Thornton is a settlement in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. Thornton is located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west of Whakatāne, and is on the true right of the Rangitaiki River.

In 1911 the Rangitaiki River was put into a straight channel at the current site of Thornton, which enabled draining the Rangitaiki Plains and converting this swamp land into dairy country.

Education

Thornton School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 99 as of February 2024.