Miramar, New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miramar
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Suburb
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Roxy Cinema in Miramar
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 Miramar
Location in New Zealand
Miramar
Location in New Zealand Wellington
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Local authority | Wellington City |
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| Established | 1904 |
| Area | |
| • Land | 287 ha (709 acre) |
| Population
(June 2023)
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| • Total | 10,030 |
  Miramar, New Zealand  |
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Miramar is a suburb in Wellington, New Zealand. It is located south-east of the city centre on the Miramar Peninsula. Right next to it is the area of Rongotai, where Wellington International Airport is found.
Contents
History of Miramar
How Miramar Became a Peninsula
Long ago, the Miramar Peninsula was actually an island. A sea channel called Te Awa-a-Taia separated it from Kilbirnie. This channel is now where the Rongotai area is. The original Māori name for the whole island was Te Motu Kairangi, which means "esteemed" or "precious island."
Naming Miramar
The name 'Miramar' means 'sea view' in Spanish. This name was chosen by the first European settler in the area, a Scotsman named Coutts Crawford. He arrived in Wellington in 1840. Crawford was a former Royal Navy officer who became a businessman.
He started a farm on what was then called Watt's Peninsula. He also drained a large lagoon known as Para Lake or Burnham Water. This lagoon covered much of the low-lying land in the middle of the peninsula. Today, this area is filled with houses, streets, parks, and shops in the Miramar suburb.
Miramar's Growth
Miramar became its own borough (a type of town) on November 18, 1904. Later, in April 1921, Miramar joined the city of Wellington. The records from the Miramar Borough Council were moved to the Wellington City Council and can still be looked at today.
In November 2023, Miramar Peninsula was officially declared free of rats and mustelids (like stoats and weasels). This was a big achievement by Predator Free Wellington, helping to protect local wildlife.
Where is Miramar?
As of 2025, the suburb of Miramar is mostly a flat area in the middle of the Miramar Peninsula. It is surrounded by a ring of hills that separate it from other suburbs.
To the north and northwest, Miramar shares a boundary with Maupuia along the ridgeline. To the east, Nevay Road and Seatoun Heights Road separate Miramar from Karaka Bays and Seatoun. In the flatter western and southern parts, Miramar is next to Calabar Road and Wellington Airport to the west, and Broadway and Strathmore Park to the south.
People of Miramar
Miramar is made up of four statistical areas: Miramar North, Miramar Central, Miramar East, and Miramar South. The total area is about 2.87 square kilometers.
In 2018, Miramar had a population of 9,831 people. This was an increase of 345 people since 2013. About 19.1% of the people were under 15 years old.
The people living in Miramar come from many different backgrounds. In 2018, about 66.6% were European/Pākehā, 8.6% were Māori, 9.3% were Pasifika, and 20.7% were Asian. About 32.9% of the people in Miramar were born overseas.
Miramar and the Movies
Miramar is famous for its connection to the film industry, especially because of director Sir Peter Jackson.
The National Film Unit
In 1936, the New Zealand government took over a film company in Miramar. They created the National Film Unit (NFU) there. The NFU made films about important events, like the 1940 Centennial celebrations and New Zealand's role in World War II. In 1979, the NFU moved to Avalon.
Peter Jackson's Film Hub
In the 1990s, Sir Peter Jackson bought the old National Film Unit buildings in Miramar. He used these facilities while making his film Braindead. Since then, Peter Jackson and his team, including Sir Richard Taylor (who works on special effects) and Jamie Selkirk (an editor), have built many large film studios and production facilities in Miramar.
These include Stone Street Studios, Park Road Post, Weta Digital, and Weta Workshop. Peter Jackson filmed parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong in Miramar. The Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro even called Miramar "Hollywood the way God intended it."
Roxy Cinema
The Roxy Cinema is a popular movie theatre in the Miramar shopping centre. It was first built in 1929 as the Capitol Theatre. It closed in 1964 and became a shopping plaza.
After being empty for many years, the building was bought in 2003. The front of the building was kept, but the rest was rebuilt into a modern two-screen movie theatre. It reopened in 2011.
As of 2022, the Roxy is owned by Jamie Selkirk and his wife Ann, Tania Rodger (who co-founded Wētā Workshop), and local food and drink experts Valentina Dias, Daminda Dias, and Ray Letoa. The inside of the cinema is designed in a beautiful 1930s style. The upstairs lobby has a large ceiling mural by Greg Broadmore from Weta Workshop, inspired by the film Metropolis. You might even see an Oscar won by Jamie Selkirk on display, and a statue of Gandalf outside the building!
Schools in Miramar
Miramar has several options for education, from early childhood to high school.
Early Learning Centers
There are many places for young children to learn in Miramar. These include Miramar North Kindergarten, Miramar Central Kindergarten, Tuatara Kids, Kidz Corner, and Montessori Children's House.
Primary Schools
- Miramar Central School is a state primary school for students in Year 1 to 6.
- Miramar North School is also a state primary school for students in Year 1 to 6.
- Holy Cross School is a state-integrated Catholic primary school for students in Year 1 to 8.
- Miramar Christian School was a state-integrated Christian primary school in Miramar from 1979. In 2025, it moved to Johnsonville and changed its name to Wellington Hills Christian College.
- Miramar South School was a state primary school that closed in 2012. It merged with Strathmore Community School to form Kahurangi School, located in Strathmore Park.
Students in Year 7 and 8 from Miramar usually go to Evans Bay Intermediate School in Kilbirnie.
Secondary Schools
For high school, students in Miramar can attend:
- Wellington East Girls' College (for girls) in Mount Victoria.
- Rongotai College (for boys) in Rongotai.
- Wellington High School (co-educational) in Mount Cook.
