The town serves to support local farming, and is the residence of many employees of New Zealand Steel at Glenbrook.

The place name is believed to be a geographical reference to the high bluff nearby that offers views down the Waikato river.

[4] The area was first used as a trading centre for passing waka that would transport goods up and down the Waikato River.

[5] In 1863 war broke out because the British Crown forced the Waikato people out of their lands just south of the river and the New Zealand Government stationed in Tuakau Imperial troops brought over from Great Britain.

[clarification needed] To help defend the area the Alexandra Redoubt was built as a defensive fort on the bluff near the river.

By 1914 the people of Tuakau had formed their own town district which went on to achieve borough status on 1 January 1955.

[18] The 350 mm (14 in) pipe crosses on a 376 m (411 yd), 11 pier, truss bridge, 14 m (46 ft) above the water, which was built in 1980 and renovated in 2007.

Before the 2023 census, the urban area had a smaller boundary, covering 5.35 km2 (2.07 sq mi).