History of Porirua
First inhabitants camped in the forest:
Porirua’s first inhabitants had camps that were surrounded by untouched forests and harbours. Archaeologists have dated these first inhabitants to at least as far back as 1450 AD. It is likely that they had been attracted to the rich food sources in the area.
From the forest they were gathering birds, including moa. They caught fish, eels and sting rays. Cockles and pipi were gathered from the sea and estuaries.
Timber from the forests was gathered for shelters, tools and firewood, flax from the swamps for clothing, baskets and nets. Stones brought here were turned into fishing sinkers and adze heads for woodwork.
In the centuries after this early occupation other tribes were to occupy the Porirua basin. These were the Ngai Tara, Ngati Rangi, and Ngati Ira tribes who lived in this region prior to the Ngati Toa migration in the 1820's. Pressure from Waikato iwi led to some of the Ngati Toa iwi leaving Kawhia, under the chiefs Te Peehi Kupe, Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata, and coming to the Kapiti and Porirua areas. Ngati Toa settled here and within a few years invited several other iwi into the area.
First Europeans arrived in mid 1830s
Joseph Thoms was one of the first Europeans to come to the Cook Strait area. He established a shore whaling station at Paremata in the mid-1830's. Alongside Thoms whaling station was the first ferry crossing at Porirua. Thoms took advantage of this crossing point by supplementing his whaling with an inn, the only tavern in the area.
In May 1843, the disputes over the New Zealand Company's doubtful land purchases from Ngati Toa came to a head at the Wairau River, and with the deaths of both colonists and Ngati Toa both sides armed themselves for war.
A series of fortified Pa were built at Porirua. A line of British stockades and forts was built along the Porirua Road in 1846. The most northern of these stockades was at Paremata where this fort would command the entrances to the Porirua Harbour and the Pauatahanui Inlet.
The first New Zealand warship operated out of the Porirua harbour. Purchased by New Zealand, it was crewed however by the British Navy. This gunboat was a longboat, around 10 metres long, that could be sailed or rowed, and mounting a 12-pounder carronade and a small brass cannon.
Te Rauparaha seized
With the seizure of Te Rauparaha and the retreat of Te Rangihaeata to the Horowhenua the way was open for European settlement. A long-established Maori track from Wellington Harbour was widened and improved. By 1848 wheeled traffic could travel from Wellington to Porirua and beyond.
But in 1855 Pauatahanui was rocked by a severe earthquake which lifted about 101 acres of land west of the village, reduced the harbour depths, and ended any earlier hopes of the district ever rivalling Wellington as a port.
For a time Pauatahanui remained as an important staging point for coaches on the run between Wellington and Foxton, but in 1877, residents mounted an angry protest against plans to route the Manawatu railway line through their township. They were successful. When the line was finally opened in 1885, it by-passed Pauatahanui which declined to become a quiet rural backwater.
Lunatic Asylum established in 1887
Merchants and traders followed the original farmers. Porirua village was established on the road beside the Keneperu Stream. Customers were local Maori based close by at the villages of Te Urukahika and Takapuwahia, the farming families of the area, travellers going north and the Porirua Lunatic Asylum established in 1887. With 2000 staff and patients by the turn of the century, the Lunatic Asylum had a major effect on the development of the village.
By the early 1900's Porirua boasted three churches, a hotel, a railway station and a general store.
The mudflats at the head of the harbour provided a course for occasional race days and for training horses from local stables.
The railway provided connections with Wellington to the south and Manawatu to the north. The opening of the road bridge across Paremata harbour in 1936 meant that once more the main route north ran through Paremata. The number of residents living nearby increased.
American Camps established during World War II
During World War II, Porirua once again became an armed camp, this time for the American Marines as several major camps were built.
In Titahi Bay the Government built 500 houses between 1953 and 1955. There were built to relieve a desperate housing situation in the post-war "baby boom" era. The houses provided a family home for many people and form a unique part of New Zealand's architectural heritage. Designed in New Zealand, the houses are unusual in being pre-cut and manufactured in Austria, made of Austrian timber, and assembled in Titahi Bay by Austrian tradesmen. These houses were just the start of Porirua’s modern development.
Porirua possessed several advantages over other areas. Land prices were cheap: 50 pounds per acre compared with 300 pounds in the Hutt Valley. With the electrified Main Trunk line passing through and a new road planned a transport network was in place. The natural topography and resources to provide water reticulation and storm water drainage were also ideal.
Residential development during the Sixties
Throughout the 60's, residential and commercial developments grew as planned but industrial development lagged behind. Reclamations provided some light industrial land and this was allotted to businesses during the 1960's and early 70's. Several major national and international companies were attracted to the city.
The General Electric Company was one of the first industries to establish its factory, in 1965. Other industries to set up included Kodak, Chubb, Ashley Wallpaper, W R Grace, and perhaps most importantly Todd Motor's car assembly plant.
The central city area remained relatively untouched from the 1960's until November 1991 when a large shopping mall, The Plaza, was opened, extensions continued to be developed until 1998. The MegaCentre shopping destination was developed between 2000 and 2004.
The natural resources of the harbours and surrounding hills together with its location on major transport routes have ensured that Porirua’s long history of occupation will continue.