Owairaka

A watercolour of Ōwairaka / Mount Albert and the Waitākere Ranges in the 1840s

Owairaka is the southern portion of the old Mount Roskill borough, bordered in the south by the Oakley Creek and the Southwestern Motorway. The volcanic peak Ōwairaka / Mount Albert is to the north of the suburb. Major roads in the area include New North Road, Richardson Road and Owairaka Avenue.

Owairaka Avenue in the 1920s, when the area was predominantly rural

Ōwairaka is a name for the volcanic hill Ōwairaka / Mount Albert. The name refers to Wairaka, an early Māori ancestor, who was the daughter of Toroa, the captain of the Mātaatua voyaging waka.[3] Wairaka fled to Auckland to escape an unwanted marriage, and established her people on the volcano.[3]

During the early 18th century, the Auckland isthmus was heavily populated by the Waiohua confederation of tribes. Ōwairaka / Mount Albert was the western-most hill-top pā of Waiohua and had extensive terraces and cultivations, although not as many as Maungakiekie or Maungawhau to the east.[3] After a conflict between Waiohua and Ngāti Whātua in the mid-18th century, the area became part of the rohe of Ngāti Whātua. Ngāti Whātua had a much smaller population than the Waiohua, and seaside areas were preferred places to live. Because of this, much of the area fell into disuse.[3]

On 29 June 1841, Owairaka was sold to the Crown by Ngāti Whātua, as a part of a 12,000 acre section.[4] The terrain of the area was rough, meaning the area saw slower development compared to other parts of the Auckland isthmus.[5] 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.[6] 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.[6]

On 10 September 1929, the first school opened in the area. Known as Richardson Road School, the name was changed to Owairaka School in 1930 after a petition by school parents.[7]

In the early 20th century, trams drove suburban growth along New North Road. While most of the other suburbs along New North Road received tram stations in the 1910s, it took until 1936 until the Owairaka tram terminus was opened.[8] From the late 1930s, state housing projects began to populate the Owairaka area, and by 1940s the suburb was a mis of rural areas and suburban housing.[9]

In 1943, the Owairaka Athletic Club was established at Anderson Park, before moving to the Lovelock Track in Mount Roskill in 1961.[10][11] During the 1960s the club came to prominence in middle- and long-distance running under coach Arthur Lydiard,[12] producing international and national champions including Murray Halberg[13] and the New Zealand Athlete of the Century, Peter Snell.[14]

Owairaka became a centre for Māori and Pasifika communities in the 1970s, after gentrification caused families to move from Auckland's central suburbs.[15] During the 1990s and 2000s, the area developed as a centre for the Chinese and Somali communities.[16][17]

Owairaka covers 1.32 km² (0.51 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 6,030 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 4,568 people per km².

Owairaka had a population of 5,268 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 318 people (6.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 327 people (6.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,665 households, comprising 2,742 males and 2,520 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female, with 1,041 people (19.8%) aged under 15 years, 1,365 (25.9%) aged 15 to 29, 2,442 (46.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 423 (8.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 39.7% European/Pākehā, 8.9% Māori, 18.3% Pacific peoples, 39.2% Asian, and 6.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 47.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 38.3% had no religion, 35.6% were Christian, 0.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 8.5% were Hindu, 7.1% were Muslim, 2.3% were Buddhist and 3.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,452 (34.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 495 (11.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 663 people (15.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,214 (52.4%) people were employed full-time, 579 (13.7%) were part-time, and 225 (5.3%) were unemployed.[18]

Marist Saints facing the Te Atatu Roosters at Murray Halberg Park

Te Whitinga Footbridge

• Anderson Park, the home of the Mount Albert-Ponsonby association football club.[21]
• Murray Halberg Park, the home of rugby league club Marist Saints and the Owairaka Sea Scouts.
• Ōwairaka Community Hub, a community club which closed in 2022.[22]
• Owairaka Park, home to the Owairaka Athletic Club
• Te Whitinga Footbridge (formerly known as the Hendon Footbridge), a bridge across the Southwestern Motorway that opened in 2017, connecting Kukuwai Park in Owairaka to the suburb of New Windsor to the south-west.[23][24]

Ōwairaka District School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of 369 as of April 2023.[25][26] The local state secondary school is Mount Albert Grammar School.

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.[6] In 1911, the board became the Mount Albert Borough, who elected a mayor.[27] In 1978, Mount Albert became a city,[28] and in 1989 it was absorbed into Auckland City.[29] In November 2010, all cities and districts of the Auckland Region were amalgamated into a single body, governed by the Auckland Council.[30]

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

• 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.

• Photographs of Owairaka held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.