Ōtāhuhu
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow
isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...
between an arm of the
Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnett ...
to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connection between the
North Auckland Peninsula The Northland Peninsula, called the North Auckland Peninsula in earlier times, is in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is joined to the rest of the island by the Auckland isthmus, a narrow piece of land between the Waitematā ...
and the rest of the
North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
, being only some wide at its narrowest point, between the Ōtāhuhu Creek and the
Māngere Inlet Mangere Inlet is an arm of the Manukau Harbour, the southwestern of the two harbours of Auckland, New Zealand and itself an arm of the Tasman Sea. The inlet lies between the Auckland isthmus and South Auckland, and has a size of 6.6 km2 a ...
. As the southernmost suburb of the former Auckland City, it is considered part of
South Auckland South Auckland ( or ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki M ...
. The suburb's name is taken from the Māori-language name of the volcanic cone known as Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond. The name refers to "the place of Tāhuhu" — the eponymous ancestor, Tāhuhu-nui-a-Rangi, of Ngāi Tāhuhu.


Demographics

Ōtāhuhu covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of . Ōtāhuhu had a population of 14,778 in the
2023 New Zealand census The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...
, a decrease of 384 people (−2.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,212 people (8.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 7,719 males, 7,017 females and 45 people of other genders in 4,374 dwellings. 2.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 32.6 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 3,147 people (21.3%) aged under 15 years, 3,540 (24.0%) aged 15 to 29, 6,669 (45.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,419 (9.6%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 19.7% European (
Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
); 16.7% Māori; 49.6% Pasifika; 27.6% Asian; 1.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 0.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 89.0%, Māori language by 4.6%, Samoan by 14.6%, and other languages by 30.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.9% (e.g. too young to talk).
New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...
was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 45.9, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 51.1%
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 7.1%
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 6.4%
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 1.9%
Māori religious beliefs 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 ...
, 2.5%
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, 0.2%
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, and 1.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 23.2%, and 6.1% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 1,680 (14.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 5,148 (44.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 4,803 (41.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 612 people (5.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 5,757 (49.5%) people were employed full-time, 984 (8.5%) were part-time, and 606 (5.2%) were unemployed.


History

The area is named after Tāhuhunui-o-te-rangi, captain of the '' Moekākara'' waka, and who settled on Ōtāhuhu and in Northland, his descendants becoming the Ngāi Tāhuhu iwi. Portage Road, which runs between the Manukau Harbour and Ōtāhuhu Creek, was originally Te Tō Waka, a portage for waka between the Manukau and Waitemata harbours. This portage is traditionally associated as the place where the ''Tainui'' waka was hauled between the Tamaki River and Manukau Harbour. In the early 1800s, the portage was used by
Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...
during 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 people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...
, to attack
Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
tribes in the
Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
. The suburb was established in 1847 as a fencible settlement, where soldiers were given land with the implied understanding that in wartime, they would be raised as units to defend it (however, the eventual fighting a decade later used professional soldiers instead). Most early features from this time have disappeared, however, such as the stone Tāmaki Bridge built by the fencibles that had to make way to a widening of Great South Road. By the 1870s, Ōtāhuhu became the largest agricultural town in 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, bo ...
, facilitated by the trade of wheat and other agricultural products to the city of Auckland, trading along the Tāmaki River. In December 1873 the Southern Line opened, connecting the township of Auckland to Penrose. A year and a half later on 20 May 1875, the line was extended south and the Ōtāhuhu railway station was opened. The first supermarket in the country was opened in Ōtāhuhu on 18 June 1958, when the first Foodtown was opened by Tom Ah Chee, who pooled his resources with two other Auckland produce shop owners, Norman Kent and John Brown. Many famous personalities went to
Otahuhu College Otahuhu College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand for students years 9 to 13. Location It is located in the suburb of Ōtāhuhu and is a co-educational school. The main campus entrance is on Mangere Road, the Memorial Field sport ...
, including heavyweight boxing champion David Tua, former prime minister
David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. A member of the New Zealand Labour Party, Lange was also the Minister of Education ...
, and ex-
Manukau City Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is also referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does not ...
Mayor, Sir Barry Curtis.


Local government

The Otahuhu Borough Council was formed in 1912 from the earlier Otahuhu Road District, which had been formed in 1865. The Otahuhu Borough Council merged into
Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1989 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 elec ...
in 1985, eventually amalgamated into
Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
in November 2010.


Mayors during Otahuhu Borough Council

*Alfred Sturges, 1912–1915 *James Atkinson, 1915–1917 *Alfred MacDonald, 1917–1921 *Robert Black Todd, 1921–1929 *Hubert Thomas Clements, 1929–1935 * Charles Robert Petrie, 1935–1944 *Albert Murdoch, 1944–1950 * James Deas, 1950–1954 *John "Jack" David Murdoch, 1954–1962 *Robert G. Ashby, 1962–1965 *Aubray Thayer Bedingfield, 1965–1970 *Claude H. D. Handisides, 1970–1977 *Niall Frederick Burgess, 1977–1985


Education

Otahuhu College Otahuhu College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand for students years 9 to 13. Location It is located in the suburb of Ōtāhuhu and is a co-educational school. The main campus entrance is on Mangere Road, the Memorial Field sport ...
is a secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of . Otahuhu Intermediate is an intermediate school (years 7–8) with a roll of . Otahuhu School and Fairburn School are contributing primary schools (years 1–6) with rolls of and students, respectively. McAuley High School is a state-integrated Catholic girls secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of . St Joseph's School is a state-integrated Catholic full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of . The schools are across the street from each other. King's College is a private Anglican secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of . Years 9–11 are boys only, and years 12 and 13 are coeducational. Mt Richmond School is a special school for students with intellectual disabilities. It has a roll of . All these schools except McAuley High School and King's College (as noted above) are coeducational. Rolls are as of


Community facilities

*Giac Nhien Temple, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple is located in the suburb.


Transport

Ōtāhuhu, in its position on a narrow section of the Auckland isthmus, is an important part of Auckland's southern transportation approaches for both road and rail, containing a combined bus interchange and Ōtāhuhu railway station. The new bus-train interchange opened on 29 October 2016 as a joint Auckland Transport and
NZ Transport Agency NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), superseded by is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing, and administering the New Zealand st ...
initiative costing NZ$28M. "The station is at the heart of the Southern New Network", said Auckland Transport's Chief AT Metro Officer, Mark Lambert. "Auckland is moving towards a more connected network of local feeder services connecting with frequent bus and train services. Bus and train transport hubs like Ōtāhuhu are at the heart of this transformation." The old bus interchange, which was badly neglected, and had received increased attention from early 2011 on for vandalism/graffiti prevention measures is now closed and a smaller bus stop has been installed on the main road near the town centre.


Present day

Ōtāhuhu nowadays is synonymous with industry and along with its neighbouring suburbs Favona, Māngere East, Mt Wellington, Penrose and Westfield forms an industrial conglomerate zone that spans much of the
Māngere Inlet Mangere Inlet is an arm of the Manukau Harbour, the southwestern of the two harbours of Auckland, New Zealand and itself an arm of the Tasman Sea. The inlet lies between the Auckland isthmus and South Auckland, and has a size of 6.6 km2 a ...
. The community and town centre flourishes as the crossroad to Central and South Auckland and is home to a sizeable Pacific Island populace.


Sport and recreation

Ōtāhuhu is home to the Ōtāhuhu Rugby Football Club and the Otahuhu Leopards
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
club.


References


External links


Photographs of Ōtāhuhu
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Otahuhu Suburbs of Auckland Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Area Populated places around the Manukau Harbour Populated places on the Tāmaki River