Coopers Beach is a settlement on the southern side of Doubtless Bay in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 10 runs through it. It is one of the Taipa-Mangonui string of settlements, separated from Cable Bay on the west by Otanenui Stream and from Mangōnui on the east by Mill Bay Road.[3]
The settlement is named for coopers who build and repair barrels.[4]
Taumarumaru Reserve on the western side of Coopers Beach contains three pā sites. Taumarumaru Pā is on the central ridge, with Ohumuhumu Pā and Otanenui Pā on the headland.[5]
Rangikapiti Pā is a heritage site northeast of Coopers Beach which retains terraces and a defensive ditch around the pā.[6]
Demographics
Statistics New Zealand describes Coopers Beach as a rural settlement. It covers 1.72 km2 (0.66 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 710 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 413 people per km2. Coopers Beach is part of the larger Doubtless Bay statistical area.[7]
Coopers Beach had a population of 648 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 75 people (13.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 186 people (40.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 294 males and 351 females in 309 dwellings.[10] 1.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 59.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 102 people (15.7%) aged under 15 years, 54 (8.3%) aged 15 to 29, 231 (35.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 258 (39.8%) aged 65 or older.[9]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.8% European (Pākehā); 33.8% Māori; 5.6% Pasifika; 4.2% Asian; 0.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.7%, Māori language by 10.2%, Samoan by 0.9% and other languages by 6.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.9%. The percentage of people born overseas was 18.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 38.4% Christian, 2.8% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, and 2.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 46.8%, and 7.4% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 93 (17.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 297 (54.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 135 (24.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $27,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 33 people (6.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 153 (28.0%) people were employed full-time, 75 (13.7%) were part-time, and 12 (2.2%) were unemployed.[9]
