View source for Taranaki

{{Short description|Region of New Zealand}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = 
| official_name      = Taranaki
| settlement_type    = [[Regions of New Zealand|Region]]
| image_blank_emblem = TaranakiRegionalCouncil-logo.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| blank_emblem_size  = 
| image_map          = {{New Zealand region map|Taranaki|250px}}
| map_caption        = Taranaki within New Zealand
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[New Zealand]]
| subdivision_type1  = Island
| subdivision_name1  = [[North Island]]
| seat               = [[Stratford, New Zealand|Stratford]]
| parts_type         = [[Territorial authorities of New Zealand|Territorial authorities]]
| parts_style        = list
| p1                 = New Plymouth District
| p2                 = South Taranaki District
| p3                 = Stratford District (part)
| governing_body     = [[Taranaki#Taranaki_Regional_Council|Taranaki Regional Council]]
| leader_title       = Chair
| leader_name        = [[Charlotte Littlewood]]
| leader_title1      = Deputy Chair
| leader_name1       = 
| total_type         = Region
| area_total_km2     = 7257
| area_land_km2      = 7254.51
| population_as_of   = {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}
| population_footnotes = {{NZ population data 2018||||y}}
| population_total   = {{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |date=24 March 2023 |title=Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2022 |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/regional-gross-domestic-product-year-ended-march-2022/ |access-date=4 April 2023 |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]]}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = [[New Zealand dollar|NZ$]]9.599 billion (2021) ([[List of regions of New Zealand by GDP|9th]])
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = NZ$75,643 (2021)
| timezone           = [[NZST]]
| utc_offset         = +12
| timezone_DST       = NZDT
| utc_offset_DST     = +13
| iso_code           = NZ-TKI
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2023)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.94<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/NZL/?levels=1+4&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|access-date=2025-11-15}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of regions of New Zealand by Human Development Index|4th]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.trc.govt.nz/}}
}}
'''Taranaki''' is a [[regions of New Zealand|region]] in the west of [[New Zealand]]'s [[North Island]]. It is named after its main geographical feature, the [[stratovolcano]] [[Mount Taranaki|Taranaki Maunga]], formerly known as Mount Egmont.

The main centre is the city of [[New Plymouth]]. The New Plymouth District is one of three in the region and is home to more than 65 per cent of the population of Taranaki.<ref name="QuickStats">{{NZ Quickstats2013|14110|Taranaki Region}}</ref><ref>{{NZ Quickstats2013|14111|New Plymouth District}}</ref> The Stratford District includes the main centres of [[Stratford, New Zealand|Stratford]], Midhirst, Toko and [[Whangamōmona]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facts and Stats|url=https://www.stratford.govt.nz/our-district/about-our-district/facts-and-stats |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=www.stratford.govt.nz}}</ref> The South Taranaki District includes [[Hāwera]], [[Manaia, Taranaki|Manaia]], [[Eltham, New Zealand|Eltham]], and [[Ōpunake]].

Since 2005, Taranaki has used the promotional brand "Like no other".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/97565795/taranaki-like-no-other-trademark-dispute-resolved| title='Taranaki Like No Other' trademark dispute resolved| date=5 October 2017| first=Helen| last=Harvey| publisher=Taranaki Daily News}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:2023 NZ Census Population Density - Taranaki Region.png|thumb|left|280px| A map showing population density in the Taranaki Region at the 2023 census]]
Taranaki is on the west coast of the North Island, surrounding the volcanic peak of Mount Taranaki. The region covers an area of 7258&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. Its large bays north-west and south-west of [[Cape Egmont]] are [[North Taranaki Bight]] and [[South Taranaki Bight]].
[[File:Taranaki Satellite.jpg|left|thumb|322x322px|Picture of Taranaki acquired from the Landsat 8 satellite, showing the near-circular Egmont National Park surrounding Mount Taranaki. New Plymouth is the grey area on the northern coastline.]]

Mount Taranaki is the second highest mountain in the North Island, and the dominant geographical feature of the region. [[Mount Taranaki legend|A Māori legend]] says that Mount Taranaki previously lived with the [[Mount Tongariro|Tongariro]], [[Mount Ngauruhoe|Ngāuruhoe]] and [[Mount Ruapehu|Ruapehu]] mountains of the central North Island but fled to its current location after a battle with Tongariro. A near-perfect cone, it last erupted in the mid-18th century. The mountain and its immediate surrounds form Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki (formerly known as [[Egmont National Park]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill 293-2 (2023), Government Bill 23 Official geographic names of Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki and Taranaki Maunga – New Zealand Legislation |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2023/0293/latest/LMS899652.html |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=www.legislation.govt.nz}}</ref> Historically, the area consisted of a narrow [[coastal plain]] covered by [[bracken]], [[Coriaria arborea|tutu]], [[Knightia excelsa|rewarewa]] and [[Karaka (tree)|karaka]] trees, with anywhere not close to the coast covered in dense forest.<ref name="Prickett1994">{{Cite Q|Q58677455}}</ref>

[[Māori people|Māori]] had called the mountain ''Taranaki'' for many centuries, and Captain [[James Cook]] gave it the English name of ''Egmont'' after the [[John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont|Earl of Egmont]], the recently retired First Lord of the Admiralty who had encouraged his expedition. The mountain had two alternative official names, "Mount Taranaki" and "Mount Egmont" from the 1980s until 2025 when the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill was passed into law which saw Mount Egmont and Mount Taranaki cease as official geographical names to be replaced by Taranaki Maunga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linz.govt.nz/placenames/consultation-decisions/a-to-z/whanganui/faq.aspx|title=What is the difference between alternative naming and dual naming?|access-date=19 March 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524140145/http://www.linz.govt.nz/placenames/consultation-decisions/a-to-z/whanganui/faq.aspx|archive-date=24 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill 293-2 (2023), Government Bill 23 Official geographic names of Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki and Taranaki Maunga – New Zealand Legislation |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2023/0293/latest/LMS899652.html |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=www.legislation.govt.nz}}</ref>

[[File:Mt Taranaki.JPG|right|thumb|250px|View of Mount Taranaki from Stratford, facing west. [[Fanthams Peak]] is to the left of the main peak. The cow in the foreground is emblematic of Taranaki as a major dairying region.]]
The region is exceptionally fertile thanks to generous rainfall and rich volcanic soil. [[Dairy farming]] predominates, with [[Fonterra]]'s Whareroa milk factory just outside of [[Hāwera]] producing the largest volume of dairy ingredients from a single factory anywhere in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Fonterra – Whareroa|url = https://www.fonterra.com/nz/en/about/our+locations/newzealand/whareroa/whareroa|website = fonterra.com|access-date = 2016-02-14}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> There are also both on and off shore oil and gas deposits in the region. The [[Maui gas field]] off the south-west coast has provided most of New Zealand's gas supply and once supported two [[methanol]] plants, (one formerly a synthetic-petrol plant called the Gas-To-Gasoline plant) at [[Motunui]]. Fuel and fertiliser is also produced at a well complex at [[Kapuni]] and a number of smaller land-based oilfields. With the Maui field nearing depletion, new offshore resources have been developed: the [[Kupe field]], 30&nbsp;km south of Hāwera and the [[Pohokura field|Pohokura gas field]], 4.5&nbsp;km north of Waitara.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.toddenergy.co.nz/te/pro_poh.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526072454/http://www.toddenergy.co.nz/te/pro_poh.html| archive-date=2010-05-26| title=Pohokura gas field| publisher=[[Todd Energy]]}}</ref>

The way the land mass projects into the [[Tasman Sea]] with northerly, westerly and southerly exposures, results in many excellent surfing and windsurfing locations, some of them considered world-class.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taonga |first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu |title=Sport and recreation |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/taranaki-region/page-12 |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}}</ref>

==Demography==
Taranaki covers {{Convert|7254.50|km2||abbr=on}}<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=7 October 2024|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref> and has a population of {{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}} as of Statistics New Zealand's {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}, {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|y}}|R}}*100|1}} percent of New Zealand's population. It has a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}/7254.50|0}} people per km<sup>2</sup>. It is the tenth most populous [[regions of New Zealand|region of New Zealand]].<ref name="NZ_population_data_2018" />

{{Historical populations
|1991|107,124
|1996|106,590
|2001|102,858
|2006|104,127
|2013|109,608
|2018|117,561
|2023|126,015|percentages=pagr|align=left|source=<ref name="Census 2023"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.stats.govt.nz/Census/2001-census-data/2001-census-regional-summary.aspx|title=2001 Census: Regional summary|website=archive.stats.govt.nz|access-date=2020-04-28|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929211821/http://archive.stats.govt.nz/Census/2001-census-data/2001-census-regional-summary.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
Taranaki Region had a population of 126,015 in the [[2023 New Zealand census]], an increase of 8,454 people (7.2%) since the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], and an increase of 16,407 people (15.0%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. There were 62,184 males, 63,405 females and 429 people of [[non-binary gender|other genders]] in 48,606 dwellings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.07.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}}</ref> 2.6% of people identified as [[LGBTQ|LGBTIQ+]]. The median age was 40.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 25,428 people (20.2%) aged under 15 years, 20,625 (16.4%) aged 15 to 29, 55,932 (44.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 24,033 (19.1%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 83.6% [[European New Zealanders|European]] ([[Pākehā]]); 21.8% [[Māori people|Māori]]; 2.6% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]]; 5.7% [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]]; 0.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori language by 4.5%, Samoan by 0.4% and other languages by 6.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). [[New Zealand Sign Language]] was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Largest groups of overseas-born residents<ref name="NZdotstat2">{{cite web |title=Birthplace (detailed), for the census usually resident population count, 2006, 2013, and 2018 Censuses (RC, TA, SA2, DHB) |url=https://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE8279 |access-date= |publisher=Statistics New Zealand}}</ref>
|-
!Nationality
!Population (2018)
|-
|England
|4,179
|-
|Australia
|1,965
|-
|South Africa
|1,311
|-
|India
|972
|-
|Philippines
|918
|-
|Scotland
|549
|-
|Fiji
|498
|-
|China
|480
|-
|United States
|480
|-
|Netherlands
|420
|}
The region has had a strong Māori presence for centuries. The local [[iwi]] ([[List of Māori iwi|tribes]]) include [[Ngāti Mutunga]], [[Ngāti Maru (Taranaki)|Ngāti Maru]], [[Ngāti Ruanui]], [[Taranaki (iwi)|Taranaki]], [[Te Āti Awa]], [[Ngā Rauru]], [[Ngā Ruahine|Ngāruahinerangi]] and [[Ngāti Tama]].

Religious affiliations were 30.9% [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 0.9% [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hindu]], 0.5% [[Islam in New Zealand|Islam]], 0.9% [[Religion of Māori people|Māori religious beliefs]], 0.4% [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhist]], 0.5% [[New Age]], 0.1% [[Judaism in New Zealand|Jewish]],  and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had [[Irreligion in New Zealand|no religion]] were 56.3%, and 8.6% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 12,777 (12.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 56,931 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 26,370 (26.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $38,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 9,930 people (9.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 48,906 (48.6%) people were employed full-time, 14,724 (14.6%) were part-time, and 2,634 (2.6%) were unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023">{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.07.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=7 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Taranaki Region (07)}}</ref>

===Urban areas===
Just under half the residents live in [[New Plymouth]], with [[Hāwera]] being the next most populous town in the region.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Urban area
! Population<br /><small>({{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||)}}</small>
! % of region
|-
|[[New Plymouth]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|New Plymouth|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|New Plymouth|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Hāwera]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Hawera|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Hawera|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Waitara, New Zealand|Waitara]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Waitara|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Waitara|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Stratford, New Zealand|Stratford]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Stratford|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Stratford|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Inglewood, New Zealand|Inglewood]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Inglewood|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Inglewood|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Eltham, New Zealand|Eltham]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Eltham|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Eltham|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Ōakura]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Oakura (New Plymouth district)|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Oakura (New Plymouth district)|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Ōpunake]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Opunake|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Opunake|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Patea]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Patea|y}}
|align=right|{{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Patea|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Normanby, Taranaki|Normanby]]
|align=right| {{NZ population data 2018|Normanby|y}}
|align=right| {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Normanby|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Taranaki region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|}

==History==

The area became home to a number of Māori tribes from the 13th century. From about 1823 the Māori began having contact with European [[whaler]]s as well as traders who arrived by [[schooner]] to buy [[New Zealand flax|flax]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pukeariki.com/en/stories/immigration/barrettngamoto.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000443/http://www.pukeariki.com/en/stories/immigration/barrettngamoto.htm|url-status=dead|title=Puke Ariki Museum essay|archivedate=27 September 2007}}</ref> Around the 1820s and 1830s, whalers targeted [[Southern right whale]]s in the [[South Taranaki Bight]].<ref>{{Cite Q|Q58677530}}</ref> In March 1828 [[Dicky Barrett (trader)|Richard "Dicky" Barrett]] (1807–47) set up a trading post at Ngamotu (present-day [[New Plymouth]]).<ref name="Caughey">{{cite book | author=Angela Caughey | title=The Interpreter: The Biography of Richard "Dicky" Barrett | year= 1998 | isbn=1-86953-346-1 | publisher=David Bateman Ltd }}</ref> Barrett and his companions, who were armed with muskets and cannon, were welcomed by the Āti Awa tribe for assisting in their continuing wars with [[Waikato]] Māori.<ref name="Caughey" /> Following a bloody encounter at Ngamotu in 1832, most of the 2000 Āti Awa<ref name="Caughey" /> living near Ngamotu, as well as Barrett, migrated south to the [[Kāpiti Coast|Kāpiti]] region and [[Marlborough Region|Marlborough]].

In late 1839 Barrett returned to Taranaki to act as a purchasing agent for the [[New Zealand Company]], which had begun on-selling the land to prospective settlers in England with the expectation of securing its title. Barrett claimed to have negotiated the purchase of an area extending from [[Mokau]] to [[Cape Egmont]], and inland to the upper reaches of the [[Whanganui River]] including [[Mount Taranaki/Egmont|Mt Taranaki]]. A later deed of sale included New Plymouth and all the coastal lands of North Taranaki, including [[Waitara, New Zealand|Waitara]].

Organised European settlement at New Plymouth gathered pace with the arrival of the ''William Bryan'' in March 1841. European expansion beyond New Plymouth, however, was prevented by Māori opposition to selling their land, a sentiment that deepened as links strengthened with the [[King Movement]]. Tension over land ownership mounted, leading to the outbreak of [[First Taranaki War|war]] at Waitara on 16 March 1860. Although the pressure for the sale of the Waitara block resulted from the colonists' hunger for land in Taranaki, the greater issue fuelling the conflict was the Government's desire to impose British administration, law and civilisation on the Māori.<ref name=Belich>{{cite book
| first= James
| last= Belich
| year= 1986
| title= The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict
| edition= 1st
| publisher=Penguin 
| location= Auckland
| isbn= 0-14-011162-X}}</ref>

The war was fought by more than 3,500 imperial troops as well as volunteer soldiers and militia against Māori forces that fluctuated from a few hundred and to 1,500.<ref name=king>{{cite book | author=Michael King | title=The Penguin History of New Zealand | year= 2003 | isbn=0-14-301867-1 | publisher=Penguin Books}}</ref> Total losses among the imperial, volunteer, and militia troops are estimated to have been 238, while Māori casualties totalled about 200.

An uneasy truce was negotiated a year later, only to be broken in April 1863 as tensions over land occupation boiled over again.  A total of 5,000 troops fought in the [[Second Taranaki War]] against about 1,500 men, women and children. The style of warfare differed markedly from that of the 1860–61 conflict as the army systematically took possession of Māori land by driving off the inhabitants, adopting a "[[scorched earth]]" strategy of laying waste to the villages and cultivations of Māori, whether warlike or otherwise. As the troops advanced, the Government built an expanding line of redoubts, behind which settlers built homes and developed farms. The effect was a creeping confiscation of almost a million acres (4,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land.<ref name=kaupapa>{{Cite web|url=https://waitangitribunal.govt.nz/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200826/http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/reports/downloadpdf.asp?reportid=%7B3FECC540-D049-4DE6-A7F0-C26BCCDAB345%7D.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Home|archivedate=27 September 2007|website=Waitangi Tribunal}}</ref>

The present main highway on the inland side of [[Mount Taranaki]] follows the path taken by the colonial forces under Major General [[Trevor Chute]] as they marched, with great difficulty, from [[Patea]] to New Plymouth in 1866.

Armed Māori resistance continued in South Taranaki until early 1869, led by the warrior [[Tītokowaru]], who reclaimed land almost as far south as [[Wanganui]]. A decade later, spiritual leader [[Te Whiti o Rongomai]], based at [[Parihaka]], launched a campaign of passive resistance against government land confiscation, which culminated in a raid by colonial troops on 5 November 1881.

The confiscations, subsequently acknowledged by the New Zealand Government as unjust and illegal,<ref name=Awa10>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070317062622/http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/reports/viewchapter.asp?reportID=A949CD08-4825-48BF-B038-FAC923793297&chapter=11 Ngati Awa Raupatu Report, chapter 10, Waitangi Tribunal, 1999.]</ref> began in 1865 and soon included the entire Taranaki district. Towns including [[Normanby, Taranaki|Normanby]], [[Hāwera]] and Carlyle ([[Patea]]) were established on land confiscated as military settlements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document/1878_-_Wells%2C_B._The_History_of_Taranaki/CHAPTER_XXV%3A_CONFISCATION_OF_LANDS_AND_ESTABLISHMENT_OF_MILITARY_SETTLEMENTS?action=null|title=B. Wells, ''The History of Taranaki'', 1878, Chapter 25.}}</ref> The release of a [[Waitangi Tribunal]] report on the situation in 1996 led to some debate on the matter. In a speech to a group of psychologists, Associate Minister of Māori Affairs [[Tariana Turia]] compared the suppression of Taranaki Māori to the [[Holocaust]], provoking a vigorous reaction<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/popular/treaty/events-1990s|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710044058/http://www.radionz.co.nz/popular/treaty/events-1990s|url-status=dead|title="A Taranaki Holocaust?" (2000) Downloadable Radio New Zealand broadcast|archivedate=10 July 2011}}</ref> around New Zealand, with Prime Minister [[Helen Clark]] among those voicing criticism.

==Economy==
The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of Taranaki was estimated at NZ$9.51 billion in the year to March 2020, 2.94% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $76,715 in the same period, the highest in New Zealand.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2020 {{!}} Stats NZ|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/regional-gross-domestic-product-year-ended-march-2020|access-date=2021-04-06|website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref>

Taranaki’s economy is centred around [[Dairy farming in New Zealand|dairy farming]], [[hydrocarbon exploration]], and manufacturing (including agricultural and energy based manufacturing) with these industries making up approximately 40 percent of the region’s GDP in 2019. Taranaki has had the highest GDP per capita from 2007 onward except in 2017 when Wellington was higher.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2020 {{!}} Stats NZ|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/regional-gross-domestic-product-year-ended-march-2020#taranaki|access-date=2021-04-06|website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref>

In the 2019–20 season, there were 468,000 milking cows in Taranaki, 9.5% of the country's total herd. The cows produced 185,320 tonnes of milk solids, worth $1,334 million at the national average farmgate price ($7.20 per kg).<ref>{{Cite web|title=New Zealand Dairy Statistics 2019–20|url=https://www.dairynz.co.nz/publications/dairy-industry/new-zealand-dairy-statistics-2019-20/|access-date=2021-03-08|website=www.dairynz.co.nz|language=en}}</ref> The Dairy Farming industry is the largest employer in Taranaki, comprising 5 per cent of all employees.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/11453-regional-factsheet-taranaki-pdf | title=Regional fact sheet: Taranaki | website=www.mbie.govt.nz}}</ref> The region is home to the world’s largest milk production facility by annual volume, Fonterra’s Whareroa Plant near Hawera, which produces milk powder, butter, casein whey and cheese. The region also boasts the largest secondary cheese operation in Asia-Pacific as well as a high-tech lactose plant producing pharmaceutical lactose for the global medical industry and a speciality artisan cheese facility.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://about.taranaki.info/Taranaki-s-Industries/Dairy.aspx |title=Venture Taranaki – About Taranaki |access-date=7 April 2021 |archive-date=11 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211033822/https://about.taranaki.info/Taranaki-s-Industries/Dairy.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Natural gas from Taranaki’s fields accounts for around 20% of New Zealand’s primary energy supply. It provides heat, energy and hot water supply for over 245,000 New Zealand households as well as more than 10,000 commercial users such as restaurants, hotels, greenhouses and hospitals. The single biggest user of natural gas is Methanex, also based in Taranaki, who use it as a feedstock to produce methanol for export. Taranaki's natural gas is also used to make urea for use on farms. The head offices of many energy companies are based in the region along with specialist service and supply companies, including freight, logistics, fabrication, technical, professional services and consultancies as well as environmental and health and safety expertise. The region is renowned for its world class engineering design and project management skills, which tackles on and off shore fabrication and construction.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://about.taranaki.info/Taranaki-s-Industries/O-G.aspx |title=Venture Taranaki – About Taranaki |access-date=7 April 2021 |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210140242/https://about.taranaki.info/Taranaki-s-Industries/O-G.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Governance==

===Provincial government===
From 1853 the Taranaki region was governed as the [[Taranaki Province]] (initially known as the New Plymouth Province) until the abolition of [[Provinces of New Zealand|New Zealand provinces]] in 1876. The leading office was that of the superintendent.

The following is a list of superintendents of the Province of Taranaki during this time:

{| class="wikitable"  style="width:75%;"
|-
!Superintendent
!Term
|-
| [[Charles Brown (New Zealand politician)|Charles Brown]] || 1853–1857
|-
| [[George Cutfield]] || 1857–1861
|-
| [[Charles Brown (New Zealand politician)|Charles Brown]] || 1861–1865 
|-
| [[Henry Richmond (politician)|Henry Richmond]] || 1865–1869 
|-
| [[Frederic Carrington]] || 1869–1876
|}

===Taranaki Regional Council===
The Taranaki Regional Council was formed as part of major nationwide [[local government]] reforms in November 1989, for the purpose of [[integrated catchment management]].  The regional council was the successor to the Taranaki Catchment Board, the Taranaki United Council, the Taranaki Harbours Board, and 16 small special-purpose local bodies that were abolished under the ''Local Government Amendment Act (No 3) 1988''.  The council's headquarters were established in the central location of [[Stratford, New Zealand|Stratford]] to "provide a good compromise in respect of overcoming traditional south vs north Taranaki community of interest conflicts" (Taranaki Regional Council, 2001 p.&nbsp;6).

'''Chairs'''
* [[Ross Allen (politician)|Ross Allen]] (1989–2001)
* [[David Walter (New Zealand politician)|David Walter]] (2001–2007)
* [[David MacLeod]] (2007–2022)
* Charlotte Littlewood (2022–present)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.trc.govt.nz/council/news-and-events/council-news/council-elects-new-chairperson/ |title=Council elects new chairperson |date=26 October 2022 |publisher=Taranaki Regional Council}}</ref>

==Motion picture location==
Taranaki's landscape and the mountain's supposed resemblance to [[Mount Fuji]] led it to be selected as the location for ''[[The Last Samurai]]'', a motion picture set in 19th-century Japan.  The movie starred [[Tom Cruise]].

== Public Safety ==
Taranaki has 20 fire stations scattered throughout the region. It includes one career (full time) brigade based at New Plymouth Central Fire Station and is staffed by two crews (8 firefighters) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and responds, not only to the city, but to surrounding volunteer brigades in satellite towns if needed. New Plymouth has four fire appliances, including an aerial appliance, two standard pumping appliances, pump rescue truck and three specialist vehicles. There are 17 volunteer and two rural brigades in the region.

Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth is the region's largest hospital. It has a 24-hour emergency department, wards for older people's health, rehabilitation, children and young people/pediatrics, general surgery and urology, orthopedics and surgical specialties, general medicine and maternity and provides community services. It's currently undergoing a multi-million dollar development to expand its services.
Hawera Hospital, one hour south, is a smaller hospital but offers 24-hour emergency department, inpatient beds, maternity services, outpatients and community services. 
There are health centres in [[Waitara, New Zealand|Waitara]], [[Opunake]], [[Patea]], [[Mokau]], [[Stratford, New Zealand|Stratford]] and [[Urenui]].

[[St John New Zealand|St John Ambulance]] supplies all ambulance services to Taranaki, with their main station based Waiwhakaiho on the outskirts of New Plymouth. Throughout the region, they have six emergency ambulances, two rapid response vehicles (one crewed by a critical care paramedic) and two operational managers during the day. At night, four ambulances are on duty and one rapid response vehicle. Volunteer-crewed first response units are based in Opunake and Urenui.

There are 13 police stations in the region, including three in New Plymouth and others are based in the main towns.

The Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust provides search, rescue and patient transfer missions when required. The [[MBB/Kawasaki BK 117]] is based at its hangar at Taranaki Base Hospital. It serves as a critical service for missions relating to the region's mountain and steep inland hill country and marine areas.

== Sports teams ==
Notable sports teams from Taranaki include:
* [[Taranaki Rugby Football Union|Yarrows Taranaki Bulls]] – [[National Provincial Championship (1976–2005)|National Provincial Championship]] Rugby Union Team
* [[Taranaki Airs]] – NBL Basketball Team
* Taranaki Thunder – Women's Basketball Team
* Taranaki Cricket – Men's Cricket Team

==Notable people==
{{See also|Category:People from Taranaki}}

*[[Harry Atkinson]] – Premier of New Zealand and Colonial Treasurer
*[[Te Rangi Hīroa|Peter Buck]] (Te Rangi Hīroa) of [[Ngāti Mutunga]] – Māori scholar, politician, military leader, health administrator, anthropologist, museum director, born in Urenui
*[[Richard Faull]] – New Zealand neuroscientist and academic, born and raised in Tikorangi
*[[Māui Pōmare|Māui Wiremu Pita Naera Pōmare]] of [[Ngāti Mutunga]] – politician, Minister of Health
*[[Fiona Clark (photographer)|Fiona Clark]] – Photographer.
*[[Frederic Carrington]] – surveyor and father of New Plymouth
*[[William Douglas Cook]] – founder of [[Eastwoodhill Arboretum]], [[Ngatapa]], [[Gisborne, New Zealand|Gisborne]] and of [[Pukeiti, Taranaki|Pukeiti]], world-famous [[rhododendron]] garden, New Plymouth.
*[[Hāmi Te Māunu]] – hereditary Maori leader of Ngāti Mutunga<!--- Hami alpha. seq. ---> 
*[[Wiremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke]] – Māori chief of [[Te Āti Awa]], leader in the [[First Taranaki War]]
*[[William George Malone|William Malone]] – First World War officer
*[[Len Lye]] – artist, filmmaker born in Christchurch, collection only housed in New Plymouth
*[[Minarapa Rangihatuake]] – Methodist missionary, active from about 1839 in Taranaki<ref name="DNZB Rangihatuake">{{DNZB|title=Minarapa Rangihatuake|first= John H.|last= Roberts|id=1r1|accessdate=23 April 2017}}</ref>
*[[Michael Smither]] – artist
*[[Ronald Syme]] – scholar of ancient history
*[[Riwha Titokowaru]] – Ngaruahine military war leader
*[[Te Whiti o Rongomai]] – spiritual leader of Parihaka and pioneer of peaceful protest strategies<ref>{{cite web|title=Te Whiti o Rongomai|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/people/erueti-te-whiti-o-rongomai-iii|publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|access-date=2014-12-20}}</ref>

===Sports people===
*All Blacks: [[Beauden Barrett]], [[Scott Barrett (rugby union)|Scott Barrett]], [[Jordie Barrett]], [[Ross Brown (rugby union)|Ross Brown]], [[Peter Burke (rugby union)|Peter Burke]] [[Grant Fox]], [[Luke McAlister]], [[Kayla McAlister]], [[Graham Mourie]], [[Conrad Smith]], [[Carl Hayman]], Mark Robertson
*Rugby League: , [[Issac Luke]], [[Curtis Rona]], [[Howie Tamati]] Graham West
*[[Michael Campbell]] – golfer
*[[Paige Hareb]] – professional surfer
*[[Peter Snell]] – Gold medal-winning athlete, born in Ōpunake.
*[[Hannah Bromley]] – Former professional footballer.
*[[Mackenzie Barry]] - Footballer
*[[Stan Lay]] - Javelin
*[[Frank van Hattum]] - Footballer
*[[Duncan Laing]] - Swimming and surf life saving
*[[David Baldwin (bowls)|David Baldwin]] - Lawn Bowls
*[[Alistar Jordan]] - Cricket
*[[Norman Read|Norman Reed]] - Race walking
*[[Zoe Hobbs]] - Athletics
*[[Martin Donnelly (sportsman)|Martin Donnelly]] - Cricket
*[[Will Young (cricketer)|Will Young]] - Cricket
*Rugby 7s: World, Commonwealth, Olympic gold medalists [[Gayle Broughton]] & [[Michaela Blyde]].
==See also==
*[[First Taranaki War]]
*[[Second Taranaki War]]
*[[Tītokowaru's War]]
*[[New Zealand land confiscations]]
*[[Taranaki Rugby Football Union]]
*[[TSB Bank (New Zealand)]] – formerly Taranaki Savings Bank
*[[Water quality in Taranaki]]
*[[Govett-Brewster Art Gallery]]
*[[Puke Ariki]]
*[[Taranaki Cathedral]]
*[[List of historic places in New Plymouth]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |first=J.S. |last=Tullett |year=1981 |title=The Industrious Heart: A History of New Plymouth |publisher=New Plymouth District Council}}
* {{cite book |first=James |last=Belich |author-link=James Belich (historian) |year=1988 |title=The New Zealand Wars |publisher=Penguin}}
* {{cite book |first=Dick |last=Scott |year=1998 |title=Ask That Mountain |isbn=0-7900-0190-X |publisher=Reed}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Taranaki}}
{{Commons category|Taranaki Region}}
* [http://www.taranaki.info Taranaki – Like No Other: The Official Tourism website]
* [http://www.pukeariki.com/ Puke Ariki: Taranaki's combined museum, library and visitor information centre]
* [http://www.windwand.co.nz Taranaki Tourism website with in-depth information about the region and an image library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327121111/http://www.windwand.co.nz/ |date=27 March 2020 }}
* [http://www.trc.govt.nz Taranaki Regional Council website]

{{Regions of New Zealand}}
{{South Taranaki District}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|39|18|S|174|8|E|region:NZ_type:adm1st|display=title}}

[[Category:Taranaki| ]]
[[Category:Regions of New Zealand]]