Dargaville

Gumdigger statue at Dargaville

The town was named after timber merchant and politician Joseph Dargaville (1837–1896).[3] Dargaville was founded in 1872,[4] during the 19th-century kauri gum and timber trade, it briefly had New Zealand's largest population.

The area became known for a thriving industry that included gum digging and kauri logging, which was based mainly at Te Kōpuru, several kilometres south of Dargaville on the banks of the Northern Wairoa river. The river was used to transport the huge logs downstream to shipbuilders and as a primary means of transport to Auckland. Dalmatian migrants were particularly prominent in the kauri gum extraction.[5]

Te Houhanga Marae and Rāhiri meeting house is a traditional meeting place for Te Roroa and the Ngāti Whātua hapū of Te Kuihi and Te Roroa.[6][7]

Statistics New Zealand describes Dargaville as a small urban centre. It covers 12.56 km² (4.85 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 4,950 as of June 2021,[2] with a population density of 394 people per km².

Dargaville had a population of 4,794 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 543 people (12.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 339 people (7.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,812 households, comprising 2,325 males and 2,469 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.94 males per female. The median age was 44.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 936 people (19.5%) aged under 15 years, 840 (17.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,785 (37.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,233 (25.7%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 70.7% European/Pākehā, 35.7% Māori, 7.4% Pacific peoples, 4.4% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 13.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 41.1% had no religion, 43.9% were Christian, 3.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.9% were Hindu, 0.4% were Muslim, 0.1% were Buddhist and 1.1% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 282 (7.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,161 (30.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. 267 people (6.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,440 (37.3%) people were employed full-time, 549 (14.2%) were part-time, and 171 (4.4%) were unemployed.[8]

Boats moored near central Dargaville

The nearby Ripiro Beach has the longest unbroken stretches of sand beach in New Zealand, and is largely drivable from one end to the other. This beach is home of the famous local shellfish delicacy called the toheroa. Overexploitation in the 1950s and 1960s caused the population of the shellfish to decline enough that public gathering of the shellfish is now prohibited.[9]

Dargaville is also the gateway to the Waipoua Forest, a protected national park and home of the biggest specimens of Kauri tree in New Zealand, Tāne Mahuta (Māori, meaning "Lord of the Forest") being chief amongst them.

Dargaville is situated by the Wairoa River, with boat moorings adjacent to the town centre. The river is tidal when it passes through Dargaville.

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as oceanic (Cfb) with warm summers and mild winters.[10]

Hokianga Road, one of the main roads in Dargaville township

Dargaville is on the junction of State Highways 12 and 14.

North of the town, the Donnellys Crossing Section railway was established to provide access to other logging activities. The first portion of this line was opened in 1889, it reached its greatest extent in 1923, and after operating isolated from the national rail network for decades, it was connected with the North Auckland Line by the Dargaville Branch in 1940. The Donnelly's Crossing Section closed in 1959, but the Dargaville Branch remains in use by a tourist venture, having been closed by KiwiRail since October 2014.[12]

The area around Dargaville is now predominantly a farming region and supports extensive dairy, beef, and sheep farms, as well as a thriving plantation forest industry.

Other attractions are the Kai Iwi lakes some 25 kilometres north of the town, and Pouto Peninsula. Baylys Beach is the local beach, just 13 kilometres from the township, and offers over 90 kilometres of rugged west coast surf.

Dargaville High School is a secondary (years 9–13) school with a roll of 438 students.[13] The school opened in 1921, but was destroyed by fire in 1937 and rebuilt the following year.[14] Dargaville Intermediate is an intermediate (years 7–8) school with a roll of 172 students.[15]

Dargaville Primary School and Selwyn Park School are contributing primary (years 1–6) schools with rolls of 358 students[16] and 96 students[17] respectively. Dargaville Primary was established by 1877. In 1879, it had a roll of 16, which grew to 155 in 1899.[18] Selwyn Park celebrated its 50th Jubilee in 2008.[19]

St Joseph's School is a full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 94 students.[20] It is a state integrated Catholic school.[21]

All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of March 2022.[22]

NorthTec polytechnic also has a campus in Dargaville.[23]

• Amelia Batistich, writer, was born here in 1905[24]
• Joey Carbery, Irish international rugby union player
• Robert Hornblow (1861–1937), the town's mayor from 1919 to 1925[25]
• Dion Nash, New Zealand cricketer, attended Dargaville High School
• Mike Perjanik, musician, record producer and composer
• Winston Peters, New Zealand politician and leader of the New Zealand First party, attended Dargaville High School
• Lana Searle, New Zealand radio & television host, attended Dargaville High School[26]
• Mark Taylor, All Black
• Frank Watkins, World War II RNZAF pilot
• Mark Williams, singer and recording artist
• Brian Froggatt, New Zealand Paralympian athlete and powerlifter[27]
• Richard Hammond, musician, bass player.[28]

• Croatian New Zealanders

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dargaville.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Dargaville.

• Dargaville online portal