West Auckland ( mi, Te Uru o Tāmaki Makaurau) is one of the major geographical areas 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 ...
, the largest city in
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 coun ...
. Much of the area is dominated by the
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally kno ...
, the eastern slopes of the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
era
Waitākere volcano Waitākere is a locality name in West Auckland, New Zealand. It most commonly refers to:
*Waitākere, Auckland, a rural town north-west of Auckland
*Waitakere City, a former territorial authority which existed from 1989 to 2010
*Waitākere Ranges, ...
which was upraised from the ocean floor, and one of the largest
regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government.
Definition
A regional park can be a special park distri ...
s in New Zealand. The metropolitan area of West Auckland developed on the lands between the
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally kno ...
to the west and the upper reaches of the
Waitematā Harbour to the east, in areas such as
Massey
Massey may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Massey, Ontario
* Massey Island, Nunavut
New Zealand
* Massey, New Zealand, an Auckland suburb
United States
* Massey, Alabama
* Massey, Iowa
* Massey, Maryland
People
* Massey (surname)
Educatio ...
,
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
* ...
,
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 loca ...
and
Glen Eden.
The area is within the
rohe of
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 ...
, whose traditional names for the area were Hikurangi, Waitākere, and Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa, the latter of which refers to the forest of the greater Waitākere Ranges area. Most settlements and
pā
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...
were centred around the west coast beaches and the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The up ...
valley. Two of the major
waka portages are found in the area: the
Te Tōanga Waka (the
Whau River portage), and
Te Tōangaroa (the
Kumeū portage), connecting the
Waitematā,
Manukau
Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, so ...
and
Kaipara harbours.
European settlement of the region began in the 1840s, centred around the
kauri logging trade. Later industries developed around
kauri gum digging, orchards, vineyards and the clay brickworks of the upper Waitematā Harbour estuaries, most notably at New Lynn on the Whau River. Originally isolated from the developing city of Auckland on the
Auckland isthmus, West Auckland developed after being connected to the
North Auckland railway line in 1880 and the
Northwestern Motorway
The Northwestern Motorway (also known historically as the Auckland–Kumeu Motorway), part of (SH 16), is the major western route and secondary northern route out of Auckland in New Zealand. Twenty-one kilometres in length, the motorway runs f ...
in the 1950s.
Definition and etymologies
West Auckland is not a strictly defined area. It includes the former
Waitakere City
Waitākere City was a territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitākere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%. In 2010 the council was ...
, which existed between 1989 and 2010 between the
Whau River and
Hobsonville
Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The area was administered by Waitakere City Council until the council was amalgamated into Auckland Council in 2010.
Hobsonville Point, formerly the location of th ...
.
The Whau River and Te Tōanga Waka (the
Whau portage), which marked the border between the former Waitakere and
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 ...
cities had divided Eden County from
Waitemata County since 1876, and originally dating back much earlier, as the
rohe marker between
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 ...
and
Tāmaki 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 is ...
iwi. West Auckland typically also includes
Avondale, and
Blockhouse Bay
Blockhouse Bay is a residential suburb in the south west of Auckland, in New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the northern coast of the Manukau Harbour, and is also close to the administrative boundary that existed between Auckland Cit ...
, two suburbs to the east of the Whau border on the
Auckland isthmus, due to their strong historical ties. Towns in southwestern
Rodney, such as
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 ...
,
Riverhead,
Waimauku,
Kumeū and
Huapai are also often described as West Auckland.
Occasionally a stricter definition is used, including just the
Henderson-Massey
Henderson-Massey is a local government area in Auckland, in New Zealand's Auckland Region, governed by the Henderson-Massey Local Board and Auckland Council. It currently aligns with the council's Waitākere Ward.
Geography
The area includes the ...
,
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally kno ...
and
Whau local board areas.
The traditional
Tāmaki Māori names for the area include Hikurangi, Waitākere, Whakatū and Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa. Hikurangi referred to the central and western Waitākere Ranges south of the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The up ...
, and was originally a name given by
Rakatāura, the
tohunga
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teache ...
of the
Tainui migratory canoe to a location south of
Piha, likely referring to meaning the area where the last light of day reaches. This is a name commonly used as a placename across Polynesia. The name ''Wai-tākere'' ("cascading water") originated as a name for a rock at
Te Henga / Bethells Beach
Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, is a coastal community in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Māori name for the area, "Te Henga", is in reference to the long foredunes which run along the beach and look like the or gunwale of an upturned waka hul ...
found at the former mouth of the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The up ...
,
which was later applied to the river,
Ranges, and West Auckland in general. The name refers to the action of the water striking the rock as the waves came into shore, and became popularised in the early 18th century during
Te Raupatu Tihore ("The Stripping Conquest"), when a Te Kawerau ā Maki chief's body was lain on this rock.
The name Whakatū is the traditional name for the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
and west coast beaches of West Auckland south of
Te Henga / Bethells Beach
Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, is a coastal community in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Māori name for the area, "Te Henga", is in reference to the long foredunes which run along the beach and look like the or gunwale of an upturned waka hul ...
. It is a shortening of the name Nga Tai Whakatū a Kupe ("The Upraised Seas of Kupe"), referring to
Kupe's visit to the west coast and his attempts to evade people pursuing him, by chanting a
karakia to make the west coast seas rough.
Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa, the Great Forest of Tiriwa, references the name of Tiriwa, a chief of the supernatural
Tūrehu people.
The name refers to all of the forested areas of the Waitākere Ranges south from
Muriwai and the
Kaipara Harbour portage to the
Manukau Harbour.
The modern use of West Auckland to refer to areas such as
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 loca ...
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
* ...
was popularised in the 1960s and 1970s. Prior to this, West Auckland or Western Auckland mostly referred to the western portions of the old
Auckland City
Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland Re ...
, such as
Ponsonby and
Kingsland. The township of Auckland was named in 1840 by
William Hobson
Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...
, after patron
George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland.
Natural history
22 million years ago, due to subduction of the
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate.
The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and I ...
, most of the Auckland Region was pushed 2,000–3,000 metres down to the sea floor, forming a sedimentary basin. Approximately 20 million years ago, this subduction led to the formation of the
Waitākere volcano Waitākere is a locality name in West Auckland, New Zealand. It most commonly refers to:
*Waitākere, Auckland, a rural town north-west of Auckland
*Waitakere City, a former territorial authority which existed from 1989 to 2010
*Waitākere Ranges, ...
, a partially submerged volcano located to the west of the modern Auckland Region. The volcano is the largest
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...
in the geologic history of New Zealand, over 50 kilometres in diameter and reaching an estimated height of 4,000 metres above the sea floor. Between 3 and 5 million years ago, tectonic forces uplifted the
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally kno ...
and central Auckland, while subsiding the
Manukau
Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, so ...
and upper
Waitematā Harbours. The Waitākere Ranges are the remnants of the eastern slopes of the Waitākere volcano, while the lowlands of suburban West Auckland are formed of
Waitemata Group
The Waitemata Group is an Early Miocene geologic group that is exposed in and around the Auckland Region of New Zealand, between the Whangarei Harbour in the North and the Raglan Harbour in the South. The Group is predominantly composed of deep ...
sandstone from the ancient sedimentary basin. Many of the areas directly adjacent to the Waitematā Harbour, such as
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 loca ...
,
Te Atatū
Te Atatū (from the Māori : "the dawn") is the name of two adjacent suburbs in West Auckland, New Zealand: '' Te Atatū Peninsula'' and '' Te Atatū South''. They are located next to each other some 10 kilometres to the west of the Auckland c ...
and
Hobsonville
Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The area was administered by Waitakere City Council until the council was amalgamated into Auckland Council in 2010.
Hobsonville Point, formerly the location of th ...
are formed from
rhyolitic
Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals ( phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The ...
clays and
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and ...
, formed from eroding soil and interactions with the harbour.
The modern shape of West Auckland began to form approximately 8,000 years ago, after sea level rises at the end of the
Last Glacial Maximum
The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent.
Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eu ...
. Prior to this, the
Manukau Harbour and
Waitematā Harbour were forested river valleys, and the Tasman Sea shoreline was over 20-kilometres west of its current location. The mouths of the rivers of West Auckland flooded, forming into large estuaries. Tidal mudflats formed at the Manukau Harbour river mouths, such as
Huia,
Big Muddy Creek and
Little Muddy Creek. Sand dunes formed along the estuaries of the west coast, creating west coast beaches such as
Piha and
Te Henga / Bethells Beach
Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, is a coastal community in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Māori name for the area, "Te Henga", is in reference to the long foredunes which run along the beach and look like the or gunwale of an upturned waka hul ...
. The black
ironsand
Ironsand, also known as iron-sand or iron sand, is a type of sand with heavy concentrations of iron. It is typically dark grey or blackish in colour.
It is composed mainly of magnetite, Fe3O4, and also contains small amounts of titanium, silic ...
of these beaches is volcanic material from
Mount Taranaki (including the
Pouakai Range
The Pouakai Range is an eroded and heavily vegetated stratovolcano in the North Island of New Zealand, located northwest of Mount Taranaki. It consists of the remains of a collapsed Pleistocene stratovolcano. The range is surrounded by a ring ...
and
Sugar Loaf Islands
The Sugar Loaf Islands (often Sugarloaf; mi, Ngā Motu, ) are a collection of five small uninhabited islands and several sea stacks near Port Taranaki, New Zealand.
The largest, Moturoa Island, covers approximately . Motumahanga is the island f ...
volcanoes) which had drifted northwards, and potentially material from the
Taupō Volcano and other central North Island volcanoes which travelled down the
Waikato River as sediment.
While much of West Auckland, especially the Waitākere Ranges, were historically dominated by
kauri,
northern rata,
rimu
''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps.
The Māori name ''rimu'' comes from the Polynesian ...
most of the kauri trees were felled as a part of the kauri logging industry. One plant species is native to West Auckland, ''
Veronica bishopiana'', the Waitākere rock koromiko. A number of other plant species are primarily found in coastal West Auckland, including ''
Sophora fulvida
''Sophora fulvida'', the kōwhai or west coast kōwhai is one of 8 species of native ''Sophora'' or kōwhai in New Zealand and grows naturally around the Northland, Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand.
Under the New Zealand Threat Classi ...
'', the west coast
kōwhai and ''
Veronica obtusata
''Veronica obtusata'', the northern hebe, is a flowering plant belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to northern New Zealand, and was first described by Thomas Cheeseman in 1916.
Description
''Veronica obtusata'' is a sprawling ...
'', the coastal hebe. ''Sophora fulvida'' is a common sight in West Auckland; other species of kōwhai are not allowed to be planted west of
Scenic Drive.
The Waitākere Ranges are known for the wide variety of ern species (over 110),
as well as native orchid species, many of which self-naturalised by seeds being carried by winds from the east coast of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
.
The areas of West Auckland close to the
Waitematā Harbour such as
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
* ...
,
Te Atatū Peninsula
Te Atatū Peninsula (formerly Te Atatu North) is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and farmland until the Northwestern Motorway was constructed in the 1950s, after which T ...
and
Whenuapai were formerly covered in broadleaf forest, predominantly
kahikatea,
pukatea
''Laurelia novae-zelandiae'', also called pukatea, is a large evergreen tree, endemic to the forests of New Zealand. Pukatea has 'toothed' leaves and produces small flowers. It is a species in the Atherospermataceae (formerly Monimiaceae) f ...
trees, and a thick growth of
nīkau palm trees.
As the soils around
Titirangi and
Laingholm
Laingholm is a small community situated in the Waitākere Ranges of West Auckland, New Zealand.
The name is derived from George and John Laing, who farmed the area starting in 1854, before it was subdivided. Celebrations were held in 2003 for ...
are more sedimentary than the Waitākere Ranges volcanic soil,
tōtara
''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and ...
was widespread, alongside
kohekohe,
pūriri
''Vitex lucens'', or pūriri, is an evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand.
History
Pūriri was first collected (by Europeans) at Tolaga Bay by Banks and Solander during Cook's first visit in 1769. The plant was excellently described by Solan ...
,
karaka and nīkau palm trees.
Human context
Māori history
Early settlement
The area was settled early in
Māori history, by people arriving on
Māori migration canoes such as the ''
Moekākara
In Māori tradition, ''Moekākara'' was one of the great ocean-going, voyaging canoes that was used in the migrations that settled New Zealand. It was captained by Tāhuhunui-o-te-rangi, the ancestor of Ngāi Tāhuhu. The canoe first landed a ...
'' and ''
Tainui''. Early tribal identities of
Tāmaki Māori who settled in West Auckland include Tini o Maruiwi,
Ngā Oho and Ngā Iwi. One of the earliest individuals associated with the area is Tiriwa, a chief of the supernatural
Tūrehu people, who is involved with the traditional story of the creation of
Rangitoto Island, by uplifting it from
Karekare on the west coast.
Early Polynesian navigator
Kupe visited the west coast. The
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
alongside the coast was named for Kupe, and traditional stories tell of Kupe leaving paddle marks on the side of
Paratutae Island
Paratutae Island, also known as Paratūtai Island, is an island at the mouth of the Manukau Harbour, at Whatipu in the Waitākere Ranges area.
Geology
The island is a portion of a Miocene era volcanic dyke swarm.
History
In Te Kawerau ā Ma ...
to commemorate his visit.
The ''Tainui''
tohunga
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teache ...
Rakatāura (also known as Hape) was known to visit the region after arriving in New Zealand, naming many locations along the west coast, and is the namesake of the Karangahape Peninsula at
Cornwallis, and the name of the ancient walking track linking the peninsula to the central
Tāmaki 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 is ...
.
Most Māori settlements in West Auckland centred around the west coast beaches and the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The up ...
valley, especially at
Te Henga / Bethells Beach
Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, is a coastal community in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Māori name for the area, "Te Henga", is in reference to the long foredunes which run along the beach and look like the or gunwale of an upturned waka hul ...
. Instead of living in permanent settlements, Te Kawerau ā Maki and other earlier Tāmaki Māori groups seasonally migrated across the region. The west coast was well known for their abundant seafood and productive soil for growing crops such as
kūmara,
taro
Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afri ...
,
hue (calabash/bottle gourd),
aruhe, and for the diversity of birds, eels, crayfish and berries found in the ranges. Archaeological investigations of
midden
A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and eco ...
s show evidence of regional trade between different early Māori people, due to the existence of
pipi,
cockle and mud-snail shells not native to the area. Unlike most defensive
pā
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...
found on the
Auckland isthmus, not many Waitākere pā used defensive ditchwork, instead preferring natural barriers.
Few settlements were found in the central Waitākere Ranges or in modern urban centres of West Auckland. Some notable exceptions were near the portages where
waka could be hauled between the three harbours of West Auckland:
Te Tōangaroa, the portage linking the
Kaipara Harbour in the north to the
Waitematā Harbour via the
Kaipara River and
Kumeū River
The Kumeu River drains the northern Waitākere Ranges near Auckland, New Zealand, running past the town of Kumeū before merging into the Kaipara River.
Description
The river begins on the northern slopes of Pukematekeo, the northernmost pe ...
, and
Te Tōanga Waka, the
Whau River portage linking the Waitematā Harbour to the
Manukau Harbour in the south.
Defensive
pā
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...
and
kāinga (villages) were found close to the portages and the major walking tracks across the area, including at the
Opanuku Stream
The Opanuku Stream, formerly known as the Henderson Stream, is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows east from its source the Waitākere Ranges through the Henderson Valley, then north-east through West Auckland ...
and the Huruhuru Creek. A number of settlements also existed on the
Te Atatū Peninsula
Te Atatū Peninsula (formerly Te Atatu North) is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and farmland until the Northwestern Motorway was constructed in the 1950s, after which T ...
, including Ōrukuwai and Ōrangihina.
Te Kawerau ā Maki
In the early 1600s, members of Ngāti Awa from the
Kawhia Harbour
Kawhia Harbour (Maori: ''Kāwhia'') is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres sout ...
, most notably the rangatira Maki and his brother Matāhu, migrated north to the Tāmaki Makaurau region, where they had ancestral ties. Maki conquered and united Tāmaki Māori people of the west coast and northern Auckland Region. Within a few generations, the name
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 ...
developed to refer to this collective. Those living on the west coast retained the name Te Kawerau ā Maki, while those living at Mahurangi (modern-day
Warkworth) adopted the name
Ngāti Manuhiri, and Ngāti Kahu for the people who settled on the
North Shore.
In the early 1700s,
Ngāti Whātua migrated south into the Kaipara area (modern-day
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 ...
). While initially relations between the iwi were friendly and many important marriages were made between the peoples (some of which formed the Ngāti Whātua
hapū
In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...
Ngāti Rongo), hostilities broke out and Ngāti Whātua asked for assistance from
Kawharu, a famed
Tainui warrior from Kawhia. Kawharu's repeated attacks of the Waitākere Ranges settlements became known as
Te Raupatu Tīhore, or the stripping conquest. Lasting peace between Te Kawerau ā Maki and Ngāti Whātua was forged by Maki's grandson Te Au o Te Whenua, who fixed the border of the
rohe as between
Muriwai Beach and Rangitōpuni (
Riverhead).
In the 1740s, war broke out between Ngāti Whātua and
Waiohua
Te Waiohua or Te Wai-o-Hua is a Māori iwi (tribe) confederation that thrived in the early 18th century. The iwi's rohe (tribal area) was primarily the central Tāmaki Makaurau area (the Auckland isthmus) and the Māngere peninsula, until the 1 ...
, the confederation of Tāmaki Māori tribes centred to the east on the
Tāmaki 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 is ...
.
While Te Kawerau ā Maki remained a neutral party, the battle of Te-Rangi-hinganga-tahi, where Waiohua paramount chief
Kiwi Tāmaki was killed, was held at Paruroa (
Big Muddy Creek) on Te Kawerau ā Maki lands.
During early European contact in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Te Kawerau ā Maki were only rarely directly contacted by Europeans, instead primarily receiving European products such as potatoes and pigs through neighbouring Tāmaki Māori tribes. Significant numbers of Te Kawerau ā Maki lost their lives due to influenza and the
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori between 1807 and 1837, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an intertribal arms rac ...
of the 1820s. After a period of exile from the region, Te Kawerau ā Maki returned to their lands, primarily settling at a musket pā at
Te Henga / Bethells Beach
Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, is a coastal community in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Māori name for the area, "Te Henga", is in reference to the long foredunes which run along the beach and look like the or gunwale of an upturned waka hul ...
.
European history
The Cornwallis settlement and the establishment of Auckland
The earliest permanent European settlement in the Auckland Region was the
Cornwallis, which was settled in 1835 by Australian timber merchant Thomas Mitchell, who, helped by
William White of the
English Wesleyan Mission, negotiated with the chief
Apihai Te Kawau
Apihai Te Kawau (died November 1869) was a paramount chief of the Ngāti Whātua Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of Auckland (), New Zealand in the 19th century.
Te Kawau's father was Tarahawaiki and his grandfather was Tūperiri, the principal leader o ...
of
Ngāti Whātua for the purchase of 40,000 acres of land in West Auckland, on the shores of the
Manukau Harbour.
After settling here in 1836 and establishing a timber mill, Mitchell drowned only months later, and the land was sold to Captain
William Cornwallis Symonds
Captain William Cornwallis Symonds (1 August 1810 – 23 November 1841) was a British Army officer who was prominent in the early colonisation of New Zealand.
Symonds was born at Lymington, Hampshire in 1810, the eldest son of William Sym ...
.
Symonds formed a company to create a large-scale settlement at Cornwallis as a logging, trading and shipping settlement, subdividing 220 plots of land in the area.
Cornwallis was advertised as an idyllic and fertile to Scottish settlers, and after 88 plots of land had been sold, the settler ship ''Brilliant'' left Glasgow in 1840.
The settlement collapsed by 1843, due to its remoteness, land rights issues and the death of Symonds,
with many residents moving to
Onehunga.
In 1840 after the signing of the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the History of New Zealand, history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in ...
, paramount chief
Apihai Te Kawau
Apihai Te Kawau (died November 1869) was a paramount chief of the Ngāti Whātua Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of Auckland (), New Zealand in the 19th century.
Te Kawau's father was Tarahawaiki and his grandfather was Tūperiri, the principal leader o ...
made a ''tuku'' (strategic gift) of land on the Waitematā Harbour to
William Hobson
Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...
, the first Governor of New Zealand, as a location for the capital of the colony of New Zealand to develop. This location became the modern city 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 ...
. Many further ''tuku'' and land purchases were made; the earliest in West Auckland were organised by
Ngāti Whātua, without the knowledge or consent of the senior rangatira of Te Kawerau ā Maki, however some purchases in the 1850s involved Te Kawerau ā Maki.
Early settlements
In 1844, 18,000 acres of land at
Te Atatū
Te Atatū (from the Māori : "the dawn") is the name of two adjacent suburbs in West Auckland, New Zealand: '' Te Atatū Peninsula'' and '' Te Atatū South''. They are located next to each other some 10 kilometres to the west of the Auckland c ...
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 sold to
Thomas Henderson and John Macfarlane, who established a
kauri logging sawmill on
Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek
The Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek is an estuarine river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from its sources in the Henderson Valley and Titirangi, before reaching the western Waitematā Harbour.
Geography ...
. Communities developed around the kauri logging business at
Riverhead and
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 ...
, which were later important trade centres for the
kauri gum industry that developed in the
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally kno ...
foothills.
Between 1840 and 1940, 23 timber mills worked the Waitākere Ranges, felling about 120,000 trees. By the 1920s there was little kauri forest left in the Waitākeres,
and the area continued to be used to search for kauri gum until the early 20th century.
The first brick kiln in West Auckland was built by
Daniel Pollen in 1852, on the
Rosebank Peninsula along the shores of the
Whau River.
Brickworks and the pottery industry became a major industry in the area, with 39 brick works active along the shores of the upper
Waitematā Harbour, primarily on the shores of the Whau River. From 1853, rural West Auckland around
Glen Eden and
Oratia was developed into orchards. New Lynn developed as a trade centre after 1865 due to the port along the estuarial
Whau River, which could only be used at high tide.
The
North Auckland Line began operating in March 1880, connecting central Auckland to stations at
Avondale,
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 loca ...
and
Glen Eden.
The line was extended to
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
* ...
by December, and 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 July 1881.
The railway encouraged growth along the corridor between Auckland and Henderson.
The West Auckland orchards prospered in the early 1900s, after immigrants from
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...
(modern-day
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capi ...
) settled in the area.
In 1907, Lebanese New Zealander
Assid Abraham Corban
Assid Abraham Corban (25 August 1864 – 2 December 1941) was a New Zealand pedlar, importer, viticulturist and wine-maker. He was born in Shweir, Lebanon on 25 August 1864. He founded Corbans, now one of New Zealand's oldest and largest win ...
developed a vineyard at Henderson. By the 1920s, the Lincoln Road, Swanson Road and Sturgess Road areas had developed into orchards run primarily by Dalmatian families, and in the 1940s these families began establishing vineyards at
Kumeū and
Huapai.
In the 1920s and 1930s, airfields were developed on flat land at
Hobsonville
Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The area was administered by Waitakere City Council until the council was amalgamated into Auckland Council in 2010.
Hobsonville Point, formerly the location of th ...
and
Whenuapai for the
New Zealand Air Force. Whenuapai became the main airport for civilian aviation between 1945 and 1965.
The
Northwestern Motorway
The Northwestern Motorway (also known historically as the Auckland–Kumeu Motorway), part of (SH 16), is the major western route and secondary northern route out of Auckland in New Zealand. Twenty-one kilometres in length, the motorway runs f ...
was first developed as a way for passengers to more efficiently drive to the airport at Whenuapai.
Waitākere Ranges dams and regional park
By the late 19th century, Auckland City was plagued with seasonal water droughts. A number of options were considered to counter this, including the construction of water reservoirs in the Waitākere Ranges. The first of these projects was the
Waitākere Dam in the north-eastern Waitākere Ranges, which finished construction in 1910.
Further reservoirs were constructed along the different river catchments in the Waitākere Ranges: the
Upper Nihotupu Reservoir
The Upper Nihotupu Reservoir (or Upper Nihotupu Dam) is one of five reservoirs in the Waitākere Ranges that supply water to Auckland, New Zealand. Completed in 1923, the concrete gravity dam and its reservoir are managed by Watercare Services, ...
in 1923, the
Huia Reservoir in 1929 and the
Lower Nihotupu Reservoir in 1948.
The construction of the Waitākere Dam permanently reduced the flow of the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The up ...
, greatly impacting the Te Kawerau ā Maki community at Te Henga / Bethells Beach. Between the 1910s and 1950s, most members of Te Kawerau ā Maki moved away from their traditional rohe, in search of employment or community with other Māori. After the construction of the dams, the Nihotupu and Huia reforested in native bush. The native forest left a strong impression on residents who lived in these communities, and was one of the major factors which sparked the movement for the Waitākere Ranges to become a nature reserve.
The Auckland Centennial Memorial Park opened in 1940, formed from various pockets of lands which had been reserved by the Auckland City Council starting in 1895.
Titirangi resident Arthur Mead, the principal engineer who created the Waitākere Ranges dams, lobbied the city council and negotiated with landowners to expand the park. Due to the efforts of Mead, the park had tripled in size by 1964, when it became the
Waitākere Ranges Regional Park Waitākere is a locality name in West Auckland, New Zealand. It most commonly refers to:
*Waitākere, Auckland, a rural town north-west of Auckland
*Waitakere City, a former territorial authority which existed from 1989 to 2010
*Waitākere Ranges, ...
.
Urban development
By the early 1950s, four major centres had developed to the west of Auckland:
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 loca ...
,
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
* ...
,
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 ...
and
Glen Eden. These areas had developed large enough populations to become boroughs with their own local government, splitting from the rural
Waitemata County. The area saw an explosion in population over the next 20 years,
Northwestern Motorway
The Northwestern Motorway (also known historically as the Auckland–Kumeu Motorway), part of (SH 16), is the major western route and secondary northern route out of Auckland in New Zealand. Twenty-one kilometres in length, the motorway runs f ...
and the development of low cost housing at
Te Atatū
Te Atatū (from the Māori : "the dawn") is the name of two adjacent suburbs in West Auckland, New Zealand: '' Te Atatū Peninsula'' and '' Te Atatū South''. They are located next to each other some 10 kilometres to the west of the Auckland c ...
,
Rānui and
Massey
Massey may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Massey, Ontario
* Massey Island, Nunavut
New Zealand
* Massey, New Zealand, an Auckland suburb
United States
* Massey, Alabama
* Massey, Iowa
* Massey, Maryland
People
* Massey (surname)
Educatio ...
.
By this time, the area was no longer seen as scattered rural communities, and had developed into satellite suburbs of Auckland. The post-war years saw widespread migration of
Urban Māori from rural areas to West Auckland. This happened a second time in the 1970s, as Māori communities moved to areas such as Te Atatū away from the inner suburbs of Auckland. In 1980, the
Hoani Waititi Marae
Hoani Waititi Marae is an urban marae located in West Auckland, New Zealand. The marae acts as a community hub for the Urban Māori population of West Auckland, and is the site of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi, one of the first Kura Ka ...
opened in West Auckland, established as a marae to serve the urban Māori population of West Auckland. By the mid-2000s, West Auckland had the largest
Ngāpuhi population in the country outside of
Northland. Similarly, areas such as Rānui and Massey developed as centres for
Pasifika New Zealander communities.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the New Zealand Brick Tile and Pottery Company diversified into
china production to supply local markets and American troops. Under the name
Crown Lynn
Crown Lynn was a New Zealand ceramics manufacturer that operated under various names between 1854 and 1989.
Early history
The pottery's origins started with an 1854 land purchase at Hobsonville, near Auckland, by Rice Owen Clark. He had arri ...
, the company developed into the pottery supplier in the Southern Hemisphere.
In 1963,
LynnMall opened, becoming the first American-style shopping mall in New Zealand. It quickly became a major centre for retail in Auckland. The Henderson Borough Council wanted to replicate this success, and in 1968 opened the Henderson Square, now known as
WestCity Waitakere
WestCity Waitakere is a major regional shopping centre located in Henderson, a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is west of the Auckland CBD, and is immediately adjacent to The Boundary.
The centre has a current catchment area of 174,340 pers ...
.
In 1975, West Auckland was connected to the
North Shore when the
Upper Harbour Bridge was constructed. In the late 1980s, the Crown Lynn factory closed due to competition from overseas imports.
Local government
Road boards were the first local government in West Auckland in the 1860s, which were established across the
Auckland Province
The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.
Area
The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, both ...
due to a lack of central government funding for road improvements. In West Auckland, some of these bodies included the Whau Highway Board, the Titirangi Road Board, Waikumete Road Board, Waipareira Road Board and the Waitakere East, South and West Road Boards. In 1876, the
Waitemata County was established as the local government of West Auckland, the North Shore and Rodney, becoming one of the largest counties ever created in New Zealand. In 1881, the Town District Act allowed communities of more than 50 households to amalgamate into a town district. Large town districts were able to form boroughs, which had their own councils and a greater lending power. Between 1886 and 1954, nine boroughs split from the county as Auckland began to develop, primarily on the North Shore. In West Auckland, the first borough to form was
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 loca ...
in 1929, followed by
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
* ...
in 1946,
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 ...
in 1947 and
Glen Eden in 1953.
On 1 August 1974, the western area of Waitemata County amalgamated to form the
Waitemata City
Waitemata City was a New Zealand city in the greater 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 larg ...
, which included
Titirangi,
Te Atatū
Te Atatū (from the Māori : "the dawn") is the name of two adjacent suburbs in West Auckland, New Zealand: '' Te Atatū Peninsula'' and '' Te Atatū South''. They are located next to each other some 10 kilometres to the west of the Auckland c ...
,
Lincoln and
Waitākere, without the boroughs of New Lynn, Henderson and Glen Eden. Henderson Borough refused to amalgamate into the city, preferring to retain its unique identity, while the New Lynn and Glen Eden borough councils were interested but were unable to meet the deadline for the merger.
Tim Shadbolt
Sir Timothy Richard Shadbolt (born 19 February 1947) is a New Zealand politician. He was the Mayor of Invercargill and previously Mayor of Waitemata City.
Early life
Shadbolt was born in the Auckland suburb of Remuera in 1947. His father died ...
, later known as the mayor of
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse ...
, was the longest serving mayor of Waitemata City (1983–1989).
With the 1989 local government reforms, the Waitemata City merged with the New Lynn, Glen Eden and Henderson boroughs to form the
Waitakere City
Waitākere City was a territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitākere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%. In 2010 the council was ...
. In the early years of the city's existence, the
Rosebank Peninsula was proposed to be added to the city, however this was opposed by mayor
Assid Corban. From 1992 to 2010,
Bob Harvey served as the mayor of Waitakere City.
On 1 November 2010, Waitakere City was merged with the surrounding metropolitan and rural areas of Auckland to form a single
Auckland Council
Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a ...
unitary authority. Within the new system, West Auckland was primarily split into three areas which elect a local board:
Henderson-Massey
Henderson-Massey is a local government area in Auckland, in New Zealand's Auckland Region, governed by the Henderson-Massey Local Board and Auckland Council. It currently aligns with the council's Waitākere Ward.
Geography
The area includes the ...
, the
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally kno ...
and
Whau. The Whau local board area includes the suburbs of
Avondale,
New Windsor and
Rosebank; areas to the east of the Whau River formerly administered as a part of
Auckland City
Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland Re ...
.
Northern West Auckland suburbs such as
Whenuapai and
Hobsonville
Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The area was administered by Waitakere City Council until the council was amalgamated into Auckland Council in 2010.
Hobsonville Point, formerly the location of th ...
, formerly administered by the Waitakere City, became a part of the
Upper Harbour local board area, which also covers
Albany and much of the North Shore. North-western towns such as
Riverhead,
Kumeū and
Huapai became a part of the
Rodney local board area.
In addition to local boards, a number of councillors represent West Auckland on the Auckland Council. Voters in the Henderson-Massey and Waitākere Ranges areas vote for two councillors as a part of the
Waitākere ward
Waitākere Ward is a district of Auckland Council in New Zealand. It consists of the part of the old Waitakere City lying west of a line from Te Atatū Peninsula to Titirangi.
The ward elects two councillors, currently Shane Henderson and Ken T ...
, while people in the Whau local board area vote for 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. Upper Harbour residents vote for two
Albany ward
Hannam Edward Albany Ward (6 November 1879 – 18 February 1966), known as Albany Ward, was a pioneer English theatre proprietor and cinema developer, who ran one of the largest cinema circuits in Britain in the early part of the twentieth century ...
councillors, while Rodney residents vote for one councillor to represent the
Rodney ward.
Westies
Westie is a term used to describe a stereotypical person from West Auckland. Similar to the word
bogan, the stereotype usually involves a macho, working class
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 ...
with poor taste, and the
mullet haircut.
Over time, the word became a societal identifier and not exclusively a pejorative term. Westies were famously depicted in the New Zealand television series ''
Outrageous Fortune'' (2005–2010).
References
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{{Auckland
West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
Geography of Auckland
Populated places established in the 19th century