Tokoroa is the fourth-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato District. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua and 20 km south of Putāruru, close to the foot of the Mamaku Ranges, it is midway between Taupō and Hamilton on State Highway 1.
History and culture
Early history
Tokoroa was the name of a chief of the Ngāti Kahupungapunga, who was slain by Raukawa during the siege of Pōhaturoa, a volcanic plug adjacent to Ātiamuri, 27 km south of Tokoroa. This battle took place around 1600 as the Ngāti Raukawa moved into the southern Waikato. The name Tokoroa first appeared on the early maps of the 1860s, although this was for an area 50 km north east of today's Tokoroa.
Foundations, growth and decline
Tokoroa is one of the most recent towns in New Zealand. The township was established (circa) 1917 by the Matarawa Land Company as a potential farming area; a few families had already settled in the area after 1910, and a school with 9 pupils was founded in 1915 (later to become Tokoroa East School). The land was found to be too poor for raising cattle or sheep due to its predominant pumice soils. However, agricultural science showed the land could actually be made to successfully support dairy cattle. The soil had serious deficiencies causing livestock to suffer from what became known as "bush sickness" (later found to be cobalt deficiency). In the 1930s, the deficiency was addressed, and subsequently, cattle farming became profitable.
Between 1925 and 1935 Pinus radiata was first introduced to the district as a commercial tree crop – the trees were found not to be adversely affected by the local soil deficiencies. As the initial crops matured, Tokoroa was then developed as a residential satellite for Kinleith Mill workers (New Zealand Forest Products Limited's integrated timber, pulp and paper mill), approximately 8 km south of the township. In 1948, Tokoroa had a population of 1,100. By the early 1970s, however, Tokoroa reached, for a time, a population of over 20,000 – the number necessary to be officially deemed a city. In the 1980s years NZFP (and later, mill-owner Carter Holt Harvey Ltd) began to downscale and restructure operations at Kinleith. Since the late 1980s this ongoing downscaling at Kinleith – and closing of other local industries – resulted in a marked drop in population. Census figures put the 2018 population at approximately 14,300.
In late June 2025, Oji Fibre Solutions ceased paper production operations at its Kinleith Mill, affecting 130 jobs. In late September 2025, Carter Holt Harvey confirmed that it would close its Tokoroa plywood plant, affecting 149 jobs. The double impact from these two major job losses, which affected 249 people, was described by both RNZ and The Conversation as a "blow to a dying forestry town."
Marae Tokoroa has two marae connected to local iwi and hapū:
Ngātira Marae and Te Tikanga a Tāwhiao meeting house are associated with the Ngāti Raukawa hapū of Ngāti Ahuru and the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Korokī and Ngāti Raukawa ki Panehākua. Ōngāroto Marae and Whaita meeting house are affiliated with the Ngāti Raukawa hapū of Ngāti Whaita.
In October 2020, the Government committed $1,259,392 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Ngātira Marae and 7 other Ngāti Raukawa marae, creating 18 jobs.
Geography
Location
Surrounding the township are many dairy farms and plantation forests. There are many scenic reserves around the town – the artificial Lake Moananui (formed by damming the Matarawa Stream in 1974/75) lies within a recreational park.
Tokoroa lies in the centre of a triangle made up of the tourism destinations of Rotorua, Waitomo and Taupō. There are also about 45 recreational lakes within less than an hour's drive of Tokoroa.
Geology Tokoroa is built on Whakamaru ignimbrite, extruded about 345,000 years ago.
Township
As well as the central business district, the township is made up of many subdivisions, each built in different stages of the Kinleith complex's development. These subdivisions are:
Parkdale Paraonui Papanui Matarawa Aotea Strathmore Amisfield
Many of the street names of the town were named by the first managing director of N.Z. Forest Products Ltd.(builders of the Kinleith mill), Sir David Henry (1888–1963), after places near his hometown of Edinburgh, in Scotland. David Henry Primary School is a key example of him and his namesaking.
Climate
Demographics Stats NZ describes Tokoroa as a medium urban area which covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Tokoroa had a population of 14,001 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 429 people (3.2%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,665 people (13.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 6,918 males, 7,056 females, and 30 people of other genders in 4,917 dwellings. 2.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 36.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 3,195 people (22.8%) aged under 15 years, 2,682 (19.2%) aged 15 to 29, 5,802 (41.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,319 (16.6%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 59.9% European (Pākehā); 46.6% Māori; 21.5% Pasifika; 4.9% Asian; 0.3% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.9% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.5%, Māori by 10.2%, Samoan by 1.6%, and other languages by 6.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 30.4% Christian, 0.5% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 3.4% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.7%, and 9.1% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 993 (9.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 6,237 (57.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 3,576 (33.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $31,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 600 people (5.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 4,647 (43.0%) full-time, 1,149 (10.6%) part-time, and 765 (7.1%) unemployed.
+Individual statistical areasName Area(km2) Population Density(per km2) Dwellings Median age Medianincome Paraonui 2.36 1,866 791 720 40.0 years $36,600 Parkdale 2.54 888 350 315 40.2 years $32,000 Matarawa 1.96 2,328 1,188 825 36.4 years $28,700 Stanley Park 1.15 2,316 2,014 804 35.2 years $29,600 Strathmore 1.25 2,505 2,004 825 33.9 years $28,500 Tokoroa Central 4.70 1,032 220 396 40.1 years $31,100 Moananui 1.68 3,066 1,825 1,029 34.3 years $36,600 New Zealand 38.1 years $41,500
Rural surrounds Kinleith statistical area, which surrounds but does not include Tokoroa, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Kinleith had a population of 1,518 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 72 people (5.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 54 people (3.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 819 males, 687 females, and 9 people of other genders in 579 dwellings. 1.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 34.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 357 people (23.5%) aged under 15 years, 270 (17.8%) aged 15 to 29, 696 (45.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 192 (12.6%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 79.4% European (Pākehā); 23.7% Māori; 5.9% Pasifika; 9.5% Asian; 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori by 4.0%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 8.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 17.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 31.8% Christian, 0.4% Hindu, 0.6% Islam, 1.2% Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, and 3.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.9%, and 5.7% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 159 (13.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 687 (59.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 306 (26.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $52,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 153 people (13.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 693 (59.7%) full-time, 177 (15.2%) part-time, and 15 (1.3%) unemployed.
Economy
The economic lifeblood of Tokoroa is forestry, centred at the nearby Kinleith Mill; and dairy farming. In 1995, Fonterra built the southern hemisphere's largest cheese factory in Lichfield, some 5 km north of the town. Due to increases in relative rates of return, large amounts of previously forested land were converted to farmland in the 2000s and 2010s.
The main agricultural activities of the district are sheep and dairy farming. Forestry is still, however, the primary and most important industry to the district. Timber is milled and processed at Kinleith. Over recent years, the sharp decline in timber processing has seen the majority of raw logs shipped offshore. Most of the Kinleith workers live in Tokoroa, with a small number commuting from other South Waikato towns. Tokoroa is a marketing and servicing centre for agriculture, inline with other associated industries. These other industries include (but are not limited to): the manufacture of cheese (and related dairy products [via Fonterra]), specialised wooden boxing, timber joinery, saw milling, general engineering, and the quarrying of building (masonry) stone.
Although Tokoroa's economy primarily tends to revolve around timber and farming, many large retail companies have continued investing in the town – Foodstuffs recently constructed and opened a New World (supermarket) on Tokoroa's main street (Bridge Street). Also, Woolworths (a major competitor to Foodstuffs Group) also recently built New Zealand's first Countdown (supermarket) featuring bilingual (i.e. including Te Reo-Māori) signage.
Education
Tertiary education is important to Tokoroa, through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.
Tokoroa has two secondary schools: Tokoroa High School, with a roll of It opened in 1957. Forest View High School, with a roll of It opened in 1974.
It has two alternative education facilities for secondary students who work better with full teacher guidance outside the classroom:
Forest View High School Alternative Education Tautoko Kura Pa Harakeke Teen Parent Unit
There are three full Year 1 to 8 primary schools:
Amisfield School, opened in 1956, with a roll of Tainui Full Primary School, with a roll of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Hiringa, a Māori immersion school with a roll of
There is one intermediate school:
Tokoroa Intermediate, opened in 1962, with a roll of
Tokoroa also has a range of Year 1–6 primary schools:
Bishop Edward Gaines Catholic School, with a roll of . Cargill Open Plan School, with a roll of . David Henry School, with a roll of . Strathmore School, opened in 1965, with a roll of . Tokoroa Central School, opened in 1954, with a roll of . Tokoroa North School, opened in 1967, with a roll of .
Matarawa Primary School opened in 1958 and closed in 1999. Tokoroa East School opened in 1915 and closed in 2010.
Town facilities and attractions
Tokoroa has a number of Tourist and visiting attractions, as well as many facilities for local use.
Talking Poles