East Auckland | |
|---|---|
 An aerial view of some of the suburbs traditionally considered East Auckland, includingBucklands Beach,Howick andBotany Downs. | |
.svg)  East Auckland Location in theAuckland Region | |
| Coordinates:36°55′S174°55′E / 36.91°S 174.91°E /-36.91; 174.91 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Island | North Island |
| Region | Auckland Region |
| NZ Parliament | Botany Pakuranga |
| Government | |
| • MPs | Simeon Brown (National) Christopher Luxon (National) |
| Area | |
• Total | 69.70 km2 (26.91 sq mi) |
| Population (2023 estimation) | |
• Total | 157,700 |
| • Density | 2,300/km2 (5,900/sq mi) |
East Auckland (Māori:Te Rāwhiti o Tāmaki Makaurau) is one of the major geographical regions ofAuckland, the largest city inNew Zealand. Settled in the 14th century, the area is part of the traditional lands ofNgāi Tai ki Tāmaki. The area was developed into farmland in the 1840s, and the town ofHowick was established as a defensive outpost byfencibles (retiredBritish Army soldiers) to protect Auckland. Coastal holiday communities developed in the area from the 1910s, and from the 1950s underwent major redevelopment into a suburban area of greater Auckland. From the 1980s, the area saw significantAsian New Zealander migrant communities develop.
Most definitions of East Auckland include theHowick local board area, which includes suburbs such asBotany,Bucklands Beach,Howick,Flat Bush andPakuranga.[1][2][3][4] Sometimes suburbs of the easternAuckland isthmus are included in the definition, such asGlen Innes,Panmure andPoint England,[5][6] and thePōhutukawa Coast.[5][2] Other areas occasionally referred to as East Auckland includeSaint Heliers,[7][8]Ellerslie,[9][10]Mission Bay,[11][12]Mount Wellington[13][14] andRemuera.[15][16]
The first references to East Auckland come from the 1970s, referring to Glen Innes.[17][18] The term East Auckland for areas near Howick entered popular use in the 1990s.
The nameEast Tāmaki was used in the 19th century to refer to the East Auckland area.[19]
Much of metropolitan East Auckland is a peninsula, bordered by theTāmaki River to the west, theTāmaki Strait of theHauraki Gulf, and theMangemangeroa Creek in the east. The peninsula tapers into a headland in the north calledMusick Point / Te Naupata. The area is primarily formed fromWaitemata sandstone that was laid down in theEarly Miocene era.[20] The northern cliffs ofEastern Beach feature some of the most noticeableanticline folding in theAuckland Region.[21][22] Many areas of East Auckland that border Botany Creek,Pakuranga Creek and Tāmaki River are formed from alluvial soils.[23]
Features of theAuckland volcanic field are present in East Auckland, includingŌhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain,Ōtara Hill,Green Hill andStyaks Swamp. These features erupted in an estimated period between 57,000 and 20,000 years ago.[24] Because of these eruptions, significant areas ofHalf Moon Bay andEast Tāmaki are formed from basalt tuff and lava flows.[23] A lava flow from the volcano from Styaks Swamp forms the southern boundary of the Pakuranga Creek atBurswood.[21]
TheTāmaki River is adrowned river valley system,[25] which formed at the end of theLast Glacial Maximum (known locally as the Ōtira Glaciation), between 12,000 and 7,000 years ago as sea levels rose.[26] Prior to human settlement, the area was primarily a broadleaf podocarp forest, home to tree species such astōtara,mataī,tawa,pōhutukawa,rewarewa,māhoe andtaraire. By the 19th century, the area was primarilybracken fern scrubland,[19] and in the 1850s the area was transformed into English-style farmland, dominated by pasture andpoplar,oak andwillow trees.[27]
TheTāmaki Strait was visited by theTainui migratory waka around the year 1300, and members of the crew settled around modern East Auckland and thePōhutukawa Coast. These were the ancestors of the modernmana whenua of the area,Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.[28]Waipaparoa was the traditional name for the wider bay between modern-dayHowick andBeachlands,[28] while the mouth of the Tāmaki River was traditionally known asTe Wai ō Tāiki ("The Waters of Tāiki"), named after the Ngāi Tai ancestor Tāiki. Tāiki settled with his followers along the eastern shores of the Tāmaki River, alongside the descendants of Huiārangi of the earlyiwi Te Tini ō Maruiwi.[29] The upper reaches of the river near modernPakuranga is traditionally known asTe Wai Mokoia, referring to Mokoikahikuwaru, a protectortaniwha of theTainui waka who is described in legends as taking up residence at thePanmure Basin.[30] The Tāmaki River settlements were important due to their proximity toTe Tō Waka, the portage atŌtāhuhu wherewaka could easily cross into theManukau Harbour.[31][28] Manyara (trails) across East Auckland may have begun life asmoa trails.[32]
Ngāi Tai centred life in the area between the Tāmaki andWairoa rivers, settling in an annual cycle of encampments based on what resources were seasonally available. Traditional resources included fish, shellfish, snared birds and processedkaraka berries.[28] The coasts were widely cultivated, where crops such askūmara,taro,hue gourd anduwhi were grown. Volcanic soils, especially those found atŌtara Hill and thePakuranga Creek, were home to the most extensive stonefield gardens,[31][28] most of which have since been destroyed.[33] Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain was an importantpā site for Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, named after ancestress Huiārangi, daughter of Tāmaki of Te Tini ō Maruiwi. Pā sites were constricted to the east: Paparoa atWaipaparoa / Howick Beach and Tūwakamana atCockle Bay, to protect the exposed cultivations of the area. In the 1600s, the warriorKāwharu attacked and raised Paparoa Pā, without taking occupation of the lands. While the wider area was still cultivated, the site of Paparoa Pā became awāhi tapu (sacred and restricted) site to Ngāi Tai.[28][34]
From the 1600s, Ngāi Tai intermarried withNgāti Tamaterā. Not long after this time, members ofNgāitai from theBay of Plenty who had shared ancestry with Ngāi Tai migrated to the region. Their arrival was celebrated, and the lands nearUmupuia became a shared gift for Ngāitai and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki peoples. Te Wana, a child of this union, became a well-known warrior, who united the peoples of Ngāi Tai.[28] In the 1700s, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki forged unions between otherTāmaki Māori iwi, such as Te Uri o Pou,Waiohua, andMarutūāhu, which caused division between members of Ngāi Tai.[28]
In the early-mid 18th century, Ngāriki, arangatira of Ngāi Tai, built a fortifiedpā at Te Naupata (Musick Point), the headland at the end of the peninsula, called Te Waiārohia (a shortening of Te Waiārohia ō Ngāriki),[29][31] which grew to become one of the largest centres of Ngāi Tai life.[28] From the 1790s, Te Rangitāwhia was the paramount chief of Ngāi Tai, whose principal residences were at Waiārohia and to the south at Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain.[29] After the village was attacked by Kapetaua of the related iwiTe Patukirikiri, Ngāi Tai built a smaller pā on the mountain.[28] By the mid-18th century,Ngāti Pāoa, a Marutūāhu tribe with close relationships to Ngāi Tai, established themselves on the western shores of the river atPanmure, at Mokoia pā and the Mauināinakāinga.[35][36] By the time missionariesSamuel Marsden andJohn Gare Butler visited the isthmus in 1820, there were thousands of inhabitants living along the shores of the Tāmaki River.[37]
The first regular contact Māori of East Auckland had with Europeans was with whalers, who visited the area from the 1780s. The visits led to outbreaks ofrewharewha, a respiratory disease, which decimated many Ngāi Tai settlements.[28]
During theMusket Wars in the 1820s, the settlements of Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāi Tai were sacked by aNgāpuhi taua (war party). The wider area was evacuated by Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāi Tai,[34][38] with most members of Ngāi Tai fleeing to theWaikato for temporary refuge during this time. When English missionaryWilliam Thomas Fairburn visited the area in 1833, it was mostly unoccupied.[39] The settlements of Mokoia, Mauināina and Te Waiārohia becametapu for Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāi Tai due to the large number of deaths, and were not resettled.[36][28][34]
In 1836, English MissionaryWilliam Thomas Fairburn brokered a land sale betweenTāmaki Māori chiefs,Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and Turia ofNgāti Te Rau, covering the majority of modern-daySouth Auckland, East Auckland and thePōhutukawa Coast.[40] The sale was envisioned by the church and the chiefs as a way to end hostilities in the area, but it is unclear what the chiefs understood or consented to. Māori continued to live in the area, unchanged by this sale.[41][42] Fairburn's Purchase was investigated by theNew Zealand Land Commission found to be excessive and reduced in size. Most of the disallowed parts of his purchase were not returned to Ngāi Tai, instead were kept by the Government to sell to settlers.[43]
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Fairburn established amission atMaraetai in 1837, where he taught reading, writing and spread Christianity among Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Pāoa.[44] Fairburn resigned from the mission in 1841, and the mission was continued on Wiremu Hoete, until late 1843.[45] Many Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Pāoa lived at the mission, and the farm surrounding the mission became one of the first farms in Auckland.[46] The New Zealand Government began selling sections around Pakuranga in 1843,[47] some of which were farmed by Joseph Hargreaves, who bought 82 acres in 1843 and constructed the first European house in the area,[48] and by Hemi Pepene, a Ngāpuhi orphan who grew up at the Paihia Mission Station and was taken care of by the Fairburns.[47]
Howick was established in 1847 as a defensive outpost for Auckland, by fencibles (retiredBritish Army soldiers) and their families.[49] The decision to establish on site was controversial. It was allegedly chosen to protect Auckland against potential invasion fromMarutūāhu tribes to the east, but the site was too far inland to serve this purpose. As theCrown owned the entirety of the land at Howick, the Government could directly profit from the land sales to fencible settlers.[50] The fencibles arrived between 1847 and 1852.[51] Early settlers struggled to establish themselves on the land. Almost no trees were found in the district that could be used for construction, and the soil was primarily clay, compared to other fencible settlements such asŌtāhuhu andPanmure that were established on volcanic soils more suitable for farming.[52] The Government was widely criticised for not providing many employment opportunities for the fencible settlers. Early settlers often found work on Government projects such as road construction, drainage or clearing allotments, while others worked for farmers.[53] Many fencibles lived inAuckland for work, but were obliged to return to Howick on Sundays, otherwise they could be charged with mutiny under the Fencibles Act.[54]
Howick grew to become a service centre for the surrounding rural areas.[55] The settlers were dependent on water transport and ferry services, until the construction of thePanmure Bridge across the Tāmaki River in 1865.[56][38][57] Wheat, potatoes and butter were important industries for the early settlers.[58][59]
In April 1861, news reached Howick of the imminentInvasion of the Waikato. By July 1863, a defensiveblockhouse was constructed atStockade Hill,[60] In September 1863, the Ngāi Tai village of Ōtau nearClevedon was attacked by the British army, and the village was evacuated, with people moving to communities at the river's mouth. While Māori ofSouth Auckland such asTe Ākitai Waiohua were forced to leave, Ngāi Tai were designated as a "friendly" people by the Crown, and remained neutral in the fighting.[29][61] After the Native Lands Act of 1865, theNative Land Court confiscated many Ngāi Tai lands. The remaining land was individuated, slowly sold on to European farmers.[29][28]
In 1865, the capital of New Zealand was moved from Auckland toWellington. This caused major financial problems for the residents of Howick, as income from butter dropped and land prices plummeted.[62] In 1874, thePakuranga Hunt was established, and by 1900 had become one of the largest social clubs in Auckland. The Hunt was based inEast Tāmaki, organisinghare hunts and country balls for the wider area. By 1960, the hunt had relocatedKaraka.[63]
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the wheat fields of the area were gradually replaced with dairy farms.[58] In the 1910s and 1920s, areas such as Bucklands Beach, Eastern Beach,Shelly Park andCockle Bay became a popular holidaying destinations for Aucklanders. Suburban housing was constructed, and seasonal holiday communities developed around these beaches.[64][65]
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In the 1930s, the road to Howick was concreted, improving transport times for milk to Auckland, and for passengers into the area.[57] This led to Howick developing into a commuter suburb, for people working inPenrose,Westfield andŌtāhuhu.[66] DuringWorld War II, pillboxes and defenses were built along the coastline and major roadways of the area by the Home Guard.[67] In March 1942 the Japanese submarineI-25 operated in theHauraki Gulf, and aYokosuka E14Y floatplane flown byNobuo Fujita conducted reconnaissance flights over Howick andBeachlands on 13 March, leaving shortly afterwards.[68][69] In 1948, Pakuranga was considered as a potential site for the newinternational airport, which eventually opened inMāngere.[70]
In 1952, Howick split from the Manukau County to form its own borough.[71] Major suburban growth occurred in East Auckland from the 1950s to the 1970s, including the development of many new suburbs surrounding Howick and Pakuranga.[72][73] In 1965, the Pakuranga Town Centre (now known asPakuranga Plaza) was officially opened.[74] It was the second modern American-style mall constructed in Auckland.[75]
In 1964, a new eastern city centred around Howick was proposed, covering the modernHowick local board area and thePōhutukawa Coast.[76][77] These areas were merged into the newly foundedManukau City in 1965,[78] and the Local Government Commission scuttled plans for an eastern city in 1972.[79]
In the 1980s and 1990s, East Auckland developed significantAsian migrant communities.[80] Entrepreneur Kit Wong, inspired by his parents' experiences of isolation living in Auckland, developed commercial and restaurant spaces in Meadowlands andSomerville as spaces forChinese New Zealander communities to develop.[81] In 2007,Fo Guang Shan Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in New Zealand, was opened inFlat Bush.[82]
In 1981Lloyd Elsmore Park, a multi-purpose urban park, sporting facility and home to theHowick Historical Village, was officially opened.[83] TheBotany Town Centre shopping precinct opened in 2001.[84]
In the mid-2000s, new large-scale housing subdivisions were constructed to the south, including Flat Bush,Dannemora and East Tāmaki Heights.[85][1]Ormiston Town Centre was officially opened to the public in 2021.[86] The Flat Bush area is expected to grow to 40,000 residents by 2025.[1] TheEastern Busway, a project to linkBotany toPanmure by rapid transport, began construction in 2019.[87] The busway opened to Pakuranga in 2021, with the entire project scheduled to open by the mid-2020s.[88]
Road boards were the first local government in South Auckland in the 1860s, which were established across theAuckland Province due to a lack of central government funding for road improvements.[71] The Pakuranga, Howick Township, Paparoa, East Tamaki and Turanga highway boards were established to administer upkeep for major arterial connections.[89] In 1876, theManukau County was established as the local government for South and East Auckland.[90]
By 1921, Howick had grown to become a town district,[91] and in 1952 split from the Manukau County to form the Borough of Howick.[71] In 1956, Pakuranga was established as a county town.[92] This was merged into the newly establishedManukau City in 1965.[93] As a part of the1989 New Zealand local government reforms, Howick Borough was incorporated intoManukau City.[94]
In November 2010, all cities and districts of the Auckland Region were amalgamated into a single body, governed by theAuckland Council.[95] Within the new system, East Auckland became primarily administered by theHowick Local Board. In addition to the local board, two counsellors represent East Auckland on the Auckland Council. Voters in theHowick ward, an area with the same borders as the Howick Local Board area, vote for two councillors.
TheHowick ward of East Auckland covers 69.70 km2 (26.91 sq mi)[96][A] and had an estimated population of and had an estimated population of 165,800 as of June 2024,[97] with a population density of 2,379 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 113,505 | — |
| 2013 | 127,125 | +1.63% |
| 2018 | 140,970 | +2.09% |
| 2023 | 153,570 | +1.73% |
| Source:[98][99] | ||
Howick ward had a population of 153,570 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 12,600 people (8.9%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 26,445 people (20.8%) since the2013 census. There were 75,996 males, 77,190 females and 381 people ofother genders in 47,061 dwellings.[100] 2.5% of people identified asLGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 29,202 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 29,346 (19.1%) aged 15 to 29, 73,104 (47.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 21,915 (14.3%) aged 65 or older.[99]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 38.1%European (Pākehā); 6.3%Māori; 8.0%Pasifika; 52.5%Asian; 2.8% 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 88.6%, Māori language by 1.1%, Samoan by 2.1%, and other languages by 43.3%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk).New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 55.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.[99]
Religious affiliations were 32.4%Christian, 7.2%Hindu, 3.5%Islam, 0.3%Māori religious beliefs, 3.6%Buddhist, 0.2%New Age, 0.1%Jewish, and 4.3% other religions. People who answered that they hadno religion were 42.6%, and 5.9% of people did not answer the census question.[99]
Of those at least 15 years old, 39,618 (31.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 49,611 (39.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 35,130 (28.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $44,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 17,046 people (13.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 66,246 (53.3%) people were employed full-time, 14,814 (11.9%) were part-time, and 3,156 (2.5%) were unemployed.[99]
| Major areas | |
|---|---|
| Local board areas | |
