the main trunk railway via Te Awamutu, and the resulting gradual decline in the importance of river transport, together with the dispersal from the King Country of King Tāwhiao and his followers, meant that by the 1890s, Pirongia (Alexandra) was being superseded by Te Awamutu and other settlements on the railway line. One solution which was surveyed was a light railway, but an election in 1923 saw the scheme dropped. Many businesses moved to Te Awamutu or closed and the settlement gradually assumed the character of a small farming centre. Modern history The village has experienced rapid population growth since the 1980s as city-dwellers seeking a rural lifestyle have migrated to Pirongia. This has changed the town's character from rural to suburban in a short period of time. Pirongia has a rural fire force located in the village to protect native bush in the area. The rural fire force has a specialised off-road appliance designed for tough off-road terrain. Pirongia Rugby Club has strong teams in the Waikato competition. Pirongia is also home to Pirongia Clydesdale horses regularly seen at public events throughout the countryside. The Pirongia Heritage and Information Centre (Te Whare Taonga O Ngaa Rohe o Arekahana) has displays and items of historical interest and is located on Franklin Street in the centre of the village. The local Pūrekireki Marae is a meeting place for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Apakura and Hikairo, and the Waikato Tainui hapū of Apakura. It includes the Marutehiakina meeting house. Demographics Pirongia covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Pirongia had a population of 1,224 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 102 people (9.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 177 people (16.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 432 households, comprising 594 males and 633 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.94 males per female. The median age was 42.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 291 people (23.8%) aged under 15 years, 168 (13.7%) aged 15 to 29, 579 (47.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 186 (15.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.9% European/Pākehā, 14.0% Māori, 1.2% Pacific peoples, 1.0% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.7, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the