North East Valley

Pine Hill
Maori Hill	North East Valley
	Dunedin North	Opoho

North East Valley (sometimes spelt Northeast Valley, and often abbreviated to NEV) is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin.

Geography

North East Valley sits in the valley of the

, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the northeast of the city centre.

North East Valley is a residential suburb, and is home to a mix of older residents and students from the city's tertiary institutions (the

, is reputedly the world's steepest street. Other than North Road, the suburb's main roads include Blacks Road and Norwood Street.

North East Valley was a separate borough until 1910, when it was amalgamated with the city of Dunedin.^[3]

The Gardens, Normanby, and Mount Mera

The term North East Valley is often used to encompass four smaller suburbs within the valley, but more specifically refers to only one, which stretches from approximately Chambers Street north to

).

Normanby is the name of the northern end of North East Valley, at which point Dunedin's urban area gives way to open countryside. The land here is steeply sloping, as it is the foothills of Mount Cargill. The slopes of Mount Cargill itself are densely wooded, and are crisscrossed with walking tracks, some of which start at the Bethune's Gully reserve, at the northern end of Normanby. Mount Mera is an area of state housing sitting on the north facing side of the valley, just above Normanby.

North Road

Prospect Park

. The Gardens Ground is clearly visible at the lower right.

North Road, originally the main road north out of Dunedin, starts at the Gardens Corner, where it links with

From the Gardens Corner, North Road runs relatively straight for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), crossing the Lindsay Creek and continuing to the northeast. Blacks Road, a steep connection to the suburb of

Dunedin Northern Motorway

this was a major route out of Dunedin to the north, but is now only lightly used.

Landmarks

Apart from Baldwin Street, North East Valley has several noted landmarks. Two university halls of residence, Knox College and Salmond College lie on the lower slopes to the east of the Gardens Corner, and another, Aquinas College lies on the lower slopes of Pine Hill immediately to the west. Close to this stands another prominent building, the former Santa Sabina Convent, which is visible from much of the northern central city. Another prominent building in the valley is Ross Home, one of the city's major retirement homes, which is located in North Road.

The suburb has several notable parks and gardens, among them

.

Chingford Park is a recreational reserve containing historic stone stables, located towards the northern end of North Road. It surrounded the no-longer extant Chingford House, which had been built in 1862. The property was built and landscaped in the 1870s and 1880s by businessman P.C. Neill (one of whose descendants is actor

The Quarry Gardens are a park created from the former Palmer's Quarry, and is located on North Road directly opposite the bottom of Baldwin Street. The quarry was closed in 1980, and was thoroughly landscaped from 1989 into a terraced garden area. The amphitheatre of the old quarry pit has in the past been used as an outdoor music venue, especially during the late 1990s. Several walking tracks climb to the terraces of the former quarry, which have been extensively planted with many species, notably rhododendrons, and other walking paths follow the banks of the Lindsay Creek, connecting with Selwyn Street to the south and Watts road to the north. The gardens are privately owned, but are open to the public year-round.^[7]

Forrester Park is a sports ground at the end of Norwood Street. It contains football and rugby pitches and the city's BMX circuit, as well as a dog park and kennel club. Bethune's Gully is also accessed from Norwood Street. It is a secluded 86 hectares (210 acres) reserve which lies at the southernmost foothills of Mount Cargill, and is a popular scenic area. From here, walking tracks ascend the slopes of Cargill. The reserve was originally the site of sawmills and brick kilns operated by David Bethune in the 1880s, and became city council property in 1955.^[8]

Demographics

North East Valley covers 4.68 km² (1.81 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 10,150 as of June 2023,^[2] with a population density of 2,169 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	8,433	—
2013	8,658	+0.38%
2018	9,342	+1.53%
Source: [9]

North East Valley had a population of 9,342 at the

. There were 2,757 households, comprising 4,398 males and 4,953 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.89 males per female, with 684 people (7.3%) aged under 15 years, 5,787 (61.9%) aged 15 to 29, 2,124 (22.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 744 (8.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 81.5% European/Pākehā, 10.2% Māori, 3.5% Pasifika, 12.4% Asian, and 3.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 26.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 58.3% had no religion, 27.1% were Christian, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.4% were Hindu, 2.0% were Muslim, 1.3% were Buddhist and 4.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,013 (23.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 576 (6.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 405 people (4.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,118 (24.5%) people were employed full-time, 1,893 (21.9%) were part-time, and 717 (8.3%) were unemployed.^[9]

Individual statistical areas

Name	Area (km2)	Population	Density (per km2)	Households	Median age	Median income
North East Valley Chingford	1.08	1,653	1,531	633	31.8 years	$23,100[10]
Normanby	1.42	1,425	1,004	528	43.7 years	$25,200[11]
North East Valley Knox	0.67	2,523	3,766	729	22.2 years	$13,000[12]
Gardens (Dunedin City)	1.51	3,741	2,477	867	20.3 years	$7,100[13]
New Zealand					37.4 years	$31,800

Education

North East Valley Normal School is a state contributing primary school serving years 1 to 6^[14] with a roll of 203 students. The school opened in 1851.^[15]

Sacred Heart School is a state-integrated Catholic contributing primary school serving years 1 to 6^[16] with a roll of 55 students. It started in 1895 at Sacred Heart Church, and moved to the present site ten years later.^[17]

Both schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of February 2024,^[18]

References

External links

• Media related to North East Valley at Wikimedia Commons