Penrose, New Zealand

Penrose is an industrial suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located to the southeast of the city centre, at a distance of about nine kilometres, between the suburbs of Oranga and Mount Wellington, and close to the Mangere Inlet, an arm of the Manukau Harbour.

Penrose
Suburb
Penrose business plaza, an office skyscraper in the area, a local landmark – it towers over most of the lower buildings of the area
Country	New Zealand
Local authority	Auckland Council
Electoral ward	Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward
Local board	Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board
Board subdivision	Maungakiekie
Established	1860s (approx.)
Population  (2018)
• Total	843
Train station(s)	Penrose Train Station

Greenlane	Ellerslie	Ellerslie
One Tree Hill	Penrose	Mount Wellington
Oranga	Te Papapa	Southdown

In 2008, there were 44,975 employees and 4,998 businesses in the Penrose area, 14 per cent of Auckland City's employment, making up seven per cent of its businesses. Of these, 16% were in manufacturing, 14% in wholesale trade, 10% in administrative and support services, 10% in professional, scientific and technical services, 8% in construction and 6% in transport, postal and warehousing business types.[1]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	675	—
2013	645	−0.65%
2018	843	+5.50%
Source: [2]

Penrose had a population of 843 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 198 people (30.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 168 people (24.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 297 households. There were 420 males and 420 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 34.7 years, with 138 people (16.4%) aged under 15 years, 195 (23.1%) aged 15 to 29, 348 (41.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 162 (19.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 42.3% European/Pākehā, 10.0% Māori, 16.0% Pacific peoples, 38.1% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 48.8%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 35.9% had no religion, 41.6% were Christian, and 16.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 213 (30.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 93 (13.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,400. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 381 (54.0%) people were employed full-time, 72 (10.2%) were part-time, and 27 (3.8%) were unemployed.[2]

History

The New Zealand Forest Products headquarters and factory in 1982. Note the same skyscraper in the upper right.

The area was purchased from three local Maori Chiefs by The Wiiliams family in the late 1830s, the farm being called Penrose after their home area in Cornwall, England.

The railway line between Auckland and Onehunga running through Penrose (now known as the Onehunga Line) was one of the first Government funded railways in New Zealand, being opened in 1873. It was built by the Auckland provincial government.

Penrose circa 1930 from above Cain Road Industry started to flourish in the area from the 1920s, due to its close connection to the main railway line and the main road (Great South Road) with these important transport links later strengthened by the motorway (State Highway 1) built following the same alignment in the 1950s. By this time, around 5,000 workers were employed in the suburb.[3]} The new motorway and the move of industrial and manufacturing occupations out of older centres like the Auckland CBD soon started a boom in the Penrose-Mount Wellington area. Industry also successfully lobbied for state housing to be built close by, to provide the new area with a supply of labour.[3] To this day, the area remains almost exclusively industrial, with a mix of run-down areas and newly established sites. Education Despite the low local population, Penrose is the site of the former Penrose High School, which in 2008 renamed itself One Tree Hill College, to shed the 'industrial' associations of the name.[4] The school attracts many students from out of the suburb, many of its students coming from as far as 20 km away. The school is coeducational and has a roll of 1199 as of March 2020.[5][6] The Auckland Japanese Supplementary School (AJSS; オークランド日本語補習学校 Ōkurando Nihongo Hoshūgakkō), a Japanese supplementary school, holds its classes at One Tree Hill College.[7] Sport and recreation Penrose is home to the New Zealand Warriors, who are based at Mount Smart Stadium. References Penrose business precinct – Key statistics (from the Auckland City Council website. Accessed 15 November 2009.) "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Penrose (145900). 2018 Census place summary: Penrose New Zealand Historical Atlas – McKinnon, Malcolm (Editor); David Bateman, 1997, Plate 75 McKenzie-Minifie, Martha (22 July 2008). "School sheds 'industrial' name". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 November 2011. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020. Education Counts: One Tree Hill College "お問い合わせ" (Archive). Auckland Japanese Supplementary School. Retrieved on 1 February 2015. "所在地 One Tree Hill College 421–451 Great South Rd, Penrose, Auckland" External links Photographs of Penrose held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.