110-595: Hamilton ( Māori : Kirikiriroa ) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand . Located on the banks of the Waikato River , it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region . With a territorial population of 192,000, it is the country's fourth most-populous city . Encompassing a land area of about 110 km (42 sq mi), Hamilton is part of the wider Hamilton Urban Area , which also encompasses
220-541: A New World or Countdown supermarket, such as in Rototuna, Hillcrest and Glenview . North Island The North Island ( Māori : Te Ika-a-Māui [tɛ i.kɐ ɐ mɑː.ʉ.i] , lit. 'the fish of Māui', officially North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui or historically New Ulster ) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand , separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait . With an area of 113,729 km (43,911 sq mi), it
330-545: A 20 hectare farm on military tenure. Grey attempted to allay potential misgivings in the Colonial Office by pointing out that there were only 3355 Māori living on 200,000 hectares of fertile land in the Waikato, and of this they had cultivated just 6000 hectares. He proposed making roads throughout the land to link the military settlements and towns and estimated the entire cost to be £3.5 million. The funds would be raised with
440-617: A Compensation Court. The preamble to the act noted that the North Island had "been subject to insurrections amongst the evil-disposed persons of the Native race to the great injury alarm and intimidation of Her Majesty's peaceable subjects of both races and involving great losses of life and expenditure of money in their suppression". It continued: "Many outrages upon lives and property have recently been committed and such outrages are still threatened and of almost daily occurrence ... A large number of
550-481: A District within the provisions of this Act", any land which was owned or used by a tribe, or part of a tribe, which he was satisfied had "been engaged in rebellion against her Majesty's authority" since 1 January 1863. The Governor could then set apart any land within these districts for "settlements for colonisation". All such land was automatically deemed to be discharged from all title interest or claim of any person. Compensation would be granted to those who claimed
660-501: A bachelor's or higher degree, 66,924 (48.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 32,769 (23.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 42,200, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 13,599 people (9.8%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 72,741 (52.6%) people were employed full-time, 16,971 (12.3%) were part-time, and 5,346 (3.9%) were unemployed. The main area of population growth
770-449: A decision to balance the city's growth by approving an urban development to the south. Traffic congestion is increasing due to population growth, though the council has undertaken many road development projects to try to keep up with the rapid growth. State Highway 1 runs through the western and southern suburbs and has a major junction with State Highway 3 south of the city centre, which contributes to congestion. The Hamilton City Council
880-442: A former Superintendent of Auckland and Commissioner of Crown Lands, supported the bill, but said the government should take "not one acre more" than was necessary for military settlements. He described the legislation as immoral, claiming it was "in fact a Bill for the confiscation of Native lands of the province, that object being veiled by a specious form of words". He predicted that confiscation and military settlement would lead to
990-521: A great fish and pulled it right up from the sea. While he was not looking, his brothers fought over the fish and chopped it up. This great fish became the North Island, and thus a Māori name for the North Island is Te Ika-a-Māui ("The Fish of Māui"). The mountains and valleys are believed to have been formed as a result of Māui's brothers' hacking at the fish. During Captain James Cook 's voyage between 1769 and 1770 , Tahitian navigator Tupaia accompanied
1100-580: A hospital at Kirikiriroa. Hamilton was settled by the 4th Waikato Regiment Militia, led by Captain William Steele. The 1st Regiment was at Tauranga , the 2nd at Pirongia , the 3rd at Cambridge and the 4th at Kirikiriroa. The first military settlers arrived on the Rangiriri on 24 August 1864. Members of Ngāti Wairere assembled on the banks of the river as the Rangiriri arrived and threw peaches at her. One of
1210-753: A loan from the Bank of New Zealand , which Defence Minister Russell had founded, and from which both he and Attorney-General Whitaker hoped to profit. Security for the loan would be provided by the profits expected from the sale of confiscated land to new immigrants. By October the scheme had grown again, with the number of military settlers in Taranaki, Waikato and other areas now pegged at 20,000, with settlements linked by 1600 km of roads. In Taranaki alone, 8000 military settlers would be spread across 40 settlements stretching across 80,000 hectares from Waitara to Waitotara , near Wanganui . The New Zealand Settlements Bill
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#17328699289181320-1213: A popular destination for both locals and tourists. The well-maintained paths around the lake are ideal for jogging, walking, and cycling. These trails offer stunning views of the lake and surrounding landscapes, providing a tranquil setting for exercise enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Beerescourt ; Bader; Crawshaw ; Deanwell ; Dinsdale ; Fitzroy ; Forest Lake ; Frankton ; Glenview ; Grandview Heights ; Hamilton Central ; Hamilton North ; Hamilton West ; Livingstone ; Maeroa ; Melville ; Nawton ; Peacocke ; Pukete ; Rotokauri ; St Andrews ; Stonebridge ; Te Rapa ; Temple View ; Thornton ; Western Heights ; Whitiora . Ashmore ; Callum Brae ; Chartwell ; Chedworth Park ; Claudelands; Enderley ; Fairfield ; Fairview Downs ; Flagstaff ; Hamilton East ; Harrowfield ; Hillcrest ; Huntington ; Magellan Rise ; Queenwood ; Ruakura ; Riverlea ; Rototuna; Silverdale ; Somerset Heights ; St James Park ; St Petersburg . Cambridge ; Te Awamutu ; Ngāruawāhia ; Taupiri ; Horotiu ; Horsham Downs ; Huntly ; Gordonton ; Ōhaupō ; Ngāhinapōuri ; Te Kowhai ; Whatawhata ; Tamahere ; Matangi ; Tauwhare ; Rukuhia ; Kihikihi . Hamilton's climate
1430-599: A population of 174,741 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 13,830 people (8.6%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 33,129 people (23.4%) since the 2013 census . There were 85,437 males, 88,497 females and 807 people of other genders in 60,897 dwellings. 3.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age was 33.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 36,570 people (20.9%) aged under 15 years, 40,836 (23.4%) aged 15 to 29, 75,549 (43.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 21,783 (12.5%) aged 65 or older. Of those at least 15 years old, 30,033 (21.7%) people had
1540-408: A punishment for the crime of murder. In addition, only two or three of 30 Ngāti Awa hapu (sub-tribes) were involved in the murder, the individuals responsible for the murder were already on trial at the time of the confiscation and all resistance was at an end in the area, with local rangatira (chiefs) having taken an oath of allegiance. The most unconscionable of the many ironies in the confiscation
1650-451: A smaller boat. That too ceased operation and the pontoon at Parana Park was removed in 2013. The Delta moved to Taupō in 2012. The former Golden Bay vessel, Cynthia Dew, ran 4 days a week on the river from 2012, but was in liquidation in December 2022. As of 2016, the city continues to grow rapidly. Development is focused on the northern end of the city although in 2012 the council made
1760-531: A term as Governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa , where the military settlement of Xhosa land had been undertaken, embraced the idea and in a dispatch to the Colonial Office a month later set out details of the plan, repeating the claim that Māori planned the wholesale destruction of some European settlements. The proposal was to place 5000 military settlers on the Waikato and Taranaki frontiers, each holding
1870-537: A title to it as long as they had not waged war or carried arms against the Crown or government forces, or given assistance or comfort to anyone who had done so. Claims for compensation would be considered by Compensation Courts established under the act, with the judges to be appointed by the Governor. The Governor would cause to be laid out a "sufficient number of towns and farms", contracts would be made with "certain persons for
1980-419: A war of extermination. Confiscation was promoted by the press and many settlers because of its potential to provide cheap land and repay the cost of fighting the land wars. The Southern Cross newspaper condemned the conduct of the "blood-thirsty murderers" in the Waikato and declared: "There is only one way of meeting this, and that is by confiscation and the sword ... the natives have forced it upon us ... At
2090-555: A water wheel constructed, though possibly the flour mill wasn't completed. However, one article said Kirikiriroa flour was well known. Magistrate Gorst, estimated that Kirikiriroa had a population of about 78 before the Invasion of Waikato via the Waikato Wars of 1863–64. The government estimated the Waikato area had a Māori population of 3,400 at the same time. After the war in the Waikato, large areas of land (1.2 Million Acres), including
2200-626: A whole. During the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, the North and South islands were connected by a vast coastal plain which formed at the South Taranaki Bight . During this period, most of the North Island was covered in thorn scrubland and forest , while the modern-day Northland Peninsula was a subtropical rainforest . Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, eventually separating
2310-438: Is oceanic (Köppen: Cfb ), with highly moderated temperatures due to New Zealand's location surrounded by ocean. As the largest inland city in the country, winters are cool and mornings can feature the lowest temperatures of the North Island's main centres, dropping as low as −3 °C (27 °F) several times per year, experiencing on average 17.1 nights that drop below freezing. Nighttime temperatures are even cooler outside of
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#17328699289182420-549: Is also home to Vickers Aircraft Company , a startup aircraft manufacturer making a carbon fibre amphibious aircraft called the Wave . Recent years have seen the firm establishment of the New Zealand base of the British flight training organisation L3. L3 trains over 350 airline pilots a year at its crew training centre at Hamilton Airport . Tainui Group Holdings Ltd, the commercial arm of
2530-503: Is also normal to use the preposition in rather than on , for example "Hamilton is in the North Island", "my mother lives in the North Island". Maps, headings, tables, and adjectival expressions use North Island without "the". According to Māori mythology , the North and South Islands of New Zealand arose through the actions of the demigod Māui . Māui and his brothers were fishing from their canoe (the South Island) when he caught
2640-635: Is building a 2/4-lane arterial road, Wairere Drive, through the northern and eastern suburbs to form a 25 km suburban ring road with State Highway 1, which is due for completion in early 2015, while the New Zealand Transport Agency plans to complete the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway by 2019, easing congestion taking State Highway 1 out of the city and bypassing it to the east. The rapid growth of Hamilton has brought with it
2750-423: Is common during winter mornings, especially close to the Waikato River which runs through the city centre. Hamilton is one of the foggiest cities on earth, however, fog usually burns off by noon to produce sunny and calm winter days. Hamilton also has the lowest average wind speed of New Zealand's main centres as a result of its inland location, in a depression surrounded by high hills and mountains. Hamilton had
2860-579: Is home to New Zealand's largest aircraft manufacturer, Pacific Aerospace , which manufactured its 1,000th aircraft in August 2009, and previously Micro Aviation NZ which manufactured and exported high-quality microlight aircraft. It also has its largest concentration of trailer-boat manufacturers such as Buccaneer. Hamilton is also the home of Gallagher Group Ltd, a manufacturer and exporter of electric fencing and security systems. Employing 600 people Gallagher has been doing business in Hamilton since 1938. Hamilton
2970-687: Is in the Flagstaff -Rototuna area. With its large tertiary student population at Wintec and Waikato University , approximately 40,000 tertiary students, Hamilton has a significant transient population. Hamilton is the second fastest growing population centre after Auckland. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 58.5% European ( Pākehā ); 25.4% Māori ; 6.8% Pasifika ; 22.8% Asian ; 2.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
3080-435: Is located at the south-west tip of the island. The island has been known internationally as the North Island for many years. The Te Reo Māori name for it, Te Ika-a-Māui , also has official recognition but it remains seldom used by most residents. On some 19th-century maps, the North Island is named New Ulster (named after Ulster province in northern Ireland) which was also a province of New Zealand that included
3190-473: Is still being actively eroded by rain and runoff. In its natural state, Hamilton and environs was very swampy in winter with 30 small lakes connected to surrounding peatlands. Hamilton was surrounded by 7 large peat bogs such as Komakorau to the North and Rukuhia and Moanatuatua to the South, as well as many smaller ones all of which have now been drained with only small remnants remaining. The total area of peat bog
3300-634: Is the world's 14th-largest island , constituting 43% of New Zealand's land area. It has a population of 4,077,800 (June 2024), which is 76% of New Zealand's residents, making it the most populous island in Polynesia and the 28th-most-populous island in the world. Twelve main urban areas (half of them officially cities) are in the North Island. From north to south, they are Whangārei , Auckland , Hamilton , Tauranga , Rotorua , Gisborne , New Plymouth , Napier , Hastings , Whanganui , Palmerston North , and New Zealand's capital city Wellington , which
3410-591: The Claudelands Bridge , was opened in 1884. It was converted to a road traffic bridge in 1965. Hamilton reached 1,000 people in 1900, and the town of Frankton merged with the Hamilton Borough in 1917. Between 1912 and 1936, Hamilton expanded with new land in Claudelands (1912), Maeroa (1925), and Richmond – modern day Waikato Hospital and northern Melville (1936). Hamilton was proclaimed a city in 1945. In
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3520-455: The Colony of Victoria (Australia). Land not used by for military settlers would be surveyed and laid out as towns and rural allotments and then sold, with the money raised to be used to repay the expenses of fighting Māori. According to academic Dr Ranginui Walker , this provided the ultimate irony for Māori who were fighting to defend their own land from European encroachment: "They were to pay for
3630-694: The Pai Mārire religion from 1864 and the outbreak of the Second Taranaki War and Tītokowaru's War throughout Taranaki between 1863 and 1869. Some land was later returned to Māori, although not always to its original owners. Some "returned" areas were then purchased by the Crown. Several claims have been lodged with both the Waitangi Tribunal and the New Zealand Government since the 1990s seeking compensation for confiscations enacted under
3740-502: The Taranaki War , as Major-General Trevor Chute stepped up his aggressive campaign of storming pā throughout South Taranaki. Confiscations in Taranaki left many hapu with nothing of their own to live on, forcing them to become squatters on Crown land and driving them to unaccustomed levels of desperation. Although fighting in Waikato had finished by mid-1864, the following year Grey confiscated more than 480,000 hectares of land from
3850-638: The University of Waikato and the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). Research at the Ruakura research centres have been responsible for much of New Zealand's innovation in agriculture. Hamilton's main revenue source is the dairy industry, due to its location in the centre of New Zealand's largest dairying area. Hamilton annually hosts the National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek,
3960-630: The Waikato tribe, is one of Hamilton's largest property developers. The Waikato tribe is one of the city's largest landowners. Tainui owns land at The Base , Centre Place, The Warehouse Central, University of Waikato, Wintec, the Courthouse, Fairfield College, and the Ruakura AgResearch centre. The Waikato tribe is a major shareholder of the Novotel Tainui and the Hotel Ibis . It has developed
4070-990: The Waikato-Tainui iwi (tribe) in the Waikato as punishment for their earlier rebellion. Proclamations under the act were issued on 30 January 1865 for the seizure of the East Wairoa and West Pukekohe blocks for settlement and colonisation, followed by the Central Waikato district and the Mangere, Pukaki, Ihumata and Kerikeri blocks (16 May 1865). As the occupants were evicted from their land, their belongings were looted by colonial forces and neighbouring settlers, with houses ransacked, cattle seized and horses transported for sale in Auckland. The war and confiscation of land caused heavy economic, social and cultural damage to Waikato-Tainui. King Tāwhiao and his people were forced to retreat into
4180-573: The 2023 census, 63.1% of North Islanders identified as European ( Pākehā ), 19.8% as Māori , 10.6% as Pacific peoples , 19.3% as Asian , 1.9% as Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, and 1.1% as other ethnicities. Percentages add to more than 100% as people can identify with more than one ethnicity. Māori form the majority in three districts of the North Island: Kawerau (63.2%), Ōpōtiki (66.2%) and Wairoa (68.5%). Europeans formed
4290-570: The CBD, Chartwell Shopping Centre and most recently Te Awa at The Base . After Farmers Hamilton moves from its existing site on corner of Alexandra and Collingwood streets into the redeveloped Centre Place in late 2013, each major mall will have the department store as an anchor tenant . The western suburb of Frankton is home to a smaller shopping centre and long-standing local furniture and home department store Forlongs . There are many other small suburban shopping centres or plazas, often centred on
4400-448: The Crown in the 1999 Ngāti Awa investigation and a 1995 settlement with Waikato-Tainui included an acknowledgement that confiscations from that tribe were unjust and a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi . Ten deeds of settlement were signed by the Crown and iwi in 2012, concluding with a $ 6.7 million redress package to a Waikato River iwi for "breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi that left
4510-575: The Crown that it had "unjustly confiscated" the land. On 17 January 1866, the Governor confiscated most Ngāti Awa land in the Bay of Plenty on the grounds of war and rebellion. The Waitangi Tribunal noted there was a "popular belief" the confiscations were punishment for the murder of James Te Mautaranui Fulloon, an officer of the Crown, at Whakatane in July 1865, but said the Settlements Act could not be used as
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4620-559: The Inhabitants of several districts of the Colony have entered into combinations and taken up arms with the object of attempting the extermination or expulsion of the European settlers and are now engaged in open rebellion against Her Majesty's authority." The preamble said adequate provision should be made "for the permanent protection and security of the well-disposed Inhabitants of both races for
4730-494: The Land Settlement Act. The tribunal, in its reports on its investigations, has concluded that although the land confiscation legislation was legal, every confiscation by the government breached the law, by both failing to provide sufficient evidence there was rebellion within the designated areas and also including vast areas of land, such as uninhabitable mountain areas, which there was no prospect of settling. Submissions by
4840-482: The Ngati Awa and Ngati Ruanui districts, effectively seizing all of Taranaki from Parinihi to Wanganui and beyond Mt Taranaki in the interior. The same day Grey announced that "the war which commenced at Oakura is at an end", that "sufficient punishment" had been inflicted and that no more land would be confiscated. In fact no Taranaki land remained unconfiscated. Despite the announcement of peace, hostilities continued in
4950-540: The North Island is provided by fifteen District Health Boards (DHBs) . Organised around geographical areas of varying population sizes, they are not coterminous with the Local Government Regions . New Zealand land confiscations The New Zealand land confiscations took place during the 1860s to punish the Kīngitanga movement for attempting to set up an alternative Māori form of government that forbade
5060-577: The North Island. In 2009 the New Zealand Geographic Board found that, along with the South Island, the North Island had no official name. After a public consultation, the board officially named it North Island, or the aforementioned Te Ika-a-Māui, in October 2013. In prose, the two main islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and the South Island , with the definite article. It
5170-660: The Parliament had no Māori members . In the House of Representatives , only two MPs spoke in the debate on the bill. G. Brodie supported it in a brief speech and James FitzGerald , in a lengthy attack, argued that the bill was contrary to the Treaty of Waitangi, and that confiscation would "drive every (Māori) into a state of hopeless rebellion ... be they friends or be they foes". In the Legislative Council Whitaker introduced
5280-807: The Public Works Act 1864. which allowed Māori land to be taken for public works – initially, a road between Wanganui and New Plymouth. (In 1865 the Outlying Districts Police Act also came into force, enabling more land to be forfeited when chiefs failed to surrender fugitives). On 30 January 1865, Grey issued a proclamation to seize the middle Taranaki district, between the Waitara River and the Waimate Stream. Separate proclamations identified Waitara South and Oakura as confiscated districts. On 2 September he issued further proclamations, embracing
5390-437: The South Island, this is solely due to the North Island having higher natural increase (i.e. births minus deaths) and international migration; since the late 1980s, the internal migration flow has been from the North Island to the South Island. In the year to June 2020, the North Island gained 21,950 people from natural increase and 62,710 people from international migration, while losing 3,570 people from internal migration. At
5500-462: The South Island, with the country's largest city, Auckland, and the capital, Wellington, accounting for nearly half of it. There are 30 urban areas in the North Island with a population of 10,000 or more: The sub-national GDP of the North Island was estimated at NZ$ 282.355 billion in 2021 (78% of New Zealand's national GDP). Nine local government regions cover the North Island and its adjacent islands and territorial waters. Healthcare in
5610-594: The Waikato River in at least two massive floods, created by ash blocking the outlet of Lake Taupō . In its present form the landscape originated around 20,000 years ago (20 kya ), after the Oruanui eruption of the Taupō Volcano . The dates given for the eruption vary. A 2007 study said it was between 22.5 and 14 kya. Another in 2004 put it 26.5 kya. After the eruption Lake Taupō rose to about 145 m (476 ft) above
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#17328699289185720-497: The Waikato River, were abandoned as a result of the Invasion of Waikato and land confiscation ( Raupatu ) by the Crown. The settlers developed the city as an agricultural service centre, but it now has a diverse economy. Hamilton Gardens is the region's most popular tourist attraction. Education and research and development play an important part in Hamilton's economy, as the city is home to approximately 40,000 tertiary students and 1,000 PhD-qualified scientists. The settlement
5830-607: The Waikato confiscations had been "excessive". The Waitangi Tribunal in 1985 declared the Tainui people of the Waikato had never rebelled, but had been forced into a defensive war. In the early 1990s Tainui opted to bypass the Waitangi Tribunal and concluded a Treaty claims settlement with the Crown through direct negotiation. In May 1995 the Crown signed a Deed of Settlement with Waikato-Tainui that included cash and land valued at $ 170 million. The settlement included an admission by
5940-433: The act be limited to two years and that an independent commission be appointed to determine the lands to be confiscated. He noted that the act allowed "great abuse" and needed to be controlled with a strong hand, recognising that it could prolong rather than terminate war. He urged the Governor to withhold his permission to any confiscation if he was not satisfied it was "just and moderate". Cardwell offered his own warning of
6050-623: The area of the present city of Hamilton were confiscated by the Crown under the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863. Over the next year, most of these villages were abandoned as a result of the land confiscation , also known as Raupatu . After the Invasion of the Waikato and confiscation of the invaded land, militia-settlers were recruited in Melbourne and Sydney. On 10 August 1864 the government advertised for tenders to build 10 huts and
6160-559: The bill, contending that by their rebellion, Māori had violated the Treaty of Waitangi, thereby discharging the Crown "from all obligation" under the Treaty. Former Attorney-General William Swainson opposed the legislation, claiming it was in breach of both the treaty and the New Zealand Constitution Act. He said the Crown could not, "with honour and good faith, seize the land of peaceable Māori subjects (those who were not in rebellion) without their consent". Dr Daniel Pollen ,
6270-547: The brooding sense of wrong breaks out from time to time in fresh disturbance and crime." In Britain, the Aborigines Protection Society also protested, with a statement noting: "We can conceive of no surer means of adding fuel to the flame of War; of extending the area of disaffection; and of making the Natives fight with the madness of despair, than a policy of confiscation. It could not fail to produce in New Zealand
6380-608: The census question. Hamilton is located in the administrative area of the Hamilton City Council . The current mayor of Hamilton is Paula Southgate , who was first elected to the position in 2019 and re-elected in 2022 . The current deputy mayor is Angela O'Leary. Hamilton City is itself part of the Waikato region, controlled administratively by the Waikato Regional Council . The city's coat of arms has received some criticism, being accused of not reflecting
6490-411: The circumnavigation of New Zealand. The maps described the North Island as " Ea Heinom Auwe " and " Aeheinomowe ", which recognises the "Fish of Māui" element. Another Māori name that was given to the North Island, but is now used less commonly, is Aotearoa . Use of Aotearoa to describe the North Island fell out of favour in the early 20th century, and it is now a collective Māori name for New Zealand as
6600-545: The city takes its Māori name. Local Māori were the target of raids by Ngāpuhi during the Musket Wars , and several pā sites from this period can still be found beside the Waikato River. In December 2011 several rua or food storage pits were found near the Waikato River bank, close to the Waikato museum. In 1822, Kirikiriroa Pa was briefly abandoned to escape the Musket Wars. However, by the 1830s Ngati Wairere ’s principal pa
6710-409: The city. Likewise, summers can be some of the warmest in the country with on average 51.6 days with temperatures exceeding 25 °C (77 °F). Hamilton also features very high humidity (similar to tropical climates such as Singapore ) which can make temperatures feel much higher or lower than they are. Ground frosts are common and snow is possible but rare. The only recorded snowfall in modern times
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#17328699289186820-608: The colonial defence vote was £8031, while the British Government spent about £400,000 – and the government still found itself unable to quash Māori resistance. In May 1863, weeks before the outbreak of the Second Taranaki War, Charles Brown , the Superintendent of Taranaki , wrote: "It would be rightful to confiscate from the tribes which should fight against us, territories of sufficient value to cover fully all
6930-400: The conclusion of the Otago gold rush in the 1860s, New Zealand's European population growth has experienced a steady 'Northern drift' as population centres in the North Island have grown faster than those of New Zealand's South Island. This population trend has continued into the twenty-first century, but at a much slower rate. While the North Island's population continues to grow faster than
7040-514: The confiscations was contained in the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863, which provided for the seizing of land from Māori tribes who had been in rebellion against the government after 1 January 1863. Its stated purpose was to achieve the "permanent protection and security" of the country's inhabitants and establish law, order and peace by using areas within the confiscated land to establish settlements for colonisation, populated initially by military settlers enlisted from among gold miners at Otago and
7150-466: The confiscations were a sham and began to actively claim back confiscated land that had not been used by the government, proceeding on the basis that Māori only had to enter the land and plough it to re-establish their rights. Te Whiti rejected cession payments and bribes and his followers persistently pulled up surveyors' pegs and obstructed road makers, initially in central Taranaki and later throughout New Zealand, with ploughmen's campaigns. Tension led to
7260-406: The confiscations yet existed. In August 1863, just three weeks after the invasion of the Waikato began, Attorney-General Frederick Whitaker and Defence Minister Thomas Russell sent Governor Grey a memorandum signed by Premier Alfred Domett , claiming that the Waikato, the most powerful Māori tribe, was planning to drive out or destroy Europeans and establish a native kingdom. They argued that
7370-412: The cost of the war." Three days later Governor Sir George Grey and his ministers signed an agreement that a disputed block of land between Tataraimaka and Omata in Taranaki would be confiscated and Waitara Māori hostile to the government were warned they also risked confiscation of their land. Premier Alfred Domett 's ministry immediately began expanding their plans for mass confiscations. In June
7480-449: The cultivated plain to destroy the peaceful fruits of industry." Despite his reservations, Cardwell opted not to disallow the act and later passed on an opinion of Crown law officers that it was not repugnant to the laws of England. More than a year passed before Grey, who appeared to be involved in a power struggle with government ministers, issued his first proclamation to confiscate land. Within that time, however, Parliament also passed
7590-479: The extensive peat land to the west, the water level rose so the narrow peninsula was drowned so forming one larger lake. To the north the lake is 8 m deep and in the southern (hospital) end 6 m deep. The old dividing peninsula, the start of which is still visible above water on the eastern side, is only 2 m below the surface. Lake Rotoroa offers a diverse range of recreational activities, including walking trails , picnic areas, and water sports , making it
7700-416: The first brickworks opened in Hamilton. The road from Auckland reached Hamilton in 1867 and the railway in December 1877. That same month, the towns of Hamilton West and Hamilton East merged under a single borough council. The first traffic bridge between Hamilton West and Hamilton East, known as the Union Bridge, opened in 1879. It was replaced by the Victoria Bridge in 1910. The first railway bridge,
7810-411: The granting of land to them respectively in return for Military Service", and remaining land would be surveyed and laid out as towns and suburban and rural allotments. Money raised from the sale of land would be directed towards the repayment of the expenses of "suppressing the present insurrection" as well as providing any compensation awarded. Despite Māori making up a third of New Zealand's population,
7920-468: The heartland of Ngāti Maniapoto . The Maniapoto, by contrast, had been more zealous for war than the Waikato, yet suffered no loss of land because its territory was too remote to be of use to white settlers. The 1927 Royal Commission on Confiscated Land, chaired by senior Supreme Court judge Sir William Sim, concluded that although the government restored a quarter of the 1,202,172 acres (486,500 hectares) originally seized and paid almost £23,000 compensation,
8030-509: The history and diversity of the city, with suggestions that it should be changed. Hamilton has three electorate MPs in the New Zealand Parliament . Both Hamilton East and Hamilton West electorates are considered bellwether seats . The electorates are currently represented by: General electorates: Māori electorate : Education and research are important to the city—Hamilton is home to two institutes of higher education,
8140-648: The islands and linking the Cook Strait to the Tasman Sea . The North Island has an estimated population of 4,077,800 as of June 2024. The North Island had a population of 3,808,005 at the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 213,453 people (5.9%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 570,957 people (17.6%) since the 2013 census . Of the total population, 733,893 people (19.3%) were aged under 15 years, 743,154 (19.5%) were 15 to 29, 1,721,427 (45.2%) were 30 to 64, and 609,534 (16.0%) were 65 or older. Ever since
8250-560: The large retail centre The Base in the old Te Rapa airforce base site which was returned to Tainui, following confiscation in the 1860s, as part of a 1995 Treaty of Waitangi settlement. In mid-2010, The Base was further expanded with Te Awa Mall complex stage 1. Many large retailers such as Farmers and other nationwide speciality chains have located at Te Awa. In 2011 a further stage was opened, with cinemas, restaurants, shops and an underground carpark. The city's three major covered shopping malls are Centre Place (formerly Downtown Plaza ) in
8360-463: The largest. Others are Mangakotukutuku, Mangaonua and Waitawhiriwhiri. In the 1930s, Garden Place Hill, one of the many small hills sometimes referred to as the Hamilton Hills, was removed by unemployed workers working with picks and shovels and model T Ford trucks. The Western remains of the hill are retained by a large concrete wall. The original hill ran from the present Wintec site eastwards to
8470-524: The latter 19th century, the areas of Te Rapa and Pukete were important sites for the kauri gum trade of the late 19th/early 20th centuries, being some of the southern-most locations where gum could be found. Beale Cottage is an 1872 listed building in Hamilton East. From 1985 MV Waipa Delta provided excursions along the river through the town centre. In 2009 Waipa Delta was moved to provide trips on Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, but replaced by
8580-424: The legislation suggests that although the confiscation policy was purportedly designed to restore and preserve peace, some government ministers at the time saw its main purpose to be the acceleration and financing of colonisation. Much of the land that was never occupied by settlers was later sold by the Crown . Māori anger and frustration over the land confiscations led to the rise of the messianic Hauhau movement of
8690-494: The ministry was planning a line of defence posts between Auckland and Ngāruawāhia , clearing "all hostile natives" north of the line and confiscating their land, which would then be either given to military settlers or sold to defray the costs of war. The government published notices of the terms for granting land in the Omata area to military settlers in July, and a month later for land in the Waikato area, even though no legislation for
8800-443: The nearby towns of Ngāruawāhia , Te Awamutu and Cambridge . In 2020, Hamilton was awarded the title of most beautiful large city in New Zealand. Hamilton is now considered the fastest growing city in the country. The area now covered by the city began as the site of several Māori villages, including Kirikiriroa, from which the city takes its Māori name. By the time English settlers arrived, most of these villages, which sat beside
8910-568: The old post office (now casino). The earth was taken 4 km north to partly fill the Maeroa gully adjacent to the Central Baptist Church on Ulster Street, the main road heading north. Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton Lake) began forming about 20,000 years ago (20 kya). Originally it was part of an ancient river system that was cut off by deposition material and became two small lakes divided by a narrow peninsula. With higher rainfall and drainage from
9020-415: The passengers, Teresa Vowless, passed her baby to another passenger and leapt overboard in order to be the first settler ashore. Many of the soldier/settlers who intended to farm after the 1863 war, walked off their land in 1868 due to its poor quality. Much of the land was swampy or under water. In 1868 Hamilton's population, which was about 1,000 in 1864, dropped to 300 as farmers left. On 22 December 1875
9130-578: The passing of the Settlements Act in 1863, agents were employed to enlist men for military service in Taranaki from among the gold miners of Otago and Melbourne. Between 30 December 1863 and 17 February 1864 four ships arrived in New Plymouth carrying 489 volunteers. In Taranaki 39,600 hectares (98,000 acres) were laid out as military settlements with the hope that when men were released from military duty they would remain on their allotments and become permanent settlers. By 1866, when their three years of service
9240-414: The plurality in the Auckland region (49.8%) and are the majority in the remaining 39 districts. The proportion of North Islanders born overseas at the 2018 census were 29.3%. The most common foreign countries of birth were England (15.4% of overseas-born residents), Mainland China (11.3%), India (10.1%), South Africa (5.9%), Australia (5.5%) and Samoa (5.3%). The North Island has a larger population than
9350-451: The possible consequences of excessive confiscation: "The original power, the Maori, (would) be driven back to the forest and morass (and) the sense of injustice, combined with the pressure of want, would convert the native population into a desperate banditti, taking refuge in the solitudes of the interior from the pursuit of the police or military, and descending, when opportunity might occur, into
9460-643: The present lake. Around 20 kya. the ash dam eroded and the lake rapidly fell some 75 m (246 ft), creating massive floods. The ash they carried formed the main Hinuera Surface into an alluvial fan of volcanic ash, which extends north of Hamilton and drops about 60 m (200 ft) from Karapiro . The Waikato changed its course from flowing into the sea at Thames at about that time, possibly just because sediment built up. The peat lakes and bogs also formed about that time; carbon dating gives maximum ages of 22.5 to 17 kya. Due to an ice age , vegetation
9570-457: The prevention of future insurrection or rebellion and for the establishment and maintenance of Her Majesty's authority and of Law and Order throughout the Colony ...the best and most effectual means of attaining those ends would be by the introduction of a sufficient number of settlers able to protect themselves and to preserve the peace of the Country." The act gave the Governor power to declare "as
9680-460: The principle. The Duke was replaced in April 1864 by Edward Cardwell , who wrote back to Grey expressing several objections to the law – it could be applied to Māori in any part of the North Island; it allowed unlimited confiscation; some could be dispossessed without having been engaged in rebellion; and decisions could be made in secret without argument or appeal – and suggested the powers of
9790-578: The provincial government to provide work for the men, or to build roads and bridges linking the settlements. Throughout New Zealand the government had confiscated areas clearly unsuitable for settlement: in Taranaki, they had taken the whole of Mt Taranaki , while in the Bay of Plenty they had confiscated Mt Putauaki , the whole of the Rangitaiki Swamp and other areas of thick bush. Military settlers ultimately took less than 1 per cent of land confiscated from Ngati Awa. In Taranaki, Māori, often with
9900-530: The removal of statues of figures associated with colonialism and racism in New Zealand and the world, which were precipitated by the protests related to the murder of George Floyd . A local Māori elder Taitimu Maipi, who had vandalised the statue in 2018, has also called for the city to be renamed Kirikiriroa, its original Māori name. The area now covered by the city was originally the site of several Māori villages (kāinga), including Te Parapara, Pukete, Miropiko and Kirikiriroa ("long stretch of gravel'), from which
10010-433: The river bed by about 8 m (26 ft). With the exceptions of the many low hills such as those around the University of Waikato , Hamilton Lake, Beerescourt, Sylvester Road, Pukete, and to the west of the city, and an extensive network of gullies, the terrain of the city is relatively flat. In some areas such as Te Rapa, one old path of an ancient river can be traced. The relatively soft and unconsolidated soil material
10120-576: The same bitter fruits of which it has yielded so plentiful a harvest in other countries, where the strife of races has perpetuated through successive generations." Governor Grey assented to the bill on 3 December 1863 and, because the Queen was empowered to still disallow the act, a month later sent a copy of it to the Secretary of State for the Colonies , Duke of Newcastle , claiming he had agreed reluctantly with
10230-474: The security of the colony demanded that Māori aggression needed to be punished and proposed that an armed population be recruited from the goldfields of Otago and Australia and settled on land taken from the "enemy". Whitaker and Russell, leading Auckland financiers, speculators and lawyers, were the most powerful men in the ministry and stood to make a substantial fortune if Māori south of Auckland could be moved from their land. Grey, who had recently returned from
10340-575: The selling of land to European settlers. The confiscation law targeted Kīngitanga Māori against whom the government had waged war to restore the rule of British law. More than 1,200,000 hectares (3,000,000 acres) or 4.4 percent of land were confiscated, mainly in Waikato , Taranaki and the Bay of Plenty , but also in South Auckland , Hauraki, Te Urewera , Hawke's Bay and the East Coast . Legislation for
10450-458: The settlement and development of their lands by its expropriation in a war for the extension of the Crown's sovereignty into their territory." Although the legislation was ostensibly aimed at Māori tribes engaged in armed conflict with the government, the confiscations showed little distinction between "loyal" and "rebel" Māori tribes, and effectively robbed most Māori in the affected areas of their land and livelihood. The parliamentary debate of
10560-530: The side effects of urban sprawl especially to the north east of the city in the Rototuna area. Further development is planned in the Rototuna and Peacocke suburbs. There has been significant development of lifestyle blocks adjacent to the Hamilton Urban Area, in particular Tamahere , and Matangi . Hamilton's geography is largely the result of successive volcanic ash falls, plus debris, which swept down
10670-585: The southern hemisphere's biggest agricultural trade exhibition. Mystery Creek is the country's largest event centre and hosts other events of national importance, such as Parachute Christian Music Festival , the National Car Show and the National Boat Show. Manufacturing and retail are also important to the local economy, as is the provision of health services through the Waikato Hospital. The city
10780-454: The tacit consent of the government, later began returning to the lands that had been taken from them. When parts of those lands were subsequently wanted for settlement, compensation payments were made to Māori users – in government eyes, a bribe to keep the peace rather than a purchase price – and deeds of cession were signed, transferring title to Europeans. In 1880 spiritual leader Te Whiti o Rongomai judged that such payments meant
10890-548: The tribe virtually landless". Since the outbreak of the First Taranaki War at Waitara in March 1860, the New Zealand Government had been engaged in armed conflict with Māori who refused to sell their land for colonial settlement or surrender the "undisturbed possession of their lands and estates" the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi had promised them. By mid-1863 the costs of fighting the war were continuing to mount – in 1861–62
11000-423: The very least large tracts of their lands must be the penalty." Retired chief justice Sir William Martin was one of the few in New Zealand who publicly opposed confiscation. He wrote: "The example of Ireland may satisfy us how little is to be effected towards the quieting of a country by the confiscation of private land; how the claim of the dispossessed owner is remembered from generation to generation, and how
11110-527: Was Kirikiriroa, where the missionaries, who arrived at that time, estimated 200 people lived permanently. A chapel and house were built at Kirikiriroa for visiting clergy, presumably after Benjamin Ashwell established his mission near Taupiri. Between 1845 and 1855, crops such as wheat, fruit and potatoes were exported to Auckland, with up to 50 canoes serving Kirikiriroa. Imports included blankets, clothing, axes, sugar, rum, and tobacco. Millstones were acquired and
11220-506: Was about 655 km. Early photos of Hamilton East show carts buried up to their axles in thick mud. Up until the 1880s it was possible to row and drag a dinghy from the city to many outlying farms to the North East. This swampy, damp environment was at the time thought to be an ideal breeding ground for the TB bacillus, which was a major health hazard in the pioneering days. The first Hamilton hospital
11330-421: Was constructed on a hill to avoid this problem. One of the reasons why population growth was so slow in Hamilton until the 1920s was the great difficulty in bridging the many arms of the deep swampy gullies that cross the city. Hamilton has 6 major dendritic gully complexes with the 15 km long, 12 branch, Kirikiriroa system being in the north of the city and the southern Mystery creek-Kaipaki gully complex being
11440-686: Was introduced into the House of Representatives on 5 November 1863, attracting little debate and only two votes against it in each of the Lower and Upper Houses before it became law. The bill was introduced by the Native Minister, Sir William Fox , who said its primary purpose was to suppress the "present rebellion". The word "confiscation" did not appear in the legislation. The minister conceded that land of Māori who were not "in rebellion" could also be confiscated, but said they would be entitled to compensation through
11550-406: Was light snowflakes in mid-August 2011 during a prolonged cold period that saw snowfall as far north as Dargaville . Hamilton receives considerable precipitation amounting to around 1,100 mm over 125 days per year. This coupled with annual sunshine hours of around 2,000 makes Hamilton and the surrounding Waikato an extremely fertile region. Typically summers are dry and winters are wet. Fog
11660-677: Was named by Colonel William Moule after Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton , the commander of HMS Esk , who was killed in the battle of Gate Pā , Tauranga . On 10 March 2013 a statue of Captain Hamilton was given to the city by the Gallagher Group ; a gesture that has since been viewed as controversial by some. On 12 June 2020, the Hamilton City Council removed the statue at the request of local Māori iwi Waikato Tainui . The statue's removal has been linked to calls for
11770-471: Was over, many had left Taranaki already, while most of those who did complete their service opted then to sell, leaving no more than 10 per cent of the military settlers on the land. Of the 11 towns laid out north of the Waingongoro River, most had no houses on them, while the most populous, including Normanby, Hawera and Carlyle ( Patea ), rarely had more than a dozen. The main reason was the inability of
11880-506: Was slow to restabilise the ash, so dunes formed up to 25 m (82 ft) above the local Hinuera surface. The current Waikato valley had cut into the debris by about 12 kya. and was further modified by the 181 CE Hatepe eruption , when again Lake Taupō level fell 34 m (112 ft), generating a 20 km (4.8 cu mi) flood, equivalent to 5 years' normal flow in just a few weeks. About 800 years ago, aggradation began raising
11990-557: Was spoken by 94.0%, Māori language by 6.8%, Samoan by 0.9% and other languages by 20.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 30.1, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 32.4% Christian , 4.4% Hindu , 2.7% Islam , 1.5% Māori religious beliefs , 1.3% Buddhist , 0.4% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 3.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 47.8%, and 6.3% of people did not answer
12100-560: Was that the main part of the land used for military settlements was at Whakatane , on the land of the most innocent. The tribunal concluded: "We do not think it is at all established that there was a war in the usual sense. More particularly, we consider that there was no rebellion ... the confiscation was clearly contrary to the Treaty of Waitangi." Regulations of May 1851, and subsequent amendments by provinces, set levels of payments and land allocations, according to military rank and varying slightly from one province to another. Soon after
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