Riverhead is a small, historically predominantly working-class town located at the head 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 ...
in the north-west of
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
, New Zealand. The region around Riverhead and the neighbouring towns of
Kumeu and
Huapai is known for its vineyards. This town has had its 15 minutes in the spotlight appearing in movies ''
Bridge to Teribithia'' and ''
Crooked Earth
''Crooked Earth'' is a 2001 New Zealand film directed by Sam Pillsbury and starring Temuera Morrison. The film opened to negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.
Plot
The film follows Will Bastion (Morrison) as he returns home ...
'' and the odd television show such as ''
Outrageous Fortune''. The region features a pine plantation forest that is popular with horse riders, mountain bikers and motorcyclists.
Riverhead Forest is operated by Matariki Forests, under Crown Licence. The forest was originally planted on poor kauri gum fields.
History
The area is traditionally a part of
rohe
The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ''rohe'' to describe the territory or boundaries of '' iwi'' (tribes), although some divide their rohe into several ''takiwā''.
The areas shown on the map (right) are indicative only, and some iw ...
of the tribe
Te Kawerau ā Maki
Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Kawerau a Maki, or Te Kawerau-a-Maki is a Māori '' iwi'' (tribe) of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It had 251 registered adult members as of June 2017. Auckland Council gave it land for a marae at Te Henga (Bethells ...
, who referred to the wider area was known as Rangitōpuni.
The name commemorates a day of peace-making between Te Kawerau ā Maki and other tribes in the early 19th century, and refers to the act of gifting dog-skin cloaks (tōpuni) that marked this day.
There were many
kāinga (villages) and localities to the West of Te Wairoa-ō-Kahu (the name for the upper Waitematā Harbour near Riverhead), including Taurangatira, Maraeroa, Ngongetepara, Te Rarawaru, Onekiritea, Tahingamanu and Pītoitoi.
The harbour around Riverhead was a source of seasonal shark and snapper for various
Tāmaki Māori groups.
European settlement of Riverhead began in 1844, when a
kauri mill was established at Riverhead, due to the access the area had to 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 ...
, and the adjacent Rangitōpuni Stream providing fresh water and a way to power the mill.
The mill operated between 1845 and 1856, after which it was repurposed as the Waitemata Flour Mill, the largest provider of flour in the Auckland Region.
In 1876 the flour mill was relocated to central Auckland, and by the 1890s the Riverhead mill was repurposed a third time, as a paper mill.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Riverhead,
Swanson
Swanson is a brand of TV dinners, broths, and canned poultry made for the North American and Hong Kong markets. The former "Swanson Company" was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, where it developed improvements of the frozen dinner. The TV dinner b ...
and
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
People
* Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
Australia
*Henderson, Western Australia
Canada
* ...
were a major locations for the
kauri gum
Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, bef ...
digging trade.
Riverhead was briefly a
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...
terminus in the 19th century, located at the eastern end of the isolated
Kumeu-Riverhead Section. The line operated from 1875 to 1881 as a link from Auckland to regions north, with Riverhead acting as the transition point from ferry to railway. When 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 ...
connected Kumeu with Auckland via rail in 1881, the coastal shipping became unnecessary, and with no reason to continue operating, the railway to Riverhead was closed.
In 1914, the paper mill closed.
After this time, Riverhead became known as a
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
growing area, and after the establishment of the
Riverhead Forest, a location where ''
Pinus radiata'' from the forest was processed.
Governance
Riverhead is part of the Local Government
Rodney Ward of Auckland Council and is part of the Kumeu Subdivision of the
Rodney Local Board
Rodney Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of Auckland Council, and is administered by the ward councillor representing Rodney Ward. Located in the northern part of the Auckland region, it is named after the former Rodney District which ...
.
Riverhead is in the
Kaipara ki Mahurangi Electorate.
Demographics
Riverhead covers
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Riverhead had a population of 2,802 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 short ...
, an increase of 1,440 people (105.7%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 1,497 people (114.7%) since the
2006 census. There were 864 households, comprising 1,422 males and 1,380 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female. The median age was 35.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 699 people (24.9%) aged under 15 years, 450 (16.1%) aged 15 to 29, 1,437 (51.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 219 (7.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 86.3% 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 ...
, 10.1%
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, 3.4%
Pacific peoples, 9.1%
Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 24.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 61.3% had no religion, 28.4% were
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
, 0.2% had
Māori religious beliefs, 2.1% 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 ...
, 0.4% 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 1.5% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 603 (28.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 225 (10.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $52,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 759 people (36.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,299 (61.8%) people were employed full-time, 321 (15.3%) were part-time, and 48 (2.3%) were unemployed.
Education
Riverhead School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of students as at . The school was built in 1872, and substantially rebuilt in 1960.
In 2010 six new classrooms, a resource room and a library were added.
Notes
External links
Riverhead School website
{{Rodney Local Board Area
Rodney District
Populated places in the Auckland Region
Populated places around the Waitematā Harbour