There are two interpretations of the meaning of the name, one is that "Karamea" means speargrass (Aciphylla[5]), hence the "speargrass mountain", the other is that Karamea is a coloured clay of a reddish type used for war paint on the face and body.

[6] The area from Whangārei to Waipu, Waihonga and Tangihua, was taken from Ngaitahuhu by a Ngapuhi chief, Te Ponaharakeke, who joined with Te Ngarokiteuru to drive all the Ngaitahuhu out in the mid-18th century.

The first record of a European settler in the Maungakaramea area was in 1820 when the Reverend Samuel Marsden encountered a Māori tribe whilst travelling overland via the Kaipara Harbour.

[7] Also, Jonathan Wigmore Sherlock and his wife Ann arrived in 1859 from Ireland, and took out land orders for 78 acres, being Lots 59 and 60, on 2 May 1859 – the first day this area was open for selection.

The results were 92.0% European (Pākehā), 18.0% Māori, 1.0% Pasifika, 5.0% Asian, and 4.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

Of those at least 15 years old, 33 (13.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 147 (59.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 48 (19.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications.

[12] Oakleigh-Mangapai statistical area, which also includes Oakleigh, Tauraroa and Waiotira, covers 323.77 km2 (125.01 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 2,480 as of June 2024,[14] with a population density of 7.7 people per km2.

The results were 91.0% European (Pākehā); 18.6% Māori; 2.5% Pasifika; 2.1% Asian; 0.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

Of those at least 15 years old, 240 (12.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,182 (61.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 429 (22.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications.

[20] Maungakaramea is a basaltic volcano that raises to a height of 225 m (738 ft)[21] in country side typical of the Northland Allochthon.