Pukekohe is a town in the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

of New Zealand. The town is located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, between the southern shore of the

Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnett ...

and the mouth of the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

. The hills of Pukekohe and nearby Bombay Hills form the natural southern limit of the Auckland region. Pukekohe is located within the political boundaries of the

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 ...

, following the abolition of the Franklin District Council on 1 November 2010. With a population of Pukekohe is the 24th largest urban area in New Zealand, and the third largest in the Auckland Region behind Auckland itself and

Hibiscus Coast The Hibiscus Coast is a populated area on a stretch of the Hauraki Gulf coast in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It has a population of making it the List of New Zealand urban areas by population, 10th most populous urban area in New Zealand, ...

Geology

Pukekohe and the surrounding areas are a section of the South Auckland volcanic field, which erupted between 550,000 and 1,600,000 years ago.

History

Māori history

Tāmaki Māori peoples settled the wider area in the 13th or 14th centuries. The traditional Māori name for Pukekohe Hill, ''Pukekohekohe'' ("Hill of Kohekohe") refers to '' Dysoxylum spectabile'', also known as the New Zealand mahogany tree, which used to be a prominent part of the native bush on in the area. The area was important to

Waiohua Te Waiohua or Te Wai-o-Hua is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) confederation that thrived in the early 17th century. The rohe (tribal area) was primarily the central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau area (the Auckland isthmus) and they had pā (for ...

tribes including Ngāti Tamaoho,

Ngāti Te Ata Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and Te Ākitai, due to the strategic views from the hill and the high quality soil. The northern slopes of the hill were home to some of the largest croplands (''māra kai'') for the Tāmaki Māori people who settled here. Much of the population around Pukekohe migrated south during the

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 due to the threat from

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

and other northern tribes, gradually returning from the mid-1830s. In modern times, the two main iwi of the area are Ngāti Tamaoho and Ngāti Te Ata. Waikato Tainui has a strong presence.

European settlement and the New Zealand Wars

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

purchased the Pukekohe block on 7 December 1843, for £150 in cash and £170 worth of goods The Crown established Te Awa nui o Taikehu, a reserve the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

created for Te Ākitai Waiohua during land sales around modern-day Pukekohe. Some of this land was accidentally sold to settlers. The Crown would compensate the settlers and return land to local iwi. By 1856, European settlements had been well established in the north and western reaches of Pukekohe. On 9 July 1863, due to fears of the Māori King Movement, Governor

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

proclaimed that all Māori living to the South of Auckland needed to swear loyalty to the Queen and give up their weapons. Most people refused due to strong links to Tainui, leaving for the south before the Government's Invasion of the Waikato. Small numbers of people remained, in order to tend to their farms and for ahi kā (land rights through continued occupation). A major

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

of the Waikato War was fought at Pukekohe East on 14 September 1863. The battle involved 11 armed settlers, who were converting the Pukekohe East church into a redoubt and approximately 200–300 Māori, mainly from the Waikato area. Although surprised and severely outnumbered, the settlers held off the Māori war party until troops from the 18th Royal Irish Regiment arrived. No settlers were killed or injured while 30 Māori were killed with an unknown number wounded. 6 bodies were found near the church and 24 were later found buried in the bush. The church still exists today and the bullet holes are still visible. According to Te Huia Raureti, tribes that took part in the raid came from Ngāti Maniapoto, some other upper Waikato tribes, and Ngāti Pou of lower Waikato. On the even of the raid on Pukekohe East, a war council had ordered members of the taua (war party) to avoid looting the property of settlers. Despite this order, future Ngāti Maniapoto chief Wahanui Huatare and several other members raided a settler's house. This angered other members of the war party, who regarded it as a bad omen. Nearly the entire Pukekohe area was abandoned apart from military outposts. Isolated attacks occurred as late as November 1863 after the Battle of Rangiriri. The New Zealand Government confiscated large tracts of land in the aftermath of the invasion in 1865, after which the town of Pukekohe was established, on the northern slopes of its namesake, Pukekohe Hill. In January 1865, the New Zealand Government's Executive Council designated Pukekohe as one of the eight districts 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 ...

region to be confiscated, which amounted to a total of 577,590 acres. On 26 April 1865, the Native Land Court awarded £5,444 in compensation to the Ngatipari tribe, a branch of the Ākitai people, for a block of land known as the "Pukekohe Reserve" or "Pukekohe bloc," which had been confiscated during the Waikato War. The Ngatipari claimants successfully argued that they had not opposed the Crown during the Waikato War and established their claim to the land on the basis of cultivation and ancestral burial grounds. Following the Waikato War the government wished to populate the area around Pukekohe. To do this they offered migrants from Britain and

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

10 and 5 acres respectively to settle in the area. Over 3,000 immigrants came from Britain and roughly 1,200 from Cape Colony. In 1864, about 1,000 Irish Protestants arrived in Pukekohe as part of a wave of Irish Protestant migrants settling in the North Island during the mid to late 19th century. Due to the clearing of dense bush in the Pukekohe area, large areas of fertile, volcanic land became available for growing crops. While

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s and

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es were first grown in Pukekohe as early as the 1850s, large-scale market growing of vegetables did not begin until 1870 in nearby Patumahoe. After horticulturalist John Bilkey planted a successful crop of onions on Pukekohe Hill in 1892, local farmers began cultivating onion patches. The expansion of roads and railway infrastructure during the late 19th century led to the development of market gardens in Pukekohe and the nearby Bombay Hills. By 1875, Pukekohe was connected to Auckland by rail with the extension of railway lines to Mercer. This is when Pukekohe's population saw the largest growth. People who had lived in Te Awa nui o Taikehu returned to the area in the 1870s, often working as labourers in the market gardens on the former lands of the reserve. By 1885 Pukekohe had 145 farmers, all the expected

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

s of a small town, and several businesses.

20th century

During the early 20th century, several landless Māori from the Waikato migrated to Pukekohe to work in the township's market gardens as itinerant agricultural workers. These Māori came from the Ngatipari, Ākitai, and

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

(tribes). Since the Māori in Pukekohe had no ancestral ties to the land, they took the symbolic title of rootless Māori and became known as ''Nga Hau E Wha'' (People of the Four Winds). On 10 June 1905, Pukekohe became a town district. By 1907, Pukekohe's town centre consisted of one main street with numerous stores and workshops. Following the completion of the

North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

railway line in 1907, Pukekohe's market gardens became a major supplier of agricultural produce for several North Island major population centres including

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 ...

and

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

. Due to

's growing population, Pukekohe became an important market gardening area for the

. On 1 April 1912, Pukekohe became a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

with its own elected local council. Due to

's growing population during the 19th and 20th centuries, Pukekohe became an important market gardening area for the

. Mitha Unka, the first Indian settler, arrived in Pukekohe in 1918, and an Indian community developed in the town during the 1930s and 1940s. By July 1921, a beautifying society had been established in Pukekohe. The growing presence of Chinese and Indian market growers in Pukekohe led to the creation of the White New Zealand League in December 1925. In 1932, 1,400 Pukekohe locals petitioned the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...

to repatriate local Chinese and Indians, who they claimed were taking jobs from Europeans and Māori. Parliament dismissed the petition in 1934 on the grounds that the petition's allegations had not been proved. Local Indians also formed the Pukekohe Indian Association. During the 1930s, another wave of Māori rural-to-urban migration occurred in the

including Pukekohe. Many Māori migrating to Pukekohe and Auckland found it difficult to secure housing due to discrimination from landlords, with many experiencing substandard housing. On 15 July 1935, the ''Franklin Times'' reported that the poor living conditions of Maori in Pukekohe contributed to a high Maori child mortality rate, with the newspaper estimating an upward of 20 dying. The Pukekohe council later petitioned the New Zealand government to address the substandard living conditions of Māori market garden workers and their families. During the early 1940s, the Department of Māori Affairs launched a scheme to build houses for Māori workers and their families. However, the project was aborted when the Pukekohe council object to Māori living within the town's boundaries. Between 1942 and 1944, Pukekohe hosted US Marines,

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

personnel serving in the Pacific theatre of

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

. During World War Two, the public mobilisation for the war effort led to the emergence of girls' marching clubs and a Boy's Brigade company. Pukekohe also hosted the annual Franklin Caledonian Society's sports day in February 1945. In 1952, the Māori Women's Welfare League undertook a house-to-house survey of living conditions in Pukekohe, where Māori worked as agricultural works on the market gardens and lived in substandard shacks provided by their employers. The League submitted its report to the

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1989 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elec ...

, the Department of Māori Affairs, and the State Advances Corporation. Despite the League's lobbying, many Māori continued to face substandard living conditions and long waits for state rental housing. Until the 1950s, many Māori children in Pukekohe died from poverty-related illnesses such as

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

. In 1952, the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

established a segregated special Māori school in Pukekohe in response to strong local pressure from European residents who did not want their children to mix with Māori. This contradicted the department's policy of racially integrated schools. The visiting American psychologist David Ausubel regarded Pukekohe's segregated school as emblematic of an alleged " colour bar" in New Zealand where Māori faced negative stereotyping and discrimination in accessing housing, hotel accommodation, employment, and credit services. In 1963, ethnic Chinese onion grower Rai Wai Ching contested a seat in the

to highlight racism in Pukekohe. At candidates' meetings, he complained that members of his community were not served in bars and were allocated inferior seats at the town's cinemas. Ching faced death threats and was given police protection. Though Ching's parliamentary bid was unsuccessful, the publicity led the town to end discrimination against non-Whites in hotels and cinemas.

Culture

Marae

Ngā Hau e Whā Marae is located in the Pukekohe area. It is the tribal meeting grounds of Ngāti Tamaoho and the Waikato Tainui

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

of Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Tamaoho.

Indian community centres

In 1953, the Nehru Hall was constructed in Pukekohe for the Indian committee, and was the first Indian community hall to be built in New Zealand. The hall was too small to host large-scale events such as Indian weddings, which instead were held at the Pukekohe War Memorial Town Hall. In response to the community needing a larger space, the PIA Events Centre was opened by the Pukekohe Indian Association in 1999.

Demographics

Between 1916 and 1936 Pukekohe saw a 65% growth compared to 42% for the rest of Franklin County. By 1936 it had 2536 residents with roughly 40% identifying as Anglican. The population went from 3,309 in 1945 to 6,547 in 1966 following the

baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of births. This demography, demographic phenomenon is usually an ascribed characteristic within the population of a specific nationality, nation or culture. Baby booms are caused by various ...

in the post war years. 31% of Pukekohe identified as Anglican by then but attendance was at an average of eight times per annum based on this number. In 1991 Pukekohe had a population of 10,410. In 2001 Pukekohe's population was 13,110. Stats NZ describes Pukekohe as a medium urban area, which covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Pukekohe had a population of 27,042 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 3,201 people (13.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 6,582 people (32.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 13,107 males, 13,866 females and 72 people of other genders in 9,231 dwellings. 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 36.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 5,868 people (21.7%) aged under 15 years, 4,998 (18.5%) aged 15 to 29, 11,748 (43.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 4,428 (16.4%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 65.3% 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 ...

); 20.9% Māori; 11.0% Pasifika; 17.2% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.9%, Māori language by 4.0%, Samoan by 1.3%, and other languages by 17.8%. No language could be spoken by 2.4% (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 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 28.3, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 34.7%

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 ...

, 3.9%

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 ...

, 1.1%

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 ...

, 1.8%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 3.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 46.8%, and 7.1% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 4,023 (19.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 10,950 (51.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 6,198 (29.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $42,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 2,502 people (11.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 11,109 (52.5%) people were employed full-time, 2,433 (11.5%) were part-time, and 618 (2.9%) were unemployed.

Local government

The Pukekohe Highway District was formed 20 June 1862. It split in 1872 into Pukekohe West and Pukekohe East. Pukekohe Town District was formed from Pukekohe West Road District in 1905 and in 1915 both Pukekohe East and Pukekohe West road districts were dissolved. Pukekohe Town Board ran the Pukekohe Town District from 1905 to 1912, when Pukekohe became a borough. Pukekohe Borough Council continued until it was merged into

Franklin District Council Franklin District was a New Zealand territorial authority that lay between the Auckland metropolitan area and the Waikato Plains. As a formal territory, it was abolished on 31 October 2010 and divided between Auckland Council in the Auckland R ...

in 1989, eventually being amalgamated into

in November 2010. The mayors of Pukekohe Borough Council were: *1912–1912 William Dunn *1912–1915 C. K. Lawrie *1915–1919 Henry Greathead Rex Mason *1919–1921 C. K. Lawrie *1921–1935 John Routly *1935–1938 C. K. Lawrie *1938–1941 John Routly *1941–1950 Maxwell Rae Grierson *1950–1963 S. C. Childs *1963–1974 C. W. J. Lawrie *1974–1989 Max R. Short Since 2010, the Franklin Local Board represents local government in the area. The local board is one of 21 local boards across Auckland. The current Councillor is Andy Baker. Pukekohe lies in the

Port Waikato Port Waikato is a New Zealand town that sits on the south bank of the Waikato River, at its outflow into the Tasman Sea, in the northern Waikato. Port Waikato is a well-known surfing and whitebaiting destination and a popular holiday spot. ...

general electorate, currently represented by Andrew Bayly of the National Party. It is part of the

Hauraki-Waikato Hauraki-Waikato is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate first established for the . It largely replaced the electorate. Nanaia Mahuta of the Labour Party, formerly the MP for Tainui, became MP for Hauraki-Waikato in the 2008 general ...

Māori electorate, currently represented by Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of

Te Pāti Māori (), also known as the Māori Party, is a left-wing political party in New Zealand advocating Māori people, Māori rights. With the exception of a handful of New Zealand electorates#Electorates in the 53rd Parliament, general electorates, co ...

Education

Pukekohe High School is a secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of . The school opened in 1921 as Pukekohe Technical High School, and was renamed to Pukekohe High School in 1948. Pukekohe Intermediate School is an intermediate school (years 7–8) with a roll of . The school opened in 1966 Pukekohe East School, Pukekohe Hill School and Valley School are contributing primary schools (years 1–6) with rolls of , and students, respectively. Pukekohe East School opened in 1880. Pukekohe Maori School opened in 1952 and was renamed to Pukekohe Hill School in 1966. Valley School opened in 1966. Pukekohe North School is a full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of . 79 percent of the roll are of Māori heritage, and some classes are taught in the

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

. The school opened in 1957, although the official opening was in 1958. KingsGate School and St Joseph's School are state integrated schools with rolls of and students, respectively. KingsGate is an interdenominational Christian composite school (years 1–13). It opened in 1996. St Joseph's is a Catholic contributing primary school (years 1–6) which opened in 1923. Parkside School is a special school with a roll of . It provides education for students with special needs up to the age of 21. Tamaoho School is a contributing primary school which opened in 2021. All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of

Sports

Pukekohe Park Raceway is a

motorsports Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the po ...

and horse-racing facility. Opened in 1963, this circuit is famous for having hosted the

New Zealand Grand Prix The New Zealand Grand Prix, sometimes known as the New Zealand International Grand Prix, is an annual motor racing event held in New Zealand. First held in 1950 New Zealand Grand Prix, 1950, it is best known for hosting rounds of the Tasman Seri ...

29 times between 1963 and 2000, as well as the V8 International (a round of the

V8 Supercars The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...

championship) between 2001 and 2007. They returned in 2013–2019 after the series had a short-lived moved to a street race circuit in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

for five years. The last and final race was held in 2022, Due to the track being closed by the Auckland Racing Club. Pukekohe RFC represent the town in

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

, their number 1 field is dubbed the 'Onion Patch'. The

Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union The Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union (CMRFU) is the governing body of rugby union in Southern Auckland and the Franklin District, Franklin district of New Zealand. Nicknamed the ''Steelers'', their colours are red, white, and black horizon ...

are based in Pukekohe and play home matches at Navigation Homes Stadium. They have a men and women's premier team in each national championship. The "Steelers" in the men's competition and the "Heat" in the women's competition. The Men's team won the second division competition in 1979 and have won this division competition twice. Pukekohe is home to Pukekohe AFC who are members of the Northern Region Football. Bledisloe Park Sports Centre (overlooking Bledisloe Park grounds) is home to both Pukekohe AFC and Pukekohe Metro Cricket Club. The sports centre is managed by the Bledisloe Park Society Committee. Auckland Metropolitan Clay Target Club, is a clay target shooting club located just outside Pukekohe, offering recreational and competitive target shooting. Puni Mountain Bike Track, located at Puni Memorial Park, has roughly 6–7 km of single-track. Sunset Coast BMX and Puni Rugby Club are also located at Puni Memorial Park. From 2021 The New Zealand National Basketball League Franklin Bulls took to the court in Pukekohe. They play their home games at the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre, also known as 'The Stockyard'. The town has a golf club, tennis club, squash club and a hot rod club.

Media

Based on King St, Pukekohe, Rural Living is a monthly, lifestyle magazine distributed throughout the Franklin region and accessible online. The magazine's publisher, Times Media, also produces annual magazines, Design & Build Franklin and Settling In, produced by locals for locals. Franklin County News is the local newspaper distributed weekly to homes in Pukekohe and surrounding towns, including

Waiuku Waiuku is a rural town in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuary, estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which extends to th ...

and

Tuakau Tuakau () is a town in the Waikato region at the foot of the Bombay Hills, formerly part of the Franklin District until 2010, when it became part of Waikato District in the North Island of New Zealand. The town serves to support local farming, ...

. ''The Post Newspaper'' issues almost 22,000 copies weekly on a Tuesday within Franklin and Tuakau and is based in Waiuku. In 2015, the online events calendar and photo news Franklin Life NZ was launched. In 2013, the film '' Mt. Zion'' was released in New Zealand, portraying Māori life in 1970s Pukekohe.

Transport

Pukekohe railway station Pukekohe railway station is a railway station in Pukekohe, New Zealand. It is the southern terminus of the Southern Line of the Auckland railway network. Pukekohe was south of Auckland in 1882, or, in 1943, via Newmarket, or via Ōrākei ...

is on the

Railway and is the southernmost station of the Auckland rail network, at the end of the Southern Line. In July 2017, it was announced that the purchase of battery-powered electric trains had been "agreed in principle" by

and that an all-electric service would be operational in 2019 (provisionally, subject to conditions), four years after completion of the rest of the region's electrified rail network. However, the purchase of battery-powered trains did not proceed. In 2020, the government announced funding to extend electrification from Papakura to Pukekohe.

Notable people

Bill Birch Sir William Francis Birch (born 9 April 1934), usually known as Bill Birch, is a New Zealand retired politician. He served as Minister of Finance from 1993 to 1999 in the fourth National Government. Early life Birch was born in Hastings on ...

, MP * Joeli Vidiri, former All Black, Counties Steelers and Auckland Blues representative * Possum Bourne, former

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

driver with the Subaru World Rally Team * Eric Murray, double Olympic Gold Medalist (London 2012, Rio 2016), 8 time World Champion in Rowing, attended Pukekohe high school *

Leslie Comrie Leslie John Comrie FRS (15 August 1893 – 11 December 1950) was an astronomer and a pioneer in mechanical computation. Life Leslie John Comrie was born in Pukekohe (south of Auckland), New Zealand, on 15 August 1893. He attended Auckland U ...

, astronomer and pioneer in mechanical computation *

Simon Doull Simon Blair Doull (born 6 August 1969) is a New Zealand radio personality, commentator and former international cricketer. He was a right-arm medium pacer, who was capable of swing bowling. He was plagued by injuries as a result of which his int ...

, New Zealand Blackcaps cricket representative and radio personality * Peter Fa'afiu, diplomat, global director of Amnesty International *

A. J. Hackett Allan John "A. J." Hackett (born May 1958) is a New Zealand entrepreneur who popularised the extreme sport of bungee jumping, bungy jumping. He made a bungy jump from the Eiffel Tower in 1987 and founded the first commercial bungy site in 1988. ...

, OMNZ and entrepreneur who popularised bungee jumping * Liam Lawson, F1 racing driver raised in Pukekohe *

Jonah Lomu Jonah Tali Lomu (12 May 1975 – 18 November 2015) was a New Zealand professional rugby union player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential players in the history of the sport, and as one of the most talented sportsm ...

, All Black, born in Pukekohe, educated at Wesley College * Rex Mason, mayor and MP * Carl Ruiterman, racing driver * Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan Head of State—educated at Wesley College * Allan Wilson, molecular biologist—grew up in the area

Climate

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Pukekohe - the heart of Franklin
{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Franklin Local Board Area Populated places in the Auckland Region