had a population of 10,284 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,617 people (18.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,757 people (36.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 3,372 households, comprising 5,088 males and 5,199 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female, with 2,493 people (24.2%) aged under 15 years, 1,833 (17.8%) aged 15 to 29, 4,656 (45.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,308 (12.7%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 80.1% European/Pākehā, 22.5% Māori, 3.3% Pacific peoples, 6.6% Asian, and 2.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 21.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.4% had no religion, 32.2% were Christian, 2.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.5% were Buddhist and 2.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,521 (19.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,203 (15.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 1,194 people (15.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 4,035 (51.8%) people were employed full-time, 1,260 (16.2%) were part-time, and 330 (4.2%) were unemployed.

Marae
The local Tahuwhakatiki or Romai Marae and its Rongomainohorangi meeting house are a traditional meeting place for the Ngāti Ranginui hapū of Pirirākau.

In October 2020, the Government committed $500,000 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae, creating 6 jobs.

Climate
Welcome Bay is a sub-tropical climate zone, with warm humid summers and mild winters. Typical summer daytime maximum air temperatures range from 22°C to 26°C, but seldom exceed 30°C. Winter daytime maximum air temperatures range from 12°C to 17°C. Annual sunshine hours average least 2200 hours. Southwest winds prevail for much of the year. Sea breezes often occur on warm summer days. Winter usually has more rain and is the most unsettled time of year. In summer and autumn, storms of tropical origin may bring high winds and heavy rainfall from the east or northeast.

Transport
Public transport in Welcome Bay solely consists of bus services. The suburb is served by one 'Bay Hopper' routes; Route 40(City - 15th Ave - Welcome Bay).

Education
Welcome Bay has two co-educational state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Welcome Bay School, with a roll of, and Selwyn Ridge School,  with a roll of.

Tauranga Waldorf School is a co-educational state-integrated primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of.

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Otepou is a co-educational Māori language immersion school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of.