Wairau Valley, Auckland
Wairau Valley | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 36°46′29″S 174°44′17″E / 36.77472°S 174.73806°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland |
| Local authority | Auckland Council |
| Electoral ward | North Shore Ward |
| Local board | Kaipātiki Local Board |
| Area | |
| • Land | 256 ha (633 acres) |
| Population (June 2023)[2] | |
| • Total | 210 |
| Postcode(s) | 7072, 7271, 7274, 7276 |
| Glenfield | Tōtara Vale | Forrest Hill |
| Glenfield |
  Wairau Valley  |
Forrest Hill |
| Glenfield | Hillcrest | Takapuna |
Wairau Valley is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. The area is predominantly light industrial/commercial. The Northern Motorway passes to the east, and the Wairau Park shopping complex extends to the north.[3] The valley is drained by the Wairau Creek, which flows on through Milford and discharges into the Hauraki Gulf from an estuary at the northern end of Milford Beach.
Etymology[edit]
The suburb is named after the Wairau Creek, which flows through the suburb. The name Wairau in Māori means "Waters Gathered by a Net".[4]
History[edit]
The Wairau Valley was primarily swampland and farmland in the early 20th century, including some areas that were leased to Chinese market gardeners.[5] In 1959, the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened, leading to rapid suburbanisation on the North Shore.[6] The Wairau Valley developed stormwater runoff problems as the surrounding greenspaces were developed, and the Waitemata County Council began plans to line the Wairau Valley waterways with concrete.[7]
From 1970, Wairau Valley was redeveloped as an industrial area,[7] and only a few years later became the largest industrial area on the North Shore.[6]
In 1982, The Warehouse opened their first store in New Zealand in Wairau Valley.[6] In 1992, the North Shore Sports and Leisure Centre was opened in the suburb (now known as the Eventfinda Stadium).[8]
Demographics[edit]
Wairau Valley covers 2.56 km2 (0.99 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 210 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 82 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 105 | — |
| 2013 | 168 | +6.94% |
| 2018 | 204 | +3.96% |
| Source: [9] | ||
Wairau Valley had a population of 204 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 36 people (21.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 99 people (94.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 45 households, comprising 126 males and 78 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.62 males per female. The median age was 43.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 27 people (13.2%) aged under 15 years, 45 (22.1%) aged 15 to 29, 114 (55.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 18 (8.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 63.2% European/Pākehā, 5.9% Māori, 5.9% Pacific peoples, 30.9% Asian, and 2.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 42.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.0% had no religion, 35.3% were Christian, 2.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 5.9% were Hindu, 1.5% were Muslim and 4.4% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (16.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 24 (13.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 27 people (15.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 102 (57.6%) people were employed full-time and 24 (13.6%) were part-time.[9]
Education and recreation[edit]
Wairau Valley Special School is a coeducational special school, with a roll of 236 students as of February 2024.[10][11] It caters for students up to 21 years old with intellectual disabilities.[12] The North Shore Events Centre, an indoor arena, is in Wairau Valley.
Local government[edit]
The North Shore Highway District was the first local government body in the Wairau Valley from 1868, administering projects including roads from Birkenhead north to the Okura River.[6] From 1876, the area was administered by the Waitemata County, a large rural county north and west of the city of Auckland.[13]
On 1 August 1974, the Waitemata County was dissolved,[14] and Wairau Valley was incorporated into Takapuna City.[15] In 1989, Wairau Valley was merged into the North Shore City.[16] North Shore City was amalgamated into Auckland Council in November 2010.[17]
Within the Auckland Council, Wairau Valley is a part of the Kaipātiki local government area governed by the Kaipātiki Local Board. It is a part of the North Shore ward, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Gregory's Auckland & Surrounds Street Directory (3rd ed.). 2008. map 57. ISBN 978-0-7319-2048-8.
- ^ "Wairau Valley". New Zealand Gazetteer. Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Rounthwaite, Valerie 1989, pp. 77.
- ^ a b c d Heritage Consultancy Services (1 July 2011). North Shore Heritage - Thematic Review Report Volume 1 (PDF) (Report). Auckland Council. ISBN 978-1-927169-21-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ a b Rounthwaite, Valerie 1989, pp. 84.
- ^ Verran, David (September 2016). "The North Shore in the 1990s and 2000s". Channel. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Wairau Valley (123500). 2018 Census place summary: Wairau Valley
- ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Education Counts: Wairau Valley Special School
- ^ "Mission and Aim". Wairau Valley School.
- ^ Reidy, Jade (2009). "How the West Was Run". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. pp. 238–239. ISBN 9781869790080.
- ^ Adam, Jack; Burgess, Vivien; Ellis, Dawn (2004). Rugged Determination: Historical Window on Swanson 1854-2004. Swanson Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc. pp. 38–39. ISBN 0-476-00544-2.
- ^ "Cities of Takapuna and Waitemata (Upper Harbour Bridge) Empowering Act 1976". New Zealand Government. 27 October 1976. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ McClure, Margaret (6 December 2007). "Auckland places - The North Shore". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Blakeley, Roger (2015). "The planning framework for Auckland 'super city': an insider's view". Policy Quarterly. 11 (4). doi:10.26686/pq.v11i4.4572. ISSN 2324-1101.
Bibliography[edit]
- Rounthwaite, Valerie (1989), The Story of Rural Glenfield, Takapuna: Takapuna City Council, OCLC 37482407, Wikidata Q123499466
