Waikoukou Valley is a locality west of Auckland, in New Zealand. It was formed by Waikoukou Stream, which flows south through the Waitākere Ranges and is joined by Ararimu Stream before joining Kumeū River not far from its junction with Kaipara River. The major roads in the locality are Waikoukou Valley Road, Old North Road, Taylor Road and Peak Road.[3]
Waikoukou Valley | |
|---|---|
 Waikoukou Valley | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 36°44′31″S 174°30′36″E / 36.742°S 174.510°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Auckland Region |
| Ward | Rodney ward |
| Community board | Rodney Local Board |
| Subdivision | Kumeū subdivision |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Auckland Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 52.86 km2 (20.41 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024)[2] | |
• Total | 1,880 |
| • Density | 36/km2 (92/sq mi) |
The Matua vineyard occupies 31.68 ha of land in Waikoukou Valley.[4]
"Wai" is the Māori word for water, and "koukou" is the morepork, an owl.[5]
History
editThe Tikokopu, Wharauroa and Waikoukou rivers were dammed in the 1800s to log kauri.[6]
A post office was established at William Blake's premises in 1861.[7] Blake was running a saw mill by 1862,[8] but he moved to Taranaki in 1866,[9] with the saw mill sold the following year.[10] Milling continued by the Wilkins brothers until the 1880s.[11]
A flax mill was operating by 1870.[12]
Land use moved from extraction to dairy farming in the 1920s, although there was some debate on whether to replant trees towards the end of the decade.[13][14] Electricity was supplied to the area in 1930.[15]
Demographics
editWaikoukou Valley statistical area covers 52.86 km2 (20.41 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 1,880 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 36 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1,401 | — |
| 2013 | 1,518 | +1.15% |
| 2018 | 1,728 | +2.63% |
| Source: [16] | ||
Waikoukou Valley had a population of 1,728 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 210 people (13.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 327 people (23.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 555 households, comprising 846 males and 882 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female. The median age was 42.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 381 people (22.0%) aged under 15 years, 267 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 876 (50.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 204 (11.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 94.1% European/Pākehā, 8.7% Māori, 2.3% Pacific peoples, 3.0% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 21.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 65.8% had no religion, 25.2% were Christian, 0.7% were Buddhist and 1.6% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 303 (22.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 171 (12.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $44,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 411 people (30.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 759 (56.3%) people were employed full-time, 243 (18.0%) were part-time, and 27 (2.0%) were unemployed.[16]
Notes
edit- ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ Topo50 map BA31 - Waitemata Harbour (Map). 1:50,000. Land Information New Zealand. 2016.
- ^ "Matua winery among nearly $50m of sales". New Zealand Herald. 3 August 2016.
- ^ "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
- ^ Hayward, B. W.; Diamond, J. T. (1975). "Kauri Dam Sites in the Waitakere Ranges" (PDF). Tane. 6: 105–120. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ "Post Office - Mails". Daily Southern Cross. 24 May 1861. p. 2.
- ^ "Kauri Timber". Daily Southern Cross. 23 October 1862. p. 2.
- ^ "Police Court—Saturday. [Before T. Beckham, Esq., R.M.]". Daily Southern Cross. December 1868. p. 5.
- ^ "Land Sale". New Zealand Herald. 9 March 1867. p. 4.
- ^ "TP146 Kaipara River Catchment Water Allocation Strategy 2001 Part B" (PDF). Auckland City Council. 2001. p. 21.
- ^ "Waitakere-the Flax and Gum Industry". Daily Southern Cross. p. 4.
- ^ "Butter or Timber?". New Zealand Herald. 7 November 1928. p. 16.
- ^ "Forests or Farms". New Zealand Herald. 23 February 1929. p. 8.
- ^ "Electric Power". Auckland Star. 17 February 1930. p. 8.
- ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Waikoukou Valley (112600). 2018 Census place summary: Waikoukou Valley