Newlands, New Zealand

Story

Newlands is one of the northern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand. It lies approximately 8 km north of the city centre and to the east of its nearest neighbour Johnsonville. It has a long history of early settlement and originally was farmed including being the early source of Wellington's milk. Newlands is located in a valley and covers two ridgelines, the side of one of which overlooks Wellington Harbour and up to the Hutt Valley.HistoryThe area that modern Newlands occupies was originally known as Paparangi which is Te Reo Māori for "cluster of hills". A 40 ha area was sold during the 1840-41 land ballots run by the New Zealand Company. There are two theories to the suburb's name. The first is that it was named after Thomas Newland who arrived in New Zealand from London in 1875 aboard the ship “Avalanche” and ran a business making glue and oil in neighboring Johnsonville before becoming Manager of the Manure Department of the Wellington Meat Export Company's Works in 1892. Thomas Newland was close friends of Walter Futter who owned land in Newlands. The second theory is that it was simply the "New Land" near Johnsonville.The area was mostly used as a pig and dairy farm, providing Wellington most of their town milk supply from the 1920s to the 1950s. Dairy farms were run by Bill Miles of Newlands Dairy Limited who purchased James Purchase’s farm in Glanmire Rd and ran 100 cows, also Pearce and Tristram. After the Second World War Miles subdivided for housing; initially in Wakely Road, then in Miles Crescent, Lyndfield Lane, Black Rock Road and Glanmire Road. Ernest Hoskings grazed his dairy herd in Johnsonville, Newlands and Horokiwi.