Kumeū

Kumeū is an affluent rural community situated 25 km north-west of the Auckland City centre in New Zealand. State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Line pass through the town. Huapai lies to the west, Riverhead to the north, Whenuapai to the east, West Harbour to the south-east, and Taupaki to the south.[1][2]

Kumeū is known for its agricultural produce, including wines.

Kumeū
Kumeū
Coordinates: 36°46′33″S 174°33′19″E
Country New Zealand
RegionAuckland
Territorial authorityAuckland Council
WardWaitākere
Population
 (2018)
 • Total3,432

Governance

Kumeū is part of the Local Government Rodney Ward of Auckland Council and is part of the Kumeu Subdivision of the Rodney Local Board.

History

The district was originally settled by immigrants from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, many of whom were part of traditional winegrowing families.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20061,386—    
20131,410+0.25%
20183,432+19.47%
Source: [3]
Cabbage trees in the area.

The statistical area of Kumeu-Huapai had a population of 3,432 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,022 people (143.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,046 people (147.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,110 households. There were 1,698 males and 1,734 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age was 34.9 years, with 822 people (24.0%) aged under 15 years, 567 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,689 (49.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 357 (10.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 81.7% European/Pākehā, 8.7% Māori, 3.6% Pacific peoples, 14.5% Asian, and 3.3% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 27.6%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 59.5% had no religion, 28.3% were Christian, and 7.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 639 (24.5%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 315 (12.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $47,800. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,629 (62.4%) people were employed full-time, 318 (12.2%) were part-time, and 57 (2.2%) were unemployed.[3]

Rural surrounds
Historical populations for rural surrounds
YearPop.±% p.a.
20063,054—    
20133,315+1.18%
20183,654+1.97%
Source: [4]

The rural area around Kumeū and Huapai, comprising the statistical areas of Kumeu Rural West and Kumeu Rural East, had a population of 3,654 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 339 people (10.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 600 people (19.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,122 households. There were 1,851 males and 1,803 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 627 people (17.2%) aged under 15 years, 696 (19.0%) aged 15 to 29, 1,710 (46.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 621 (17.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 84.6% European/Pākehā, 11.5% Māori, 4.3% Pacific peoples, 10.2% Asian, and 1.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 21.6%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 56.6% had no religion, 30.9% were Christian, and 6.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 582 (19.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 510 (16.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,578 (52.1%) people were employed full-time, 516 (17.0%) were part-time, and 63 (2.1%) were unemployed.[4]

Economy

Areas surrounding the Kumeū district produce labels such as Kumeu River, Cooper's Creek and Soljans Estate Winery have gained a good reputation for their Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc wines. The winegrowing district is the main industry in both Kumeū itself and the smaller nearby settlements of Huapai and Waimauku.

  • Kumeu River Wines, established in 1944.[5]
  • Coopers Creek, established in 1980.[6]
  • Landmark Estate, founded in 1937.[7]
  • Matua Valley, established in 1966. Matua Valley closed its doors in 2016.[8]
  • Nobilos was established in 1943 by Nikola Nobilo and remained family owned until the late 1990s. Now known as Nobilo Wine Group, the company is New Zealand's second largest wine company.
  • Soljans Estate Winery was established in 1932 in Henderson, West Auckland. As the company grew they later moved to Kumeū in 2002 [9]

The township is in the North West Country Inc business improvement district zone. The business association which represents businesses from Kaukapakapa to Riverhead.

Activities

The area is popular for lifestyle block farming and equestrian pursuits. The Kumeu Agricultural and Horticultural Society hosts one of the largest annual shows in the Southern Hemisphere on 34 hectares (84 acres) of land owned by the Kumeu District Agricultural and Horticultural Society, on the second weekend in March every year. The nearby localities of Woodhill forest and Muriwai Beach means it has strong recreational interests.

Music

Since 1948 Kumeū has had a brass band, competing in many events, and playing in parades, concerts & private Functions, traditional & modern music for all occasions.[10]

The Kumeu Showgrounds are also the venue for the annual Auckland Folk Festival, a 4-day event of music, dancing and workshops, now in its 46th year.[11] The festival is generally held over the last weekend in January.

Transport

The railway network's North Auckland Line passes through Kumeū. For six years the town was the terminus of the isolated Kumeu-Riverhead Section railway, which linked Kumeū to Riverhead, where ferries ran to Auckland. It operated from 1875 until 1881. In 1881, the North Auckland Line reached Kumeū, making the town a railway junction. This status lasted a mere five days; the new railway from Auckland made the line to Riverhead redundant and it was accordingly closed.

In June 2007 it was announced[12] that suburban rail services would be extended to Helensville in 2008, with temporary stations to be built at Huapai and Waimauku. The service commenced on 14 July 2008 for a one-year trial period,[13] and was then suspended permanently in 2009.[14]

Education

Kumeū is served by Huapai District School and Matua Ngaru School, which are coeducational full primary schools serving years 1–8 with rolls of 453 and 242 students respectively as at March 2020,[15].[16][17] Huapai District School opened in 1919.[18] Matua Ngaru opened in 2019.[19]

The state integrated Hare Krishna School is a coeducational composite school serving years 1–10 with a roll of 104 students as at March 2020.[15][20]

The majority of high-school-aged students attend schools in surrounding suburbs. The closest secondary schools are Kaipara College, Massey High School, Liston College, Albany Junior High School and St Dominic's College.

Place names

In 2019, the name of the town was officially gazetted as Kumeū, although it is common to see it spelled without the macron.[21]

Māori place names:[22]

  • Huapai – good fruit
  • Kumeū – pulling the breast (action used to incite a war party)
  • Muriwai – backwater or junction of streams

References
  1. Peter Dowling (editor) (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. map 11. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  2. Roger Smith, GeographX (2005). The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand. Robbie Burton. map 35. ISBN 1-877333-20-4.
  3. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Kumeu-Huapai (115000). 2018 Census place summary: Kumeu-Huapai
  4. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Kumeu Rural West (114700) and Kumeu Rural East (116100). 2018 Census place summary: Kumeu Rural West 2018 Census place summary: Kumeu Rural East
  5. Kumeu River History Archived 27 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Coopers Creek – History Archived 7 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Landmark Estate – History". Archived from the original on 30 April 2006. Retrieved 29 April 2006.
  8. Saunders, Peter (8 April 2016). "Matua Valley winery closes in Auckland". New Zealand Winegrower.
  9. "The Soljans Story". Soljans Estate Winery. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  10. Kumeu Brass – Our History
  11. Auckland Folk Festival
  12. "Commuter train services to return to Helensville". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  13. Dearnaley, Mathew (14 July 2008). "New commuter train services". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  14. "Calls for rail to ease congestion in Auckland's north-west". Stuff.co.nz. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  15. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  16. Education Counts: Huapai District School
  17. Education Counts: Matua Ngaru School
  18. "About Huapai". Huapai District School. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  19. "Matua Ngaru School | Te Kura Tuatahi O Matua Ngaru". Matua Ngaru School. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  20. Education Counts: Hare Krishna School
  21. "Place name detail: Kumeū". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  22. Kumeu and Districts History

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