Mount Roskill, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Mount Roskill is both a volcanic peak and the suburban area in the city of Auckland
, New Zealand
.
. The scoria cone was built by fire-fountaining from two craters. The main southern crater was excavated in 1961-62 and filled with a reservoir. Lava flowed from the base of the cone to the north and northwest. It was the site of a pā
, and was known as Puketapapa.
Since 2009, the extension of State Highway 20 passes close to the cone. The effects of the new motorway on the cone had been the subject of significant discussion, and a major mitigation package had been proposed to reduce the impact of the motorway (and the continuation of the Waikaraka Cycleway
that runs parallel to it).
The funding of this mitigation and the missing cycleway section was briefly in doubt in 2009, when a cost blowout to $2 million was criticised after Council had set aside $1.6 million. Cycling advocates from Cycle Action Auckland
, the Mount Roskill Community Board Chairman Richard Barter and Councillor John Lister however noted various elements unrelated to the cycleway that had driven up the cost, such as a toilet block, bluestone
walls, extensive landscaping and artwork, much of it related to Winstone Park itself, or the effects of the motorway. The cycle path section itself was priced at only $300,000. The path section was finished after six months of construction work and it (and the park facilities) opened to the public opened on 25 July 2010.
One of the city's larger suburbs, it was largely farmland until after the Second World War. It was a separate borough from 1947 until local government reorganisation in 1989 amalgamated it with Auckland City.
In the past, Mount Roskill was referred to as the Bible Belt
of Auckland
, as it contains the highest number of churches per capita in New Zealand.
Mount Roskill is an ethnically diverse community with at least 54 different nationalities represented there, making it one of the most diverse suburbs in New Zealand. A mix of Indians, Pacific Islander
s, Europeans, and various East and South Asian
groups make this middle class community interesting.
The local secondary school is Mount Roskill Grammar. Catholic students attend Marist College
or St Peter's College
.
In 2007, the Mount Roskill Community Board commissioned a 176 page book titled Just Passing Through: A History of Mt Roskill (Jade Reidy) which covered the growth of the district from 1840 up until the present time. It identified the significant input of Mount Roskill residents internationally, such as athletics coach Arthur Lydiard
in the chapter "How Sport Put Mt Roskill on the World Map."
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Mountain
The peak, which is to the southwest end of the suburb, is 110 metres in height, and is one of the many extinct cones which dot the isthmus of Auckland, all of which are part of the Auckland Volcanic FieldAuckland Volcanic Field
The Auckland volcanic field is a monogenetic volcanic field in the North Island of New Zealand. Basaltic in nature, it underlies much of the metropolitan area of Auckland....
. The scoria cone was built by fire-fountaining from two craters. The main southern crater was excavated in 1961-62 and filled with a reservoir. Lava flowed from the base of the cone to the north and northwest. It was the site of a pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
, and was known as Puketapapa.
Since 2009, the extension of State Highway 20 passes close to the cone. The effects of the new motorway on the cone had been the subject of significant discussion, and a major mitigation package had been proposed to reduce the impact of the motorway (and the continuation of the Waikaraka Cycleway
Waikaraka Cycleway
The Waikaraka Cycleway is an off-road cycleway in the south of Auckland City, New Zealand, running from the Wesley suburb in southern Auckland City along New Zealand State Highway 20 to Onehunga and then continuing along the shoreline of the Manukau Harbour beside mostly industrialised areas until...
that runs parallel to it).
The funding of this mitigation and the missing cycleway section was briefly in doubt in 2009, when a cost blowout to $2 million was criticised after Council had set aside $1.6 million. Cycling advocates from Cycle Action Auckland
Cycle Action Auckland
Cycle Action Auckland is a pro-cycling advocacy group in Auckland, New Zealand. The volunteer-driven group aims to improve infrastructure and conditions, as well as perceptions of cycling to encourage more "everyday people" to use bicycles, including for commuting and recreation...
, the Mount Roskill Community Board Chairman Richard Barter and Councillor John Lister however noted various elements unrelated to the cycleway that had driven up the cost, such as a toilet block, bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
walls, extensive landscaping and artwork, much of it related to Winstone Park itself, or the effects of the motorway. The cycle path section itself was priced at only $300,000. The path section was finished after six months of construction work and it (and the park facilities) opened to the public opened on 25 July 2010.
Suburb
The suburb, named after the Mount, is located seven kilometres to the south of the city centre, and is surrounded by the neighbouring suburbs of Three Kings, Sandringham, Wesley, Hillsborough and Mount Albert. The Mount Roskill shops are located at the intersection of Mount Albert and Dominion Roads.One of the city's larger suburbs, it was largely farmland until after the Second World War. It was a separate borough from 1947 until local government reorganisation in 1989 amalgamated it with Auckland City.
In the past, Mount Roskill was referred to as the Bible Belt
Bible Belt
Bible Belt is an informal term for a region in the southeastern and south-central United States in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average.The...
of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, as it contains the highest number of churches per capita in New Zealand.
Mount Roskill is an ethnically diverse community with at least 54 different nationalities represented there, making it one of the most diverse suburbs in New Zealand. A mix of Indians, Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
s, Europeans, and various East and South Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
groups make this middle class community interesting.
The local secondary school is Mount Roskill Grammar. Catholic students attend Marist College
Marist College, New Zealand
Marist College is a Catholic girls high-school located in Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches from year 7 through to Year 13 with a curriculum based on Roman Catholicism...
or St Peter's College
St Peter's College, Auckland
St Peter's College is a Catholic college for year 7 to 13 boys . The school, located in Auckland, is one of the largest Catholic schools in New Zealand and is an integrated school under an integration agreement entered into by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and the Government of New Zealand in...
.
People
Mount Roskill has been home to many successful New Zealanders who attended the local schools. Among them are:- All Black coach John HartJohn Hart (rugby coach)John Bernard Hart, ONZM was a New Zealand rugby union coach, mainly for Auckland and the All Blacks. After many years in business, during which he rose to become Group Employee Relations Director for Fletcher Challenge, then New Zealand's largest company, John Hart began his first class coaching...
, - Billionaire Graeme HartGraeme HartGraeme Hart is a New Zealand businessman reported to be the richest person in Australasia with a personal fortune of NZ$8.8 billion according to the 2009 Forbes rich list. The 2007 September 22–28 issue of the New Zealand Listener listed Hart as being the 29th most powerful New Zealander...
, - All Black winger Doug HowlettDoug HowlettDouglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a wing but he has also covered fullback at national and international levels. He currently plays in Ireland with Munster. He is the brother of former Tongan rugby league international Phil...
, - Actor Russell CroweRussell CroweRussell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
, - Evangelist Bill SubritzkyBill SubritzkyWilfred Allen Subritzky, from Auckland, New Zealand, was a lawyer and property developer from the mid 1950s until the mid 1980s. In 1971 he became involved in the Charismatic movement, and became an independent evangelist and healer. His company, Universal Homes, mass-produced homes in standard...
, - Reserve Bank Governor Alan BollardAlan BollardAlan Bollard is the current governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, having been appointed on 23 September 2002. He succeeded Donald Brash in this role....
, - Tennis player Brett StevenBrett StevenBrett Andrew Steven is a tennis player from New Zealand.Steven turned professional in 1988 and won his first tour doubles title in 1991 at Newport, Rhode Island....
, - Labour MP and Current Leader of the Opposition Phil GoffPhil GoffPhilip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...
, - League Player Matthew RidgeMatthew RidgeMatthew John Ridge is a New Zealand television presenter as well as a former All Black, and rugby league captain for the Manly Sea Eagles, New Zealand Warriors and Kiwis....
, - The Hay family (of Keith HayKeith HayKeith Wilson Hay, CBE, was a New Zealand homebuilder, entrepreneur, local body politician and conservative Christian political activist....
Homes), - Rugby League Player Evarn TuimavaveEvarn TuimavaveEvarn Tuimavave is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League. He has also represented the New Zealand Kiwis and was part of the 2008 World Cup-winning squad...
, and - New York Times Best Selling author Nalini Singh.
In 2007, the Mount Roskill Community Board commissioned a 176 page book titled Just Passing Through: A History of Mt Roskill (Jade Reidy) which covered the growth of the district from 1840 up until the present time. It identified the significant input of Mount Roskill residents internationally, such as athletics coach Arthur Lydiard
Arthur Lydiard
Arthur Leslie Lydiard, ONZ, OBE, was a New Zealand runner and athletics coach. He has been lauded as one of the outstanding athletics coaches of all time and is credited with popularizing the sport of running and making it commonplace across the sporting world...
in the chapter "How Sport Put Mt Roskill on the World Map."