[3][4] The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long flats" for Paparoa.

[5] Paparoa was one of several Kaipara settlements established by a religious group known as Albertlanders.

[8] A pottery using local clay and a factory making rope and matting from flax operated in the 1870s, and brick and tile yards were established, but their business suffered from the poor roads and high freight charges.

[9] The steamer Minnie Casey connected Paparoa with Helensville on the south side of the Kaipara with a weekly service from 1882, and the S.S. Ethel took over from 1891–95, after which services went only to Matakohe and Pahi.

[12] Pastoral farming became established in the area, and a dairy factory was opened in Paparoa in January 1895.

[14] The North Auckland railway line reached Huarau, to the east of Paparoa, in the early 1920s.

[15] The local Ōtamatea marae and its Aotearoa wharenui are a tribal meeting place for Ngāti Whātua and Te Uri o Hau.

[16][17] Statistics New Zealand describes Paparoa as a rural settlement, which covers 8.74 km2 (3.37 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 410 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 47 people per km2.

The results were 87.8% European (Pākehā); 15.8% Māori; 2.2% Pasifika; 3.6% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

Of those at least 15 years old, 33 (9.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 189 (56.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 105 (31.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications.

The results were 90.6% European (Pākehā), 17.5% Māori, 3.0% Pasifika, 1.7% Asian, and 3.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

Of those at least 15 years old, 165 (10.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 906 (58.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 438 (28.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications.