Wainuiomata

Wainuiomata () is a large dormitory suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington metropolitan area in New Zealand. Its population was estimated as being as of with a density of 1,600 people per km2. European settlement of Wainuiomata began in the 1850s with timber-felling and farming and began to grow in the 1920s. After World War 2 there was rapid population expansion, with Wainuiomata earning the nickname 'Nappy Valley' because of the large number of families with young children. From the late 1980s the economy slowed and the population decreased, but since about 2020 there has been a housing boom and corresponding increase in population. Wainuiomata is noted for being the origin of New Zealand's kōhanga reo (Māori-language immersion preschool) movement.

Origin of name The word 'Wainui-o-mata' is a Māori name made up of the words Wai = water, Nui = big, O = of, and Mata – which could refer to a woman's name. The origins of the word are disputed, but one commonly accepted translation refers to the women who came over the Wainuiomata Hill to evade marauding tribes from the north, and who sat wailing by the stream after the slaughter of their menfolk. From this we have 'faces streaming with water' or 'tears' although it could equally refer to the large pools of water which lay over the swampy surface (face) of the northern end of the Valley, or the river itself which is known to flood the Wainui (Coast Road) valley.

The town is often abbreviated to Wainui by locals.

History Wainuiomata occupies a basin at the headwaters of the Wainuiomata River, between the eastern Hutt hills and the Ōrongorongo Range. There are conflicting reports about the evidence of Māori occupation of the basin prior to European settlement. One source says there is evidence Māori were in Wainuiomata from the moa-hunting period and the iwi Rangitāne, Ngāti Ira and Kahungunu were all settled there. The earliest European settlements grew up around the river, where timber mills supplied the Wellington region when the demand was great in the 1850s and '60s. Today this area is known as "The Village" or "Homedale". In the 1850s Sir William Fitzherbert started a flax-milling business in the north of the valley,Carey. Page 110. but this proved economically unviable. The isolated location of Wainuiomata proved a problem for early settlers. Narrow hill routes into the settlement were the only access during the 1850s and 1860s. By the end of the 19th century there were two roads in the valley: Main Road and Fitzherbert Road (known locally as "Swamp Road").Carey. p. 107.

In 1866 the Methodist Wainuiomata Coast Road Church was built on land donated by settler Richard Prouse. The oldest Methodist church and the third-oldest church in the Wellington region, it was used for regular services until the congregation outgrew it and moved to the new St Stephens Church in 1958.

With the clearing of the forests, sheep- and dairy-farming became an important part of the local economy. The settlement started to grow in the 1920s.

In 1928 Wainui-o-Mata Development Limited formed for the purpose of developing the Wainuiomata Valley through the acquisition of 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) of land, its subdivision and its sale as residential lots. An important part of the project involved the construction of the Wainuiomata Tunnel which would link the Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata Valley and improve access to the new settlement. Construction of the tunnel commenced in 1932, but the Depression brought a halt to construction, with many investors in the company losing money. The tunnel was never completed.

After World War II ended in 1945, major growth occurred due to affordable housing developments attracting many young couples, which transformed Wainuiomata into a working-class community. This influx of young families earned the community the nickname of "Nappy Valley" in the 1950s. In 1965, the local member of Parliament urged construction of more schools, noting that there were 2500-3000 children under school age in Wainuiomata and 500 or 600 more were being born each year. The large population of children saw many schools built: Glendale School (1958), Fernlea School (1963), Wainuiomata College (1963), Wood Hatton School (1964), Arakura School (1965), Pencarrow School (1966), Wainuiomata Intermediate (1968), Parkway School (1969), Parkway Intermediate (1970), Parkway College (1972), Sun Valley School (1978). Some of these schools closed in the 2000s as the population had aged and decreased.

New Zealand's first kōhanga reo opened in Wainuiomata in 1982.

Gary McCormick's 1994 documentary series Heartland featured an episode about Wainuiomata. The programme angered many local people because it focussed on negative aspects and ignored many positive things going on in the valley. One resident featured on the programme was Chloe Reeves, who for a time became known as 'Chloe of Wainuiomata'.

In April 2009 a Palmerston North hotelier banned all Wainuiomata residents after a series of misdemeanours by visitors from there.

The first series of the television production Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby was shot in the old Wainuiomata College with many local residents as cast members.http://www.listener.co.nz/printable,3904.sm listener.co.nz

In 2022, a study commissioned by Wellington Regional Council and conducted by Jim Lynch, the founder of Zealandia, found that establishing a wildlife sanctuary in the Wainuiomata Water Collection Area was "technically and practically feasible". The name given to the proposed sanctuary is Puketahā.

Geography Wainuiomata is situated in a basin surrounded by hills. The topography reduces local wind-flow, resulting in lower minimum temperatures in winter and higher maximum temperatures in summer than in most other parts of Wellington and the Hutt Valley. The valley floor is 86 m above sea level, and the highest point of the Wainuiomata Hill Road is 195 m above sea level.

Wainuiomata River flows through the southern part of Wainuiomata, draining to the sea at Baring Head to the south. Two major tributaries join Wainuiomata River in the Homedale area: Wainuiomata Stream from Moore's Valley, and Black Creek, from north Wainuiomata. Water is piped from Wainuiomata to supply Wellington City with fresh water.

The Ōrongorongo Valley, accessed via the Wainuiomata Valley, features bush walks and native-forest scenery.

Climate

Demographics Wainuiomata Central Wainuiomata Central statistical area covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.

Wainuiomata Central had a population of 1,920 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 117 people (6.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 240 people (14.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 909 males, 1,002 females, and 9 people of other genders in 687 dwellings. 3.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 37.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 384 people (20.0%) aged under 15 years, 360 (18.8%) aged 15 to 29, 852 (44.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 327 (17.0%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 63.9% European (Pākehā); 27.7% Māori; 15.3% Pasifika; 15.3% Asian; 0.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori by 8.9%, Samoan by 5.2%, and other languages by 13.8%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 24.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 37.3% Christian, 5.3% Hindu, 0.6% Islam, 1.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, and 2.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 44.5%, and 7.2% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 246 (16.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 852 (55.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 438 (28.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $41,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 123 people (8.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 834 (54.3%) full-time, 165 (10.7%) part-time, and 54 (3.5%) unemployed.

Greater Wainuiomata The full suburb of Wainuiomata, comprising the statistical areas of Arakura, Wainuiomata West, Glendale, Wainuiomata Central, Homedale East, Homedale West, and Towai, covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.

Wainuiomata had a population of 18,912 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,005 people (5.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,202 people (13.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 9,405 males, 9,447 females, and 63 people of other genders in 6,381 dwellings. 3.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 34.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 4,107 people (21.7%) aged under 15 years, 3,795 (20.1%) aged 15 to 29, 8,901 (47.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,109 (11.2%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 62.4% European (Pākehā); 30.7% Māori; 16.3% Pasifika; 14.8% Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.7%, Māori by 8.5%, Samoan by 5.4%, and other languages by 12.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 21.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 33.6% Christian, 4.0% Hindu, 0.8% Islam, 1.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, and 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 50.1%, and 6.6% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,538 (17.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 8,385 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 3,882 (26.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $47,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,278 people (8.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 8,613 (58.2%) full-time, 1,569 (10.6%) part-time, and 528 (3.6%) unemployed.

+Individual statistical areasName Area(km2) Population Density(per km2) Dwellings Median age Medianincome Towai 5.02 0 0 0 — $0 Arakura 1.98 2,844 1,451 960 33.3 years $45,600 Wainuiomata West 2.11 3,849 1,824 1,311 34.7 years $49,900 Glendale 3.21 4,452 488 1,407 33.2 years $48,800 Wainuiomata Central 1.26 1,920 1,524 687 37.3 years $41,900 Homedale East 2.93 3,126 1,067 1,068 35.2 years $47,500 Homedale West 1.31 2,721 2.077 945 34.6 years $46,100 New Zealand 38.1 years $41,500

Government Since the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms, Wainuiomata (together with Petone, Eastbourne and Lower Hutt) has been governed by Hutt City Council. The Wainuiomata ward covers the suburb and the surrounding rural area, electing one councillor to the Hutt City Council. Since the 2019 local elections, the ward has been represented by Keri Brown.

At the national level, Wainuiomata falls in the Hutt South general electorate and the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti Māori electorate. Since 2023, Lower Hutt resident and National Party MP Chris Bishop represents Hutt South.

Economy