Tikipunga is one of the biggest suburbs in Whangarei

Whangarei

Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is in the north-east part of the town and has the landmark Whangarei Falls nearby.

The population was 6,114 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 450 from 2001.

Whangarei Falls

At Whangarei Falls, the Hatea River drops 26 metres (85.3 ft) over a basalt lava flow. There are walkways around the falls and along the river. The falls were originally known as Otuihau, and have been a picnic spot since at least the 1890s. In the 1920s, the land was bought by Archibald Clapham (of Clapham's Clocks) to prevent commercial exploitation of the falls. The Whangarei Businessmen's Association raised funds in 1946 to buy the land on behalf of the citizens of the town.

Education

Tikipunga High School is a secondary (years 7-15) school with a roll of 437. Tikipunga Primary School is a contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of 267.

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Rawhiti Roa is a composite (years 1-15) school with a decile rating of 1 and a roll of 201.

All these schools are coeducational. Tikipunga High School and Primary School have a decile rating

Socio-Economic Decile

Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....

of 2. Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Rawhiti Roa has a decile of 1.