Peacocke, New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peacocke |
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Peacocke, Hamilton
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| Basic information | |
| Local authority | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Electoral ward | West Ward |
| Land area | 693 ha (2.68 sq mi)* |
| Coordinates | 37°48′44.13″S 175°18′43.56″E / 37.8122583°S 175.3121000°E |
| Population | 420 (June 2023) |
  Peacocke, New Zealand  |
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Peacocke is a growing area in the southern part of Hamilton, a city in New Zealand. It used to be mostly countryside but became part of Hamilton city in 1989. Peacocke is now one of the main areas where Hamilton plans to build many new homes for people in the future.
Building for the Future
Peacocke is being developed to create more homes for people in Hamilton. A plan from 2007 set out how about 620 hectares (that's like 1,500 football fields!) would be developed over 25 years.
In 2018, plans were made for a new area called 'Amberfield'. This area would have 862 homes. Before building could start, special permission, called a resource consent, was needed. A big concern was protecting the homes of endangered long-tailed bats.
By 2023, the plans for Peacocke were moving forward. The area is expected to have up to 7,400 homes for about 20,000 people by 2070. Many new homes are already being built or planned. For example, 405 sections (plots of land for building) were being worked on, and 1,303 sections had permission to be divided for building. Also, 91 homes had permission to be built, and 334 were almost ready.
Important new projects are also underway. A new bridge, called the Peacocke bridge, and new pipes for wastewater were delayed by storms. They are now expected to be finished by August 2024. Workers are also building a new wastewater pipeline and a shared path for walking and cycling. This path will include two bridges over the Mangakootukutuku Stream. A new road, Whatukooruru Drive, will connect Hall Road with Ohaupo Road (SH3).
A Look Back in Time
Peacocke has a rich history. One of the oldest and best-preserved pā sites (an old Māori fortified village) in the Waikato region is located at the south end of Peacocke, right by the river. This pā, called Nukuhau Pā, may have been used by the Ngāti Mahuta tribe around the year 1700. Later, the Ngati Raukawa tribe might have taken it over. It was reported to be empty around 1830, during a time of tribal wars. After the 1863 invasion of the Waikato, the land was confiscated, meaning it was taken by the government.
In 1868, a man named Colonel de Quincy bought the land. He named it “Weston Lea” after his grandmother’s home in England. Later, in 1887, Fitzroy Peacocke bought the land from the Colonel. Fitzroy was the son of Captain Peacocke, and the Colonel was his wife's stepfather. The Peacocke family moved there in 1889.
Fitzroy’s son, Egerton Peacocke, took over the farm in 1905. He cleared a lot of the native bush to create a dairy farm. His brother Noel, who was an architect, designed a new family home, which was built in 1912.
Who Lives in Peacocke?
The area of Peacocke covers about 6.93 square kilometers. As of 2023, it has an estimated population of 420 people. This means there are about 61 people living in each square kilometer.
At the 2018 New Zealand census, Peacocke had 348 people living there. This was a small increase from previous years. There were 138 households, with slightly more females (183) than males (168). The average age of people in Peacocke was 44.8 years. About 18% of the people were under 15 years old, and 22% were 65 or older.
Most people in Peacocke (90.5%) are of European/Pākehā background. There are also people of Māori (12.9%), Pacific peoples (1.7%), and Asian (7.8%) backgrounds, along with other ethnicities. Some people identify with more than one ethnic group.
About 18.1% of the people living in Peacocke were born outside New Zealand. This is a bit lower than the national average for New Zealand.
When it comes to education, about 29.5% of people aged 15 and over had a university degree or higher. The average income in Peacocke was $38,200. Many people were employed, with 47.4% working full-time and 16.8% working part-time.
