Western Bay of Plenty District 2.5

The Western Bay of Plenty District is a municipality in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. The district envelops Tauranga City by land, and includes Matakana Island, at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour.PopulationThe district's population at the census was, of whom 16% are Maori. Of these, 1773 live in Waihi Beach, 3579 in Katikati, and 7080 in Te Puke. The district has a land area of 2,120.675 km² (818.797 sq mi).Local governmentThe seat of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council is at Greerton in Tauranga City (which is a separate area that is not part of the district). The district came into being in the local government reorganisation of 1989; with minor modifications to the boundaries, it merged the old Tauranga County and Te Puke Borough. The greatest changes were in the northwest, with Waihi Beach being transferred to the district from the old Ohinemuri County, and in the vicinity of Tauranga City, where some of the hinterland, formerly in the county, was transferred to the city.The wards (for the purposes of electing district councillors) are Waihi Beach, Katikati, Kaimai, Te Puke and Maketu.