19th century

Okaiawa Public School was established in 1884. The original school house was built of wood and iron, with two classrooms, two porches, and a teachers' residence on site. The school could accommodate a roll of 120 children.^[2]

Frank Bremer, a Taranaki farmer originally from Adelaide, purchased a property in Okaiawa in 1890. His farm covered 284 acres of freehold land and 316 of leasehold land. He became a breeder of high-class draught horses which won several races, was president of the local racing club, and milked about 100 cows.^[2]

In the 1880s, Thomas Joll established a chain of private dairy factories, based in Okaiawa.^[3] He opened a creamery three kilometres from the settlement in 1894.^[2] The chain became a cooperative when Joll died in 1908, and Joll was commemorated with a marble bust at the local park named in his honour.^[3]

By 1908, the township had a hotel, a store, a butchery, and electricity. The farming community was growing, and the school roll was averaging about 92 children. A Māori Methodist minister was living in the township.^[2]

20th century

Eleven local men died in World War I and dozens of others served in the war.^[4] A roll of honour was unveiled at the school in 1919 for two ex-pupils who died and 39 other ex-pupils who served.^[5] Another roll of honour was unveiled at the local St Aidan's Anglican Church the following year.^[6] A memorial statue was unveiled at Joll Park on Anzac Day 1922 for the town's fallen soldiers.^[4][7] An individual memorial was erected at Okaiawa Cemetery for Frank Williams, one of the men who died.^[4]

By 1922, 198 students were enrolled in Okaiawa School. At an annual school picnic, parents were reminded to send their children to school "regularly" to keep attendance high.^[7]

Three local men died in World War II, and 52 others served in the war. A memorial feature on a brick feature at the school pool was unveiled by Minister of Internal Affairs William Bodkin on 10 March 1952, listing all the men's names.^[8]

Okaiawa School celebrated its 75th Jubilee in 1958.^[9] By this stage, many students were travelling to Manaia High School for secondary education.^[10]

21st century

The New Zealand Government proposed merging Okaiawa School with Manaia School in 2004.^[11] Okaiawa School closed permanently in 2009.^[4] The World War II plaque at the school was moved to a new wall of river stones at Okaiawa Cemetery in 2009.^[8] The location of the school's World War I memorial is unknown.^[4]

A woman was charged with arson and endangering life, after a suspicious house fire in Okaiawa in February 2021.^[12]

Okaiawa statistical area

Okaiawa statistical area, which also includes Ohawe, covers 102.11 km² (39.42 sq mi)^[13] and had an estimated population of 1,300 as of June 2022,^[15] with a population density of 13 people per km².

Okaiawa statistical area had a population of 1,182 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (4.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 15 people (1.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 450 households, comprising 615 males and 567 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.08 males per female. The median age was 38.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 282 people (23.9%) aged under 15 years, 168 (14.2%) aged 15 to 29, 597 (50.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 135 (11.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 86.8% European/Pākehā, 21.3% Māori, 1.0% Pacific peoples, 1.8% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 8.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.0% had no religion, 39.6% were Christian, 1.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.3% were Buddhist and 1.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 96 (10.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 216 (24.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $38,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 174 people (19.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 486 (54.0%) people were employed full-time, 162 (18.0%) were part-time, and 33 (3.7%) were unemployed.^[16]