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Tawa is the northernmost suburb within the
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 ...
city boundary, located roughly 15 km north of Wellington's CBD between
Churton Park Churton Park is a suburb 1.5 km north of Johnsonville, New Zealand, Johnsonville in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It was established in the 1970s. The suburb includes Churton Park Reserve which includes a recreational s ...
and
Porirua Porirua, () a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Poriru ...
in 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 ...
of
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 ...
. It takes its name from the
broadleaf tree A broad-leaved, broad-leaf, or broadleaf tree is any tree within the diverse botanical group of angiosperms that has flat leaves and produces seeds inside of fruits. It is one of two general types of trees, the other being a conifer, a tree with ne ...
, which was once prolific throughout the area, although its most famous tree is the Bucket Tree, a large macrocarpa with the
topiary Topiary is the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants w ...
of an upside-down bucket. Tawa is also known for its large number of churches, representing a wide range of
Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...
s. Within Tawa, there are a number of named areas: Lindenvale, Westhaven,
Redwood Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...
and Southgate to the west and Linden, Greenacres and Sundale to the east of the central Tawa area.


Geography and transportation

Tawa lies in a wide section of a roughly north/south valley which opens up on the north into the Porirua Basin. The valley is about 4.5 km in length (north-south) and 2.5 km wide (east-west). The Belmont range, to the east, separates the Tawa valley 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 ...
, while the Ohariu Valley is located to the west of Tawa. The northern entrance to Tawa is where Kenepuru Drive becomes Main Road, and its southern entrance is the Tawa exit of the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway (
State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...
). The Porirua Stream flows northwards along the valley, fed by a number of tributaries, including the Takapu Stream. Loosely following the path of the Porirua Stream through the valley is the
North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...
line; the
Kapiti Line Metlink's Kapiti Line is the Railway electrification system, electrified southern portion of the North Island Main Trunk railway between New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, and Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast, operated by Transdev Wellington o ...
of the Wellington suburban railway, operated by
Transdev Wellington Transdev Wellington is the operator of Wellington's Metlink rail network in New Zealand. The entity is a partnership of Transdev Australasia and Hyundai Rotem, who were awarded the contract to operate and maintain the commuter rail system in De ...
(under the trading name
Metlink Metlink was the marketing body and umbrella brand for public train, tram and bus Transport in Melbourne, transport operators in Melbourne, Australia. On 2 April 2012, the operations of Metlink were transferred to the newly created public trans ...
). Slightly to the east, the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway, a dual-carriageway section of State Highway 1, follows a similar path. Both have played an important role in the suburb's development and in providing access. The literally named Main Road runs down the centre of the suburb and provides access to the smaller suburban streets. Main Road and Kenepuru Drive were part of State Highway 1 before the building of the motorway in the 1950s. Tawa has five suburban passenger railway-stations: Kenepuru, Linden, Tawa, Redwood and Takapu Road. A significant number of commuters travel daily by train into the Wellington CBD to work. As a result, trains are a significant component of Tawa's public transport, but the suburb is also served by a bus route linking Porirua and Johnsonville. Despite these bus and train services, a substantial area on Tawa's fringes remains over 400 metres from public transport, particularly in Redwood, Greenacres and Linden. Measured this way, while the parts of Tawa near the railway and Main Road are among the best-served suburbs in Wellington in terms of public transport, these areas on the fringes are among the worst served. As a result,
park-and-ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...
facilities provided at Takapu Road, Redwood, and Tawa railway stations are normally full on weekdays and parking near Linden station is at a premium, with all on-street parks close to the station occupied. In 2009 the
Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and List of cities in New Zealand#City councils, third-largest city by popul ...
commenced work on a shared pedestrian/cycle trail through Tawa to Porirua City Centre. The trail comprises a combination of new paths following the Porirua Stream and rail corridor, and some widened existing footpaths. The Wellington City section of the trail, between Takapu Road railway station in the south and Kenepuru railway station in the north, was completed in 2013. The Porirua City section of the trail was built on an existing unsealed trail and completed about March 2014.


Name origin and local government

Before 1959, Tawa was known as Tawa Flat, thought to be a reference to the Tawa trees that grew there and the flat and arable floor of the valley as it widened out in the Tawa area. The first known use of the name "Tawa Flat" was by John Woodman who used it as his address in the electoral roll for the Wellington Country District, published in the ''Wellington Provincial Gazette'' of 28 August 1854. As others living in the area gave their address in the 1854 roll as "Porirua Road", it is possible that John Woodman was the originator of the name. When New Zealand became a separate Colony from
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
in 1841, the royal charter established three
provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
. The Tawa area became part of New Munster which included that part of the North Island south of the Patea River and the whole of the South Island. In 1846 the British Parliament passed the first constitution act, the
New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 The New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. 103) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was intended to grant self-government to the Colony of New Zealand, but was never fully implemented. The Act's long title was " ...
which reformed the provinces and the Tawa area became part of
New Ulster New Ulster was a province of the Colony of New Zealand that existed between 1841 and 1853. It was named after the Irish province of Ulster. Creation Between 1841 and 1846, the province included all the North Island. With the passing of the Ne ...
which now included all of the North Island. The provinces were reformed again with the
New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. 72) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted self-government to the Colony of New Zealand. It was the second such act, the New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 not ...
which established six provinces with Tawa included in the Wellington Province. Provincial Government was abolished in 1876 and replaced with 36 borough councils and 63 county councils. The Tawa area became part of the Porirua Riding of the Hutt County, formed in 1877. The Hutt County covered all the area south of the
Waikanae River Waikanae River is located on the Kāpiti Coast in the North Island of New Zealand. Description The river drains the western flanks of the Tararua Ranges around Reikorangi and the Akatarawa Valley, then passes to the south of the town of ...
and West of the
Remutaka Range The Remutaka Range (also spelt Rimutaka Range) is the southernmost range of a mountain chain in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The chain continues north into the Tararua Range, Tararua, then Ruahine Range, Ruahine Ranges, running para ...
s that lay outside of Wellington City. As the population of local areas grew, a number of local boroughs were split off from the Hutt County. In 1908, a smaller Makara County with offices in Porirua was formed from the Mākara and Porirua Ridings or the south-western part of the Hutt County. The new Makara County included Porirua,
Tītahi Bay Tītahi Bay, also written Titahi Bay, is a suburb of Porirua in metropolitan Wellington, in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the foot of a short peninsula on the west coast of the Porirua Harbour, to the north of Porirua city ...
, and Tawa Flat, and all of the area to the south lying to the west of Wellington City outside the areas covered by Wellington City and the new and independent boroughs of Miramar, Karori, Onslow, and Johnsonville. In 1939, northern Tawa valley residents seeking to give a separate name to the northern part of the Tawa district met. They chose "Linden", from "Linden Vale", the name of the home of Mr Stuart Duncan, but originally named by Mr. Charles Duncan, a nurseryman. The name "Linden" was adopted in 1940 and the first Linden railway station was opened on 30 April 1941. In 1948, the Tawa Flat and Linden Progressive Associations and Porirua interests, led by Arthur Carman and
Percy Clark Percy Hamilton Clark (August 7, 1873 – August 12, 1965) was an American cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He began playing cricket in 1885 and soon found himself at the top of the game in the USA duri ...
, made a representation to the Local Government Commission asking for a single borough covering the whole of the Porirua Basin. The commission did not accept this proposal but responded by giving the Tawa Flat-Linden area the status of a town district able to elect its own town board. A roll of 1,700 electors was compiled and on 16 May 1951 the first town board was elected. Urbanisation and population growth continued in the Tawa valley and in 1953 the population had reached 3,900, sufficient for an upgrade of the town district to a borough. The upgrade to the Borough of Tawa Flat was approved in October 1953. Starting at the time of the Tawa Flat School and Tawa Flat District Centennial in 1955, there was a popular move to change the name of the "Borough of Tawa Flat" to the "Borough of Tawa" as more people now lived in the hilly areas on the sides of the valley or in Linden and only a minority lived in the area previously known as Tawa Flat. The New Zealand Geographic Board decided on 24 November 1958 "that on and after the 23rd of February 1959 the name of the Borough of Tawa Flat shall be Borough of Tawa." From 1959, the area became known as Tawa and usage of Tawa Flat has been discontinued. In 1988 the Local Government Commission proposed that Tawa amalgamate with
Porirua Porirua, () a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Poriru ...
City or
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 ...
City with no option to remain an independent borough allowed. The proposal was opposed by the Tawa Borough Council and a majority of residents. Despite efforts by Porirua City to entice Tawa residents to amalgamate with Porirua City many Tawa citizens indicated a preference for amalgamation with Wellington City. On 3 October 1988, the Local Government Commission decreed that the Borough of Tawa would amalgamate with Wellington City. The Tawa Community Board was set up in 1989 to replace the Borough Council. Tawa now contributes, as part of Wellington city's Northern Ward, to elect three Wellington city councillors. Tawa retains a community board, which represents the suburb in matters of local and community affairs. The former
Mayor of Wellington The mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, the city of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional ...
,
Kerry Prendergast Dame Kerry Leigh Prendergast (née Ferrier; born 28 March 1953) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Wellington between 2001 and 2010, succeeding Mark Blumsky. She was the second woman to hold the position, after Fran W ...
, originally came on to the
Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and List of cities in New Zealand#City councils, third-largest city by popul ...
following time as a Tawa Borough councillor. As of the 2022 local elections the Tawa Community Board members are:


History


Early history

The
iwi 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. ...
with mana whenua in Tawa are
Ngāti Toa Rangatira 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. ...
and Taranaki Whānui. Ngāti Toa Rangatira have had parcels of land in Tawa and Linden returned to them as part of a housing partnership with 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 ...
. Though
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 ...
people had not previously settled in the Tawa valley, they would have passed through it when travelling between the centuries-old established populations at
Porirua Porirua, () a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Poriru ...
and Te Whanganui a Tara. A Māori track, later developed in the 1840s for the Old Porirua Road, ran between the two harbours, while another such track ran from Willowbank to the Horokiwi Ridge 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 ...
. As with the rest of Wellington, Tawa was colonised by the
New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model that was focused on the systematic colonisation of New Ze ...
in the mid-19th century under the direction of
Edward Gibbon Wakefield Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 179616 May 1862) was an English politician in colonial Canada and New Zealand. He is considered a key figure in the establishment of the colonies of South Australia and New Zealand (where he later served as a ...
. The Company claimed to have purchased the land from local Māori - this claim "did not take into account of Maori existing land use, and was further undermined by the New Zealand Company and later by the government." It was divided into 100-acre blocks, providing some of the 100-acre "in the country" blocks that accompanied the one-acre "in town" (i.e., central Wellington) blocks, similar to other Company settlements. Much of the eastern side of the Tawa valley came to be owned by a single family until the demand for housing land overtook the benefits of farming the land. In 1951, a Town District was established covering Tawa and Linden. Within two years this had become Tawa Flat Borough.


Development

The development of Tawa, like many population centres, has been strongly tied to the development of transportation networks. It was initially a rural settlement established along the Old Porirua Road. During construction of the road in 1846-47, the road-making soldiers used two stockades, built a kilometre apart from each other, to sleep in and for protection from potential attacks. The initial settlers had to clear the surrounding heavy forests before they could begin building and farming on the land. In 1851 the first church opened, and in 1855 the first school opened, but Tawa remained predominantly rural into the 20th century. While there were early efforts at housing subdivisions, first in 1896 and in 1906 with the establishment of the Tawa Land Company, they failed to attract much interest. Tawa didn't grow significantly until just before
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 ...
, when it began to lose its semi-rural character. A single-track railway line built by the
Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR or W&MR) was a private rail transport, railway Railway company, company that built, owned and operated the Wellington–Manawatu Line, Wellington-Manawatu railway line between Thorndon, New Zeal ...
connected Tawa to Wellington from September 1885, and to Palmerston North from November 1886. It followed a circuitous route from Wellington via the Ngaio Gorge and Johnsonville. This line was incorporated into the
New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining Rail transport in New Zealand, New Zealand's railway infrastruc ...
network in December 1908. Tawa's first railway station, Tawa Flat station, opened on 24 September 1885. The station was located on the hillside above the valley floor on what is now Duncan Street, on the straight section of road about 180 metres north of the intersection of Duncan Street with the junction of Tawa Street and Tawa Terrace.


1930s and 40s: The Tawa Flat deviation

From June 1937, the double-tracked
Tawa Flat deviation The Railway Magazine February 1934 pp. 100-105 Tawa Flat deviation is a double-track section of the Kapiti Line just north of Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North ...
diverted the
North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...
railway from Thorndon through
Kaiwharawhara Kaiwharawhara is an urban seaside suburb of Wellington in New Zealand's North Island. It is located north of the centre of the city on the western shore of Wellington Harbour, where the Kaiwharawhara Stream reaches the sea from its headwaters ...
and two significant new tunnels to the Tawa valley to provide a shorter faster rail route with easier grades and higher speed curves. The new deviation reduced the travel time between Wellington and Tawa by 15 minutes. The old and new routes diverged in Thorndon and merged again north of the present-day Tawa Railway Station near the front entrance to Tawa College. Part of the old rail route through Tawa, from Tawa Street to Tawa College, became the southern part of Duncan Street while the old railway alignment from Tawa Street to Takapu Road remained as a pleasant walking track. The new deviation provided two new railway stations that opened on 20 June 1937, one at Takapu Road and a new Tawa Flat Railway Station on an island platform built on the valley floor, below and 400 metres north of the old railway station. A crossing loop was provided at Tawa Flat with crossovers north and south of the station to allow trains to terminate at Tawa Flat and return to Wellington or Porirua. A siding was provided to support local businesses. The new Tawa Flat station was equipped with an enclosed waiting room, toilets for men and women, and a stationmaster's office with a ticket sale window opening to the waiting room. A miniature lever frame allowed signals to be locally controlled. Trains between Kaiwharawhara and Tawa ran on double line automatic signalling. The tablet system remained in use on the single line section from Tawa to Porirua. With the completion of the deviation, the railway connection between Johnsonville and Tawa was severed on 19 June 1937. The original line from Wellington to Johnsonville was electrified and reopened as the
Johnsonville Branch The Johnsonville Branch, also known as the Johnsonville Line, is a commuter branch line railway from the main Railway Station of Wellington, New Zealand to the northern suburb of Johnsonville via Ngaio and Khandallah. Transdev Wellingto ...
. The railway line from Tawa to Porirua remained single track with no stations between Tawa and Porirua until the new Linden station opened on 28 July 1940. Electrification of the North Island Main Trunk was completed from Wellington to Paekakariki in 1940 and a modern automatic signalling system was installed to enable trains to operate at frequent intervals. From 1940, the shorter and faster train service to Wellington using passenger cars hauled by electric locomotives made Tawa a more desirable place to live. Arohata Women's Prison, located at the southern end of Tawa, was built in 1944 and was originally a women's
borstal A borstal is a type of youth detention centre. Such a detention centre is more commonly known as a borstal school in India, where they remain in use today. Until the late 20th century, borstals were present in the United Kingdom, several mem ...
. It became a youth prison in 1981 and a women's prison in 1987.


1950s and 60s: improved train service, motorway opening, rapid population growth

A much improved, faster, and more frequent, rail service resulted from the Tawa Flat deviation in the late 1930s, electrification of the railway line with an automatic signalling system in 1940, and the arrival of additional electric multiple units in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The first
multiple units A multiple-unit train (or multiple unit (MU)) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more Coach (rail), carriages joined, and where one or more of the carriages have the means of propulsion built in. By contrast, a locomotive-hauled ...
operated on the line from 5 September 1949 but electric locomotive-hauled trains continued to operate in peak periods as there were insufficient multiple units until the arrival of the first Ganz Mavag EM/ET units in 1982. It was now quicker and easier for residents of Tawa to commute to Wellington to work in the central Wellington area. Travel time by rail from Tawa to central Wellington was now less than from many Wellington City suburbs and the fares were competitive. On 15 December 1957, the duplication of the railway line from Tawa to Porirua was completed and a new Linden railway station on an island platform replaced the old shelter. With the duplication to Porirua, double line automatic signalling was extended from Tawa to Porirua and the tablet system was removed. The miniature lever frame controlling the signalling in Tawa could now be "switched-out" to automatic double-track operation or "switched-in" when required for shunting of goods trains or other movements requiring the use of the crossovers. This meant that Tawa station only require manning for occasional train movements. Two new railway stations were built in the 1960s to meet the growing demand for rail services: Kenepuru station opened on 8 April 1963 and Redwood station on 15 December 1963. Tawa was now served by five railway stations. A feature of the new Redwood station was the staggering of the platforms north and south of the level crossing at Tawa Street to avoid the excessive operation of the warning lights and bells and barrier arms at the Tawa Street level crossing. During the 1950s, the high-speed
Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway The Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway is a motorway in Wellington, New Zealand. The majority of the motorway forms part of New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, the main route of traffic in and out of the city, with the northernmost , f ...
was built through Tawa on the eastern side of the valley. The first section that broadly followed the line of the old North Island Main Trunk railway from Johnsonville to the Tawa turnoff at Takapu Road at the southern entrance to Tawa was opened on 15 December 1951. The second section, from Takapu Road to Porirua, was opened about five years later and the Johnsonville bypass connecting the south end of the motorway to the top of
Ngauranga Gorge The Ngauranga Gorge is in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. State Highway 1 runs through the gorge, a vital link between central Wellington City and its northern suburbs and Porirua City and the Kāpiti Coast; it is the main route north out ...
about the same time. The first section, from Johnsonville to Takapu Road, reduced road travel times and considerably improved access to Wellington by eliminating the need to use the narrow winding road through the bottom of the valley and Glenside. The second section allowed through traffic to bypass Tawa reducing traffic on the Main Road in Tawa. The southern and northern accesses to Tawa were improved by straightening and widening narrow sections of the Main Road at Takapu Road and Kenepuru Drive between Linden and Porirua. Demand for new housing diminished in the 1930s and early 1940s, but from the mid-1940s a country-wide surge in marriage and birth rates occurred. With a shortage of suitable new housing areas in Wellington City, and with Tawa now more accessible with improved road and rail access, Tawa became a popular place for new private housing. Land was at a premium in the steep terrain of the Wellington region and the flat areas and moderate hills of Tawa were attractive. The Tawa microclimate, sometimes up to five degrees Celsius warmer than Wellington when the foehn effect occurs at the tail end of a southerly wind, was an added attraction. It could be fine and warm in Tawa when Wellington was cold and overcast. New subdivisions followed and the population expanded rapidly. Tawa became one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. State housing subdivisions at Kenepuru and Hampton Hill in the late 1950s and early 1960s added to the population growth. Population growth and a need to ensure primary schools were within walking distance for children led to the opening of new schools. A new public primary school was opened in Linden in 1952 to take the pressure off the long-established Tawa School. Tawa College was opened in 1960, eliminating the need for Tawa students to travel to Porirua or Wellington for Secondary Education. Tawa College was built on land that straddles the motorway, with the main school campus west of the motorway and additional playing fields to the east. A subway under the motorway links the two parts of Tawa College and provides public access. St. Francis Xavier School, a Catholic primary school, opened in Redwood in 1960. The demand for new primary schools continued in the 1960s: Hampton Hill School was opened in 1965 and Redwood School in 1966.


1970s to present day

During the 1970s, Tawa experienced significant residential growth, Redwood and parts of Sundale in particular expanded outward. To meet the growth, Greenacres primary school opened in 1972 and Tawa Intermediate in 1975. The opening of Tawa Intermediate took the pressure off the primary schools by catering for year 7 and 8 education that was previously provided by the primary schools. Since the 1990s, Tawa has been expanding more slowly. By the turn of the 21st Century, most of the greenfield residential growth in Tawa has occurred to the east of the Motorway, mainly spreading eastward up toward the parallel Takapu Valley in the direction of the Belmont Range. Whilst greenfield residential growth has slowed, there has been significant infill housing as property owners, particularly owners of older
quarter acre In Australian and New Zealand English, a quarter acre is a term for a suburban plot of land. Traditionally, Australians and New Zealanders aspired to own a 3- or 4-bedroom house or bungalow on a section of around a quarter of an acre (about 1,000 ...
sections, subdivide their properties. Along with infill housing, the turn of the 21st century has seen the redevelopment of some of Tawa's previously industrial areas including the development of Dress Smart - an outlet shopping centre - and the retirement village, Redwood village. Tawa's latest retail development is located on what is colloquially known as "Takapu Island"; a site located alongside the Tawa motorway off-ramp where a new supermarket was opened in September 2012. Conversely, one of Tawa's other shopping centres, Tawa Junction, closed in 2008 after a lengthy period with few occupants and has since been mooted as a location for another retirement village. On 27 November 1999 Tawa, along with
Mount Eden Mount Eden is a suburb in Auckland, 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 Z ...
and
Mount Roskill Mount Roskill () is a suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is named for the volcanic peak Mount Roskill. Etymology The name Mount Roskill was first recorded as Mt Rascal in 1841, on a map created by a Wesleyan missionary, ...
, became the last place in New Zealand to vote in favour of becoming "wet" in local restoration polls. Voting to become "wet" allowed the purchase of alcohol within the suburb for the first time and since then several pubs and bars have opened.


Demography

Tawa, comprising the statistical areas of Tawa North, Tawa South and Tawa Central, covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Tawa had a population of 9,258 at the
2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...
, an increase of 360 people (4.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 393 people (4.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 3,159 households, comprising 4,455 males and 4,803 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female, with 1,806 people (19.5%) aged under 15 years, 1,893 (20.4%) aged 15 to 29, 4,314 (46.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,251 (13.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 73.2% 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 ...
, 9.9%
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 ...
, 8.1% Pasifika, 17.6% Asian, and 3.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 30.4, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 44.6% had no religion, 41.3% were
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 ...
, 0.4% had
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 ...
, 3.2% were
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 ...
, 1.3% were
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 1.8% were
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 ...
and 2.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,325 (31.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 834 (11.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 1,806 people (24.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,978 (53.4%) people were employed full-time, 1,056 (14.2%) were part-time, and 321 (4.3%) were unemployed.


Education


Primary schools

Tawa School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . Hampton Hill School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of . It was founded in 1965. Greenacres School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of . It was founded in 1972. Redwood School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of 372 as of 18 April 2017. It was founded on 2 February 1966. St Francis Xavier School is a co-educational state-integrated Catholic primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of 163 as of 28 May 2019. It was founded in 1960.


Intermediate and secondary schools

Tawa Intermediate is a co-educational state intermediate school for Year 7 to 8 students, with a roll of . It was founded in 1975. Tawa College is a co-educational state secondary school for Year 9 to 13 students, with a roll of . It was founded in 1961.


Churches and other religious groups

Churches in Tawa include: In 2011 the Exclusive Brethren in Wellington relocated to Tawa from Crofton Downs and a number of their membership moved into the area. The Samoan Methodist Parish now occupies the property previously occupied by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. There is also a Christadelphian Ecclesia in Linden, as well as a
traditional Catholic A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...
chapel, run by priests from the
Society of St. Pius X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX; ("Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X"), FSSPX) is a canonically irregular traditionalist Catholic priestly fraternity founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Lefebvre was a leading traditionalist ...
, who are based in
Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...
. A Buddhist Dhamma Gavesi Meditation Centre was established in Tawa in 2011.


Facilities


Community facilities

Tawa has a number of community facilities. Upgraded in 2002 at a cost of NZ$1.6 million, the Mervyn Kemp Library is located on the corner of the Main Rd and Cambridge St. Also on Cambridge St is the Tawa Community Centre, which now also occupies the space vacated by the
ANZ Bank The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, commonly known as ANZ Bank, is a multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is Australia's second-largest bank by assets and fo ...
when it closed its Tawa Branch. On November 13, 2004 the $2.4 million Tawa Recreation Centre was opened. The Centre is located at Tawa College and is a partnership between the College and the Wellington City Council. Located on Davies St is the Tawa Pool, which features a 25-metre heated indoor swimming pool, learner pool, toddler pool, spa and sauna.


Retail facilities

Along with Outlet City, much of Tawa's current retail and manufacturing businesses are located along the Main Road. The section of the Main Road between Lyndhurst Road and Lincoln Ave forms the village centre of Tawa and provides day-to-day retail services including supermarket, mail, and pharmacy services. Also present in along the Main Road are the Mervyn Kemp Library, medical centre, dentists, banks, many restaurants and takeaway shops. A secondary retail centre is located alongside Linden Station.


Sporting facilities

Tawa is also home to a number of other community run sporting facilities. Alongside the Tawa pool is the Tawa Bowls club. Tawa St is home to the North Wellington Badminton Association, which boasts a 6 court tournament class stadium. Also on Tawa St is the Tawa-Lyndhurst Tennis Club, which has 8 plexipave tennis courts. Tawa-Lyndhurst Tennis Club is also where Tennis Inc coaching academy is based. There are a number of
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
grounds in Tawa, with Tawa Rugby located at Lyndhurst park. There are a number of
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
ovals in Tawa, including Linden Park. The Tawa Squash club is located on the Main Rd. There are several
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
grounds for different grades in Tawa, including the use of the College grounds, the clubroom is shared with the Tawa Softball Club. Tawa is also home to the Tawa
Mah Jong Mahjong (English pronunciation: ; also transliterated as mah jongg, mah-jongg, and mahjongg) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played ...
Club, which hosts the Wellington Mah Jong Tournament each June, as well as the Kapi Mana Bridge Club.


Parks

Along with built facilities, Tawa also boasts a large number of landscaped and natural parks, many of which contain play areas and open spaces. The Porirua Stream flows through a number of these parks. Community groups in Tawa, including the Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves, have increasingly worked in partnership with the local council to take interest and ownership of protecting Tawa's bush-clad environment, waterways and community parks.


Tawa historical society

Tawa historical society is one of the active historical societies of Aotearoa New Zealand, the society published those books: I remember Tawa, the streets of Tawa, etc.


Notable residents and former residents

*
Elsdon Best Elsdon Best (30 June 1856 – 9 September 1931) was an ethnographer who made important contributions to the study of the Māori of New Zealand. Early years Elsdon Best was born 30 June 1856 at Tawa Flat, New Zealand, to William Best and the fo ...
-
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 ...
ethnologist Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Scien ...
*
Ashley Bloomfield Sir Ashley Robin Bloomfield (born March 1966) is a New Zealand public health official. He served as the chief executive of the Ministry of Health (New Zealand), Ministry of Health and the country's Director-General of Health from 2018 to 2022. ...
- Director-General of Health * Arthur Carman - bookseller, sports writer and local historian *
Jerry Collins Jerry Collins (4 November 1980 – 5 June 2015) was a professional rugby union player. Although he was born in Apia, Samoa, he grew up in New Zealand and played for the New Zealand national team, earning 48 caps. At club level, he played for th ...
-
All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
captain *
Sophie Devine Sophie Frances Monique Devine (born 1 September 1989) is a New Zealand sportswoman, who has represented New Zealand in both cricket for the New Zealand national women's cricket team (''White Ferns''), and in field hockey as a member of the Ne ...
- cricket and hockey player, White Fern and Black Sticks women * Mark Gillespie - former
Black Caps The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Nicknamed the Black Caps (), they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. ...
medium pace bowler * Blair Hilton -
Black Sticks Men The New Zealand men's national field hockey team, also known as the Black Sticks Men, is the national team for men's field hockey of New Zealand, under the New Zealand Hockey Federation. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, they upset Austr ...
, national field hockey representative and 2010 CommonWealth Games bronze medalist *
Amelia Kerr Amelia Charlotte Kerr (born 13 October 2000) is a New Zealand cricketer who currently plays for Wellington Blaze, Wellington and New Zealand women's national cricket team, New Zealand. She is the youngest female cricketer to score a List of One ...
- White Fern * Jess Kerr - White Fern *
Graham Mexted Graham George Mexted (3 February 1927 – 9 March 2009) was a New Zealand rugby union player. Playing in the position of Rugby union positions#Number Eight, number 8, Mexted represented Wellington Rugby Football Union, Wellington at a provincial ...
-
All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
*
Murray Mexted Murray Graham Mexted (born 5 September 1953) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played 34 consecutive tests for the All Blacks from 1979 to 1985. He also played 38 non-test games including 7 as captain. During his time with the All ...
-
All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
captain * Bruce Murray - former
Black Caps The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Nicknamed the Black Caps (), they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. ...
opening batsman and historian of Tawa *
Kerry Prendergast Dame Kerry Leigh Prendergast (née Ferrier; born 28 March 1953) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Wellington between 2001 and 2010, succeeding Mark Blumsky. She was the second woman to hold the position, after Fran W ...
- former Mayor of Wellington *
Lee Tamahori Warren Lee Tamahori (; born 17 June 1950) is a New Zealand film director. His feature directorial debut, ''Once Were Warriors'' (1994), was a widespread critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the greatest New Zealand films eve ...
- film director *
Hugh Templeton Hugh Campbell Templeton (born 24 March 1929) is a former New Zealand diplomat, politician and member of parliament for the National Party. Early life and family Templeton was born in Wyndham, Southland, in 1929. He was educated at Gore H ...
- politician


In fiction

Comedian
Ginette McDonald Ginette Denise McDonald (born 18 April 1952) is a New Zealand actress, and television producer and director, best known for her comedic alter ego, "Lyn of Tawa". Early life McDonald was born in Wellington on 18 April 1952, the daughter of Joan ...
created the character ''Lynn of Tawa'', who became a "household name" in New Zealand in the 1970s. McDonald's characterisation satirised New Zealand's middle-class suburban values.


See also

* Mayor of Tawa


Sources

* Carman, Arthur H (1956, 1970, 1982) ''Tawa Flat and the Old Porirua Road'', ASIN B0007K64LC * K. R. Cassells (1988) ''TAWA Enterprise and Endeavour'', Tawa Borough Council, * Murray, Bruce (2005) ''The Streets of Tawa'',


Notes


References


External links

{{Suburbs of Wellington City Suburbs of Wellington City