Pāremoremo

Pāremoremo is a rural settlement and its mostly rural surrounds about 8 km (5 miles) southwest of Albany on the northern fringe of Auckland, New Zealand. Coatesville is about 7 km to the north, and Riverhead is about 8 km to the west. Pāremoremo is home to New Zealand's only maximum security prison.

History


Pāremoremo is the location where Te Ākitai Waiohua ancestor and grandmother of Kiwi Tāmaki, Rangi-hua-moa, ate the final moa eggs known to Tāmaki Māori.

In the 1840s, Maurice and Mary Kelly operated a timber business at Pāremoremo and Albany. Pāremoremo was originally a small community on the Upper Waitematā Harbour which saw European settlement grow following the construction of a wharf at the foot of Attwood Road. In the early 19th century it was known for its farms, market gardens and orchards. Passengers and cargo travelled to the city by the launches and small ferries of the period.

In the mid 1960s it became the home of Auckland Prison, New Zealand's main maximum security prison. A village of 130 houses was built by the Ministry of Justice to house prison workers, but 30 of the houses were sold in 1996 after battles in the Employment Court of New Zealand and Court of Appeal.

Demographics
Statistics New Zealand describes Pāremoremo as a rural settlement, which covers 1.28 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Pāremoremo settlement had a population of 525 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 3 people (0.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 96 people (22.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 171 households, comprising 267 males and 258 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 102 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 99 (18.9%) aged 15 to 29, 270 (51.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 63 (12.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 94.3% European/Pākehā, 9.7% Māori, 1.1% Pasifika, 5.1% Asian, and 0.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 58.3% had no religion, 32.0% were Christian, 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 102 (24.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 33 (7.8%) people had no formal qualifications. 120 people (28.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 234 (55.3%) people were employed full-time, 72 (17.0%) were part-time, and 9 (2.1%) were unemployed.

Rural surrounds
Pāremoremo including its rural surrounds covers 23.85 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Before the 2023 census, Pāremoremo's surrounds had a smaller boundary, covering 21.08 km2. Using that boundary, the Pāremoremo area had a population of 3,360 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 117 people (3.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 666 people (24.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 936 households, comprising 1,860 males and 1,497 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.24 males per female, with 591 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 735 (21.9%) aged 15 to 29, 1,689 (50.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 342 (10.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 78.0% European/Pākehā, 13.7% Māori, 5.0% Pacific peoples, 10.4% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 29.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 55.4% had no religion, 33.4% were Christian, 1.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.5% were Hindu, 0.7% were Muslim, 0.9% were Buddhist and 2.1% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 609 (22.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 333 (12.0%) people had no formal qualifications. 753 people (27.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,482 (53.5%) people were employed full-time, 402 (14.5%) were part-time, and 102 (3.7%) were unemployed.

Parks and reserves
Paremoremo Scenic Reserve is a block of land north of the Paremoremo residential area. It is the largest bush reserve in the North Shore and is a site of ecological significance.

A 38 ha block of land south of the prison was bought by North Shore City for NZ$3.1 million in February 2002, to be developed as Sanders Park. The park was finished in 2010, for a total budget of $2.7 million, including a $1.2 million toilet block, a fenced off-leash dog walking area, mountain bike trails, a small children's bike track, and a fenced paddock for equestrians. Also at Sanders Reserve are two small beaches with good swimming areas. People have been known to camp on the grass areas around the beach.

Education
Ridgeview School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of students as at. The school opened in 1923 as Paremoremo School, and changed its name to Ridgeview in 2000.