Whenuapai
Whenuapai | |
|---|---|
 Whenuapai airbase from the air, looking eastward | |
 | |
| Coordinates:36°47′23″S174°37′49″E/ 36.7898°S 174.6303°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland |
| Local authority | Auckland Council |
| Electoral ward | |
| Local board | |
| Area | |
| • Land | 1,703 ha (4,208 acres) |
| Population (June 2024)[2] | |
| • Total | 6,340 |
| Postcode(s) | 0618 |
| Airports | RNZAF Base Auckland |
| Riverhead | Pāremoremo | Greenhithe |
| Kumeū |
  Whenuapai  |
Hobsonville |
| Westgate | Massey | West Harbour |
Whenuapaiis a suburb andaerodromelocated in northwesternAuckland,in theNorth IslandofNew Zealand.It is located on the shore of theUpper Waitematā Harbour,15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of the landing points for theSouthern Cross telecommunications Cables.
Etymology
[edit]The name Whenuapai was coined by resident Theophilus Wake,[3]aMāori languagename meaning "good land".[4]When Wake settled in the area in 1911, he chose the nameWaimarie,meaning "calm waters". As the settlement grew, Wake applied for a post office to be established for the community. The post office service required a different name, due to another location named Waimarie, and Wake chose the name Whenuapai instead.[3]The name Whenuapai was officially adopted on 23 March 1914,[5]and the first references to Whenuapai in newspapers can be found from May 1914.[6]
The traditionalTe Kawerau ā Makiname for the area isRarawaru,which is the name of the stream that flows north from Whenuapai to theUpper Waitematā Harbour.[7][8]Akāingawas located on the shores of the stream,Te Rarawaru,which took its name from the stream,Wai Rarawaru.[9][7]
History
[edit]In the 19th century, northern Whenuapai was the location of Ockleston's pottery, a brickworks located on the Kotukutuku Inlet of theWaitematā Harbour.[10]The area was settled by pacifist Theophilus Wake in 1911. Wake was joined by other like-minded pacifists in the 1910s, and a community developed at Whenuapai.[3]
Tobaccowas grown as a crop in Whenuapai and by 1929 more than 120,000 pounds of tobacco were produced at Whenuapai and nearbyRiverheard.By 1940 however tobacco production would cease andMotuekabecame the main area for tobacco cultivation.[11]
RNZAF facilities
[edit]In 1938 under the Public Works Act, the New Zealand Government several hundred acres of land at Whenuapai, in order to create a base forWellington bomber,prior to the onset ofWorld War II.[12][3]
Post World War II Auckland became a centre forRNZAFtransport and maritime squadrons. From 1945 to 1965 Whenuapai was also Auckland's civil international airport. Whenuapai andHobsonvillebases were integrated in 1965 to formRNZAF Base Auckland.Hobsonville is now closed, with the RNZAF continuing to lease a few remaining facilities.
Today, with a personnel strength of around 1100, Base Auckland is the home for:
- No. 5 Squadron(P-3K2 Orion)
- No. 6 Squadron(SH-2G(I) Seasprite)
- No. 40 Squadron(C-130 HerculesandBoeing 757)
- RNZAF Parachute Training and Support Unit,
- RNZAF Security ForcesMilitary Working Dog Training School
- RNZAF Aviation Medicine Unit.
- RNZAF Operations Squadron
- RNZAF Police
Whenuapai Airport 1945–65
[edit]In 1945 the government made the RNZAF Station at Whenuapai available for civil airline operations on a temporary basis and with RNZAF activities to take precedence.[12]That "temporary basis" lasted twenty years and the RNZAF had to give up their two smaller hangars and move to the north apron of their own airfield. In the 1940s Whenuapai was one of three aerodromes in the country with sealed runways, the others beingParaparaumuandOhakea.Whenuapai was adopted as the international airport for Auckland, despite the benefits of the location of theMangere Aerodrome,due to its ongoing use by the RNZAF meaning there were no additional costs for theAuckland City Council.[12]
For a short time, Auckland had three aerodromes—the seaplane aerodrome atMechanics BaywhereTasman Empire Airways Limited(TEAL) operated from 1940–54; the city's domestic airport—at the then small grass airstrip atMāngere,on the site of the presentAuckland Airport;and weekly Pan American and British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (the latter's services originally operated by Australian National Airways) services withDC-4sfrom Whenuapai. Also immediately post-war; the RNZAF operated many of the civil services whileNational Airways Corporation(NAC) was being organised, and to add to the confusion; some of Auckland's domestic services departed from Whenuapai as well. Hills adjacent to the Whenuapai site limited the ability of new generation aircraft to use the site.[12]
In 1947 the government closed Māngere to all but light aircraft citing safety concerns, and NAC moved to Whenuapai. (At the same time, the government closed Wellington'sRongotai Airport,for the same reasons, and NAC had to move to Paraparaumu, 35 miles from the city.)
In addition to domestic services, NAC flew aDC-3weekly toNorfolk Islandfrom Whenuapai, and fortnightly on a route that took a week each way; Whenuapai—Norfolk Island—Nadi—Apia—Tongatapu—Aitutaki—Rarotonga.The Norfolk Island service continued until 1955 when Qantas, chartered to TEAL, took over the route with a DC-4; and the Pacific Service was handed over to TEAL in 1952.
The next major development at Whenuapai was in May 1954, whenBritish Commonwealth Pacific Airlineswas wound up, itsDC-6sgiven to TEAL, and that airline sold all except two of its flying boats and moved to Whenuapai. It kept oneSolentin reserve and sent the other to Suva to fly the leg to Tahiti, which didn't get a landplane airport until 1960. The first part of the Coral Route was then operated by DC-6 from Whenuapai to Nadi.
Airport diagram for1956
Despite problems with its runway Whenuapai continued as Auckland's international airport through the 1950s. In 1960 the longest runway was 6590 feet (6664 ft a few years later) which allowedBOACCometflights, but larger jet airliners such as theDC-8and theB707demanded a new international airport and work onAuckland Airportbegan. The first international flight from Auckland Airport was on 24 November 1965 and it officially opened on Anniversary Weekend (29–31 January), 1966 after which Whenuapai Airport reverted to purely military use as an Aerodrome.
Reverting to Military Aerodrome and recent developments
[edit]The operational tempo at Whenuapai continues at the level it has been at for the last forty years, although the closure of the adjacent Hobsonville base has seen the departure of rotary operations (primarily the UH1H Iroquois) to RNZAF Base Ohakea. With the budget for moving the base to Ohakea exceeding one billion dollars, the previously scheduled closure by the New Zealand Labour government (originally by 2007, then 2010 or, at latest, 2014) was cancelled by the incoming National government of 2008. There were suggestions that it be used as Auckland's second international Airport. Reasons put forward in favour were that more people in the Auckland region already lived closer to the aerodrome than toMāngere Airportand that it was projected that within 15 years Whenuapai would be closer for more than a million Aucklanders.[13]
The three local authorities that comprised the north west sector of the Auckland Region,Rodney District Council,North Shore City CouncilandWaitakere City Councilall favoured the second airport concept at one time or another and at least one poll, by the Waitakere City Council in late 2006, indicated 77% support and 22% opposition by the public.[14]
However, in the local body elections of October 2007, the pro-airport North Shore City mayor was defeated by an anti-airport mayoral candidate with indications that the airport issue was the most important of factors considered by voters.[15]
Subsequently, North Shore City Council reversed support for a Whenuapai International Airport while the Waitakere City Council remained in favour. In 2010, all councils were amalgamated into the newAuckland Counciland therefore support for a commercial airport was dropped. The proposal had also been opposed by the government.[16]
Airlines of Whenuapai (Chronological Order)
[edit]| Royal New Zealand Air Force (Civil Operations) | 1945–47 |
| Pan American World Airways | 1946–65 |
| British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA) | 1947–53 |
| New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC) | 1947–65 |
| Canadian Pacific Airlines | 1952–65 |
| Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) | 1954–65 |
| Transports Aeriens Intercontinentaux (TAI) | 1957–63 |
| South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand (SPANZ) | 1960–65 |
| Qantas Empire Airways (QANTAS) | 1961–65† |
| British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) | 1963–65 |
- † This was as scheduled operations on its own account. As QANTAS owned half of TEAL until 1961; before then its aircraft only appeared at Whenuapai if chartered by TEAL, or if its aircraft were chartered for a trip across to New Zealand, although it did occasionally appear at Whenuapai between 1956–61 with its Super Constellations at peak traffic times.
Demographics
[edit]Whenuapai statistical area, which includesHerald Island,covers 17.03 km2(6.58 sq mi)[1]and had an estimated population of 6,340 as of June 2024,[2]with a population density of 372 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 3,639 | — |
| 2013 | 3,729 | +0.35% |
| 2018 | 3,888 | +0.84% |
| Source:[17] | ||
Before the 2023 census, Whenuapai had a larger boundary, covering 19.68 km2(7.60 sq mi).[1]Using that boundary, Whenuapai had a population of 3,888 at the2018 New Zealand census,an increase of 159 people (4.3%) since the2013 census,and an increase of 249 people (6.8%) since the2006 census.There were 1,263 households, comprising 2,016 males and 1,872 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.08 males per female. The median age was 34.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 678 people (17.4%) aged under 15 years, 981 (25.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,815 (46.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 411 (10.6%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 80.6% European/Pākehā,12.3%Māori,5.8%Pacific peoples,11.7%Asian,and 3.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 24.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 60.3% had no religion, 29.8% wereChristian,0.2% hadMāori religious beliefs,0.8% wereHindu,0.7% wereMuslim,1.2% wereBuddhistand 1.8% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 789 (24.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 345 (10.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $43,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 765 people (23.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,902 (59.3%) people were employed full-time, 486 (15.1%) were part-time, and 96 (3.0%) were unemployed.[17]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Whenuapai Aero (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1945–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) |
32.4 (90.3) |
29.4 (84.9) |
27.0 (80.6) |
23.9 (75.0) |
21.6 (70.9) |
20.8 (69.4) |
21.2 (70.2) |
22.6 (72.7) |
24.1 (75.4) |
26.1 (79.0) |
29.1 (84.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 27.6 (81.7) |
28.2 (82.8) |
26.3 (79.3) |
24.3 (75.7) |
21.3 (70.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
18.8 (65.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
21.3 (70.3) |
23.3 (73.9) |
25.9 (78.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.0 (75.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
20.5 (68.9) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.5 (59.9) |
14.9 (58.8) |
15.5 (59.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
19.9 (67.8) |
22.1 (71.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) |
19.8 (67.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10.6 (51.1) |
11.5 (52.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
13.9 (57.0) |
15.7 (60.3) |
17.9 (64.2) |
15.1 (59.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
13.4 (56.1) |
11.2 (52.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
6.3 (43.3) |
7.4 (45.3) |
8.8 (47.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
10.7 (51.2) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) |
9.2 (48.6) |
7.5 (45.5) |
4.6 (40.3) |
1.8 (35.2) |
0.1 (32.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
1.4 (34.5) |
2.1 (35.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
5.4 (41.7) |
7.9 (46.2) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) |
3.6 (38.5) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
0.7 (33.3) |
0.2 (32.4) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 73.5 (2.89) |
67.7 (2.67) |
96.4 (3.80) |
107.9 (4.25) |
105.3 (4.15) |
139.4 (5.49) |
150.5 (5.93) |
135.2 (5.32) |
120.4 (4.74) |
98.2 (3.87) |
91.8 (3.61) |
101.3 (3.99) |
1,287.6 (50.71) |
| Source: NIWA (rain 1970-1993)[18] | |||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^abc"ArcGIS Web Application".statsnz.maps.arcgis.Retrieved16 March2024.
- ^ab"Aotearoa Data Explorer".Statistics New Zealand.Retrieved26 October2024.
- ^abcd"RNZAF Auckland Region".Wings Over Cambridge.Retrieved2 February2024.
- ^Low, Jen; Apfel, Aaron; Clough, Rod (January 2021).98-100 and 102-102A Totara Road, Whenuapai: Archaeological Assessment(PDF)(Report). Clough & Associates Ltd.Retrieved2 February2024.
- ^"The New Zealand Gazette 2541"(PDF).New Zealand Gazette. 25 June 1914.Retrieved2 February2024.
- ^"Page 1 Advertisements Column 6".The New Zealand Herald.30 May 1914. p. 1 – via Papers Past.
- ^abCultural Impact Assessment for Development at 69-71 Trig Road & 149-157 Brigham Creek Road, Whenuapai(PDF)(Report). Te Kawerau Iwi Tiaki Trust. September 2021.Retrieved2 February2024.
- ^"Place name detail: Rarawaru Creek".New Zealand Gazetteer.New Zealand Geographic Board.Retrieved2 February2024.
- ^Te Kawerau ā Maki;The Trustees of Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust;The Crown(22 February 2014)."Deed of Settlement Schedule: Documents"(PDF).Retrieved2 February2024.
- ^Diamond, John T.(1992). "The Brick and Pottery Industry in the Western Districts". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.).West Auckland Remembers, Volume 2.West Auckland Historical Society. p. 47.ISBN0-473-01587-0.
- ^Cameron, Ellen; Low, Jen; Roth, Kirstin (October 2022).9 MCKEAN ROAD, 101 TOTARA ROAD AND 105-107 TOTARA ROAD, WHENUAPAI: ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT(PDF)(Report). Clough & Associates.
- ^abcdLancaster, Mike (2011). "Auckland International Airport". InLa Roche, John(ed.).Evolving Auckland: The City's Engineering Heritage.Wily Publications. pp. 206–210.ISBN9781927167038.
- ^The Case for Whenuapai Airport(PDF)(Report). Waitakere City Council. January 2004. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 September 2007.Retrieved9 January2007.
- ^A Study of the views of Residents of North/West, Central and Southern Region of Greater Auckland Area in Respect of a proposal By Waitakere City and Infratil to Develop Whenupai Airport for Commercial Flights (Report). TNS. September 2006.
- ^Crothers, Charles: "Candidates, Issues and Outcomes", AUT University.
- ^"Government won't back Whenuapai airport proposal".The New Zealand Herald.13 December 2004.Retrieved17 July2017.
- ^ab"Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census".Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Whenuapai (117000).2018 Census place summary: Whenuapai
- ^"CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent numbers: 1410, 23976)".NIWA.Retrieved12 July2024.
Further reading
[edit]- The Auckland Scrapbook, Auckland City Library (microfiche)
- The New Zealand Scrapbook, Auckland City Library (microfiche)
- Auckland Municipal Airport Files, Auckland City Council Archives
