Bay of Plenty European and 14.6% identifying themselves as Māori. Other ethnic groups were under-represented in the region: 14.9% of the regional population was born overseas, compared with 22.9% nationally. English is the most widely spoken language. Te Reo Māori is the most common minority language, spoken by 9.6% of the population, compared with 4.1% nationally. The Bay of Plenty has a temperate, maritime climate, with warm, humid summers and mild winters. It is one of the warmest regions in New Zealand, particularly along the coastline, and most areas experience at least 2,200 hours of sunshine per annum. Average daily maximum temperatures range
Bay of Plenty (New Zealand electorate) each review. For the 2008 election, the eastern boundary moved far westwards to the eastern fringe of Te Puke, in the process abandoning sections of the central coast to the Rotorua and East Coast seats. Bay of Plenty was created for the change to the mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation voting system; it was carved out of parts of the old seats of Kaimai, Tarawera and Eastern Bay of Plenty. Its original incarnation was based mostly around Whakatane and Opotiki districts, with the remaining population coming from Te Puke and parts of greater Tauranga. Bay of Plenty has been a safe