Ōtaki is a town in the Kāpiti Coast District of the North Island of New Zealand, situated halfway between the capital city Wellington, 70 km (43 mi) to the southwest, and Palmerston North, 70 km (43 mi) to the northeast.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of sticking a staff into the ground" for Ōtaki.

[8][9] The community has three marae, affiliated with the iwi of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga and its hapū.

[10][11] In October 2020, the Government committed $159,203 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae, and create 12 jobs.

[10][11] In October 2020, the Government committed $337,112 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae, and create 12 jobs.

[13] In October 2020, the Government committed $143,984 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the site, creating an estimated 8 jobs.

[14] The town is situated at the northern end of the Kāpiti Coast, close to the banks of the Ōtaki River, 4 kilometres from its outflow into the Tasman Sea.

It offers recreational activities ranging from short walks, swimming, rafting and kayaking to advanced tramps of 3 – 5 days duration, including the Southern Crossing that ends at Kaitoke 45 km northeast of Wellington.

The beach is popular for surfing, swimming, recreational fishing, horse riding, walking and photography.

[31] Ōtaki Early Learning Centre[32] is a co-educational pre-school for children of age 2 and above.

Ōtaki Playcentre is a co-educational early childhood centre for children from birth to six years old.

[41] Te Kura-a-iwi o Whakatupuranga Rua Mano is a co-educational state Māori language immersion school for Year 1 to 13 students,[42][43] with a roll of 190.

[44] Ōtaki College is a co-educational state secondary school for Year 7 to 13 students,[45][46] with a roll of 416 as of November 2024.