Massey is a northern suburb in
West Auckland, New Zealand. It was formerly a northern suburb of
Waitakere City
Waitakere City was a Territorial Authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitakere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest ...
, which existed from 1989 to 2010 before the city was 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 ...
. The suburb was named after former
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023.
The prime minister (informally abbreviated to P ...
William Massey
William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925) was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zealand's second organised political ...
. Massey is a relatively large suburb and can be divided into three reasonably distinctive areas, Massey West, Massey East (separated by the north-western motorway) and Massey North (situated to the north of Royal Road). Parts of Massey East are also known as 'Royal Heights', which is home to the Royal Heights shopping centre.
The suburb features the Massey YMCA Leisure Centre, Library. The Westgate Shopping Centre on Hobsonville Road next to the north-western motorway and
NorthWest Shopping Centre (which opened in October, 2015) to the north of Hobsonville Road are north of Massey.
History
The area is within the traditional
rohe
The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several .
Background
In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...
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. Predominantly based in West Auckland (Hikurangi also known as Waitākere), it had 251 registered adult members as of J ...
, and is the location of Pukewhakataratara, a mountain known as Redhill to European settlers.
The literal translation of the name is "hill that poses a challenge or obstacle", and is one of Ngā Rau Pou a Maki, the hills in the upper
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. ...
area that reference Maki, the eponymous ancestor of Te Kawerau ā Maki.
In pre-European times, the bush-covered hill was a natural obstacle for people attempting to access the Waitākere Ranges from the
Waitematā Harbour
The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...
.
The area was a part of the walking routes connecting the settlements of the
Upper Waitematā Harbour
The Upper Waitematā Harbour is an estuary of the Waitematā Harbour in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It flows south-east from the town of Riverhead, and was historically the border between Waitakere City and North Shore City in Auckland ...
,
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. Th ...
Valley to other areas of West Auckland and 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 and the Auckland CBD, central busi ...
.
European settlement of the area dates to the 1840s with timber milling, farming, and
gum digging being the main sources of income.
The area was purchased by the Crown for European settlers in August 1853, as a part of the Mangatoetoe Block.
The first known settlers on record were the Nicolas family, who were awarded a government land grant in 1882.
The area was originally named Lawsonville, and was the site of the Birdwood Estate.
From the 1890s until the early 1910s, the south-west Massey area was known for the camp of
Don Buck, a Portuguese immigrant to New Zealand who employed ex-convicts in the gum digging trade. The area was renamed Massey circa 1915, in honour of Prime Minister
William Massey
William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925) was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zealand's second organised political ...
.
The area experienced growth in the 1960s, after the Poultrymen's Association opened a branch in Massey in June 1960.
Most of Massey was developed during the 1970s and 1980s.
Demographics
Massey covers
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Massey had a population of 19,851 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 ...
, an increase of 2,028 people (11.4%) since the
2018 census, and an increase of 3,720 people (23.1%) since the
2013 census. There were 10,002 males, 9,771 females and 75 people of
other genders in 5,919 dwellings. 3.3% of people identified as
LGBTIQ+. There were 4,335 people (21.8%) aged under 15 years, 4,560 (23.0%) aged 15 to 29, 9,270 (46.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,695 (8.5%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 40.9%
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 ...
); 19.1%
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
; 23.7%
Pasifika; 32.6%
Asian; 2.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 90.8%, Māori language by 4.1%, Samoan by 5.6%, and other languages by 29.2%. No language could be spoken by 3.3% (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 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 40.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 37.2%
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 ...
, 6.3%
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 ...
, 3.3%
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 ...
, 1.3%
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 ...
, 1.6%
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 ...
, 0.4%
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 ...
, 0.1%
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 1.8% other religions. People who answered that they had
no religion were 42.0%, and 6.1% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,946 (19.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 7,161 (46.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 4,734 (30.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 1,428 people (9.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 8,754 (56.4%) people were employed full-time, 1,632 (10.5%) were part-time, and 666 (4.3%) were unemployed.
Education
Massey is home to one secondary school,
Massey High School
Massey High School is a co-educational state secondary school in West Auckland, New Zealand established in 1969. The school is located on the western edge of the city, thus obtaining students from both suburban and rural backgrounds. In 2017 i ...
, where the principal is former
Tall Blacks captain
Glen Denham
Glen Ivan Denham (born 1963 or 1964) is a New Zealand educationalist and former basketball player. He is of Māori descent.
Early life
Denham was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, the son of a teacher and butcher. His father was Australian and his ...
as well as several primary schools, including Lincoln Heights School, Royal Road Primary School, Massey Primary School and Don Buck Primary School. Massey Primary School was the first school in the district, opening in 1925.
Massey is not home to
Massey University
Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...
, which is based in
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...
with its Auckland campus at
Albany.
Governance
In New Zealand's national
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, Massey is represented by Member for
Upper Harbour Upper Harbour may refer to these various places in New Zealand:
*Upper Harbour Bridge
*Upper Harbour Local Board
*Upper Harbour Motorway
*Upper Harbour (New Zealand electorate)
Upper Harbour is a parliamentary electorate in Auckland that returns ...
, National MP
Paula Bennett who won the electorate in 2014 and 2017. As of the 2017 election no other MP who contested the Upper Harbour electorate has been represented in parliament as a list MP. Prior to changes in electorate boundaries, Massey fell within the Te Atatū electorate and was represented in 2011 by Member for
Te Atatū, Labour MP
Phil Twyford
Philip Stoner Twyford (born 4 May 1963) is a politician from New Zealand and a member of the New Zealand Labour Party, Labour Party. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2008. He is the Labour Party MP for Te Atatū (New Zealand electorate), ...
.
In terms of regional governance, Massey falls within the
Waitākere ward 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 ...
and subsequently under the
Henderson-Massey Local Board
Henderson-Massey Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council, and is overseen by the council's Waitākere Ward councillors.
The board's administrative area includes the suburbs of Glendene, Henderson, Massey, Rānui, ...
area of the Auckland City council. The Henderson-Massey local board area covers the suburbs of West Harbour, Massey, Ranui, Te Atatū Peninsula, Te Atatū South, Lincoln, Henderson, Western Heights, Glendene, and Sunnyvale and contained a population of 107,685 in the 2013 census.
Previously Massey fell under the Massey Ward which contained the suburbs of Whenuapai, Hobsonville, Herald Island, West Harbour, Massey, Ranui, and Henderson North.
Sport
The
local rugby club is a member of the
North Harbour Rugby Union
The North Harbour Rugby Union (NHRU), commonly known as North Harbour or simply Harbour, is the governing body of rugby union that encompasses a wide geographical area north of Auckland that includes North Shore City, Rodney District, the Hi ...
and won the championship 6 times (1993, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2015 and 2016). Former All Black
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu (12 May 1975 – 18 November 2015) was a New Zealand professional rugby union player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential players in the history of the sport, and as one of the most talented sportsm ...
signed to play for Massey in 2005, but due to an injury was unable to play for them that season. He did however eventually make his debut for the club in 2006.
Notable people
Massey is home to rugby players
George Pisi
George Pisi (born 29 June 1986 in Apia, Samoa) is a rugby union player for Samoa who will leave his current club Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership at the conclusion of the 2016/17 season.
Pisi was born in Samoa but moved to Auckland in ...
and
Tusi Pisi (North Harbour, Samoa and New Zealand 7's) as well as the musicians
Blindspott
Blindspott is an alternative metal band from West Auckland, New Zealand. After performing under the name Blacklistt for several years, the original line-up got back together in 2018.Kellman, Andy " Blindspott Biography, Allmusic, Macrovisio ...
.
Parks
Moire Park is a park that is bounded on the east by Lawsons Creek, the Manutewhau Stream to the north, and its namesake Moire Road to the west. It is one of the main sporting areas for the
Waitakere City
Waitakere City was a Territorial Authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitakere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest ...
area with club facilities and several fields. Part of the park is covered in
bush and this area is a protected natural area. The name Moire comes from the Colwill family, who settled the nearby area in 1907.
References
External links
Photographs of Masseyheld in
Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.
Massey's changing landscapeHistorypin collection.
{{Henderson-Massey Local Board Area
Suburbs of Auckland
Henderson-Massey Local Board Area
Populated places around the Waitematā Harbour
West Auckland, New Zealand