59-884: Birchville is a suburb of Upper Hutt , New Zealand in the North Island . Its centre lies at the entrance to the Akatarawa Valley , in the north of the city, near confluence of the Akatarawa River with the Hutt River . It is about a 5 km (10-minute) drive north from the centre of Upper Hutt. The Birchville community is spread out along both banks of the Hutt River in a long fairly narrow valley. Originally described as being part of Akatarawa or Mungaroa in early news paper reports. The "Town of Birchville" name only appears in land registry records during
118-683: A 2500-m-wide floodplain between the Remutaka and Akatarawa Ranges before constricting nine kilometres further downstream at the Taitā Gorge, which separates Upper Hutt from its neighbour, Lower Hutt . The city's main urban area spreads over this plain. A smaller flood plain lies upstream, above the Kaitoke Gorge, but has experienced little urban development. Upper Hutt has a temperate climate however due to its sheltered valley location, it generally tends to be warmer than inner city Wellington in
177-544: A Tea Shelter and several picnic tables. Beneath the bridges are two popular swimming holes. Birchville is part of the Birchville- Brown Owl statistical area, which covers 8.99 km (3.47 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 3,770 as of June 2024. Birchville School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of 126 as of August 2024. Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( Māori : Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta )
236-557: A large land area are usually termed districts, but Upper Hutt maintains its status as a city largely because of its high degree of urbanisation. Upper Hutt was originally administered by the Hutt County Council , which was constituted in 1877. The Town Board was proclaimed on 24 April 1908. Upper Hutt became a Borough on 26 February 1926 and a City on 2 May 1966. On 1 April 1973, the Rimutaka Riding of Hutt County
295-617: A paper road shown on some maps. In March 1953 the Hutt County Council sought ratepayer approval to raise a loan for a replacement bridge across the Akatarawa River to service Bridge Road. In July 1953 proposals for the replacement bridge, to be named " Andrews Bridge " after a recently deceased councillor, were presented to a public meeting and plans drawn up. A contract to build the bridge was let in February 1954 and
354-654: A short distance to the south of the boundary of Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, and provides a link between Upper Hutt and Porirua . State Highway 1 (as the Transmission Gully Motorway ) briefly touches Upper Hutt at the Wainui Saddle (the tripoint of Upper Hutt, Porirua City and the Kāpiti Coast District ), but otherwise does not pass through the region. Bus services, planned and subsidised by Greater Wellington Regional Council under
413-588: Is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area . Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongomai and that of the river was Heretaunga (today the name of a suburb of Upper Hutt). The first residents of the area were Māori of the Ngāi Tara iwi . Various other iwi controlled the area in the years before 1840, and by
472-632: Is a loop of 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) in length, ascending to the Cannon Point trig at 341 metres (1,119 ft), and with a total elevation gain of 304 metres (997 ft). The portion of the track through the Akatarawa Forest Park is maintained by the Greater Wellington Regional Council . The name of the hill and the walkway comes from the reports of a large tree that fell near the top of
531-488: Is the main thoroughfare through suburban Upper Hutt, passing through the city centre and connecting to State Highway 2 at Silverstream and Maoribank. It formed part of State Highway 2 before the River Road bypass opened in 1987. In the 1980s, significant travel delays were being experienced through Upper Hutt, with State Highway 2 traffic travelling from Lower Hutt and Wellington to central Upper Hutt and further afield to
590-799: The 2018 census , and an increase of 5,208 people (13.8%) since the 2013 census . There were 21,321 males, 21,393 females and 192 people of other genders in 15,909 dwellings. 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age was 38.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,316 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 7,275 (17.0%) aged 15 to 29, 20,406 (47.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,906 (16.1%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.3% European ( Pākehā ); 17.1% Māori ; 6.9% Pasifika ; 12.5% Asian ; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
649-743: The 2018 census , and an increase of 5,580 people (13.9%) since the 2013 census . There were 22,749 males, 22,803 females and 207 people of other genders in 16,890 dwellings. 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age was 39.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,811 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 7,728 (16.9%) aged 15 to 29, 21,900 (47.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,317 (16.0%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 78.4% European ( Pākehā ); 16.7% Māori ; 6.5% Pasifika ; 11.9% Asian ; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
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#1732780387109708-1247: The Metlink brand, are centred around the Upper Hutt railway station and operate from Monday to Saturday on most routes, with the 110 route between Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt operating 7 days a week. All of the urbanised areas of the city are served by public bus routes, and the rural areas are served by school buses. Upper Hutt is on the Hutt Valley Line , Metlink electric trains operated by Transdev Wellington run between 4:30 am and 11 pm weekdays, (midnight Fridays), 5 am till midnight Saturdays and 6 am till 11 pm Sundays. Service which reaches Waterloo in Lower Hutt in around 20 minutes and Wellington in around 45 minutes. Express peak hour weekday trains reach Wellington in around 38 minutes. Services run every 20 minutes between 6 am and 4:30 pm weekday and half-hourly Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Evening services run hourly from 8 to 11 pm. The railway continues beyond Upper Hutt to Masterton , becoming
767-617: The Rimutaka Incline in 1955. There are six railway stations within the boundaries of the city: Silverstream , Heretaunga , Trentham , Wallaceville , Upper Hutt (the main station for the city and outer terminus of electric services), and Maymorn (a request stop on the Wairarapa Line). Upper Hutt's main railway station was originally built in 1876 but has been rebuilt twice, firstly in 1955 and more recently in 2015. The most recent rebuild, jointly funded by NZTA and
826-597: The Wairarapa Line , which is not electrified. Masterton is about an hour away by morning and afternoon diesel hauled trains. There are services five times a day each way Monday to Thursday, six on Friday, and twice a day, each way on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. A notable feature of this section of railway is the Rimutaka Tunnel , the second-longest railway tunnel in New Zealand, which replaced
885-463: The 1920s, but from the late 1940s onwards, Upper Hutt's population exploded as people moved from the crowded hustle and bustle of inner-city Wellington into a more secluded yet sprawling Hutt Valley. In 1950, Trentham Memorial Park was created with an area of almost 50 hectares. Upper Hutt continued to grow in population and became a city within the Wellington metropolitan area on 2 May 1966 after
944-705: The 1980s. In February 1979 Muhammed Ali came to New Zealand, staying at Upper Hutt. There are twelve historic sites within Upper Hutt included on the Heritage New Zealand list of historic places, including four Category 1 sites, seven Category 2 sites, and one historic area. The historic area, the Remutaka Incline Rail Trail , crosses into part of neighbouring South Wairarapa District . The Upper Hutt city centre lies approximately 26 km north-east of Wellington. While
1003-656: The 8.8 km Rimutaka Tunnel opened, bypassing the Remutaka Incline and most of the existing line between Upper Hutt and Featherston, and reducing the time between the two from 2.5 hours to just 40 minutes. Cannon Point Walkway The Cannon Point Walkway is a hiking trail in the Akatarawa Forest on the western side of the Hutt Valley in the North Island of New Zealand. The walkway
1062-503: The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. In November 1987, the company laid off around 120 of its 500 workers citing deregulation of the tyre industry that had led to reductions in the tariffs imposed on imported tyres. In June 2008, the company announced that the plant would be closing within 8 months. In 2008, a 20.2 hectares (50 acres) site including the former tyre factory was purchased by property developer Malcolm Gillies, with
1121-592: The Government Statistician certified that the population had reached 20 000, allowing the Town Clerk to make an application for city status. On 9 April 1976, Upper Hutt became the first area in New Zealand to implement subscriber toll dialling (STD) , allowing telephone subscribers to make national calls without operator assistance. Residential subdivision in areas such as Clouston Park, Maoribank, Tōtara Park and Kingsley Heights continued into
1180-809: The New Zealand Company and following that, the Crown (after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840), with local Māori regarding the land in Upper Hutt were flawed including not transacting with all the iwi that had claims on the land. Disputes arose and there were skirmishes and warfare in the Hutt Valley in 1846 between troops under Governor George Grey and Māori including chiefs Te Rauparaha , Te Rangihaeata , Te Mamaku and iwi including Ngāti Toa , Ngāti Rangatahi , Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi. Richard Barton , who settled at Trentham in 1841 in
1239-588: The Upper Hutt City Council, cost $ 3.5m and features a coffee bar, public toilets and an upgraded ticket office featuring real-time information of arrivals and departures of trains in a larger waiting room than the 1955 building. In July 1955, the electrification of the railway line from Wellington to Upper Hutt was completed, allowing fast electric multiple unit trains to replace steam- and diesel-electric-hauled carriage trains. Later in November,
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#17327803871091298-481: The Wairarapa being funnelled down the two-lane Fergusson Drive and mixing with local traffic through Silverstream and Trentham. With the central government reluctant to fund any road improvements in the area, the Upper Hutt City Council commissioned the construction of a two-laned high-speed bypass along the banks of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River from the Taitā Gorge in the south to Māoribank in the north. River Road, as
1357-481: The area now known as Trentham Memorial Park , was the first European resident. Barton subsequently subdivided his land and set aside a large area that was turned into parkland. James Brown settled in the area that became the Upper Hutt town in 1848. Having divided the land into 100 acre block, the settlers set about clearing the land of its indigenous forest and turning it into farmland. Sawmillers milled larger trees, such as Totara, for building materials and burned off
1416-416: The bridge in November 1953 and subsequently removed the deck, leaving only the substructure that carried the Upper Hutt water supply and other services. In October 1998 another flood so damaged the remaining piers and structure of this 1880s vintage bridge that it needed to be demolished. There is now little physical evidence to show where this bridge crossed the Hutt River other than power lines that align with
1475-422: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 6,321 (18.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 18,645 (53.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 7,761 (22.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 48,200, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 5,262 people (15.2%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
1534-422: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 6,804 (18.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 20,001 (54.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,130 (22.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 48,600, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 5,823 people (15.8%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
1593-589: The council announced that it had asked a road contractor to build an access road from Tōtara Park along the route of the Hutt River Trail on the western side of the Hutt River. Around 1980, a two lane concrete bridge was built immediately upstream of the Akatarawa Road concrete bridge built in 1917 and because that bridge was no longer safe to use it was demolished. The remains of this first concrete bridge's piers and abutments can still be seen in
1652-478: The council. This decision was made as to ensure the maintenance of the significant rural character and amenity in the Mangaroa Valley. In 1945, Dunlop was granted a government licence to manufacture tyres. A site in Upper Hutt was purchased for a factory, and the first Dunlop tyres were produced on 11 March 1949. South Pacific Tyres was subsequently formed as a joint venture between Pacific Dunlop and
1711-487: The hill. The fallen tree was said to look like a cannon when viewed from below. The area was part of Valley View Station, and the steep zig-zag track to the summit was originally cut by the farm owners for access on foot and horseback. The road ends are at Bridge Road, Birchville and Tulsa Reserve in Tōtara Park . The route from Bridge Road follows the path of a former water supply pipeline upstream along Clarke's Creek to
1770-433: The historic Birchville Dam . From the dam there is a steep ascent to the ridgeline and then along to the Cannon Point trig at 341 metres (1,119 ft) elevation. From the trig there are panoramic views of the Hutt Valley. The loop is completed by a walk along the banks of the Hutt River between the two road ends. On Sunday 9 October 1932, a "mystery" railway excursion to Upper Hutt attracted 800 people, many of whom took
1829-501: The housing developments along Akatarawa Road and Gemstone Drive between State Highway 2 and the Akatarawa Cemetery. Europeans first explored this area in 1840. On 4th (or 5th) August that year, a party of 5, led by Ernst Diffenbach , using a punt to travel up-river, had reached the Akatarawa River junction. The party appears to have stopped on the riverbank to brew tea before continuing up the Akatarawa River. The locality
Birchville - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-526: The intention of turning it into an industrial park. The subsequent development of the site has focussed on craft brewing and the area has been branded as Brewtown . State Highway 2 is the principal highway through Upper Hutt, connecting with Lower Hutt and Wellington 's motorway system to the south, and the Wairarapa region via the Remutaka Hill Road to the north. Fergusson Drive
1947-639: The main areas of urban development lie along the Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River valley floor, the city extends to the top of the Remutaka Pass to the north-east and into the Akatarawa Valley and rough hill-country of the Akatarawa ranges to the north and north-west, almost reaching the Kāpiti Coast close to Paekākāriki . Upper Hutt is in the bed of an ancient river flood plain and as such
2006-518: The mid-1920s, when the Commissioner of Crown Lands offered week-end cottage sections on the banks of the Hutt River for sale or lease. Other land owners also subdivided their land on the opposite river bank, when the sections in the original subdivision all sold and many were built on. These subdividers noted that Birchville was a popular week-end holiday resort. When the Parkdale subdivision
2065-628: The opportunity to complete a hike of around 10 miles (16 km) from the Akatarawa picnic grounds to the lookout at Cannon Point. A 1.7-kilometre-long (1.1 mi) zig-zag portion of the track from Tulsa Park up to the Cannon Point trig crosses private land, and was closed by the landowner in December 2017 after a dispute between the landowner and the Upper Hutt City Council . Access was restored in August 2018. A new bridge at
2124-438: The pier footing moving in the river bed and slumping down. The deck spans dropped 1 to 2 metres at the centre, leaving them precariously balanced on the centre pier. As at 31 October 2015 the Upper Hutt City Council had not determined the cause of the failure, but it indicated that the bridge would probably need to be replaced and this would probably take several months to a year to happen. To provide emergency access to residents,
2183-649: The remaining scrub and underbrush. Alarmed by unrest in Taranaki and sightings of local Māori bearing arms, settlers in the Hutt Valley lobbied for the construction of fortifications in Upper and Lower Hutt. The government and the military responded by constructing 2 stockades in the Hutt Valley in 1860. While the stockade in Upper Hutt was manned for 6 months, the threat of hostilities soon passed and neither installation ever saw hostile action. The railway line from Wellington reached Upper Hutt on 1 February 1876. The line
2242-408: The replacement bridge opened on 11 December 1954. The replacement bridge across the Akatarawa River had two pre-stressed concrete deck spans supported on the single concrete pier of the original wooden bridge in the middle of the stream. This bridge has a name plate calling it Andrews Bridge . On 29 October 2015, the centre pier of Andrews Bridge suffered a failure during a flood. This resulted in
2301-551: The riverbed and on the river banks today. Stop Banks were also constructed north of the new bridge to prevent flooding of the Parkdale subdivision that was being developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Hutt River Trail now provides formal walking paths for tourist and residents along both banks of the river from Totara Park to the Akatarawa Stream. In places, the remains of the old waterworks can be seen beside
2360-550: The road became known, opened in 1987. It promptly ran at full capacity and, after several serious accidents that were a legacy of its origins, it was enlarged and re-engineered to cope with the growing traffic volume. Today, River Road is a median-divided 2+1 road from the Taitā Gorge to Tōtara Park, with two-laned undivided sections over the Moonshine Bridge and from Tōtara Park to Maoribank. State Highway 58 , while only briefly in Upper Hutt itself, intersects with SH 2
2419-600: The road up the Akatarawa Valley. In 1880, the Hutt County Council accepted tenders to build two wooden bridges across the Hutt and Akatarawa Rivers and subsequently cut a bridle track to Waikanae. A water-colour by Christopher Aubrey of the Akatarawa Valley painted in 1890 shows these "black bridges" and the Akatarawa Road as it then was. During the 1890s the Black Bridge Mill was established between
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2478-420: The state of these wooden bridges deteriorated so much that they eventually had to be closed to vehicle traffic for safety reasons. While they were officially restricted to pedestrian traffic, some motorists still attempted to use the bridges. While the Hutt County Council decided to replace the bridge over the Akatarawa River, it chose not to repair the main wooden bridge over the Hutt River and instead chose close
2537-444: The summer and much colder in the winter. It is not uncommon in summer for temperatures to reach the mid-30s Celsius (+/- 95 °F), and in winter, the temperature to drop to as low as −5 °C (about 23 °F) with regular and often heavy frost . Snow generally doesn't fall below 300 m, but in 2011 Upper Hutt sea level snow occurred twice, as part of 2011 New Zealand snowstorms . On 25 July and again between 14 and 16 August, which
2596-520: The time the first colonial settlers arrived the area was part of the Te Āti awa rohe . Orongomai Marae is to the south of the modern city centre. In 1839, the English colonising company, The New Zealand Company made a purchase from Māori chiefs of about 160,000 acres of land in the Wellington region including Upper Hutt. The Hutt Valley is named after one of the founders of this company. Dealings from
2655-536: The traffic loads. In December 1939, flooding of the Hutt River washed away one mid-channel pier of the concrete bridge as well as causing damage to the deck of the Black Bridge near the Akatarawa Store. While the pier on the concrete bridge was replaced, the wooden bridges were redecked and pressed into service to provide an alternative route for Akatarawa Road traffic. However, over the next few years
2714-746: The trail in some places. Also, the Cannon Point Walkway track, which passes the Birchville Dam, can be accessed from the river trail at the end of Bridge Road. North-east of the Akatarawa Road bridge, the river trail extends on both banks but there is no crossing available upstream. At Twin Bridges Park, near the Akatarawa Road Bridge and Andrews Bridge, is the Birchville Picnic Area, which has
2773-570: The two bridges. The mill was served by a bush tramway. During 1914 the Upper Hutt Borough Council purchased an area of land to supply water for Upper Hutt. Then, in the early 1930s, the Birchville Dam was built for the Upper Hutt Borough Council. About 1915, Hutt County Council proposed building a concrete bridge across the Hutt River just north of the Akatarawa Stream because the wooden bridges could no longer carry
2832-588: Was added to the city. When the Hutt County Council was abolished on 1 November 1988, the city took over administration of the Heretaunga/Pinehaven ward, which was incorporated into the city on 1 November 1989 when the Heretaunga/Pinehaven Community Council was abolished. Today, Upper Hutt City falls entirely within the boundaries of the Remutaka electorate, currently held by Labour's Chris Hipkins . Upper Hutt
2891-490: Was developed during the 1970s, confusion arose over what was the appropriate name for the suburb should be. In 1982, the New Zealand Geographic Board clarified that Birchville, rather than Parkdale, Rivervale, Akatarawa, or Gillespies Road was the official locality name. The Upper Hutt City Council again affirmed, during the first decade of the 21st century, that the suburb of Birchville included all
2950-625: Was extended to Kaitoke at the top end of the valley, reaching there on 1 January 1878. The line continued over the Remutaka Ranges to Featherston in the Wairarapa as a Fell railway , opening on 12 October 1878. Upper Hutt in 1897 was recorded in the Cyclopedia of New Zealand. By the beginning of March 1914, the area of Upper Hutt controlled by the Upper Hutt Town Board had its own water supply. The supply capacity
3009-666: Was first settled in the late 19th century. In the mid-1860s the Wellington Provincial Government proposed building a road and/or railway line between what was then called Mungaroa in the Upper Hutt Valley and Waikanae , to overcome the difficult route of the Paekakariki Hill Road. Lands in the Akatarawa Valley were put up for sale and a line of road had been surveyed by 1878. Over the next couple of years work proceeded in driving
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#17327803871093068-537: Was increased when the Birchville Dam was built in 1930. On the evening of 28 March 1914, fire broke out at the Benge and Pratt store in Main Street. An explosion killed 8 of the volunteers fighting the fire and destroyed the building. For many years, Upper Hutt was a rural service town, supporting the surrounding rural farming and forestry community. Serious urbanisation of the upper Hutt Valley only started around
3127-466: Was prone to flooding. In the 1970s and 1980s, a stop bank was built alongside the eastern side of the river from northern Upper Hutt to the mouth of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River in Lower Hutt to prevent further flooding. Centred on the upper (northern) valley of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River , which flows north-east to south-west on its way to Wellington harbour, the flat land widens briefly into
3186-517: Was represented by the Heretaunga electorate prior to the introduction of MMP in 1996, when the seat was merged with Eastern Hutt to form Remutaka. Upper Hutt City's territory covers 539.88 km (208.45 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 47,900 as of June 2024, with a population density of 89 people per km . Upper Hutt City had a population of 45,759 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 1,779 people (4.0%) since
3245-557: Was spoken by 96.4%, Māori language by 3.5%, Samoan by 1.7% and other languages by 13.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.5, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 33.6% Christian , 3.0% Hindu , 0.6% Islam , 0.9% Māori religious beliefs , 0.8% Buddhist , 0.6% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.7%, and 6.7% of people did not answer
3304-557: Was spoken by 96.6%, Māori language by 3.4%, Samoan by 1.7% and other languages by 12.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.3, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 33.3% Christian , 2.8% Hindu , 0.6% Islam , 0.9% Māori religious beliefs , 0.8% Buddhist , 0.6% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 52.2%, and 6.8% of people did not answer
3363-430: Was that 19,119 (55.3%) people were employed full-time, 3,945 (11.4%) were part-time, and 915 (2.6%) were unemployed. The main suburbs of Upper Hutt, from north-east to south-west, include: Developments in the area include Mount Timbale Marua , Marua Downs , Waitoka Estate , Wallaceville Estate , and Riverstone Terraces . A development called The Lanes was proposed but rejected by the Lanes Commissioners appointed by
3422-420: Was that 20,517 (55.5%) people were employed full-time, 4,293 (11.6%) were part-time, and 942 (2.5%) were unemployed. The urban area of Upper Hutt covers 51.16 km (19.75 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 45,000 as of June 2024, with a population density of 880 people per km . Upper Hutt had a population of 42,903 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 1,602 people (3.9%) since
3481-500: Was the heaviest blizzard in Upper Hutt since 1976 and came as a great novelty to residents. Upper Hutt receives about 1400 mm of rain per year. At 17.5 °C on average, February is the warmest month, while July is the coldest at 8.5 °C. Upper Hutt City Council administers the city with its surrounding rural areas, parks and reserves. Its area is 540 km , the third-largest area of city council in New Zealand, after Dunedin and Auckland . New Zealand local authorities with
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