Mairangi Bay () is a coastal suburb of

North Shore, Auckland The North Shore ( or ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is defined as the northern shores of the Waitematā Harbour as far north as the Ōkura River. The North Shore is primarily ...

, located in the northern

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 ...

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 ...

, on the south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of 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 ...

. Mairangi Bay came under the local governance of the

North Shore City Council 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 ...

until subsumed into the

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 2010.

Geography

Mairangi Bay is located in the

East Coast Bays East Coast Bays is an urban area along the east coast of the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore in New Zealand. First established as independent borough during the 1950s, East Coast Bays became contiguous with the Auckland urban area and wa ...

of the North Shore, between

Murrays Bay Murrays Bay is a small suburb in the East Coast Bays region, located in the North Shore of Auckland. The suburb is roughly the same size as Rothesay Bay, the suburb to the immediate north. It is primarily a residential area but does have a c ...

and

Campbells Bay Campbells Bay is a suburb of the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore located in Auckland, New Zealand. Geography Campbells Bay is located in the East Coast Bays of the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore, between Mairangi Bay and Casto ...

. The bay to the east shares the same name as the suburb. The land is primarily formed from clay and

Waitemata sandstone 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 ...

, which can be seen in the cliffs along the coast. Prior to human settlement, the inland Mairangi Bay area was primarily a northern broadleaf podocarp forest, dominated by

tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (), commonly known as the , is a species of Podocarpus, podocarp tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island, South Island and rarely on Stewart Island, Stewart Island / Rakiura in lowland, ...

mataī ''Prumnopitys taxifolia'', the mataī () or black pine, is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island. It also occurs on Stewart Island / Rakiura (47 °S) but is uncommon there. It grows up to high ...

, miro,

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 ...

and

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori language, Māori) and white pine, is a Pinophyta, coniferous tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. A Podocarpaceae, podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining hei ...

trees.

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 were 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 North Shore was settled by

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� ...

, including people descended from the ''

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 ...

'' migratory canoe and ancestors of figures such as Taikehu and Peretū. Many of the Tāmaki Māori people of the North Shore identified as

Ngā Oho Ngā Oho, also known as Ngā Ohomatakamokamo-o-Ohomairangi, is the name of a historical iwi (tribe) of Māori who settled in the Auckland Region. In the 17th century, Ngā Oho and two other tribes of shared heritage, Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi, form ...

. While the poor soils around the East Coast Bays hindered dense settlement, traditional resources in the area included fish, shellfish and marine birds, and

kūmara The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...

is known to have been planted at Mairangi Bay. The traditional name for the coast between Murrays Bay and

is . The modern name of the suburb comes from a locality name, , a name which refers to an ancestor, Mairangi. The warrior Maki migrated from the

Kāwhia Harbour Kawhia Harbour () 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 southwest of Hamilton. ...

to his ancestral home in the

, likely sometime in the 17th century. Maki conquered and unified many the Tāmaki Māori tribes as

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 ...

, including those of the North Shore. After Maki's death, his sons settled different areas of his lands, creating new

hapū In Māori language, 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 ...

. His younger son Maraeariki settled the North Shore and

Hibiscus Coast The Hibiscus Coast is a populated area on a stretch of the Hauraki Gulf coast in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It has a population of making it the List of New Zealand urban areas by population, 10th most populous urban area in New Zealand, ...

, who based himself at the head of the

Ōrewa River The Ōrewa River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows east to reach Whangaparāoa Bay just to the north of Whangaparāoa Peninsula. The town of Orewa is near the river's mouth. Geography The Ōrewa River b ...

. Maraeariki's daughter Kahu succeeded him, and she is the namesake of the North Shore, ("The Greater Lands of Kahu"). Many of the iwi of the North Shore, including

Ngāti Manuhiri Ngāti Manuhiri is a Māori iwi of the Mahurangi Peninsula area of New Zealand. They have an interest in the region from the Ōkura River in the south to Mangawhai in the north, and extending out to Great Barrier Island. They are descended from ...

, Ngāti Maraeariki, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Poataniwha,

Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is a Māori people, Māori tribe that is based in the area around Clevedon, New Zealand, Clevedon, part of the Auckland region (''Tāmaki'' in the Māori language). It is one of the twelve members of the Hauraki Collective ...

and

Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...

, can trace their lineage to Kahu. By the 18th century, the

Marutūāhu __NOTOC__ Marutūāhu (also spelled, Marutūahu or Marutuahu) is a confederation of Māori ''iwi'' (tribes) in the Hauraki region (the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel Peninsula and Hauraki Plains) of New Zealand. The confederation comprises the tribes ...

iwi

Ngāti Paoa Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

had expanded their influence to include the islands 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, After periods of conflict, peace had been reached by the 1790s. The earliest contact with Europeans began in the late 18th century, which caused many Tāmaki Māori to die of , respiratory diseases. During the early 1820s, most Māori of the North Shore fled for 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 ...

or Northland due to the threat of war parties 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 ...

. Most people had returned by the late 1820s and 1830s.

European settlement

In 1841, the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

purchased the Mahurangi and Omaha blocks; an area that spanned from

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 ...

Te Ārai Te Ārai is a small community on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, near the northern end of the Auckland Region (specifically within the former Rodney District). Mangawhai lies to the north, and Tomarata to the south. The ...

. The purchase involved some iwi with customary interests in the area, such as Ngāti Paoa, other Marutūāhu iwi and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, but not others, such as Te Kawerau ā Maki or Ngāti Rango. The Crown spent until 1873 rectifying this sale, by making further deals with stakeholders. In 1880, the land was sold to English settler Thomas Murray, from

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, who converted the mānuka and harakeke scrubland to a sheep and cattle farm, and planted crops including corn, wheat and English grasses. Murray was a lifelong bachelor and devout Christian, who taught Sunday school classes in Takapuna. Murray's farm grew to 174 acres in size, and the bay became known as Little Murrays Bay (Big Murrays Bay was the name for

to the north). Murray sold kauri gum as an additional source of income, constructed a windmill at the site of modern-day Scarboro Terrace, and developed orchards to supply the Auckland market with fruit. After Big Murrays Bay was renamed Murrays Bay in 1900, locals created petitions to suggest new names. A local solicitor, Mr. Rennie, suggested Awatea Bay, but the name Mairangi Bay, based on the

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 ...

name , was successful. Mairangi Bay was sold and subdivided in 1912. After the Murrays Bay Wharf was constructed in 1916, Mairangi Bay became a popular spot for holidays and day trippers from Auckland, who arrived by ferry. Housing developed in Mairangi Bay in the 1920s, primarily used as holiday homes. The Mairangi Bay post office opened in 1930, and the first shops and local services began operating from the 1930s and 1940s. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, pillboxes were constructed at Mairangi Bay in various locations: at the beach, on the clifftops to the south of the suburb, in the modern-day Mairangi Bay School grounds, Elizabeth Place and on Kowhai Road. A searchlight emplacement was constructed at Whitby Crescent, as well as an anti-tank stone wall. Suburban housing developed in Mairangi Bay after the opening of the

Auckland Harbour Bridge The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins Saint Marys Bay, New Zealand, St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote, Auckland, Northcote on the North Shore, ...

in 1959, and the shops in Mairangi Bay were the first that opened for trading on Saturdays. The Mairangi War Memorial Hall was constructed in 1953 as a community hub, and in 1956, a new high school was opened in the suburb, Murray's Bay High School. Later renamed

Rangitoto College Rangitoto College is a state coeducational secondary school, located on the North Shore City, North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. Serving years 9 to 13, Rangitoto has a school roll of as of making it the largest "brick-and-mortar" school in ...

, the school grew to become the largest high school in New Zealand. In 1966, the first supermarket in the

area was constructed at Mairangi Bay. In the late 1970s, industry developed in the area when the

Takapuna City Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volcanic maar and one of the oldest features of the A ...

Council zoned a 70 acre industrial estate along Sunset Road, in modern-day Rosedale. In 1991, the Mairangi War Memorial Hall was renovated and opened as the Mairangi Arts Centre. Since 2004, Mairangi Bay and the adjacent beaches have undergone civil works projects since 2004 to improve stormwater management.

Local government

From 1876 until 1954, the area was administered by the

Waitemata County 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, New Zealand, West Auckland, Rodney (local board area), Rodney a ...

, a large rural county north and west of the city of Auckland. In 1954, the area split from the county, forming the East Coast Bays Borough Council, which became East Coast Bays City in 1975. In 1989, the 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, Mairangi Bay is a part of the

Hibiscus and Bays The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council. It is one of two boards overseen by the council's Albany Ward (local government), Albany Ward councillors. The board consists of eight members elected at ...

local government area governed by the

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council. It is one of two boards overseen by the council's Albany Ward councillors. The board consists of eight members elected at large. The board's area is div ...

. It is a part of the Albany ward, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.

Demographics

Mairangi Bay covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Mairangi Bay had a population of 5,832 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 186 people (3.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 483 people (9.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 2,853 males, 2,964 females and 15 people of other genders in 1,899 dwellings. 3.1% of people identified as

LGBTIQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...

. The median age was 40.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,062 people (18.2%) aged under 15 years, 1,137 (19.5%) aged 15 to 29, 2,634 (45.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 999 (17.1%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 65.3%

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 ...

); 5.6%

; 2.1% Pasifika; 31.3% Asian; 2.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 92.7%, Māori language by 0.7%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 32.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (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 46.7, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 31.6%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 1.3%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 0.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.8%, and 7.1% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 1,452 (30.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,971 (41.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 921 (19.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $46,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 966 people (20.3%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,367 (49.6%) people were employed full-time, 762 (16.0%) were part-time, and 132 (2.8%) were unemployed.

Education

Mairangi Bay School and St John's School are coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) schools with rolls of and respectively as at . Mairangi Bay School was founded in 1967. St John's is a state integrated Catholic School, which was founded in 1961.

is a large secondary school in Windsor Park, to the west of Mairangi Bay.

Amenities

A popular public walkway passes through coastal Mairangi Bay, connecting

to Browns Bay in the north. The walkway passes sections of exposed

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Mairangi Bay Village
community website
Photographs of Mairangi Bay
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Suburbs of Auckland Bays of Auckland East Coast Bays