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Our Environment

Map highlighting the Matamata-Piako District

The Matamata-Piako District is made up of three small towns and rural communities in the Waikato Region – Matamata, Morrinsville and Te Aroha. It is a predominantly rural area, with agriculture and manufacturing featuring as extremely important to the economy. 

Our district encompasses many diverse environments ranging from the Kaimai State Forest Park in the east, to the town of Matamata (a.k.a. Hobbiton) where the hobbiton segment of the world famous Lord of the Rings movie was filmed. Other major features of the district include the Mokena Geyser, the mineral spas, the Kopuatai Peat Dome and numerous walks on Mount Te Aroha, 3,126 feet high.

These significant features and our agriculture industry mean the environment is extremely important to the Matamata-Piako District. Council has developed a set of indicators so we can measure what is happening within the district. Where relevant they have been developed to provide consistency with Waikato Regional Council’s indicators and the Ministry for the Environment’s indicators.

Find out more about the district:

The people in our district The People in our District   Network utilities Works and Network Utilities
Amenity in the district Amenity   Residential growth in the area Residential Growth
Information about our economy Economy   Riparian Management Riparian Management
Our heritage Heritage   Rural area development Rural Area Development
Information on incompatible activities Incompatible Activities   Solid Waste Solid Waste
The natural environment of the Matamata-Piako District Natural Environment   Tangata Whenua information for the area Tangata Whenua
Natural hazards of the area Natural Hazards   Transport in the Matamata-Piako District Transport