Whakatane

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Whakatāne ( fah-kah-TAH-nə, Māori pronunciation: [fakaˈtaːnɛ]) is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, 90 kilometres (56 mi) east of Tauranga and 89 kilometres (55 mi) north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, which covers an area to the south and west of the town, excluding the enclave of Kawerau. Whakatāne has an urban population of 16,700, making it New Zealand's 33rd-largest urban area, and the Bay of Plenty's third-largest urban area (behind Tauranga and Rotorua). Another 21,500 people live in the rest of the Whakatāne District. Around 40% of the district's population have Māori ancestry. The district has a land area of 4,442.07 km2 (1,715.09 sq mi). Whakatāne District was established in 1976. Whakatāne forms part of the parliamentary electorate of East Coast, currently represented by Kiri Allan of the New Zealand Labour Party. The town is the main urban centre of the eastern Bay of Plenty sub-region; incorporating Whakatāne, Kawerau, and Ōpōtiki, the eastern Bay stretches from Otamarakau in the west, to Cape Runaway in the north-east and Whirinaki in the south. Whakatāne is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, chosen as a compromise between the region's two larger cities, Tauranga and Rotorua.