Lower Hutt
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2008) |
| Lower Hutt Awakairangi (Māori) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Coordinates: 41°13′S 174°55′E / 41.217°S 174.917°E | |
| Country |  New Zealand |
| Region | Wellington |
| Territorial authority | Hutt City |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ray Wallace |
| Area | |
| • Territorial | 377 km2 (146 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 135 km2 (52 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2012 estimate)[1] | |
| • Territorial | 102,700 |
| • Density | 270/km2 (710/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 102,100 |
| • Urban density | 760/km2 (2,000/sq mi) |
| Area code(s) | 04 |
| Website | http://www.huttcity.govt.nz/ |
Lower Hutt (Māori: Awakairangi) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the tenth largest city in New Zealand in population, and covers an area of 376.74 km².
Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name has led to confusion, as there are two cities in the Hutt Valley, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. The Upper Hutt City Council objects to the name of Hutt City. The former Hutt County included much of the area of both Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt.
Contents |
Geography[edit]
The city centres on the lower (southern) valley of the Hutt River, to the northeast of Wellington. The valley widens as the river nears its mouth, so the central urban area of the city forms a triangle with its longest side along the shoreline. In the upper reaches of the city the Western and Eastern Hutt Hills become closer, culminating in the Taitā Gorge at the northern end of Lower Hutt, separating the city from neighbouring Upper Hutt.
Lower Hutt includes the cluster of small settlements that extend down the eastern coast of Wellington Harbour. These include the two large townships of Wainuiomata (inland) and Eastbourne (on the coast). The city also includes a large area of sparsely-populated land to the east of the harbour, extending to Pencarrow Head and into the Rimutaka Ranges.
Lower Hutt includes the islands in Wellington Harbour, the largest of which, Matiu/Somes Island, is commonly referred to by its former name of Somes Island.
Climate[edit]
| Climate data for Lower Hutt | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28.8 (83.8) |
30.9 (87.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
26.5 (79.7) |
23.0 (73.4) |
19.6 (67.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
24.3 (75.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
27.5 (81.5) |
29.6 (85.3) |
30.9 (87.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) |
22.6 (72.7) |
20.9 (69.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.9 (60.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
12.8 (55) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.7 (60.3) |
16.9 (62.4) |
18.7 (65.7) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.69 (63.84) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
18.3 (64.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
12.1 (53.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
9.0 (48.2) |
9.9 (49.8) |
11.6 (52.9) |
13.0 (55.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
13.66 (56.59) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) |
14.0 (57.2) |
12.2 (54) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.3 (46.9) |
6.3 (43.3) |
5.2 (41.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
7.6 (45.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
10.4 (50.7) |
12.8 (55) |
9.64 (49.35) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.2 (41.4) |
5.0 (41) |
4.6 (40.3) |
2.5 (36.5) |
0.0 (32) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−1.1 (30) |
−2.2 (28) |
0.8 (33.4) |
2.1 (35.8) |
5.0 (41) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 84 (3.31) |
81 (3.19) |
87 (3.43) |
88 (3.46) |
117 (4.61) |
154 (6.06) |
144 (5.67) |
136 (5.35) |
109 (4.29) |
145 (5.71) |
99 (3.9) |
94 (3.7) |
1,338 (52.68) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 235 | 199 | 198 | 159 | 135 | 105 | 124 | 146 | 156 | 176 | 192 | 204 | 2,029 |
| Source: Paradise.net[2] | |||||||||||||
Hutt River[edit]
Lower Hutt occupies the lower regions of the flood plain of the Hutt River, and the river is one of the most significant features of the city. In the 20th century stopbanks were built to contain the river, but the threat of flooding from heavy rainfall persists. In 1985 the river bursts its banks, and since then floods have been on a smaller scale. Smaller streams and storm-water drains have also caused occasional problems when rainfall persistently exceeds average levels.
Much of the land adjacent to the river is protected as reserve and provides a much-appreciated recreational feature, with walking tracks and grassed areas over approximately 12 km of river bank.
Pollution levels in the river have been consistently high since urbanisation of the Hutt Valley. Frequent algal blooms have contributed to making slow flowing areas anoxic and have caused localised 'dead zones'. The algal blooms have been attributed as the cause of death of many dogs swimming in the river as well as severe skin reactions in the case of swimmers.
The river is crossed by seven bridges within the city, heading downstream:
- Silverstream Rail Bridge.
- Taita Rail Bridge.
- Kennedy-Good Bridge, a two-lane road bridge that was opened in 1979 and was the first bridge at this site. The bridge is named after the Mayor of Lower Hutt at that time.
- Melling Bridge, a three-lane bridge (one eastbound, two westbound) that was opened 1957. This is the second bridge at this site, the first being a one-lane suspension bridge opened in 1909, approximately 200 metres upstream.
- Ewen Bridge is the seventh bridge at this site and was opened in 1996. The preceding bridges were opened in 1844, 1847, 1856, 1872, 1904 & 1929.
- The 'Rail Bridge', a two-track rail bridge with pedestrian walkway. Opened 1927.
- Estuary or Pipe Bridge, a two-lane road bridge that also carries a pipe for the supply of water to Wellington.
Population[edit]
The central urban area of Lower Hutt had a population of 102,100 at the June 2012 estimate.[1]
Suburbs[edit]
Listed approximately north to south from the upper valley:
- North of the Central Business District (CBD)
- Avalon; Belmont; Boulcott; Epuni; Fairfield; Harbour View; Kelson; Manor Park; Melling; Naenae; Pomare; Stokes Valley; Taitā; Tirohanga; Wingate
- South of the CBD
- Alicetown; Ava; Gracefield; Korokoro; Maungaraki; Moera; Normandale; Petone; Wainuiomata; Waiwhetū; Waterloo; Woburn;
- Eastern harbour
- Days Bay; Eastbourne; Lowry Bay; York Bay; Mahina Bay; Muritai; Point Howard; Rona Bay; Seaview
History[edit]
Prior to European settlement, thick forest covered most of the Hutt Valley, with areas of marshland close to the river's mouth. Māori inhabited the shoreline, with a pa at each end of Petone beach.
The local Māori welcomed the arrival of the New Zealand Company ship Tory in 1839, and William Wakefield (the company's agent) negotiated with local chiefs to allow settlement. The first immigrant ship, the Aurora, arrived on 22 January 1840, still celebrated every year on the Monday closest as Wellington's Anniversary Day. A settlement, Britannia, grew up close to the mouth of the Hutt River, and settlers set up the infant country's first newspaper and bank.
The city takes its name from the river, named after the founding member, director and chairman of the New Zealand Company, Sir William Hutt.
Within months of settlement the river flooded, and in March 1840 the majority of Britannia settlers decided to move to Thorndon, (as of 2013[update] in the heart of Wellington city), though some settlers remained at the north end of the harbour. In the 1840s an area on the west bank of the Hutt River formed the village then known as Aglionby.[3]
In 1846 conflict arose between settlers and Māori, which led to skirmishes.
In 1855 a major earthquake raised part of the lower valley, allowing the reclamation of land from swamp.
The railway line from central Wellington reached Lower Hutt station (now Western Hutt) in April 1874, with the line travelling north up the west side of the river to Silverstream opening two years later.
Before the Second World War, urban settlement in the lower Hutt Valley concentrated mainly on Petone, central Lower Hutt and Eastbourne, with a total population of 30,000. In 1927 the Public Works Department completed the construction of a branch railway line to Waterloo on the east side of the river; the route diverging from the main line between Lower Hutt and Petone. Two years later the railway workshops moved from Petone to a new larger site off the new branch at Woburn.
In the late 1940s new suburbs of state housing developed along the eastern side of the Hutt Valley, from Waiwhetu to Taita, to alleviate nationwide housing shortages and to cater for the booming population. The branch railway line from Waterloo extended to Naenae in 1946 and to Taita in 1947, with electric trains along the line commissioned in September 1953. The following year, the line was extended north of Taita to meet the existing main line at Haywards, becoming the main line through the Hutt Valley when the old western line between Melling and Haywards closed. By the end of the 1950s, Lower Hutt had a population of 80,000.
Governance history[edit]
The present boundaries of the Hutt City local body have evolved from a series of amalgamations and boundary changes over the years.
The Hutt County Council was established in 1877 and covered the region from Wellington's south coast up to Waikanae, excluding the Wellington City Council area. As the region grew, urban parts of the Hutt county became autonomous boroughs: Petone in 1888, Lower Hutt in 1891, Eastbourne in 1906, Johnsonville in 1908, Upper Hutt in 1908, Porirua in 1962 and Kapiti in 1974.
In 1941 Lower Hutt became a city; it incorporated Normandale in 1957.
In 1987/1989 the New Zealand Government forced local authorities to consolidate, which led to Lower Hutt amalgamating with the adjacent Boroughs of Petone and Eastbourne and with the Wainuiomata District (which had its independence for barely a year), and to the abolition of the Hutt County Council.
Culture and Leisure[edit]
Several education and research facilities of national significance are in the southern half of the city. Cultural facilities include the Dowse Art Museum and the former Avalon Television studios, now used primarily as a paintball arena.
The city possesses civic administration buildings constructed in the 1950s that are regarded as representative architecture of the era. A building of national significance is Vogel House, a two-storey wooden residence that was the official residence of the Prime Minister of New Zealand for much of the 20th century. It is a prime example of early colonial architecture in New Zealand and operates today as a tourist attraction.
The city is popular for outdoor sports, especially mountain biking, hiking, recreational walking and fishing. Fishing is however increasingly discouraged in Lower Hutt, due to high pollution levels and frequent toxic algal blooms in the Hutt river.
Lower Hutt is to host the 2012 Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games, a weeklong event of 40 sports, since Christchurch could not host in the wake of the 2011 earthquake.
Among the filming locations for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, Dry Creek quarry, which dominates the hills above the suburb of Taitā, became the site for a huge medieval castle built for scenes of Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith.
Economy[edit]
Historically, Petone and nearby parts of Lower Hutt acted as the principal area for light industry in this region, with industries including meat processing and freezing, motor vehicle assembly, and timber processing. This activity has been significantly diminished or discontinued in recent decades with either the transfer of industrial activity to the more heavily populated area of Auckland or cessation at a national level. Such movement has often resulted from competitive pressures on commercial organisations for increased efficiency, as a result of opening up the New Zealand economy to international competition since the mid-1980s.
Trends over the past 25 years have seen service, distribution, and consumer-oriented activity replace the industrial activity previously a feature of the Petone area. Lower Hutt is the main location for light industrial activity in the Wellington Region, but it largely lacks heavy industry.
A significant proportion of Lower Hutt's population commutes to the commercial and Government offices in Wellington 12 km to the south-west.
Today Lower Hutt is home to leading Crown Research Institutes such as GNS Science and Industrial Research Ltd (IRL) along with many other cutting-edge research organisations in high-end manufacturing, research and technology.[4]
Government[edit]
Ray Wallace was elected Hutt City mayor in 2010, succeeding David Ogden.
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) has its headquarters in Aviation House in Petone, Lower Hutt.[5]
Flora and fauna[edit]
Hills to about 350 m (1000 ft) line both sides of the valley within the city limits. The western hills have been populated as residential areas, but the eastern side is protected and clad in native bush and scrub, and the ubiquitous gorse in areas that have been cleared as a result of scrub fires or earlier human activity.
Native birds are common, including the New Zealand Pigeon, Tui, Grey Fantail, Silvereye, Shining Cuckoo (in season), Grey Warbler and Morepork. Introduced species include the Common Blackbird, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, European Goldfinch, Common Chaffinch, Common Starling, and Australian Magpie.
Sister-city relationships[edit]
Lower Hutt has five sister cities:[6]
Laredo, Texas, The United States of America
Minoh City, Japan
Taizhou, China- Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- Xi'an, China
Tempe was the first Sister City, in 1981; Laredo the most recent, in 2011.
Panoramas[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Subnational population estimates at 30 June 2012". Statistics New Zealand. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012. Also "Infoshare; Group: Population Estimates - DPE; Table: Estimated Resident Population for Urban Areas, at 30 June (1996+) (Annual-Jun)". Statistics New Zealand. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ "Climate Statistics for Lower Hutt, NZ (1985–2010)". Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Wakefield, Edward Jerningham (1848). The Hand-book for New Zealand: Consisting of the Most Recent Information. John W. Parker. p. 103. Retrieved 2013-06-05. "The main road [...] reaches the west bank of the Hutt at the spot whence [...] the river bends gradually towards the eastern side of the valley. [...] On the same bank of the river, about half a mile lower down, is the village of Aglionby, which contains an excellent Tavern, with good stabling and other accommodation; a small building used as a Church and a school, a blacksmith's forge, and several shops, one or two good farm-houses, and numerous labourers' cottages."
- ^ http://huttcity.govt.nz/en/Our-City/Business-in-the-Hutt/
- ^ "Contacting the CAA." Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand. Retrieved on 28 September 2010.
- ^ Lower Hutt Sister Cities Website
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lower Hutt |
- Hutt City Council
- Hutt City i-SITE
- Lower Hutt City (Name of City Council) Act 1991
- Maungaraki website
- HuttCam website
|
||||||||||||||
