Pakiri, New Zealand

Pakiri is a locality in Auckland, in the former Rodney District of New Zealand. Leigh is about 9km to the south-east. The Pakiri River flows through the area and into the Hauraki Gulf to the north-east.The area is named for the Ngāti Wai chief, Te Kiri.Pakiri Beach is a 14km white sandy beach to the north. The Auckland Regional Council purchased two blocks of land in 2005, totalling 178ha, with 3km of beach frontage, and is developing the whole amount as a regional park.Suction dredging has been used to mine sand from the sea floor off the coast since the 1950s. This had caused some controversy in 1994, when 170,000m3 of sand was to be extracted to bolster the popular Mission Bay in Auckland, and was brought to the Planning Tribunal in the case Haddon v Auckland Regional Council for violation of the Resource Management Act 1991, and its provisions for kaitiakitanga.EducationPakiri School is a coeducational full primary school, with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 20. The school celebrated its 125th jubilee in 2002.