Churton Park

Churton Park is a suburb 1.5 km north of Johnsonville in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It was established in the 1970s.[2]

Churton Park
Suburb
View over Churton Park
View over Churton Park
Churton Park is located in New Zealand Wellington
Churton Park
Churton Park
Coordinates: 41°12′30″S 174°48′29″E
CountryNew Zealand
CityWellington City
Local authorityWellington City Council
Electoral ward
Area
 • Land596 ha (1,473 acres)
Population
 (June 2022)[1]
 • Total7,830
Redwood and Tawa
Ohariu
Churton Park
 Grenada Village
Johnsonville
Churton Park in December 1970
Churton Park after the 2011 snowfall

The suburb includes Churton Park Reserve which includes a recreational sports field, two primary schools and a kindergarten. The Churton Park Community Centre, which is managed and staffed by Wellington City Council, is also located in the Village.

History

Churton Park is one of the youngest suburbs in Wellington and was farmland until 1970.[3] In the 1850s Thomas Drake was running 200 sheep in what is now Churton Park.[4]

The suburb was developed by "John Dick Walker" (1926-1981).[5] It was named after Jock Churton;[6] Churton was a director of Fletchers which undertook a number of development projects in the 1960s and 1970s.[6][7]

The area of Churton Park near current Lakewood Avenue was originally a swamp[3] and has been recently developed into residential housing and a commercial shopping centre.[8] Since being established, it is one of the fasted growing subdivisions in Wellington, with the population expected to grow to over 12,000 over the next two decades.[9]

In 2018, Wellington City Council purchased the 268 Ohariu Valley Rd property adding much of the ridge line overlooking Churton Park (from Ohariu Valley Rd to west of the Erlestoke Cres cul-de-sac) to the Outer Green Belt[10]

Geography

The topography is quite hilly and has regenerating bush in some areas that has not been excavated for housing sub-divisions. Steep hills extend west over to Ohariu Valley. Extensive cut and fill earthworks have been required in the construction of the subdivisions for housing.

Weather

The micro-climate is only slightly different from that of Johnsonville, but is warmer and less windy than Wellington due to being sheltered from the southerly winds that come from the Cook Strait. It rarely snows, but during winter 2011 snowfalls briefly shut down buses and closed roads, causing some students and workers to stay home for a few days.

Demographics

Churton Park, comprising the statistical areas of Churton Park North and Churton Park South, covers 5.96 km2 (2.30 sq mi).[11] It had an estimated population of 7,830 as of June 2022, with a population density of 1,314 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20065,853—    
20136,519+1.55%
20187,254+2.16%
Source: [12]

Churton Park had a population of 7,254 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 735 people (11.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,401 people (23.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 2,409 households, comprising 3,522 males and 3,735 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.94 males per female, with 1,587 people (21.9%) aged under 15 years, 1,218 (16.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,696 (51.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 759 (10.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 59.2% European/Pākehā, 5.0% Māori, 2.4% Pasifika, 37.8% Asian, and 2.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 41.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.2% had no religion, 36.1% were Christian, 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 6.7% were Hindu, 1.8% were Muslim, 2.9% were Buddhist and 1.6% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,448 (43.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 408 (7.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 1,983 people (35.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,222 (56.9%) people were employed full-time, 756 (13.3%) were part-time, and 180 (3.2%) were unemployed.[12]

Individual statistical areas
NameArea
(km2)		PopulationDensity
(per km2)		HouseholdsMedian ageMedian
income
Churton Park North4.713,8588191,22137.5 years$50,000[13]
Churton Park South1.253,3962,7171,18837.2 years$48,700[14]
New Zealand37.4 years$31,800
Semi panoramic image from the surrounding hills of Churton Park

Education
Churton Park School

School enrollment zones

Churton Park is within the enrollment zones for Onslow College, Newlands College, St Oran's College, Raroa Normal Intermediate Amesbury School, and Churton Park School.[15]

Amesbury School

Primary schools

Churton Park has two state primary schools that cater for pupils up to Year 6. Churton Park School on Churton Drive is an established school, and the roll has rapidly increased over the years. To accommodate these increases, there were many renovations to the buildings between 1997 and 2007. In 2006, and even more major renovations from 2019–2023, to help manage roll growth, the School Board proposed an amendment to the zoning policy/area. This was heatedly debated in the community as the proposal would have removed several long-standing streets from the Zone. The associated community concern, protest action and lobbying by the Campaign for Local Schooling and parent feedback resulted in the announcement by the Ministry of Education in 2007 that a new, larger, school site would be developed in the area.[16] On 17 March 2009, Minister of Education Anne Tolley announced that a second primary school would be built in the area instead.[17]

Amesbury School on Amesbury Drive opened at the start of 2012. It has over 80 pupils and is growing. The Amesbury Hall at the school was opened in May by Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown. The construction of the hall was funded in part by the proceeds from the sale of part of the school site (which was held as a Reserve) by WCC to the Ministry of Education. The Amesbury Hall is available for community use.

Preschool

There is a little school on Melksham Drive off Westchester Drive and a kindergarten next to Churton Park School.

Mining

There are historic gold mining shafts in the area. Tawa Flats All Luck Gold Mining Company shafts of 1881 included one now buried beneath Erlestoke Crescent.[18][19]

Public Transport
Bus stop in Churton Park

The suburb consists of two routes operated by Tranzurban. The Route 1 connects Churton Park to Johnsonville, the city centre, Newtown and Island Bay. The Route 19 acts as a Johnsonville loop. A separate service along Middleton Road connects Johnsonville to Tawa and Porirua.

A 2017 report said that a proposed commuter railway station near Churton Park on the Kapiti Line (and actually in Glenside) was too expensive.[20]

References
  1. "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. Burgess, Dave (9 June 2009). "New school for 'forgotten suburb'". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  3. Romanos, Joseph (5 April 2013). "The heart of Churton Park". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  4. Bremner, Julie (1983). Wellington’s Northern Suburbs 1840-1918. Wellington: Millwood Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-908582-59-5.
  5. Memorial plaque at lower entrance to John Walker Park.
  6. Churton, Memé (2012). Memé: the three worlds of an Italian-Chinese New Zealander. Auckland: David Ling. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-877378-70-6.
  7. "Jock Churton". The Fletcher Trust Archive Collection Online. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  8. "Churton Park Village".
  9. "Churton Park directory".
  10. "Draft Outer Green Belt Management Plan, Sector 2 - Wellington City Council" (PDF).
  11. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  12. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Churton Park North (248100) and Churton Park South (248300).
  13. 2018 Census place summary: Churton Park North
  14. 2018 Census place summary: Churton Park South
  15. "eLearning Schools Search".
  16. "New School for Churton Park".
  17. "Media Statement from Minister of Education". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  18. "Glenside community". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  19. "Wellington's Outer Green Belt Management Plan – April 2004, Wellington City Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  20. "Railway station unlikely for Wellington's Churton Park". Papers Past (New Zealand). 16 June 2017.
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