Kiwi. History Ōwhango began as a mill town, milling native timbers from around the local area. The last operational mill burned to the ground in the 1970s. Many of the mill houses are now holiday homes owned by city dwellers keen on the skiing, fishing, hunting, canoeing and tramping opportunities that abound in the surrounding area. The village had a permanent population of 177 (2013 census data) and has a primary school, garage (no fuel sold there, however), hotel, accommodation lodges, cottages for hire and bed and breakfast/homestay places and a café and public hall where the monthly market is held. There is an historical swimming pool actually constructed into the bed of the Kakahi Stream, located about west down Onematua Road from State Highway 4 at the northern boundary of Ōwhango. The pool was created by locals in the hope of preparing one of the local athletes for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Beside the pool is a monument marking the centenary of the Treaty of Waitangi. Local records indicate the pool was first ready for use over the 1939/1940 summer. In 1961 a conventional swimming pool in the grounds of the local school was opened. The Ōwhango Hall was originally used as a silent movies cinema seating 250. In more recent times it has mainly been used for community meetings and events, indoors bowls, and market days. The Ōwhango Volunteer Fire Brigade has been operating since 1965. Demographics Ōwhango is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It is part of the wider National Park statistical area, which covers . The population of Ōwhango was 174 in the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 3 (-1.7%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 15 (-7.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 84 males and 87 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female. Ethnicities were 147 people (84.5%) European/Pākehā, 48 (27.6%) Māori, and 3 (1.7%) Asian (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Of the total population, 36 people (20.7%) were under 15 years old, 27 (15.5%) were 15–29, 75 (43.1%) were 30–64, and 33 (19.0%) were over 65. Farming and tourism are the largest employers. Sports and events The local sports teams generally dress in green and white. Historically, especially in the 1950s, the Ōwhango Domain played host to a sub-regional