Waikato Agricultural College and Model Farm was set up in 1888, so that Ruakura is now synonymous with the Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre, the location of institutes such as AgResearch and Plant & Food Research. Areas of AgResearch's research at Ruakura include animal molecular biology, reproductive technologies, agricultural systems modelling, land management, dairy science, meat science, food processing technology and safety, and animal behaviour and welfare. Plant & Food Research's site in Hamilton is home to its blueberry nursery, its Bioengineering Group and its Food and Biological Chemistry laboratory. Work is also carried out on biological control agents. The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's agricultural-based economy, and Ruakura has an important role in that industry. The Ruakura solution, a solution especially designed for pasture species, provides every nutrient necessary for plant growth and is appropriate for supporting growth of plants like maize, ryegrass, or white clover. The concentrations for each element in a full solution are shown below.
N 264 ppm
K 238 ppm
Ca 127 ppm
P 40 ppm
S 60 ppm
Na 15 ppm
Cl 9 ppm
Mg 21 ppm
B 0.5 ppm
Fe 3.0 ppm
Mn 0.5 ppm
Zn 0.25 ppm
Cu 0.04 ppm
Mo 0.01 ppm
The Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre is on land owned by the Waikato Tainui, to whom it was returned by the Crown as part of their 1995 Waikato Raupatu Land Settlement. The Waikato Regional Council included a majority of the land at Ruakura in the proposed Regional Policy Statement as a future employment area. The Hamilton City Council Proposed District Plan gave effect to the PWRPS incorporating the Ruakura structure plan. The long term plan for Ruakura is that it will be New Zealand's largest integrated commercial and lifestyle development anchored by a freight and logistics hub. The project provides an unrivaled opportunity to drive the growth for businesses, as local and global trade continues to grow at an increasing rate. The vision is to build a real community at Ruakura with an exciting mix of high-quality work, live and play elements.
Demographics
In the 2018 census a new Ruakura area was created, covering the University and a rural area on the city fringe. It is. Up to 2013 Ruakura was part of the Newstead area, which covered a similar area, but excluded the University. As shown below, the change resulted in a much larger, younger and poorer population in 2018 than previously and younger than the 37.4 years of the national average. 61.1% were European, 27.2% Asian and 13.7% Māori. Only 3 people lived in meshblock 0955300, at the Research Centre, in 2013.
Education
Tai Wananga is a co-educational state secondary school located in Ruakura. It had a roll of as of.
Ruakura had a railway station from 1 October 1884 to 1 January 1967 at the junction of the East Coast Main Trunk and the Cambridge Branch. The branch had its first public train on 8 October 1884. Ruakura was west of Eureka and east of Claudelands. it was north of Mongaonui, later renamed Newstead. When the line opened, Ruakura station was described as an island in a swamp, with no road connection. In 2020 reopening as a "passenger rail Metro Station" was put forward as a COVID-19 recovery scheme, as part of a $150m scheme to relay tracks to Cambridge.
Employment area and Inland port
In 2016 approval was given to create an employment area, with an inland port, served by the railway and the Hamilton Bypass. The development will cover, including a inland port to the west of the Research Centre. Opening is planned in 2021.
Greenhill Park is a medium density suburb at the north west of the development, begun in 2016, It adjoins Fairview Downs. A 110kV transmission line was undergrounded in 2020 to make way for more housing.
