| Houaïlou | |
| Commune Status: | Commune |
| Province: | North Province |
| Map Size: | 270px |
| Adjustable Map: | Locator map of Houaïlou 2018.png |
| Map Caption: | Location of the commune (in red) within New Caledonia |
| Insee: | 98808 |
| Postal Code: | 98816 |
| Mayor: | Pascal Sawa[1] |
| Term: | 2020 - 2026 |
| Coordinates: | -21.2909°N 165.6217°W |
| Elevation M: | 5 |
| Elevation Min M: | 0 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1444 |
| Area Km2: | 940.6 |
| Population: | 3955 |
| Population Date: | 2019 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Ethnic: | Kanaks 89.58% Europeans 1.77% Wallisians and Futunans 0.33% Mixed 5.34% Other 2.98% |
| Ethnic Date: | 2019 census |
Houaïlou (pronounced as /fr/) is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.
Houaïlou has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). The average annual temperature in Houaïlou is . The average annual rainfall is with March as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in February, at around, and lowest in August, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Houaïlou was on 5 March 1952; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 3 August 1985.
The town is part of the Ajië-Aro Kanak cultural grouping, and Ajië is the local language. Over 90% of the population identified as Kanak in the 2014 census. There are some European mine workers and farmers, and a small number of Polynesians, and Asian from different countries.
The formal economy is based almost exclusively on nickel mining operations, with two local mines - Maï at Poro the Ballande mines at Bâ. Locals can train for mining jobs at the CFTMC in Poro. Service activities include the local administration and gendarmerie, schools, several small shops and other facilities.
Local Kanak tribes have traditionally operated a semi subsistence economy, with some waged labour, migrant income, and substantial cultivation. Houaïlou's farmers produce Lychees, a fruit introduced by a colonist from Réunion, Jolimont Kabar. There is a Fête du letchi each December, although production is unreliable in this climate and the festival is sometimes cancelled.