Wikipedia

Ōtāhuhu

For the hill, see Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond.

Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connection between the North Auckland Peninsula and the rest of the North Island, being only some 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) wide at its narrowest point, between the Ōtāhuhu Creek and the Māngere Inlet. As the southernmost suburb of the former Auckland City, it is considered part of South Auckland.

Ōtāhuhu
Suburb
Part of eastern Ōtāhuhu from the air, 2007
Part of eastern Ōtāhuhu from the air, 2007
Map
Coordinates: 36°56′43″S 174°50′42″E / 36.94528°S 174.84500°E / -36.94528; 174.84500
CountryNew Zealand
CityAuckland
Local authorityAuckland Council
Electoral wardManukau ward
Local boardMāngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board
Area
[1]
 • Land668 ha (1,651 acres)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total
17,780
Train stationsŌtāhuhu railway station
Westfield Mount Wellington (Tāmaki River), Pakuranga
(Māngere Inlet)
Ōtāhuhu
 (Tāmaki River), East Tāmaki
Favona, Māngere East Middlemore

The suburb's name is taken from the Māori-language name of the volcanic cone known as Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond.[3] The name refers to "the place of Tāhuhu" — the eponymous ancestor, Tāhuhu-nui-a-Rangi, of Ngāi Tāhuhu.[4]

Demographics

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Ōtāhuhu covers 6.68 km2 (2.58 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 17,780 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 2,662 inhabitants per square kilometre (6,890/sq mi).

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
200612,903—    
201313,566 0.72%
201815,165 2.25%
Source: [5]

Ōtāhuhu had a population of 15,165 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,599 people (11.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,262 people (17.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 3,921 households, comprising 7,815 males and 7,353 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female, with 3,669 people (24.2%) aged under 15 years, 3,804 (25.1%) aged 15 to 29, 6,486 (42.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,194 (7.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 20.4% European/Pākehā, 15.3% Māori, 47.9% Pacific peoples, 28.8% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 46.1, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 21.0% had no religion, 51.2% were Christian, 1.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 9.4% were Hindu, 5.9% were Muslim, 2.3% were Buddhist and 3.1% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,413 (12.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 2,574 (22.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 822 people (7.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 5,496 (47.8%) people were employed full-time, 1,323 (11.5%) were part-time, and 777 (6.8%) were unemployed.[5]

Individual statistical areas
Name Area
(km2)		 Population Density
(per km2)		 Households Median age Median
income
Ōtāhuhu Industrial 1.85 78 42 — 21.6 years —[6]
Ōtāhuhu Central 1.26 1,356 1,076 258 35.4 years $22,900[7]
Ōtāhuhu North 0.72 3,870 5,375 1,083 29.6 years $22,600[8]
Ōtāhuhu East 0.79 2,307 2,920 863 29.6 years $27,500[9]
Ōtāhuhu South West 1.24 3,888 3,135 966 29.6 years $23,600[10]
Ōtāhuhu South 0.82 3,666 4,471 1,017 30.8 years $23,100[11]
New Zealand 37.4 years $31,800

History

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An assembler at the Fiats Assembly Works, Ōtāhuhu (1966)

The area is named after Tāhuhunui-o-te-rangi, captain of the Moekākara waka, and who settled on Ōtāhuhu and in Northland, his descendants becoming the Ngāi Tāhuhu iwi.[12][13] Portage Road, which runs between the Manukau Harbour and Ōtāhuhu Creek, was originally Te Tō Waka, a portage for waka between the Manukau and Waitemata harbours.[14][15][13] This portage is traditionally associated as the place where the Tainui waka was hauled between the Tamaki River and Manukau Harbour.[13] In the early 1800s, the portage was used by Ngāpuhi during the Musket Wars, to attack Tainui tribes in the Waikato.[13]

The suburb was established in 1847 as a fencible settlement, where soldiers were given land with the implied understanding that in wartime, they would be raised as units to defend it (however, the eventual fighting a decade later used professional soldiers instead). Most early features from this time have disappeared, however, such as the stone Tāmaki Bridge built by the fencibles that had to make way to a widening of Great South Road.[16] By the 1870s, Ōtāhuhu became the largest agricultural town in the Auckland Province, facilitated by the trade of wheat and other agricultural products to the city of Auckland, trading along the Tāmaki River.[17] In December 1873 the Southern Line opened, connecting the township of Auckland to Penrose.[18] A year and a half later on 20 May 1875, the line was extended south and the Ōtāhuhu railway station was opened.[18]

The first supermarket in the country was opened in Ōtāhuhu on 18 June 1958, when the first Foodtown was opened by Tom Ah Chee, who pooled his resources with two other Auckland produce shop owners, Norman Kent and John Brown.[19] Many famous personalities went to Otahuhu College, including heavyweight boxing champion David Tua, former prime minister David Lange, and ex-Manukau City Mayor, Sir Barry Curtis.

Local government

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Ōtāhuhu had a local government just like other suburbs of Auckland at that time. The local government was called Ōtāhuhu Borough Council, which started in 1912 and merged into Auckland City Council in 1985, eventually amalgamated into Auckland Council in November 2010.

Mayors during Ōtāhuhu Borough Council

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  • Alfred Sturges, 1912–1915
  • James Atkinson, 1915–1917
  • Alfred MacDonald, 1917–1921
  • Robert Black Todd, 1921–1929
  • Hubert Thomas Clements, 1929–1935
  • Charles Robert Petrie, 1935–1944
  • Albert Murdoch, 1944–1950
  • James Deas, 1950–1954
  • John "Jack" David Murdoch, 1954–1962
  • Robert G. Ashby, 1962–1965
  • Aubray Thayer Bedingfield, 1965–1970
  • Claude H. D. Handisides, 1970–1977
  • Niall Frederick Burgess, 1977–1985

Education

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Otahuhu College is a secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of 1126.[20]

Otahuhu Intermediate is an intermediate school (years 7–8) with a roll of 357.[21]

Otahuhu School and Fairburn School are contributing primary schools (years 1–6) with rolls of 583 and 479 students, respectively.[22][23]

McAuley High School is a state-integrated Catholic girls secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of 769.[24] St Joseph's School is a state-integrated Catholic full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of 288.[25] The schools are across the street from each other.

King's College is a private Anglican secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of 1196.[26] Years 9–11 are boys only, and years 12 and 13 are coeducational.

Mt Richmond School is a special school for students with intellectual disabilities. It has a roll of 197.[27]

All these schools except McAuley High School and King's College (as noted above) are coeducational. Rolls are as of August 2024.[28]

Community facilities

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  • Giac Nhien Temple, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple is located in the suburb.[29]

Transport

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Ōtāhuhu, in its position on a narrow section of the Auckland isthmus, is an important part of Auckland's southern transportation approaches for both road and rail, containing a combined bus interchange and Ōtāhuhu railway station. The new bus-train interchange opened on 29 October 2016 as a joint Auckland Transport and NZ Transport Agency initiative costing NZ$28M.[30][31]

"The station is at the heart of the Southern New Network", said Auckland Transport's Chief AT Metro Officer, Mark Lambert. "Auckland is moving towards a more connected network of local feeder services connecting with frequent bus and train services. Bus and train transport hubs like Ōtāhuhu are at the heart of this transformation."[32]

The old bus interchange, which was badly neglected, and had received increased attention from early 2011 on for vandalism/graffiti prevention measures is now closed and a smaller bus stop has been installed on the main road near the town centre.[33]

Present day

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Ōtāhuhu nowadays is synonymous with industry and along with its neighbouring suburbs Favona, Māngere East, Mt Wellington, Penrose and Westfield forms an industrial conglomerate zone that spans much of the Māngere Inlet. The community and town centre flourishes as the crossroad to Central and South Auckland and is home to a sizeable Pacific Island populace.

Sport and recreation

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Ōtāhuhu is home to the Ōtāhuhu Rugby Football Club and the Otahuhu Leopards rugby league club.

References

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  1. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ "NZGB decisions - September 2014". Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  4. ^ New Zealand Government (7 November 2015). Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Deed of Settlement Documents (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Otahuhu Industrial (149600), Otahuhu Central (150100), Otahuhu North (150300), Otahuhu East (150900), Otahuhu South West (151400) and Otahuhu South (151900).
  6. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Ōtāhuhu Industrial
  7. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Ōtāhuhu Central
  8. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Ōtāhuhu North
  9. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Ōtāhuhu East
  10. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Ōtāhuhu South West
  11. ^ 2018 Census place summary: Ōtāhuhu South
  12. ^ Taonui, Professor Rawiri (2017). "THE WHANGAREI COAST Te Whanga-o-Reitū or Te Whanga-o-Reipae" (PDF). LINKNZ (68). Immigration New Zealand, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment: 4–12. ISSN 2324-3848. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d Furey, Louise (1986). "The Excavation of Westfield (R11/898), South Auckland". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 23: 1–24. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906356. Wikidata Q58677261.
  14. ^ "Maori Tribal History – Hongi's Expeditions". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  15. ^ "Other northern canoes – Te Tō Waka – the canoe portage". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  16. ^ "Auckland: Soldiers of fortune". The New Zealand Herald. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  17. ^ "Panmure Bridge Swing Span and Abutment". Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  18. ^ a b Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  19. ^ Wong, Helene (2019). "Ah Chee, Thomas Henry". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  20. ^ Education Counts: Otahuhu College
  21. ^ Education Counts: Otahuhu Intermediate
  22. ^ Education Counts: Otahuhu School
  23. ^ Education Counts: Fairburn School
  24. ^ Education Counts: McAuley High School
  25. ^ Education Counts: St Joseph's School
  26. ^ Education Counts: King's College
  27. ^ Education Counts: Mt Richmond School
  28. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  29. ^ "THÀNH VIÊN GIÁO HỘI". The Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation of Australia - New Zealand. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  30. ^ "New Otahuhu Station and a New Network for South Auckland". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  31. ^ "New Otahuhu Station to open for new network". Stuff.co.nz. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  32. ^ "Auckland Transport – New Otahuhu Station and a New Network for south Auckland". Auckland Transport. 29 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  33. ^ "Bus station gets a new look". Stuff. 18 January 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
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