Read about what a Socio-Economic Master Plan is, why Raahui Pookeka—Huntly and more about the plan
What a Socio-Economic Master Plan is
A traditional master plan focuses on the physical shape of a place — where things go, how closely they are built, and how land is used.
A socio-economic master plan includes all of this, while putting people at the centre. It asks what growth should achieve: better jobs, warmer homes, safer streets, a healthier awa and a stronger local identity. The goal is to create fairer, lasting outcomes for the people who live here today and for generations to come.
Where it fits
The Socio-Economic Master Plan is a spatial plan. While it does not have legal force on its own, it provides a shared direction that can be carried forward through the plans and processes that do.
Why Raahui Pookeka—Huntly
As the largest township in the Waikato district, Raahui Pookeka—Huntly has enormous potential.
The township faces long-standing social, cultural and economic challenges that call for sustained investment. It also has significant strengths and untapped potential, creating a valuable opportunity for lasting, locally led change.
The township extends beyond the urban area. The surrounding rural communities are closely connected to it, share in its opportunities and challenges, and are included in the plan.
What sets the township up for success
- A well-connected location within the region
- Land with potential for future development
- A young and growing workforce
- Strong partnerships with iwi and the community.
Strong economic foundations
- A leading role in energy infrastructure
- Strong transport and logistics connections
- An established manufacturing sector
- Strong construction and infrastructure expertise
Making the most of this potential will take coordinated investment and agencies working together. Through genuine partnership with mana whenua and the community, Raahui Pookeka—Huntly can grow as a thriving place for employment and a vibrant place to call home.
People and place
Raahui Pookeka—Huntly is home to a diverse and resilient community. Growth over the coming decades brings opportunities to strengthen housing, infrastructure, employment, community services and the local economy — while keeping the character and identity that make the township what it is.
Around half the people living here identify as Maaori, and that population has grown steadily across recent censuses. The steady increase shows the enduring strength of whakapapa and cultural identity within the community.
A youthful population
A township with a lot of children and young people has a real advantage: a strong group of future workers and community leaders, and the energy and new ideas that come with them.
The plan identifies what it takes to turn that into lasting benefit — clear pathways from school into training and work, employers willing to take young people on, and recognition that rangatahi are not only future workers but leaders shaping the township’s identity now.
Work, skills and income
The township has a sizeable local workforce, but some barriers remain to stronger economic outcomes: persistent unemployment, skills that do not always match the jobs available, and limited access to higher-level qualifications.
Improving pathways into work needs coordinated action between iwi, industry, education providers, government agencies and community partners. Investing in people strengthens local employment, attracts investment, and builds a more prosperous future.
Land use and infrastructure
Infrastructure investment is critical to enabling growth. The plan sets priorities across four areas — water supply, wastewater, stormwater and flood resilience, and transport and connectivity — to be carried through Council’s Long Term Plan, infrastructure strategies and partnership work.
Natural hazards and the environment
Flood risk, subsidence from historic coal mining, and environmental protection areas all influence where and how development can happen. They affect investment decisions, what infrastructure is needed, and the township’s long-term resilience.
Managing this takes a coordinated approach that balances growth with environmental stewardship, reduces risk, and protects the area’s natural and cultural values. Future growth should favour resilient, well-serviced locations.
The economy
The township combines nationally significant energy assets, strong transport connectivity, and an established manufacturing and construction base. Few other towns in Aotearoa New Zealand can match that combination.
- Energy: continuing as a leader in energy generation, including the Huntly Power Station and newer electricity developments.
- Manufacturing: a cornerstone of the local economy, employing 12.9% of residents and growing at around 2.6% a year. The Sleepyhead Estate at Ohinewai adds to the local sector.
- Construction: one of the fastest-growing sectors here, expanding at around 6.9% a year and adding 105 new jobs over the past decade.
The plan also looks at what is coming: energy transition services, logistics and distribution, data centre development, advanced manufacturing, and professional and technical services.
Environmental wellbeing — Oranga Taiao
Our natural environment is a taonga. For generations, Maaori have cared for the land and waterways through kaitiakitanga and maatauranga Maaori. The awa is the heart of Raahui Pookeka—Huntly, supported by its lakes, wetlands and streams.
- Healthy land and water: planting along rivers and wetlands, improving water quality, restoring areas affected by mining.
- Clean energy: solar power and battery storage to reduce reliance on coal and improve air quality.
- Zero waste: moving towards community-led recycling and composting, and less to landfill.
- Partnerships: working with mana whenua, businesses and the community to protect biodiversity.
Social wellbeing — Oranga Hapori
The township has a unique opportunity to build a strong, connected community where whaanau can thrive, drawing on its Maaori and Paakehaa heritage, a growing population, and committed marae and local organisations.
- Thriving whaanau: warm, healthy, affordable homes and access to the services families need.
- Pathways for young people: training, apprenticeships and leadership programmes so rangatahi build skills and confidence.
- Safe, welcoming spaces: streets, parks and community spaces that encourage connection, recreation and pride in place.
- Community-led initiatives: events, markets and shared projects that celebrate local identity.
- Health and wellbeing: easier access to healthcare, mental health support and community services close to home.
Development potential
Limitations in water supply, wastewater capacity, transport access and exposure to natural hazards are real. They also give a clear road map of where targeted investment and planning make the biggest difference.
Fragmented and under-used industrial and commercial land is an opportunity to make better use of what is already there. There is potential to build on the relationship with awa, maunga and whenua through eco-tourism, mahinga kai and regenerative enterprise — outcomes that are both economically and culturally meaningful.
Where the name comes from
Two names, two histories, one township.
The origin of the township lies in the foresight of Waikato chief Te Putu, who saw that the fish and eels in the rivers were being depleted. Te Putu was the great-great-grandfather of the first Maaori King, Pootatau Te Wherowhero.
He placed a raahui over the area, forbidding the gathering of kai. To mark it in a physical way, he plucked a feather from his pookeka, tied it around a pou, and hammered the pou into the ground. That is where the name Raahui Pookeka comes from. While the pou stood above ground the raahui held; once it was covered, the raahui was lifted.
To celebrate, Te Putu allowed the fishermen to collect kai at the river together and divide it equally among the villagers. That act was called wawahitanga, and it is where the name Waahi Paa comes from. The release of the raahui is called whakanoa, and it is where the name of Lake Hakanoa comes from.
European missionaries and traders began arriving in the 19th century. The name Huntly was adopted by the postmaster in the 1870s, after Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He used an old Huntley Lodge stamp for mail from the early settlement; the word Lodge was later dropped and the spelling changed. The discovery of coal then transformed the township’s path, and it grew around the coal industry.
What we heard
Ongoing engagement with tangata whenua, businesses and the wider community was an integral part of developing this plan.
Tangata whenua
At the heart of this kaupapa are the marae of Raahui Pookeka—Huntly: Waahi Paa, Te Oohaakii, Kaitumutumu, Te Kauri, Hukanui a Muri, Matahuru and Maurea.
More than places of gathering, these marae are living expressions of whakapapa, tikanga and cultural continuity. They carry the resilience, identity and mana motuhake of their whaanau and hapuu, and are important social and economic anchors.
Engagement began in 2024 with the support of the then Tai Raro Takiwaa Maaori Ward Councillor, and continued through collective hui at Te Ohaaki Marae, marae chairs hui at the Waahi Whaanui Trust offices, and individual conversations with marae chairs and mana whenua organisations.
The wider community
- Residents: staff attended existing community meetings and events to talk with people who live and work here. Comments raised through Long Term Plan engagement were also taken into account, and progress was reported regularly to the Huntly Community Board.
- Business: one-to-one interviews with local employers, and a workshop attended by around 35 local businesses.
- Agencies: Waikato Regional Council, central government agencies and other regional organisations, to understand their roles here and line this plan up with work already under way.
What is driving change
Eight forces are shaping the township’s next decade. The plan responds to all of them.
The vision and our six goals
Unlocking growth in the township takes industry, employers, marae, hapuu, the community, and both local and central government working together.