Porirua is a city located in the Wellington Region on the North Island of New Zealand. It serves as one of the four cities that make up the Wellington metropolitan area. The name Porirua is derived from a corruption of "Pari-rua," which translates to "the tide sweeping up both reaches."
The city almost completely surrounds Porirua Harbour at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast. As of 2023, the city has a population of 62,400 people. It is characterized by its diversity, with 26.5% of the population identifying as Pasifika and 23.0% identifying as Māori.