Piarere

Piarere
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato
DistrictSouth Waikato District
WardTīrau Ward
Electorates
Government
  Territorial AuthoritySouth Waikato District Council
  Regional councilWaikato Regional Council
  Mayor of South WaikatoGary Petley
  Waikato and Taupō MPsTim van de Molen and Louise Upston
  Te Tai Hauāuru MPDebbie Ngarewa-Packer
Area
  Total
71.80 km2 (27.72 sq mi)
Population
 (2023 census)
  Total
423
  Density5.9/km2 (15/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
  Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)

Piarere is a locality in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is situated on State Highway 29 close to its junction with State Highway 1, close to the shore of Lake Karapiro. The nearest towns are Tīrau, six kilometres to the southeast, Matamata, 10 kilometres to the northeast, and Cambridge, 10 kilometres to the northwest.

The meaning of the settlement's name is uncertain, as piarere may be translated from Māori in numerous ways, but it is possibly a personal name.

The Hinuera Gap, a geological feature stretching northeast of Piarere, was in prehistoric times the path of the Waikato River, which had its outlet in the Firth of Thames. The river's course was altered to its current outflow by the massive eruption of Lake Taupo 25,000 years ago.