Wiri

Wiri is a mostly industrial-commercial focused suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It was formerly part of Manukau City until the merger of all of Auckland's councils into the ' super city' in 2010. The area was named after the chief Takaanini Wirihana.

History

Wiri developed as a large industrial areas during the 1960s and 1970s due to the suburban expansion of Manukau City.

Transport

The Wiri inland port connects road freight to the Ports of Auckland on the Waitemata Harbour further north. The inland port allows the Ports of Auckland to reduce the number of trucks that have to travel through the Auckland Central area by up to 100,000 trips per year.

As part of the Auckland railway electrification project, the $100 million EMU maintenance and stabling depot was built on 4.4 hectares of the old Winstone Quarry in Wiri, located next to the South-Western Motorway and bordered by Roscommon and Wiri Station Roads. It was officially opened by the Mayor of Auckland on 5 July 2013.

The Wiri railway station was opened from 1913 and closed in 2005 due to low patronage, the EMU maintenance facility was built on the former site.

Notable places

Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility (ARWCF) is located in Wiri. ARWCF is the first purpose-built women's prison in New Zealand to accommodate a growing number of female prisoners and services in the upper North Island. The facility can accommodate 286 prisoners and employs 167 staff.

The adjacent Auckland South Corrections Facility is a high security men's prison which opened in 2015. It is operated by Serco New Zealand under a Public Private Partnership with the Department of Corrections. at 20 Hautu Drive, Wiri.

St Davis Church was built in 1880. In 1883 a chancel was added on. The Church walls contain records of people that lived in Wiri.

Puhi Nui was built in 1860 by William Junior McLaughlin. In 1982 it was moved to the Howick Colonial Village.

Geography

The Matukutūruru (Wiri Mountain) and Matukutūreia (McLaughlins Mountain) volcanoes are in Wiri. Much of the land within the suburb of Wiri was formed through lava flows originating from these mountains.

Climate

Demographics

Wiri covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km².

Wiri had a population of 6,504 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,149 people (21.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,580 people (65.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 3,414 males, 3,075 females and 12 people of other genders in 1,533 dwellings. 2.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 31.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,449 people (22.3%) aged under 15 years, 1,602 (24.6%) aged 15 to 29, 2,901 (44.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 555 (8.5%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 21.3% European (Pākehā); 31.1% Māori; 43.8% Pasifika; 22.4% Asian; 1.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 0.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 90.0%, Māori language by 9.7%, Samoan by 16.3%, and other languages by 19.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.8% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 35.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 47.4% Christian, 4.8% Hindu, 3.0% Islam, 4.2% Māori religious beliefs, 1.5% Buddhist, 0.2% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 3.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 28.6%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 702 (13.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 2,478 (49.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,875 (37.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $24,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 177 people (3.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,040 (40.4%) people were employed full-time, 408 (8.1%) were part-time, and 366 (7.2%) were unemployed.

Education

Wiri Central School is a full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of as of

Destiny School is a private Christian composite school (years 1–13) with a roll of as of

Both schools are coeducational.

References

External links

Photographs of Wiri
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.

{{Manurewa Local Board Area

Manurewa Local Board Area
Populated places around the Manukau Harbour
Suburbs of Auckland