Waipā District Council

"The Waipā District Council was established in 1989, through the merger of Waipā County Council, Cambridge Borough Council (established in 1886), and Te Awamutu Borough Council (established in 1915)."

Waipā rohe is defined by the Waipā River that flows north from near Te Kuiti, through Ōtorohanga, Pirongia and as far as Ngāruawāhia, where it joins the Waikato River. Its major urban centres are Cambridge and Te Awamutu.

The Waipā District has historical significance as the staging ground of the Waikāto wars of the 1860s. British fortifications were made at Alexandra (Pirongia), Te Rore and Pāterangi, and the Battle of Ōrākau (1864). In the 1990s seizure of land by the Crown in the context of this conflict was recognised as unjust, and compensation was given to Waikato-Tainui iwi.

See also:

• Waipā District Council
• Danny Keenan, 'New Zealand wars - Waikato war: major battles', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.