Kingsland, New Zealand

Plan of Kingsland, New North Road, for sale by auction on Monday 30 March 1885

Kingsland cricket ground in flood in 1907 (present-day location of Eden Park)

Eden Park Stadium as seen from the summit of Mount Eden.

Much of the Kingsland area was originally swampland, and known to Tāmaki Māori as Ngā Anawai, referring to the water-filled lava-flow caves that formed in the area. The lava caves were created by Maungawhau / Mount Eden and Mount Albert over 30,000 years ago.[4][5]

The origins of Kingsland are linked to the European settlement of Auckland. In 1835, Thomas Mitchell, a Sydney trader, purchased land from Āpihai Te Kawau, rangatira (chief) of the local Māori tribe, Ngāti Whātua, for £160, in a transaction which the Lands Claim Commission later disallowed. In 1841, Te Kawau gifted 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) to the colonial government and Auckland began to take shape as a city.[6] Land continued to be bought and sold, and in 1852 John McElwain purchased 55 acres (22 ha) for the purpose of farming and received the adjoining 60 acres (24 ha) from his brother George in what is present-day Kingsland.[6] Cabbage Tree Swamp Road was one of the original streets in the area, but the settlers of Mt Albert, Morningside and Kingsland appealed for a change of name, and it became Kingsland Road in 1877.[6][7]

The terrain of the area was rough, meaning the area saw slower development compared to other parts of the Auckland isthmus.[8] In the 1860s, New North Road was established as road access for the area and as an alternative to the Great North Road to the north.[9] In October 1866, the Mt Albert District Highway Board, the first local government in the area, was formed to administer New North Road and surrounding areas.[9] A tollbooth in modern-day Kingsland was established on the corner of New North Road and Cabbage Tree Swamp Road (modern-day Sandringham Road), which operated from 1875 until 1888.[10]

Kingsland railway station opened on 29 March 1880, spurring suburban growth in the area.[10] The city of Auckland experienced significant growth in population in the latter 19th century, putting pressure on the areas closest to the city. That population growth combined with the establishment of rail and bus connections into the city by the early 1880s created excellent conditions for John McElwain to subdivide his farm.[11] In 1882, 227 allotments were laid out. Kingsland Avenue — along with First, Second, Third and Fourth Avenues — provided road access to the properties. Prices for sections in the subdivision ranged from £28 to £100.[12] In addition to McElwain's Kingsland Estate, other suburban housing estates developed in the Kingsland area, including the Randersvyl Estate and Roganville.[7]

A second wave of growth occurred in the early 1900s, then the Auckland tramline reached Kingsland in 1903.[13] The community was centred around Arthur W. Page's general store on New North Road,[7] which was soon joined by multiple new shops.[13] New housing estates including Hirstleigh, Leith Hall and Melvia subdivided more land around Kingsland into suburban homes,[13] and by the 1910s ingsland had developed into a working class commuter suburb of Auckland.[14]

A. W. Page and his brother, builder Charles H. Page, extended his store in 1913 and 1914, and constructed the Portland Building.[15] A new post office was built in Kingsland in 1912, joined by St George's Anglican Church in 1913 and a cinema, the Theatre Royal, in 1915.[15] Eden Park became a major sporting venue for cricket and rugby in the 1910s and 1920s, but was plagued by regular drainage issues.[4]

In 1938, 84 residents of Kingsland launched an unsuccessful petition to change the suburb's name to Beverly Hills, citing the poor reputation of the name Kingsland.[16]

The Kingsland commercial village flourished in the 1950s and 1960s,[17] and by the 1970s the suburb had becoming a centre for Urban Māori and Pasifika communities, due to the gentrification of the inner city suburbs close to the Auckland city centre.[18] During this period, Kingsland became one of the densest populated suburbs in Auckland, known for overcrowded houses in disrepair.[19] The Northwestern Motorway was cut through in the 1970s, severing the cross streets that linked Kingsland to Surrey Crescent and Arch Hill, leaving Bond St as the sole direct connection to these suburbs. In 1997, Kog Transmissions, a large recording studio and independent label for New Zealand musicians, was established in the suburb.[20] Musicians including Concord Dawn, P-Money and Pitch Black recorded material here, until the studio moved to a new premises in 2010.[20][21]

Kingsland underwent major urban revitalisation in the early 2000s and again in the early 2010s, when Eden Park and the Kingsland railway station were upgraded for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.[20][4]

The statistical area of Kingsland, which includes part of Eden Terrace, covers 0.77 km² (0.30 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 3,410 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 4,429 people per km².

Kingsland had a population of 3,372 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 156 people (4.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 405 people (13.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,131 households, comprising 1,683 males and 1,686 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 31.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 423 people (12.5%) aged under 15 years, 1,119 (33.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,680 (49.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 150 (4.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 76.2% European/Pākehā, 10.9% Māori, 13.6% Pacific peoples, 10.3% Asian, and 3.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 29.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 61.7% had no religion, 26.2% were Christian, 0.4% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.7% were Hindu, 0.7% were Muslim, 1.2% were Buddhist and 3.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,455 (49.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 168 (5.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $49,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 921 people (31.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,001 (67.9%) people were employed full-time, 402 (13.6%) were part-time, and 90 (3.1%) were unemployed.[22]

In October 1866, the Mt Albert District Highway Board, the first local government in the area, was formed to administer New North Road and the surrounding areas.[9] In 1911, the board became the Mount Albert Borough, who elected a mayor.[14] In 1978, Mount Albert became a city,[23] and in 1989 it was absorbed into Auckland City.[24] In November 2010, all cities and districts of the Auckland Region were amalgamated into a single body, governed by the Auckland Council.[25]

Kingsland is a part of the Albert-Eden local board area.[26] The residents of Albert-Eden elect a local board, and two councillors from the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward to sit on the Auckland Council.

Public transportation extended from the inner city to the surrounding areas in the late 1870s and early 1880s with horse-drawn buses being the first mode of regular public transportation in the late 1870s.[35] In 1880, the long-awaited railway came, connecting Newmarket with Helensville with stops in Mt Eden, Kingsland, Morningside and Mt Albert.[36] At the beginning of the 20th century, trams began connecting Mt Eden, Balmoral, Kingsland and Mt Albert with the city. The trams ran for the last time in the 1950s.[37]

Kingsland is well-served by trains and buses, and is only 5 km from Auckland's CBD.[38] The train station is right in the heart of Kingsland village, and trains run regularly into the city and the western suburbs beyond.

The centre of the shopping and business activities in Kingsland is New North Road. By vehicle Kingsland can be accessed from the North Western Motorway (SH16) by taking the St Lukes off-ramp or from the CBD via Bond Street and Great North Road.

Kōwhai Intermediate School is a coeducational intermediate (years 7-8) school with a roll of 650 as of April 2023.[39][40] The local secondary schools are Mount Albert Grammar School, Marist College and St Peter's College.

• Dunsford, Deborah (2016). Mt Albert Then and Now: a History of Mt Albert, Morningside, Kingsland, St Lukes, Sandringham and Owairaka. Auckland: Mount Albert Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-473-36016-0. OCLC 964695277. Wikidata Q117189974.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kingsland, New Zealand.

• Auckland Destinations - Kingsland