Te Mahoe is a rural settlement in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island, next to Lake Matahina.

In 2018, the larger community consisted of about 150 people,^[6] including 30 families in the village at the base of the Lake Matahina Dam.^[7] Locals describe the community as close-knit and centred around the local school.^[8]

Poet Hone Tuwhare lived in Te Mahoe during the 1950s and 1960s with his wife, writer Jean McCormack, and their three sons.^[9] He worked as a boiler-maker on the construction of the Matahina hydroelectric dam.^[10]

In 1962, the Whakatane Beacon newspaper published one of Tuwhare's poems. It began:

Up at the dam site, at Te Mahoe,
among the clatter of pneumatic drills,
the settling dust and the raw earth,
a man is writing poetry.^[10]

His first book was published two years later, in 1964, to immediate critical acclaim.^[11]

The area was affected by Cyclone Cook in April 2017. The school was closed for several days.^[12] A boil water notice was issued for residents due to sediment from floodwaters contaminating water supplies.^[13]

Te Mahoe covers 9.30 km² (3.59 sq mi).^[4] It is part of the Te Teko Lakes statistical area.^[14]

Te Mahoe had a population of 96 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 12 people (14.3%) since the 2018 census, and unchanged since the 2013 census. There were 45 males and 51 females in 24 dwellings.^[16] The median age was 25.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 30 people (31.2%) aged under 15 years, 24 (25.0%) aged 15 to 29, 36 (37.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 9 (9.4%) aged 65 or older.^[5]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 21.9% European (Pākehā), 100.0% Māori, 3.1% Pasifika, and 9.4% Asian. English was spoken by 90.6%, Māori by 37.5%, and other languages by 3.1%. No language could be spoken by 6.2% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 3.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.^[5]

Religious affiliations were 9.4% Christian, and 34.4% Māori religious beliefs. People who answered that they had no religion were 46.9%, and 9.4% of people did not answer the census question.^[5]

Of those at least 15 years old, 9 (13.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 36 (54.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 24 (36.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $32,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 33 (50.0%) full-time, 9 (13.6%) part-time, and 6 (9.1%) unemployed.^[5]

Te Mahoe School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,^[17] with a roll of 28 as of March 2026.^[18][19] The school opened about 1960, and celebrated its silver jubilee in 1985.^[20]