Highland Park, New Zealand

Highland Park is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located between Howick and Pakuranga. It belongs to the Pakuranga electorate which is currently represented by Simeon Brown.

Geography
Highland Park is located in the central peninsula of East Auckland, west of Howick, New Zealand. The Pakuranga Stream, a tributary of the Pakuranga Creek, flows through the western portion of the suburb. Aviemore Drive is a major north-south arterial route in the suburb, connecting Pakuranga Road and Bucklands Beach Road to Cascades Road.

History
In May 1972, the Manukau City Council sold the land at Highland Park Estate to Neil Construction Ltd, who developed housing on 650 subdivisions south of Pakuranga Road. The first houses were sold in February 1974. Highland Park Shopping Centre was developed on a nine-acre site in the north of the suburb by Progressive Enterprises, which opened in 1978. In the same year, the second Georgie Pie restaurant in New Zealand was opened at Highland Park, and was billed as the first drive-through restaurant in New Zealand. Both the suburb and the Highland Park Centre were themed around the Scottish Highlands, with a fort being constructed at the centre, and many of the street names of the suburb being Scottish in origin.

Demographics
Highland Park covers 1.16 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Before the 2023 census, Highland Park had a larger boundary, covering 1.38 km2. Using that boundary, Highland Park had a population of 4,512 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 234 people (5.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 321 people (7.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,575 households, comprising 2,163 males and 2,352 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female. The median age was 40.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 699 people (15.5%) aged under 15 years, 936 (20.7%) aged 15 to 29, 2,001 (44.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 873 (19.3%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 47.9% European/Pākehā, 4.5% Māori, 4.1% Pacific peoples, 45.1% Asian, and 4.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 56.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 44.7% had no religion, 38.4% were Christian, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 2.9% were Hindu, 1.5% were Muslim, 3.5% were Buddhist and 3.1% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,083 (28.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 498 (13.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 576 people (15.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,857 (48.7%) people were employed full-time, 486 (12.7%) were part-time, and 114 (3.0%) were unemployed.

Amenities

 * The Highland Park Shopping Centre to the north of the suburb.
 * The Cascade Walkway, a public walkway along the Pakuranga Creek that connects Highland Park to Lloyd Elsmore Park in the west.
 * William Green Domain, a public park and home for the Fencibles United association football club.