Seaview is an
industrial suburb
An industrial suburb is a community, near a large city, with an industrial economy. These communities may be established as tax havens or as places where zoning promotes industry, or they may be industrial towns that become suburbs by urban ...
of the city of
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...
, in
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
, New Zealand. Situated on the eastern coast of the
Hutt Valley
The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zea ...
, the suburb lies between
Te Awa Kairangi / the Hutt River and
Petone
Petone (Māori language, Māori: ''Pito-one'') is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. It stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. Europeans first settled in Petone in Januar ...
(to the west), and the bays of
Eastbourne to the south. Seaview is a centre for bulk liquid fuel storage for the lower half 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 ...
, and a site for heavy industry. It is also a base for support services for trucks and transportation businesses and the location of the
wastewater treatment plant
Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater. It thus converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once back in the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on ...
for drainage from the
Hutt Valley
The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zea ...
. Seaview is home to the Port Road Drags, the longest-running street drag races in Australasia.
History
In the first half of the nineteenth century there were two pā at Seaview.
Ngāti Ira people lived at a pā called Ohiti or Owhiti which was later taken over by
Te Āti Awa
Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...
.
It was situated where the Ford factory would later be built.
Te Āti Awa
Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...
had another settlement, Waiwhetū Pā, which was on a sandy, windswept spit at the eastern side of the mouth of the Waiwhetu Stream where it joined the Hutt River.
The
Waiwhetū Stream
The Waiwhetū Stream is a small watercourse in Lower Hutt, in the North Island of New Zealand. The stream drains the eastern side of the Hutt Valley, and enters Wellington Harbour at the Hutt River (New Zealand), Hutt River estuary. Development ...
was navigable well into the
Hutt Valley
The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zea ...
, providing food and ease of movement for the people at the pā. The population decreased in the 1840s after a local chief was murdered by Māori from the Wairarapa, and by 1850 only 48 people lived at Waiwhetū Pā. European settlers arrived after 1840 and by 1848 there were several ship-building yards on the Waiwhetū Stream. Māori operated a ferry service by canoe across the Waiwhetū Stream in the 1840s.
However, disaster struck when the
1855 Wairarapa earthquake
The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred on 23 January at about 9.17 p.m., affecting much of the Cook Strait area of New Zealand, including Marlborough in the South Island and Wellington and the Wairarapa in the North Island. In Wellington, cl ...
occurred, changing the river into the low-lying stream it is today, and making the area a desolate strip of swampland. The local shipyards were destroyed, and
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 ...
settlers focused their efforts on Petone instead. A government report in 1861 stated that only 20 Māori then lived in the Waiwhetū area: 10 Ngati-te-umo-Rangi led by Te Wiremu Uenukutara, and 10 Hamua led by Ropiha Moturoa. Today a Māori cemetery, Owhiti Urupā, remains on the site of the former Waiwhetū Pā.
Seaview remained undeveloped until 1929, when Lower Hutt Borough Council reclaimed land and constructed Seaview Road to provide a more direct route to the eastern bays and access to a new heavy industrial zone to be developed in the area.
A drainage and sewage scheme was put in place and plans were made for bridges and more reclamation. Meanwhile, the
Texas Company
Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company until its ...
(now
Caltex
Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. Headquartered in Singapore, it is also the brand name of non-Chevron petroleum companies in some countries (such as ...
) built a fuel processing plant in 1929, fronting the new Seaview Road that was still under construction. Companies making pipes and other products were soon established nearby.
Between 1936 and 1939, an additional 94 acres of land was reclaimed from swamp and estuary at the mouth of the Hutt River, and more manufacturing industries started moving into the area. Ford opened a car-assembly factory on Seaview Road in 1936, and British Australian Lead Manufacturers (now
Dulux
Dulux is an internationally-available brand of architectural paint that originated from the United Kingdom. The brand name Dulux has been used by both Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-ba ...
) established a paint manufacturing plant in 1937. These were followed by more companies making industrial goods such as bolts,
rivets
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed end is called the ''sh ...
and chemicals, both in Seaview and the adjacent suburb of
Gracefield.
During World War 2, the United states arranged for car-assembly plants in Petone and Seaview (Ford) to become repair shops for US forces vehicles damaged during the war in the Pacific. Vehicles were stripped down and, where possible, reconditioned and sent back to active duty. At the end of the war the United States declared that the 2287 vehicles still stored in Seaview were surplus to their requirements. The vehicles were stacked bumper-to-bumper, with jeeps on top of truck beds, in a yard opposite the Ford factory. The New Zealand government agreed to buy the vehicles and spare parts from the United States, with a view to on-selling them to New Zealand car assemblers, but the car assemblers were not interested because of the state of the vehicles, the difficulty of getting spare parts and their specialised military nature. G.T. Gillies bought over 1200 of the vehicles and the 18 acres they were stored on in Seaview Road, and spent over 10 years fixing or disposing of them.
The Hutt Estuary Bridge was built across the Hutt River in 1954 to replace a 1912 bridge, improving the connection between Seaview and Petone. More land was reclaimed from 1955. As of 2024, Seaview is a centre for bulk liquid fuel storage and heavy industry, and is also a base for support services for trucks and transportation businesses.
Ford Motor Company workshop
In 1936, the Ford Motor Company built a large, modern vehicle assembly plant on a 13 acre site in Seaview Road. Imported car parts were welded together, finished, upholstery was made and fitted and the whole vehicle assembled in the 3.5 acre building. By the time of its official opening on 7 April 1937, the factory employed between 600 and 700 men who were producing 40 vehicles per day. Another 40 men and women worked in the company's offices. The building was designed by architects Dawson and King for efficiency and the comfort of employees. It is constructed of brick with steel framing, with large windows and skylights for maximum natural light. The largest neon sign in the southern hemisphere was mounted on the roof, facing Seaview Road and out over the harbour. It was said to be visible from Wellington city.
Over the years the factory produced various models of car including the Prefect, Anglia, Cortina, Zephyr and Zodiac, and Fordson tractors. During World War 2, arms, explosives and jeeps were produced at the factory.
In 1988 the factory closed when production shifted to Auckland. Ford employed about 700 staff at the time the closure was announced in February 1986, but as the plant wound down the number of employees dropped, and by the time of the final closure in 1988 there were about 300 employees. Many car assembly firms and other manufacturing businesses in the region had closed in the 1970s and 1980s: for example, in Petone, New Zealand Motor Bodies (closed 1978), Austin Motors (1983), and General Motors (1984). In the context of the declining manufacturing sector, closure of the Ford plant was seen as a significant event for the regional economy, for businesses supplying the plant, and for the well-being and financial situations of the workers.
Other companies later operated from the building, and in 2016 it was refurbished and earthquake-strengthened. The building was listed by
Heritage New Zealand
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
as a 'Historic Place Category 2' in 1984.
Demographics
Very few people live in Seaview, as it is zoned for heavy industry. Seaview is included in the
Gracefield statistical area.
Port Road Drags
Port Road Drags, which is held in Port Road in Seaview, is the longest-running street drag racing event in Australasia. The first event was organised by the Hutt Valley Motoring Club in March 1966. The Wellington Hot Rod Club formed later that year, and the races have taken place along Port Road in November each year since then. Much of Port Road is closed off for the event, and classic cars fill Wellington on their way to Seaview on the day. Drag enthusiasts travel from all over the country for the races. In 2020, the event was called off early when a spectator was seriously injured.
Seaview marina

Seaview marina is situated at the southern end of Seaview. It was built by Works Civil Construction in two stages in 1989 and 1991. The first stage involved building two breakwaters, a boat ramp and floating jetties, and in the second stage the seabed was dredged and the spoil used to reclaim land. The marina is owned by Hutt City Council. Lowry Bay Yacht Club is based at the marina, which has 360 berths for vessels of up to 26 m long and storage for 250 trailer boats.
Seaview wharf
Seaview wharf is a marine fuel terminal at the north-east of
Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour ( ), officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of ...
. The fuel terminal is the main point of supply for liquid fuels for the lower
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 ...
, and is also a backup point of supply for other parts of the North Island. The wharf was originally built around 1975, and is now owned by
CentrePort Wellington
CentrePort Wellington (CentrePort) provides land and sea infrastructure and manages port facilities in Wellington Harbour in New Zealand. The company is the successor to the Wellington Harbour Board, and was formed as one of the outcomes of the ...
. The landward end of the wharf is at
Point Howard and it is approximately long. Fuel pipelines along the wharf connect with bulk fuel storage facilities in Seaview. The fuel terminal handles approximately one million tonnes of fuel annually.
The wharf was damaged in the
2016 Kaikōura earthquake
The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake was a 7.8 earthquake in the South Island of New Zealand that occurred two minutes after midnight on 14 November 2016 Time in New Zealand, NZDT (11:02 on 13 November UTC). earthquake rupture, Ruptures occurred on ...
, but was able to continue operating. In 2021 a $60m project was commenced to improve the seismic resilience of the wharf.
Waiwhetū Stream
The lower reaches of Waiwhetū Stream pass through Seaview, and for decades it was used as an industrial sewer. In 1972, the stream caught fire because of the quantity of solvents that were being discharged.
In 2001, despite 20 years having passed since the stopping of trade waste discharges from industries in the area, the river was still highly polluted with toxic sediments.
Mud in the stream bed down to a depth of was heavily contaminated with lead, zinc,
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
and hydrocarbons including diesel, oil and petrol. In 2003, it was estimated that there was of heavily contaminated sediment in a short section of the stream between Seaview Road and the rail bridge just north of Hutt Park Holiday Village. Local groups urged that a clean-up be undertaken.
A major clean-up project commenced in 2009 to remove of contaminated mud from the lower reaches of the stream. The work was funded by
Hutt City Council
The Hutt City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Lower Hutt. Lower Hutt is the country's seventh largest city. The city borders Porirua to the north, Upper Hutt to the northeast, South Wairarapa District ...
,
Greater Wellington Regional Council
Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for Public transport in the Wellington Region, p ...
and the
Ministry for the Environment, and cost over $20 million. At the time, the stream was described as one of the country's most polluted waterways. The clean-up was declared complete in June 2010, after the removal of 56,000 tonnes of toxic waste.
Wastewater treatment plant and outfall
Prior to 2001, wastewater from the entire Hutt Valley was screened and then pumped without any further treatment via a pipeline along the eastern coastline of Wellington Harbour to an ocean outfall near the harbour entrance at
Pencarrow Head
Pencarrow Head, also known as Pencarrow, is a headland in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the name of the surrounding area, which was derived from Pencarrow, the family home of New Zealand Company director, Sir William Molesworth. The ...
. By the 1990s, the discharge of untreated sewage into the ocean had become environmentally unacceptable.
Planning for a new sewage treatment plan began in the mid 1990s. In 1998, tenders were called for a design, build and operate contract for a treatment plant to be built in Seaview that would provide secondary treatment of all sewage from the Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata.
It was to be located close to the Waiwhetū Stream. A contract was let in 1999, and the plant was commissioned in 2001.
In March 2022, Wellington Water reported a leak in the pipeline to the outfall, in the Seaview area. Repairs required the shutdown of the pipeline, and the discharge of fully treated wastewater into Waiwhetū Stream while the repairs were carried out. In September 2023, Wellington Water predicted that pipeline shutdowns for repairs will become increasingly frequent, possibly rising to 30 times per year, with a typical repair time of 1 week, leading to repeated discharges of treated wastewater into the Waiwhetū Stream. Options presented to the Hutt City and Upper Hutt councils included refurbishment of the existing pipeline, or the construction of a new pipeline in Wellington Harbour. The forecast costs of a new outfall pipeline were approximately $700 million, with a further $300 million required for upgrades to the Seaview treatment plant, including a replacement sludge drier.
Gallery
File:Oil Tanks, Seaview, 29 November 2020.png, Oil Tanks in Seaview, November 2020.
File:Fuel tanks, Seaview.jpg, Fuel tanks at Port Road, Seaview.
File:Haines Pallet Co, LTD, Seaview, 29 November 2020.png, Old industrial buildings adorned by 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 ...
.
File:Former Ford factory.jpg, Former Ford factory, Seaview Road.
File:1975 Ford Cortina Estate (6830738454).jpg, 1975 Ford Cortina, manufactured at the Ford plant. Hundreds of thousands of Fords were built here from 1936 to 1988.
File:Miss Fortune's, Seaview, 29 November 2020.png, Miss Fortune's café, a more trendy and bright feature of Seaview.
References
External links
History of Seaviewat Seaview Business Association
{{Lower Hutt
Suburbs of Lower Hutt
Populated places around the Wellington Harbour