Pongakawa is a rural community in the Bay of Plenty of New Zealand's North Island.

The name of the settlement comes from Māori terms meaning "Bitter ferns".

[3] Pongakawa statistical area, which also includes Paengaroa, covers 389.03 km2 (150.21 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 3,750 as of June 2024,[4] with a population density of 9.6 people per km2.

The percentage of people born overseas was 11.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.4% had no religion, 28.0% were Christian, 1.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 3.6% had other religions.