Kakanui is a coastal town in Otago, New Zealand, located approximately 14 km (8.7 mi) south of Oamaru. The Kakanui River divides the settlement in two. Kakanui was home to a small Maori population prior to European settlement. Prior to establishment of the township the area was used as run-hold land. The discovery of breccia up the river led to the creation of a harbour and port and a meat works was established in Kakanui, leading to a prosperous decade with a five-fold growth in the population. Competition with the port at Oamaru and the railway line avoiding Kakanui led to a decline in the port and it was eventually dismantled. Despite the loss of the port the town remained and in the 20th century it became a holiday destination.

Etymology

According to Ngai Tahu the name is a corruption of Kākaunui.^[2]

Geography

Kakanui is split into two halves by the Kakanui River.^[2] Kakanui is located approximately 14 km (8.7 mi) south of Oamaru.^[3] The soil around Kakanui is fertile and supports the growing of several crops.^[2] Kakanui is part of the Otepopo district, which includes Herbert, Maheno, and Hampden.^[4]

History

Kakanui was purchased as part of the Canterbury block. Walter Mantell visited Kakanui on 7 November 1848 ^[2][a] and recorded 12 Maori living at Cats Eye Point.^[b][4] Mantell recorded 75 acres (30 ha) of land to be set aside as a native reserve, but in 1853 the Crown disestablished the reserve and extended the Moeraki reserve by 75 acres in exchange.^[6]

The first settler in the area was Charles Eberhard Suisted. Suisted had a run^[c] that extended from the Waianakarua River to the Awamoa River. In 1861 Suisted's land was surveyed and subdivided into hundreds.^[d][4]

In 1866 breccia was discovered near the Waiareka outlet and Gees Point and the following year the creation of a harbour at Kakanui to transport the stone was investigated. In 1868 a harbour wall and jetties were created at the mouth of the Kakanui River.^[4] A port was constructed in 1870 and the New Zealand Meat Preserving Company was established the following year. The meat works helped to significantly grow the town, employing between 60 and 70 workers by 1872. The port was busy, with meat being exported to Britain. Kakanui became prosperous thanks to the port and a flax mill was established on the banks of the Kakanui River at Māori Ford and supplied Dunedin. The population of Kakanui had increased five-fold from the opening of the port to 1881, with the meat works being the main employer in the town. This prosperity was short-lived with the establishment of a railway line from Oamaru to Dunedin and expansion of the Oamaru port reduced the amount of goods coming through Kakanui. In 1884 the harbour walls and jetties were demolished and two years later a storm wrecked the harbour. The meat works closed in 1891.^[4][2]

Brown coal, along with gold and limestone, was mined in the nearby Kakanui Mountains. In 1869 a Crown Grant^[e] was granted and the following year John Bathgate laid out the township.^[f][2] One of the first to purchase sites in the township was Captain James Matheson. Most of the settlement growth was on the northern half. A bridge connecting the north and south parts of Kakanui was constructed in 1871 and an influx of settlers to southern Kakanui commenced in 1874.^[4] A limework kiln that operated from c.1890 to the early 20th-century is registered as an archaeological site. After James Ingram McDonald died in 1935 his limeworks moved operation to Kakanui and continued there until 1964, when it amalgamated with the Milburn Lime Company.^[11]

In 1905 Kakanui had a post office, a Presbyterian church, hotel, school, meatworks, and fellmongery. In the 1920s holiday homes started to crop up and Kakanui continues to be a popular holiday retreat.^[2]

Demographics

Kakanui has 24% of its residents working in agriculture and fisheries compared to 43% in neighbouring Maheno, with a large proportion of retirees and holiday homes.^[12]

Kakanui had 100 residents in 1870, 11 years later this had grown to 500.^[4]

Kakanui is described as a rural settlement by Statistics New Zealand, and covers 2.02 km² (0.78 sq mi).^[13] It had an estimated population of 440 as of June 2025,^[14] with a population density of 218 people per km². It is part of the larger Maheno statistical area.^[15]

Kakanui had a population of 402 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 63 people (18.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 27 people (7.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 177 households, comprising 198 males and 204 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female, with 72 people (17.9%) aged under 15 years, 33 (8.2%) aged 15 to 29, 186 (46.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (25.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 92.5% European/Pākehā, 9.0% Māori, 2.2% Pasifika, 1.5% Asian, and 3.0% other ethnicities.^[k]

For religious affiliation, 59.0% had no religion, 29.9% were Christian, 0.7% were Buddhist and 3.0% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 72 (21.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 66 (20.0%) people had no formal qualifications. 33 people (10.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 141 (42.7%) people were employed full-time, 54 (16.4%) were part-time, and 6 (1.8%) were unemployed.^[16]

Further reading

• W.H. Scotter, Run Estate and Farm: A History of the Kakanui and Waiareka Valleys, North Otago, Otago Centennial Historical Publications, Dunedin, 1948
• D. De Maine, Divided by a river: A history of Kakanui, Brack Print, Oamaru, 2012

Notes

References

45°11′S 170°54′E / 45.183°S 170.900°E / -45.183; 170.900