Māori history was the location of Te Waiārohia, a major defensive
pā in the 18th century was an important defended
pā site for
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, surrounded by stonefield gardens The
Tāmaki Strait was visited by the
Tainui migratory waka around the year 1300, and members of the crew settled around modern East Auckland and the
Pōhutukawa Coast. These were the ancestors of the modern
mana whenua of the area,
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. was the traditional name for the wider bay between modern-day
Howick and
Beachlands, The upper reaches of the river near modern
Pakuranga is traditionally known as , referring to Mokoikahikuwaru, a protector
taniwha of the
Tainui waka who is described in legends as taking up residence at the
Panmure Basin. The Tāmaki River settlements were important due to their proximity to
Te Tō Waka, the portage at
Ōtāhuhu where
waka could easily cross into the
Manukau Harbour. Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain was an important
pā site for Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, named after ancestress Huiārangi, daughter of Tāmaki of Te Tini ō Maruiwi. Pā sites were constricted to the east: Paparoa at
Waipaparoa / Howick Beach and Tūwakamana at
Cockle Bay, to protect the exposed cultivations of the area. In the 1600s, the warrior
Kāwharu attacked and raised Paparoa Pā, without taking occupation of the lands. While the wider area was still cultivated, the site of Paparoa Pā became a
wāhi tapu (sacred and restricted) site to Ngāi Tai. From the 1600s, Ngāi Tai intermarried with
Ngāti Tamaterā. Not long after this time, members of
Ngāitai from the
Bay of Plenty who had shared ancestry with Ngāi Tai migrated to the region. Their arrival was celebrated, and the lands near
Umupuia became a shared gift for Ngāitai and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki peoples. Te Wana, a child of this union, became a well-known warrior, who united the peoples of Ngāi Tai. By the time missionaries
Samuel Marsden and
John Gare Butler visited the isthmus in 1820, there were thousands of inhabitants living along the shores of the Tāmaki River. The first regular contact Māori of East Auckland had with Europeans was with whalers, who visited the area from the 1780s. The visits led to outbreaks of , a respiratory disease, which decimated many Ngāi Tai settlements. with most members of Ngāi Tai fleeing to the
Waikato for temporary refuge during this time. When English missionary
William Thomas Fairburn visited the area in 1833, it was mostly unoccupied. The settlements of Mokoia, Mauināina and Te Waiārohia became
tapu for Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāi Tai due to the large number of deaths, and were not resettled. The sale was envisioned by the church and the chiefs as a way to end hostilities in the area, but it is unclear what the chiefs understood or consented to. Māori continued to live in the area, unchanged by this sale. Fairburn's Purchase was investigated by the
New Zealand Land Commission found to be excessive and reduced in size. Most of the disallowed parts of his purchase were not returned to Ngāi Tai, instead were kept by the Government to sell to settlers.
Early European settlement in 1862 in 1867 Fairburn established a
mission at
Maraetai in 1837, where he taught reading, writing and spread Christianity among Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Pāoa. Fairburn resigned from the mission in 1841, and the mission was continued on Wiremu Hoete, until late 1843. Many Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Pāoa lived at the mission, and the farm surrounding the mission became one of the first farms in Auckland. The New Zealand Government began selling sections around Pakuranga in 1843, some of which were farmed by Joseph Hargreaves, who bought 82 acres in 1843 and constructed the first European house in the area, and by Hemi Pepene, a Ngāpuhi orphan who grew up at the Paihia Mission Station and was taken care of by the Fairburns.
Howick was established in 1847 as a defensive outpost for Auckland, by fencibles (retired
British Army soldiers) and their families. The decision to establish on site was controversial. It was allegedly chosen to protect Auckland against potential invasion from
Marutūāhu tribes to the east, but the site was too far inland to serve this purpose. As the
Crown owned the entirety of the land at Howick, the Government could directly profit from the land sales to fencible settlers. The fencibles arrived between 1847 and 1852. Early settlers struggled to establish themselves on the land. Almost no trees were found in the district that could be used for construction, and the soil was primarily clay, compared to other fencible settlements such as
Ōtāhuhu and
Panmure that were established on volcanic soils more suitable for farming. The Government was widely criticised for not providing many employment opportunities for the fencible settlers. Early settlers often found work on Government projects such as road construction, drainage or clearing allotments, while others worked for farmers. Many fencibles lived in
Auckland for work, but were obliged to return to Howick on Sundays, otherwise they could be charged with mutiny under the Fencibles Act. Howick grew to become a service centre for the surrounding rural areas. The settlers were dependent on water transport and ferry services, until the construction of the
Panmure Bridge across the Tāmaki River in 1865. In April 1861, news reached Howick of the imminent
Invasion of the Waikato. By July 1863, a defensive
blockhouse was constructed at
Stockade Hill, In September 1863, the Ngāi Tai village of Ōtau near
Clevedon was attacked by the British army, and the village was evacuated, with people moving to communities at the river's mouth. While Māori of
South Auckland such as
Te Ākitai Waiohua were forced to leave, Ngāi Tai were designated as a "friendly" people by the Crown, and remained neutral in the fighting.
Suburban development , the largest Buddhist temple in New Zealand In the 1930s, the road to Howick was concreted, improving transport times for milk to Auckland, and for passengers into the area. This led to Howick developing into a commuter suburb, for people working in
Penrose,
Westfield and
Ōtāhuhu. During
World War II, pillboxes and defenses were built along the coastline and major roadways of the area by the Home Guard. In March 1942 the Japanese submarine operated in the
Hauraki Gulf, and a
Yokosuka E14Y floatplane flown by
Nobuo Fujita conducted reconnaissance flights over Howick and
Beachlands on 13 March, leaving shortly afterwards. In 1948, Pakuranga was considered as a potential site for the new
international airport, which eventually opened in
Māngere. In 1952, Howick split from the Manukau County to form its own borough. Major suburban growth occurred in East Auckland from the 1950s to the 1970s, including the development of many new suburbs surrounding Howick and Pakuranga. In 1965, the Pakuranga Town Centre (now known as
Pakuranga Plaza) was officially opened. It was the second modern American-style mall constructed in Auckland. In 1964, a new eastern city centred around Howick was proposed, covering the modern
Howick local board area and the
Pōhutukawa Coast. These areas were merged into the newly founded
Manukau City in 1965, and the Local Government Commission scuttled plans for an eastern city in 1972. In the 1980s and 1990s, East Auckland developed significant
Asian migrant communities. Entrepreneur Kit Wong, inspired by his parents' experiences of isolation living in Auckland, developed commercial and restaurant spaces in Meadowlands and
Somerville as spaces for
Chinese New Zealander communities to develop. In 2007,
Fo Guang Shan Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in New Zealand, was opened in
Flat Bush. In 1981
Lloyd Elsmore Park, a multi-purpose urban park, sporting facility and home to the
Howick Historical Village, was officially opened. The
Botany Town Centre shopping precinct opened in 2001. In the mid-2000s, new large-scale housing subdivisions were constructed to the south, including Flat Bush,
Dannemora and East Tāmaki Heights. The Flat Bush area is expected to grow to 40,000 residents by 2025. The busway opened to Pakuranga in 2021, with the entire project scheduled to open by the mid-2020s. == Local government ==