Churton Park

Churton Park
Suburb
View over Churton Park
View over Churton Park
Map
Interactive map of Churton Park
Churton Park is located in New Zealand Wellington
Churton Park
Churton Park
Coordinates: 41°12′30″S 174°48′29″E / 41.208355°S 174.80819°E / -41.208355; 174.80819
CountryNew Zealand
CityWellington
Local authorityWellington City Council
Electoral ward
Area
 • Land606 ha (1,500 acres)
Population
 (June 2025)[1]
 • Total
8,990
 • Density1,480/km2 (3,840/sq mi)
Redwood and Tawa
Ohariu
Churton Park
 Grenada Village
Johnsonville
Churton Park in December 1970
Churton Park after the 2011 snowfall

Churton Park is a suburb 1.5 km north of Johnsonville in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It was established in the 1970s.[2]

The suburb includes Churton Park Reserve which includes a recreational sports field, two primary schools and a kindergarten. The Churton Park Community Centre, which is managed and staffed by Wellington City Council, is also located in the Village.

History

Churton Park is one of the youngest suburbs in Wellington and was farmland until 1970.[3] In the 1850s Thomas Drake was running 200 sheep in what is now Churton Park.[4]

The suburb was developed by "John Dick Walker" (1926–1981).[5] It was named after Jock Churton;[6] Churton was a director of Fletchers which undertook a number of development projects in the 1960s and 1970s.[6][7] Rodney Callender now (2024) owns much of the adjacent land awaiting development. [8]

The area of Churton Park near current Lakewood Avenue was originally a swamp[3] and has been recently developed into residential housing and a commercial shopping centre.[9] Since being established, it is one of the fasted growing subdivisions in Wellington, with the population expected to grow to over 12,000 over the next two decades.[10]

In 2018, Wellington City Council purchased the 268 Ohariu Valley Rd property adding much of the ridge line overlooking Churton Park (from Ohariu Valley Rd to west of the Erlestoke Cres cul-de-sac) to the Outer Green Belt.[11]

Geography

The topography is quite hilly and has regenerating bush in some areas that has not been excavated for housing sub-divisions. Steep hills extend west over to Ohariu Valley. Extensive cut and fill earthworks have been required in the construction of the subdivisions for housing.

Demographics

Churton Park covers 6.06 km2 (2.34 sq mi).[12] It had an estimated population of 8,990 as of June 2025, with a population density of 1,483 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20065,853—    
20136,528+1.57%
20187,260+2.15%
20238,319+2.76%
The 2006 population is for a smaller area of 5.96 km2.
Source: [13][14]

Churton Park had a population of 8,319 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,059 people (14.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,791 people (27.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 4,116 males, 4,170 females, and 33 people of other genders in 2,724 dwellings.[15] 3.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 1,707 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 1,530 (18.4%) aged 15 to 29, 4,152 (49.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 936 (11.3%) aged 65 or older.[13]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 52.7% European (Pākehā); 5.9% Māori; 4.5% Pasifika; 42.1% Asian; 3.0% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.1%, Māori by 1.6%, Samoan by 0.8%, and other languages by 35.2%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 44.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.[13]

Religious affiliations were 32.1% Christian, 8.5% Hindu, 1.6% Islam, 0.1% Māori religious beliefs, 3.1% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 47.7%, and 4.7% of people did not answer the census question.[13]

Of those at least 15 years old, 3,045 (46.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 2,502 (37.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,071 (16.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 1,878 people (28.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 4,035 (61.0%) full-time, 816 (12.3%) part-time, and 135 (2.0%) unemployed.[13]

Individual statistical areas
Name Area
(km2)		 Population Density
(per km2)		 Dwellings Median age Median
income
Churton Park North 2.31 4,383 1,897 1,329 37.8 years $62,500[16]
Glenside-Churton Park East 2.48 471 190 198 37.1 years $68,200[17]
Churton Park South 1.27 3,465 2,728 1,197 38.1 years $61,800[18]
New Zealand 38.1 years $41,500
Semi panoramic image from the surrounding hills of Churton Park

Education

Churton Park School

School enrolment zones

Churton Park is within the enrolment zones for Onslow College, Newlands College, Newlands Intermediate, St Oran's College, Raroa Normal Intermediate, Amesbury School, and Churton Park School.[19] Wellington College is also a popular school, however it is not in zone and any pupils will have to enter a ballot to be selected. There are two ballots: one for Year 9, and one for Year 10–13.

Primary schools

Churton Park has two state primary schools that cater for pupils up to Year 6.

Churton Park School on Churton Drive is an established school,[20] with a roll of 326 as of October 2025.[21] It opened in 1975.[22] The roll has rapidly increased over the years. To accommodate these increases, there were many renovations to the buildings between 1997 and 2007. In 2006, and even more major renovations from 2019 to 2023, to help manage roll growth, the School Board proposed an amendment to the zoning policy/area. This was heatedly debated in the community as the proposal would have removed several long-standing streets from the Zone. The associated community concern, protest action and lobbying by the Campaign for Local Schooling and parent feedback resulted in the announcement by the Ministry of Education in 2007 that a new, larger, school site would be developed in the area.[23] On 17 March 2009, Minister of Education Anne Tolley announced that a second primary school would be built in the area instead.[24]

Amesbury School on Amesbury Drive[25] opened at the start of 2012.[26] It has a roll of 263 as of October 2025.[21]. The Amesbury Hall at the school was opened in May 2012 by Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown.[27] The construction of the hall was funded in part by the proceeds from the sale of part of the school site (which was held as a Reserve) by WCC to the Ministry of Education. The Amesbury Hall is available for community use.

Preschools

There is a little school on Melksham Drive off Westchester Drive and Churton Park Kindergarten next to Churton Park School.

Mining

There are historic gold mining shafts in the area. Tawa Flats All Luck Gold Mining Company shafts of 1881 included one now buried beneath Erlestoke Crescent.[28][29]

Public transport

Bus stop in Churton Park

The suburb consists of two public routes, and multiple school routes operated by Metlink, a subsidiary under Tranzurban. The Route 1 connects Churton Park to Johnsonville, the city center, Newtown and Island Bay. The Route 19 acts as a Johnsonville loop. A separate service along Middleton Road connects Johnsonville to Tawa and Porirua.

There were plans for a train station in Churton Park, however, a 2017 report said that the proposed commuter railway station near Churton Park on the Kāpiti Line (and actually in Glenside) was too expensive.[30]

References

  1. ^ "Subnational population estimates - Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  2. ^ Burgess, Dave (9 June 2009). "New school for 'forgotten suburb'". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b Romanos, Joseph (5 April 2013). "The heart of Churton Park". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  4. ^ Bremner, Julie (1983). Wellington's Northern Suburbs 1840–1918. Wellington: Millwood Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-908582-59-5.
  5. ^ Memorial plaque at lower entrance to John Walker Park.
  6. ^ a b Churton, Memé (2012). Memé: the three worlds of an Italian-Chinese New Zealander. Auckland: David Ling. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-877378-70-6.
  7. ^ "Jock Churton". The Fletcher Trust Archive Collection Online. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  8. ^ Gourley, Erin (8 March 2024). "Rodney Callender". The Post. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Churton Park Village".
  10. ^ "Churton Park directory". 4 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Draft Outer Green Belt Management Plan, Sector 2 – Wellington City Council" (PDF).
  12. ^ "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Churton Park North (248101), Glenside-Churton Park East (248102) and Churton Park South (248301). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Churton Park North (248100) and Churton Park South (248300).
  15. ^ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Churton Park North. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Glenside-Churton Park East. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Churton Park South. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  19. ^ "eLearning Schools Search".
  20. ^ "Churton Park School - Education Counts". www.educationcounts.govt.nz.
  21. ^ a b "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  22. ^ Neill, Frank (15 May 2025). "Churton Park School celebrates 50th". Independent Herald – via issuu.
  23. ^ "New School for Churton Park".
  24. ^ "Media Statement from Minister of Education". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  25. ^ "Amesbury School - Education Counts". www.educationcounts.govt.nz.
  26. ^ Thomson, Rebecca (9 February 2012). "New Churton Park school opens". stuff. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  27. ^ "New Hall for Churton Park Kids". Wellington City Council. 8 May 2012 – via Infonews.
  28. ^ "Glenside community". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  29. ^ "Wellington's Outer Green Belt Management Plan – April 2004, Wellington City Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  30. ^ "Railway station unlikely for Wellington's Churton Park". Papers Past (New Zealand). 16 June 2017.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amesbury_School_(Churton_Park)