Settled in the early 1900s, with the help of a huge land drainage programme, the Plains transformed from swampland into profitable farmland.
Ngātea is the largest settlement in the Plains Ward and was established in the early 1900s to service the surrounding rural lands. Ngātea developed slowly until the early 1970’s when the town became the Hauraki Plains County Council’s administration centre.
Land was acquired to form the Ngātea Domain as the focal point of the town. Land was also made available for residential development north of the town. With an increase of traffic on SH2, Ngātea is a busy hub for people travelling between Auckland and Tauranga. The laid back rural lifestyle has enticed some city dwellers to settle in Ngātea and commute to the busy centres of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga for work.
Ngātea’s Hugh Hayward Domain is the sports hub of the Plains, with a range of clubs within walking distance of the town. The sports hub also boasts the only artificial surface hockey facility in the Thames Valley.
There are a number of smaller settlements spread across the plains including Kaiaua, Kerepēhi, Tūrua, Waitakaruru, Kaihere, Kōpū-ārahi and Pā-te-tonga.
The Shorebird Coast became part of the Hauraki District in 2010 and was incorporated into the Plains Ward. The coast is one of the world’s most important ecological coastal and wetland areas for shorebirds. Nearly half the population of the endemic Wrybill are found at Pūkorokoro/Miranda, and over 100 migratory species grace the western shores of the Firth of Thames.