Pongaroa is a town in the Tararua District, in the southeast of the North Island of New Zealand, 110 kilometres southwest of Hastings and 200 kilometres northeast of Wellington. The nearest town is Pahiatua, 50 kilometres to the west. Popular Akitio Beach is 30 kilometres to the east. The township straddles Route 52, a road between Masterton and Waipukurau. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "tall tree fern" for Pongaroa. Pongaroa village has a population of about 100, with the surrounding farms bringing the total population to about 300. The area is serviced by Pongaroa School, Pongaroa Cafe and General Store, Pongaroa Hotel, and Pongaroa Farm Centre. Pongaroa is also the location of the New Zealand Centre for Equine Psychology and Behaviour and Wildside Farm environmental education retreat. Local volunteers have been responsible for the public toilets, the establishment of a freedom campsite, and improvements to the village centre. Historically, Pongaroa belonged in the northern Wairarapa area. At one time during the early settlement years in the latter half of the 19th century, the township was much larger: people expected that the Masterton-Napier Railway would run through Pongaroa. However, eventually the Wairarapa Line cut through Pahiatua (1897) and thus that township grew, whilst Pongaroa remained a farming community. Pongaroa became an administrative centre of Akitio County, which functioned between 1899 and 1976. Pāpāuma marae, a marae (tribal meeting ground) of the Rangitāne tribes and its Ngāti Mutuahi, Ngāti Pakapaka and Te Hika a Pāpāuma hapū (sub-tribes), is located in the Pangaoroa area. It includes Te Aroha o Aohanga wharenui (meeting house), also known as Pāpāuma. Demographics Pongaroa is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It is part of the wider Owhanga statistical area, which covers . The population of Pongaroa was 81 in the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 6 (-6.9%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 36 (-30.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 45 males and 39 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.15 males per female. Ethnicities were 72 people (88.9%) European/Pākehā and 30 (37.0%) Māori (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Of the total population, 9 people (11.1%) were under 15 years old, 9 (11.1%) were 15–29, 39 (48.1%) were 30–64, and 24 (29.6%) were over 65. Owhanga Owhanga statistical area has an