Māori history Matukutūreia and Matukutūruru were home to two hilltop
pā, collectively known as Matukurua. where crops such as
kūmara and bracken fern root were grown. The Manurewa area was settled by Ngā Riki, who were one of the three Tāmaki Māori groups who joined to form the
Waiohua in the 17th and 18th-centuries. During this time, the two pā were home to the Ngāi Huatau
hapū of
Waiohua, The chief Huarangi was based at Matukutūruru with his wife Takawai of Ngāi Tahuhu. After her death, he married Kohe, a high ranking woman from
Ngāti Pāoa, a union that was widely disapproved by the hapū. This dissent eventually led to a division in the family, with the children of Takawai settling at Matukutūruru, and Huarangi moving with Kohe to Matukutūreia. Ngāti Whātua was significantly smaller than the Waiohua confederation and chose to focus life at
Onehunga, Māngere and
Ōrākei, meaning that Waiohua were able to re-establish a presence in South Auckland. and
Te Ākitai Waiohua.
Colonial era In January 1836 missionary
William Thomas Fairburn brokered a land sale between
Tāmaki Māori chiefs,
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and Turia of
Ngāti Te Rau, covering the majority of modern-day
South Auckland between
Ōtāhuhu and
Papakura. The sale was envisioned 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 South Auckland, unchanged by this sale. Fairburn was criticised for the sheer size of the purchase, and in 1842 the
Crown significantly reduced the size of his land holdings, and the Crown partitioned much of the land for European settlers. Clendon never lived or visited the area, but sold 2,000 acres to the Martin brothers, who subdivided the land in the mid-1900s. Much of the Martin brothers' land became modern-day Manurewa.
Early development Work on the
Great South Road began in 1843, reaching as far south as
Drury in 1855. In the early 1860s, Great South Road was used as a military supply route between Auckland and the frontier of the
Invasion of the Waikato. Manurewa was only sparsely populated in the 1860s and 1870s. The main stop on the Great South Road for coach services was the Raglan Hotel at Woodside (modern-day
Wiri). The Manurewa Highway District was formed in 1867, and in 1875 the first
Manurewa railway station opened located behind what is now the Russell Road Reserve. Initially opened as a flag station, in 1884 a booking office opened at the site. The station led to growth in the area; 81 people lived in Manurewa by 1879, and a post office opened in 1884. By the 1900s, much of Woodside village (modern-day
Wiri) had moved to Manurewa. After years of debate, the school now known as
Manurewa Central School moved from the corner of Kerrs Road and Great South Road to its current site, and opened on 8 September 1906 with 63 pupils. It was joined by the Methodist Church in 1909. Manurewa became a centre for the local dairy industry in the early 20th century, with the first creamery opening in 1905.
Suburban development By 1915, Manurewa had grown large enough to become a town district, created from parts of the former Manurewa and Papakura road districts. The area was promoted as a commuter suburb for Auckland in the early 1920s. Local farmer Charles Henry Lupton was instrumental in developing the Manurewa community, serving on the town board, school and church committees, and became known as "The Father of Manurewa". By 1937, the population of Manurewa had increased to over 1,500 people, allowing Manurewa to become a borough. The second railway station in the area opened on 15 August 1924. The developer John Dreadon donated £500 and land for the station and the bridge, which replaced a level crossing. Three other landowners also contributed. As a result, it was decided to name the station using the Māori word for 'gift',
homai, rather than Browns Rd, as it was initially referred to. A third railway station,
Mahia, was opened on 16 August 1926. It was renamed from Mahia to Te Mahia from 9 February 1951 by a decision of the New Zealand Geographic Board. Duplication of the tracks between
Papatoetoe and Papakura, through Manurewa, started in 1929 as an
employment relief scheme and was completed on 29 March 1931. In 1939, a fire destroyed the Manurewa Picture Theatre, and the adjoining shops and boarding house. In 1941 a fire engine was obtained and a new fire station was built by volunteers of the Manurewa Fire Brigade. During
World War II, parts of Manurewa were used as military camps for
United States Army soldiers bound for the Pacific.
Urban development The development of the
Auckland Southern Motorway in the 1950s and 1960s led to suburban development in Manurewa. During the large population growth in the 1950s,
Manurewa Central School struggled to provide places for all of the students who needed places. Because of this, a number of new schools were established in the area. St Anne's Catholic School opened in 1952; initially with two classrooms and a teachers' room, but by April 1955 additional buildings were added to cope with the growth in students. Homai School opened with six classrooms in April 1955 under the name Manurewa North School.
Manurewa High School was opened on 2 February 1960, built on land adjacent to Homai School. A row of trees was planted between the sites, to create a defined boundary between the two. Prior to this, high school students in Manurewa needed to travel to schools outside the area, such as
Otahuhu College. In May 1967, Manukau City Council joined with the
Auckland Regional Authority to purchase the remaining 209-acres (84.6 ha) of the Nathan farm. The family sold part of the farm to the Auckland Regional Authority for the creation of the
Auckland Botanic Gardens, while the remainder was given to the Manukau City Council for recreational use. The gardens opened in 1982. Nathan Homestead served as council offices until 1977 when a new purpose-built council building opened in
Wiri. On 14 October 1978, the homestead was officially reopened by Arts Minister
David Allan Highet as the Manurewa Community and Cultural Centre. mall can be seen to the lower right. The earthworks are for the
Goodwood Heights and
Totara Heights subdivisions on the left, and
Housing Corporation development on the right. By the 1970s, Manurewa East and
Weymouth had developed as suburban areas, and after the construction of
Manukau Central in the 1980s, Manurewa became connected to the urban sprawl of Auckland. In 1972, the
Manukau City Centre mall was built in Wiri. Shortly after its redevelopment in 1986, Southmall was extensively remodeled and redesigned from an open air to an enclosed space. ==Demographics==