Bay of Plenty Census, the total resident population of the Bay of Plenty region was 257,379, an increase of 7.5% from 2001. The Bay of Plenty is the fifth-most populous region in New Zealand, accounting for 6.4% of the national population. The regional population is projected to increase to 277,900 by the year 2011. The median age in the Bay of Plenty was 37.2 years; 23.0% of the population were under 15 years of age, while 14.8% of people were aged 65 years or over. The male-to-female ratio was 0.94. The coast is dotted with several sizable settlements, the largest of which is
Radio Bay of Plenty 1XX, under sponsorship from Moro chocolate bar manufacturer Cadbury. The 1XX programme was played on Cadbury Moro FM between 11pm and 6am the next morning. The complete transition to FM broadcasting was made on 12 December 1988. Announcer Terry Casserly had to ad-lib during the opening broadcast, when a live cross to company chairman Ross Neiderer was lost to dead air. The 90.5 FM from Mount Putauaki was the most powerful FM signal in the Bay of Plenty and was used as the station's main frequency, with a simulcast on the station's previous AM frequency. Another frequency on 93.0 FM