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 2024)[2] | |
• Total | 200 |
| 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 it. 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 200 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 78 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 105 | — |
| 2013 | 168 | +6.94% |
| 2018 | 204 | +3.96% |
| 2023 | 120 | −10.07% |
| Source: [9][10] | ||
Wairau Valley had a population of 120 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 84 people (−41.2%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 48 people (−28.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 63 males and 54 females in 45 dwellings.[11] 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 37.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 24 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 15 (12.5%) aged 15 to 29, 69 (57.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 15 (12.5%) aged 65 or older.[10]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 50.0% European (Pākehā); 12.5% Māori; 10.0% Pasifika; 40.0% Asian; and 2.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA). English was spoken by 87.5%, Māori language by 2.5%, Samoan by 2.5%, and other languages by 42.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 50.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 20.0% Christian, 7.5% Hindu, 2.5% Māori religious beliefs, 2.5% Buddhist, and 7.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 45.0%, and 12.5% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (31.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 45 (46.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 27 (28.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $36,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 12 people (12.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 57 (59.4%) people were employed full-time, 12 (12.5%) were part-time, and 3 (3.1%) were unemployed.[10]
Education and recreation
[edit]Wairau Valley Special School is a coeducational special school, with a roll of 263 students as of November 2024.[12][13] It caters for students up to 21 years old with intellectual disabilities.[14] 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.[15]
On 1 August 1974, the Waitemata County was dissolved,[16] and Wairau Valley was incorporated into Takapuna City.[17] In 1989, Wairau Valley was merged into the North Shore City.[18] North Shore City was amalgamated into Auckland Council in November 2010.[19]
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 "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Wairau Valley (123500). 2018 Census place summary: Wairau Valley
- ^ a b c "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Wairau Valley (123500). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ 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
