Hutt County facts for kids

Hutt County was a special area in New Zealand that used to be managed by its own local government. It was one of the many "counties" that helped run different parts of the country. This county was located in the southwestern part of the North Island. It stretched from the Waikanae River down to the Rimutaka Ranges. The name "Hutt County" came from the Hutt River, which flowed through a big part of its land.

What Was Hutt County?

Hutt County was like a large district with its own local council. This council helped manage things like roads and local services for the people living there. It was created in 1876.

How Hutt County Was Organized

When Hutt County first started, it was divided into 8 smaller areas called "ridings." These ridings were:

• Belmont
• Epuni
• Horokiwi
• Makara
• Mungaroa
• Porirua
• Wainui-o-mata
• Whareroa

By 1895, people in each riding would vote for one person to be their representative, called a councillor. The Porirua riding was bigger, so it got to elect two councillors. One of these elected councillors would then be chosen as the chairman, who led the Hutt County Council.

The Hutt County Council

The Hutt County Council was the group of people who ran Hutt County. They were first set up in 1876. Over many years, as towns and cities grew, parts of Hutt County became separate areas with their own councils. Because of this, Hutt County became smaller and smaller.

Eventually, in 1989, the local government system in New Zealand changed a lot. Hutt County was officially closed down. The few remaining parts of the county joined up with the cities next to them.

Makara Riding's Special Status

For a while, one of the ridings, Makara, was managed separately. Between 1908 and 1962, it was known as Makara County. Later, it became part of Wellington city.

How Towns and Cities Grew

Over time, many towns and cities developed inside the area that was once Hutt County. For example, Wellington was already a city when Hutt County started. But its boundaries were much smaller back then.

Smaller towns like Melrose, Onslow, Karori, Miramar, Johnsonville, and Tawa Flat grew just outside Wellington. As these areas grew, they eventually became part of Wellington city. Porirua also started as a borough in 1961 and became a city in 1965.

In the Hutt Valley, towns like Eastbourne, Petone, Lower Hutt, and Upper Hutt also grew into boroughs. Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt even became cities! As these urban areas expanded, the parts of Hutt County that were close to them were added to these growing cities and boroughs.

Even with all this growth, some important communities still developed within Hutt County. These included Stokes Valley (northeast of Lower Hutt), the Wainuiomata valley (east of Lower Hutt), and Heretaunga–Pinehaven (in the southern part of the Upper Hutt area).

Coastal Communities

Along the Kāpiti Coast, some small communities were established early on. However, big developments around Paraparaumu and Waikanae didn't really happen until the 1970s and 1980s. This was because land closer to Wellington was developed first.

Why Hutt County Ended

By 1989, Hutt County had become very spread out and broken into many small pieces. It was no longer easy to manage as one large county. So, when the government decided to change how local areas were managed across New Zealand, Hutt County was officially ended. Its remaining parts were joined with the nearby cities.