Bay of Plenty Region
Also known as Bay of Plenty, Toi Moana
region in New Zealand's North Island
AI overview
The Bay of Plenty is a region located on the North Island of New Zealand. It's an important area known for its natural harbor and as a center for agriculture, forestry, and other industries.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Country
- New Zealand
- Island
- North Island
- Seat
- Whakatāne
- Body
- Bay of Plenty Regional Council
- Chair
- Matemoana McDonald
- Deputy chair
- Glenn Dougal
- Total
- 12,231 km (4,722 sq mi)
- Land
- 12,072.00 km (4,661.03 sq mi)
- Density
- 29.12/km (75.41/sq mi)
- Per capita
- NZ$62,673 (2021)
- Time zone
- UTC+12 (NZST)
- Summer dst
- UTC+13 (NZDT)
- Iso 3166 code
~15 min read
Article
The Bay of Plenty Region is a local government region in the North Island of New Zealand. Also called just the Bay of Plenty (BOP), it is situated around the marine bight of that same name. The bay was named by James Cook after he noticed the abundant food supplies at several Māori villages there, in stark contrast to what he observed in Poverty Bay.
The Bay of Plenty had an estimated resident population of 354,100 in June 2025, and is the fifth-most populous region in New Zealand. It also has the third-highest regional population density in New Zealand, with only the 11th-largest land area. The major population centres are Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne. The Bay of Plenty is one of the fastest growing regions in New Zealand: the regional population increased by 7.5% between 2001 and 2006, with significant growth in the coastal and western parts, and grew by 8.3% between 2018 and 2023. It has the second-largest Māori population in New Zealand, with over 30% of its population being of Māori descent, and the second-highest number of Māori speakers in the country. It also has the largest number of iwi of any region. There are 35 local iwi, 260 hapū and 224 marae, with the most significant iwi being Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa and Te Whakatōhea.