Western Bay of Plenty District Western Bay of Plenty District Western Bay of Plenty District is a territorial authority within the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. The district envelops Tauranga City by land, and includes Matakana Island, at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour. The district's population at the census was , of whom 16% are Maori. Of these, 1773 live in Waihi Beach, 3579 in Katikati, and 7080 in Te Puke. The district has a land area of 2,120.675 km² (818.797 sq mi). The seat of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council is at Greerton in Tauranga City (which is a separate
Bay of Plenty in 1769. Cook noted the abundance of food supplies, in comparison to Poverty Bay further back along the eastern coast of the North Island. Further reports of European contact are scarce prior to the arrival of missionary Samuel Marsden to the Tauranga area in 1820. During the 1820s and 1830s, northern iwi including Ngā Puhi invaded the Bay of Plenty during their campaign throughout the North Island, fighting local Māori tribes in what became known as the Musket Wars. However, the 1830s and 1840s saw increased contact between Bay of Plenty Māori and Europeans through trade, although few Europeans settled