Overview

Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland City, New Zealand. It sits on the west coast at the inner reaches of the Manukau Harbour. This book provides a history of changes to the coastline surrounding Onehunga, being one of the most heavily human modified coastlines in New Zealand.

The history is based on numerous references to Papers Past from where the bulk of research has come, providing links to news articles and images throughout the book, making it an ideal research book for students interested in the history of Onehunga. The book is liberally illustrated with maps and historical photographs of the area taken by many different authors, who’s images have been donated from research institutions, such as Auckland Libraries, the National Library of Te Papa, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).

The book illustrates how Onehunga’s coastal edge has been compromised through inappropriate reclamation shaped by; shipping requirements, drainage and sewage demands, rubbish tipping, industrialisation, and roading, leading to a polluted and heavily silted harbour, where loss of access caused a decline in recreational use and appreciation for the harbour. The author highlights these changes with the hope to raise awareness and seek for change through which the quality of the Manukau Harbour as a whole can be restored, while in addition hoping to provide an inciteful and informative journey for readers through the period of this most interesting history.