History
The Henderson Valley is in the traditional rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki, [4] and was traditionally known as Ōpanuku. [5] Ōpanuku refers to one of the oldest Te Kawerau ā Maki ancestors, Panuku, the wife of Parekura who died after being kidnapped by a warrior named Nihotupu. [6] [4] Te Kawerau ā Maki had a settlement along the Opanuku Stream known as Ōpareira. [6] The name refers to Pareira, the niece of early ancestor and voyager Toi-te-huatahi. Pareira lived at Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek and would seasonally inhabit the Henderson Valley, harvesting the resources of the forest. [6]
The Opanuku Stream which flows down the valley was one of the earliest waterways to be dammed for kauri logging in West Auckland, in the 1850s. [7] The valley was settled by pākehā by the 1880s, with Henderson Valley Road providing access. [8] [9]
In the 1920s, the Henderson Valley Scenic Reserve/Carey Park was a popular picnic and swimming area known as Ferndale, where the Brown Owl Tea Rooms was located. [10]
Demographics
Henderson Valley statistical area covers 15.04 km2 (5.81 sq mi) [1] and had an estimated population of 1,460 as of June 2023, [2] with a population density of 97 people per km2.
Historical population| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|
| 2006 | 1,341 | — |
|---|
| 2013 | 1,353 | +0.13% |
|---|
| 2018 | 1,440 | +1.25% |
|---|
| Source: [11] |
Henderson Valley had a population of 1,440 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 87 people (6.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 99 people (7.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 486 households, comprising 729 males and 711 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female. The median age was 40.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 279 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 267 (18.5%) aged 15 to 29, 723 (50.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 165 (11.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 89.0% European/Pākehā, 13.3% Māori, 5.0% Pacific peoples, 6.0% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 23.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 62.7% had no religion, 26.7% were Christian, 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% were Hindu, 0.6% were Buddhist and 2.1% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 279 (24.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 129 (11.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $41,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 306 people (26.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 669 (57.6%) people were employed full-time, 183 (15.8%) were part-time, and 33 (2.8%) were unemployed. [11]
Henderson is a major suburb of West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west of Auckland city centre, and two kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the Whau River, a southwestern arm of the Waitematā Harbour. The suburb is located within the Henderson-Massey Local Board of the Waitākere Ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions of Auckland Council.
Orewa is a settlement in the northern Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is a suburb of the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the base of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula and 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of central Auckland. The Northern Motorway, part of State Highway 1, passes just inland of Orewa and extends through the twin Johnston Hill tunnels to near Puhoi.
Piha is a coastal settlement in West Auckland, on the western coast of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, and especially in summer.
Karekare is a small coastal settlement in West Auckland, New Zealand, sandwiched between the Waitākere Ranges and a large black sand surf beach.
Konini is a suburb in West Auckland, New Zealand, under the local governance of Auckland Council.
Glen Eden is a suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand, located at the foothills of Waitākere Ranges. Originally known as Waikumete, the suburb gained the name Glen Eden in 1921. The suburb is in the Waitākere Ward, one of the thirteen administrative areas of Auckland governed by Auckland Council.
Te Atatū Peninsula is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and farmland until the Northwestern Motorway was constructed in the 1950s, after which Te Atatū developed a low and medium-cost suburb. The area south of the motorway became known as Te Atatū South. The Auckland Harbour Board intended to develop a port on the peninsula for much of the 20th century. After plans for this were abandoned, the land was redeveloped into Footrot Flats Fun Park, an amusement park which operated in the 1980s. During the late 2010s, large-scale housing intensification led to the population of Te Atatū greatly expanding.
Waiatarua is a small settlement near the top of the Waitākere Ranges in West Auckland, close to the junction of Scenic Drive, West Coast Road and Piha Road to Piha and runs east until the junction of Scenic Drive and Mountain Road. Surrounded by native bush in the Centennial Memorial Park and the water catchment area, Waiatarua is over 300 metres above sea level and some houses are over 400 metres above sea level. Waiatarua means “song of two waters”, possibly referring to the ability to see both the wild west coast, and the still, sparkling waters of the Manukau and Waitemata harbours from certain points in the area.
Riverhead is a small, historically predominantly working-class town located at the head of the Waitematā Harbour in the north-west of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shores of the Upper Waitematā Harbour, north-east of the towns of Kumeū and Huapai.
Waimauku is a small locality in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It comes under the jurisdiction of Auckland Council, and is in the council's Rodney ward. Waimauku is approximately 4 kilometres west of Huapai on State Highway 16 at the junction with the road to Muriwai Beach. Helensville is 16 km to the north-west. Waimauku is a Māori word which is literally translated as wai: stream and mauku: varieties of small ferns.
Oratia is a semi-rural locality on the western edge of metropolitan West Auckland in New Zealand.
Taupaki is a locality in the Rodney District, which is a part of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. Kumeū lies to the north-west, Whenuapai to the north-east, West Harbour to the east, Massey to the south-east, Swanson to the south, and Waitākere, Auckland to the south-west. The North Auckland Line runs through the area.
Swanson is an outlying suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand and is located west of Henderson, surrounded by the Waitākere Ranges. Developing as a service centre for the kauri logging and gumdigging trades in the 1880s along the trainline, the town developed as a rural centre and an early tourist destination for Aucklanders, who visited the Redwood Park on the banks of the Swanson Stream. In the 1940s, the park became a training centre for soldiers in World War II, and in 1970 hosted Redwood 70, the first modern music festival in New Zealand.
Kaurilands is a suburb of West Auckland, which is under the local governance of Auckland Council. The area was subdivided and developed in the 1920s.
West Auckland is one of the major geographical areas of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Much of the area is dominated by the Waitākere Ranges, the eastern slopes of the Miocene era Waitākere volcano which was upraised from the ocean floor, and now one of the largest regional parks in New Zealand. The metropolitan area of West Auckland developed between the Waitākere Ranges to the west and the upper reaches of the Waitematā Harbour to the east. It covers areas such as Glen Eden, Henderson, Massey and New Lynn.
The Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek is an estuarine river in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It flows north from its sources in the Henderson Valley and Titirangi, before reaching the western Waitematā Harbour.
The Oratia Stream is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north-east from its source at the township of Waiatarua in the Waitākere Ranges, before entering into the Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek, which flows into the western the Waitematā Harbour. After beginning at Waiatarua, the stream passes through the rural locality of Oratia and the West Auckland suburbs of Sunnyvale and Henderson. Since the mid-2000s, the Oratia Stream has been forested with native flora.
The Ōpanuku Stream, formerly known as the Henderson Stream, is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows east from its source the Waitākere Ranges through the Henderson Valley, then north-east through West Auckland before entering into the Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek, which flows into the western the Waitematā Harbour. The stream passes through the rural locality of Henderson Valley and the West Auckland suburbs of Western Heights and Henderson. Since the mid-2000s it has been forested with native flora.
The Swanson Stream is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north-east from its source the Waitākere Ranges through rural West Auckland towards the suburb of Swanson, into the Huruhuru Creek which exits into Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek and the western the Waitematā Harbour. Since the mid-2000s, the stream has been forested with native flora.
Little Huia is a western coastal settlement of West Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand and forms part of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, bordering the Manukau Harbour. It is located south-west of the settlement of Huia.
