Pre-European settlement Kaitaia, originally known as
Ōrongotea, was the site of 15th century Māori explorer
Tamatea Urehaea's
pā,
Tinotino. It was here where his son,
Kahungunu, ancestor of the
Ngāti Kahungunu and
Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki iwi, was born.
European settlement The Kaitaia Mission Station was established between 1833 and 1834 after a series of visits by
Church Missionary Society (CMS) representatives including Samuel Marsden, and at different times, Joseph Matthews and
William Gilbert Puckey. Puckey and Matthews had married two sisters, Matilda and Mary Ann Davis respectively, (daughters of
Richard Davis, a lay missioner based at
Waimate North). They formed a tight band, initially living together in raupo huts, and then in houses they built. As Puckey and the sisters were fluent in Māori, (Puckey having arrived in New Zealand in 1819 with his father, William Puckey, and the Davis family in 1823), they spoke Māori when together, to help Joseph Matthews pick up the language. Both families grew and intermarried, forming the basis of the early Pākehā settler community. At one point, the Church Missionary Society decided that either Puckey or Matthews should move to a new location to the south to facilitate the spread of the word, but
Nōpera Panakareao wrote a heartfelt letter to the CMS committee, pleading not to take away 'one of the two candlesticks'. In February 1841, about 500 Māori were present at a CMS service. In 1852 arguments developed between one chief and his tribe, however the impact of the missionaries meant that the old ways of settling disputes had passed. Richard Matthews, the brother of Rev. Joseph Matthews, arrived in the
Bay of Islands in December 1835 and for a time, joined his brother in Kaitaia. Richard Matthews had been a lay missionary on the second voyage of
HMS Beagle with
Charles Darwin. Richard Matthews served the CMS as a lay
catechist at Kaitaia. In 1838 he married Johanna Blomfield, the sister of Mrs Martha Blomfield Clarke, whose husband George was a CMS missionary at
Te Waimate mission. In 1840 Richard and Johanna Matthews helped set up a missionary station at
Whanganui. There were plans to extend the
Okaihau Branch railway to Kaitaia and construction was started in the 1920s, but with the line nearly complete to
Rangiahua, a review in 1936 determined that the line would not be viable and construction was abandoned. The line terminated in
Okaihau until it was closed on 1 November 1987.
D 221, a
steam tank locomotive, has been on static display at Centennial Park since 1967.
Marae There are five marae located within 10 km of Kaitāia • Te Uri o Hina Marae (
Pukepoto) is affiliated with
Te Rarawa (iwi) & Ngāti Te Ao, Tahāwai and Te Uri o Hina (hapū) • Te Rarawa Marae (
Pukepoto) is affiliated with
Te Rarawa (iwi) & Ngāti Te Ao, Tahāwai and Te Uri o Hina (hapū) • Te Paatu Marae (
Pamapuria) and Piri ki Te Paatu meeting house is affiliated with
Ngāti Kahu (iwi) &
Te Paatu ki Pamāpūria (hapū). • Ōturu Marae (Ōturu) and Kia Mataara meeting house is affiliated with
Ngāti Kahu (iwi) &
Ngāi Tohianga (hapū). • Mahimaru Marae (Awanui) is affiliated with
Ngāi Takoto (iwi).
21st century In October 2020, a fire occurred at the former Kaitaia Bowling Club on Matthews Avenue. Alarms were raised at 6:01 am on Friday. The fire was caused by an
electrical fault that had sparked in the kitchen area on the upper floor, causing the northern half of the building to burn. The building, prior to the blaze, was used as a residential dwelling. A few months later in March 2021, the building was set on fire again, causing the entire building to set ablaze. Alarms were raised at around 2:30 pm. Police suspected that the blaze was 'deliberately lit'. The building was demolished upon the closing of the property. ==Demographics==