Provincial Growth Fund to renovate Meremere Marae, Ketemarae Pā, Pariroa Marae and Taiporohēnui Marae, creating 35 jobs. Demography The Hāwera urban area, which covers , had a usual resident population of 9,792 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 666 people (7.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 975 people (11.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 3,816 households. There were 4,770 males and 5,025 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female, with 2,043 people (20.9%) aged under 15 years, 1,767 (18.0%) aged 15 to 29, 4,071 (41.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,908 (19.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 78.8% European/Pākehā, 27.5% Māori, 1.9% Pacific peoples, 5.0% Asian, and 2.1% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 10.6%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 49.0% had no religion, 37.7% were Christian, 1.3% were Hindu, 0.6% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 3.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 714 (9.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 2,208 (28.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,621 (46.7%) people were employed full-time, 996 (12.9%) were part-time, and 378 (4.9%) were unemployed. Economy The Whareroa dairy factory, 4 km south-southwest of the township, is the largest dairy complex in the world in terms of output. The complex is owned by Fonterra, having been built by the former Kiwi Co-operative Dairies, whose original plant opened on that site in 1975. During peak season, the complex employs 1,000 people and processes up to 14 million litres of milk per day. Electricity and heat used at Whareroa is generated by an on-site gas-fired power plant, with excess electricity fed into the national grid. Hāwera is home to Tawhiti Museum, well known for its hand-crafted life-sized mannequins depicting scenes of local heritage and history, and its scale models of local Māori pā. Education Hāwera Primary School was established in 1875. It developed into a District High School in 1901. The current high school opened as Hāwera Technical High School in 1919, and moved to its present site in 1921. The intermediate school opened in 1961. The Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki has a campus in Hāwera, established in 1990. Hāwera High