Waitōtara

The single largest employer is the meat works operated by Richmonds Limited (Waitōtara).

Flooding and other storm related damage is a major issue in the Waitōtara catchment. Over the last 15 years there have been four major storm and/or flood events that have caused significant and widespread damage in the Waitōtara catchment. These effects have included damage to buildings and properties, the siltation of flats after flooding, widespread slipping, channel and bank erosion and damage to the roading, telecommunication and electricity infrastructure.

History: The Waitōtara river flowing 80 km southwards from the Matemateāonga Range, entering the Tasman Sea about 7 km south-west of Waitōtara. It passes through dense native forest for 30 km from its source, and through steep, rugged country until just north of Waitōtara.

Many pa were sited along the river valley. European settlement reached upriver through the 1880s and 1890s, reaching Makakaho, Ngamatapouri and Taumatatahi. St Hilda in the Wood church at Ngamatapouri was designed by John Swan in 1900, and built of local timber.