à ÂrÃÂkei is a suburb of Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on a peninsula five kilometres to the east of the city centre, on the shore of the WaitematàHarbour, which lies to the north, and Hobson Bay and à ÂrÃÂkei Basin, two arms of the WaitematÃÂ, which lie to the west and south. To the east is the suburb of Mission Bay. Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in à ÂrÃÂkei. Between Takaparawhau and Paritai Drive is à Âkahu Bay and Reserve.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of adornment" for the MÃÂori name of à ÂrÃÂkei.
Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is the location of à ÂrÃÂkei Marae and its Tumutumuwhenua wharenui (meeting house) is a traditional tribal meeting ground for the NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua iwi (tribe) and their NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua à ÂrÃÂkei, NgàOho, Te Taoà « and Te Uri hapà « (sub-tribes). In the 1940s, the à ÂrÃÂkei pà(village) was one of the last places where traditional pre-European kà «mara cultivars (either hutihuti or rekamaroa) were grown.
Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is also the location of the Savage Memorial, the tomb and memorial garden for Michael Joseph Savage, the first Labour Party prime minister of New Zealand and one of the country's most popular prime ministers, who died in office in 1940. The Art Deco ensemble designed by Tibor Donner and Anthony Bartlett was officially opened in March 1943 and has expansive views of the Waitemata Harbour.
The Orakei block was historically occupied by NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua à ÂrÃÂkei, and before the colonisation of New Zealand it was part of important lands for the hapà «, overlooking rich fishing and farming areas. The land was confiscated by the New Zealand Government for public works and development over a period stretching from the 1840s into the 1950s.
In 1900 the Orakei Road District was established from part of the Remuera Road District. The road board was responsible for local governance in Orakei until 1928 when it amalgamated with the City of Auckland.
à ÂrÃÂkei was the first location where the New Zealand Flying School operated from between October and November 1915, before moving to Mission Bay, and a permanent location at Kohimarama in 1916.
In 1936-37 John A. Lee proposed to evict the 120 MÃÂori living in the foreshore pàat Takaparawhau / Bastion Point and to include the land in the proposed à ÂrÃÂkei state housing scheme; the proposal (seen as using MÃÂori land as a park for white children) attracted many local objections (including Robin Hyde in No More Dancing at Orakei) and was reversed by Prime Minister Savage on his return from overseas. State houses were later constructed in 1937 in à ÂrÃÂkei as a model for future state houses in Auckland.
In 1976 the Crown announced that it planned to develop Bastion Point by selling it to the highest bidder for high-income housing. NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua à ÂrÃÂkei, and other activists, formed the à ÂrÃÂkei MÃÂori Action Committee, taking direct action to stop the subdivision. In 1977âÂÂ1978 the à ÂrÃÂkei MÃÂori Action Committee organised an occupation of the remaining Crown land that lasted for 506 days. The occupation and the use of force to end it played a part in highlighting injustices against MÃÂori, and the occupation became a major landmark in the history of MÃÂori protest.
In 1988 the New Zealand Labour Government returned Takaparawhau / Bastion Point and à ÂrÃÂkei Marae to NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua à ÂrÃÂkei, with compensation, as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement process.
Under the 1991 Orakei Act, parts of Takaparawhau, including the marae, church, and now developed land, were reserved for NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua à ÂrÃÂkei. The rest of Takaparawhau, à Âkahu Reserve and the foreshore land were set aside "as Maori reservation ... for the common use and benefit of the members of the hapu and the citizens of the City of Auckland". Collectively called the Whenua Rangatira (noble or chiefly land), these areas are administered by the NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua à ÂrÃÂkei Reserves Board, equally represented by NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua à ÂrÃÂkei and Auckland Council.
In 1901 the Orakei Road District had a population of 21, by 1926 this had climbed to 175.
à ÂrÃÂkei covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km<sup>2</sup>.
à ÂrÃÂkei had a population of 5,571 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 54 people (âÂÂ1.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 96 people (1.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 2,634 males, 2,928 females and 12 people of other genders in 2,157 dwellings. 3.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 42.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 846 people (15.2%) aged under 15 years, 1,059 (19.0%) aged 15 to 29, 2,601 (46.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,065 (19.1%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 67.2% European (PÃÂkehÃÂ); 19.5% MÃÂori; 7.8% Pasifika; 17.0% Asian; 3.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.2%, MÃÂori language by 7.2%, Samoan by 1.0%, and other languages by 22.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.8% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 31.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 32.7% Christian, 1.1% Hindu, 2.4% Islam, 3.3% MÃÂori religious beliefs, 1.1% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.8% Jewish, and 1.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.0%, and 6.5% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,103 (44.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,788 (37.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 837 (17.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $55,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,260 people (26.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,436 (51.6%) people were employed full-time, 648 (13.7%) were part-time, and 141 (3.0%) were unemployed.
Selwyn College is a secondary school (years 9âÂÂ13) with a roll of 1378.
à ÂrÃÂkei School is a full primary school (years 1âÂÂ8) with a roll of .
St Joseph's School is a state-integrated Catholic full primary school (years 1âÂÂ8) with a roll of .
All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of