Ōwairaka

Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Ōwairaka
Suburb
Pak'nSave supermarket on New North Road
Coordinates: 36°53′42″S 174°43′18″E / 36.895071°S 174.721551°E / -36.895071; 174.721551
Country	New Zealand
City	Auckland
Local authority	Auckland Council
Electoral ward	Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward
Local board	Albert-Eden Local Board
Area [1]
• Land	140 ha (350 acres)
Population  (June 2023)[2]
• Total	6,030

Waterview	Mount Albert	St Lukes
Avondale	Ōwairaka	Sandringham
New Windsor	New Windsor	Wesley

Ōwairaka is a suburb of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. The area was primarily rural until the 1930s, when the area experienced suburban growth. Ōwairaka is known for the Owairaka Athletic Club, a club that came to prominence in the 1960s, due to the success of coach Arthur Lydiard and athletes Murray Halberg and Peter Snell.

Geography

Ōwairaka is the southern portion of the old

Ōwairaka is a name for the volcanic hill Ōwairaka / Mount Albert. The name refers to Wairaka, an early Māori ancestor, who was the daughter of Toroa, the captain of the Mātaatua voyaging waka.^[3] Wairaka fled to Auckland to escape an unwanted marriage, and established her people on the volcano.^[3]

During the early 18th century, the

On 10 September 1929, the first school opened in the area. Known as Richardson Road School, the name was changed to Owairaka School in 1930 after a petition by school parents.[7]

In the early 20th century, trams drove suburban growth along New North Road. While most of the other suburbs along New North Road received tram stations in the 1910s, it took until 1936 until the Owairaka tram terminus was opened.^[8] From the late 1930s, state housing projects began to populate the Ōwairaka area, and by 1940s the suburb was a mis of rural areas and suburban housing.^[9]

In 1943, the Owairaka Athletic Club was established at Anderson Park, before moving to the Lovelock Track in Mount Roskill in 1961.^[10][11] During the 1960s the club came to prominence in middle- and long-distance running under coach Arthur Lydiard,^[12] producing international and national champions including Murray Halberg^[13] and the New Zealand Athlete of the Century, Peter Snell.^[14]

Ōwairaka became a centre for Māori and Pasifika communities in the 1970s, after gentrification caused families to move from Auckland's central suburbs.^[15] During the 1990s and 2000s, the area developed as a centre for the Chinese and Somali communities.^[16][17]

Demographics

Ōwairaka covers 1.40 km² (0.54 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 6,030 as of June 2023,^[2] with a population density of 4,307 people per km².

Before the 2023 census, Ōwairaka had a smaller boundary, covering 1.32 km² (0.51 sq mi).

Ethnicities were 39.7% European/Pākehā, 8.9% Māori, 18.3% Pacific peoples, 39.2% Asian, and 6.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 47.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 38.3% had no religion, 35.6% were Christian, 0.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 8.5% were Hindu, 7.1% were Muslim, 2.3% were Buddhist and 3.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,452 (34.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 495 (11.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 663 people (15.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,214 (52.4%) people were employed full-time, 579 (13.7%) were part-time, and 225 (5.3%) were unemployed.^[18]

Amenities

• Anderson Park, the home of the Mount Albert-Ponsonby association football club.^[21]
• Murray Halberg Park, the home of rugby league club Marist Saints and the Owairaka Sea Scouts.
• Ōwairaka Community Hub, a community club which closed in 2022.^[22]
• Owairaka Park, home to the Owairaka Athletic Club
• Te Whitinga Footbridge (formerly known as the Hendon Footbridge), a bridge across the
  Southwestern Motorway that opened in 2017, connecting Kukuwai Park in Ōwairaka to the suburb of New Windsor to the south-west.^[23][24]

Ōwairaka District School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of 346 as of February 2024.[25]^[26] The local state secondary school is Mount Albert Grammar School.

Local government

In October 1866, the Mt Albert District Highway Board, the first local government in the area, was formed to administer New North Road and surrounding areas.^[6] In 1911, the board became the Mount Albert Borough, who elected a mayor.^[27] In 1978, Mount Albert became a city,^[28] and in 1989 it was absorbed into Auckland City.^[29] In November 2010, all cities and districts of the Auckland Region were amalgamated into a single body, governed by the Auckland Council.^[30]

Ōwairaka is a part of the Albert-Eden local board area. The residents of Albert-Eden elect a local board, and two councillors from the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward to sit on the Auckland Council.

References