Hawke's Bay

39°25′S 176°49′E

This article is about the local government region; the article Hawke Bay relates to the bay itself.

See also Hawke's Bay located in Karachi, Pakistan

Hawke's Bay Regional Council
Country:	New Zealand
Regional Council
Name:	Hawke's Bay Regional Council
Chair:	Eileen von Dadelszen
Population:	149,900 June 2006 estimate [1]
Land Area:	14,111km²
Website:	http://www.hbrc.govt.nz
Cities and Towns
Cities:	Napier, Hastings
Towns:	Wairoa, Waipukurau, Takapau, Havelock North, Taradale, Greenmeadows, Eskdale, Clive, Frasertown, Meeanee
Constituent Territorial Authorities
Names:	Wairoa District, Hastings District, Napier City, and Central Hawke's Bay District, small part of Taupo District.
Websites:	http://www.napier.govt.nz http://www.hastings.govt.nz http://www.wairoadc.govt.nz http://www.chbdc.govt.nz http://www.taupo.govt.nz

Hawke's Bay (Māori: Heretaunga) is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.

Geography

The region is situated on the east coast of the North Island. The region bears the former name of what is now Hawke Bay, a large semi-circular bay which extends for 100 kilometres from northeast to southwest from Mahia Peninsula to Cape Kidnappers.

The Hawke's Bay region includes the hilly coastal land around the northern and central bay, the floodplains of the Wairoa River in the north, the wide fertile Heretaunga Plains around Hastings in the south, and a hilly interior stretching up into the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges.

The region's boundaries vary somewhat from the former provincial boundaries of Hawke's Bay, and some towns in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region to the southwest, such as Dannevirke and Woodville regard themselves as part of Hawke's Bay.

The region consists of Wairoa District, Hastings District, Napier City, and Central Hawke's Bay District, as well as a small parts of Taupo District and the Rangitikei District.

History

Between 1858 and 1876, Hawke's Bay formed the Hawke's Bay Province as a Province of New Zealand, after being separated from the Wellington Province following a meeting in Napier in February 1858.

On February 3rd 1931, Napier and Hastings were devastated following New Zealand's worst natural disaster. An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale killed 256 people. Napier began re-building and now the city is world famous for its Art Deco buildings and celebrates its heritage each February with the Art Deco Weekend.

Population

The region's population at the 2006 census was 147,783. Of these, 55,359 lived in Napier City. The main urban areas are Napier and Hastings. Smaller communities include Wairoa, Havelock North, Tikokino, Waipawa, Waipukurau, and Takapau. The region has a significant Māori population (24% of the total population at the 2006 census). A major local Māori tribe is Ngāti Kahungunu.

Climate and agriculture

A Hawke's Bay vineyard in autumn.

Hawke's Bay's long, hot summers and cool winters offer the best weather for growing grapes. The climate is dry and temperate. Hawke's Bay is renowned for its horticulture with large orchards and vineyards on the plains. In the hilly parts of the region sheep and cattle farming predominates, with forestry blocks in the roughest areas.

Other information

Hawke's Bay has a useful and innovative approach to community-wide care of diabetes mellitus featuring shared records held in a web-based computer system.

The region is served by a variety of radio stations with Classic Hits, Bay City Radio, and Newstalk ZB being the most popular stations according to official statistics from the Research International Radio Survey October 2006. Hawke's Bay also has its own TV station, Channel 51, which provides a mix of news and information programmes hosted by local personalities.

Hawke's Bay produces some of New Zealand's finest wines and once a year Harvest Hawke's Bay celebrates the fact by offering a three day wine and food festival. This event attracts many thousands.

Napier is home to the annual Mission Concert held early each year. The event held at the Mission Estate Winery in Greenmeadows has attracted big names over the year's including Kenny Rogers, Shirley Bassey, Rod Stewart, B52's, Belinda Carlisle, Ray Charles, and Eric Clapton. Each concert is attended by around 25,000 people.

One trivial fact is that the region has a hill with the longest place name in New Zealand, and the second longest in the world according to the Guiness Book of Records. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is an unremarkable hill in southern Hawke's Bay, not far from Waipukurau.

External links

• Official Hawke's Bay Tourism Portal
• Official New Settlers Site - Free Service for New Settlers in Hawke's Bay
• New to Hawkes Bay - Information for new residents.
• Napier City Council Website
• Hawke's Bay Province and Provincial District" An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintoc , Welligton, 1966