Geographic Overview
The Lakes District Health Board area is made up of the Rotorua (population 65,901) and Taupo (population 32,418) territorial authorities. Rotorua territorial authority covers an area of 2,614.9 square kilometres and the Taupo territorial area covers an area of 6,954.8 square kilometres. On census night in 2006 a total of 105,700 people were staying in the Lakes DHB area, approximately 98,319 of whom were considered to be “usually resident”.
Rotorua territorial authority is projected to increase by 5% between 2006 and 2031 with more rapid growth expected in the eastern suburbs, northern rural areas and eastern lakeside areas. Taupo territorial authority is also projected to increase by 4% between 2006 and 20312 although current growth rates in Taupo suggest these projections may be extremely conservative. Lakes DHB’s moderate population growth over the coming decades reflects a national trend.
Between 2006 and 2016 the Māori population is projected to increase by 19% in the Rotorua territorial authority and 17% in the Taupo territorial authority . The Rotorua territorial authority Pacific people’s population is projected to increase by 37% (1,000 people). In contrast, the European population of the Rotorua territorial authority is projected to increase by 3% between 2006 and 2016 and the Taupo territorial authority European population is projected to increase by 11%. Higher projected increases in the Māori and Pacific people’s 2 Statistics NZ, Quarterly Review Dec 2007 populations within Lakes DHB compared with the European population eflects the younger population and higher birth rates of Māori and Pacific ethnic groups.
Major Urban Areas and Towns
In the Lakes DHB area there are two major urban centres – Rotorua (population 53,766) and Taupo (population 21,291). Included within Lakes DHB area are a number of smaller towns and settlements including Turangi (population 3,240); Mangakino (population 1,020); Golden Springs (population 1,287); Ngakuru (population 1,701); Reporoa (population 474) and Kaingaroa Forest (population 438). Some of these populations are spread across quite large rural farming areas.
Lakes DHB’s population is relatively youthful; at the 2006 census 25.3% of people in the Rotorua territorial authority ; 22.2% of people in the Taupo territorial authority ; 25.9% of people in Mangakino; and 24.3% of people in Turangi, were less than 15 years old compared with 21.5% of the total New Zealand population.
