40-786: The Whau River ( Māori pronunciation: [ɸau] ) is an estuarial arm of the southwestern Waitemata Harbour (rather than a river) within the Auckland metropolitan area in New Zealand. It flows north for 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) from its origin at the confluence of the Avondale Stream and Whau Stream to its mouth between the Te Atatū Peninsula and the long, thin Rosebank Peninsula in Avondale . It
80-407: A city council were now being administered by a district council. As a result, the term "city" began to take on two meanings. City also came to be used in a less formal sense to describe major urban areas independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded. Gisborne, for example, adamantly described itself as the first city in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne
120-589: A forested river valley and a flooded harbour. In periods of low sea level, a tributary ran from Milford into the Shoal Bay stream. This valley provided the harbour with a second entrance when sea levels rose, until the Lake Pupuke volcano plugged this gap. Approximately 17,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were significantly lower, the river flowed north-east along
160-407: A mauri stone (a stone of Māori religious significance) called Te Mata, which was placed on Boat Rock (in the harbour south-west of Chatswood ) by Te Arawa chief Kahumatamomoe. A popular translation of Waitematā is "The Obsidian Waters", referring to obsidian rock ( matā ). Another popular translation, derived from this, is "The Sparkling Waters", as the harbour waters were said to glint like
200-529: A number of islands where the Minister of Local Government is the territorial authority, two of which have a 'permanent population and/or permanent buildings and structures.' The main islands are listed below (population according to 2001 census in parentheses): In addition, seven of the nine groups of the New Zealand outlying islands are outside of any territorial authority: Territorial authorities have
240-674: A population of 84 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 60 people (250.0%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 63 people (300.0%) since the 2006 census . There were no households. There were 60 males and 21 females, giving a sex ratio of 2.86 males per female. The median age was 25.5 years, with no people aged under 15 years, 54 (64.3%) aged 15 to 29, 21 (25.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 9 (10.7%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 50.0% European/Pākehā, 10.7% Māori, 3.6% Pacific peoples, 39.3% Asian, and no other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas
280-625: A region and a territorial authority. It incorporated the recommendations of the Royal Commission and was established via legislation. Auckland Council is uniquely divided into "local boards" representing the lowest tier of local government. Under the terms of the Local Government Act 2002 , district councils have to represent the interests of their future communities and consider the views of people affected by their decisions. To fulfill that requirement and give young people
320-588: A say in the decision-making process, many councils have a youth council. In late December 2023, the Ashburton District Council scrapped their youth council, stating they could engage better with younger people online and describing the current youth council as "a youth club where they ate pizza." In early January 2024, the Gore District Council opted to restructure its youth council and ruled out dismantling it. In April 2024,
360-462: A week. Its plan, which went to a Select Committee, accepted the proposal for supercity and many community boards, but rejected proposals for local councils and, initially, no separate seats for Māori . Public reaction to the Royal Commission report was mixed, especially in regards to the Government's amended proposal. Auckland Mayor John Banks supported the amended merger plans. Criticism of
400-645: Is 800 metres (2,600 ft) at its widest and 400 metres (1,300 ft) wide at its mouth. The estuary extends past the suburbs of Glendene and Kelston . It has one small estuarial tributary arm, the Wairau Creek in the southwest. The tide flows up the Wairau Creek as far as Sabulite Road in Kelston, and up the Rewarewa Creek to Clark Street and Wolverton Road in New Lynn . The area at the mouth of
440-421: Is administered by a district council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed. Under current law, an urban area has to be at least 50,000 residents before it can be officially proclaimed as a city. Since the 1989 reorganisations, there have been few major reorganisations or status changes in local government. Incomplete list: Reports on completed reorganisation proposals since 1999 are available on
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#1732797527722480-617: Is planned to continue on to Green Bay beach thus connecting the Waitemata Harbour to the Manukau Harbour. Waitemata Harbour Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland , New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge . It is matched on the southern side of the city by the shallower waters of
520-759: The Auckland region : Waitakere City , centred around West Auckland suburbs, and Auckland City , composed of the central suburbs of the Auckland isthmus . After the amalgamation of the Auckland councils in 2010, the suburbs adjacent to the river were administered by the Whau ward . In 2015, construction began on the Te Whau Pathway, a walking and cycling path along the western edge of the Whau River from Te Atatū Peninsula to Olympic Park in New Lynn. The path
560-703: The Manukau Harbour . With an area of 70 square miles (180 km ), it connects the city's main port and the Auckland waterfront to the Hauraki Gulf and the Pacific Ocean . It is sheltered from Pacific storms by Auckland's North Shore , Rangitoto Island , and Waiheke Island . The oldest Māori name of the harbour was Te Whanga-nui o Toi (The Big Bay of Toi), named after Toi , an early Māori explorer. The name Waitematā means "Te Mata Waters", which according to some traditions refers to
600-716: The Rangitoto Channel , meeting the Mahurangi River to the east of Kawau Island . The resulting river flowed further north-east between modern day Little Barrier Island and Great Barrier Island , eventually emptying into the Pacific Ocean north of Great Barrier Island. The current shore is strongly influenced by tidal rivers, particularly in the west and north of the harbour. Mudflats covered by mangroves flourish in these conditions, and salt marshes are also typical. Prior to European settlement,
640-784: The Whanganui District Council proposed scrapping its youth council by June 2024 as part of budget saving measures. There are currently 67 territorial authorities. Before the Auckland Council "super merge" in November 2010, there were 73 territorial authorities. Before the Banks Peninsula District Council merged with the Christchurch City Council in 2006, there were 74 territorial authorities. There are
680-914: The local government reforms of 1989 , a borough with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city . The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so little distinction was made between the urban area and the local government area. New Zealand's local government structural arrangements were significantly reformed by the Local Government Commission in 1989 when approximately 700 councils and special purpose bodies were amalgamated to create 87 new local authorities. Regional councils were reduced in number from 20 to 13, territorial authorities (city/district councils) from 200 to 75, and special purpose bodies from over 400 to 7. The new district and city councils were generally much larger and most covered substantial areas of both urban and rural land. Many places that once had
720-842: The Local Government Commission's site (link below). On 26 March 2009, the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance recommended the Rodney, North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland City, Manukau, Papakura and Franklin territorial councils and the Auckland Regional Council be abolished and the entire Auckland region to be amalgamated into one "supercity". The area would consist of one city council (with statutory provision for three Māori councillors), four urban local councils, and two rural local councils: The National-led Government responded within about
760-575: The Manukau. This is remembered in the name for Portage Road, which runs alongside the Avondale Stream, and it is known that seasonal Māori settlements existed at the mouth of the river. For many years after European settlement, there was talk of making a canal between the Whau and the Manukau. Plans for a 6,900 ft (2.1 km) long canal, with a cutting up to 131 ft (40 m) deep, were made in 1907, but dismissed as too costly in 1921. From 1841,
800-476: The Whau for marine transport and by 1865 there were five public wharves at New Lynn. Boats carried the products of local industries including brickworks , a leather tannery, a gelatine and glue factory and firewood cutting. The last commercial vessel to use the Whau was a flat-bottomed scow the Rahiri , which carried bricks and manuka firewood from the area until 1948. For nearly a hundred years, factories such as
840-446: The administration of many environmental and public transport matters, while the territorial authorities administer local roading and reserves, water supply and sanitation , building consents , the land use and subdivision aspects of resource management, and other local matters. Some activities are delegated to council-controlled organisations . The scope of powers is specified by the Local Government Act 2002 . For many decades until
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#1732797527722880-456: The amended proposal came largely from residents in Manukau, Waitakere and North Shore Cities. In addition, Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples spoke against the exclusion of the Māori seats, as recommended by the Royal Commission. Opposition Leader Phil Goff called for a referendum on the issue. Auckland Council was created on 1 November 2010—a unitary authority that is classed as both
920-463: The banks of the Whau River were logged for Kauri timber. In 1852, the first brickworks in West Auckland were opened on the Rosebank Peninsula by Dr Daniel Pollen on the Whau River. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Whau River became the centre of West Auckland's clayworks; of the 39 brick and clayworks of West Auckland, 23 were located on the Whau River. European settlers used
960-810: The estuary is legally protected as the Motu Manawa (Pollen Island) Marine Reserve . The Whau River is named after a native tree, the whau ( Entelea arborescens ). The geology of the area is mainly composed of marine and riverine sediment. The stream's intertidal banks are commonly settled by mangroves and exotic weed species. The river's catchment covers 29 square kilometres (11 sq mi) and includes all or part of Te Atatū South , Glendene, Kelston , Titirangi , Titirangi North, Green Bay, New Lynn, Glen Eden , Avondale, Blockhouse Bay and Mount Albert . Watersheds closely follow Te Atatu Road, Titirangi Road, Hillsborough Road, Richardson Road and Rosebank Road. The catchment consists of clay, sandstone and mud and
1000-483: The functions of a regional council and thus are unitary authorities . The Chatham Islands Council is a sui generis territorial authority that is similar to a unitary authority. Territorial authority districts are not subdivisions of regions, and some of them fall within more than one region. Regional council areas are based on water catchment areas, whereas territorial authorities are based on community of interest and road access. Regional councils are responsible for
1040-403: The harbour offered good protection in almost all winds, and lacked dangerous shoals or major sand bars (like on the Manukau Harbour ) that would have made entry difficult. The harbour also proved a fertile area for encroaching development, with major land reclamation undertaken, especially along the Auckland waterfront , within a few decades of the city's European founding. Taking the idea of
1080-528: The harbour was the site of many Tāmaki Māori pā and kāinga , including Kauri Point in Chatswood , Okā at Point Erin, Te Tō at Freemans Bay , Te Ngahuwera, Te Rerenga-oraiti at Point Britomart , and Ōrākei . Herald Island and Watchman Island were both settled by the Waiohua confederation. The Waitematā Harbour was traditionally used as a fishery used by Tāmaki Māori for sharks and snapper . In
1120-632: The harbour, notable among them the Devonport Naval Base , and the accompanying Kauri Point Armament Depot at Birkenhead , and the Chelsea Sugar Refinery wharf, all capable of taking ships over 500 gross register tons (GRT). Smaller wharves at Birkenhead, Beach Haven, Northcote, Devonport and West Harbour offer commuter ferry services to the Auckland CBD . The harbour is a drowned valley system that
1160-529: The late 18th century and early 19th century, the waters were fished together by Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei and Ngāti Pāoa . In traditional legend, the Waitematā Harbour is protected by a taniwha named Ureia, who takes the form of a whale. The harbour has long been the main anchorage and port area for the Auckland region. Well-sheltered not only by the Hauraki Gulf itself but also by Rangitoto Island,
1200-541: The latter of which lies on a short triangular peninsula jutting into the harbour. The harbour is crossed at its narrowest point by the Auckland Harbour Bridge . To the east of the bridge's southern end lie the marinas of Westhaven and the suburbs of Freemans Bay and the Viaduct Basin . Further east from these, and close to the harbour's entrance, lies the Port of Auckland . There are other wharves and ports within
1240-534: The older-style "combined sewers" in several surrounding western suburbs dump contaminated wastewater overflows into the harbour on approximately 52 heavy-rain days a year, leading to regular health warnings at popular swimming beaches, until the outfalls have dispersed again. A major new project, the Central Interceptor , starting 2019, is to reduce these outfalls by about 80% once completed around 2024. The statistical area of Inlet Waitemata Harbour had
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1280-505: The second tier of local government in New Zealand , below regional councils . There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils , 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council . District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer the larger urban areas . Five territorial authorities ( Auckland , Nelson , Gisborne , Tasman and Marlborough ) also perform
1320-463: The several Māori portage paths over the isthmus one step further, the creation of a canal that would link the Waitematā and Manukau harbours was considered in the early 1900s. Legislation (the Auckland and Manukau Canal Act 1908) was passed that would allow authorities to take privately owned land where it was deemed required for a canal. However, no serious work (or land take) was undertaken. The act
1360-463: The tannery and an abattoir discharged wastes directly into the Whau. Friends of the Whau Inc. was formed in 1999 to restore the ecology of the Whau through revegetation and reduction of pollution. The Whau River Catchment Trust was formed in 2012. The West End Rowing Club has been based in the Whau since 2001. The Whau River formerly marked the boundary between two territorial authorities in
1400-414: The volcanic glass obsidian. However, this is incorrect, as grammatically Waitematā could not mean this. The harbour is an arm of the Hauraki Gulf, extending west for eighteen kilometres from the end of the Rangitoto Channel . Its entrance is between North Head and Bastion Point in the south. The westernmost ends of the harbour extend past Whenuapai in the northwest, and to Te Atatū Peninsula in
1440-519: The west, as well as forming the estuarial arm known as the Whau River in the southwest. The northern shore of the harbour consists of North Shore . North Shore suburbs located closest to the shoreline include Birkenhead , Northcote and Devonport (west to east). On the southern side of the harbour is Auckland CBD and the Auckland waterfront , and coastal suburbs such as Mission Bay , Parnell , Herne Bay and Point Chevalier (east to west),
1480-596: Was 57.1%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 39.3% had no religion, 50.0% were Christian, and 3.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 9 (10.7%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 3 (3.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $ 40,200. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 54 (64.3%) people were employed full-time, 6 (7.1%) were part-time, and 0 (0.0%) were unemployed. Territorial authorities of New Zealand Territorial authorities ( Māori: mana ā-rohe ) are
1520-528: Was carved through Miocene marine sediments of the Waitemata Group . Recent volcanism in the Auckland volcanic field has also shaped the coast, most obviously at Devonport and the Meola Reef (a lava flow which almost spans the harbour), but also in the explosion craters of Orakei Basin and in western Shoal Bay . Over the last two million years, the harbour has cycled between periods of being
1560-517: Was formed 20 million years ago when the land was raised from the sea. In earlier times, Māori used Te Tōanga Waka , the Whau River portage, for travel between the Waitemata Harbour (on the Pacific east coast) and the Manukau Harbour (on the Tasman west coast). They paddled canoes up the Whau River and the Avondale Stream and then carried the canoes over a short stretch of land to Green Bay on
1600-596: Was repealed on 1 November 2010. In 1982, a group that included leaders of the Anglican and Catholic proposed the construction of the Christ of the Ships, a 12 m (39 ft) bronze statue of Jesus be constructed on a reef in the Waitematā Harbour. The project was cancelled after facing significant opposition by Christian leaders from other denominations. While the harbour has numerous beaches popular for swimming,
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