Pollok is a small settlement on the
ﾄwhitu Peninsula in the
Auckland Region
Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing ...
of New Zealand. It is located to the north-west of
Waiuku.
History
Pollok is a part of the
rohe of
Ngﾄ》i Te Ata Waiohua
Ngﾄ》i Te Ata Waiohua is a Mﾄ｛ri iwi from the area around the Manukau Harbour in the Auckland Region of New Zealand.
Ngﾄ》i Te Ata Waiohua were traditionally known as Te Ruakaiwhare, after the tribal guardian Kaiwhare, who protects the waters o ...
.
The
Crown purchased the land in 1861,
and in 1865 the town was founded by
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
immigrants from
Pollokshaws near
Glasgow,
led by James Milne Smith, the reverend of the Pollokshaws United Original Secession Church.
Smith tried to establish a self-contained and self-sufficient religious community at Pollok.
In 1870, his church was joined by the Pollok Presbyterian Church.
Smith left the community in 1882, when the community's combined church and school was destroyed in a fire.
After Smith's departure, the Auckland Education Board purchased a site next to the Pollok Presbyterian Church, and opened a school on 11 July 1883.
In the early 1910s, the first telephone exchange was constructed in the area in Pollok. This house was later moved to the historical precinct at the
Waiuku Museum.
In 2005, the Pollok School was closed.
Education
Pollok School was established in the town in 1883. It operated for over 120 years as a primary school, until its closure in 2005.
As of 2023, the closest school to the settlement is Awhitu District School, a coeducational full primary school (years 1窶8) with a roll of students as of .
References
{{Franklin Local Board Area
Populated places in the Auckland Region