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.
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 |
Etymology
editThe 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
editThe 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
editWairau 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% |
| 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
editWairau Valley Special School is a coeducational special school, with a roll of 256 students as of August 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
editThe 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 "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.
- ^ 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 17 September 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
