The Waikato District
The Waikato district is in a central location of the North Island, between Hamilton and Auckland, and is a mainly rural area. The main industries of the district are dairy, coal mining, and aggregate and sand extraction.
Population: 43,959 (Statistics NZ, 2007)
Land area: 3,450 sq km
Main centres: Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Raglan, Te Kauwhata
The Waikato district contains a mix of urban, rural and coastal settlements with diverse environments ranging from:
- Rugged west coast beaches
- Inland agricultural areas
- Wetlands
- Indigenous forest
- Existing townships and villages
- Through to developing urban areas on the fringes of Hamilton City
The district is located in the heart of the ‘Golden Triangle’ – a zone of the North Island stretching from Auckland to the Bay of Plenty region and incorporating the Waikato region. This area contains a large proportion of New Zealand’s population (40 per cent of New Zealand’s total population live within a 150 km radius of the Waikato district) and generates the bulk of the nation’s economic activity.
The district lies at the gateway of a northern growth corridor between Hamilton and Auckland along State Highway 1. The district is connected to these areas by a good state highway network that runs through the district, facilitating the movement of both goods and people.
Waikato Industries
Dairy
The dairy industry, farming and processing, is the most economically significant industry in the Waikato district.
Fonterra’s ‘mega site’ at Te Rapa is one of its flagship sites, producing mainly milk powder for export.
Coal Mining
Solid Energy Ltd and other private mines in the Waikato district produce fuel for operations such as the Huntly Power Stations and Glenbrook Steel Mill.
Solid Energy is continually researching ways of producing cleaner coal or producing gas from coal seams or gasification.
Aggregate and Sand Extraction
There are a number of aggregate quarries and sand mines in the district, which supply an increasing demand from the Auckland region for aggregate and sand for roading and building.