Parau
Parau | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Parau seen from the Arataki Visitor Centre | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 36°58′26″S 174°36′52″E / 36.9739°S 174.6145°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland Council |
| Electoral ward | Waitākere ward |
| Local board | Waitākere Ranges Local Board |
| Area | |
| • Land | 148 ha (366 acres) |
| Population (June 2023)[2] | |
| • Total | 510 |
| (Waitākere Ranges) | (Waitākere Ranges) | Woodlands Park |
| (Waitākere Ranges) |
  Parau  |
Laingholm |
| Huia | Cornwallis | (Manukau Harbour) |
Parau is a locality of West Auckland in the Auckland Region. It is under the local governance of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board within the Auckland Council. It is a coastal community close to Titirangi village. Parau is made up of Huia Road, one other looping street called Rauhuia Crescent and two cul de sacs, Staley Road and Shirley Road. It also consists of a safe clean beach called Armour Bay where locals can partake in tennis, and swimming in the Manukau Harbour which laps the beach.
Geography
The Parau area is dominated by
History
Parau is close to the site of the 1740s battle between
During the mid-19th century, the area was deforested for kauri timber, and later formed by Duff and Marshall Laing, sons of George Laing who had settled at Laingholm.[6] The western shores of Big Muddy Creek were farmed by the Armour family, while the eastern shores were owned by Jermyn Symonds.[6] The farming settlement that developed around the area became known as Brooklyn by the late 19th century.[7] In the early 20th century, Duff Laing continued to run a dairy farm in the area, and the Flemish-Belgian De Brabandere family ran a sheep and dairy farm owned by the Flemish-Belgian De Brabandere family.[8]
The name of the post office was changed to Parau in the late 1910s.[9] In the mid-1910s, construction began on Upper Nihotupu Dam, leading Parau to develop as an area where workers families settled.[10][11] Material for the dam was sent to Big Muddy Creek by barge, then transported to the dam site by a tramway.[10] The dam finished construction in 1923, after which Parau became popular with holidaymakers and retirees, when many of the workers families left.[12] The Big Muddy Creek and Huia valleys reforested in native bush, which impressed residents and sparked much of the movement for the formation of a nature reserve.[13] The Auckland Centennial Memorial Park (which later grew to form the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park opened in 1940.[13]
A second dam at Parau was constructed between the 1940s and 1960s, known as the Lower Nihotupu Dam.[12] This dam, much closer to the township, flooded most of the flat land where the Laing farm had previously been located.[8]
Demographics
Parau is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers 1.48 km2 (0.57 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 510 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 345 people per km2. It is part of the Oratia statistical area.[14]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 444 | — |
| 2013 | 471 | +0.85% |
| 2018 | 501 | +1.24% |
| Source: [15] | ||
Parau had a population of 501 at the
Ethnicities were 92.2% European/Pākehā, 10.8% Māori, 2.4% Pacific peoples, 6.6% Asian, and 4.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 64.7% had no religion, 22.2% were Christian, 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% were Buddhist and 4.8% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 108 (27.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 45 (11.5%) people had no formal qualifications. 90 people (23.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 219 (56.2%) people were employed full-time, 72 (18.5%) were part-time, and 9 (2.3%) were unemployed.[15]
Gallery
-
Parau in 1962 -
TheLower Nihotupu DamSpillway -
Parau village in 2022 -
A view of theLower Nihotupu Dam Lake, looking towards Parau and the Manukau Harbour
_(cropped).jpg)
Notes
- ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Subnational population estimates (RC, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (regional councils); "Subnational population estimates (TA, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (territorial authorities); "Subnational population estimates (urban rural), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (urban areas)
- Waitakere City Council. April 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- Wikidata Q58677038.
- ^ "The Muddy Creeks Plan - a Local Area Plan for Parau, Laingholm, Woodlands Park and Waimā" (PDF). Auckland Council. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ a b Harvey & Harvey 2009, pp. 91.
- The Auckland Star. Vol. XVIII, no. 92. 20 April 1887. p. 5. Retrieved 30 April 2022 – via Papers Past.
- ^ a b Hodge 1990, pp. 89–90.
- The Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 40. 15 February 1919. p. 14. Retrieved 30 April 2022 – via Papers Past.
- ^ a b Harvey & Harvey 2009, pp. 93.
- ^ La Roche, 2011 & 27-50.
- ^ a b Harvey & Harvey 2009, pp. 93, 97.
- ^ a b Harvey & Harvey 2009, pp. 97.
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Oratia
- ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. 7007116, 7007121 and 7007122.
References
- Harvey, Bruce; Harvey, Trixie (2009). "That Noble Sheet of Water". In ISBN 9781869790080.
- Hodge, Essie (1990). "Early Titirangi". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.). West Auckland Remembers, Volume 1. West Auckland Historical Society. ISBN 0-473-00983-8.
- ISBN 9781927167038.
External links
- Photographs of Parau held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.