The broader area was originally swampland, and known to
Tāmaki Māori as Ngā Anawai, referring to the water-filled lava-flow caves that formed in the area. The lava caves were created by
Maungawhau / Mount Eden and
Mount Albert over 30,000 years ago. On 29 June 1841, the Mount Albert area was sold to the
Crown by Ngāti Whātua, as a part of a 12,000 acre section. The terrain of the area was rough, meaning the area saw slower development compared to other parts of the Auckland isthmus. In the 1860s,
New North Road was established as road access for the area and as an alternative to the
Great North Road to the north.
Allan Kerr Taylor, a major landowner in the
Mount Albert area, auctioned off a section of his land in March 1865 to create a subdivision along the road. Kerr Taylor named the new village Morningside, referencing
Morningside in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the location of the
Royal Edinburgh Hospital.Kerr Taylor's original plan for the village included a church to be built on an island in the middle of New North Road.
Morningside railway station opened in March 1880, connecting Morningside to Auckland city by rail. Morningside saw slower growth compared to
Kingsland, located closer to the city. In March 1910, the Shawville housing estate in Morningside was sold off. Morningside grew as a community after the tramline extended to the suburb along New North Road in 1912. The suburb is centred on the Morningside shops which are located on the
New North Road, near the
Morningside railway station. One of Morningside's largest buildings is the 1920s brick building which formerly housed the Mount Albert Borough Council until Mt Albert was amalgamated with Auckland City in the late 1980s. Morningside was the setting of the animated TV show ''
Bro'Town,'' and also the album title and hometown of
Fazerdaze. ==Demographics==