Westmere, New Zealand

Westmere is a residential suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. The Auckland Council provides local governance. On the southern shore of the Waitematā Harbour, this former peninsula is by road about 6 km west of the city centre.

Māori
Māori harvested flax from the wetlands of Coxs Bay for processing elsewhere into rope and other fibres for clothes. The creek was named Opoutukeha or Opou. Westmere, which forms part of the central Auckland land mass that the Māori gifted to the government in 1841, was auctioned off from 1844, primarily to speculators.

Earliest development
The Coxs Bay article examines the district called Richmond, marked on 1859 maps, which is southeast of the present parklands of the bay area.

In 1877, the city abattoir opened upon a site, which was developed as Notley St in 1940.

The thoroughfare along the ridge of Westmere was originally named Wolseley Rd, likely after Garnet Wolseley, British army officer, a popular figure of the era in the local press. The first newspaper reference to this road name was regarding repairs by the Newton Borough Council in 1889.

In 1880, it was mentioned as the unnamed road to the abattoir. In 1886, it was described as the main road, off which a side road would be extended to form the causeway to the new Coxs Creek bridge with an approach on the far side up to Jervois Rd. Since the previous bridge (funded by the government in 1881) lacked approaches (a local government responsibility), it became merely a low tide trail connection, facing ultimate removal. By yearend 1886, the new project was almost complete.

In 1885, the R. & W. Hellaby slaughterhouse was loosely identified as Western Springs. In 1887, Newton Borough was divided into wards, Wolseley Rd being in the Richmond Ward. That year, R. & W. Hellaby requested the road from Coxs Creek bridge to the main road be gravelled. In 1888, the Hellaby slaughterhouse and holding paddocks were more specifically identified as near Coxs Creek, probably bounded by Cox's Bridge Rd (later renamed West End Rd) and present William Denny Ave.

The original Lynton Lodge on William Denny, which was built in 1890, has been a longer term care facility for most of its existence. Greenwood Ave (later renamed Larchwood Ave) and Peel St provided a Richmond Rd–Wolseley Rd connection by that time. From 1897, the city dumped refuse in a location bordering Meola Creek, which became the foot of Phelan St in 1940 (later eastern end of Meola Rd). By 1903, the site was deemed a menace to public health.

By 1891, D.S. Faulder also operated a slaughterhouse on his 26 acre property. Thomas Faulder also owned 7 acre. In 1899, Newton Borough was renamed Grey Lynn Borough. The Western Springs Baptist Church existed at least from this time until the early 1900s. The premises were on Wolseley Rd near the city abattoir.

In 1904, the Richmond Ward disappeared with the abolition of the ward system. On the 1908 opening of a new city abattoir at Ōtāhuhu, the old facility closed.

In 1914, the Grey Lynn Borough merged into the then Auckland City Council. In 1917, Wolseley Rd was renamed Garnet Rd.

Initial subdivisions
Part of Grey Lynn, the 1923 launching of the Westmere Estate (Nottingham St to Warwick Ave), on the central part of the peninsula, introduced the new name. Mere is a British English noun meaning lake. The causeway created a lake-like body of water (see image below) at Coxs Creek. The name Westmere, like such promotions elsewhere, was to present a somewhat generous description of this setting west of downtown Auckland. Assumedly, drawing attention to the mudflats, which existed on both sides of the peninsula, would not have been conducive to selling real estate.



The southern part of the peninsula, an older area, was considered the western portion of Richmond, until the mid-1920s, when the Westmere designation became more common.

The northern part, launched in 1916, often used its estate name and misidentified the location as Herne Bay, until the early 1930s, when Westmere became the norm. The prime shoreline sections were for the middle-class.

Working-class suburb
Created as a working-class suburb, the mostly private housing adopted the Californian bungalow style of architecture.

Beginning in the mid-1920s, a landfill gradually created a causeway from the western end of Meola Rd towards Garnet Rd.

The Westmere Estate Co launched the estate extension in 1925 (comprising Westmere Cres, Oban Rd, and the adjacent part of Lemington Rd) and the Westmere Park Estate in 1926. That year, the West End Rd causeway was widened, footpaths added, and the one-lane wooden bridge replaced by a two-lane concrete structure.

The Meola Rd landfill continued until 1970, but the road connection was completed in 1950, linking Westmere to Point Chevalier, and the western suburbs with the city, and later that decade, with the new Auckland Harbour Bridge. Prior to the linking of the Northwestern Motorway and Northern Motorway around 1980, Westmere experienced some rush hour congestion from through traffic.

In 1927, when St Cuthbert's Anglican church hall (8 Faulder Ave) opened, the Sunday school soon numbered 104 children. Hosting community activities and a reasonably strong congregation until the 1950s, the building closed in 2007 and has since become a residence. From the same era, Dunnottar Hall, on the corner of Faulder Ave, remains in use.

The West End Lawn Tennis Club was established in 1932. Later that decade, scattered state housing was built, and reclaiming the harbour at Westmere was considered for an airport site.

Fires occurred on the Marsden & Co premises at Larchwood/Garnet in 1938 and 1945.

Building activity revived after a lull during World War II.

The West End Rd landfill existed 1950–1970s. In 1960, the building of a new bridge and roadway at Coxs Creek eased the road curve, the former road becoming a parking area. In the 1970s, the post office on the corner of Oban Rd was replaced by a new one-storey building to its rear. In the late 1980s, the post office closed as part of the sweeping changes to postal services. The building has since been modified into a two-storey residence.

Middle-class suburb
By 2000, rising real estate prices had created a predominantly middle-class suburb. Location determines positioning in the range of upper to lower middle class. Harbour views are available for shoreline properties, many residences that have been raised to two-storeys, and some one-storey ones. Restaurants, cafés, takeaways, and a wine shop, augment various stores. Bordering to the east, Cox's Bay Reserve comprises Hukanui Reserve, Bayfield Park and Cox's Bay Park. The reserve features a boardwalk through the mangrove swamps, sports fields, and children's playgrounds. Bordering to the west is the MOTAT Aviation Hall and Meola Bay Reserve, covering the Meola Reef.



In 2016, Westmere had the most expensive state house in the country, valued at $2.54 million. That year, the Weona–Westmere Coastal Walkway opened. The southeastern end is beside the scout hall built in the early 1960s.

Occupying two adjacent sections, 20 Rawene Ave was on the market intermittently for more than four years, before a 2020 sale by owners Tenby Powell and wife Sharon Hunter. The sales price was $17.68 million. The most expensive NZ home sale that year was also in Westmere, when Andrew Adamson sold his mansion to Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams for $24 million.

The suburb comprises about 1,700 homes and is a compact neighbourhood. The median real estate sales price was $1.8 million in 2019, increasing then falling to $2.4 million in 2023.

Schools
In 1882, the 5 acre site was purchased. To relief pressure on neighbouring primary schools, the Richmond West School opened in July 1914. The brick building comprised three classrooms, a headmaster's office, and a staff room. At the time, no side streets existed west of Greenwood Ave (Larchwood). Consequently, the student body would have been drawn from that side, the school faced northeastward, and a wide curved pathway connected the building with that street. Over the next decade, rooms were added on the northwest side of the school and two classrooms were erected near the original Larchwood entry gate for the infant students. In 1930, the name changed to Westmere School to avoid confusion with the Richmond Road School. The school dental clinic was built on the south corner of the property. Apart from the school hall, the buildings were demolished in 1978. New buildings were erected along Garnet Rd and Larchwood Ave (spanning the former school gully). The old hall was demolished by 2008 and the new one opened in 2012. In July 2015, the present school configuration was completed with seven new and 11 replacement classrooms.

During 2003–2013, the school grew by 52 per cent to 639 students. Westmere School | Te Rehu is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of as of

Pasadena Intermediate School in Point Chevalier is well within walking/cycling distance for students transitioning from primary to secondary. Prior to the opening of that school in 1942, Westmere School included Years 7–8 (previously called Forms 1–2).

The closest state secondary school is Western Springs College (other options are Avondale College and Mount Albert Grammar School).

Public transit and cycleways
The trams operated 1923–1953 to the zoo (former main entrance on Old Mill Rd) and 1931–1953 to Westmere (down Garnet Rd).



Before the tram track extension to the zoo in 1923, the route along Surrey Cres turned right onto Richmond Rd at Ambury's Corner and continued to the Grey Lynn terminus at Francis St, the closest point to the new zoo. During the following years, trams either ran from the Grey Lynn or zoo terminus to the city and on to Herne Bay. In 1931, the Herne Bay connection was discontinued and the Westmere service commenced. Service ceased on the Richmond Rd leg in 1932, as planned.

In 1925, a bus route was implemented from the junctions of Garnet/Old Mill to Kotare/West End. In 1927, this service was extended to West End/Jervois. In 1931, this bus route ceased on the opening of the Westmere tram. Initially, service was more frequent for the zoo tram destination than the Westmere one. By 1939, no trams terminated at the zoo outside of rush hour.

Incorrectly set points sent a zoo-bound tram onto Garnet Rd in 1935, where a collision occurred with a city-bound one. A dog became lodged beneath a tram near the zoo in 1937. At the Westmere terminus, a tram caught fire in 1938 and one was struck by lightening in 1939.

The fare zone from the city was three sections to the zoo and four to Westmere proper. When replaced by trolley buses, the zones remained unchanged. The bus turning loop for the zoo was just beyond the entrance (route 4Z) and for Westmere was at Oban Rd (route 4, later 035). By the 1960s, only one or two buses terminated at the zoo each day. Outbound buses from Westmere displayed the through route as Avondale (route 6) and in turn at the Avondale terminus, the converse applied. By 1980, only diesel buses operated. Privatization of the system in that decade led to the present routes, which connect with the former Richmond Road (route 3) service or alternatively use Meola Rd and West End Rd linking to the former Herne Bay (route 1) service.

In 2016, Auckland Transport proposed changes to Westmere, Point Chevalier, Arch Hill, and Grey Lynn, which include the creation of cycleways, new bus stops and shelters, and the addition of pedestrian crossings. Numerous mistakes were made in the 2017 installation of the West Lynn cycleway. A bus stop blocking the view of a pedestrian crossing, leaving angle parking facing forward, and the cycle lane weaving in and out of parked vehicles, were fundamental deficiencies never rectified. Construction began on the Westmere cycleway in late 2023.

Notable people

 * Lisa Greenwood (1955–), novelist, resident.


 * Charles Gregory (1901–1988), rugby league player, resident.


 * Julie Le Clerc (19?–), chef and TV host, resident.


 * Bryan Little (1966–), association football player, resident.


 * Mike McRoberts (1966–), TV journalist, resident.


 * Nathaniel Neale (1988–), rugby league player, resident.


 * Pavlina Nola (1974–), tennis player, resident.


 * Vincent O'Sullivan (1937–), writer, resident.


 * Allan Pearce (1983–), association football player, resident.


 * Graham Pearce (1977–), association football player, resident.


 * Roy Powell (1907–1980), rugby league player, resident.


 * Riki van Steeden (1976–), association football player, resident.


 * Bryan Williams (1950–), rugby union player, resident.

Demographics
The statistical area of Westmere North is slightly smaller than the suburb, which extends into the statistical area of Westmere South-Western Springs. Westmere North covers 0.65 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Westmere North had a population of 2,343 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (2.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 195 people (9.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 756 households, comprising 1,143 males and 1,200 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 40.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 489 people (20.9%) aged under 15 years, 438 (18.7%) aged 15 to 29, 1,161 (49.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 255 (10.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 86.3% European/Pākehā, 8.1% Māori, 5.1% Pacific peoples, 9.2% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 20.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.0% had no religion, 30.2% were Christian, 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 3.2% were Hindu, 0.4% were Muslim, 0.8% were Buddhist and 2.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 897 (48.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 159 (8.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $53,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 753 people (40.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,038 (56.0%) people were employed full-time, 315 (17.0%) were part-time, and 51 (2.8%) were unemployed.