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Avondale is a suburb of Auckland,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Located on the western
Auckland isthmus The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland, including the CBD. The isthmus i ...
, the suburb is often considered a part of West Auckland. It is located in the Whau local board area, one of the 21 administrative divisions for the Auckland Council.


Geography

Avondale is one of the westernmost suburbs of the
Auckland isthmus The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland, including the CBD. The isthmus i ...
, forming the eastern shores of the
Whau River The Whau River is an estuarial arm of the southwestern Waitemata Harbour (rather than a river) within the Auckland metropolitan area in New Zealand. It flows north for from its origin at the confluence of the Avondale Stream and Whau Stream to ...
, an estuarial arm of the
Waitematā Harbour Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is one of two harbours adjoining the city. The harbour forms the northern and easter ...
.


History


European settlement

The eastern shores of the Whau River was originally known by European settlers as Te Whau, until the 1880s. Whau is the Māori language name for ''
Entelea arborescens ''Entelea arborescens'' or whau is a species of malvaceous tree endemic to New Zealand. ''E. arborescens'' is the only species in the genus ''Entelea''. A shrub or small tree to 6 m with large lime-like leaves giving a tropical appearance, ...
'', a native tree. The first European settler in the area was John Sheddon Adam in 1843. In 1845, the first wooden bridge across the
Whau River The Whau River is an estuarial arm of the southwestern Waitemata Harbour (rather than a river) within the Auckland metropolitan area in New Zealand. It flows north for from its origin at the confluence of the Avondale Stream and Whau Stream to ...
was built. Settlement of the area did not occur in larger numbers until the late 1850s, with the completion of Great North Road. The name Avondale was popularised by John Bollard, who arrived in the area in 1861 and named the area for the Avondale Forest in County Wicklow,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Bollard became a prominent community leader and a Member of Parliament, living in Avondale until his death in 1915. Expansion was rapid, with churches, stores and a public hall built by 1867. In 1880, the
North Auckland Line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, we ...
railway stations opened along the
Auckland isthmus The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland, including the CBD. The isthmus i ...
and West Auckland, extending to
Helensville Helensville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is sited northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 16 passes through the town, connecting it to Waimauku to the south, and Kauka ...
by 1881, which included a station at Avondale. The new connection to Auckland led to a significant increase in growth in the area. Taking advantage of the newly opened station, New Zealand businessman William Hunt opened a brickworks adjacent to the railway line at St Georges Road, which continued to manufacture clay goods until 1969. Other early industries in the Avondale area included tanneries and mills. Avondale also had numerous market gardens, especially on the
Rosebank Peninsula Rosebank (or the Rosebank Peninsula) is a peninsula and industrial suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is the westernmost point of the Auckland isthmus. The peninsula runs from the southeast in a northerly direction, with the Whau River on its ...
. It was here that the "Hayward" cultivar of the Chinese gooseberry, later known as the
kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus '' Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwi ...
, was developed by Hayward Wright. In the late 19th century, Chinese-New Zealander
Chan Ah Chee Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) * Chan Caldwe ...
purchased 26 acres at land at Avondale, using the land as market gardens. Te Whau became the Avondale District on 5 June 1882. In 1888, the Avondale Jockey Club formed, and began holding events at the
Avondale Racecourse Avondale Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand. First established in 1888, the racecourse has been used as a military training facility and as a temporary hospital. Currently the racecourse is used as a venue fo ...
. In 1912, the racecourse was used as a military training camp for the
3rd (Auckland) Mounted Rifles The 3rd (Auckland) Mounted Rifles was formed on March 17, 1911. They were mobilised during the First World War as a squadron of the Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment. They served in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I and first saw action du ...
during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, as an airfield in the following year, and as a temporary hospital during the
1918 influenza pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
.


Suburban development

From the mid-1920s Avondale became increasingly suburban. With a greater need to provide infrastructure for the area, the Avondale Borough Council planned to take out a large loan to pay for these costs. The residents of Avondale voted against this plan, and instead voted to amalgamate with Auckland City to the east, in the hope that the city would be better able to finance works projects. After the vote was successful, Avondale Borough was absorbed into the Auckland City in 1927. In 1924, a new town hall was built for the Avondale Borough. After the merger with Auckland City, there was no longer an need for borough offices, and the town hall was repurposed as a cinema, now known as the
Hollywood Cinema The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Am ...
. In 1963,
LynnMall LynnMall is a shopping centre in New Lynn, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand's first shopping centre, LynnMall, has been servicing Auckland's western suburbs for over 50 years. Since opening in 1963, the centre has continued to evol ...
, the first American-style shopping centre was opened in the neighbouring suburb of
New Lynn New Lynn is a residential suburb in West Auckland, New Zealand, located 10 kilometres to the southwest of the Auckland city centre. The suburb is located along the Whau River, one of the narrowest points of the North Island, and was the locat ...
. This negatively affected many of the shops in Avondale throughout the 1960s and 1970s.


3 Guys supermarket

Albert Gubay Albert Gubay, Order of St. Gregory the Great, KC*SG (9 April 1928 – 5 January 2016) was a Welsh businessman and philanthropist, who made his fortune with the Kwik Save retail chain, building it further on investments, mainly in property develo ...
began building his fifth 3 Guys supermarket in Avondale in 1974. It operated from September 1975 to June 1997, but was plagued with building consent issues and was eventually demolished.
Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...
took ownership of the site, selling part of it for private development in 2001. Most of the site was still vacant in 2019. The site became popular for street art in 2017, and a structure was built to host street art in 2021. A similarly named "Free Guys Supermarket" opened in Avondale during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
to provide free groceries to low-income households.


Redevelopment

In 2017, the council-controlled organisation
Panuku Development Auckland Panuku Development Auckland is one of the five council-controlled organisations (CCOs) of Auckland Council in Auckland, New Zealand. Panuku buys, manages and sells property on behalf of the council and its CCOs. It does not develop the sites d ...
announced a major redevelopment of Avondale town centre, including a new library building, community and recreation centre, increased housing and local business development. Since the 2010s, medium and high-density housing has become more commonly seen in Avondale, including such developments as the Highbury Triangle, a purpose-built
Kāinga Ora Kāinga Ora, officially Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, is a Crown agency that provides rental housing for New Zealanders in need. It has Crown entity status under the Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities Act 2019. On 1 October 2019 K� ...
complex primarily for older residents. A planned new construction in the area is the Whau River walkway, creating easier walking connections between Avondale and the suburbs on the western shores of the Whau River.


The Avondale spider

The so-called Avondale spider (''Delena cancerides''), an
introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...
of a spectacular but harmless Australian huntsman spider, was for decades only found in the area surrounding Avondale, and thus received its New Zealand name. It was introduced to New Zealand in the mid-1920s, likely in a shipment of timber to the Aitkins Timber Yard in Patiki Road. The species was allowed to spread into neighbouring areas, so that its distribution pattern might help identify future dispersal patterns of introduced species. Since then, the spider has become a symbol of Avondale.


Demographics

Avondale covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Avondale had a population of 20,082 at the
2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...
, an increase of 1,788 people (9.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,517 people (14.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 5,985 households, comprising 10,086 males and 9,993 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.01 males per female, with 3,708 people (18.5%) aged under 15 years, 5,253 (26.2%) aged 15 to 29, 9,123 (45.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,998 (9.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 37.0% European/
Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New Z ...
, 11.1% Māori, 25.4% Pacific peoples, 36.4% Asian, and 4.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 47.2, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 36.5% had no religion, 38.6% were Christian, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 8.2% were
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, 5.0% were Muslim, 2.8% were
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
and 2.7% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 4,776 (29.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 2,415 (14.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 2,292 people (14.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 8,478 (51.8%) people were employed full-time, 2,115 (12.9%) were part-time, and 729 (4.5%) were unemployed.


Local government

The first local government in the area was the Whau Highway District, which formed in 1868. This was renamed the Avondale Road district in 1882. Avondale grew into a self-governing borough in 1922. The borough merged with the Auckland City in 1927. In November 2010, all cities and districts of the Auckland Region were amalgamated into a single body, governed by the Auckland Council. Avondale is in the Whau local board area, which elects the seven-member Whau Local Board. Residents of Avondale also elect a single
Whau ward Whau Ward is an Auckland Council ward which elects one councillor and covers the Whau Local Board. The current councillor is Kerrin Leoni. Demographics Whau ward covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of p ...
councillor, who represents the area on the Auckland Council.


Mayors of Avondale Borough Council

Between 1922 and 1927, the Avondale Borough had four mayors. *1922–1923 James Watkin Kinniburgh *1923–1927 William John Tait *1927–1927 Edward Ernest Copsey *1927–1927 Herbert Tiarks


Amenities


Education

*
Avondale College Avondale College is a state coeducational secondary school located in the central Auckland, New Zealand, suburb of Avondale. With a roll of students from Years 9–13 (ages 12–18), it is the third largest secondary school in New Zealand. ...
is a state secondary (years 9-15) school with a roll of students. It is one of the largest high schools in New Zealand. Avondale Intermediate is a school for years 7-8 with a roll of . It shares the site with Avondale College. Both schools opened in 1945. * Avondale Primary School and Rosebank School are coeducational state contributing primary (years 1-6) schools with rolls of and students, respectively. Avondale School was one of the earliest schools in Auckland, opening in 1860. * Jireh Christian School is a state-integrated full primary (years 1-8) school which opened in 2018 at the site of Immanuel Christian School. It has a roll of . * St Mary's Catholic School is a state-integrated full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of . It opened in 1923. All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of


Sports

The Avondale Jockey Club operates the Avondale Racecourse - one of only two gallops tracks in suburban Auckland. The racecourse is also the location of the Avondale Sunday markets, the largest in the country. The interior of the racecourse is occupied by several sports fields, which are used for rugby union, rugby league, soccer and cricket. A set of netball courts are located adjacent to the racecourse. Additional sports facilities are located along Rosebank Road, at Eastdale Reserve and Riversdale Reserve.


Transport

Avondale Railway Station is situated on the Western Line of Auckland's metropolitan rail network.


Libraries

Avondale has a local branch of the Auckland Libraries system.


Entertainment


The Hollywood Cinema

There were movies in the Avondale Town Hall from 1900, but it wasn't until the building was upgraded in 1915 and 1924 to be a more functional cinema, that they were shown on a regular basis. The hall has been used as a cinema and performing arts centre by a variety of managers and became officially known as The Hollywood Cinema in 1966 when it was taken over and run by Jan Grefstad, until his death in 2001. Over the years it became known for midnight showings of
The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...
and performances on a
Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
organ. Under new ownership since 2015, it continues to show movies and present concerts by international artists such as Billy Bragg, and local musicians, including Marlon Willams.


Places of worship

Avondale has several places of worship, including multiple churches, a
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
temple, a
mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
, and a Seventh-Day Adventist Church Plant (ACTS Community Church).


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *


External links


Photographs of Avondale
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Whau Local Board Area Suburbs of Auckland Populated places around the Waitematā Harbour Whau Local Board Area