Opawa
Opawa | |
|---|---|
 Saint Mark's Anglican Church | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 43°33′05″S 172°39′43″E / 43.551342°S 172.661937°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Christchurch |
| Local authority | Christchurch City Council |
| Electoral ward | Heathcote |
| Community board | Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote |
| Area | |
| • Land | 81 ha (200 acres) |
| Population (June 2023)[2] | |
| • Total | 1,320 |
| Waltham | Woolston | |
  Opawa  |
||
| St Martins | Hillsborough |
Opawa (Māori: Ōpāwaho) is an inner suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) south-east of the city centre.
History[edit]
The Māori name for the area is "Ōpāwaho",[3] there was a fortified settlement (pā) sited near the present-day Vincent Place and Judge Street intersection, Māori that lived here considered the surrounding swamplands and the Heathcote River as an important source of lamprey and eels. This settlement was also a resting place for Māori traveling between Kaiapoi Pā and the Banks Peninsula.[4]
Pohoareare is the name of an early rangatira of Ōpāwaho settlement and his name is also applied to an old walking track which led from the settlement to South New Brighton. Later, Tūrakipō was the settlement's chief. The Māori name for the swamplands which the Heathcote River drained is "Te Kuru". The area ocupying modern-day Spreydon was called Wai Mōkihi and the relatively minor settlement here was known as Ōmōkihi.[5]
Many early European settlers in Opawa were of English descent, many of whom were from relatively wealthy families, soon they established homesteads in the area. In Opawa's early years the centre of the locality was reportedly to have been the corner of Locarno Street and Opawa Road, where the St Mark's Anglican Church is sited. Later, the area was primarily a rural dairying locality until further development of Woolston, which soon began to urbanise the suburb, initially, with those who wished to escape from Woolston's industrialisation and factory-workers that could not find homes in Woolston itself.[6]
Opawa was Christchurch's first upper-class suburb, the suburb was established around a loop of the Heathcote River, the subrub still has many noted buildings, many were luxurious houses sited on large riverside premises, many of the large estates now subdivided.[7] The name is a contraction of "Ōpāwaho", which, in Māori, means a place of ('ō') an outer pā or outpost ('pāwaho'). "Ōpāwaho" or "Opaawaho" is the Māori name for the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River.[8]
Geography[edit]
The flat area between Opawa and Heathcote Valley enters a substantial industrial locality of businesses. The area between Brougham Street and Moorhouse Avenue traversing Sydenham and Waltham accommodates many small businesses and light industrial premises.
The five main primary roads supporting the transportion in the area include State Highway 76 which wanders from the north of the boundary through Sydenham and Brougham Street, going through the suburbs of Hillsborough and Opawa as the Port Hills Road then connecting with Tunnel Road to pass through the Lyttelton road tunnel at Heathcote.[9]
The subrubs main roads are Opawa Road and Ensors Road. Opawa Road is the suburb's main retail area, it was developed naturally on one of the earliest settled routes, mainly at the intersection of Hawford and Reeves Roads.[10] St Mark's Anglican Church, a prominent landmark in the subrub, is also sited on Opawa Road.
Demographics[edit]
Opawa covers 0.81 km2 (0.31 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 1,320 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 1,630 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1,434 | — |
| 2013 | 1,302 | −1.37% |
| 2018 | 1,365 | +0.95% |
| Source: [11] | ||
Opawa had a population of 1,365 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 63 people (4.8%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 69 people (−4.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 504 households, comprising 642 males and 723 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.89 males per female. The median age was 47.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 219 people (16.0%) aged under 15 years, 186 (13.6%) aged 15 to 29, 621 (45.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 342 (25.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 90.8% European/Pākehā, 6.6% Māori, 1.3% Pasifika, 5.1% Asian, and 2.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 21.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.7% had no religion, 37.8% were Christian, 0.9% were Hindu, 1.1% were Buddhist and 2.2% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 363 (31.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 195 (17.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 222 people (19.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 501 (43.7%) people were employed full-time, 180 (15.7%) were part-time, and 30 (2.6%) were unemployed.[11]
Education[edit]
Opawa School is a full primary school for years 1 to 8,[12] with a roll of 313 students. It opened in 1872.[13]
Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School is a state-integrated composite school for years 1 to 13,[14] with a roll of 328 students. The school opened in 1975 and became state-integrated in 1989.[15]
St Mark's School is an Anglican state-integrated full primary school for years 1 to 8.[16] It has a roll of 218 students. It started in 1921.[17]
All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of February 2024.[18]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Ogilvie, Gordon (2009). The Port Hills of Christchurch. Christchurch, New Zealand. p. 175. ISBN 9780958331562.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Tau, Goodall & Palmer 1990, p. 20–22.
- ^ Taylor 1952, p. 49.
- ^ Morrison 1948, p. 33.
- ^ McDonald, Liz (12 December 2007). "High society in Opawa". The Press. Christchurch, New Zealand – via ProQuest.
- ^ Reed 2010, p. 278.
- ^ "Heathcote Ward Profile February 2023" (PDF). Christchurch City Council. 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ Morrison 1948, p. 78.
- ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Opawa (330900). 2018 Census place summary: Opawa
- ^ Education Counts: Opawa School
- ^ "Welcome From Our Principal". Ōpāwa School. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Education Counts: Rudolf Steiner School
- ^ "About Our School". Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Education Counts: St Mark's School
- ^ "St Mark's History". St Mark's School. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
Works cited[edit]
- Morrison, J.P. (1948). The evolution of a city: the story of the growth of the city and suburbs of Christchurch, the capital of Canterbury, in the years from 1850 to 1903. Christchurch, New Zealand: Christchurch City Council.
- Tau, T.M; Goodall, A.; Palmer, D. (1990). Te Whakatau Kaupapa: Ngai Tahu resource management strategy for the Canterbury Region. Wellington, New Zealand: National Library of New Zealand. pp. 20–22.
- Taylor, W.A (1952). Lore and history of the South Island Māori. Christchurch, New Zealand. p. 49.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Reed, A. W. (2010). Peter Dowling (ed.). Place Names of New Zealand. Rosedale, North Shore: Raupo. pp. 287f. ISBN 978-0-14-320410-7.
External links[edit]
