Te Mahoe Explained

Te Mahoe is a rural settlement in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island, next to Lake Matahina.

The community consists of about 150 people,^[1] including 30 families in the village at the base of the Lake Matahina Dam.^[2] Locals describe the community has close-knit and centred around the local school.^[3]

History

Hone Tuwhare

Poet Hone Tuwhare lived in Te Mahoe during the 1950s and 1960s with his wife, writer Jean McCormack, and their three sons.^[4] He worked as a boiler-maker on the construction of the Matahina hydroelectric dam.^[5]

In 1962, the Whakatane Beacon newspaper published one of Tuwhare's poems. It began:

Up at the dam site, at Te Mahoe,
among the clatter of pneumatic drills,
the settling dust and the raw earth,
a man is writing poetry.

His first book was published two years later, in 1964, to immediate critical acclaim.^[6]

Cyclone Cook

The area was affected by Cyclone Cook in April 2017. The school was closed for several days.^[7] A boil water notice was issued for residents due to sediment from floodwaters contaminating water supplies.^[8]

Education

Te Mahoe School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,^[9] with a roll of as of .^[10]

References

-38.109°N 176.8159°W

Notes and References

1. News: Fraser . Cleo . Man accused of Bay of Plenty murder dead toddler's father . . . 11 July 2018.
2. News: Arthur-Worsop . Stephanie . Name suppression lapses for man charged with 2-year-old Arnica Savage's murder . . . 11 July 2018.
3. News: Shand . Matt . Not guilty plea over death of toddler found in Rangitaiki River . . . 4 July 2018.
4. News: Hunt . Janet . Haere ra, Jean McCormack . . 29 April 2020.
5. Web site: The poet and boilermaker . whakatanemuseum.org.nz . Whakatane Museum.
6. News: Heine . Conrad . Hone Tuwhare: Maori poet whose 'No Ordinary Sun' catapulted him to celebrity . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/hone-tuwhare-maori-poet-whose-no-ordinary-sun-catapulted-him-to-celebrity-771415.html . 26 May 2022 . subscription . live . . 21 January 2008.
7. News: Schools and early childhood education centres remain closed . . . 13 April 2017.
8. News: Live: Cyclone Cook strikes NZ – Storm makes landfall, tracks down east coast . . . 13 April 2017.
9. Web site: Ministry of Education School Profile . educationcounts.govt.nz . Ministry of Education.
10. Web site: Education Review Office Report . ero.govt.nz . Education Review Office.