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Lynfield
Suburb
Halsey Drive in Lynfield
Coordinates: 36°55′38″S 174°43′21″E / 36.927109°S 174.722412°E / -36.927109; 174.722412
Country	New Zealand
City	Auckland
Local authority	Auckland Council
Electoral ward	Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward
Local board	Puketāpapa Local Board
Area
• Land	252 ha (623 acres)
Population
• Total	9,130

New Windsor	Mount Roskill	Mount Roskill
Blockhouse Bay	Lynfield	Waikōwhai
(Manukau Harbour)	(Manukau Harbour)	(Manukau Harbour)

Lynfield is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is under the local governance of Auckland Council. The suburb is located on the southwestern Auckland isthmus bordering the Manukau Harbour, much of which is densely forested with native forest. Lynfield was developed for suburban housing in the late 1950s and 1960s, modelled after American-style suburbs.

Etymology

The name Lynfield was first used in the area in the early 20th century, when Australian Albert William Irvine established a poultry farm on Pah Road in Epsom, later moving to land owned by Sir Alfred Bankart in the southwestern Auckland isthmus in 1913. Irvine named the farm after Lindfield, New South Wales, which was the birthplace of his wife. Before Lynfield College opened in 1958, parents and teachers chose the name Lynfield, due to the Linfield poultry farm, owned by, adjacent to the school grounds. The college's name was adopted for the modern suburb, which developed south of the school.

Geography

Lynfield is a peninsula of the southern Auckland isthmus bounded by the Manukau Harbour. It is bordered by Lynfield Cove in the west and Wattle Bay in the east.

The Wairaki Stream (also known as Duck Creek) flows through Lynfield, entering the Manukau Harbour at Lynfield Cove.

History

The area has been settled by Tāmaki Māori iwi hapū and since at least the 13th century. By the early 18th century, the area was within the rohe of Waiohua. After the defeat of Kiwi Tāmaki, the paramount chief of the iwi, the area became part of the rohe of Ngāti Whātua (modern-day Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei).

In 1910, Sir Alfred Bankart purchased an allotment of land between White Swan Road and the Wairaki Stream, naming his purchase the Gilletta Estate, and subdividing the area between 1919 and 1922. In 1913, farmer Albert William Irvine moved Linfield Poultry Farm from Pah Road in Epsom to the estate, after needing to upscale his business. By the next year, Irvine had moved the farm north to Boundary Road in Mount Roskill, but the name remained associated with the modern-day area.

In 1911, the Crown endowed the land to the Auckland Harbour Board, who developed the area into suburban housing in the late 1950s and 1960s. Town planner Robert Terence Kennedy was consulted to develop the suburb, who modelled the area after American-style suburbs. The area features one major road, Halsey Drive, which winds around the development. The suburb is bisected by the Avenue, which was developed as a Parisian-style boulevard. The developers chose to name the streets after luxury cruise liners that stopped in Auckland.

The Auckland Harbour Board initially offered the houses as rental properties, available on 21-year leases. Residents protested their lack of ability to purchase their homes, and in 1968 presented a 150-member petition to the Harbour Board. In 1974, the board agreed to let residents purchase their properties, due to the harbour board experiencing a shortage of funds.

The suburb's first shop was a Four Square which opened in 1965. Suburban housing continued to be built in the area until the late 1970s.

Microscydmus lynfieldi, one of the smallest beetle species in the world, was discovered at the Wairaki Stream in Lynfield in 1975.

Demographics

Lynfield covers 2.52 km (0.97 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 9,130 as of June 2024, with a population density of 3,623 people per km.

Lynfield had a population of 7,866 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 363 people (4.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,101 people (16.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 3,888 males, 3,954 females and 24 people of other genders in 2,451 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,281 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 1,641 (20.9%) aged 15 to 29, 3,579 (45.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,362 (17.3%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 30.8% European (Pākehā); 4.8% Māori; 8.9% Pasifika; 60.1% Asian; 3.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 90.9%, Māori language by 0.8%, Samoan by 2.8%, and other languages by 43.9%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 56.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 31.1% Christian, 22.4% Hindu, 8.4% Islam, 0.2% Māori religious beliefs, 1.9% Buddhist, 0.2% New Age, and 2.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 27.7%, and 5.5% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,529 (38.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 2,298 (34.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,755 (26.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $43,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 831 people (12.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,468 (52.7%) people were employed full-time, 729 (11.1%) were part-time, and 168 (2.6%) were unemployed.

Landmarks and amenities

• 143 White Swan Road is a farmhouse built circa 1913, for Herbert William Brooks and Helen Brooks on the site of their pig farm, and one of the only remaining pre-1950s houses in the area. In 2017, an early learning centre opened on the site.
• Lynfield Community Church, which was established in 1967. In 2016, the church was the site of a protest in support of a large number of Indian students who were threatened with deportation.
• Lynfield Shopping Centre, a strip mall in Lynfield on the corner of Hillsborough Road and the Avenue.
• Lynfield Tennis Club, which opened in January 1972 in Oriana Reserve.
• Maungakiekie Golf Club is a large golf course that was established on Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill in 1909. The club moved from its location on the volcano in 1943, and opened at Lynfield in 1946.
• The Manukau Harbour coastline between Lynfield Cove and Wattle Bay. A series of nature reserves and parks border the coastline, including Lynfield Cove Reserve, Himalaya Reserve, Manukau Domain, Halsey Esplanade Reserve, Sylvania Crescent Esplanade Reserve and Wattle Bay Reserve. The Waikōwhai Walkway is a public walkway along the Manukau Harbou coastline, linking Lynfield Cove to Onehunga in the east.
• Opened Stone, a sculpture by Japanese artist Hiroaki Ueda, that was erected in 1972 in the Manukau Domain.
• The Wairaki Stream, a two-kilometre stream bordered by native forest. A local volunteer group, the Friends of Wairaki Stream (FOWS), was established in 2018 and undertakes conservation work on the stream.

Education

Lynfield College is a secondary school for years 9–13 with a roll of 1,901. The school was established in 1958.

Halsey Drive School and Marshall Laing School are contributing primary schools for years 1–6 with rolls of 459 and 609 students, respectively. Marshall Laing School was established in 1962, and is named after the son of George Laing (of Laingholm), on the site of farmland previously owned by Marshall Laing. Halsey Drive School was established in 1968.

All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of November 2024.

Notable residents

• Singer Daniel Bedingfield's family originates from Lynfield.
• Motor racing driver Mitch Evans lives in Lynfield with his family when he is not pursuing his career overseas.
• Housing developer and evangelist Bill Subritzky and his family lived in Lynfield from the 1960s until his death in 2015.

Local government

The first local government in the area was the Mt Roskill Highway Board, that formed on 7 August 1868 to administer and fund the roads in the area. In 1883, the Highway Board became the Mt Roskill Road Board. The Lynfield area was a part of the Mt Roskill Borough between 1947 and 1989, after which it was amalgamated into Auckland City. On 1 November 2010, the Auckland Council was formed as a unitary authority governing the entire Auckland Region, and Wesley become a part of the Puketāpapa local board area, administered by the Puketāpapa Local Board. The Puketāpapa local board area forms a part of the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward, which votes for two members of the Auckland Council. The Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward is represented by counsellors Christine Fletcher and Julie Fairey.

References

1. ^ "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 3 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 12 January 2025.
2. ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
3. ^ Truttman, Lisa (9 March 2013). "Lynfield, or Linfield?". Timespanner. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
4. ^ "Lynfield". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
5. ^ Reidy 2013, pp. 122–124.
6. ^ "Lynfield Cove". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
7. "Wattle Bay". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
8. "Wairaki Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
9. ^ Pishief, Elizabeth; Shirley, Brendan (August 2015). "Waikōwhai Coast Heritage Study" (PDF). Auckland Council. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
10. Kāwharu, Hugh (2001). Land and Identity in Tāmaki: a Ngāti Whātua Perspective (PDF) (Speech). Hillary Lecture. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland War Memorial Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
11. "Poultry". Auckland Star. Vol. XLIV, no. 66. 18 March 1913. p. 2. Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via Papers Past.
12. "Land for New Township". Press. Vol. C, no. 29522. 25 May 1961. p. 15. Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via Papers Past.
13. Kuschel, G. (1990). Beetles in a suburban environment: A New Zealand case study.: The identity and status of Coleoptera in the natural and modified habitats of Lynfield, Auckland (1974–1989) (PDF). DSIR Plant Protection Report. Vol. 3. ISBN 0-477-02596-X. Wikidata Q120031137.
14. Franz, H. (1977). "Neue Scydmaeniden (Coleoptera) aus Neuseeland, von Samoa den Tonga-Inseln und Cook-Inseln" (PDF). Koleopterologische Rundschau (in German). 53: 15–25. ISSN 0075-6547. Wikidata Q130344952.
15. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Lynfield North (139600) and Lynfield South (140900).
16. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Lynfield (51590). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
17. "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
18. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Mount Roskill West. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
19. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Lynfield Central. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
20. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Lynfield Harbour View. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
21. ^ Mathews & Mathews Architects; Truttman, Lisa (February 2014). Puketapapa - Mt Roskill Heritage Survey 2013 (PDF) (Report). Auckland Council. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
22. "Mt Roskill Childcare, Auckland". Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
23. "Who We Are". Lynfield Community Church. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
24. Fagan, Josh (25 September 2016). "Indian students plan last stand protest to avoid deportation from New Zealand". Stuff. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
25. "Club History". Lynfield Tennis Club. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
26. "Waikōwhai Walkway: Manukau coastal walk". Auckland Council. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
27. Janssen, Peter (January 2021). Greater Auckland Walks. New Holland Publishers. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-86966-516-6. OL 34023249W. Wikidata Q118136068.
28. "Locals lead the charge to protect Wairaki Stream". OurAuckland. Auckland Council. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
29. "Wairaki Stream conservation progresses". Beacon Community News. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
30. "About". Friends of Wairaki Stream. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
31. Education Counts: Lynfield College
32. "Overview and History". Lynfield College. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
33. Education Counts: Halsey Drive School
34. Education Counts: Marshall Laing School
35. ^ Reidy, Jade (2013). Not Just Passing Through: the Making of Mt Roskill (2nd ed.). Auckland: Puketāpapa Local Board. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-927216-97-2. OCLC 889931177. Wikidata Q116775081.
36. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
37. Reidy 2013, pp. 36–37.
38. Blakeley, Roger (2015). "The planning framework for Auckland 'super city': an insider's view". Policy Quarterly. 11 (4). doi:10.26686/pq.v11i4.4572. ISSN 2324-1101.

Bibliography

• Reidy, Jade (2013). Not Just Passing Through: the Making of Mt Roskill (2nd ed.). Auckland: Puketāpapa Local Board. ISBN 978-1-927216-97-2. OCLC 889931177. Wikidata Q116775081.

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• Data from Wikidata

• 1950s establishments in New Zealand
• Suburbs of Auckland
• Populated places around the Manukau Harbour
• Populated places established in the 1950s