 North Shore's People
North Shore City is home to 205,000 people, making it the fourth largest city in New Zealand (after Auckland, Christchurch and Manuaku). One in eight people living in North Shore City is of Asian descent, and the most commonly spoken language after English is Korean. The highest rate of growth within North Shore City since 1996 was in the Albany area, which increased in population by 55.9% since 1996. However, there was a decline in some areas of the city, especially within the Devonport area which shows a decline in population of 4.3%.
North Shore's Environment
North Shore City covers an area of 12,979 hectares and is divided into three wards: Harbour, Northern and Central. Within each ward there are two Community Board areas: Devonport and Takapuna comprise the Central Ward; Glenfield and Brikenhead-Northcote make up the Harbour Ward; while Albany and East Coast Bays serve the Northern Ward. Surrounded by the Hauraki Gulf, the city has an unbroken 149 kilometres of urban coastline. North Shore City has more than 400 parks including 80 sportsfields, 108 playgrounds and more than 20 scenic bush reserves. North Shore has an annual rainfall of 1250mm.
Most of North Shore's streams are small and threatened by urban development activities including modification, the removal of riparian vegetation and pollution by sediments, heavy metals and waste. The City's most significant environmental challenges and impacts on our streams arise from activities associated with rapid development. This has seen the amount of impervious areas (hard surfaces such as roofs, roads and concrete that can't absorb rainwater) in the city cover over 3,300 hectares (35% of our total land area).
Stormwater can cause flooding, erosion and long-term environmental damage. Our investigations as part of Project CARE, our million 20-year programme of works to improve beach water quality, has indicated that stormwater contributes significantly to the deterioration of beach water quality along the eastern cost of North Shore City. To address these problems, we're upgrading our public stormwater systems, building stormwater ponds, installing filters in our drains and improving the quality of stormwater that flows to our streams and beaches.
North Shore Stream Assessments
In July 2004 we finished a two-year project walking 26 of the city's streams, gathering ecological and engineering data for the sake of preservation and restoration.
Our streamwalkers surveyed fish species, vegetation, erosion, spawning areas, wet levels, stormwater outfall pipes, water clarity, and how much of the stream is lined with concrete or piped.
The data collected will be used in our "Kokopu Connection" project, to apply for consents from the Auckland Regional Council to operate, maintain and upgrade the city's stormwater networks. It will also help North Shore City create stream management plans that will govern the level and types of development permitted in the catchment areas around them.
The comprehensive urban survey of streams in North Shore City is believed to be the largest carried out by any council throughout New Zealand. You can find out what streams were suvery and view summary information at the North Shore City council website (www.northshorecity.govt.nz - go to "our environment", then "streams")
North Shore's History
In North Shore City the ancient volcano, Mt Victoria was the site of a Maori pa or fortified village of the local Kawerau tribe before the European era. Today, you can still see traces of the terraces once protected by palisades of sharpened stakes.
By the turn of the 19th Century small settlements could be found in Devonport, Takapuna and Northcote. Devonport was the first settlement on the North Shore and was originally known as Flagstaff, after the signal station on the summit of Mount Victoria.
From the 1850s the areas of Takapuna and Devonport slowly began to develop. There was a steady increase of settlers and investors in various land enterprises. The first harbour ferry service began with whaleboats in 1854. Later in the century the Devonport Steam Ferry began operations and ferries scuttled back and forward across the harbour.
Through the course of the 19th Century the North Shore continued to develop with the help of the brickwork, timber and ship building industries. The Shore also came to be viewed as a playground for Aucklanders, and by the late 1870s several new hotels had sprung up. Development on the Shore continued, with the help of Auckland's inner city building boom in the late 1870s and early 1880s.
North Shore grew steadily until Auckland's Harbour Bridge opened in 1959. The direct road link with Auckland City made North Shore more accessible and spawned massive growth in both industry and housing. Today, North Shore City is New Zealand's fourth largest city and continues to grow.
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