Belmont is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

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 New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, located on the North Shore. The suburb is in the

North Shore ward North Shore Ward is an Auckland Council ward that elects two councillors and covers the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, Devonport-Takapuna and Kaipātiki Local Board, Kaipātiki Local Boards. The two councillors are currently Richard Hills (politi ...

, one of the thirteen administrative divisions of

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 ...

Etymology

The first references to Belmont on the North Shore date from the mid-1880s. The likely origin of the name (which means "Beautiful Mountain" in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

) is that it is a reference to Reverend Roberts' property on Roberts Avenue. The property included a racing stable, which he named after

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

racing track in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Roberts held Sunday school services at his home, which the local Presbyterian church continued to use for the Sunday school after a church building had been constructed in 1910. Alternatively Belmont may be a reference to Belmont Heim, the home of the Bull family.

Geography

Belmont is an isthmus on the Devonport Peninsula of the North Shore, located between Shoal Bay and the Rangitoto Channel of the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Hauraki, Auckland, Hauraki to the north,

Bayswater Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

to the southwest and Narrow Neck to the southeast. Saint Leonards Beach is located north of the suburb. The North Shore is primarily uplifted

Waitemata Group The Waitemata Group is an Early Miocene group (geology), geologic group that is exposed in and around the Auckland Region of New Zealand, between the Whangarei Harbour in the North and the Raglan, New Zealand, Raglan Harbour in the South. The Gr ...

sandstone, that was deposited on the sea floor during the

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

, between 22 and 16 million years ago. Prior to human settlement, much of Belmont was a

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

-dominated northern broadleaf podocarp forest, with

Pōhutukawa Pōhutukawa (''Metrosideros excelsa''), also known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, or iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the Myrtus, myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red (or occasionally orange, yellow o ...

trees being a major feature of the coastline.

History

Māori history

Māori settlement of the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

began around the 13th or 14th centuries. The Devonport-Takapuna area was one of the earliest settled in the region, known to be settled by the

Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M� ...

ancestor Peretū.

Toi-te-huatahi Toi-te-huatahi, also known as Toi and Toi-kai-rākau, is a legendary Māori people, Māori ''tupuna'' (ancestor) of many Māori people, Māori iwi (tribes) from the Bay of Plenty area, including Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāi Tūhoe. The B ...

and his followers settled and interwed with these early peoples. Two traditional names are associated with Belmont. , the small tidal inlet of Shoal Bay that separates Belmont from Hauraki, and ("The Fall of the Land"), a place located along the cliffs of the northern shores of the suburb.

Early colonial period

The Belmont area was purchased by

the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

on 13 April 1841 as a part of the Mahurangi Block. The first European farmers arrived in the wider area in the late 1840s. In 1859, a brickworks was established in the suburb on the Shoal Bay coast, and by the 1860s the area between Belmont and O'Neills Point had become important locations where

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 ...

diggers could uncover the resource. By the late 1880s,

Takapuna Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, New Zealand, Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volca ...

had developed into a destination for tourists, and large summer residences were constructed in the area. One of these residences was Earnscliffe, a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

manor constructed in 1882 for journalist Charles Robert Williamson. Sections of Belmont (which covered modern Belmont and Hauraki, Auckland, Hauraki

Suburban development

In 1910, a private tramway was established, which conveyed passengers from Milford to the ferry at

. The plan was a success, leading to rapid suburban development in Takapuna and Belmont. The tramway soon became unpopular due to competition, and closed 17 years later on 26 April 1927. A

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

church called St Margaret's Church was constructed in May 1910. Belmont Primary School was established in June 1912, first operating from the St Margaret's church hall, until a purpose-build school was opened in 1913. In 1927,

Takapuna Grammar School Takapuna Grammar School is a state coeducational secondary school located in the suburb of Belmont on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. Established in 1927, the school mainly serves the eponymous suburb of Takapuna and the entire Dev ...

was opened in Belmont. During the 1950s, the New Zealand Government constructed housing for the staff of

Devonport Naval Base Devonport Naval Base is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy, located at Devonport, New Zealand on Auckland's North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore. It is currently the only base of the navy that operates ships, and has been in use as a n ...

at Belmont and Bayswater. In 1952, Belmont Intermediate School was constructed adjacent to Takapuna Grammar, and in 1960 St Luke's Catholic church was built. In 1992, a performing arts theatre called the Rose Centre was founded in Belmont. Originally founded as a partnership between Belmont School and the Company Theatre, the venue has a 110 seat theatre, pre-school facilities and community meeting rooms. In the early 2020s,

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei or Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei is an Auckland-based Māori hapū (sub-tribe) in New Zealand. Together with Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa and Te Taoū, it comprises the iwi (tribe) of Ngāti Whātua. These four hapū can act togeth ...

developed Oneoneroa, a housing development on the coast of Shoal Bay in Belmont.

Demographics

Belmont covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Belmont had a population of 3,012 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 15 people (−0.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 66 people (2.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,440 males, 1,557 females and 15 people of other genders in 1,104 dwellings. 3.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 609 people (20.2%) aged under 15 years, 573 (19.0%) aged 15 to 29, 1,386 (46.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 441 (14.6%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 72.0%

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

(

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 ...

); 7.3%

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 ...

; 4.6% Pasifika; 22.2% Asian; 3.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 0.9% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.2%, Māori language by 1.6%, Samoan by 0.6%, and other languages by 25.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (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 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 40.7, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 28.8%

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 ...

, 1.3%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.6%

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 60.4%, and 5.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 951 (39.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 993 (41.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 453 (18.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $50,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 534 people (22.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,248 (51.9%) people were employed full-time, 309 (12.9%) were part-time, and 75 (3.1%) were unemployed.

Amenities

*Northboro Reserve, a nature reserve and park in western Belmont, along the shoes of Shoal Bay. The reserve is a part of the Takapuna to Devonport Path, a walking and cycling route, The path includes the Bayswater Bridge which connects to Bayswater in the south, which replaced a narrow bridge over a pipeway in 2013. *George Gair Lookout, a clifftop lookout behind Takapuna Grammar School *Belmont Baptist Church, located on Lake Road in Belmont *St Margaret's Church, a

church constructed in May 1910. *The Rose Centre, a community performing arts centre, which features a community park adjacent to the centre.

Education

is a secondary (years 9–13) school with a roll of students. The adjacent Belmont Intermediate is an intermediate (years 7–8) school with a roll of 518. Belmont School is a contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of . It was founded in 1912 and moved to its current siate in 1913. Wilson School is a special school for students with intellectual or physical disabilities. It has a roll of students. It was previously called the Wilson Home. All these schools are

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

. Rolls are as of

Notable people

Corrella Corrella is an eight-member New Zealand roots reggae band. Formed in 2017 by members of the Royal New Zealand Navy in the North Shore, Auckland, suburb of Belmont, the group came to prominence in New Zealand in 2023 with the single "Blue Eyed ...

— New Zealand

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the ho ...

band who formed on Corrella Road, Belmont

Local government

The first local government in the area was the Lake Highway District, also known as the Takapuna Highway District, which began operating 1867. In June 1889 the road board was dissolved, in favour of Takapuna being under the direct control of the

Waitemata County Council The Waitemata County, historically also known as Waitamata County, was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island. Established in 1876, the county covered West Auckland, Rodney and the North Shore. The county shrank in size betwee ...

. The Borough of Takapuna was established on 1 July 1913, after 73% of electors in Takapuna voted for independence from the Waitemata County, which included Belmont. After significant growth in population, Takapuna Borough became Takapuna City in 1961. In 1989, Takapuna City was merged into the

North Shore City North Shore City was a territorial authority unit in the Auckland Region of New Zealand that was governed by the North Shore City Council. It existed from 1989 until November 2010, when the council was incorporated into Auckland Council. It ha ...

. North Shore City was amalgamated into

in November 2010. Within the Auckland Council, Belmont is a part of the Devonport-Takapuna local government area governed by the

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board covers from Castor Bay and Sunnynook south to the end of the Devonport Peninsula; it is separated from the Kaipātiki board area by the Northern Motorway. This local board sits in the Auckland Council offic ...

. It is a part of the

, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Photographs of Belmont
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Suburbs of Auckland North Shore, New Zealand Populated places around the Hauraki Gulf Populated places around the Waitematā Harbour