Glenfield, New Zealand
Glenfield | |
|---|---|
 The front top parking lot at Glenfield Mall. Most of the parking, and most of the mall itself, is behind and below on further levels. | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 36°46′37″S 174°43′22″E / 36.77694°S 174.72278°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland Council |
| Population (2006) | |
• Total | 4,554 |
| Bayview | Glenfield North | Forrest Hill |
| Witheford Heights |
  Glenfield  |
Wairau Valley |
| Marlborough | Hillcrest |
Glenfield (called Mayfield until 1912) is a suburb on Auckland's North Shore in New Zealand.
The population of central Glenfield was 4,554 in the 2006 census, an increase of 240 from 2001.[1] Glenfield North has an additional 4,050 people,[2] and parts of the census area of Kaipatiki, with 4,128 people, might also be considered as part of Glenfield.[3]
Geography
It is located to the north of the Waitematā Harbour, nine kilometres northwest of the Auckland city centre. The suburb is located in the northern inland part of the North Shore, and is surrounded by the suburbs of Marlborough, Sunnynook, Forrest Hill, Birkenhead, Northcote, Windy Ridge, and is situated close to Takapuna. The northern part of Glenfield is regarded as a separate suburb known as Glenfield North. This latter suburb is sited close to State Highway 1 as it stretches north towards Albany.
Glenfield has two main areas of commerce. One is the Glenfield Mall and the surrounding shops. The other is Wairau Valley, which is a former industrial area that is now a mixture of commercial and industrial properties.
History
The district's first official name was Freemans after John Freeman, who established a post office bureau in his home on the corner of Glenfield and Kaipatiki Roads in 1888.[4][5] It was commonly referred to as Mayfield because the white blossom of the manuka and kanuka trees reminded settlers of May springtime ‘back home’ in England. The existence of Mayfield in Canterbury meant that the name was never officially bestowed upon the area by the postal service. On 12 March 1912, the area was renamed Glenfield by the postal service. The name Mayfield lives on in Mayfield Road, a quiet side road several hundred metres north of the Glenfield shops.
Prior to the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, Glenfield primarily consisted of farmland. During the 1960s, as access to the area improved, many of the large farm properties were subdivided to provide space for residential development.
On 9 December 1971, in response to fears about commercial sprawl down the length of Glenfield Rd, Glenfield Mall opened. It was among the earliest enclosed malls in the country. It featured a large aviary in the centre of the mall.[6] In 2000, Glenfield Mall was completely redeveloped as Westfield Glenfield, but in 2015 reverted to its original name.
From 1 November 2010, Glenfield became part of the Kaipatiki Local Board area in the new Auckland Council.
Amenities
Southern Cross Hospital North Harbour, a privately owned hospital, is in Wairau Road.
Education
Glenfield College is a secondary (years 9–13) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 500.[7] Glenfield Intermediate, founded in 1972,[8] is an intermediate (years 7–8) school with 531 students and a decile rating of 8P.[9] Glenfield Primary School is a contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a decile rating of 6N and a roll of 368.[10] All three schools are coeducational.
The South Seas Film, Television, and Animation school is in Glenfield.
Sport
Glenfield is home to Glenfield RFC, who are a member of the North Harbour Rugby Union, and Glenfield Rovers, who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1B. The Glenfield Greyhounds rugby league club are based in nearby Sunnynook.
Notable people
- Rachel Hunter – model
- Benjamin Thomas Watt – Worlds first openly gay boxing judge
References
- ^ Quickstats about Glenfield Central
- ^ Quickstats about Glenfield North
- ^ Quickstats about Kaipatiki
- ^ Old Glenfield, A Portrait in Photographs, pg17. Gordon Ell, The Bush Press of New Zealand, 2005. ISBN 0-908608-84-5
- ^ Electoral Rolls
- ^ "Glenfield Heritage – North Shore City Local History" (PDF). North Shore City Council. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
- ^ Education Counts: Glenfield College
- ^ "Glenfield Intermediate School". Retrieved 15 January 2009.
- ^ Education Counts: Glenfield Intermediate
- ^ Education Counts: Glenfield Primary School
External links
- Glenfield College website
- Glenfield Intermediate website
- Glenfield Primary School website
- Photographs of Glenfield held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.