Whangārei

Building of the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery commenced in 2018 after the funding target of $20.97 million was raised by a volunteer team in time for a June 2017 deadline.[14][15] A container port could follow, linked by rail to Auckland. The extensive, flat undeveloped land around Northport is a suggested solution to excess population growth in Auckland and the associated lack of industrial land.[16]

Whangārei Falls

Mount Parihaka is a volcanic dome rising 259 metres (850 ft) to the northeast of the city centre and part of the Whangārei volcanic field. It is about 20 million years old, and aligns with the Harbour Fault, which also aligns with the volcanoes of Parakiore near Kamo, and Hikurangi near the town of the same name.[17] The dome is surrounded by the Parihaka Scenic Reserve. There is road access to the summit of Parihaka and walking tracks through the reserve,[18] and a bridge linking it to Mair Park. The dome is frequently called Mount Parahaki, but the original Māori spelling of Parihaka was confirmed by the government in 2005.[19]

The Hatea River flows south through the city and empties into Whangārei Harbour. The river has a spectacular 26-metre (85 ft) waterfall in Tikipunga, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of the city.[20]

Matakohe, or Limestone Island, lies in the harbour close to the city. Owned by Whangārei District, it is subject to ecological island restoration by the Friends of Matakohe/Limestone Island Society.

Whangārei Central is the main business district. The city's urban area spreads through the valleys of the surrounding area. The suburbs are:

• Northern: Te Kamo, Springs Flat, Tikipunga, Three Mile Bush, Otangarei, Mairtown, Regent, Kensington and Whau Valley
• Southern/Western: Morningside, Raumanga, Maunu, Horahora, Woodhill, and The Avenues
• Eastern: Riverside, Port Whangārei, Sherwood Rise, Onerahi, and Parahaki.[21]

Whangārei has an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows. Summer days occasionally exceed 30 °C, and there is plentiful rainfall spread relatively evenly throughout the year.[22] Using the Trewartha classification Whangārei is firmly a maritime subtropical climate due to its absence of winter cold.

Whangārei is within the Whangārei electorate and the Te Tai Tokerau Māori electorate. The current MP of the Whangārei electorate is Emily Henderson of the Labour Party. The current MP of the Te Tai Tokerau electorate is Kelvin Davis of the Labour Party.

At a local level, Whangārei comes under the Northland Regional Council, of which the city is the seat.

Whangārei is governed locally by the Whangārei District Council. The city is split into two of the council wards, Denby, which takes the northern suburbs, and Okara, which takes the southern half of the city.

Whangārei is covered by the Northland Police District, which is split into two areas, Whangārei/Kaipara and Mid/Far North.

Judicially, the town is served by the Whangārei District Court and is also the base of the region's only High Court.

Northland Regional Council organises the CityLink bus service. This bus service runs eight urban bus routes,[25] with bicycle racks from 1 October 2018.[26] On 20 November 2019, Whangārei became the first city to use Bee Cards.[27] 2% of arrivals and 3% of departures in the Whangārei Central census area were by public bus in 2018. In other neighbouring census areas, even fewer used buses.[28]

Intercity operates 3 buses a day from Whangārei, taking about 3 hours[29] for the 158 km (98 mi)[30] to Auckland and 1hr 45 mins to Kerikeri.[29]

View of Whangārei railway yard from Porowini Ave in 2012

Whangārei is connected to Auckland and Otiria by the North Auckland line, which carries freight only,[31] the container transfer depot being at 33 Porowini Ave.[32]

Whangārei Railway Station in 2017

The railway station lost its last scheduled passenger service on 15 September 1975,[33] although a "with-car" (goods train with a carriage attached) service lasted until June 1976.[34]

Restoration of the station by its Men's Shed occupant began in 2014[35] and was largely complete by 2020.[36] Its Type C design[37] was protected by a NZHPT Category II listing on 24 March 2006 (List Number 7646). The station was opened by the Minister for Railways, Gordon Coates, on 11 March 1925.[38] Predecessor stations had been opened in 1880 and 1903.[37] The 1880 station was about 500 m (1,600 ft) to the north, near Walton Street.[39]

In 1929, the fastest train took 6 hrs 14 mins from Whangārei to Auckland.[40] From 1956, railcars reduced the journey to 4hrs 10 mins.[41] In 1943, the distance was measured as 129 mi 31 ch (208.2 km).[42]

NorthTec, with its main campus located in the Whangārei suburb of Raumanga, is the chief provider of tertiary education in the Northland Region. It offers degrees, diplomas and certificates in a wide variety of academic, professional and technical fields. The degrees are nationally monitored for quality and so can lead to postgraduate study at universities and other institutions. NorthTec has around 23,000 students studying either part-time or full-time.

The University of Auckland maintains a campus in the city centre. There are also a number of private tertiary educational organisations that provide technical and vocational training.

There are several schools which offer secondary schooling education within the urban area. Most suburbs have their own primary school.

Whangārei Girls' High School

• Whangārei Boys' High School, a boys' secondary school with a roll of 1345[47] (April 2023).
• Whangārei Girls' High School, a girls' secondary school with a roll of 1542[47] (April 2023).

These two secondary schools have a decile rating of 5 and cover years 9–13.[48][49] Both schools opened in 1881.[50][51]

• Kamo High School, which accommodates years 9–13.
• Tikipunga High School, which caters for years 7–13.

Both of these are co-educational secondary schools serving the northern suburbs.

• Huanui College, a private secondary school just out of the urban area in Glenbervie.
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rāwhitiroa. A Māori language immersion school catering for primary and secondary students.

There are two intermediate schools (years 7–8) in the urban area. Several primary schools offer education from years 1–8.

• Whangārei Intermediate is an intermediate (years 7–8) school with a roll of 639.[52]
• Kamo Intermediate is a popular intermediate school serving the northern suburbs.

Primary schools in the urban area include Hurupaki School, Kamo Primary School, Totara Grove School (formerly Kamo East School), Tikipunga Primary School, Otangarei School, Whau Valley School, Whangārei School, a contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of 577,[53] Maunu School, Horahora School, Morningside School, Manaia View School (formerly Raumanga Primary and Raumanga Middle schools, amalgamated), Raurimu Avenue School, and Onerahi School.

Pompallier Catholic College (opened in 1971) is a Catholic state integrated co-educational secondary school (years 7 to 13) with a roll of 560 and a decile ranking of 7, located in the suburb of Maunu. It is the only Catholic secondary school in Northland serving the wider district.

Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School, the city's Catholic primary school, located in the suburb of Whau Valley adjacent to the Catholic Parish.

Christian Renewal School is a composite state integrated co-educational secondary and primary (years 1–13) school with a roll of 201. Around 110 of those students are in high school (years 9–13), as of June 2018.[54] The school was established in 1993 and integrated into the state system in 1997.[55] The secondary half of the school is situated upstairs, and the primary downstairs. The school operates in the Christian Renewal buildings, beside the Renew Church work buildings and auditorium.[56]

Excellere College, a Christian school (years 1–13) located in the northern suburb of Springs Flat. One half of the school is secondary, and the other half is primary. There are 205 students at this school.[57]

The Whangārei Adventist Christian School, located at Whau Valley Road, has been operating for some 50 years and is the second oldest of the independent Christian schools in Whangārei as well. It was formerly called the Whangārei Seventhday Adventist School. Over 30 students attend the school, as of June 2018.[58]

Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre provides education and care to students between the ages of five and twenty-one years,[59] and has a roll of 68.[60] The school operates from five locations, four in Whangārei and one in Kaitaia.[61]

Whangārei is within the Northland District Health Board. The single primary health care organisation (PHO), Te Kaupapa Mahitahi Hauora Papa O Te Raki Trust, commonly known as Mahitahi Hauora, was created in 2019 through a process of coming together with the previous Northland PHOs.[62] Whangārei Hospital (formerly Northland Base Hospital) is Northland DHB's largest and provides secondary specialist care to all of Northland. It has 246 inpatient beds, and is based in the suburb of Horahora.

Mercy Hospital was established in 1963 by the Sisters of Mercy.[63]

Kensington Hospital, opened in March 2001, is a private healthcare facility.

Northpower owns and operates the local electricity distribution network servicing the city, with electricity supplied from Transpower's national grid at the Maungatapere substation southwest of the city. There is very little generation in Northland and Auckland, so most of the city's electricity is transmitted from the Waikato.

Natural gas arrived in Whangārei in 1983, with the completion of the high-pressure pipeline north from Auckland to the city, now operated by First Gas.[64] First Gas also operates the gas distribution network within the city.