Mairangi Bay

For the container ship, see MV Mairangi Bay.

Mairangi Bay
Suburb
Mairangi Arts Centre
Mairangi Arts Centre
Map
Coordinates: 36°44′19″S 174°44′54″E / 36.73861°S 174.74833°E / -36.73861; 174.74833
CountryNew Zealand
CityAuckland
Local authorityAuckland Council
Electoral wardAlbany ward
Local boardHibiscus and Bays
Area
[1]
 • Land173 ha (427 acres)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total
6,200
Pinehill Murrays Bay (Hauraki Gulf)
Windsor Park
Mairangi Bay
 (Hauraki Gulf)
Sunset North Campbells Bay Campbells Bay

Mairangi Bay (Māori: Te Whanga o Oho Mairangi)[3] is a coastal suburb of North Shore, Auckland, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, on the south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. Mairangi Bay came under the local governance of the North Shore City Council until subsumed into the Auckland Council in 2010.

Geography

Waves crash onto the Mairangi Bay cliffs, formed from Waitemata Group sandstone

Mairangi Bay is located in the East Coast Bays of the North Shore, between Murrays Bay and Campbells Bay.[4] The bay to the east shares the same name as the suburb.[5]

The land is primarily formed from clay and Waitemata sandstone, which can be seen in the cliffs along the coast.[6][7] Prior to human settlement, the inland Mairangi Bay area was primarily a northern broadleaf podocarp forest, dominated by tōtara, mataī, miro, kauri and kahikatea trees. Pōhutukawa trees were a major feature of the coastline.[8]

History

Māori history

Māori settlement of the Auckland Region began around the 13th or 14th centuries.[9][10] The North Shore was settled by Tāmaki Māori, including people descended from the Tainui migratory canoe and ancestors of figures such as Taikehu and Peretū.[11] Many of the Tāmaki Māori people of the North Shore identified as Ngā Oho.[12] While the poor soils around the East Coast Bays hindered dense settlement,[6] traditional resources in the area included fish, shellfish and marine birds,[13] and kūmara is known to have been planted at Mairangi Bay.[14] The traditional name for the coast between Murrays Bay and Campbells Bay is Waipapa.[15][14] The modern name of the suburb comes from a locality name, Ōmairangi, a name which refers to an ancestor, Mairangi.[4]

The warrior Maki migrated from the Kāwhia Harbour to his ancestral home in the Auckland Region, likely sometime in the 17th century. Maki conquered and unified many the Tāmaki Māori tribes as Te Kawerau ā Maki, including those of the North Shore.[16][17] After Maki's death, his sons settled different areas of his lands, creating new hapū. His younger son Maraeariki settled the North Shore and Hibiscus Coast, who based himself at the head of the Ōrewa River. Maraeariki's daughter Kahu succeeded him, and she is the namesake of the North Shore, Te Whenua Roa o Kahu ("The Greater Lands of Kahu").[18][19] Many of the iwi of the North Shore, including Ngāti Manuhiri, Ngāti Maraeariki, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Poataniwha, Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki and Ngāti Whātua, can trace their lineage to Kahu.[19][20]

By the 18th century, the Marutūāhu iwi Ngāti Paoa had expanded their influence to include the islands of the Hauraki Gulf and the North Shore.[21] After periods of conflict, peace had been reached by the 1790s.[22] The earliest contact with Europeans began in the late 18th century, which caused many Tāmaki Māori to die of rewharewha, respiratory diseases.[23] During the early 1820s, most Māori of the North Shore fled for the Waikato or Northland due to the threat of war parties during the Musket Wars. Most people had returned by the late 1820s and 1830s.[10][21][24]

European settlement

Mairangi Bay in 1912
Beachgoers enjoying Mairangi Bay in the 1980s

In 1841, the Crown purchased the Mahurangi and Omaha blocks; an area that spanned from Takapuna to Te Ārai. The purchase involved some iwi with customary interests in the area, such as Ngāti Paoa, other Marutūāhu iwi and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, but not others, such as Te Kawerau ā Maki or Ngāti Rango.[25][26][20][27] The Crown spent until 1873 rectifying this sale, by making further deals with stakeholders.[26][27]

In 1880, the land was sold to English settler Thomas Murray, from Newcastle upon Tyne, who converted the mānuka and harakeke scrubland to a sheep and cattle farm, and planted crops including corn, wheat and English grasses. Murray was a lifelong bachelor and devout Christian, who taught Sunday school classes in Takapuna. Murray's farm grew to 174 acres in size, and the bay became known as Little Murrays Bay (Big Murrays Bay was the name for Murrays Bay to the north).[28][29] Murray sold kauri gum as an additional source of income, constructed a windmill at the site of modern-day Scarboro Terrace, and developed orchards to supply the Auckland market with fruit.[30][31]

After Big Murrays Bay was renamed Murrays Bay in 1900, locals created petitions to suggest new names. A local solicitor, Mr. Rennie, suggested Awatea Bay, but the name Mairangi Bay, based on the Māori name Ōmairangi, was successful.[14] Mairangi Bay was sold and subdivided in 1912.[14] After the Murrays Bay Wharf was constructed in 1916,[28][32] Mairangi Bay became a popular spot for holidays and day trippers from Auckland, who arrived by ferry.[33] Housing developed in Mairangi Bay in the 1920s, primarily used as holiday homes.[32] The Mairangi Bay post office opened in 1930, and the first shops and local services began operating from the 1930s and 1940s.[32] During World War II, pillboxes were constructed at Mairangi Bay in various locations: at the beach, on the clifftops to the south of the suburb, in the modern-day Mairangi Bay School grounds, Elizabeth Place and on Kowhai Road. A searchlight emplacement was constructed at Whitby Crescent, as well as an anti-tank stone wall.[34]

Suburban housing developed in Mairangi Bay after the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, and the shops in Mairangi Bay were the first that opened for trading on Saturdays.[35] The Mairangi War Memorial Hall was constructed in 1953 as a community hub,[36] and in 1956, a new high school was opened in the suburb, Murray's Bay High School. Later renamed Rangitoto College, the school grew to become the largest high school in New Zealand.[34] In 1966, the first supermarket in the East Coast Bays area was constructed at Mairangi Bay.[37] In the late 1970s, industry developed in the area when the Takapuna City Council zoned a 70 acre industrial estate along Sunset Road, in modern-day Rosedale.[6]

In 1991, the Mairangi War Memorial Hall was renovated and opened as the Mairangi Arts Centre.[36] Since 2004, Mairangi Bay and the adjacent beaches have undergone civil works projects since 2004 to improve stormwater management.[38]

Local government

From 1876 until 1954, the area was administered by the Waitemata County, a large rural county north and west of the city of Auckland.[39] In 1954, the area split from the county, forming the East Coast Bays Borough Council,[39] which became East Coast Bays City in 1975.[40] In 1989, the city was merged into the North Shore City.[40] North Shore City was amalgamated into Auckland Council in November 2010.[41]

Within the Auckland Council, Mairangi Bay is a part of the Hibiscus and Bays local government area governed by the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board. It is a part of the Albany ward, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.

Demographics

The Mairangi Bay beach

Mairangi Bay covers 1.73 km2 (0.67 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 6,200 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 3,584 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20065,277—    
20135,346+0.19%
20185,646+1.10%
Source: [42]

Mairangi Bay had a population of 5,646 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 300 people (5.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 369 people (7.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,866 households, comprising 2,721 males and 2,928 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female, with 1,056 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 1,050 (18.6%) aged 15 to 29, 2,646 (46.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 900 (15.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 70.4% European/Pākehā, 5.0% Māori, 1.8% Pacific peoples, 27.3% Asian, and 2.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 43.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.6% had no religion, 37.1% were Christian, 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% were Hindu, 0.5% were Muslim, 1.0% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,671 (36.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 342 (7.5%) people had no formal qualifications. 1,227 people (26.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,235 (48.7%) people were employed full-time, 810 (17.6%) were part-time, and 108 (2.4%) were unemployed.[42]

Individual statistical areas
Name Area (km2) Population Density (per km2) Households Median age Median income
Mairangi Bay North 0.92 2,901 3,153 966 42.0 years $38,300[43]
Mairangi Bay South 0.80 2,745 3,431 900 41.8 years $38,200[44]
New Zealand 37.4 years $31,800

Education

Mairangi Bay School and St John's School are coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) schools with rolls of 467[45] and 297[46] respectively as at August 2024.[47] Mairangi Bay School was founded in 1967.[48] St John's is a state integrated Catholic School, which was founded in 1961.[49]

Rangitoto College is a large secondary school in Windsor Park, to the west of Mairangi Bay.

Amenities

A popular public walkway passes through coastal Mairangi Bay, connecting Campbells Bay to Browns Bay in the north. The walkway passes sections of exposed Waitemata sandstone.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ Hibiscus and Bays Local Board (18 March 2015). "Mairangi Bay Reserves Management Plan" (PDF). Auckland Council. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Mairangi Bay". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Mairangi Bay". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Heritage Consultancy Services (1 July 2011). North Shore Heritage - Thematic Review Report Volume 1 (PDF) (Report). Auckland Council. ISBN 978-1-927169-21-6. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b Janssen, Peter (January 2021). Greater Auckland Walks. New Holland Publishers. p. 43-44. ISBN 978-1-86966-516-6. Wikidata Q118136068.
  8. ^ Veart, Dave (2018). The Māori Archaeology of Te Raki Paewhenua/North Shore (Report). Auckland North Community and Development. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-9941358-4-1.
  9. ^ Pishief, Elizabeth; Shirley, Brendan (August 2015). "Waikōwhai Coast Heritage Study" (PDF). Auckland Council. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  10. ^ Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki (April 2016). Cultural Values Assessment Report to New Zealand Transport Agency for Northern Corridor Improvements Project (NCI) (PDF) (Report). NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  11. ^ Mossman, Sarah (August 2018). Cultural Values Assessment for America's Cup 36 - Wynyard and Hobson Planning Application (PDF). Te Kawerau Iwi Tribunal Authority (Report). Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  12. ^ McKenzie, Fiona (June 2016). Cultural Impact Assessment for the NZ Transport Agency's Northern Corridor Improvements (PDF). Manuhiri Kaitiaki Charitable Trust (Report). NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d Willis 2018, pp. 22.
  14. ^ Boffa Miskell (August 2018). Strategic Parks Service Assessment (PDF) (Report). Auckland Council. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area" (PDF). Auckland Council. December 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  16. ^ Murdoch, Graeme (1990). "Nga Tohu o Waitakere: the Maori Place Names of the Waitakere River Valley and its Environs; their Background History and an Explanation of their Meaning". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.). West Auckland Remembers, Volume 1. West Auckland Historical Society. p. 13-14. ISBN 0-473-00983-8.
  17. ^ Ngāti Manuhiri; The Crown (21 May 2011). "Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims" (PDF). New Zealand Government. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  18. ^ a b Whaanga, Mel (March 2022). "He taonga o te rohe". Restore Hibiscus & Bays. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  19. ^ a b Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki and the Trustees of the Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki Trust and the Crown (7 November 2015). "Deed of settlement schedule documents" (PDF). NZ Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  20. ^ a b New Zealand Government; Ngāti Paoa (20 March 2021). "Ngāti Pāoa and the Trustees of the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust and The Crown Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims" (PDF). New Zealand Government. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Wenderholm Regional Park: Our History" (PDF). Auckland Council. 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  22. ^ McKenzie, Fiona (May 2017). "Cultural Values Assessment for the Warkworth North Structure Plan and Associated Development" (PDF). Manuhiri Kaitiaki Charitable Trust. Auckland Council. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  23. ^ Ngāti Manuhiri; The Crown (21 May 2011). "Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims" (PDF). New Zealand Government. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  24. ^ Rigby, Barry (August 1998). The Crown, Maori and Mahurangi 1840-1881 (PDF) (Report). Waitangi Tribunal. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  25. ^ a b Stone 2001, pp. 188.
  26. ^ a b Te Kawerau ā Maki; The Trustees of Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust; The Crown (22 February 2014). "Deed of Settlement of Historical Claim" (PDF). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  27. ^ a b Willis 2018, pp. 20–21.
  28. ^ Verran, David (20 April 2010). "Our history, East Coast Bays (Part one)". Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  29. ^ Cass 1989, pp. 8.
  30. ^ Verran, David 2010, pp. 37.
  31. ^ a b c Cass 1989, pp. 9–10.
  32. ^ Verran, David 2010, pp. 111.
  33. ^ a b Lutz, Heike; Chan, Theresa (2011). North Shore heritage – North Shore area studies and scheduled items list: volume 2 parts 6+ (PDF). Heritage Consultancy Services (Report). Auckland Council. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  34. ^ "About". Mairangi Bay Business Association. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Our History". Mairangi Arts Centre. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  36. ^ Willis 2018, pp. 23.
  37. ^ Works & Environment Committee, North Shore City Council, 3 December 2002 Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ a b Reidy, Jade (2009). "How the West Was Run". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. pp. 238–239. ISBN 9781869790080.
  39. ^ a b Mace, Tania (October 2006). "Browns Bay Heritage Walk" (PDF). North Shore City Council. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  40. ^ Blakeley, Roger (2015). "The planning framework for Auckland 'super city': an insider's view". Policy Quarterly. 11 (4). doi:10.26686/pq.v11i4.4572. ISSN 2324-1101.
  41. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Mairangi Bay North (120500) and Mairangi Bay South (120800).
  42. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Mairangi Bay North
  43. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Mairangi Bay South
  44. ^ Education Counts: Mairangi Bay School
  45. ^ Education Counts: St Johns School
  46. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  47. ^ "Mairangi Bay Case Study 2" (PDF). Edtech Limited. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  48. ^ "A History of Development". St John's School. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2009.


Bibliography