Waitōtara

A significant local employer is the Silver Fern Farms Waitōtara processing plant, which employs more than 280 team members and plays an important role in the wider rural economy.

Waitōtara School provides co-educational primary education for Years 1–8, with a roll of approximately 40 students. The township’s well-known hotel and corner store were sadly destroyed by fire in April 2025.

For those who enjoy the coast, Waiinu Beach and its campground are approximately a nine-minute drive away. The wider Waitōtara catchment has historically been susceptible to flooding and storm-related events, which have affected farmland, properties and infrastructure over the years..

History: The Waitōtara river flowing 80 km southwards from the Matemateāonga Range, entering the Tasman Sea about 7 km south-west of Waitōtara. It passes through dense native forest for 30 km from its source, and through steep, rugged country until just north of Waitōtara.

Many pa were sited along the river valley. European settlement reached upriver through the 1880s and 1890s, reaching Makakaho, Ngamatapouri and Taumatatahi. St Hilda in the Wood church at Ngamatapouri was designed by John Swan in 1900, and built of local timber.