Waitakere City Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Waitakere City

Coat of arms

Country

New Zealand

Area

• Total

367 km² (142 sq mi)

The darker orange shows the urban area within the (grey) greater Auckland area.

Waitakere City was a large city in West Auckland, New Zealand. It was managed by the Waitakere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-biggest city and grew by about 2% each year. In 2010, the council joined with other councils in the Auckland Region to create the new Auckland Council.

The name "Waitakere" comes from the Waitākere River, which flows through the Waitākere Ranges.

History of Waitakere City
How Waitakere City Was Run
Areas and Suburbs of Waitakere City
Mayors of Waitakere City
- List of Mayors
What People Did for Work
Sister Cities
See also

History of Waitakere City

Waitakere City was formed in 1989. This happened when Waitemata City joined together with the smaller towns of Henderson, New Lynn, and Glen Eden. This was part of a big change in how local areas were managed across New Zealand.

Waitakere City had only two mayors during its time. A mayor is the elected leader of a city. The first mayor was Assid Corban, who served from 1989 to 1992. He had been the mayor of Henderson before. The second mayor was Bob Harvey, who was mayor from 1992 until 2010.

In 1993, the council created a plan called the "Greenprint." This plan aimed to make Waitakere City an "eco-city," focusing on protecting the environment.

On November 1, 2010, the Waitakere City Council stopped existing. Waitakere City became part of a single, larger Auckland city, now managed by the Auckland Council. All the city's buildings, resources, and services were handed over to the new council.

How Waitakere City Was Run

The city was run by an elected Council. This group included the mayor and 14 councillors. Councillors are people elected to represent different parts of the city. These parts were called "wards." Each ward also had its own elected community board. These boards looked after local issues in their area.

Areas and Suburbs of Waitakere City

Waitakere City was divided into four main areas called wards. Each ward had different suburbs and characteristics.

Henderson Ward

This ward was mostly urban, meaning it had many buildings and people. It included the old town of Henderson and suburbs like Glendene, Te Atatū South, and Te Atatū Peninsula. In 2001, about 40,000 people lived here. It was located west of Auckland city, close to the Waitematā Harbour.

Massey Ward

While mostly urban, this ward also had some farms and larger lifestyle properties. It included suburbs such as Whenuapai, Hobsonville, West Harbour, Massey, Ranui, and Henderson North. In 2001, it had over 51,000 residents. This ward was north of Henderson Ward, along the Waitemata Harbour. It also had many former military bases.

New Lynn Ward

This ward was centered around the old towns of New Lynn and Glen Eden. It also included suburbs like Kelston, Green Bay, Titirangi, and Woodlands Park. In 2001, about 49,000 people lived here. New Lynn Ward was south of Henderson Ward and reached the Manukau Harbour. New Lynn itself is about 10 kilometers southwest of Auckland city center.

Waitakere Ward

This was the largest ward by size. It included the Waitākere Ranges, which are hills with lots of trees and not many people. It also had some growing urban areas. In 2001, it had the smallest population of the wards, with about 27,000 people, but it was growing fast. It included places like Swanson, Sunnyvale, Oratia, Piha, and Karekare. Many of these areas had volunteer fire brigades to help protect against summer bush fires. This ward was west of the other wards and stretched north towards Muriwai.

Mayors of Waitakere City

The mayor was chosen by a direct vote across the whole city. Each mayor served for three years. The last mayor of Waitakere City was Bob Harvey.

List of Mayors

#	Image	Name	In office	Terms	Notes
1		Assid Corban	1989–1992	1
2		Bob Harvey	1992–2010	6

What People Did for Work

The two main business areas in Waitakere City were Henderson and New Lynn. Many people who lived in Waitakere City worked in Auckland City. In the late 2000s, about 40% of all workers living in Waitakere City traveled to Auckland City for their jobs.