. By 1996, Tauranga's population had grown to 82,092 and by 2006 to 103,635. The New Plymouth district is well known as a hub for events, with major festivals (annual TSB Bank Light Festival, Taranaki Powerco Garden Spectacular, WOMAD and biennial Taranaki Arts Festival), sporting events sports (including international rugby, surfing, cricket and tennis matches and the annual ITU World Triathlon Championships) and concerts (by Sir Elton John, Jack Johnson, REM, John Farnham and Fleetwood Mac). Tauranga is roughly the polar opposite of Jaén, Spain. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kōkiri, a fully inclusive Kura kaupapa Māori school for grades 1-13, was established in 2000, with approximately 140 students. The town is located in the northwest corner of the Bay of Plenty, at the southeastern end of Tauranga Harbour. With continued growth, it has now surpassed the Napier-Hastings region to become New Zealand's fifth largest city. However, the completion of a jetty in 1988 brought Tauranga and The Mount closer together (they merged in 1989) and regenerated the economies of both parts of the wider city. Mount Maunganui College, an all-girls and senior high school, with over 1,500 students. Tauranga is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city in New Zealand, with a metropolitan population of 158,300 (June 2022), approximately 3% of the country's population.
