What is "whataupoko"

Whataupoko is the central suburb of the New Zealand city of Gisborne. It is located to the northeast of the city business district.

It is bordered by the city centre, and the suburbs of Kaiti and Mangapapa.

The name derives from the Maori terms 'Whata', meaning to elevate, support, bring into prominence or hang; and 'Upoko', meaning 'head'. This has often been considered to refer to the tribal display of the heads of defeated opponents but this is a mistaken attribution, based on ideas of the primacy and noble savagery of Maori that came from the assumptions of new comers. Another theory put forward by residents is that 'Whata' and 'Upoko' mean the high head, or high point, or high chief, et cetera. Indeed, the point is the centre of the city, of the region, and at the centre of the suburb is still the seat of local government and oldest homes.

The 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings listed Whataupoko's population as 3,693, this is 8.3% of the Gisborne region's population.

Whataupoko is the home of one primary school, Central School.