View source for Waiheke Island

{{Short description|Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox islands
| name             = Waiheke Island
| image_name       = Waiheke landsat 7 27 August 2002.JPG
| image_caption    = [[Landsat program|Landsat]] image of the island, August 2002
| image_size       = 
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 8
| mapframe-stroke-width = 0.5
| local_name       = {{nativename|mi|Waiheke}}
| nickname         = 
| pushpin_map = New Zealand#Pacific Ocean
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in [[New Zealand]] & [[Pacific Ocean]]
|pushpin_relief           = yes
| location        = [[Hauraki Gulf]]
|coordinates          = {{coord|36|48|S|175|06|E|region:NZ|display=inline}}
| archipelago      = [[New Zealand]] archipelago
| total_islands    = 
| major_islands    = 
| area_km2         = 92
| length_km        = 19.3
| width_min_km     = 0.64
| width_max_km     = 9.65
| coastline_km     = 133.5
| highest_mount    = Maunganui
| elevation_m      = 231
| country          = New Zealand
| country_admin_divisions_title     = [[Regions of New Zealand|Regional Council]]
| country_admin_divisions           = [[Auckland Region]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1   = 
| country_admin_divisions_title_2   = 
| country_admin_divisions_2         = 
| country_largest_city              = 
| country_largest_city_population   = 
| population       = {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa West|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa East-Palm Beach|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Surfdale|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Ostend|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Onetangi|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Waiheke East|y}}|R}}|0}}
| population_as_of = {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y}}
| density_km2      = {{Decimals|({{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa West|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa East-Palm Beach|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Surfdale|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Ostend|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Onetangi|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Waiheke East|y}}|R}})/112.17}}
| ethnic_groups    = European, [[Māori people|Māori]]
| additional_info  = 
| demonym          = Waihekean
}}

'''Waiheke Island'''{{efn|({{IPAc-en|w|aɪ|ˈ|h|ɛ|k|iː}}; {{IPA|mi|ˈwaihɛkɛ|label=[[Māori language|Māori]]: |audio=Waiheke Pronunciation.wav}})}} is the second-largest island (after [[Great Barrier Island]]) in the [[Hauraki Gulf]] of [[New Zealand]]. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is {{convert|21.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the central-city terminal in [[Auckland]].

It is the most populated island in the gulf, with {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa West|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa East-Palm Beach|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Surfdale|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Ostend|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Onetangi|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Waiheke East|y}}|R}}|0}} permanent residents,{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|4=y}} and the [[List of islands of New Zealand|third most populous island in New Zealand]] (behind the two main islands). An additional estimated 3,400 people have second homes or holiday homes on the island.<ref name="Report Card">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Our research and evaluation resources |url=http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/Pages/our-research-evaluation-resources.aspx |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=Auckland Council |language=en}}</ref> It is more densely populated than the [[North Island|North]] and [[South Island]]s. It is the most accessible island in the gulf, with regular passenger and [[Roll-on/roll-off|car-ferry]] services, a helicopter operator based on the island, and other air links.<ref name="Tour">{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandnz.com/discover/waiheke-island |title=Waiheke Island information |publisher=Tourism Auckland |access-date=19 April 2016}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}}

In November 2015, [[Lonely Planet]] rated Waiheke Island the fifth-best region in the world to visit in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel/regions/5|title=Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017 list|work=Lonely Planet|access-date=2017-10-17|language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
===Overview===
[[File:Waiheke Island Seen From Above West.jpg|thumb|The western part of the island]]
The island is off the coast of the North Island. It is {{convert|19.3|km|mi|abbr=on}} in length from west to east, varies in width from {{convert|0.64|to|9.65|km|mi|abbr=on}}, and has a surface area of {{convert|92|km²|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}. The coastline is {{convert|133.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}, including {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} of beaches. The port of [[Matiatia]] at the western end is {{convert|17.7|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Auckland and the eastern end is {{convert|21.4|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Coromandel, New Zealand|Coromandel]].<ref name="Tour"/> The much smaller [[Tarahiki Island]] lies {{convert|3|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the east.

The island is very hilly with few flat areas, the highest point being Maunganui at {{convert|231|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://www.craigpotton.co.nz/Products/published/Maps/maps/waihekeadjacentislands Waiheke & adjacent islands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702093053/http://www.craigpotton.co.nz/Products/published/Maps/maps/waihekeadjacentislands |date=2 July 2007 }} (map information from the [[New Zealand Department of Conservation|DOC]], via Craig Potton Publishing website)</ref>

Approximately 17,000 years ago during the [[Last Glacial Maximum]] when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, Waiheke Island was landlocked to the North Island, surrounded by a vast coastal plain where the [[Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana]] exists today. Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, after which Waiheke became an island separated from the rest of New Zealand.<ref name="Niwa">{{Cite web| title = Estuary origins |url=https://niwa.co.nz/te-kuwaha/tools-and-resources/ng%C4%81-waihotanga-iho-the-estuary-monitoring-toolkit-for-iwi/estuary-origins | publisher = [[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research]]| access-date = 3 November 2021}}</ref>

===Geology===

Much of eastern Waiheke island is the remains of a [[Miocene]] volcano of the Kiwitahi Group, which erupted approximately 15 million years ago.<ref name="OceanFire">{{cite book|title=Out of the Ocean, Into the Fire |last1=Hayward |first1=Bruce W. |author-link1=Bruce Hayward |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-473-39596-4 |publisher=Geoscience Society of New Zealand |pages=134–147}}</ref> There are locations of interest to geologists: an [[argillite]] outcrop in [[Ōmiha]], and a [[chert]] stack at the end of Pohutukawa Point, considered "one of the best exposures of folded chert in Auckland City".<ref>[http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/hgi/docs/hgiApp03.pdf Appendix 3 – Character statements for conservation areas] (from the [[Auckland City]] [[District Plan]] – Hauraki Gulf Islands Section – Proposed 2006). Accessed 2008-02-12.</ref>

===Beaches===
There are many scenic beaches, including:
*'''Oneroa Beach''' – The main beach, on the northern side of the town of [[Oneroa, New Zealand|Oneroa]]. It has free BBQ facilities, public toilets and a swing for children. 
*'''Little Oneroa Beach''' – A small secluded beach at the east end of Oneroa Beach, separated by a protruding cliff wall. It has free BBQ facilities, public toilets and a children's playground.
*'''Palm Beach''' – Similar in shape to Oneroa Beach (complete with protruding cliff wall at the east end that separates a small private beach in Boatshed Bay), it gets its name from the mature phoenix palms at the east end, where a public toilet and free BBQ facilities are also located. There is a children's playground in the middle section of the beach which also has a free BBQ area, public toilets and an outdoor public shower.
*'''Little Palm Beach''' – A small [[Nude beach|clothes-optional beach]] (by custom) at the west end of [[Palm Beach, New Zealand|Palm Beach]].<ref>{{cite web|website=Culture Trip|url=https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/best-nudist-beaches-new-zealand/|last=Coates|first=Joe|title=The Best Nudist Beaches in New Zealand|date=28 January 2018|access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="NZGuide">{{cite web|website=newzealandguide|url=https://newzealandguide.co/best-nudist-beaches-in-new-zealand/|title=The 10 Best Nudist Beaches in New Zealand|date=23 October 2021|access-date=24 October 2021}}</ref> New Zealand has no official nude beaches, as public nudity is legal on any beach where it is "known to occur".<ref>{{cite court|litigants=Ceramalus v Police|reporter=AP No 76/91|court=[[High Court of New Zealand]]|date=5 July 1991}}</ref>
*'''Blackpool Beach''' – The south-facing counterpart of Oneroa Beach, lining Blackpool and popular for kayaking and windsurfing.
*'''Surfdale Beach''' – A zoned-in beach on the southern side of [[Surfdale]], separated from Blackpool Beach by a small protruding peninsula, which has a scenic unsealed route called The Esplanade linking the beaches. Popular for [[kitesurfing]]. Also has a free BBQ area and children's playground.
*'''Onetangi Beach''' – A {{convert|1.87|km|mi|adj=mid|abbr=off}} long, north-facing beach lining [[Onetangi, New Zealand|Onetangi]], a Māori name meaning "weeping sands".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=11199910|title=Kia ora: Onetangi|last=Easther|first=Elisabeth|date=2014-02-13|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=2017-10-18|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}</ref> For many years it has been the site of the Onetangi Beach Horse Races. Its western end, often inaccessible at high tide, is clothes-optional. It has sandcastle-building contests annually; participants have a few hours to build their creations in soft sand that is free of shells and suitable for digging. Free BBQ and public facilities.
*'''Cactus Bay''' – Considered by many Waihekeans as the most perfect beach and, with nearby Garden Cove, a romantic place for picnicking. The beach is accessible only by boat or kayak, as its land access was blocked off by a private landowner.
*'''Shelly Beach''' – A small and well sheltered shell and stone beach located between Oneroa and [[Ostend, New Zealand|Ostend]]. It has free BBQ facilities, a public toilet and a diving platform located just off shore. It is a popular choice with families as at high tide, it is often calm and flat – ideal for children (but not sandy).

{{Gallery
|title=Beaches on Waiheke Island
|width=180
|align=center
|File:Onetangi beach.jpg
 |{{center|Onetangi Beach}}
|File:Sandcastle on Waiheke Island New Zealand.jpg
 |{{center|Sandcastle on Oneroa Beach}}
|File:Palm Beach New Zealand.jpg
 |{{center|Palm Beach}}
}}

==Climate==
[[File:Onetangi-reserve.jpg|thumb|Native bush in Onetangi Reserve]]
Waiheke, like Auckland, experiences a subtropical climate according to the [[Trewartha climate classification]], and an oceanic climate according to the [[Köppen climate classification]]. The region lies 13° of latitude south of the Tropic of Capricorn, so tropical plants which are protected for the winter months will flower and fruit in the summer, and cold climate vegetables planted in autumn will mature in early spring. Summers tend to be warm and humid, while winters are relatively mild with frost being a rare event on Waiheke.

Rainfall is typically plentiful, though dry spells may occur during the summer months which can be problematic for many of the island residents, the vast majority of whom rely on [[rainwater harvesting]] from residential roofs for drinking and household use. During such dry periods (typically 3–4 months between December and March), the island's water-delivery trucks can be seen replenishing residential water tanks that have run dry.

It is often anecdotally said by locals that Waiheke has a different micro-climate from the [[Auckland isthmus]]. Though little data supports this, the following data from a [[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research|NIWA]] report<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.niwa.co.nz/static/Auckland%20ClimateWEB.pdf|title=Auckland Climate|publisher=NIWA|access-date=21 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.niwa.co.nz/sites/niwa.co.nz/files/updated_2011_annual_stats_final.pdf|title=Statistics for the 2011 Annual Climate Summary|publisher=NIWA|access-date=21 October 2015}}</ref> suggests Waiheke receives over 100 hours more sunshine a year than other parts of Auckland.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Annual mean temperature !! Annual precipitation !! Annual sunshine hours
|-
| 15.2c || 1461mm|| 2100
|}

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location = Awaroa Valley, Waiheke Island (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1984–present)
| Jan record high C = 31.2
| Feb record high C = 30.0
| Mar record high C = 29.0
| Apr record high C = 26.5
| May record high C = 23.5
| Jun record high C = 21.0
| Jul record high C = 19.8
| Aug record high C = 19.6
| Sep record high C = 22.5
| Oct record high C = 24.0
| Nov record high C = 26.4
| Dec record high C = 29.7
| year record high C = 31.2
| Jan avg record high C  = 27.5
| Feb avg record high C  = 28.0
| Mar avg record high C  = 26.7
| Apr avg record high C  = 24.6
| May avg record high C  = 21.7
| Jun avg record high C  = 19.0
| Jul avg record high C  = 17.8
| Aug avg record high C  = 18.5
| Sep avg record high C  = 20.1
| Oct avg record high C  = 21.2
| Nov avg record high C  = 23.6
| Dec avg record high C  = 25.8
| year avg record high C = 28.2
|Jan high C = 	24.3
|Feb high C = 	25.0
|Mar high C = 	23.5
|Apr high C = 	21.2
|May high C = 	18.5
|Jun high C = 	16.0
|Jul high C = 	15.2
|Aug high C = 	15.7
|Sep high C = 	17.0
|Oct high C = 	18.4
|Nov high C = 	20.1
|Dec high C = 	22.3
| year high C = 	
|Jan mean C = 	19.4
|Feb mean C = 	20.0
|Mar mean C = 	18.4
|Apr mean C = 	16.4
|May mean C = 	14.1
|Jun mean C = 	12.0
|Jul mean C = 	11.1
|Aug mean C = 	11.6
|Sep mean C = 	12.8
|Oct mean C = 	14.2
|Nov mean C = 	15.7
|Dec mean C = 	18.0
| year mean C = 	
|Jan low C = 	14.5
|Feb low C = 	15.0
|Mar low C = 	13.3
|Apr low C = 	11.5
|May low C = 	9.7
|Jun low C = 	8.0
|Jul low C = 	6.9
|Aug low C = 	7.5
|Sep low C = 	8.7
|Oct low C = 	10.0
|Nov low C = 	11.2
|Dec low C = 	13.6
| Jan avg record low C  = 9.2
| Feb avg record low C  = 10
| Mar avg record low C  = 8.2
| Apr avg record low C  = 5.6
| May avg record low C  = 2.8
| Jun avg record low C  = 1.3
| Jul avg record low C  = 0.1
| Aug avg record low C  = 1.4
| Sep avg record low C  = 3.1
| Oct avg record low C  = 4.5
| Nov avg record low C  = 5.4
| Dec avg record low C  = 8.3
| year avg record low C = -0.3
|Jan record low C  = 5.7
|Feb record low C  = 7.6
|Mar record low C  = 3.5
|Apr record low C  = 2.4
|May record low C  =  -1.7
|Jun record low C  = -1.6
|Jul record low C  = -2.0
|Aug record low C  = -1.5
|Sep record low C  = -0.6
|Oct record low C  = 0.0
|Nov record low C  = 3.0
|Dec record low C  = 4.6
|year record low C = -2.0
| year low C = 	
|rain colour = green	
|Jan rain mm = 	66.5
|Feb rain mm = 	75.4
|Mar rain mm = 	94.6
|Apr rain mm = 	105.2
|May rain mm = 	118.5
|Jun rain mm = 	138.9
|Jul rain mm = 	153.6
|Aug rain mm = 	134.7
|Sep rain mm = 	106.6
|Oct rain mm = 	91.8
|Nov rain mm = 	76.0
|Dec rain mm = 	95.7
|year rain mm = 	
|source 1 = NIWA<ref name= NIWA>
{{cite web
|url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz
|title = CliFlo – National Climate Database : Waiheke Island, Awaroa Valley
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 20 May 2024}}</ref><ref name=NIWA2>{{cite web
|url = https://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/
|title = CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent numbers: 1496)
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 14 July 2024}}</ref>
}}

==History==
[[File:Putiki in the Island of Waiheke.jpg|thumb|''Putiki in the Island of Waiheke'', a 19th-century watercolour by Thomas Hutton]]
[[File:Alfred Sharpe - A golden eve, Waiheke Island - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''A golden eve, Waiheke Island'' (1890), painting by [[Alfred Sharpe (New Zealand)|Alfred Sharpe]], in the [[Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]]]]

The islands of the Hauraki Gulf have been settled since the archaic period of [[Māori history]], and were visited by many of the [[Māori migration canoes|migratory canoes]] such as ''[[Aotea (canoe)|Aotea]]'', ''[[Tākitimu]]'', and ''[[Mātaatua]]''.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan">{{Cite web| date=2013 | title = Auckland Council District Plan – Hauraki Gulf Islands Section – Operative 2013: The history of human settlement of the islands |url=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/hgidecision/docs/hgiAnn01a.pdf | publisher = [[Auckland City Council]]| access-date = 15 April 2022}}</ref> Only the largest islands such as [[Great Barrier Island|Aotea / Great Barrier Island]] and Waiheke sustained permanent settlements.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> The forests on the western side of Waiheke Island were likely heavily damaged in the 14th century eruptions of [[Rangitoto Island]].<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> During 18th and early 19th centuries, the eastern side of Waiheke was forested by ancient [[Agathis|kauri]] trees, while [[Kunzea ericoides|kānuka]] and [[Leptospermum scoparium|mānuka]] bushes dominated the vegetation of the western side, suggesting relatively recent regeneration.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> The original Māori name for Waiheke was apparently {{lang|mi|Te Motu-arai-roa}}, 'the long sheltering island',<ref name="museum">{{Cite web |url=http://www.waihekemuseum.org.nz/ |title=Waiheke Museum |access-date=20 December 2013 |archive-date=14 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214072702/http://www.waihekemuseum.org.nz/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> but at the time the first European visitors arrived it was known as {{lang|mi|Motu-Wai-Heke}}, 'island of trickling waters'<ref name="museum"/> — rendered as ''Motu Wy Hake'' by James Downie, master of the store ship [[HMS Malabar (1804)|HMS ''Coromandel'']], in his 1820 chart of the Tamaki Strait and the Coromandel coast.<ref name="museum"/>

Waiheke Island has historically been settled by various tribes, especially the [[Marutūāhu]] collective tribes of [[Ngāti Maru (Hauraki)|Ngāti Maru]] and [[Ngāti Pāoa]].<ref name="Royal">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/marutuahu-tribes |title=Marutūahu tribes |first1=Te Ahukaramū Charles |last1=Royal |author-link1=Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal |date=2 September 2011 |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref> Waiheke Island was the site of many battles between Ngāti Pāoa and [[Ngāpuhi]] from the [[Bay of Islands]], up until the late 18th century.<ref name="Ballara">{{cite book |title=Taua: 'musket wars', 'land wars' or tikanga?: warfare in Maori society in the early nineteenth century  |last1=Ballara |first1=Angela |author-link1=Angela Ballara |year=2003 |publisher=Penguin |location=Auckland |isbn=9780143018896 |chapter=Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) |pages=177–179}}</ref> In the 1790s, sealing and whaling ships underwent repairs primarily on Waiheke Island.<ref name="GovtNgatiPaoaDeed">{{Cite web| date=March 2021 | title = Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims |url=https://www.govt.nz/assets/Documents/OTS/Ngati-Paoa/2021-03-20-N-Paoa-Deed-of-Settlement-Historical-Claims.pdf |author1=[[Ngāti Pāoa]] |author2=The Trustees of the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust |author3=[[New Zealand Government]] | publisher = [[New Zealand Government]]| access-date = 10 November 2021}}</ref>

The island was briefly depopulated during the [[Musket Wars]], when Ngāti Pāoa and other [[Tāmaki Māori]] sought refuge in areas such as the [[Waikato]]. When Ngāti Pāoa returned to Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), they primarily settled on Waiheke.<ref name="GovtNgatiPaoaDeed"/> After the wars, the Ngāti Pāoa community of Waiheke were mostly based at Pūtiki Bay.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/>
[[File:Waiheke pā site Te Pūtiki o Kahumatamomoe 2.jpg|thumb|The pā site Te Pūtiki o Kahumatamomoe, aka Te Pūtiki o Kahu, photographed from the Stonyridge Vineyard on Waiheke.]]

In 1836, Thomas Maxwell established a [[shipyard]] at Man o'War Bay in eastern Waiheke, using local timber to build and repair ships.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> Ngāti Pāoa quickly engaged with the emerging industries, helping to supply timber and food for European ships.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> Ngāti Pāoa established wheat and vegetable plantations on the eastern bays of the island.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> The shipbuilding industry remained on the island until the 1860s, after which the eastern farming plantations quickly became disused.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> Ngāti Pāoa at Te Huruhi continued to supply produce to Auckland until the early 20th century.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> Much of the firewood and building timber supplied to the growing city of [[Auckland]] was supplied by Waiheke Island forests, while shingle and sand from Owhanake and Hooks Bay was used for concrete manufacturing, up until the 1920s.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> The island was also home to [[manganese]] mines between 1872 and 1900 (briefly first established in the 1840s).<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/>

[[File:Man O'War Bay, 1078677 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Photograph of Man O'War Bay by [[Arthur Breckon]]]]

Large private land purchases occurred on Waiheke between 1836 and 1840s, followed by large crown land purchases in the 1850s.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> By the 1850s, the only Ngāti Pāoa land that remained on the island was a 2,100 acre section at Te Huruhi (near the modern suburb of Blackpool).<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> Through a process of individualisation of land titled, the [[Māori Land Court]] split the Te Huruhi block between 65 individuals, and by 1914 most of the block had been sold to private interests.<ref name="GovtNgatiPaoaDeed"/>  By the end of the 19th century, the island was increasingly deforested, and land was increasingly used for cattle pastures.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/>

In the late 1800s or early 1900s the island was owned by a man named Frank Bell, which caused the island to be previously known as Bell's Island.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 March 1932 |title=OBITUARY |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19320324.2.19 |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}</ref>

When shipping companies began offering occasional trips to the island in the 1880s, Waiheke emerged as a seaside resort. Day trips to Waiheke and Motutapu by steamers became a common recreational excursion, and boarding houses began to flourish at the south-eastern bays of the island.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/> In 1915, Aucklanders were offered the chance to buy affordable land at [[Ostend, New Zealand|Ostend]], the first subdivision of Waiheke. The naming of these new subdivisions reveal the central role of beach life to the identity of the island. The winner of a competition naming the [[Surfdale]] subdivision was awarded a parcel of land near the beach. A section of land could be bought for a small deposit on top of a cost of 8 pence a day and was promoted as a sound investment, however, a level of self sufficiency was required for life on the island as electricity only arrived in 1954.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|last=Groufsky|first=Jane|date=20 May 2020|title=Changing Waiheke|url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/stories/blog/2020/changing-waiheke|access-date=18 May 2021|website=[[Auckland War Memorial Museum]]}}</ref> These land offers were not open to Māori. Ostend and Surfdale were joined by additional subdivisions at Palm Beach, Rocky Bay and Oneroa in the 1920s.<ref name="Auckland Council District Plan"/>

During [[World War II]], three gun emplacements were built at [[Stony Batter]] on the eastern edge to protect Allied shipping in [[Waitematā Harbour]], in the fear that Japanese ships might reach New Zealand. This mirrored developments at [[North Head, New Zealand|North Head]] and [[Rangitoto Island]]. The guns were never [[wikt:fire in anger#English|fired in anger]]. The empty emplacements can be visited seven days a week. The extensive tunnels below them have also opened as a tourist attraction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waihekeshipping.co.nz/stonybatter.html |title=Stony Batter |access-date=2009-08-20 |archive-date=16 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616184252/http://www.waihekeshipping.co.nz/stonybatter.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1999 Waiheke's community board voted Waiheke as a "[[genetic engineering]] free zone",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ge-free.co.nz/PDF/December1999newsletter.pdf|title=GE Free NZ Newsletter, December 1999 – Rage Inc.|page=Page 2|access-date=25 December 2007|archive-date=3 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303215753/http://ge-free.co.nz/PDF/December1999newsletter.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> but this is a matter of principle rather than fact, as only national government controls exist over genetically engineered foods and grains.

==Demographics==
===Population===
[[File:Oneroa.jpg|thumb|right|Oneroa Beach showing some of the settlements]]
Waiheke Island SA3 statistical area, which also includes the smaller islands of the Hauraki Gulf, such as [[Ponui Island]], [[Pakihi Island]] and [[Rotoroa Island]], none of which have a substantial population, covers {{Convert|112.17|km2||abbr=on}}.<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Statistical Area 3 2023 (generalised)|access-date=1 February 2025}}</ref> It had an estimated population of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa West|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa East-Palm Beach|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Surfdale|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Ostend|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Onetangi|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Waiheke East|y}}|R}}|0}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|({{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa West|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Oneroa East-Palm Beach|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Surfdale|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Ostend|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Onetangi|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Waiheke East|y}}|R}})/112.17|0}} people per km<sup>2</sup>.

Most people live close to the western end,<ref name="SB">[http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=34076 Stony Batter Historic Reserve, Waiheke Island]. [[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]].</ref> or near the isthmus between [[Huruhi Bay]] and [[Oneroa Bay]], which at its narrowest is only {{convert|600|m|abbr=off}} wide.<ref name=community>{{cite web |url=http://waiheke.aucklandnz.com/information/community.html |title=Community |publisher=Tourism Auckland |access-date=13 November 2010 |archive-date=6 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206191000/http://waiheke.aucklandnz.com/information/community.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The settlements of [[Oneroa, New Zealand|Oneroa]] and [[Blackpool, New Zealand|Blackpool]] are the furthest west, followed by [[Palm Beach, New Zealand|Palm Beach]], [[Surfdale]], and [[Ostend, New Zealand|Ostend]]. Further east lies [[Onetangi]], on the northern coast of the wide [[Onetangi Bay]].<ref name=community/> To the south of this on the opposing coast is [[Whakanewha Regional Park]], [[Whakanewha]], and [[Ōmiha]] (also called 'Rocky Bay'). Much of the [[Rural Waiheke|eastern half]] of the island is privately owned farmland<ref name=community/> and vineyards, with a small settlement at [[Orapiu]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.noted.co.nz/culture/where-to-go-in-auckland/waiheke-island-where-to-go-what-to-do/|title=Walking 'The Dog': Where to wander on Waiheke Island|last=Noted|website=Noted|language=en|access-date=2019-06-19|archive-date=25 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125095622/https://www.noted.co.nz/culture/where-to-go-in-auckland/waiheke-island-where-to-go-what-to-do/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Waiheke is a popular holiday spot, and during the main summer season, especially around Christmas and Easter, its population increases substantially due to the number of holiday homes being rented out, corporate functions and dance parties at vineyards and restaurants, the Wine Festival and the Jazz Festival and weekend trippers from around the country and the world. The population increases significantly, almost all homes and [[Bach (New Zealand)|bach]]es are full and a festive atmosphere exists.

A downside of tourism is that short-term "[[Airbnb]]" type-accommodation is said to be causing a shortage of homes available for locals to rent on a long-term basis, leading to a housing crises.<ref name="housing crises">{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/526024/waiheke-island-facing-most-acute-housing-crisis-of-anywhere-in-new-zealand/ |title=Waiheke Island facing most acute housing crisis of anywhere in New Zealand |publisher=RNZ |access-date=13 November 2024 }}</ref> Some have suggested this has been caused by overseas residents returning to their homes as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and other international pressures.<ref name="housing shortage">{{cite web |url=https://waihekepropertyrentals.co.nz/latest-news/where-have-all-the-properties-gone/ |title=Where have all the properties gone? |access-date=13 November 2024 }}</ref> The island has the fourth highest homeless population of any local board in the Auckland region, despite having one of the lowest overall populations.<ref name="Housing regulation">{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/525599/calls-for-regulation-on-short-stay-rentals-as-waiheke-island-faces-housing-crisis |title=Calls for regulation on short-stay rentals as Waiheke Island faces housing crisis |publisher=RNZ |access-date=13 November 2024 }}</ref> While the number of homeless people per capita is high, over a third of the island's houses are unoccupied, and overtourism is blamed. This situation has led to growing calls for short-stay rental regulations to be introduced.<ref name="Project Waiheke">{{cite web |url=https://www.foreverwaiheke.com/news-pfw/2022/2/8/pfw-news-update-february-2022 |title=Time to rethink tourism |access-date=13 November 2024 }}</ref>

===Social composition===
{{Historical populations|2006|7,716|2013|8,259|2018|9,033|2023|9,093|percentages=pagr|align=left|source=<ref name="Census 2018">{{NZ census 2018|Oneroa West (144600), Oneroa East-Palm Beach (146900), Surfdale (147600), Ostend (148700), Onetangi (151100) and Waiheke East (151700)}}</ref><ref name="Census 2023"/>}}
Waiheke Island SA3 statistical area had a population of 9,093 in the [[2023 New Zealand census]], an increase of 60 people (0.7%) since the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], and an increase of 834 people (10.1%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. There were 4,473 males, 4,578 females and 42 people of [[non-binary gender|other genders]] in 3,837 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%2Bdo1.50850%2B144600%2B146900%2B147600%2B148700%2B151100%2B151700.2023&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> 6.3% of people identified as [[LGBTQ|LGBTIQ+]]. The median age was 48.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,188 people (13.1%) aged under 15 years, 1,188 (13.1%) aged 15 to 29, 4,533 (49.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,184 (24.0%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 87.9% [[European New Zealanders|European]] ([[Pākehā]]); 12.3% [[Māori people|Māori]]; 5.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); 4.6% [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]]; 3.6% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]]; and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.8%, Māori language by 3.2%, Samoan by 0.4%, and other languages by 16.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.2% (e.g. too young to talk). [[New Zealand Sign Language]] was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 33.8%, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Religious affiliations were 20.6% [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 1.1% [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhist]], 0.8% [[New Age]], 0.7% [[Māori religious beliefs]], 0.5% [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hindu]], 0.3% [[Judaism in New Zealand|Jewish]], 0.1% [[Islam in New Zealand|Islam]], and 1.7% other religions. People who answered that they had [[Irreligion in New Zealand|no religion]] were 67.6%, and 6.9% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,619 (33.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,501 (44.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,782 (22.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,206 people (15.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,615 (45.7%) were employed full-time, 1,425 (18.0%) were part-time, and 153 (1.9%) 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.50850.2013%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=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Waiheke Island (50850)}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Individual SA2 statistical areas
|-
!Name !! Area<br/>(km<sup>2</sup>) !! Population !! Density<br/>(per km<sup>2</sup>) || Dwellings !! Median age !! Median<br/>income
|-
| [[Oneroa, New Zealand|Oneroa West]] || style="text-align:right;"|8.42 || style="text-align:right;"|1,344 || style="text-align:right;"|160 || style="text-align:right;"|660 || 53.1 years || $39,300<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_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.144600.2013%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=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Oneroa West}}</ref>
|-
| [[Palm Beach, New Zealand|Oneroa East-Palm Beach]] || style="text-align:right;"|3.67 || style="text-align:right;"|1,242 || style="text-align:right;"|338 || style="text-align:right;"|543 || 51.2 years || $41,100<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_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.146900.2013%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=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Oneroa East-Palm Beach}}</ref>
|-
| [[Surfdale]] || style="text-align:right;"|2.61 || style="text-align:right;"|2,058 || style="text-align:right;"|789 || style="text-align:right;"|795 || 44.7 years || $41,100<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_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.147600.2013%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=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Surfdale}}</ref>
|-
| [[Ostend, New Zealand|Ostend]] || style="text-align:right;"|3.91 || style="text-align:right;"|1,983 || style="text-align:right;"|507 || style="text-align:right;"|774 || 46.2 years || $35,600<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_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.148700.2013%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=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Ostend}}</ref>
|-
| [[Onetangi]] || style="text-align:right;"|5.96 || style="text-align:right;"|1,368 || style="text-align:right;"|230 || style="text-align:right;"|579 || 48.4 years || $41,100<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_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.151100.2013%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=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Onetangi}}</ref>
|-
| [[Ōmiha#Waiheke East|Waiheke East]] || style="text-align:right;"|87.58 || style="text-align:right;"|1,092 || style="text-align:right;"|12 || style="text-align:right;"|486 || 51.6 years || $39,200<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_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.151700.2013%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=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Waiheke East}}</ref>
|-
! New Zealand !! !! !! !! !! 38.1 years !! style="text-align:left;"| $41,500
|}

==Governance==
The Waiheke Road District was formed  26 September 1867 but no road board was ever formed to administer this area. In 1921 the [[Orapiu]] and [[Ostend, New Zealand|Ostend]] road districts were formed. In 1946 Ostend was renamed Western Waiheke and enlarged. Orapiu and Western Waiheke were merged in 1955 to become the Waiheke Road District, which was dissolved 1 April 1970 when Waiheke County was formed to replace it.<ref name="bloomfield">{{cite book | last=Bloomfield | first=Gerald Taylor | title=The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840-1971 | publisher=Auckland University Press | publication-place=Auckland | date=1973 | isbn=0-19-647714-X |page=127–128}}</ref>

===Amalgamation with Auckland City, later Auckland Council===
In 1989 Waiheke County Council was amalgamated with Auckland City Council as part of Local Government restructuring of that year.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In 1990 the Waiheke Community Board formally requested the right to de-amalgamate from the city. A 'De-amalgamation Committee' was established by Council to facilitate the Board's wish. However, this proved not to be to the liking of most of Auckland's citizens. In 1991, the city responded to a campaign run by a pro-union group, the Waiheke Island Residents & Ratepayers Association (Inc) by holding a democratic referendum. The de-amalgamation proposal sponsored by the Community Board was defeated.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In 2008, the [[Royal Commission on Auckland Governance]] received 3,080 submissions (from a population of 1.2 million), 737 of which were made by Waihekeans (population 8,500), almost 1/4 of all submissions.<ref>"[https://www.parliament.nz/resource/0000075892]". ''Royal Commission on Auckland Governance Te Kōmihana a te Karauna mō te Mana Whakahaere o Tāmaki-makau-rau Report Volume 3: Summary of Submissions. March 2009 Page 5''</ref> A public meeting of 150 residents on 29 March 2008 found a majority in favour of breaking away from Auckland City.<ref>"[http://www.waihekegulfnews.co.nz/other-news/a-show-of-hands-says-it-all.html A show of hands says it all] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415080106/http://www.waihekegulfnews.co.nz/other-news/a-show-of-hands-says-it-all.html |date=15 April 2008 }}". ''Waiheke Gulf News''. 3 April 2008.</ref> The Royal Commission<ref>''[http://www.royalcommission.govt.nz/rccms.nsf/CONTENTPAGES/D4F8548EA9F021D1CC25758500432461/$FILE/Vol1ExecSumm.pdf?open Royal Commission Executive Summary report]'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411072842/http://www.royalcommission.govt.nz/rccms.nsf/CONTENTPAGES/D4F8548EA9F021D1CC25758500432461/$FILE/Vol1ExecSumm.pdf?open |date=11 April 2009 }}</ref> recommended that Waiheke Island retain its community board with enhanced powers. When [[Auckland Council]] was created in 2010 by amalgamating seven councils and territorial authorities and [[Auckland Regional Council]], Waiheke was given its own local board.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

The Waiheke Local Board was elected in the [[2010 Auckland local elections|October 2010 Auckland local elections]] as part of the Auckland Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/LocalBoards/Pages/Waihekelocalboard.aspx|title=Waiheke local board|publisher=Auckland Council|access-date=14 November 2010}}</ref>

The 2010 local elections resulted in Waiheke resident [[Mike Lee (New Zealand politician)|Mike Lee]] becoming the Councillor for the [[Waitemata and Gulf ward]]. [[Denise Roche]], Faye Storer, Jo Holmes, Don McKenzie and Jim Hannan were elected to the new Local Board. After Roche's resignation after becoming a Member of Parliament for the [[Green Party of New Zealand]] in 2011, Paul Walden was elected in a by-election.

In 2013 Lee was re-elected. Paul Walden was re-elected to the Local Board, joined by Beatle Treadwell, Becs Ballard, John Meeuwsen and Shirin Brown.

In 2016, Lee was re-elected. Paul Walden, Shirin Brown and John Meeuwsen were re-elected to the Local Board. Newly elected were Cath Handley and Bob Upchurch.

In 2015–16, the subject of amalgamation remained a hot topic on the island with an application filed with the Local Government Commission from a group called Our Waiheke for a unitary authority.<ref>{{cite web |title=Current applications {{!}} Local Government Commission |url=http://www.lgc.govt.nz/the-reorganisation-process/reorganisation-current-applications/view/waiheke-application/?step=main |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119103229/http://lgc.govt.nz/the-reorganisation-process/reorganisation-current-applications/view/waiheke-application/?step=main |archive-date=2019-01-19 |website=Local Government Commission}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Our Waiheke |url=http://www.ourwaiheke.co.nz/ |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-date=8 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408000355/http://www.ourwaiheke.co.nz/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Lifestyle==
Waiheke's lifestyle is largely influenced by the fact that it is surrounded by water – there are a number of beaches mentioned above, that are popular for a wide range of activities such as kite surfing, kayaking, stand-up-paddle boarding, boating, swimming and other typical beach pursuits.<ref name=":0" />

===Arts and culture===
Waiheke has a community-run cinema,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke Community Cinema |url=https://www.waihekecinema.co.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=waihekecinema.co.nz}}</ref> a theatre<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.artworkstheatre.org.nz/wp/ |title=Artworks Theatre |access-date=12 April 2016 |archive-date=22 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422124757/http://www.artworkstheatre.org.nz/wp/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> that hosts a number of regular musicians, performances and local productions, and a library<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke Library |url=https://www.facebook.com/waihekelibrary |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en}}</ref> that was rebuilt in 2014 at the cost of $6 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Worthy |first=Diana |date=2014-07-29 |title=Library opens with fanfare $6.1m project celebrated |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/waiheke-marketplace/10327644/Library-opens-with-fanfare-6-1m-project-celebrated |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> There are a large number of art galleries run by private individuals across the island, along with a community art gallery.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke Community Art Gallery |url=https://waihekeartgallery.org.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=waihekeartgallery.org.nz |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

Waiheke has become internationally known for the biennial exhibition [[Sculpture on the Gulf]], an "outdoor sculpture exhibition set on a spectacular coastal walkway on Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf".<ref>Headland: Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke Island http://sculptureonthegulf.co.nz/</ref> It takes place towards the end of January until approximately mid-March every second year. It was listed by the ''New York Times'' as number 35 in its list of 46 must-see places and events of 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bloch |first1=Matt |last2=DeSantis |first2=Alicia |last3=Ericson |first3=Matt |last4=Koski |first4=Ben |last5=Robinson |first5=Josh |last6=Times |first6=Josh Williams/The New York |title=The 46 Places to Go in 2013 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/01/10/travel/2013-places-to-go.html |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=www.nytimes.com |language=en}}</ref> The sculpture walk attracts thousands of visitors to Waiheke; in 2013, there were more than 30,000 attendees.<ref>Scoop Media, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1302/S00332/record-numbers-at-sculpture-exhibition.htm</ref>

===Sports===
Waiheke has a number of sports teams and facilities on the island. [[Rugby union]], [[cricket]], [[rugby league]], football and [[netball]] are widely played and followed.

There are three main sports facilities on the island: 
* '''Onetangi Sports Park''': surrounded by the Whakanewha Regional Park<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Whakanewha Regional Park |url=http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks-recreation/Pages/park-details.aspx?Location=3422 |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Auckland Council |language=en}}</ref> several vineyards and the Waiheke golf course<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke Golf Club |url=https://www.facebook.com/WaihekeGolfClub |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en}}</ref> lies the idyllic setting for the Onetangi Sports Park.  It is home to multiple sports groups such as the Waiheke Tennis club, [[Waiheke United AFC]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke United AFC |url=https://www.facebook.com/WaihekeUnitedAfc |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en}}</ref> Waiheke Rugby,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.waihekerugby.net.nz/ |title=Waiheke Rugby |access-date=12 April 2016 |archive-date=5 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205054113/http://waihekerugby.net.nz/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Waiheke Cricket, Waiheke Mountain Bike Club<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to WMBC |url=https://www.wmbc.co.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Waiheke Mountain Bike Club |language=en-US}}</ref> and an 18-hole Frisbee (Disc) Golf<ref>{{Cite web |title=Onetangi Sports Park |url=https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2261 |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Disc Golf Course Review}}</ref> course.
* '''Ostend Sports Park''': located in the centre of the urban area, it is home to the Waiheke Rams rugby club and the Waiheke Dolphins netball teams.
* '''The Waiheke Recreation Centre''': a large indoor multi-sports facility that is used by the High School during term time (days) and at nights and weekends offers a wide range of activities such as badminton, basketball, gymnastics, martial arts and other activities.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Home |url=https://waihekerecreationcentre.org.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Waiheke Recreation Centre |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

==Education==<!---Waiheke High School redirects here-->
Waiheke Island has two primary schools and one secondary school. It is the only island in New Zealand, other than the North and South Islands, with a secondary school.

In 2016, the New Zealand Government Education Minister announced a $40 million school rebuild project for Waiheke.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Worthy |first=Diana |date=2016-08-03 |title=Education Minister awards $40 million to Waiheke schools |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/82778784/education-minister-awards-40-million-to-waiheke-schools |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> This was made up of two project announcements: $23 million to Te Huruhi School rebuild project<ref>{{cite web |title=Our New School |url=https://tehuruhi.school.nz/our-school/school-redevelopment/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201092318/https://tehuruhi.school.nz/our-school/school-redevelopment/ |archive-date=2023-02-01 |website=Te Huruhi Primary School}}</ref> to provide three new blocks with 22 new teaching spaces, a new administration area and library and targeted repairs to the existing school hall; and $17m was awarded to the Waiheke High School redevelopment project to build 10 new teaching spaces and improvement to existing facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Schools get $40 million – Waiheke High School |url=http://waihekehigh.school.nz/news/schools-gets-funding/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=waihekehigh.school.nz |language=en-US}}</ref>

Both rebuild project were started in 2019 with an expected completion date of late 2019 / early 2020.

*'''Te Huruhi Primary School'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://tehuruhi.school.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Te Huruhi School |language=en-US}}</ref> is a state contributing primary (Year 1–6) school in Surfdale, and has {{NZ school roll data|1177|y}} students.<ref name="NZ_school_roll_data"/> It opened in 1986 following the split of Waiheke Area School. 
* '''Waiheke Primary School'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke Primary School |url=https://www.waiheke.school.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.waiheke.school.nz |language=en-US}}</ref> is a state full primary (Year 1–8) school in Ostend, and has {{NZ school roll data|6922|y}} students.{{NZ school roll data||||y}} It opened in 2005.
*'''Waiheke High School'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke High School – Whāia te pae tawhiti |url=http://waihekehigh.school.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=waihekehigh.school.nz |language=en-US}}</ref> is a state Year 7–13 secondary school in Surfdale, and has {{NZ school roll data|530|y}} students.<ref name="NZ_school_roll_data"/> It opened in 1986 following the split of Waiheke Area School.

==Transport==
===Ferry===
[[File:Waiheke ferries 681.JPG|thumb|right|Fullers and (now defunct) Explore Waiheke services, crossing paths in July 2015]]
The ferry Baroona, built in Australia in 1904, was the main way to get to the island from the mainland for much of the twentieth century and was known for being a slow and noisy ferry. In 1987, the first of a fleet of new catamaran ferries began to provide more efficient access to and from the island.  The 40 minute journey each way made a daily commute more viable.<ref name=":02"/>

Scheduled ferry services regularly sail to and from Waiheke. There are currently two non-governmental, commercially owned operators providing daily passenger only services from Downtown Auckland to Waiheke's Matiatia wharf: the first is the long-standing [[Fullers Ferries|Fullers]], with trips taking approximately 40 minutes, or around 50 minutes when the service calls at [[Devonport, New Zealand|Devonport]]; and the second is the relative newcomer '''Island Direct''',<ref>[https://islanddirect.co.nz/ Island Direct Ferry Company]</ref> who offer a slightly less frequent, smaller, family-run business alternative<ref>[https://islanddirect.co.nz/blogs/news/david-tanya-todd Meet the Island Direct Family: David & Tanya Todd]</ref>

Meanwhile, [[SeaLink Travel Group|SeaLink]] - also a non-governmental, commercially owned but publicly listed company - provides passenger, car and freight services between [[Half Moon Bay, Auckland|Half Moon Bay]] in East Auckland and Waiheke's Kennedy Point, with trips taking around 50 minutes to an hour. SeaLink also offer a passenger and car "City Service" connecting Kennedy Point with Auckland's [[Wynyard Quarter]].

There have been other ferry services that have tried to compete with Fullers, most recently, Explore Group provided a Matiatia to Downtown service from late 2014 until April 2016. The competition was welcomed by Waiheke residents, but ultimately proved unsustainable for the company.<ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11333677/ Waiheke commuters hail ferry competitor]{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://transportblog.co.nz/2016/04/27/explore-no-more/ | title=Explore No More | access-date=30 June 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427121127/http://transportblog.co.nz/2016/04/27/explore-no-more/ | archive-date=27 April 2016}}</ref>

In recent years, there has been significant controversy with many of Waiheke's resident population who rely on the ferries "like buses" – and especially those who commute daily to work in Auckland – complaining of poor parking arrangements at Matiatia,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=George |date=2012-05-22 |title=Matiatia parking concerns |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/waiheke-marketplace/6969944/Matiatia-parking-concerns |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> unfair price increases<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gavelle |first=Jerome |date=2010-09-28 |title=Fed up with ferry price hikes |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/waiheke-marketplace/4177867/Fed-up-with-ferry-price-hikes |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> and generally poor ferry services.<ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=10951881/ Ferry users make waves, company pledges change]{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This led to the launch of a Ferry User's Group<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ferry User's Group |url=https://fugwaiheke.wordpress.com/ |url-access=registration |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=fugwaiheke.wordpress.com}}</ref> (or FUG) and a "Fuller's Watch" group,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fullerswatch |url=http://fullerswatch.blogspot.co.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=fullerswatch.blogspot.co.nz |language=en}}</ref> with the objective of giving a voice to the island's ferry passengers whilst lobbying local politicians and working with the ferry companies to improve the overall experience.

More recently, there have been moves to try to incorporate the privately owned, commercial ferry businesses into the Auckland Transport Regional Public Transport Plan (AT RPTP), most recently in 2022 when public and political pressure grew as a result of ferry price rises.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/transport-minister-out-of-patience-over-fullers-waiheke-ferry/NPNMP7CXWDKUDAAGKMY5U2PXOQ/ | title=Transport minister 'out of patience' over Fullers Waiheke ferry | access-date=10 Jan 2025}}</ref>  The integration into the AT RPTP would afford closer regulation and fare subsidies, however Fullers Group have managed to resist any change and continues to receive an exemption from the AT RPTP.  In 2023 a detailed [[NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi|Waka Kotahi]] report was published that examined the business case for the removal of the special exemption,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://nzta.govt.nz/assets/About-us/docs/review-of-the-exempt-status-of-fullers360-waiheke-ferry-service-consultants-report-november-2022.pdf | title=Review of the exempt status of Fullers360 Waiheke Ferry Service | access-date=10 Jan 2025}}</ref> however, while the report found there was a “strong case for changing the status” it ultimately fell short of pushing for change<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/301006410/why-the-waiheke-ferry-is-public-transport-but-fares-wont-be-regulated | title=Why the Waiheke ferry is public transport but fares won't be regulated | access-date=10 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Buses===
[[File:Waiheke-bus-network-2019.png|thumb|right|Waiheke Bus Map]]
Waiheke has a reliable and [https://at.govt.nz/media/1976655/waiheke-bus-timetables.pdf fully timetabled public bus service (pdf)] which is operated by Waiheke Bus Company<ref>{{Cite web |title=Waiheke Bus Company |url=https://www.fullers.co.nz/waiheke-commuters-and-services/waiheke-bus-company/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Fullers360 |language=en-US}}</ref> (owned by [[Fullers Group|Fullers]]), and overseen by [[Auckland Transport]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Kia Ora Auckland |url=https://at.govt.nz/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Auckland Transport |language=en-nz}}</ref>

There are five routes operating in a new network from October 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Network for Waiheke |url=https://at.govt.nz/newnetworkwaiheke |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=at.govt.nz}}</ref> Most routes operate to and from the ferry terminal at Matiatia and span outwards across the island towards Palm Beach, Ostend, Rocky Bay and out to Onetangi Beach.  There are no public bus routes towards the Eastern end of the island.

* 50A – Onetangi Beach West, Ostend, Surfdale, Oneroa, Matiatia Ferry Terminal
* 50B – Onetangi Beach East, Ostend, Surfdale (Jellicoe Parade, Wellington Road), Oneroa, Matiatia Ferry Terminal
* 501 – Kennedy Point Wharf to Matiatia Ferry Terminal
* 502 – Ōmiha (Rocky Bay), Ostend, Palm Beach, Blackpool, Oneroa, Matiatia Ferry Terminal
* 503 – Matiatia Ferry Terminal to Oneroa (one-way summer service)

As the island is within one fare zone, fares are flat, regardless of journey length.<ref>{{Cite web |title=simpler-fares-zone-map-web-sept-2016 |url=https://at.govt.nz/media/1966910/simpler-fares-zone-map-web-sept-2016.pdf |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=at.govt.nz}}</ref>

In July 2019, it was announced that Waiheke will get a fleet of electric buses on the island. This will start with six new electric buses in mid-2020, with an additional five to arrive later.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/waiheke-bus-network-gets-electrified/ |title=Waiheke to get electrified buses |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808054655/https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/waiheke-bus-network-gets-electrified/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Air service===
There is one airport on the island, [[Waiheke Island Aerodrome]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Air Transport|publisher=Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development|url=http://waiheke.aucklandnz.com/transport/flights.html|access-date=15 April 2014|archive-date=15 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115045627/http://waiheke.aucklandnz.com/transport/flights.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Waiheke is also accessible via a regular seaplane service.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bradley|first=Grant|title=Seaplane returns to Auckland skies|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=6 December 2013|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11167970}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
The island has less infrastructure than mainland Auckland.

'''Roads:''' The roads are mainly narrow and in many places unsealed and unlit, especially on the eastern half of the island. Except for the Onetangi Straight (60&nbsp;km/h) and the rural eastern end, the island speed limit is 50&nbsp;km/h, and many of the roads see traffic travelling at well under the limit due to their size. At the car ferry terminal at Kennedy Point, the highway department has posted a sign saying "Slow Down, You're here", which delivers the message to visitors about island life.

'''Transport:''' Primary transportation on the island is by privately owned used car, motorbike or car-rental for visitors. The Waiheke Bus Company (owned by Fullers) services most inhabited parts of the island, linking to the ferry sailings from Matiatia and Kennedy Point. Numerous other taxi, shuttle, bus and boutique tour services cater to visitors. Due to the hills, bicycling on the island tends to be more limited, but there is also an active mountain bike group (WMBC). ebikes continue to rise in popularity, with at least two ebike rental companies operating on the island - one located at Matiatia wharf.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eridewaiheke.co.nz/ |title= eRide Waiheke |access-date= 3 December 2024}}</ref> ebikes are increasingly popular with day-trippers and holiday makers who wish to bike around the various sightseeing locations, vineyards and beaches. ebikes are also now a common sight on the ferries to the mainland as more commuters opt for ebike transport to their city working location. Being an island, many people also own small boats and these are visible in multiple harbours, and anchorages around the built up areas.  Walking continues to be a popular means of island transport, both for access and recreation with many walking trails that are not along roads. Horse is popular for recreation rather than transport, but the island does support both a pony club and an adult riding club.

'''Power:''' Waiheke is connected to the North Island's electricity network via twin 33&nbsp;kV undersea cables from [[Maraetai]] on the mainland, terminating on the island at a 33/11&nbsp;kV substation in Ostend. The island's electricity network is operated by Auckland-based lines company [[Vector Limited|Vector]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://blob-static.vector.co.nz/blob/vector/media/amp-2018/vector-electricity-amp-2018-2028.pdf |page= 123 |title= Electricity Asset Management Plan 2018 – 2028 |publisher= [[Vector Limited]] |date= March 2018  |access-date= 3 December 2018}}</ref>

'''Water and waste water:''' Each house must maintain its own water supply, most collecting rainwater in cisterns. Water delivery is available and tends to be very active during dry summers. Except for the Oneroa sewage district which discharges into the Owhanake Treatment plant, each residence and relevant commercial establishments must install a septic tank and septic field to handle sewage. This is a requirement in every building consent.<ref>[http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/bylaw/part29.asp Waiheke Island Bylaw: Part 29 – Waiheke Wastewater] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409224249/http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/bylaw/part29.asp |date=9 April 2009 }}. [[Auckland City Council]].</ref>

'''Internet''': The fibre optic cable that runs from a bay on the southern side of the island connects it to the internet. Internet services were provided using VDSL and ADSL until central government introduced a national fibre optic rollout that included urban parts of Waiheke. Central government also forced the separation of the cable infrastructure from the ISPs, with the fibre backbone being maintained by [[Chorus Limited|Chorus]] which has contracts with numerous ISPs. The locally owned WISP continues to provided wireless internet and some islanders use both services to ensure system redundancy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chorus.co.nz/network-upgrade-map |title= Our Network Capability Map |publisher= Chorus |access-date= 5 August 2014}}</ref>

'''Solid Waste:''' The community established a charitable trust which successfully tendered for Auckland City's contract for solid waste disposal. The recycling centre was implemented with such success that it soon had to be expanded to handle the volume.<ref>[http://www.wrt.org.nz/wrt/about%20us.htm About the Trust] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014032611/http://wrt.org.nz/wrt/about%20us.htm |date=14 October 2008 }}. Waste Resource Trust Waiheke. Retrieved 10 August 2007.</ref> However, when the contract term expired in 2009, the Council voted to disqualify incumbent tenderer Clean Stream Waiheke Ltd and granted Transpacific Industries Group Ltd a $22 million contract. The decision was political.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0906/S00138/community-disregarded-in-waiheke-waste-decision.htm|title=Community Disregarded in Waiheke Waste Decision {{!}} Scoop News|website=scoop.co.nz|access-date=2016-12-18}}</ref>

'''Emergency Services:''' The Waiheke Volunteer Fire Brigade, part of the [[New Zealand Fire Service]], serves the island. The brigade has two stations, at Oneroa<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fire.org.nz/About-Us/All-Regions/Region%201/Pages/Oneroa-Volunteer-Fire-Brigade.html |title=New Zealand Fire Service – Oneroa Volunteer Fire Brigade |publisher=Fire.org.nz |date=2014-11-27 |access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> and at Onetangi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fire.org.nz/About-Us/All-Regions/Region%201/Pages/Onetangi-Volunteer-Fire-Brigade.html |title=New Zealand Fire Service – Onetangi Volunteer Fire Brigade |publisher=Fire.org.nz |date=2014-11-27 |access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref>

'''Media:''' The island has a lively press, with the long-established, independently owned weekly ''Waiheke Gulf News'' and until recently the [[Fairfax Media]] owned ''Waiheke Marketplace'' which closed down in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edmunds |first=Susan |date=2018-04-24 |title=Five community newspapers to close |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/103355023/five-community-newspapers-to-close |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> A community radio station, [[Waiheke Radio]], is broadcasting on 88.3 FM and 107.4 FM after [[Beach FM]] lost its licence in a commercial bid in 2008.

===Matiatia redevelopment===
[[File:Matiatia-closeup.jpg|thumb|The ferry terminal at Matiatia]]
The gateway to Waiheke, where the main pedestrian ferry lands over one million passengers per year, is a valley and harbour called [[Matiatia]]. In 2000 it was purchased by three investors in Waitemata Infrastructure Ltd (WIL). In 2002 WIL proposed to change the Operative District Plan rules for their land to build a major shopping and hotel complex with {{convert|29000|m²|0|abbr=on}} of gross floor area on buildable land of approximately 3 hectares. This united the residents of the island in opposition. Over 1,500 adult residents of the island (out of perhaps 3,000) joined in an incorporated society, the [[Community and People of Waiheke Island]] (CAPOW),<ref>{{Cite web |title=CaPoW: The Community & People of Waiheke, Inc. |url=http://www.capow.info/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608041822/http://www.capow.info/CS/CaPoW/Default.htm |archive-date=2007-06-08 |website=www.capow.info}}</ref> to oppose the private plan change in court. Church Bay resident and former newsreader [[John Hawkesby]] became "the voice of the campaign" that included a showdown with then mayor, John Banks, when Hawkesby made a deputation to the city council hours after the press revealed that Banks was in business with two (of three) directors of WIL.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3596448|title=I've nothing to hide: Banks|last=Orsman|first=Bernard|date=2004-09-30|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=2017-10-18|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}</ref>

In 2004, they won an interlocutory judgement in which the environment court ruled that [[Auckland City Council]] had erred in the rules, and the current rules limited controlled development to {{convert|5000|m²|0|abbr=on}} in what was called the Visitor Facility Precinct. In 2005, CAPOW won an interim judgement by the court which reduced the proposed redevelopment to about a third of what the investors had originally sought.{{efn|See [http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/islands/planmods/h038/PM38EnvDecision.pdf Decision A-055-2005].}}

This set the stage for confidential negotiations between Auckland's mayor [[Dick Hubbard]] and the investors, who on 31 August 2005 (now known as 'Matiatia Day' on the island) sold the stock in WIL to the city for $12.5 million. The unanimous vote on 30 June 2005 of the City Council to approve the purchase was said to have come about because of the unity of the people of Waiheke Island. The court case finally was concluded with permitted development set at 10,000 m2 of mixed use gross floor development. The Court also found Auckland City Council and WIL liable for costs in relationship to the interlocutory judgement. Since WIL was now owned by Council, it had to write a cheque to CAPOW for $18,000, representing 75% of CAPOW's costs on that matter. This final cheque allowed CAPOW to pay all its debts and balance its books.

The Council organised a design competition in 2006 to find a suitable development plan and project for the Matiatia gateway. The competition winner's design (scheme 201) was available for comment on the Council website.<ref>"[http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/matiatia Matiatia land development]{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}". [[Auckland City Council]].</ref> It attracted much criticism for the lack of car parking close to the ferry terminal, the transport hub function used by all islanders regularly and almost daily by around 850 commuters to Auckland.<ref>[http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/members/committeemeetings/urban/a20070301.asp 4.1 Parking Near Ferry Terminal At Matiatia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928000737/http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/members/committeemeetings/urban/a20070301.asp |date=28 September 2007 }} (minutes of the Urban Strategy and Governance Committee of Thursday 1 March 2007, [[Auckland City Council]])</ref>

In 2013, Matiatia again became a hotspot for controversy as a group of residents proposes a private marina at the terminal. Some of the veterans of the protests a decade prior (led by local resident, retired newsreader [[John Hawkesby]]), re-emerged to oppose.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[New Zealand Herald]] |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11181785|author=Wayne Thompson|title=Marina objectors prepare for fight|date=6 January 2014}}</ref> The Environment Court decided in favour of the residents.

In 2023 a new controversial marina opened at Kennedy Point,<ref>{{cite news|work=[[RNZ]] |url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/11/20/controversial-new-marina-opens-on-waiheke-island//|title=Controversial new marina opens on Waiheke Island |date=6 January 2025}}</ref> despite years of resource and environmental court wranglings<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Stuff New Zealand]] |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-detail/300276345/the-detail-the-controversy-behind-waiheke-islands-kennedy-point-marina|title=The Detail: The controversy behind Waiheke Island's Kennedy Point marina |date=6 January 2025}}</ref>

==Wine==
{{main|Waiheke Island wine region}}<!-- some of the below could possibly migrate to this article? -->
[[File:Goldwater vineyard.jpg|thumb|right|Goldwater vineyard]]
[[File:Stony Batter Waiheke Vineyards.jpg|thumb|right|Vineyards near Stony Batter. Unlike the settled western part of the island, the eastern half is mostly agricultural.]]
Waiheke has become known as New Zealand's "island of wine," home to a dedicated group of winegrowers who have successfully matched the [[maritime climate]] and ancient soil structures to the selection of classical grape varieties to produce red and white wines with distinctive varietal character. The climate is well-suited to growing [[Bordeaux wine|Bordeaux]]-type grapes, though some [[Chardonnay]] and [[Sauvignon blanc]] varieties are also considered to be good. Waiheke winegrowers regularly win awards for [[Syrah]] (Kennedy Point's 2007 Syrah won best Syrah in the world in 2009), proving the island's ''[[terroir]]'' suits the variety well. Wines produced on Waiheke are relatively expensive because of the limited size of many of the island's [[vineyard]]s.<ref>"[http://www.wineoftheweek.com/guest/0505ruth.html From Santa Cruz to Waiheke] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016071504/http://www.wineoftheweek.com/guest/0505ruth.html |date=16 October 2008 }}". wineoftheweek.com. 7 May 2005. Accessed 2008-02-12.</ref>

Among the vineyards and wineries on Waiheke Island are:

*'''Awaroa Vineyard''' – The organic Awaroa vineyards lie on west-facing slopes among native bush in the middle of Waiheke Island. [[Syrah]] and [[Cabernet Sauvignon]] are the main varieties planted.
*'''Batch Winery''' – Waiheke's newest hi tech winery production is located at the highest vineyard with views from Coromandel to the Sky Tower. Batch wine portfolio includes Flora, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Batch Fizz sparkling wine, made and bottled on site, range includes Fizz Rose, Fizz Chardonnay and Fizz Riesling.
*'''Cable Bay Vineyards''' – Cable Bay Vineyards makes wines from grapes grown on Waiheke Island and in [[Marlborough Region|Marlborough]]. Varieties grown include [[Gewürztraminer]], [[Sauvignon blanc]], [[Pinot noir]], [[Chardonnay]], Five Hills [[Merlot]]/[[Malbec]]/[[Cabernet Sauvignon|Cabernet]] and [[Rosé]].
*'''Destiny Bay Vineyards''' – Destiny Bay is Waiheke Island's only [[Cabernet Sauvignon|Cabernet]] blend specialist and first fully certified sustainable winery.<ref>The official website of New Zealand Wine. http://www.nzwine.com/winery/destiny-bay/waihekes-first-fully-certified-sustainable-4/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120045649/http://www.nzwine.com/winery/destiny-bay/waihekes-first-fully-certified-sustainable-4/ |date=20 November 2015 }}</ref> The 2007 Magna Praemia is New Zealand's highest rated wine by an international critic, and received 98/100 points by Anthony Dias Blue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destinybaywine.com/documents/The_Tasting_Panel_June2011_DestinyBay_web.pdf |title=Blues Reviews, Tasting Panel |date=June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.tastingpanelmag.com/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=The Tasting Panel |language=en-US}}</ref> Magna Praemia is New Zealand's most expensive wine.<ref>Wine-Searcher.com. [http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-135918-0001-destiny-bay-magna-praemia-waiheke-island-new-zealand], 20 November 2015</ref>
*'''Edbrooke Vineyard''' – Jeremy Edbrooke has over {{convert|7|acre|m2}} planted in [[Merlot]], [[Cabernet Franc]], [[Chardonnay]] and [[Pinot gris]] grapes which are supplied to Waiheke Island's Passage Rock Wines.
*'''Eventide Vineyard''' – Eventide is a boutique vineyard producing an annual Syrah.  The vineyard was planted in 2012 and sits atop one of the highest points on Waiheke.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://eventide.co.nz/about/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Eventide |language=en-NZ}}</ref> It is located next to EcoZip – a commercial flying fox.  Visitors to ecozip can "fly" over the Eventide vines and down through 15 acres of spectacular native (Podocarp) rainforest that is jointly managed by the two enterprises<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Zipline Companies NZ {{!}} EcoZip Adventures |url=https://www.ecozipadventures.co.nz/information/about-us/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.ecozipadventures.co.nz |language=en-NZ}}</ref>
*'''Fenton Estate''' – First planted in 1989, Fenton Twin Bays Vineyard is a north-facing property that spans two small bays separated by a [[peninsula]].
*'''Goldwater Estate''' – Begun by pioneering Waiheke winemakers Kim and Jeanette Goldwater, Goldwater Estate was among the first wine making operations on Waiheke. Its awards<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goldwater.co.nz/new%20zealand%20wine.htm |title=Goldwater vineyard |publisher=goldwater.co.nz |access-date=2017-01-09 |archive-date=8 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208211218/http://www.goldwater.co.nz/new%20zealand%20wine.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> include being named winery of the year by Wines and Spirits Magazine in 2001.
*'''Jurassic Ridge''' – Jurassic Ridge is a small, family-owned vineyard and winery, named for the surrounding geology. It produces hand-crafted [[Syrah]], [[Montepulciano]], [[Pinot gris]] and [[Cabernet Franc]]. [[Jurassic]] [[greywacke]] is a major feature of the [[terroir]].
*'''Kennedy Point Vineyard''' – Kennedy Point Vineyard is the only certified organic vineyard on Waiheke and can be found on the southwestern side and was established in 1996. It specialises in growing and producing [[Bordeaux]] and [[Syrah]] wines.
*'''Man O' War''' – Situated at Man O' War Bay, at the northern end of Waiheke Island, these vineyards are planted on numerous small sites on the {{convert|5000|acre|km2|adj=on}} Man o'War farm.
*'''Miro Vineyard''' – Miro Vineyard produces two wines, both red [[Bordeaux]] blends. The vineyard overlooks the ocean at Onetangi Beach.
*'''Mudbrick Vineyard''' – Mudbrick is one of the island's best-known wineries, and has a Provence-style restaurant made of mudbrick. The vineyard produces [[Merlot]], [[Chardonnay]], [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], and [[Syrah]] grapes. 
*'''Obsidian Vineyard''' – Obsidian Vineyard in Onetangi. It is a 17-hectare property established in 1993. Obsidian, its flagship wine, is a blend of [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], [[Merlot]], [[Cabernet Franc]] and [[Malbec]]. Its label is "Weeping Sands" (the translation of "Onetangi"). In 2007 Obsidian won a trophy and gold medal<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00526.htm |title=Waiheke Montepulciano Scoops Prestige Award &#124; Scoop News |publisher=Scoop.co.nz |date=2007-08-27 |access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> at the [[Romeo Bragato]] National Wine Competition for its first release of the [[Montepulciano]] variety.
*'''Passage Rock Wines''' – Passage Rock Vineyard is at the eastern end of Waiheke Island at the head of Te Matuku Bay. Its first vines were planted in 1994.
*'''Peacock Sky''' – Peacock Sky Vineyard is located in the centre of Waiheke Island with views across the [[Hauraki Gulf]] to Auckland. 
*'''Peninsula Estate''' on Hakaimango Point was planted in 1986/87. These original plantings of [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], [[Cabernet Franc]], [[Merlot]] and [[Malbec]], also now include [[Chardonnay]] and [[Syrah]].
*'''Postage Stamp Wines'''
*'''Poderi Crisci Estate'''
*'''Stony Batter Estate''' – Stony Batter Estate, the island's largest vineyard, is at the north-eastern corner of the island
*'''Stonyridge Vineyard''' – Stonyridge was founded in 1981 in the Onetangi Valley. Specialising in [[Bordeaux]]-style reds, the vineyard's most famous wine is its Stonyridge Larose.
*'''Tantalus Estate'''
*'''Te Motu Vineyard''' – Te Motu Vineyard was established in the Onetangi Valley in 1989. The first vintage was produced in 1993.
*'''Te Whau Vineyard'''
*'''The Hay Paddock''' – This {{convert|12|acre|m2|adj=on}}, stone-walled vineyard on Seaview Road is planted in [[Syrah]] vines sourced from the [[Hermitage AOC]] region of the [[Rhone Valley]]. Cellar-aged collector wines are released under the ''Harvest Man'' and ''Hay Paddock'' labels.
*'''Topknot Hill Vineyard'''
*'''View East Vineyard''' – A boutique vineyard on the south eastern corner of Waiheke Island specialising in [[Syrah]].
*'''Woodside Hill''' – A boutique vineyard specialising in [[Merlot]] and [[Cabernet Franc]].

== Notable People==
* [[Zoë Bell]]
* [[Edwin Carr (composer)]]
* [[Gu Cheng]]
* [[Loughlin O'Brien]]
* [[Eruera Maihi Patuone]]
* [[Rautao]] - The legendary [[Marutūahu]] general spent the later years of his life living at Kauakarau (now Rocky Bay) with his second wife, Parekainganga. <ref>{{Cite book|title = Waiheke Minute Book No.1}}</ref>
* [[Charles Rose]]

==See also==
* [[List of islands of New Zealand]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Waiheke Island}}
{{Commons category|Waiheke Island}}
*[https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks-recreation/Pages/park-details.aspx?Location=3422 Whakanewha Regional Park] (nature reserve)
*[https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/search/searchterm/Waiheke%20Island/field/all/mode/exact/conn/and Photographs of Waiheke Island] held in [[Auckland Libraries|Auckland Libraries']] heritage collections.

{{Auckland}}
{{Hauraki Gulf}}
{{Waiheke Local Board Area}}
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[[Category:Waiheke Island| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Populated places around the Hauraki Gulf| ]]
[[Category:Islands of the Auckland Region]]