Auckland, New Zealand
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 ...
. The area is predominantly light industrial/commercial. The Northern Motorway passes to the east, and the Wairau Park shopping complex extends to the north. The valley is drained by the Wairau Creek, which flows on through
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
and discharges into the
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Māori language, Māori means "Waters Gathered by a Net".
History
The Wairau Valley was primarily swampland and farmland in the early 20th century, including some areas that were leased to
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
market gardeners. In 1959, the
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins Saint Marys Bay, New Zealand, St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote, Auckland, Northcote on the North Shore, ...
opened, leading to rapid suburbanisation on the North Shore. The Wairau Valley developed stormwater runoff problems as the surrounding greenspaces were developed, and the
Waitemata County Council
The Waitemata County, historically also known as Waitamata County, was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island. Established in 1876, the county covered West Auckland, Rodney and the North Shore. The county shrank in size betwee ...
began plans to line the Wairau Valley waterways with concrete.
From 1970, Wairau Valley was redeveloped as an industrial area, and only a few years later became the largest industrial area on the North Shore.
In 1982,
The Warehouse A warehouse is a storage facility.
Warehouse or The Warehouse may also refer to:
Buildings and places Canada
* The Warehouse (Toronto), a defunct nightclub in Toronto, Ontario
* The Warehouse Studio, a recording facility and photography studio i ...
opened their first store in New Zealand in Wairau Valley. In 1992, the North Shore Sports and Leisure Centre was opened in the suburb (now known as the
Eventfinda Stadium
Eventfinda Stadium (known from 1992–2018 as the North Shore Events Centre) is an indoor arena located in Wairau Valley, on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The arena opened in 1992 and has a capacity of 4,179.
It was previously ...
).
Demographics
Wairau Valley covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Wairau Valley had a population of 120 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 ...
, a decrease of 84 people (−41.2%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 48 people (−28.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 63 males and 54 females in 45 dwellings. 2.5% of people identified as
LGBTIQ+
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...
. The median age was 37.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 24 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 15 (12.5%) aged 15 to 29, 69 (57.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 15 (12.5%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 50.0%
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
(
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
); 12.5%
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 ...
; 10.0% Pasifika; 40.0% Asian; and 2.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA). English was spoken by 87.5%, Māori language by 2.5%, Samoan by 2.5%, and other languages by 42.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 50.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 20.0%
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 ...
, 7.5%
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 ...
, 2.5%
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 ...
, 2.5%
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 7.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 45.0%, and 12.5% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (31.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 45 (46.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 27 (28.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $36,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 12 people (12.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 57 (59.4%) people were employed full-time, 12 (12.5%) were part-time, and 3 (3.1%) were unemployed.
Education and recreation
Wairau Valley Special School is a
coeducational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
special school, with a roll of students as of It caters for students up to 21 years old with intellectual disabilities. The
North Shore Events Centre
Eventfinda Stadium (known from 1992–2018 as the North Shore Events Centre) is an indoor arena located in Wairau Valley, on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The arena opened in 1992 and has a capacity of 4,179.
It was previously ...
, an indoor arena, is in Wairau Valley.
Local government
The North Shore Highway District was the first local government body in the Wairau Valley from 1868, administering projects including roads from Birkenhead north to the
Ōkura River
The Ōkura River, also known as the Ōkura Estuary, is a river in the north of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The river rises in the low hills to the south of Silverdale and flows into Karepiro Bay on the Hauraki Gulf ...
. From 1876, the area was administered by the
Waitemata County
The Waitemata County, historically also known as Waitamata County, was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island. Established in 1876, the county covered West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland, Rodney (local board area), Rodney a ...
, a large rural county north and west of the city of Auckland.
On 1 August 1974, the Waitemata County was dissolved, and Wairau Valley was incorporated into
Takapuna City
Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volcanic maar and one of the oldest features of the A ...
. In 1989, Wairau Valley was merged into the
North Shore City
North Shore City was a territorial authority unit in the Auckland Region of New Zealand that was governed by the North Shore City Council. It existed from 1989 until November 2010, when the council was incorporated into Auckland Council. It ha ...
. North Shore City was amalgamated into
Auckland Council
Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
in November 2010.
Within the Auckland Council, Wairau Valley is a part of the Kaipātiki local government area governed by the
Kaipātiki Local Board
The Kaipātiki Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of Auckland Council, and is one of the two boards overseen by the council's North Shore Ward councillors. It covers Glenfield south to Northcote Point. Its eastern border is the North ...
. It is a part of the
North Shore ward
North Shore Ward is an Auckland Council ward that elects two councillors and covers the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, Devonport-Takapuna and Kaipātiki Local Board, Kaipātiki Local Boards. The two councillors are currently Richard Hills (politi ...
, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.