The name Te Miro for the area first became used in 1916, when it was surveyed and developed for European settlement. Translations of the Maori word
miro are a twist, or alternatively a torrent of water, which may have originated from the many streams that twist through the hills of the area. Prior to that, the area was known as
Maungakawa. The first Maori
Pā settlement in the Te Miro area was by the
Ngāti Hauā people at Te Kawehitiki (37 49 20; 175 34 50), located on the lower reaches of the Maungakawa volcanic cone, which is on the present day Hopehill farm, at 789 Te Miro Road. There is a history of large Maori gatherings beginning at the site in the 1880s, with a notable large gathering in 1893. Maungakawa became a focal point for the Waikato King movement led by
King Tawhiao. A Maori Parliament meeting house was established at the pā site in 1891, but was only used for large formal meetings a few times. The structure was badly damaged by fire in 1898. The damaged structure was still physically present but abandoned in 1902 before it was dismantled shortly after. Original access from Cambridge to the Maungakawa pā area before 1920 was by Maungakawa Road up what is now known as Sanatorium Hill. The arrival of the first missionaries in New Zealand in 1814 eventually led to European settlers arriving in the Waikato. and around 1894, his widow established a large residence at what is now known as Sanatorium Hill. In 1916, the government purchased most of the 12,000 acre farm of James Taylor, which was surveyed, named the Te Miro Settlement, and opened up to settlement after the First World War. 72 newly surveyed sections, ranging in size from 1 to 323 acres, were balloted to returning servicemen. The new settlement initially used Maungakawa Road (south of the village and formerly called Taylor Road) to access Cambridge via Sanitorium Hill, but eventually Te Miro Road (west of the village, and formerly known as Valley Road) was linked at the bottom of the hill to Flume Road, and that route has now become the main access road. The focal village of Te Miro (37 48 35; 175 32 50) township was surveyed at the intersection of present day Te Miro and upper Maungakawa roads, with an initial 20 small lots and a designated school reserve site. A school was built on the designated school reserve in 1920, and a post office started operating out of a back room in a local residence in 1921. The first industry was a Rimu sawmill, located in the bush above the school, which was supported by a bush tramway. A community hall was built in 1956. Much of the original balloted farmland required scrub clearing, and for the new settlers, there was little financial support from the government for the settlers. of the school and district was published. It is presently a community of approximately 280 properties, made up of several dozen dairy and drystock farms over 50 acres in size, around 40 lifestyle blocks of between 2 and 50 acres, and the balance residences on less than 2 acres. ==Demographics==