suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of the city of
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand. This residential area previously formed part of the
East Tāmaki
East Tāmaki is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is a largely industrial area adjacent to a rapidly growing population. Prior to the 1960s it was largely a dairy farming area. A landmark is Smales Mountain which in 2010 has the remains of ...
Auckland Council
Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
.
Geography
Botany Downs is located in the central peninsula of
East Auckland
East Auckland () is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Settled in the 14th century, the area is part of the traditional lands of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. The area was developed into farmland in the ...
, between the
Tāmaki River
The Tāmaki River or Tāmaki Estuary is mostly an estuarial arm and harbour of the Hauraki Gulf, within the city of Auckland in New Zealand.
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Howick, New Zealand, Howick. Botany Creek runs west through the suburb to meet the Pakuranga Creek. The soil around Howick is primarily clay and sandstone. Botany Road is a major arterial road that runs north-south through Botany Downs, which intersects with Cascades Road to the south of the suburb.
History
Early history
The Botany Downs area is part of the
rohe
The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several .
Background
In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...
of
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is a Māori people, Māori tribe that is based in the area around Clevedon, New Zealand, Clevedon, part of the Auckland region (''Tāmaki'' in the Māori language). It is one of the twelve members of the Hauraki Collective ...
, who descend from the crew of the ''
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
'' migratory waka, who visited the area around the year 1300. Ōwairoa is the traditional name used to describe the swampy inland areas away from the coast. The wider area was extensively cultivated, but as the area was relatively exposed, two fortified
pā
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...
in the 1820s, Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki sought temporary refuge in the
Waikato
The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
. When English missionary William Thomas Fairburn visited the area in 1833, it was mostly unoccupied.
In 1836, William Thomas Fairburn brokered a land sale between Tāmaki Māori chiefs covering the majority of modern-day
South Auckland
South Auckland ( or ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki M ...
,
East Auckland
East Auckland () is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Settled in the 14th century, the area is part of the traditional lands of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. The area was developed into farmland in the ...
and the Pōhutukawa Coast. The sale was envisioned as a way to end hostilities in the area, but it is unclear what the chiefs understood or consented to. Māori continued to live in the area, unchanged by this sale. In 1854 when Fairburn's purchase was investigated by the
New Zealand Land Commission The New Zealand Land Commission was a 19th-century government inquiry into the validity of claims to land purchases by European settlers from the New Zealand Māori people made prior to 1840, when New Zealand was part of the Australian colony of New ...
, a Ngāi Tai reserve was created around the Wairoa River and Umupuia areas, and as a part of the agreement, members of Ngāi Tai agreed to leave their traditional settlements to the west.
In 1847, Howick, New Zealand, Howick was established as a defensive outpost for Auckland, by fencibles (retired
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
soldiers) and their families.
Development of the suburb
Botany Downs was the name of a farm leased by Vern Carr from James Wilson. Carr named the farm after Botany Road. The "Downs" in the name was not a reference to the geography of the area, instead a reference to the economics of farming in the 1950s and 1960s. The area was developed into suburban housing in the mid-1970s, and Botany Downs Primary School opened in 1975. The school decided to name itself after Carr's former farm, a fact that displeased Carr.
In 1984, the Howick Club, a private social club, opened in Botany Downs, and in 1989 a new bridge on Botany Road was constructed over the Botany Creek. In the year 2000, a 153 unit condominium development called Sacramento was constructed in Botany Downs. The development was part of the leaky homes crisis, and led to a multi-million dollar lawsuit by the occupants.
Demographics
Botany Downs covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Botany Downs had a population of 5,772 in the
2023 New Zealand census
The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...
, an increase of 66 people (1.2%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 387 people (7.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 2,835 males, 2,919 females and 18 people of other genders in 1,899 dwellings. 3.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 39.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,074 people (18.6%) aged under 15 years, 966 (16.7%) aged 15 to 29, 2,787 (48.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 942 (16.3%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 52.1% European (
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
); 6.0%
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
; 6.5% Pasifika; 39.9% Asian; 2.3% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 89.9%, Māori language by 0.6%, Samoan by 1.6%, and other languages by 37.5%. No language could be spoken by 1.8% (e.g. too young to talk).
New Zealand Sign Language
New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...
was known by 0.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 52.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 35.2%
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 3.0%
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 1.5%
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 0.2%
Māori religious beliefs
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, 2.3%
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, 0.1%
New Age
New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, 0.1%
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and 2.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 48.5%, and 6.9% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 1,407 (29.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 2,025 (43.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,269 (27.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $45,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 642 people (13.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,502 (53.3%) people were employed full-time, 600 (12.8%) were part-time, and 108 (2.3%) were unemployed.
Education
Botany Downs School is a contributing primary school (years 1–6) with a roll of . Elim Christian College is a state-integrated Christian composite school (years 1–13) with a roll of . All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of The main secondary schools for the area are Botany Downs Secondary College and Howick College.