Manukau’s People
Manukau Cityis home to 283,197 people (2001 census), making it the third largest city in the country (Auckland345,768; Christchurch309,028). Rapid population growth in Manukau has been mirrored by increasing diversity, with some 165 different ethnic groups. More than 51% of the population is non-European with Pacific Island, Maori and Asian populations forming the majority. Manukau is a very young city with around 40% of its population under 25 years of age. Manukau Cityis known as Manukau - Face of the Future.
Manukau’s Environment
Manukau Citycovers an area of 55,200 ha and is divided into the 7 Wards of: Pakuranga, Clevedon, Mangere, Otara, Howick, Manurewa and Papatoetoe. The City is approximately 80% rural and 20% urban. Bounded by the Hauraki Gulf to the east and the Manukau Harbourto the west, Manukau has some 300 kilometres of coastline. The City has around 7,500 hectares parks and reserves. Manukau enjoys 2148 hours of sunshine annually (national average 2000) and has an annual rainfall of 1157mm (national average 1000mm).
Most of Manukau’s streams are small and threatened by rural and urban development activities including modification, the removal of riparian vegetation and pollution by sediments and waste. The Wairoa Riverin the rural Clevedon Ward is the City’s largest freshwater body whilst the Puhinui, Pakuranga and Otara streams are major urban waterways. Significant stream restoration responses are being provided through Council’s catchment management planning and water quality improvements, Parks Strategy, Flat Bush development policies and Wai Care and Parks volunteer programmes. The City’s most significant environmental challenges arise from activities associated with rapid development, which require large land resources, intensive capital investment and gives limited time in which to respond to environmental impacts.
Manukau’s History
The name Manukau can be traced back to the Great Waka Migration of 1305 AD. Among the many canoes of this migration was the Tainui Waka, commanded by Hoturoa. After landing along the east coast of the North Island, Hoturoa travelled north along the coast in search of a way to reach the west coast. Hoturoa eventually travelled up the Tamaki Estuary and found only a narrow strip of land separating the two harbours. As they hauled their waka across the land and launched it into the harbour, many birds took flight from fright. Hoturoa, fearful of an enemy attack, sent his warriors to find the reason for the great disturbance. When the warriors returned, they told Hoturoa 'He Manu Kau noa iho' [they were only birds]. Hence the name of Manukau was born.
Early Maori settlement took place mostly around the eastern shores of the harbour. It wasn't until the 1840s that the first major European settlement took place, when immigrants moved out to the highly productive soils of the Manukau area, establishing the villages of Papatoetoe, Mangere and Howick. Howick was also settled by Fencibles, who were retired soldiers enlisted to serve for 7 years in return for a cottage and an acre of land.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s Manukau remained largely a farming community. Following World War Two however, there was extensive development of both commercial and industrial centres in many of these traditional farming areas, mainly due to the post-war industrialisation of Aucklandand its expansion southwards. The construction of the Southern Motorway in the 1950s, the establishment of the Mangere Sewerage Treatment Plant and the Auckland International Airport, a major state housing programme and also increasing levels of car ownership were major contributors to growth in Manukau. In 1965 Manukau City was formed and divided into the 5 Wards of Mangere, Pakuranga, Clevedon, Otara and Manurewa and the re-organisation of local body government in 1990 led to it’s amalgamation with the Howick and Papatoetoe Borough Councils.
Manukau City has seen strong growth to some 20 groups since joining the programme in late 1999 and continues to receive requests to join. The principal Co-ordinator has also been able to take up a number of opportunities to provide advice to groups outside of the programme that are conducting riparian planting. This is an effective way to meet needs of residents where resources would not allow taking on new groups and fosters relationships of largely autonomous groups.
Manukau’s programme enjoys the support of enthusiastic schools and through MIT, its teacher trainees. Community groups however have been less active and it is recognised that they need different resources and more flexible support systems to operate. Further work is needed to identify what are practical outcomes, and may involve groups and programme administrators visiting other groups in the region to observe how they manage.
All but one of Manukau’s groups are urban and the programme needs to consider how it can provide a useful service to rural groups. A trial partnership with Makaurau Marae and the Auckland Regional Council has begun recently in rural Mangere. It is hoped to start a youth oriented group in Clevedon in the new year.
Wai Care has good alignment with Council strategic outcomes ‘Clean, Safe and Smart’. Alignment with and incorporation into major strategies including the Parks and Environmental Monitoring Strategy is being undertaken, along with seeking opportunities to align with major projects involving streams and stormwater including the Otara Lake Improvement, Puhinui Stream Walkway and Mangere Inlet Enhancement projects. Wai Care is being positioned to fit into the context of wider catchment management, promoting issues such as community involvement, riparian planting for both stream and terrestrial life and pest fish management. It is also seen important integrate Wai Care into the wider context of environmental education including catchment and parks management plans, waste and pollution control, local clean-up actions and the Big Cleanup campaign.
Manukau Wai Care has been fortunate to receive Nestle New Zealand funding through the Nestle Community Environment Program for a planting. Working with industry and the community is an area seen as crucial to the future success of Wai Care for involving all types of people in Manukau to create a better environment. Opportunities for working alongside industry are being pursued, including working alongside the ARC conducting industrial audits and education seminars to businesses in East Tamaki.
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