North Shore City

North Shore City
—  Territorial authority of New Zealand  —
Looking south over North Shore City from Forrest Hill. Auckland City can be seen in the background.
North Shore City within the North Island of New Zealand
North Shore City (in orange) within the Auckland metropolitan area.
Country	New Zealand
Island	North Island
Region	Auckland
Seat	Takapuna
Area
- Total	129.81 km2 (50.1 sq mi)
Population (2006 census)
- Total	205,605
- Density	1,583.9/km2 (4,102.3/sq mi)
Time zone	NZST (UTC+12)
- Summer (DST)	NZDT (UTC+13)

North Shore City (usually informally the North Shore, or sometimes just The Shore) is a city in the Auckland region of New Zealand. The city had a population of 225,800 at the June 2009 estimate,^[1] making it the fourth most populous city in New Zealand. The city is also the country's fourth largest city in land, with an area of 129.81 square kilometres and a coastline of 141 kilometres. It is one of four cities in the Auckland metropolitan area. It is the most densely populated city in the country because, unlike other New Zealand cities, most of the city's area is urban or suburban in character.

Geography

North Shore view from the Forrest Hill Reservoir.

North Shore is bounded by Rodney District to the north, Waitemata Harbour to the south and the Rangitoto Channel of the Hauraki Gulf to the east. The Auckland Harbour Bridge connects it to Auckland City on the south side of the Waitemata Harbour, while the Upper Harbour Bridge connects it to Waitakere in the west.

The seat of the North Shore City Council is in Takapuna. The city is divided into three wards, Harbour, Northern and Central, and each ward is further divided into two community boards. Inner suburbs include Milford, Takapuna, Belmont, Devonport, Bayswater, Northcote, Birkenhead, Highbury, Hillcrest, Glenfield, Wairau Valley, Westlake and Forrest Hill. Outer suburbs include Birkdale, Beach Haven, North Harbour, Albany, Greenhithe, Long Bay*, Torbay*, Waiake*, Browns Bay*, Rothesay Bay*, Murrays Bay*, Mairangi Bay*, Campbells Bay*, Sunnynook and Castor Bay.

Those here with an asterisk, along with several other minor beaches on the Hauraki Gulf coast, are collectively known as East Coast Bays.

History

The European history of the North Shore was initially dominated by very rural settlement, with people from the "main" Auckland generally venturing there only during weekends, when the beaches and many coastal settlements were favourite daytripper goals reached by the ferries connecting the North Shore to Auckland. By the 1950s, only about 50,000 people lived on the Shore, and its growth rate was still about half that of the areas south of the Waitemata, partly because few jobs were on offer.^[2]

This changed significantly with the construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, which opened up the Shore for Auckland expansion - vehicle volumes on the bridge became three times the forecast volume within the first decade^[3] - and began turning parts of it into a dormitory town for people working in the Auckland CBD or further south. Eventually the growth became significant enough for the North Shore to be considered a city in its own right, though densities remained (and remain as of the 2000s) still below what is typical south of the Harbour.

Transport

Commuting within the North Shore itself can be done relatively easily, but those who commute to Auckland City and need to cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge face severe traffic congestion. The alternative route through western suburbs is also prone to nose-to-tail traffic at peak times^[4]. As with the greater Auckland area, there has been much discussion regarding the problem at both national and local government levels, but very little concrete action, mostly related to the high cost and difficulty providing additional crossings over the Waitemata Harbour. Several options for new bridges and tunnels have been studied in depth, but at the moment, the official position is to mitigate congestion effects instead of providing new infrastructure.^[5]

Public transport has been upgraded in an attempt to reduce the city's car dependence. The Northern Busway along the Northern Motorway, together with new park and ride facilities in Albany and Constellation Drive (completed in late 2005), is to serve as the spine of a bus-based new rapid transit system for North Shore City and Hibiscus Coast citizens. In 2003, there were indications that the early stages of the busway project were generally regarded as a success but that important tasks regarding integration of bus lines were unresolved.^[6] The North Shore City Council increased the number of these facilities with more park and ride stations in Sunnynook, Smales Farm and Akoranga park. These were completed in February 2008.^[7] In January, 2009, the Northern Busway began trial runs featuring New Zealand's first "bus-dedicated roadway."^[8]

A number of North Shore suburbs have a regular ferry service to Auckland City, including Devonport, Stanley Bay, Bayswater, Birkenhead. Others are planned for Takapuna and Browns Bay ^[9]. A plan to turn the city's streets into a venue for a three-day V8 supercar race has generated controversy; traffic experts were hired by the North Shore City Council to assess whether such a race was possible "without causing mayhem on the roads."^[10]

Local government

The city is run by a 15 member council (North Shore City Council) and mayor, democratically elected every three years using the First Past The Post voting system. The current mayor is Andrew Williams. The mayor is a strong critic of the 'Super City' proposals which would see North Shore City amalgamated into a larger Auckland authority.^[11] Mayor Williams voiced strong opposition to Transit New Zealand's delays regarding bus lanes.^[12] He's a proponent of the $300 million joint busway venture.^[12] While the Auckland Regional Council has power to impose property tax rates on suburban areas such as North Shore City, local residents have voiced strong opposition.^[13][14] There is a pattern of conflict between local authorities and Auckland city officials regarding many matters, such as transportation, land purchases ^[15] and decay of wharf facilities.^[16] The issue of whether Auckland should be a single city, or a collection of autonomous cities, has been a subject of debate in recent years.^[17]

For the purposes of general elections, the city contains three whole electorates, being Northcote, North Shore and East Coast Bays. The electorate of Helensville also takes in portions of the northwest of the city. Politically the city tends to lean to the right: in the 2005 and 2008 General elections, all four electorate MPs were the National Party candidates.

Economy

There are over 22,000 businesses located in North Shore City, contributing to over 6% of New Zealand's GDP. The city also tops the nation's growth rates for numbers of businesses, growing 29.3% between 1998 and 2002.^[18]

The last five years have seen tremendous growth in the Albany area. This once quiet rural suburb has become the commercial centre of the North Shore. A number of retailers like Westfield are building or have built "super stores" in the area, anticipating ongoing commercial growth and expansion. The area has also experienced the construction of intense cheaper housing, and thousands of acres of farmland has been turned into mini-suburbs comprising hundreds of houses all of a similar design. As such, the Albany area has attracted hundreds of millions of investment dollars.

Residential development on the North Shore continues to rapidly sprawl northwards. The Rodney township of Orewa and the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, 25 kilometres north of Takapuna, was once something of a holiday resort. It is now linked by the Northern Motorway and may eventually be continuous with the North Shore's northward urban expansion.

Some parts of the North Shore boasts some of the most expensive real estate in New Zealand. The stretch of coast that runs North from Takapuna Beach to Milford, often referred to as the "Golden Mile",^[19] has many properties there have sold for several million dollars (NZ$) particularly because of the beaches, Lake Pupuke, popular schools and shopping centres. In 2005, one beachfront property sold for $12.8 million.^[20] Rents in North Shore City, as well as property prices, are high in relative terms, with average weekly rents (in 2002) of $243 versus $237 for Wellington and $236 for Auckland.^[21]

Demographics

In the 2006 census, the median income for North Shore residents over 15 years was $29,100, compared with a national average of $24,400.

The racial makeup of the city was 67.5% European, 18.5% Asian, 6.3% Māori, 3.4% Pacific Islander, and 1.8% from the Middle East, Africa or Latin America. Just under 10% gave their ethnicity as "New Zealander",^[22] with most of this group having identified itself as European in former Census surveys.

A notable amount of South African expatriates have made North Shore their home, where some estimates have them as 10% of the total population^[23].

Notable people

• Frank Sargeson - Writer
• Rachel Hunter - Actress/Model
• Judy Bailey - Retired Newsreader
• Elemeno P - Pop/Rock Band
• Rosita Vai - NZ Idol 2 Winner
• Sir Peter Blake - Yachtsman
• Ian Ferguson - Olympian
• John Hood - Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
• Dean Barker - Yachtsman
• Luke McAlister - Rugby Player
• Ian Jones - Ex All Black Rugby Player
• Bert Sutcliffe - New Zealand Cricketer
• Danny Morrison - New Zealand Cricketer
• Nick Evans - Rugby Player
• Kirk Penney - Basketball Player

Sister cities

North Shore City is a sister city of the following cities around the world.

• Taichung City, Taiwan, (17 December 1996)^[24]
• Qingdao, China, (9 August 2008)^[25]

References

The southern Hauraki Gulf coast of the city.

External links

• North Shore City Council (official website)
• North Shore City (from Wikitravel project)
• Enterprise North Shore (business association website)
• Takapuna Beach (business association website)
• Webcam over Takapuna (from the official Council website)

Coordinates: 36°48′S 174°45′E / 36.8°S 174.75°E / -36.8; 174.75