Blockhouse Bay

Last updated

Blockhouse Bay
Suburb
Blockhousebay.jpg
The Blockhouse Bay town centre.
Blockhouse Bay
Coordinates: 36°55′00″S174°42′32″E / 36.9167°S 174.7089°E / -36.9167; 174.7089
CountryNew Zealand
City Auckland
Local authority Auckland Council
Electoral ward Whau ward
Local board Whau Local Board
Area
[1]
 • Land391 ha (966 acres)
Population
 (June 2024) [2]
 • Total
14,500
Avondale New Windsor New Windsor
New Lynn
Pfeil oben.svg
Pfeil links.svgBlockhouse BayPfeil rechts.svg
Pfeil unten.svg
 Mount Roskill
Green Bay (Manukau Harbour) Lynfield
Blockhouse Bay beach Blockhouse Bay Beach.jpg
Blockhouse Bay beach

Blockhouse Bay is a residential suburb in the south west of Auckland, in New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the northern coast of the Manukau Harbour, and is also close to the administrative boundary that existed between Auckland City and Waitakere City, two of the former four cities of what was the Auckland conurbation before amalgamation into Auckland Council.

Contents

The suburb is located 11 kilometres to the southwest of the city centre, and is surrounded by the more central suburbs of Lynfield and New Windsor, and the Waitakere suburbs of New Lynn and Green Bay.

The Blockhouse Bay Library is located in the town centre, [3] as is the Blockhouse Bay Community Centre, located 200 metres from the library. [4]

Etymology

Blockhouse Bay had its current name officially adopted in 1948. Earlier it was known by the name Avondale South and before that it was considered part of Waikomiti. [5] The name is derived from the block houses that were constructed on the site during the New Zealand Wars. [6]

History

Early history

Blockhouse Bay circa 1917 Blockhouse Bay (AM PH-NEG-C21519) (cropped).jpg
Blockhouse Bay circa 1917

Portage Road is the location of Te Tōanga Waka, one of the overland routes between the two harbours (and thus the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea), where Māori would beach their waka (canoes) and drag them overland to the other coast, thus avoiding having to paddle around North Cape. This made the area of immense strategic importance in both pre-European times and during the early years of European occupation.[ citation needed ]

The earliest European known to have trekked through, and followed the coastline of the Manukau Harbour in an endeavour to find if there was a waterway connecting the two harbours, was the Rev. Samuel Marsden in 1820. Two missionaries who had arrived in New Zealand on 30 December 1834, William Colenso and R. Wade, walked through the Whau South area in 1838 hoping to find a Māori settlement, but the pā site on Te Whau point had been abandoned some time before. They remarked that the area was "open and barren heaths, dreary, sterile and wild."[ citation needed ]

Te Whau Bay was used as a camping spot for European settlers during the early colonial era of Auckland. [7]

The Blockhouse

A wooden blockhouse was constructed over Te Whau Bay in 1860. [7] At this time the first land war in Taranaki was escalating and there were fears it would spread north and so a defence system for Auckland was actioned. A 12-acre site was chosen, bordered by Esplanade (Endeavour Street), Gilfillan Street, Wynyard Road (Blockhouse Bay Road) and Boylan Street (Wade Street). The actual Whau Blockhouse was located on what is now No. 8 Gilfillan Street.[ citation needed ]

The site was chosen for two reasons:

Colonel Thomas Mould of the Royal Engineers was charged with planning the location and type of defence system needed. A blockhouse is a purpose-built building with walls thick enough to stop musket ball penetration, with slits in the walls for defensive musket fire, a fence or stockade surrounding the building, with a trench beyond that.[ citation needed ]

The blockhouse was manned by the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot and the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot until 1863. [7] Never seeing military action, the blockhouse was rented out to a tenant in the 1880s and was gutted in a fire. It was subsequently demolished. The trenches were apparently still visible in the 1940s but have since been obscured.[ citation needed ]

Urban development

The earliest industry, in 1884, was the Gittos Tannery. The early 1900s saw other industries such as poultry, orchards, potteries, strawberries, flowers, loganberries and small farm holdings.[ citation needed ]

A bach community at Blockhouse Bay developed in the early 1900s, [7] with the area becoming a popular holiday resort for Aucklanders in the 1920s, with families making the journey over rough roads to spend the summer at the beach.[ citation needed ] During the Great Depression in the 1930s, workers developed the Blockhouse Bay beachfront area, building stone walls and pathways. [7]

Demographics

Blockhouse Bay covers 3.91 km2 (1.51 sq mi) [1] and had an estimated population of 14,500 as of June 2024, [2] with a population density of 3,708 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
200611,022—    
201311,580+0.71%
201812,840+2.09%
202313,107+0.41%
Source: [8] [9]

Blockhouse Bay had a population of 13,107 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 267 people (2.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,527 people (13.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 6,537 males, 6,525 females and 45 people of other genders in 4,119 dwellings. [10] 3.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.6 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 2,208 people (16.8%) aged under 15 years, 2,625 (20.0%) aged 15 to 29, 6,135 (46.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,136 (16.3%) aged 65 or older. [9]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 33.5% European (Pākehā); 6.1% Māori; 10.9% Pasifika; 55.8% Asian; 2.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 90.8%, Māori language by 1.0%, Samoan by 3.2%, and other languages by 42.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 53.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 30.3% Christian, 16.7% Hindu, 9.1% Islam, 0.1% Māori religious beliefs, 2.0% Buddhist, 0.2% New Age, and 1.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 33.9%, and 6.1% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 3,768 (34.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 4,041 (37.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 3,087 (28.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,275 people (11.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 5,652 (51.9%) people were employed full-time, 1,281 (11.8%) were part-time, and 288 (2.6%) were unemployed. [9]

Individual statistical areas
NameArea
(km2)		PopulationDensity
(per km2)		DwellingsMedian ageMedian
income
Blockhouse Bay North0.592,4934,22578636.1 years$39,900 [11]
Blockhouse Bay Central0.963,1473,2781,02338.2 years$38,900 [12]
Blockhouse Bay North East0.532,2624,26868737.0 years$43,100 [13]
Blockhouse Bay South1.262,9822,36794539.9 years$45,100 [14]
Blockhouse Bay East0.562,2263,97568143.2 years$35,400 [15]
New Zealand38.1 years$41,500

Education

Blockhouse Bay Intermediate is a school for years 7–8 with a roll of 858. [16] The school was established in 1959. [17]

Blockhouse Bay Primary School, Chaucer School, and Glenavon School are primary schools for years 1–6 (years 1–8 for Glenavon) with rolls of 548, 232 and 413 students, respectively. [18] [19] [20]

St Dominic's Catholic School is a state-integrated contributing primary school for years 1–6 with a roll of 277. [21]

Auckland International College was a private senior secondary school for years 11–13 with a roll of . [22] The school was founded in 2003 but closed in 2023 a casualty of the Covid lockdowns. [23]

All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of November 2024. [24]

Local state or state-integrated secondary schools are Lynfield College, Mount Roskill Grammar School, Green Bay High School, and Marcellin College .

Sport and recreation

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Wairarapa District</span> Territorial authority district in Wellington, New Zealand

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 Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hauraki District</span> Territorial authority district in Waikato Region, New Zealand

Hauraki District is a territorial authority governed by the Hauraki District Council within the Waikato region of New Zealand. The seat of the council is at Paeroa.

Whangaparāoa Peninsula Suburban area in Auckland Council, Auckland, New Zealand

The Whangaparāoa Peninsula is a suburban area about 30–50 km north of Auckland, New Zealand. It had 39,140 residents in June 2024. It stretches from Red Beach, where it connects to Kingsway, Orewa and Silverdale, and extends to Army Bay in the Hauraki Gulf. It is part of the Hibiscus Coast. The area is populated by residents who work on the peninsula, or commute from the area to other parts of the Hibiscus Coast, the North Shore, Rodney district, Auckland CBD and beyond for work. They travel by vehicle, or via the Gulf Harbour ferry at Gulf Harbour Marina, or the Hibiscus Coast Bus Station at Silverdale. There is one main road along its entire length, which is accessible from State Highway 1 via Hibiscus Coast Highway at Silverdale, or from Hibiscus Coast Highway at Orewa via Red Beach. It is popular as a tourist destination for catching a ferry to Tiritiri Matangi Island, and for visiting Shakespear Regional Park. It has one open (Whangaparāoa Golf Club) and one closed golf club (Gulf Harbour Country Club), beaches, sporting and recreation facilities, a library, shops, businesses and public and private primary and secondary schools. The median age of the population is in the 30s-40s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westland District</span> Territorial authority district in West Coast, New Zealand

Westland District is a territorial authority district on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is administered by the Westland District Council. The district's population is 9,430.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clutha District</span> Territorial authority district in Otago, New Zealand

Clutha District is a local government district of southern New Zealand, with its headquarters in the Otago town of Balclutha. Clutha District has a land area of 6,334.47 km2 (2,445.75 sq mi) and an estimated population of 19,300 as of June 2024. Clutha District occupies the majority of the geographical area known as South Otago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Bay, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Green Bay is a suburb of West Auckland. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. The main road running through Green Bay is Godley Road and this is the Urban Route 15 that follows through Green Bay to Titirangi and Laingholm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelston, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Kelston is a residential suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand. Originally a ceramics manufacturing centre, the area is now mostly residential, including a number of schools. Kelston is located in, and its name has been given to, the Kelston parliamentary electorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Windsor, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

New Windsor, founded in 1865, is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Auckland city centre, between Mount Albert, Blockhouse Bay, Mt Roskill and Avondale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest Hill, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Forrest Hill is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesley, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Wesley is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located in the south-west of the Auckland isthmus. The area is a part of the Oakley Creek catchment, and in the 19th and early 20th centuries was primarily swampland owned by the Weslayan Mission. The New Zealand Government developed Wesley as a state housing area in the 1940s and 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Harbour, Auckland</span> Coastal suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

West Harbour is a suburb of Auckland, located to the west of the Auckland isthmus and CBD. It is named for its location on the western side of the Waitematā Harbour. West Harbour is under the governance of Auckland Council after the amalgamation of district councils in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Heights, Auckland</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Western Heights is a neighbourhood of Henderson, in West Auckland, New Zealand. Western Heights School and the nearby shops are the centre of the community. Western Heights is a "frontier suburb", separating suburban Auckland from lifestyle farming blocks, orchards and the Waitākere Ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massey, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Massey is a northern suburb in West Auckland, New Zealand. It was formerly a northern suburb of Waitakere City, which existed from 1989 to 2010 before the city was amalgamated into Auckland Council. The suburb was named after former Prime Minister of New Zealand William Massey. Massey is a relatively large suburb and can be divided into three reasonably distinctive areas, Massey West, Massey East and Massey North. Parts of Massey East are also known as 'Royal Heights', which is home to the Royal Heights shopping centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glendene, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Glendene is a suburb of West Auckland, in New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln, Auckland</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Lincoln is a suburb in West Auckland, New Zealand. It is also the filming location of Shortland Street. The suburb is sometimes called Lincoln North or treated as part of Henderson North to avoid confusion with Lincoln in Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avondale, Auckland</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Avondale is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. Located on the central western Auckland isthmus, it is located in the Whau local board area, one of the 21 administrative divisions for the Auckland Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whangarei District</span> Territorial authority district in Northland, New Zealand

Whangarei District is a territorial authority district in the Northland Region of New Zealand that is governed by the Whangarei District Council. The district is made up in area largely by rural land, and includes a fifth of the Northland Region. It extends southwards to the southern end of Bream Bay, northwards to Whangaruru and almost to the Bay of Islands, and westwards up the Mangakahia River valley past Pakotai and almost to Waipoua Forest. It includes the Hen and Chicken Islands and the Poor Knights Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanmore Bay</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Stanmore Bay is a suburb and beach located on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. The beach is on the northern side of the peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayview, New Zealand</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Bayview is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand. The area was included into the North Shore ward in 2010, one of the new thirteen administrative areas of the new Auckland Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rānui</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Rānui is a suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand, which is under the local governance of Auckland Council. The area is densely populated but close to the western fringe of the Auckland urban area.

References

  1. 1 2 "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 3 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand . Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Blockhouse Bay Library" . Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Blockhouse Bay Community Centre". Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Place name detail: 16839". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board.
  6. ↑ Dymock, Gil (1994). AA Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Moa Beckett. p. 21. ISBN   978-1-86958-100-8.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Cameron, Ewen; Hayward, Bruce; Murdoch, Graeme (2008). A Field Guide to Auckland: Exploring the Region's Natural and Historical Heritage (Revised ed.). Random House New Zealand. p. 226. ISBN   978-1-86962-1513.
  8. ↑ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Blockhouse Bay North (137200), Blockhouse Bay North East (138600), Blockhouse Bay South (138900) and Blockhouse Bay East (139500).
  9. 1 2 3 "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Blockhouse Bay (51560). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  11. ↑ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Blockhouse Bay North. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Blockhouse Bay Central. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Blockhouse Bay North East. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  14. ↑ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Blockhouse Bay South. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  15. ↑ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Blockhouse Bay East. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  16. ↑ Education Counts: Blockhouse Bay Intermediate
  17. ↑ "About us". Blockhouse Bay Intermediate. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  18. ↑ Education Counts: Blockhouse Bay Primary School
  19. ↑ Education Counts: Chaucer School
  20. ↑ Education Counts: Glenavon School
  21. ↑ Education Counts: St Dominic's Catholic School
  22. ↑ Education Counts: Auckland International College
  23. ↑ "Welcome to Auckland International College". Auckland International College. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  24. ↑ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  25. 1 2 Janssen, Peter (January 2021). Greater Auckland Walks. New Holland Publishers. p. 118–119. ISBN   978-1-86966-516-6. OL   34023249W. Wikidata   Q118136068.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.