Seaview is an

industrial suburb An industrial suburb is a community, near a large city, with an industrial economy. These communities may be established as tax havens or as places where zoning promotes industry, or they may be industrial towns that become suburbs by urban spra ...

of the city of

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

, itself a suburban area of greater

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. Situated on the eastern coast of the

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zeala ...

, it curves between Te Awa Kairangi / the Hutt River and

Petone Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach". Europeans first settled in Pe ...

(to the west), and the bays of Eastbourne to the south. Traditionally a very industrial suburb, an annex of the larger neighbouring Petone, Seaview has undergone rejuvenation as the local car-industry has died out. Known for boganesque motor-racing, sultry weather, its former car-industry and current revitalisation, the suburb has made a name for itself in Wellington in recent years.

History and Culture

Seaview's history is generally not as well known in Wellington, as it is a small suburb with a history of industry rather than innovation and creativity. The area was prosperous for a period of time during precolonisation; the local

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 C ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

, Te Ati Awa, had a village here called Owhiti. It was based on the riches of the Waiwhetu river, which was navigable well into the

, as far north as Belmont. However, disaster struck when the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred, shattering the river into the low-lying stream it is today, and making the area a desolate strip of sandy swampland. The local shipyards were destroyed, and

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 Ze ...

settlers focused their efforts on Petone instead. Thus, Seaview was left to rot. Considered a "no-man's land" for long afterwards, it was undeveloped until

Caltex Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. It is also the brand name of non-Chevron petroleum companies in some countries (such as New Zealand, and previously ...

decided to move operations into the area in 1929, controversially building a plant on the site of the former

Wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''whare'' ( ...

of Owhiti. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

spurned local workers on, and Seaview began to grow into a trading estate that belied its small size.

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

opened an automobile plant here in 1936 in a distinctive and recently refurbished building, and so began a long production of Zodiacs, Zephyrs,

Consuls A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Prefects Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

, Anglias and the Thames trucks and Fordson tractors. This history of car manufacturing, mostly done by local women, cemented Seaview's dynamic

car culture Since the start of the twentieth century, the role of cars has become highly important, though controversial. They are used throughout the world and have become the most popular mode of transport in many of the more developed countries. In deve ...

, one that once again belies the suburb's size.

Dulux Dulux is an internationally available brand of architectural paint originated from the United Kingdom. The brand name Dulux has been used by both Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-based pa ...

established a plant in 1939, followed by more companies making industrial goods such as bolts,

rivets A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched o ...

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

and chemicals, both in Seaview and the adjacent suburb of Gracefield as space became scarce. With this, Seaview had developed a prosperity that would boom for nearly sixty years, albeit one prosthetic and pollutive. Seaview's culture has been shaped by the job losses and subsequent existentialism that came from closing of the Ford plant in 1988, as well as classic values of having a good time and rowdy fun. The boganesque culture here is highlighted by the local Port Road Drags. Many the classic cars built here, as well as Chevrolets and Pontiacs, often return to the

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

for the annual Drags, a somewhat infamous (but not nearly as so in comparison to the local

demolition derby Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehic ...

, which today has a focus on family in an attempt to soften its image)

drag race Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

that has taken place on the Port Road each November since 1966. It is the longest running street drags in

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

. Much of the Port Road is closed off especially, and classic cars fill Wellington on their way to Seaview on the day. Boy racers travel down from all over the country for it, especially ones in the

. In 2020, it was called off early when a spectator was almost killed. The marina is a considerably more placid affair during the rest of the year, when it is filled with many fishermen's boats.

Demographics

Seaview is included in the Gracefield statistical area.

Gallery

File:Oil Tanks, Seaview, 29 November 2020.png, Oil Tanks in Seaview, November 2020 File:Haines Pallet Co, LTD, Seaview, 29 November 2020.png, Old industrial buildings adorned by

Pōhutukawa ''Metrosideros excelsa'', commonly known as pōhutukawa ( mi, pōhutukawa), New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display o ...

. File:Industrial Landscape of Seaview.png, Industrial landscape. File:1975 Ford Cortina Estate (6830738454).jpg, 1975 Ford Cortina, manufactured at the Ford plant. Hundreds of thousands of Fords were built here from 1936 to 1988. File:Miss Fortune's, Seaview, 29 November 2020.png, Miss Fortune's café, a more trendy and bright feature of Seaview.

References

{{Lower Hutt Suburbs of Lower Hutt Populated places around the Wellington Harbour