Hector and Ngakawau are two lightly populated settlements located at the mouth of the Ngākawau River in the West Coast region of New Zealand.

Hector sits on the northern side of the Ngākawau River's mouth, and is the more populous of the two settlements.

[4] Ngakawau, the more economically important of the two settlements, stands on the southern side of the mouth of the Ngākawau River.

An aerial ropeway from the Stockton Mine transports significant tonnages of coal to Ngakawau for trans-shipment to the port town of Lyttelton on the east coast of New Zealand.

[5][6] Ngakawau is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 2.53 km2 (0.98 sq mi), including Hector.