Warkworth, New Zealand

Warkworth (Puhinui) is a town on the Northland Peninsula in the upper North Island of New Zealand. It is in the northern part of the Auckland Region. It is located on State Highway 1, 64 km north of Auckland and 98 km south of Whangārei, and is at the head of Mahurangi Harbour.

The Mahurangi Harbour and surrounding area has been settled by Māori since at least the 13th century. As Warkworth is the upper most navigable point on the Mahurangi River, it was a crossroads between overland traffic and waka, and gained the name Puhinui, referring to the waterfalls found at the river. The people of the Mahurangi Harbour area would move seasonally between different kāinga based on available resources, and came to the dense kauri forests at Puhinui to utilise resources such as berries, eels and felling trees to construct waka.

By the 17th century, the warrior Maki unified many of the Tāmaki Māori peoples in the west and northern areas of the Auckland Region, and new Te Kawerau hapū were created as his children settled different regions. Of these hapū, Ngāti Rongo, Ngāti Raupō and Ngāti Manuhiri focused time in the Warkworth area. The different hapū began developing strong ties with neighbouring tribes, including Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngātiwai and Te Tai Tokerau Māori. In the late 18th century, Kawerau hapū had conflict with Marutūāhu tribes of the Hauraki Gulf who wanted to secure shark fishing rights. The area was depopulated during the Musket Wars of the 1820s, with Te Kawerau hapū taking shelter with differing tribes in the north. Ngāti Rongo returned to the area in 1836, followed by Ngāti Manuhiri in the early 1840s.

European settler John Anderson Brown first settled at Warkworth in 1843, establishing a timber mill on the banks of the Mahurangi River. The town was officially established in 1853, and became a hub for the timber and ship building industries. The town became a hub for the Wilsons Cement Works, the first producers of portland cement in the Southern Hemisphere, in 1884, and by the 1930s as roads improved transitioned into becoming a commercial and service hub for the wider rural area.

Warkworth and the surrounding areas was home to over 40 United States Army camps during World War II, and in 1971 the Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory was established near the town. Since the mid-2000s, the town has seen significant population growth.

Etymology
Warkworth was named in 1853 by early settler John Anderson Brown, who took the name from Warkworth in Northumberland, allegedly because the Mahurangi River reminded him of the River Coquet at Warkworth, where a relative of Browns worked as a school headmaster. The major streets of Warkworth were named after villages adjacent to Warkworth in England, or after major Northumbrian families. For ten years prior to this, the area was known as Brown's Mill, after the John Anderson Brown sawmill, and until the 1870s the township was primarily known by the name Upper Mahurangi.

The traditional Māori name for Warkworth is Puhinui ("Big Plume"), referring to the Puhinui Waterfalls located in the township.

Geography


The Warkworth area is at the upper navigable point of the Mahurangi River, which flows south-east towards the Mahurangi Harbour. The township is located at the point where the river runs over a low waterfall and becomes a tidal estuary, The wider area is predominantly uplifted Waitemata Group sandstone. Historically, the area was heavily forested until European settlement.

The highest point in Warkworth is a 86 m hill located between Falls Road and View Road, where a water reservoir and cellphone tower are located.

On the eastern side of the river is the Mahurangi Peninsula, with the seaside towns of Snells Beach and Algies Bay. It is here that the scenic Kawau Island is found, notable for its historic Mansion House, once the private retreat of Governor Grey.

East of Warkworth and north of Mahurangi East lies the Tāwharanui Peninsula, home of the Tāwharanui Regional Park and Tawharanui Marine Park. To the north is the town of Wellsford, with the thickly forested Dome Valley lying in between. On the west coast lies the Kaipara Harbour, while to the south is the small historic township of Puhoi and further south the larger town of Orewa.

Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as oceanic (Cfb), but it is rainier in winter.

Māori history
The wider Mahurangi area has been settled since at least the 13th century. Local traditions describe Toi-te-huatahi being the founding ancestor for Mahurangi peoples, and Toi is the namesake for many features in the area, including Little Barrier Island / Te Hauturu-o-Toi and the Hauraki Gulf (Te Moananui-ā-Toi). One of the first known iwi to have settled in the area is Ngāi Tāhuhu. Named for Tāhuhunui-o-te-rangi, captain of the Moekākara waka, the iwi also settled at Ōtāhuhu in Auckland, Whangārei and the Bay of Islands. Te Arawa and Tainui migratory waka are known to have visited the area, and descendants of captain Manaia of the Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi waka are known to have intermarried with Ngāi Tāhuhu. A location of significance near Warkworth is Tohitohi ō Reipae, the peak of the Dome Forest, which was used as a traditional boundary marker, and is the location where Tainui ancestress Reipae married the Ngāi Tāhuhu rangatira Tahuhupotiki.

Mahurangi peoples primarily focused settlement along the shores of the Hauraki Gulf, moving seasonally between different kāinga based on available seasonal resources. Puhinui was a crossroads, at the highest navigable point by waka. This led to overland ara. While the majority of known archaeological sites near Warkworth are on the Mahurangi Harbour coast, the Mahurangi River (traditionally called Waihē) shores and adjoining forests would have been utilised for resources, such as berry collecting, bird snaring, flax harvesting, eel fishing and felling trees to construct waka.

Arrival of Maki


In the mid-17th century, the warrior Maki migrated from the Kāwhia Harbour to his ancestral home in the Auckland Region. Maki conquered and unified many of the Tāmaki Māori tribes, including those of the West Auckland, the North Shore and Mahurangi, and unified these peoples under the name Te Kawerau. In Mahurangi, this was done by conquering Ngāi Tāhuhu, and by forming peacemaking marriages with the Te Roroa and Ngāti Manaia/Ngātiwai tribes who were migrating from the north.

After Maki's death, his sons settled different areas of his lands, creating new hapū, including the Mahurangi hapū of Ngāti Rongo, Ngāti Raupō, Ngāti Manuhiri, Ngāti Maraeariki, Ngāti Poataniwha and Ngāti Kahu.

Ngāti Rongo formed from the union of Maki's son Ngāwhetu and Moerangaranga of Ngā Rīriki, the latter of whom is also an ancestor for Te Uri-o-Hau of Ngāti Whātua. Ngāti Raupō descend from Maki's son Maraeariki, and settled on the Tāwharanui Peninsula, while Ngāti Manuhiri settled the Whangateau Harbour north to Pākiri. As these hapū developed, Ngātiwai developed strong ties to Kawerau hapū through successive generations of intermarriage, especially Ngāti Rehua, Ngāti Manuhiri, and Ngāti Kahu.

By the mid-1700s, Marutūāhu tribes from the Hauraki Gulf, especially Ngāti Pāoa, sought to control the shark fishery located on the Mahurangi coast, between Kawau Island and the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. War broke out between Ngāti Pāoa and the Kawerau hapū. By the early 19th century, Kawerau-descended hapū held exclusive land rights to the Mahurangi, while fishing rights were shared between these hapū and the Marutūāhu tribes.

By the early 19th Century, the Mahurangi Harbour was primarily settled by Ngāti Rongo and their related hapū Ngāti Kā and Ngāti Raupō, all of whom kept close ties to Ngāti Manuhiri, while Marutūahu tribes frequented the coast during the summertime.

Musket Wars and Early European arrivals


In the early 1820s during the Musket Wars, Ngāpuhi and related northern tribes attacked the Mahurangi area settlements in retaliation for past losses, leading to the Mahurangi area being depopulated. Ngāti Rongo, then approximately 100 people, sought refuge with their Ngāti Manu relatives in the Bay of Islands under the protection of Pōmare II, Ngāti Raupō at Whangārei with Te Parawhau and Te Whareumu, and Ngāti Mahuhiri to the north of Whangārei with Ngātiwai.

In 1832, Gordon Browne established a spar station on the Pukapuka Peninsula of the Mahurangi Harbour. Browne obtained rights to fell kauri from Marutūāhu tribes, after which Ngāpuhi chiefs Patuone and Tītore brokered a deal with the British Royal Navy to supply kauri spurs for navy ships, using the spar station. This station was the first European settlement in the Auckland Region, and most of the station labourers were members of Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāpuhi. The station operated until 1834, and was contested by Kawerau descendant hapū.

Ngāti Rongo returned to the Mahurangi area in 1836, under the leadership of Te Hēmara Tauhia, focusing settlement at Te Muri. Ngāti Rongo and Ngāti Raupō occupied modern Warkworth by the late 1830s or early 1840s, with Ngāti Mahuhiri likely returning in the early 1840s. By this period, many of the Kawerau hapū had developed associations with Ngāti Whātua, and the Mahurangi area was contested between Kawerau, Ngāti Whātua and Marutūāhu tribes.

Land sales and early colonial settlement


Following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the Crown made the first purchases of the Mahurangi and Omaha blocks on 13 April 1841, which included the Mahurangi Harbour. While some iwi and hapū with customary interests had been engaged, such as Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Rongo, Ngāti Raupō and Ngāti Manuhiri were not a part of this transaction, and it took the Crown until the 1850s to finalise a deal with these tribes. Te Hemara Tauhia and his people continued to occupy their lands at Te Muri during this time.

In 1843, early settler John Anderson Brown began squatting on land along the Mahurangi River, establishing a dam and timber mill on the left bank in 1844. The timber industry, later joined by shipbuilding, were the two major economic activities in the area during the mid-19th century. In 1853, Brown was among the first land owners in the area, when Warkworth was established as a planned settlement and he and his daughter Amelia purchased 234 acres of land from the Crown. The town developed slowly, primarily around the Mahurangi River wharf, where settlers could supply goods and services for the Auckland market. Bridge House Lodge, established on the site of John Anderson Brown's home next door to the Warkworth Bridge, is the oldest surviving building in Warkworth.

The Mahurangi Post Office and Library were established in 1859, followed by the first local government in the area, when the Mahurangi Highway Board was established in 1863. In the same year, the Mahurangi School opened, and by 1868 Henry Palmer had established a flour mill in the settlement. Shipbuilding declined in the area during the late 1870s, and ceased in 1880. Unlike other areas of northern Auckland and Northland, kauri gum digging did not appear to play a large part in the economy of the town. Orchards were established around Warkworth, with some continuing to operate today.

In 1883 the Masonic Hall was built and up until 1911 served as a public hall until a dedicated building was constructed on the corner of Alnwick and Neville Streets.

Ngāti Rongo continued to hold a presence in the area in the 19th century. While initially made landless through the Mahurangi Purchase, a native reserve was established between Pukapuka and Waiwera in 1853. Land in this block was gradually sold land to settlers, and when Te Hemara Tauhia died in 1891, his Ngāti Rongo family moved to Glorit. In the 21st century, 13 iwi and collectives have interests in the Warkworth area, of whom Ngāti Manuhiri are considered mana whenua; or having historic and territorial rights in the area.

Lime and concrete works


The first roche lime production began in Warkworth in 1849 by John Sullivan, followed by a second site further downstream, established by John Southgate in 1857. Southgate in turn sold his limeworks to Nathaniel Wilson in 1864.

Wilson became interested in cement in 1883 and formed the Wilsons Cement Works in 1884 with his brothers John and James. The site became the first portland cement manufacturing works in the Southern Hemisphere, and the company constructed the Warkworth Bridge in 1899.

By 1910, the cement company had become one of the major employers in Warkworth. In 1918, the company amalgamated with the New Zealand Portland Cement Company, who were based in Motu Matakohe – Limestone Island in Whangārei, and the operation was gradually moved to Whangārei, eventually closing entirely in 1929. The ruins still remain and the mine is now a popular local fresh water swimming hole.

World War II, developing community


In 1933, the road to Auckland had improved enough that the town no longer relied on the steamer service to transport goods, and the steamers stopped operating in 1937. After this time, Warkworth transitioned from a logging town into a commercial and service hub for the wider north Auckland area. Logging continued at Warkworth until the 1930s.

During World War II, Warkworth and the surrounding area became home to over 40 camps for United States Army servicemen, including the 3rd Marine Division, 25th Infantry Division and the 43rd Infantry Division. The first personnel to arrive were the 43rd Infantry Division in October 1942, and camps included the modern-day Rodney Showgrounds, and a military hospital that was constructed near Hill Street. The historic cement works, which had been closed since 1928, was used as demolition practice by the servicemen. By 1944 when the United States Army had left, the New Zealand Army requisitioned many of the camps.

In 1971, the Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory was established near the town, as the first major long-range telecommunication centre for satellite telephone circuits and television in New Zealand. By 2010, the facility had been redeveloped as an AUT radio observatory.

The Warkworth & District Museum, a local museum showcasing local history, opened in 1980.

Warkworth saw significant suburban housing growth between 2008 and 2018, with the population increasing by 61% between 2006 and 2018. In 2023, the Pūhoi to Warkworth section of the Auckland Northern Motorway was opened, diverting traffic away from Warkworth. The town is currently projected to triple in size by the late 2040s.

Local government
The first local government for the township was the Upper Mahurangi Highway District, which was formed on 24 December 1864. It was one of the first highway districts to form north of the city of Auckland, and was formed to administer the road upkeep costs in the area. With the abolition of the provinces of New Zealand in 1876, Warkworth became part of Rodney County, which was formed at that time. The highway district was dissolved in 1903, and by 1909 Warkworth had grown to the point where the Warkworth Town District was established, within Rodney County. From 1989 to 2010, Warkworth was part of Rodney District.

In November 2010, all city and district councils in the Auckland Region were merged into a single unitary authority, Auckland Council, with Warkworth in the Rodney Local Board area. Electors in Warkworth vote for the seven-member Rodney Local Board, and also a Rodney ward councillor, who represents the area on the Auckland Council. The local board operates from the Warkworth Service Centre on Baxter Street. The Rodney Local Board formerly held meetings outside of the local board area, in Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast. Since 2023, the local board has held meetings at 3 Elizabeth Street in Warkworth.

Demographics
Warkworth covers 15.58 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Warkworth had a population of 5,586 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,317 people (30.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,124 people (61.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 2,085 households, comprising 2,709 males and 2,877 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.94 males per female, with 1,002 people (17.9%) aged under 15 years, 888 (15.9%) aged 15 to 29, 2,151 (38.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,545 (27.7%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 86.5% European/Pākehā, 9.3% Māori, 6.7% Pacific peoples, 5.6% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 27.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 48.5% had no religion, 40.0% were Christian, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.1% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.5% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 816 (17.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 843 (18.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 732 people (16.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,980 (43.2%) people were employed full-time, 702 (15.3%) were part-time, and 81 (1.8%) were unemployed.

Mahurangi College


Mahurangi College is a co-educational secondary school, teaching students between years 7–13 (form 1–7, grade 6–12), with a roll of students as of  It was first built on the current site in 1957, and was then called Warkworth District High School. It was renamed Mahurangi College in 1962, and had a roll of 210 students at the time. Yacht designer Bruce Farr was among the first pupils. Mahurangi College first reached the 1,000 pupil milestone in 1998 and the school had an entire staff and pupil photograph taken. All Black Zinzan Brooke attended from form 1 in 1976 to the end of form 5 in 1980 and his brother and fellow All Black Robin Brooke attended from form 1 in 1978 until form 7 in 1984. Cricket twins Hamish Marshall and James Marshall, who represented New Zealand with the Black Caps Cricket Team, attended from form 1 in 1991 until form 6 in 1996 when they were offered a cricket scholarship to Kings College. Ruahei Demant, Black Fern and women's rugby World Player of the year in 2022, is an ex-pupil. A new auditorium was completed at the end of January 2011. In early January 2012, construction began on rebuilding B-block and a new administration centre. The renovations and constructions were completed mid-2013, and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced on 2 April 2015, that work would begin on a $6.3 million property upgrade at the College.

Warkworth School
Warkworth School is a co-educational primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of students as of

Sports
Mahurangi RFC is the local rugby club, formed in 1989 as an amalgamation of three strong local rugby clubs: Warkworth, Kaipara Flats and Ōmaha. There was no formal College Rugby competition and the three Clubs competed against each other for players from the Mahurangi College to play in the Under 15, 16 and 17 age group competitions. The three clubs felt that this arrangement was unsatisfactory for youth development and this provided the impetus for a steering committee from all three clubs to investigate the possibility of amalgamation and to compete in the North Harbour Provincial Union.

Transportation
Warkworth is served by hourly buses to Hibiscus Coast Station and less frequent buses to Snells Beach, Algies Bay, Matakana, Ōmaha and Point Wells. InterCity buses run through Warkworth from Auckland to Kerikeri and Mahu City Express twice a day to Auckland.

Sister towns
Warkworth has several sister towns including:
 * Warkworth, Northumberland (Town founder John Anderson Brown named Warkworth after his former home in England)
 * Furudono, Fukushima (Furudono is a sister school of Mahurangi College and Warkworth Primary School located in Honshū, Japan)
 * Warkworth, Ontario (This town in Canada was sistered in 2003)