Heretaunga, Upper Hutt
Heretaunga is a suburb of the city of Upper Hutt, located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. Heretaunga adjoins the suburb of Silverstream to its southwest and the two are commonly thought of associated with each other. To the northeast lies Trentham. The Heretaunga Railway Station on the Hutt Valley Line serves the suburb.
Heretaunga takes its name from one of the Māori names for the nearby Hutt River, originating from a Hawke's Bay district. Heretaunga as a Māori name combines here, meaning "to tie up", and Tauranga, literally meaning "to be at home" - the name originated with a mooring place for canoes.
The settlement, one of the older suburbs in the Hutt Valley, dates from the 1840s when European settlers sought country sections. A prime example of a "leafy" suburb, Heretaunga includes quiet tree-lined streets. It is characterised by large houses, often Edwardian or from the mid-20th century.
The suburb has numerous green spaces, most evident around the site of the Royal Wellington Wellington Golf Club and Trentham Memorial Park. The Royal Wellington Golf Club has been based in Heretaunga since 20 November 1906 after acquiring 48.5 hectares of land from the Barton family.
The Mawaihakona Stream begins at a spring in Trentham Memorial Park and drains the western side of the Hutt Valley from Trentham to Heretaunga. The stream passes around Heretaunga Park and the perimeter of the playing fields of St Patrick's College, Silverstream. It flows into the Hutt River north of the Silverstream bridge.
Demographics
Heretaunga's statistical area covers. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.Heretaunga had a population of 2,424 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 72 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 225 people since the 2013 census. There were 1,179 males, 1,236 females, and 9 people of other genders in 921 dwellings. 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 41.7 years. There were 459 people aged under 15 years, 381 aged 15 to 29, 1,086 aged 30 to 64, and 501 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 79.0% European ; 12.1% Māori; 7.3% Pasifika; 12.6% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 2.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.3%, Māori by 3.2%, Samoan by 2.4%, and other languages by 15.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.0%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 24.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 43.1% Christian, 2.6% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 0.4% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 44.4%, and 6.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 591 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 984 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 402 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $48,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 375 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 1,044 full-time, 231 part-time, and 51 unemployed.