Thorndon, New Zealand

Pipitea has been said to have been named for the pipi beds along Thorndon Quay.[2]

Ngāti Mutunga from Taranaki established the fortified village, Pipitea Pā, in 1824 on the Haukawakawa flats. Then the Ngāti Mutunga left on the sailing ship Rodney in 1835 settling in the Chatham Islands and Te Āti Awa occupied the pā. The pā declined after European settlement though some people remained there into the 20th century. There were other villages near 191 Thorndon Quay and near the junction of Hobson Street with Fitzherbert Terrace. The Pā's gardens reached parliament grounds and the Botanic Garden.[2]

Part of the pā site opened in 1980 as an urban marae. The site transferred to Te Āti Awa/Taranaki whānui as part of the local Treaty Settlement in 2009.[2]

Pipitea Marae and its meeting house, Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui, is a meeting place for Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika and Te Āti Awa.[3][4]

Thorndon, like Te Aro, is one of the few comparatively flat areas on the harbour. Haukawakawa / Thorndon flats became a significant part of Port Nicholson's first organised European settlement in 1840. S C Brees described it in 1848 as "the court end of town".[note 1] European settlers built their houses alongside the Maori settlement of Pipitea and the New Zealand Company named all the flats Thorndon after the estate of W H F Petre one of their directors.[5]

Thorndon statistical area covers 1.48 km² (0.57 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of as of June 2023,[6] with a population density of Formatting error: invalid input when rounding people per km².

Thorndon had a population of 4,020 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 333 people (9.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 543 people (15.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,860 households, comprising 1,923 males and 2,097 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female. The median age was 32.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 312 people (7.8%) aged under 15 years, 1,443 (35.9%) aged 15 to 29, 1,833 (45.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 432 (10.7%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 79.0% European/Pākehā, 6.9% Māori, 2.5% Pasifika, 17.2% Asian, and 3.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 36.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 55.1% had no religion, 29.9% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 3.1% were Hindu, 1.3% were Muslim, 1.7% were Buddhist and 3.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,193 (59.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 114 (3.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $52,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 1,281 people (34.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,469 (66.6%) people were employed full-time, 435 (11.7%) were part-time, and 129 (3.5%) were unemployed.[7]

The buildings of the New Zealand Parliament are located in Thorndon. Thorndon is also the location of national institutions including the Appeal and High Courts —the Supreme Court is on Lambton Quay facing Parliament— the National Library and Archives New Zealand.

The national museum moved from behind Parliament in Museum Street to a much larger purpose-built building in Buckle Street just before the second world war then in 1998 to the harbour edge and is now Te Papa Tongarewa.

Thorndon is home to two Cathedrals: the Anglican St Paul's Cathedral built between 1937 and 1998 to replace the pro-cathedral now known as Old St Paul's, which in turn had replaced a church on the site of the Beehive in 1844; and the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral in Hill Street, opened in 1901 to replace the destroyed St Mary's Cathedral in Eccleston Hill dating from 1851.

The Thistle Inn is one of New Zealand's oldest pubs.[8]

Thorndon 1880s from a Kaiwarra tunnel

Thorndon occupies the northern end of the narrow coastal plain that makes up the heart of Wellington. It is flanked to the north by the green hills of Wadestown, by Northland and Kelburn to the west and south, and on its south Pipitea with the Government Centre, the marae and to its east the port facilities of Wellington Harbour. Thorndon now incorporates Te Ahumairangi Hill.

The boundaries of Thorndon form a very rough triangle. Starting from the triangle's lower south-west corner, at the intersection of Glenmore Street and Collins Terrace, the boundary goes up through the north side of Te Ahumairangi Hill right across to Wadestown's Weld Street and down to the north end of Frandi Street. Then the boundary follows the west side of Thorndon Quay down until Davis Street where it zig-zags through to Hill Street then over to Bowen Street, Tinakori Road and Glenmore Street up to its junction with Collins Terrace.

Queen's Park was created to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. It is bounded by Grant Road, Wadestown Road and Park Road. There is a fountain at the intersection of Grant Road and Wadestown Road.[9] Trees in the park are a mixture of natives and exotics including a stand of oak trees.[10] The Magyar Millenium Park, commonly known as the Hungarian garden, is on the corner of Molesworth Street and Hawkestone Street. It was built in 2003, although it was planned to be opened in 2000 to mark the millennium of Hungary being a Christian state.[11] It is the only Hungarian monument in New Zealand.[12] It incorporates a paved area, seating, planted garden beds, a carved gate and memorial plaques.[11] The Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park in Fitzherbert Terrace is dedicated to the writer Katherine Mansfield. It was created in the late 1960s when the urban motorway was built and incorporates the Lady McKenzie Garden for the Blind.[13][14][15]

Schools located in Thorndon include Wellington Girls' College, St Mary's College, Queen Margaret College and primary schools Thorndon School and Sacred Heart Cathedral School.[16]

The Central Regional Health School, a hospital school, is located in Thorndon.[17][18] It has a roll of 20 as of April 2023.[19]

Farmers' market in the St Paul's Cathedral car park, Hill St.

Cruise ships Noordam and The World by the Stadium

Thorndon Farmers Market is set up each Saturday in Hill Street.

The Thorndon Fair is held annually, usually on the first Sunday of December. The fair has many stalls selling crafts and second-hand goods and is held for the benefit of Thorndon School. It has taken place for many years and is one of the main community events held in Thorndon. Parts of Tinakori Road and Hill Street are closed during the fair.

Thorndon's Sky Stadium is one of New Zealand's top sports venues. The Thorndon Tennis (and Squash) Club, established in the 19th century, is one of the oldest in the world.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thorndon, New Zealand.

• Archives New Zealand
• National Library
• Thorndon History by Jeremy Lowe