Upper Hutt, New Zealand
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Upper Hutt () is a city in the
Wellington Region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori language, Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is the southernmost regions of New Zealand, region of the North Island of New Zealand. The local government region covers an area of , and ...
of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area.


History

Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongomai and that of the river was Heretaunga (today the name of a suburb of Upper Hutt). The first residents of the area were
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 ...
of the Ngāi Tara
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. ...
. Various other iwi controlled the area in the years before 1840, and by the time the first colonial settlers arrived the area was part of the
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 ...
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 ...
. Orongomai Marae is to the south of the modern city centre. In 1839, the English colonising company, The New Zealand Company made a purchase from Māori chiefs of about 160,000 acres of land in the Wellington region including Upper Hutt. The Hutt Valley is named after one of the founders of this company. Dealings from the New Zealand Company and following that, the Crown (after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840), with local Māori regarding the land in Upper Hutt were flawed including not transacting with all 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. ...
that had claims on the land. Disputes arose and there were skirmishes and warfare in the Hutt Valley in 1846 between troops under Governor George Grey and Māori including chiefs
Te Rauparaha Te Rauparaha ( – 27 November 1849) was a Māori rangatira, warlord, and chief of the Ngāti Toa iwi. One of the most powerful military leaders of the Musket Wars, Te Rauparaha fought a war of conquest that greatly expanded Ngāti Toa south ...
,
Te Rangihaeata Te Rangihaeata ( 1780s – 18 November 1855) was a Ngāti Toa chief and a nephew of Te Rauparaha. He played a leading part in the Wairau Affray and the Hutt Valley Campaign. Early life Te Rangihaeata, a member of the Māori iwi Ngāti Toa, was ...
,
Te Mamaku Hēmi Tōpine Te Mamaku (died June 1887) was a Māori chief in the Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi iwi from the Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Te Mamaku was born probably in the late 18th century and raised in the Whanganui area. As trib ...
and iwi including
Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...
, Ngāti Rangatahi,
Ngāti Tama Ngāti Tama is a Māori people, Māori iwi, tribe of New Zealand. Their origins, according to oral tradition, date back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru (canoe), Tokomaru waka (canoe), waka. Their historic region is in north Tar ...
and Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi.
Richard Barton Richard Barton (30 August 1790 – 20 August 1866) was the first European resident of Trentham, New Zealand, Trentham, Upper Hutt, in New Zealand. He was born in Newport, Isle of Wight, England. He was a Justice of the peace, Justice of the Pe ...
, who settled at Trentham in 1841 in the area now known as Trentham Memorial Park, was the first European resident. Barton subsequently subdivided his land and set aside a large area that was turned into parkland. James Brown settled in the area that became the Upper Hutt town in 1848. Having divided the land into 100 acre block, the settlers set about clearing the land of its indigenous forest and turning it into farmland. Sawmillers milled larger trees, such as Totara, for building materials and burned off the remaining scrub and underbrush. Alarmed by unrest in Taranaki and sightings of local Māori bearing arms, settlers in the Hutt Valley lobbied for the construction of fortifications in Upper and Lower Hutt. The government and the military responded by constructing 2 stockades in the Hutt Valley in 1860. While the stockade in Upper Hutt was manned for 6 months, the threat of hostilities soon passed and neither installation ever saw hostile action. The railway line from
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 ...
reached Upper Hutt on 1 February 1876. The line was extended to Kaitoke at the top end of the valley, reaching there on 1 January 1878. The line continued over the Remutaka Ranges to
Featherston Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...
in the Wairarapa as a Fell railway, opening on 12 October 1878. By the beginning of March 1914, the area of Upper Hutt controlled by the Upper Hutt Town Board had its own water supply. The supply capacity was increased when the
Birchville Dam Birchville Dam is believed to be the second unreinforced concrete arch dam built for water supply in New Zealand. It was built in 1930 for the Upper Hutt Borough Council to provide increased water capacity for the borough and replaced a water s ...
was built in 1930. On the evening of 28 March 1914, fire broke out at the Benge and Pratt store in Main Street. An explosion killed 8 of the volunteers fighting the fire and destroyed the building. For many years, Upper Hutt was a rural service town, supporting the surrounding rural farming and forestry community. Serious urbanisation of the upper Hutt Valley only started around the 1920s, but from the late 1940s onwards, Upper Hutt's population exploded as people moved from the crowded hustle and bustle of inner-city Wellington into a more secluded yet sprawling Hutt Valley. In 1950, Trentham Memorial Park was created with an area of almost 50 hectares. Upper Hutt continued to grow in population and became a city within the Wellington metropolitan area on 2 May 1966 after the Government Statistician certified that the population had reached 20 000, allowing the Town Clerk to make an application for city status. On 9 April 1976, Upper Hutt became the first area in New Zealand to implement subscriber toll dialling (STD), allowing telephone subscribers to make national calls without operator assistance. Residential subdivision in areas such as Clouston Park, Maoribank, Tōtara Park and Kingsley Heights continued into the 1980s. In February 1979
Muhammed Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
came to New Zealand, staying at Upper Hutt.


Historic places

There are twelve historic sites within Upper Hutt included on the
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 ...
list of historic places, including four Category 1 sites, seven Category 2 sites, and one historic area. The historic area, the Remutaka Incline Rail Trail, crosses into part of neighbouring
South Wairarapa District The South Wairarapa District is a district at the south-east tip of the North Island of New Zealand, governed by the South Wairarapa District Council. The district comprises the southernmost part of the Wairarapa, and is part of the Wellington Re ...
.


Geography

The Upper Hutt city centre lies approximately 26 km north-east of Wellington. While the main areas of urban development lie along the Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River valley floor, the city extends to the top of the Remutaka Pass to the north-east and into the
Akatarawa Valley The Akatarawa Valley is a valley in the Tararua Range of New Zealand's North Island. It provides a link from the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley to Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast through rugged hill country. The valley is lowly populated and co ...
and rough hill-country of the Akatarawa ranges to the north and north-west, almost reaching the
Kāpiti Coast Kapiti or Kāpiti may refer to: * Kapiti (New Zealand electorate), a former Parliamentary electorate *Kāpiti Coast District, a local government district *Kapiti Island * Kapiti Coast Airport * Kāpiti College *Kāpiti Expressway * Kapiti Fine Food ...
close to
Paekākāriki Paekākāriki () is a town in the Kāpiti Coast District in the south-western North Island, New Zealand, and one of the northernmost Commuter town, towns of the wider Wellington region. It lies north of Porirua and northeast of Wellington Cent ...
. Upper Hutt is in the bed of an ancient river flood plain and as such was prone to flooding. In the 1970s and 1980s, a stop bank was built alongside the eastern side of the river from northern Upper Hutt to the mouth of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River in
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 ...
to prevent further flooding. Centred on the upper (northern) valley of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River, which flows north-east to south-west on its way to
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 ...
harbour, the flat land widens briefly into a 2500-m-wide floodplain between the
Remutaka 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 ...
and Akatarawa Ranges before constricting nine kilometres further downstream at the Taitā Gorge, which separates Upper Hutt from its neighbour,
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 ...
. The city's main urban area spreads over this plain. A smaller flood plain lies upstream, above the Kaitoke Gorge, but has experienced little urban development.


Climate

Upper Hutt has a temperate climate however due to its sheltered valley location, it generally tends to be warmer than inner city
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 ...
in the summer and much colder in the winter. It is not uncommon in summer for temperatures to reach the high-20s Celsius (+/- 82 °F), and in winter, the temperature to drop to as low as −5 °C (about 23 °F) with regular and often heavy
frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
. Snow generally doesn't fall below 300 m, but in 2011 Upper Hutt sea level snow occurred twice, as part of
2011 New Zealand snowstorms Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...
. On 25 July and again between 14 and 16 August, which was the heaviest blizzard in Upper Hutt since 1976 and came as a great novelty to residents. Upper Hutt receives about 1400 mm of rain per year. At 17.5 °C on average, February is the warmest month, while July is the coldest at 8.5 °C.


Government


Local government

Upper Hutt City Council administers the city with its surrounding rural areas, parks and reserves. Its area is 540 km2, the third-largest area of city council in New Zealand, after
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
and
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. New Zealand local authorities with a large land area are usually termed districts, but Upper Hutt maintains its status as a city largely because of its high degree of urbanisation. Upper Hutt was originally administered by the Hutt County Council, which was constituted in 1877. The Town Board was proclaimed on 24 April 1908. Upper Hutt became a Borough on 26 February 1926 and a City on 2 May 1966. On 1 April 1973, the Rimutaka Riding of Hutt County was added to the city. When the Hutt County Council was abolished on 1 November 1988, the city took over administration of the Heretaunga/Pinehaven ward, which was incorporated into the city on 1 November 1989 when the Heretaunga/Pinehaven Community Council was abolished.


Parliamentary representation

Today, Upper Hutt City falls entirely within the boundaries of the
Remutaka 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 ...
electorate, currently held by Labour's
Chris Hipkins Christopher John Hipkins (born 5 September 1978) is a New Zealand politician who has served as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party since January 2023 and leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), leader of the Opposition since November 2023. H ...
. Upper Hutt was represented by the Heretaunga electorate prior to the introduction of MMP in 1996, when the seat was merged with Eastern Hutt to form Remutaka.


Demographics

Upper Hutt City's territory covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Upper Hutt City had a population of 45,759 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 1,779 people (4.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 5,580 people (13.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 22,749 males, 22,803 females and 207 people of other genders in 16,890 dwellings. 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 39.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,811 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 7,728 (16.9%) aged 15 to 29, 21,900 (47.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,317 (16.0%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 78.4% 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 ...
); 16.7%
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 ...
; 6.5% Pasifika; 11.9% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.6%, Māori language by 3.4%, Samoan by 1.7% and other languages by 12.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (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 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.3, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 33.3%
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 ...
, 2.8%
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.6%
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 0.9%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 52.2%, and 6.8% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 6,804 (18.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 20,001 (54.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,130 (22.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $48,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 5,823 people (15.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 20,517 (55.5%) people were employed full-time, 4,293 (11.6%) were part-time, and 942 (2.5%) were unemployed.


Urban area

The urban area of Upper Hutt covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Upper Hutt had a population of 42,903 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 1,602 people (3.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 5,208 people (13.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 21,321 males, 21,393 females and 192 people of other genders in 15,909 dwellings. 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,316 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 7,275 (17.0%) aged 15 to 29, 20,406 (47.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,906 (16.1%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.3% 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 ...
); 17.1%
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 ...
; 6.9% Pasifika; 12.5% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.4%, Māori language by 3.5%, Samoan by 1.7% and other languages by 13.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (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 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.5, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 33.6%
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 ...
, 3.0%
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.6%
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 0.9%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.7%, and 6.7% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 6,321 (18.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 18,645 (53.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 7,761 (22.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $48,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 5,262 people (15.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 19,119 (55.3%) people were employed full-time, 3,945 (11.4%) were part-time, and 915 (2.6%) were unemployed.


Suburbs

The main suburbs of Upper Hutt, from north-east to south-west, include: :
Te Mārua Te Mārua (previously also known as Te Marua) is the easternmost urban suburb of Upper Hutt. For reasons of location and distance from the city, the area is often classified as rural. In December 2019, the approved official geographic name of t ...
, Akatarawa, Rimutaka, Parkdale, Emerald Hill,
Birchville Birchville is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand in the North Island. Its centre lies at the entrance to the Akatarawa Valley, in the north of the city, near confluence of the Akatarawa River with the Hutt River (New Zealand), Hutt River. It i ...
, Timberlea, Brown Owl, Kaitoke,
Maoribank Maoribank is a suburb of Upper Hutt, located 2–3 km east-northeast of the city centre. It was predominantly developed between 1950-1970 and had a population of just less than 1000 at the 2013 Census. It is located at the base of the Eas ...
, Ebdentown, Upper Hutt Central, Clouston Park,
Mangaroa Mangaroa is a rural settlement just outside of Upper Hutt, situated in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It includes lifestyle blocks and farms surrounded by hills, which are usually covered by a dusting of snow during the winter. The fo ...
,
Maymorn Maymorn, a rural area of Upper Hutt city in the Wellington region of New Zealand, consists of Rural Hill and Rural Valley Floor zones. The New Zealand census treats Maymorn as part of Te Mārua for statistical purposes. The usual resident 20 ...
,
Whitemans Valley Whitemans Valley is a rural suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. Situated roughly 4 kilometers south of the Upper Hutt Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four ci ...
,
Tōtara Park Tōtara Park is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand, located 2 km northeast of the city centre. It is accessed via the Tōtara Park Bridge which crosses the Hutt River, connecting it to State Highway 2 and the main Upper Hutt urban area ...
,
Kingsley Heights Kingsley Heights is a suburb of the city of Upper Hutt, located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The suburb stands on a hill east of and overlooking the city centre, but has also started expanding into an adjacent valley. All of the st ...
,
Elderslea Elderslea is a suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand, near Upper Hutt Central. Demographics Elderslea statistical area covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per ...
,
Wallaceville Wallaceville is a suburb of Upper Hutt (located in the lower (southern) North Island of New Zealand). It is named after John Howard Wallace, an early New Zealand settler, council politician, businessman and author of one of the first published ...
, Trentham, Heretaunga, Silverstream and
Pinehaven Pinehaven is a suburb of Upper Hutt City in the lower North Island of New Zealand, established in 1927. It is at the southern end of the city, within the pine covered hills east of Silverstream. Pinehaven is a valley centred on a large reser ...
. Developments in the area include Mount Timbale Marua, Marua Downs, Waitoka Estate, Wallaceville Estate, and
Riverstone Terraces Riverstone Terraces (commonly referred to as simply 'Riverstone') is a suburb of Upper Hutt in the Hutt Valley of New Zealand's North Island, perched on a hill previously known as Craig's Flat, above the Hutt River. Although mostly residential ...
. A development called The Lanes was proposed but rejected by the Lanes Commissioners appointed by the council. This decision was made as to ensure the maintenance of the significant rural character and amenity in the Mangaroa Valley.


Economy


Tyre factory

In 1945, Dunlop was granted a government licence to manufacture tyres. A site in Upper Hutt was purchased for a factory, and the first Dunlop tyres were produced on 11 March 1949. South Pacific Tyres was subsequently formed as a joint venture between Pacific Dunlop and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. In November 1987, the company laid off around 120 of its 500 workers citing deregulation of the tyre industry that had led to reductions in the tariffs imposed on imported tyres. In June 2008, the company announced that the plant would be closing within 8 months.


Brewtown

In 2008, a site including the former tyre factory was purchased by property developer Malcolm Gillies, with the intention of turning it into an industrial park. The subsequent development of the site has focussed on
craft brewing Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...
and the area has been branded as ''Brewtown''. As of 2024, Brewtown is home to some popular entertainment attractions such as Daytona Adventure Park, which houses
Go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performanc ...
racing,
ice skating Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...
and
ten-pin bowling Tenpin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler bowling form, rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned Tetractys, evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The goal is to knock down all ten Bowlin ...
. There are some other activities like escape rooms and axe throwing in the area. Weekend markets and events are also hosted on the grassy area.


Transport


Road

State Highway 2 is the principal highway through Upper Hutt, connecting with
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 ...
and
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 ...
's motorway system to the south, and the
Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...
region via the Remutaka Hill Road to the north. Fergusson Drive is the main thoroughfare through suburban Upper Hutt, passing through the city centre and connecting to State Highway 2 at Silverstream and Maoribank. It formed part of State Highway 2 before the River Road bypass opened in 1987. In the 1980s, significant travel delays were being experienced through Upper Hutt, with State Highway 2 traffic travelling from Lower Hutt and Wellington to central Upper Hutt and further afield to the Wairarapa being funnelled down the two-lane Fergusson Drive and mixing with local traffic through Silverstream and Trentham. With the central government reluctant to fund any road improvements in the area, the Upper Hutt City Council commissioned the construction of a two-laned high-speed bypass along the banks of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River from the Taitā Gorge in the south to Māoribank in the north. River Road, as the road became known, opened in 1987. It promptly ran at full capacity and, after several serious accidents that were a legacy of its origins, it was enlarged and re-engineered to cope with the growing traffic volume. Today, River Road is a median-divided
2+1 road 2+1 road is a specific category of three-lane road, consisting of two lanes in one direction and one lane in the other, alternating every few kilometres, and usually separated with a steel cable barrier. The second lane allows faster-moving t ...
from the Taitā Gorge to Tōtara Park, with two-laned undivided sections over the Moonshine Bridge and from Tōtara Park to Maoribank. State Highway 58, while only briefly in Upper Hutt itself, intersects with SH 2 a short distance to the south of the boundary of Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, and provides a link between Upper Hutt 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 ...
.
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 ...
(as the
Transmission Gully Motorway The Transmission Gully motorway () is a , four-lane motorway north of Wellington, New Zealand; it is part of the State Highway 1 (New Zealand), State Highway 1. Construction began on 8 September 2014, with completion originally scheduled for Apr ...
) briefly touches Upper Hutt at the Wainui Saddle (the
tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...
of Upper Hutt,
Porirua City Porirua, () a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide sweeping up both re ...
and the
Kāpiti Coast District The Kāpiti Coast District (officially the Kapiti Coast District), is a Districts of New Zealand, local government district of the Wellington Region in the lower North Island of New Zealand, north of Wellington, Wellington City. The district i ...
), but otherwise does not pass through the region.


Bus

Bus services, planned and subsidised by Greater Wellington Regional Council under the
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 ...
brand, are centred around the
Upper Hutt railway station Upper Hutt railway station is a suburban railway station serving central Upper Hutt, New Zealand. The station is on the Wairarapa Line, north of Wellington, and is served by Transdev Wellington on behalf of the Greater Wellington Regional C ...
and operate from Monday to Saturday on most routes, with the 110 route between Upper Hutt and
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 ...
operating 7 days a week. All of the urbanised areas of the city are served by public bus routes, and the rural areas are served by school buses.


Railway

Upper Hutt is on the
Hutt Valley Line The Hutt Valley Line is the electrified train service operated by Transdev Wellington on behalf of Metlink on the section of the Wairarapa Line railway between Wellington and Upper Hutt, New Zealand. History Construction The Hutt Valley ...
, Metlink electric trains 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 ...
run between 4:30am and 11pm weekdays, (midnight Fridays), 5am till midnight Saturdays and 6am till 11pm Sundays. Service which reaches
Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...
in Lower Hutt in around 20 minutes and
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 ...
in around 45 minutes. Express peak hour weekday trains reach Wellington in around 38 minutes. Services run every 20 minutes between 6am and 4:30pm weekday and half-hourly Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Evening services run hourly from 8 to 11pm. The railway continues beyond Upper Hutt to
Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...
, becoming the
Wairarapa Line The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand. The line runs for , connecting the capital city Wellington with the Palmerston North–Gisborne Line at Woodville, New Zealand, Woodville, ...
, which is not electrified. Masterton is about an hour away by morning and afternoon diesel hauled trains. There are services five times a day each way Monday to Thursday, six on Friday, and twice a day, each way on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. A notable feature of this section of railway is the
Rimutaka Tunnel The Remutaka Tunnel (spelled Rimutaka Tunnel before 2017) is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Remutaka Range, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line. The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 Novembe ...
, the second-longest railway tunnel in New Zealand, which replaced the
Rimutaka Incline The Rimutaka Incline was a , gauge railway line on an average grade of 1-in-15 using the Fell system between Summit and Cross Creek stations on the Wairarapa side of the original Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The ...
in 1955. There are six railway stations within the boundaries of the city:
Silverstream Silverstream is a suburb of Upper Hutt in New Zealand, just under south-west of the Upper Hutt CBD. It is in the lower (southern) part of the North Island of New Zealand at the southern end of Upper Hutt, close to the Taitā Gorge, which ...
, Heretaunga, Trentham,
Wallaceville Wallaceville is a suburb of Upper Hutt (located in the lower (southern) North Island of New Zealand). It is named after John Howard Wallace, an early New Zealand settler, council politician, businessman and author of one of the first published ...
,
Upper Hutt Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. History Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongo ...
(the main station for the city and outer terminus of electric services), and
Maymorn Maymorn, a rural area of Upper Hutt city in the Wellington region of New Zealand, consists of Rural Hill and Rural Valley Floor zones. The New Zealand census treats Maymorn as part of Te Mārua for statistical purposes. The usual resident 20 ...
(a request stop on the Wairarapa Line). Upper Hutt's main railway station was originally built in 1876 but has been rebuilt twice, firstly in 1955 and more recently in 2015. The most recent rebuild, jointly funded by NZTA and the Upper Hutt City Council, cost $3.5m and features a coffee bar, public toilets and an upgraded ticket office featuring real-time information of arrivals and departures of trains in a larger waiting room than the 1955 building. In July 1955, the electrification of the railway line from Wellington to Upper Hutt was completed, allowing fast electric multiple unit trains to replace steam- and diesel-electric-hauled carriage trains. Later in November, the 8.8 km
Rimutaka Tunnel The Remutaka Tunnel (spelled Rimutaka Tunnel before 2017) is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Remutaka Range, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line. The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 Novembe ...
opened, bypassing the Remutaka Incline and most of the existing line between Upper Hutt and Featherston, and reducing the time between the two from 2.5 hours to just 40 minutes. The ''Blue Mountains Campus'' at Wallaceville is to be the location for KiwiRail 's national train control centre, which is to move from the
Wellington railway station Wellington railway station, Wellington Central station, or simply Wellington station, is the main railway station serving Wellington, New Zealand, and is the southern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Br ...
; to house a team of 120 train control team members in a train control room. It will be next to the rail network.


Remutaka Incline

To assist with the 1 in 15 grade of the
Rimutaka Incline The Rimutaka Incline was a , gauge railway line on an average grade of 1-in-15 using the Fell system between Summit and Cross Creek stations on the Wairarapa side of the original Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The ...
on the Featherston side of the range, the Fell engines that used a raised centre rail to haul trains up the steep grade were employed. The less steep 1 in 40 grades between Upper Hutt and the small settlement and shunting yard at
Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
could be managed by ordinary steam locomotives. The only other rolling stock able to traverse the incline unaided were small bus-like Wairarapa railcars, colloquially known as "''Tin Hares''". By the 1950s, the Fell system had become too expensive to operate and was closed on 29 October 1955. To replace it, the
Rimutaka Tunnel The Remutaka Tunnel (spelled Rimutaka Tunnel before 2017) is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Remutaka Range, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line. The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 Novembe ...
had been constructed, opening on 3 November 1955. In conjunction with the tunnel, the laying of a new route, new bridges and substantial realignment and double-tracking of the rest of the line from Wellington to Trentham had occurred by 26 June 1955. The course of the incline is open to the public as part of the
Remutaka Rail Trail The Remutaka Rail Trail (spelled ''Rimutaka Rail Trail'' prior to 2017) is a walking and cycling track in the North Island of New Zealand. It runs between Maymorn and Cross Creek, and follows of the original route of the Wairarapa Line over ...
.


Sports and recreation

Walking and mountain-biking is popular along Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River and on the tracks in many parks, including Karapoti (focal point of the annual Karapoti Classic), Kaitoke,
Cannon Point Walkway The Cannon Point Walkway is a hiking trail in the Akatarawa Forest on the western side of the Hutt Valley in the North Island of New Zealand. The walkway is a loop of in length, ascending to the Cannon Point Triangulation station, trig at , a ...
, Tunnel Gully and the
Remutaka Rail Trail The Remutaka Rail Trail (spelled ''Rimutaka Rail Trail'' prior to 2017) is a walking and cycling track in the North Island of New Zealand. It runs between Maymorn and Cross Creek, and follows of the original route of the Wairarapa Line over ...
. Popular team sports include
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 ...
,
Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
,
Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...
,
Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
, Soccer, and Valley Gridiron American football. Expressions Whirinaki Arts and Entertainment Centre is home to Upper Hutt's public art gallery including Golden Homes Gallery and Mitre 10 Mega Create Gallery, these two galleries feature a diverse programme of Local and National exhibitions. The Expressions Whirinaki complex also includes Gillies Group Theatre; the city's performing arts venue, and the civic hall known as Professionals Recreation Hall. Close by is the central library of Upper Hutt Libraries – Ngā Puna Mātauranga o Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta and swimming pool Xtreme. Upper Hutt is home to the biggest junior
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 ...
club in New Zealand. The club was formed when Tararua Sports Club Inc and Upper Hutt City Soccer merged to create one club. The club now carries both of the old clubs' names. The club primarily plays its home games at Maidstone Park but also plays at Awakairangi,
Harcourt Park Harcourt Park is a nonprofit cottaging corporation established in by the Sumcot Development Corporation in the Municipality of Dysart et al, Haliburton County in Central Ontario, Canada. Geography Harcourt Park is located in Harcourt Townshi ...
and Trentham Memorial Park. The city has one of New Zealand's largest
Inline speed skating Roller speed skating is the roller sport of racing on inline skates. The sport may also be called ''inline racing'' or ''speed skating'' by participants. Although it primarily evolved from racing on traditional roller skates, the sport is simila ...
clubs, Valley Inline which has many successful skaters and holds the annual Speed King Tour that celebrated its 22nd year in 2012. Popular recreation sites include: *Staglands Wildlife Reserve at Akatarawa * Taekwon-Do with United ITF New Zealand at Heretaunga * Royal Wellington Golf Club at Heretaunga * Te Mārua Golf Club at
Te Mārua Te Mārua (previously also known as Te Marua) is the easternmost urban suburb of Upper Hutt. For reasons of location and distance from the city, the area is often classified as rural. In December 2019, the approved official geographic name of t ...
* Wellington Family Speedway at
Te Mārua Te Mārua (previously also known as Te Marua) is the easternmost urban suburb of Upper Hutt. For reasons of location and distance from the city, the area is often classified as rural. In December 2019, the approved official geographic name of t ...
*
Wellington Naturist Club The Wellington Naturist Club is a naturist resort located in Te Mārua, Upper Hutt, northeast of Wellington in the North Island of New Zealand. Its of land hold facilities including a miniature golf course, volleyball court, picnic areas, spa ...
at
Te Mārua Te Mārua (previously also known as Te Marua) is the easternmost urban suburb of Upper Hutt. For reasons of location and distance from the city, the area is often classified as rural. In December 2019, the approved official geographic name of t ...
*Kartsport Wellington Raceway at Kaitoke *
Wellington Racing Club The Wellington Racing Club (WRC) is a racing horse racing club based at Trentham Racecourse in Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand. Founded as the Wellington Jockey Club in 1854, the first race meetings held by the club were at Hutt Park in 1854 ...
at Trentham * Trentham Memorial Park at Trentham *
Cannon Point Walkway The Cannon Point Walkway is a hiking trail in the Akatarawa Forest on the western side of the Hutt Valley in the North Island of New Zealand. The walkway is a loop of in length, ascending to the Cannon Point Triangulation station, trig at , a ...
*
Birchville Dam Birchville Dam is believed to be the second unreinforced concrete arch dam built for water supply in New Zealand. It was built in 1930 for the Upper Hutt Borough Council to provide increased water capacity for the borough and replaced a water s ...
* Upper Hutt Rugby Football Club at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt * Rimutaka Rugby Football Club at
Maoribank Maoribank is a suburb of Upper Hutt, located 2–3 km east-northeast of the city centre. It was predominantly developed between 1950-1970 and had a population of just less than 1000 at the 2013 Census. It is located at the base of the Eas ...
, Upper Hutt * Upper Hutt United Cricket Club at Trentham, Upper Hutt *Upper Hutt City Soccer Club at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt *Harcourt Park diskgolf course at Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt *Upper Hutt Roller Skating Club at Upper Hutt *Wellington Model Aeroplane Club Inc at Trentham, Upper Hutt *Upper Hutt Hockey Club at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt


Education


Primary schools

* Fraser Crescent School * St Brendans School, Heretaunga * Trentham School * Birchville School *
Tōtara Park School ''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, ...
* St Josephs School, City Centre * Upper Hutt School *
Plateau School In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Of ...
*
Silverstream School Silverstream is a suburb of Upper Hutt in New Zealand, just under south-west of the Upper Hutt central business district, Upper Hutt CBD. It is in the lower (southern) part of the North Island of New Zealand at the southern end of Upper Hu ...
* Mangaroa School * Maoribank School * Pinehaven School *
Plateau School In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Of ...
* Oxford Crescent School * Brown Owl Primary School


Intermediate schools

* Maidstone Intermediate *
Fergusson Intermediate Fergusson Intermediate is a state co-educational intermediate school in the city of Upper Hutt, situated in the Wellington region of New Zealand. The school's classes are mixed, which means that both Year 7s and Year 8s are included in one clas ...


Secondary schools

* Heretaunga College *
Hutt International Boys' School Hutt International Boys' School (usually known by its acronym, HIBS) is a state integrated boys' secondary school in Trentham, Upper Hutt, New Zealand, founded in 1991. The school is multi-denominational and affiliated with the Anglican faith. ...
, Trentham * St. Patrick's College, Silverstream *
Upper Hutt College Upper Hutt College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Trentham in the city of Upper Hutt, New Zealand. It opened in 1962 as the city's second state secondary school, supplementing Heretaunga College in Wallaceville. As of , t ...


Sister-city relationships

*
Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...
, United States


References


External links

*
Official websiteUpper Hutt City i-SITEUpper Hutt Heritage Collection online
{{Authority control Populated places in the Wellington Region Populated places on Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River Hutt Valley