NORTH AUCKLAND REGION

NORTH AUCKLAND REGION

by by Samuel Harvey Franklin, B.COM.GEOG., M.A.(BIRMINGHAM), Senior Lecturer, Geography Department, Victoria University of Wellington.

NORTH AUCKLAND REGION

The northernmost region of New Zealand projects out as a long peninsula some 200 miles in length (from the Waitemata Harbour) and not much more than 50 miles at its widest point. The region is usually referred to as North Auckland, but the use of the shortened Northland is gaining a wider currency. Altogether there are eight counties which, with their interior boroughs and cities, form the basic units for the collection of statistics: Mangonui, Whangaroa, Hokianga, Bay of Islands, Hobson, Whangarei, Otamatea, Rodney. Waitemata County is treated elsewhere as part of the Auckland region because it has been effectively incorporated by the rapidly expanding urban area. Whangarei (urban area population 1961, 21,790) is the largest town of North Auckland. In 1961 the region registered a total population of 94,152 (3·89 per cent of the national total) 23·62 per cent of which were classified as Maoris. In November 1964 Whangarei was proclaimed a city.

An Enigmatic Region

Of all the regions of New Zealand North Auckland is the most enigmatic. A large proportion of the pre-European Maori population was located in the region and the Maoris showed themselves capable of rapid economic progress during the initial period of settlement. It was one of the first parts of the Dominion to be settled by the Europeans and its historic associations are numerous and important. Even before 1800 the fine stands of kauri timber had attracted the attention of British naval interests. It was in the Bay of Islands that Samuel Marsden introduced Christianity. It was here that the first plough turned the soil. It was at Waitangi that the Maori chiefs foregathered to swear their allegiance to the Crown and to receive its protection. Despite its early start, despite the wealth of timber reserves which provided the main basis of the economy during its initial phases, and despite the relative proximity to the most dynamic of centres, Auckland, the region is generally regarded as one of the most isolated, one of the more underdeveloped regions of the country. Only during the last 30 years, and especially during the post-war period, has it shown an accelerated rate of agricultural development. Isolation related to the terrain, which in parts is rugged, and agronomic difficulties related to certain types of soil are recognised, and quite rightly, as being influential factors in its slower development. But the existence of a large Maori population with a level of living and, more important, with a level of vocational preparation below that of the Europeans appears to have been under-rated as a factor influencing the slow pace of regional development.

The eastern and the western coasts of the peninsula differ markedly and the difference has been an influential factor in the history of the region. Much of the east coast is either rocky or consists of fine beaches held between headlands or is indented by long winding ria-like harbours. Where the tidal scour is not great, mangrove swamps are found in the upper part of the estuaries. These harbours have been very important as stages for the coastal shipping services, which were a notable feature in the transportation network of the region until the present decade. Landing points along the harbours were naturally favoured as original sites for settlement. By contrast, the western coast consists of long stretches of strand and sand dunes (Ninety Mile Beach is the best known example) interrupted by only two major inlets, the Hokianga Harbour, and the Kaipara Harbour, both ria-like in formation.

What strikes the visitor to the area is the very varied nature of the relief over comparatively short distances and, unless the sea is in sight, which is not often, the presence of hills and mountains over-rides the sense of narrowness and peninsularity which is so apparent from the map. Thus, in the Tutamoe Range and the Maungataniwha Range, heights of over 2,000 ft are reached. Forming a contrast are the extensive flats of the Ruawai district and the more rolling landscape to the north of Kerikeri, or the broken country around Hokianga Harbour. The topography, which defies a logical description, is broken and varied and its diversity is increased by the nature of the land use and the degree of its development.

Land-development Problems

Already 22,925 acres have been alienated, in the form of sheep and dairy farms, whilst a further 12,680 acres have been purchased by established farmers in order to enlarge their properties. 94,774 acres of farm land remains under State control awaiting further development before alienation and it carried 120,656 breeding ewes and 26,640 run cattle. The rest is undeveloped. The Marginal Lands Board has granted loans totalling £1,109,991 to 246 farmers in North Auckland, equivalent to a third of the total appropriations made throughout the Dominion.

The climate is, in general terms, favourable for livestock economies. Much of North Auckland lies between the latitudes of 37° and 35s and corresponds, therefore, to the latitude of Gibraltar in the Northern Hemisphere. The influence of maritime conditions is reflected in the mild, moist, and humid climate. The climatological averages for Te Paki in the far north of the peninsula show an average annual rainfall of 56·8 in. spread over an average of 187 rain days, with mean daily maximum temperatures varying between 72·87F for January and 59·2F for July months. An average of 2,150 hours of bright sunshine is recorded. As a whole the region is classified as having very warm, humid summers and mild winters, the rainfall exceeding 60 in. over the middle part of the peninsula and being concentrated in the winter months.

Dairying

During the greater part of the nineteenth century the spectacular aspects of North Auckland's economy were associated with the timber felling and kauri gum digging industries. As in so many other regions of New Zealand, these exploitative industries declined in importance as their resources were used up and as livestock farming replaced them. More so than in any other part of New Zealand, timber felling and gum digging in particular left a burdensome legacy of extensive areas of reverted scrub land and poor pasture. It is difficult to trace the growth of dairy cow numbers in North Auckland before 1920, but since that date the rate of growth in numbers has equalled the rate of growth for the South Auckland Land District. In 1959 the North Auckland Land District (which extends over a somewhat larger area than the region as defined here) contained 22·6 per cent of the nation's dairy cows, compared with 19·1 per cent in 1935, and it therefore ranked as the second most important area for dairying. Very conspicuous, however, is the figure for average butterfat production per cow, 239·1 lb (1959–60) which is the lowest average for the whole country and is 10 per cent below the New Zealand average. It compares poorly with the South Auckland Land District figure of 279·4 lb per cow and draws attention once more to the unused potential of the region. In the post-war period the North Auckland average butterfat production per cow has increased by 55 per cent which markedly exceeds the national rate of increase (39 per cent) but is not much above the South Auckland district increase of 50 per cent. It is significant that in the last decade total dairy cow numbers have declined, following the national trend, thus revealing a greater efficiency per cow, since production has increased. Only Whangarei County has recorded an increase in cows in milk. The importance of dairying to the regional economy is underlined by the high ratio of cows in milk per hundred sheep shorn, a ratio which does not, however, reach the high levels obtained for individual counties in the Waikato-Hauraki and Taranaki regions. A disadvantageous feature of the dairying industry in North Auckland is suggested by the figures for size of herd milked. North Auckland has 3244 per cent of its cows milked in herds of less than 50, compared with 16 per cent in Taranaki and 14 per cent in Waikato-Hauraki, and the percentage of cows milked in herds of more than 100 animals is in North Auckland only half that for the other two regions. A 65·03-per-cent increase in the number of sheep shorn and a 92·20-per-cent increase in the number of lambs shorn (1951–52 to 1959–60), both figures being well above the national average, indicate the development which has occurred in this pastoral sector, though on a national basis the importance of North Auckland to the sheep industry does not compare with its importance to the dairying industry. Kerikeri is noted for the production of grapefruit, oranges and lemons, tree tomatoes, and Chinese gooseberries; 479 acres of orchards and market gardens were recorded for the Bay of Islands County in 1959–60 and most of this acreage is located around Kerikeri.

Population Trends

The broken topography of the peninsula and the early attraction of landing points as sites for settlement are reflected in the character of the urban hierarchy. There are few towns and only one large one, Whangarei borough, with a population of 17,880 (1961). More numerous are the small settlements (often below the legal minimum population of 1,000 necessary to acquire borough status), which nevertheless effectively function in the social and economic life of the surrounding farming population. These villages are distributed right throughout the peninsula and included amongst the more well known ones are (population figures refer to 1961 census) Awanui (139), Kerikeri (280), Moerewa (757), Waipu (515), Maungaturoto (565), Ruawai (590), Wellsford (1,136), and Warkworth (991). Some of them are very attractive tourist centres, notably Russell (569), Paihia (448), and Leigh (163). All of the boroughs have shown a rapid rate of increase in the last decade, especially, considering its size, Whangarei, where the establishment of the first New Zealand oil refinery at Marsden Point will ensure its continued growth. Already Whangarei possesses some manufacturing plants, but the improvement of the port facilities consequent upon the establishment of the refinery has attracted more industry, notably a large fertiliser works. Commercial activities have already undergone expansion. Although handling a notable volume of cargo, Whangarei has never ranked as one of the country's major ports. During the period 1955–60 the total tonnage handled remained in the vicinity of 300,000 tons. Most of the traffic is coastal, the principal export being 115,270 tons of butter, and the principal imports being coal and motor spirits, which account for almost the whole of the overseas trade. This pattern will, of course, change now the refinery is in production. The Bay of Islands port at Opua was opened as an overseas port only in 1957. Since that year the total tonnage handled has increased from 5,400 tons to 33,578 tons in 1960. There is very little inwards traffic, principally manures, accounting for 5,609 tons, the bulk of the trade being concerned with the export of butter, 12,692 tons, frozen meat, 9,073 tons, and milk products, 2,631 tons. Awanui, Mangonui, and Whangaroa still function as coastal ports, though in the last five years there has been a constant decline in the number of ships calling, partly on account of the considerable improvement in roading.

North Auckland is one of the few regions of New Zealand which remains overwhelmingly rural (71·26 per cent of the total population). This figure reflects the region's stage of economic development and, in addition, the high proportion of Maoris in the total population. With a ratio of approximately 23 Maoris to every 100 Europeans, the region singles itself out as containing one of the most important concentrations of Maori population in the whole country, with approximately three times the average proportion; and the proportion of Maoris to Europeans increases perceptibly in the more northern counties. Considering the county population together with that of the boroughs, in Mangonui County 27·47 per cent of the population are Maoris; in Whangaroa County, 41·66 per cent; in Hokianga County, 56·44 per cent; and in Bay of Islands, 41·88 per cent. With a total population of 35,042 people in these four northernmost counties, 15,122, or 43·15 per cent, are Maoris. In the purely rural areas this percentage rises to 47·16.

As Fraser's (1958) survey of the four northernmost counties showed, a marked disparity in standards exists between the European and the Maori population, whatever index is chosen. In 1956 the Maori birthrate was 39·68 per 1,000, compared with the European rate of 28·51. The Maori death rate was 7·60 per thousand, the European rate 6·03. Natural increase amongst the Maoris was 32·08 per thousand, compared with 22·12 amongst the Europeans. The Maori rural population had only 16·6 acres of farm land per capitum, compared with the European figure of 81·9 acres. At the dairy factories surveyed, average annual butterfat production per cow was 162 lb for Maori and 213 lb for European producers. The European farm supplied on average a total quantity of butterfat three times that supplied by the Maori farm (and income is closely related to this figure), and the average Maori herd size was only 43 per cent of the average European herd size. During the past decade it has become abundantly clear that, while much Maori land is under-utilised, Maori holdings are, on the whole, too small to provide a comparable standard of living. Hampered by his low productivity, the Maori is unable to meet the full burden of county rates, which result in a slow improvement in the accessibility of rural areas.

Maori Population

In the future of North Auckland the Maori population is a dynamic factor because, as a whole, that population is increasing at a much faster rate than that of the European. Because there is such a disparity between the social and economic levels of the two populations, the presence of a large Maori population will have a depressing effect upon economic expansion unless social and economic development accompanies and exceeds the rate of growth amongst the Maoris. While the need within the region for increased employment opportunities is an obvious necessity and has been recognised as such, the trend towards migration revealed by the 1961 census stresses the need for a programme of vocational preparation.

In 1961 in the region there was an excess of 659 Maori births over Maori deaths. In previous years the figure may have been higher. Accepting the 1961 figure as a rough annual average, the natural increase of Maoris would have been of the order of 6,600 in the period 1951–61. The Maori population in fact grew by only 462. Within the region the rural population declined by 1,115 persons and the urban population increased by 1,577 persons. In the last decade something like 6,000 young Maoris must have migrated from the region, principally to Auckland City. Roughly one in every four Maoris left the area. As a consequence of this migration, and taking into account European migration into the region, the proportion of Maoris to total population fell from 26 per cent in 1951 to 23 per cent in 1961. In future years this decade will be considered as one of the most important in the history of North Auckland and its Maoris, for obviously a profound but not widely appreciated social change is taking place.

Regional Labour Force

The North Auckland Employment District, whose limits correspond closely with those of the region, had in April 1961 35·29 per cent of its total civilian labour force engaged in primary industry. Apart from the Coromandel region, which is small, North Auckland, with a total labour force of 27,000, has the highest proportion engaged in primary industry for the whole country. Only 14·7 per cent are engaged in manufacturing industry, compared with the national average of 26·04 per cent. During the last decade the total population of the region increased by only 15·23 per cent, compared with the national rate of 24··46 per cent. Growth was very slow amongst the rural population, 5·44 per cent, but very rapid amongst the urban population, 49·71 per cent. The growth of the total labour force, April 1953 to April 1961, by 8·8 per cent was well below the national rate of 18·24 per cent. The rate of growth of the manufacturing labour force during the same period was 21·21 per cent. This, while higher, fell below the national rate of 24.14 per cent.

There is little wonder that North Auckland appears as an enigma amongst other New Zealand regions; it conforms to the standard in so few ways. Whatever aspect or index one chooses – the proportion of the population located in rural areas, employed in primary industries; the lower stage of economic development attained of which these features are representative; the distinctive qualities of the urban hierarchy; the high proportion of Maoris and the considerable migration and social change amongst them – they serve only to emphasise how different the region is from the rest of the country and how obscure its potential remains.

Statistics of the North Auckland Region

Urban Population
Town 1911 1936 1951 1961 1961 Maoris
Kaitaia 237 780 1,799 2,706 518
Kaikohe 132 662 1,609 2,732 707
Whangarei 2,664 7,152 11,851 17,880 1,239
Dargaville 1,291 2,176 2,809 3,733 322
Total 4,324 10,770 18,068 27,051 2,786
Land Occupation
County Average Area of Holdings 1960 Area Occupied 1960
acres acres
Mangonui 337 356,894
Whangaroa 345 102,149
Hokianga 272 244,496
Bay of Islands 291 461,269
Whangarei 292 572,385
Hobson 357 367,813
Otamatea 290 257,367
Rodney 281 280,786
County Population
County 1911 1936 1951 1961 1961 Maoris
Mangonui 2,868 7,970 7,598 7,563 3,359
Whangarei 775 2,533 2,446 2,304 960
Hokianga 3,041 8,638 7,760 6,006 3,390
Bay of Islands 3,015 9,921 11,788 13,731 6,188
Whangarei 7,854 13,128 15,272 16,393 2,767
Hobson 4,078 6,481 6,229 6,366 1,205
Otamatea 3,548 5,184 6,081 6,936 970
Rodney 4,249 5,633 6,465 7,802 621
Total county 29,428 59,488 63,639 67,101 19,460
Total region 33,752 70,258 81,707 94,152 22,246
Cows in Milk
County Cows in Milk Dairy Cows in Milk per 100 Sheep Shorn 1960
1921–22 1951–52 1959–60
Mangonui 7,733 33,338 33,670 33·01
Whangaroa 1,648 6,497 6,245 17·15
Hokianga 7,820 24,277 22,979 25·24
Bay of Islands 10,165 29,438 28,502 14·10
Whangarei 23,840 74,189 77,328 30·14
Hobson 12,573 41,196 40,049 19·44
Otamatea 10,999 37,060 34,539 15·08
Rodney 8,320 30,975 30,892 10·33
Total 83,098 276,697 274,204 ..

by Samuel Harvey Franklin, B.COM.GEOG., M.A.(BIRMINGHAM), Senior Lecturer, Geography Department, Victoria University of Wellington.

  • Report on the Provisional Land Utilisation Survey of North Auckland, Department of Lands and Survey (1954)
  • N.Z. Geographer, Vol. 8, Oct 1952, “The Maori Population of Northern New Zealand”, Metge, J.

NORTH AUCKLAND REGION 22-Apr-09 by Samuel Harvey Franklin, B.COM.GEOG., M.A.(BIRMINGHAM), Senior Lecturer, Geography Department, Victoria University of Wellington.