Tūākau is a town in the Waikato region, formerly part of the Auckland Region until 2010, when it became part of Waikato District in the North Island of New Zealand. The town serves to support local farming, and is the residence of many employees of New Zealand Steel at Glenbrook.ToponymyThe place name is believed to be a geographical reference to the high bluff nearby that offers views down the Waikato river. In Māori the word Tū can mean ‘to stand’ and ākau ‘river bank’.HistoryThe area was first used as a trading centre for passing waka that would transport goods up and down the Waikato river.A flour mill was built in 1855.In 1863 war broke out just south of the river and the New Zealand Government stationed in Tūākau Imperial troops brought over from Great Britain. To help defend the area the Alexandra Redoubt was built as a defensive fort on the bluff near the river.The existing town which was originally intended to be built closer to the Waikato River was subsequently built in an area 2km further inland.The railway from Auckland reached Tuakau in 1875, when the Tuakau Railway Station was opened.By 1914 the people of Tūākau had formed their own town district which went on to achieve borough status on 1 January 1955. Amalgamations since 1989 has seen it first become part of the Franklin District governed by a District Council and then in 2010 with border changes saw it became part of Waikato District when present-day Auckland Council boundaries were created.
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