Manurewa is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Manukau Central, and 26 km (16 mi) southeast of the Auckland City Centre. It is home to the Auckland Botanic Gardens, which receives over a million visitors a year. Manurewa has a high proportion of non-European ethnicities, making it one of the most multi-cultural suburbs in New Zealand. Employment for many is at the many companies of nearby Wiri, Papakura, and at the steel mill at Glenbrook.
The area has been inhabited since at least the 13th century, and has cultural significance for Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua. Manurewa developed as a rural community after the Manurewa railway station opened in 1875, becoming a borough in 1937. The area saw major suburban growth in the 1950s and 1960s, and became a shopping hub when Southmall Manurewa opened in 1967.
Etymology
The name Manurewa is a variant of the Māori word for "kite", manu aute, used by in local Waiohua dialect.[3] The translation "soaring bird" gained popularity in the 1920s among English speakers.[4] The name is a shortened form of Te Manurewa o Tamapahore ("The Drifted-away Kite of Tamapahore"), a name which recalls a story involving Waiohua ancestor Tamapahore. One day the men who lived at Matukutūruru and Matukutūreia decided to fly kites, and Tamapahore's was the kite that flew the highest. His brother Tamapahure caused the chord of Tamapahore's kite to break. Tamapahore left the area in search of his valuable kite, eventually finding it at Whenuakite on the Coromandel Peninsula.[5][6]
Manurewa has been inhabited since at least the 13th century.[10] Matukutūreia and Matukutūruru were home to two hilltop pā, collectively known as Matukurua.[5] The names of the mountains commemorate a story of two chiefs. The chief of Matukutūruru ("the bittern standing at ease") was captured while eel fishing. The chief of Matukutūreia ("the vigilant bittern") saved the pā and the people of Matukutūruru.[5] Over 8,000 hectares of stonefield gardens were tended by Tāmaki Māori peoples on the lower slopes of the volcanoes,[11][12] where crops such as kūmara and bracken fern root were grown.[13]
The Manurewa area was settled by Ngā Riki, who were one of the three Tāmaki Māori groups who joined together to form the Waiohua in the 17th and 18th-centuries.[14] During this time, the two pā were home to the Ngāi Huatau hapū of Waiohua,[5] settled by Huatau, daughter of Huakaiwaka.[15][3] The chief Huarangi was based at Matukutūruru with his wife Takawai of Ngāi Tahuhu. After her death, he married Kohe, a high ranking woman from Ngāti Pāoa, a union that was widely disapproved by the hapū. This dissent eventually led to a division in the family, with the children of Takawai settling at Matukutūruru, and Huarangi moving with Kohe to Matukutūreia.[5]
Around the year 1740, a conflict between Ngāti Whātua and Waiohua led to the death of paramount chief Kiwi Tāmaki, who became the major occupants of the Tāmaki isthmus and Māngere to the north.[14][16] Ngāti Whātua was significantly smaller than the Waiohua confederation and chose to focus life at Onehunga, Māngere and Ōrākei, meaning that Waiohua were able to re-establish a presence in South Auckland.[17][16]
Opening of the Manurewa Creamery in 1905A day-trip excursion leaving from the Manurewa Post Office in the 1920s
In January 1836 missionary William Thomas Fairburn brokered a land sale between Tāmaki Māori chiefs, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and Turia of Ngāti Te Rau, covering the majority of modern-day South Auckland between Ōtāhuhu and Papakura. The sale was envisioned 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 South Auckland, unchanged by this sale.[20] Fairburn was criticised for the sheer size of the purchase, and in 1842 the Crown significantly reduced the size of his land holdings,[13] and the Crown partitioned much of the land for European settlers.[20] 10,000 acres of the Fairburn purchase was given to James Reddy Clendon in return for land at Kororāreka / Russell where the new capital of New Zealand was established.[21] Clendon never lived or visited the area,[22] but sold 2,000 acres to the Martin brothers, who subdivided the land in the mid-1900s.[23] Much of the Martin brothers' land became modern-day Manurewa.[24]
Work on the Great South Road began in 1843, reaching as far south as Drury in 1855.[25] In the early 1860s, Great South Road was used as a military supply route between Auckland and the frontier of the Invasion of the Waikato.[26][27] Manurewa was only sparsely populated in the 1860s and 1870s. The major stop on the Great South Road for coach services was the Raglan Hotel at Woodside (modern-day Wiri). The Manurewa Highway District was formed in 1867,[28] and in 1875 the first Manurewa railway station opened.[23] The station led to growth in the area; 81 people lived in Manurewa by 1879, and a post office opened in 1884.[23] By the 1900s, much of Woodside village had moved to Manurewa, including the school that moved by 1906,[23] and joined by the Methodist Church in 1909. [23] Manurewa became a centre for the dairy industry in the early 20th century,[24] with the first creamery opening in 1905.[23]
By 1915, Manurewa had grown large enough to become a town district, created from parts of the former Manurewa and Papakura road districts.[29] The area was promoted as a commuter suburb for Auckland in the early 1920s.[29] Local farmer Charles Henry Lupton was instrumental in developing the Manurewa community, serving on the town board, school and church committees, and became known as "The Father of Manurewa".[29][30] By 1937, the population of Manurewa had increased to over 1,500 people, allowing Manurewa to become a borough.[29] In 1939, a fire destroyed the Manurewa Picture Theatre, and the adjoining shops and boarding house.[30] During World War II, parts of Manurewa were used as military camps for United States Army soldiers bound for the Pacific.[31]
Manurewa experienced rapid growth in the 1950s and early 1960s after the development of the Auckland Southern Motorway,[32] developing from a semi-rural locality into a suburb of Auckland.[33]Southmall Manurewa, the third American-style mall in Auckland, was opened in 1967. The mall was initially very successful, but struggled from October 1976 onwards after the opening of the Manukau Shopping Centre.[34]
By the 1970s, Manurewa East and Weymouth had developed as suburban areas, and after the construction of Manukau Central in the 1980s, Manurewa became connected to the urban sprawl of Auckland.[32] In 1982, the Auckland Botanic Gardens opened in Manurewa.[33]
By the 2010s, Manurewa had developed a significant Pasifika population, and had the highest proportion of Māori residents in the city.[35][36]
Demographics
Manurewa covers 5.32 km2 (2.05 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 22,310 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 4,209 people per km2.
Manurewa had a population of 19,236 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,394 people (14.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 3,645 people (23.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 4,572 households, comprising 9,765 males and 9,474 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 5,160 people (26.8%) aged under 15 years, 5,226 (27.2%) aged 15 to 29, 7,461 (38.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,392 (7.2%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 24.5% European/Pākehā, 30.9% Māori, 41.1% Pacific peoples, 23.0% Asian, and 2.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 34.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 27.3% had no religion, 46.3% were Christian, 3.8% had Māori religious beliefs, 6.7% were Hindu, 2.4% were Muslim, 1.4% were Buddhist and 6.4% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 1,494 (10.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 3,153 (22.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 891 people (6.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 6,927 (49.2%) people were employed full-time, 1,515 (10.8%) were part-time, and 996 (7.1%) were unemployed.[37]
Manurewa East covers 0.83 km2 (0.32 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 3,360 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 4,048 people per km2.
Manurewa East had a population of 2,907 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 402 people (16.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 597 people (25.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 726 households, comprising 1,500 males and 1,407 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 30.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 693 people (23.8%) aged under 15 years, 744 (25.6%) aged 15 to 29, 1,221 (42.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 252 (8.7%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 25.1% European/Pākehā, 30.7% Māori, 35.8% Pacific peoples, 27.2% Asian, and 2.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 35.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 30.9% had no religion, 42.7% were Christian, 2.8% had Māori religious beliefs, 8.0% were Hindu, 1.7% were Muslim, 2.1% were Buddhist and 6.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 234 (10.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 534 (24.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $23,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 150 people (6.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,065 (48.1%) people were employed full-time, 225 (10.2%) were part-time, and 138 (6.2%) were unemployed.[43]
Sport and recreation
Rugby union
The Manurewa Rugby Football Club is based at Mountfort Park Manurewa. They were founded in 1921 and now play within the Counties Manukau Rugby Union Club competition and are one of the biggest and most successful Rugby clubs within the region. They have a large junior section plus and string Golden Oldies Section made up of many past players. They also have associated sports of AFL, Netball & Softball operating within the club. They were originally based at Jellicoe Park in Manurewa and had a club room affectionately known as the "Old Black Shed". They built the new clubrooms at Mountfort Park and moved to this site officially in 1978. Notable current Super 15 Chiefs players Tim Nanai-Williams, Viliami Taulani and Bundee Aki are former Manurewa Rugby Club players.
The first local government in the area was the Manurewa Highway District, which formed in 1867 to administer road upkeep.[28] By 1915, Manurewa had grown large enough to become a town district within the Manukau County, and by 1937 it had become a borough.[30] On 3 September 1965, the Manukau County and Manurewa Borough merged to form Manukau City.[28] In November 2010, all cities and districts of the Auckland Region were amalgamated into a single body, governed by the Auckland Council.[44]
Manurewa Intermediate is an intermediate school (years 7–8) with a roll of 425.[53] Greenmeadows Intermediate is an intermediate school (years 7–8) with a roll of 411.[54]
Finlayson Park School, Leabank School, Manurewa Central School, Manurewa East School, Manurewa South School, Manurewa West School and Rowandale School are contributing primary schools (years 1–6) with rolls of 885, 334, 466, 309, 321, 368 and 539 students, respectively.[55][56][57][58][59][60][61] In 2020 Finlayson Park School in Auckland became the first school in New Zealand to set up a Kiribati language unit, where Erika Taeang was employed as the teacher.[62][63]
^"Manurewa". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
^"Puhinui Creek". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
^"Papakura Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
^Hopkins, Jenni L.; Smid, Elaine R.; Eccles, Jennifer D.; Hayes, Josh L.; Hayward, Bruce W.; McGee, Lucy E.; van Wijk, Kasper; Wilson, Thomas M.; Cronin, Shane J.; Leonard, Graham S.; Lindsay, Jan M.; Németh, Karoly; Smith, Ian E. M. (3 July 2021). "Auckland Volcanic Field magmatism, volcanism, and hazard: a review". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. 64 (2–3): 213–234. doi:10.1080/00288306.2020.1736102. hdl:2292/51323. S2CID216443777.
^ abcBloomfield, G.T. (1973). The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840–1971. Auckland University Press, Oxford University Press. pp. 56–57, 110, 122. ISBN0 19 647714 X.
^ ab"Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Rowandale West (159900), Rowandale East (160000), Manurewa Central (160100), Leabank (160600) and Manurewa South (160900).
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