Population
Population: As of the 2006 Census, the Waikato region had a resident population of 406,600.
The people of the Waikato occasionally use the nickname Mooloo to apply to themselves or to their region, particularly in relation to sporting endeavors. The word was likely first applied to the Waikato provincial rugby team. Its origin is related to the mascot of a pantomime-like milking cow used in parades, public events and sports matches, particularly rugby, reflecting the importance of the dairy industry to the region.
Waikato is the fourth-largest region in the country in terms of both area and population. It has an area of 25,000 km² and the Cambridge district of the Waikato is the heart of New Zealand’s racing and thoroughbred industry. Farming and horticulture are mainstays of the regional economy. Hamilton, New Zealand’s largest inland city, is the major centre, with an urban population in 2006 of 158,500. It is home to University of Waikato and Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). The towns of Tokoroa, Te Awamutu and Cambridge each have populations of about 10,000 to 15,000 people in the tow ships and surrounding rural areas.
The region also includes the smaller towns of Huntly, Matamata, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia, Otorohanga, Putaruru, Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Te Kuiti, and Tirau. Other towns within the Waikato region, but outside the traditional Waikato area, include Tuakau and Mercer, south of Auckland; Paeroa, Te Aroha, Thames, Whangamata, and Whitianga around the Thames Valley and Coromandel Peninsula; and Taupo (population 22,300) and Turangi in the southeast.
Land Area: Approximately 25,000 km2, or 2.5 million hectares
Main Centres: Hamilton, Cambridge, Coromandel, Huntly, Matamata, Miranda, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia, Ngatea, Paeroa, Pirongia, Putaruru, Raglan, Taupiri, Taupo, Te Aroha, Te Awamutu, Te Kauwhata, Te Kowhai, Te Kuiti, Thames, Tirau, Tokoroa, Waihi.
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