Momona

For other uses, see Momona (disambiguation).

Momona is a small town on the Taieri Plain in New Zealand's South Island. Momona School was established in 1899 and closed in 2004. The Henley Co-operative Dairy Company, established in nearby Henley, moved their cheese factory here, and was closed in the 1980s.

Momona
Rural locality
Coordinates: 45°55′S 170°13′E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Otago
District	Dunedin
Community board	Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board
Electorates	Taieri Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Government
• Territorial authority	Dunedin City Council
• Regional council	Otago Regional Council
• Mayor of Dunedin	Jules Radich
• Taieri MP	Ingrid Leary
• Te Tai Tonga MP	Tākuta Ferris
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode	9073
Local iwi	Ngāi Tahu

Momona is the location of Dunedin International Airport. With the establishment of the airport, an extra township was built for families of airport staff, its three streets being named after RNZAF airmen who received the Victoria Cross: James Allen Ward, Lloyd Trigg, and Leonard Henry Trent.

New Zealand's lowest point, at 2 metres (6.6 ft) below sea level, is located on Kirk's Drain Road just to the southwest of Momona. The road was named after John Kirk, a nearby resident, who was the grandfather of the Rt. Hon. Norman Kirk, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972 to 1974.

Demographics

Momona statistical area, which also includes Outram and Allanton, covers 217.61 km² (84.02 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 2,580 as of June 2024, with a population density of 11.9 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	2,130	—
2013	2,205	+0.50%
2018	2,322	+1.04%
Source:

The statistical area had a population of 2,322 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 117 people (5.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 192 people (9.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 897 households, comprising 1,209 males and 1,113 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female. The median age was 43.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 498 people (21.4%) aged under 15 years, 330 (14.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,161 (50.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 336 (14.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 96.3% European/Pākehā, 8.1% Māori, 0.1% Pasifika, 1.6% Asian, and 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 9.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 60.5% had no religion, 32.0% were Christian, 0.4% were Buddhist and 0.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 318 (17.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 378 (20.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $38,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 345 people (18.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,050 (57.6%) people were employed full-time, 318 (17.4%) were part-time, and 39 (2.1%) were unemployed.