Wellington

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Wellington (unofficially Te Whanganui-a-Tara^[1] or Poneke^[3] in Māori) is the capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area and the most populous national capital in Oceania. It is in the Wellington region at the southern tip of the North Island, near the geographical centre of the country.

Like many cities, Wellington's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority. Greater Wellington or the Wellington Region means the entire urban area, plus the rural parts of the cities and the Kapiti Coast, and across the Rimutaka Range to the Wairarapa.

[edit] Name

Wellington was named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo. The Duke's title comes from the town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset.

In Māori, Wellington goes by three names. Te Whanganui-a-Tara refers to Wellington Harbour and means "the great harbour of Tara". Pōneke is a transliteration of Port Nick, short for Port Nicholson (the city's central marae, the community supporting it and its kapa haka have the pseudo-tribal name of Ngāti Pōneke). Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui, meaning The Head of the Fish of Māui (often shortened to Te Upoko-o-te-Ika), is a more traditional name, derived from the legend in which the North Island was fished up by the demigod Māui Tikitiki-a-Taranga).

[edit] Importance

Wellington is New Zealand's political centre, housing Parliament and the head offices of all government ministries and departments, plus the bulk of the foreign diplomatic missions based in New Zealand.

Wellington's compact city centre supports an arts scene, café culture and nightlife much larger than most cities of a similar size. It is a centre of New Zealand's film and theatre industry. Te Papa Tongarewa (the Museum of New Zealand), the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the biennial International Festival of the Arts are all sited there.

Wellington has the 12th best quality of living in the world, according to a 2007 study by consulting company Mercer. Of cities with English as the primary language, Wellington ranked fourth. ^[4]

[edit] Settlement

Legend recounts that Kupe discovered and explored the district in about the tenth century.

European settlement began with the arrival of an advance party of the New Zealand Company on the ship Tory, on 20 September 1839, followed by 150 settlers on the Aurora on 22 January 1840. The settlers constructed their first homes at Petone (which they called Britannia for a time) on the flat area at the mouth of the Hutt River. When that proved swampy and flood-prone they transplanted the plans without regard for a more hilly terrain.

[edit] Earthquakes

Wellington suffered serious damage in a series of earthquakes in 1848 and from another earthquake in 1855. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred on a fault line to the north and east of Wellington. It ranks as probably the most powerful earthquake in recorded New Zealand history, with an estimated magnitude of at least 8.2 on the Richter scale. It caused vertical movements of two to three metres over a large area, including raising an area of land out of the harbour and turning it into a tidal swamp. Much of this land was subsequently reclaimed and is now part of Wellington's central business district. For this reason the street named Lambton Quay now runs 100 to 200 metres (325 to 650 ft) to from the harbour. Plaques set into the footpath along Lambton Quay mark the shoreline in 1840 and thus indicate the extent of the uplift and of subsequent reclamation.

The area has high seismic activity even by New Zealand standards, with a major fault line running through the centre of the city, and several others nearby. Several hundred more minor fault lines have been identified within the urban area. The inhabitants, particularly those in high-rise buildings, typically notice several earthquakes every year. For many years after the 1855 earthquake, the majority of buildings constructed in Wellington were made entirely from wood. The 1996-restored Government Buildings, near Parliament is the largest wooden office building in the Southern Hemisphere. While masonry and structural steel have subsequently been used in building construction, especially for office buildings, timber framing remains the primary structural component of almost all residential construction. Residents also place their hopes of survival in good building regulations, which gradually became more stringent in the course of the twentieth century.

[edit] New Zealand's capital

In 1865, Wellington became the capital of New Zealand, replacing Auckland, where William Hobson had established his capital in 1841. Parliament first sat in Wellington on 7 July 1862, but the city did not become the official capital for some time. In November 1863 the Premier Alfred Domett moved a resolution before Parliament (in Auckland) that "... it has become necessary that the seat of government ... should be transferred to some suitable locality in Cook Strait." Apparently there was concern that the southern regions, where the gold fields were located, would form a separate colony. Commissioners from Australia (chosen for their neutral status) pronounced the opinion that Wellington was suitable because of its harbour and central location. Parliament officially sat in Wellington for the first time on 26 July 1865. The population of Wellington was then 4,900 ^[5].

Wellington is the seat of New Zealand's highest court, the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The historic former High Court building is to be enlarged and restored for the court's use.

Government House, the official residence of the Governor-General, is in Newtown, opposite the Basin Reserve.

[edit] Location and geography

Wellington stands at the south-western tip of the North Island on Cook Strait, the passage that separates the North and South Islands. On a clear day the snowcapped Kaikoura Ranges are visible to the south across the strait. To the north stretch the golden beaches of the Kapiti Coast. On the east the Rimutaka Range divides Wellington from the broad plains of the Wairarapa, a wine region of national acclaim.

Wellington is the southernmost national capital city in the world, with a latitude of about 41°S. It is also the most remote capital in the World (i.e. the furtherst from any other capital). It is more densely populated than most other settlements in New Zealand, due to the small amount of building space available between the harbour and the surrounding hills. Wellington has very few suitable areas in which to expand and this has resulted in the development of the surrounding cities in the greater urban area. Because of its location in the roaring forties latitudes and its exposure to omnipresent winds coming through Cook Strait, the city is known to Kiwis as "Windy Wellington".

More than most cities, life in Wellington is dominated by its central business district (CBD). Approximately 62,000 people work in the CBD, only 4,000 fewer than work in Auckland's CBD, despite that city having three times Wellington's population. Wellington's cultural and nightlife venues concentrate in Courtenay Place and surroundings located in the southern part of the CBD, making the inner city suburb of Te Aro the largest entertainment destination in New Zealand.

Wellington has the highest average income of a main urban area in New Zealand and the highest percentage of people with tertiary qualifications.^{[citation needed]}

Wellington has a reputation for its picturesque natural harbour and green hillsides adorned with tiered suburbs of colonial villas. The CBD is sited close to Lambton Harbour, an arm of Wellington Harbour. Wellington Harbour lies along an active geological fault, which is clearly evident on its straight western coast. The land to the west of this rises abruptly, meaning that many of Wellington's suburbs sit high above the centre of the city.

There is a network of bush walks and reserves maintained by the Wellington City Council and local volunteers. The Wellington region has 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) of regional parks and forests.

In the east is the Miramar Peninsula, connected to the rest of the city by a low-lying isthmus at Rongotai, the site of Wellington International Airport. The narrow entrance to Wellington is directly to the east of the Miramar Peninsula, and contains the dangerous shallows of Barrett Reef, where many ships have been wrecked (most famously the inter-island ferry Wahine in 1968).

On the hill west of the city centre are Victoria University and Wellington Botanic Garden. Both can be reached by a funicular railway, the Wellington Cable Car.

Wellington Harbour has three islands: Matiu/Somes Island, Makaro/Ward Island and Mokopuna Island. Only Matiu/Somes Island is large enough for settlement. It has been used as a quarantine station for people and animals and as an internment camp during the First and Second World Wars. It is now a conservation island, providing refuge for endangered species, much like Kapiti Island further up the coast. There is access during daylight hours by the Dominion Post Ferry.

The city averages 2025 hours (or about 84 days) of sunshine per year.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Energy

The energy needs of Wellington are increasing: one new source is the wind, and a large farm is approved for that purpose^[7] . The project will consist of 70 turbines with a maximum capacity of 210 MW, just a few kilometres to the south-west of Wellington CBD, between Makara Beach and Cape Terawhiti.

[edit] Demographics

The urban area of Wellington stretches across the city council areas of Porirua, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Wellington. As of 2007, the four cities had a estimated total population of 382,700 and the Wellington Urban Area contained 99% of that population. The remaining areas are largely mountainous and sparsely farmed or parkland and are outside the urban area boundary.

Demographic statistics from the 2006 census are not readily available for the Wellington Urban Area, so the following demographic statistics detailed in this section are for the four city council areas:

[edit] Age distribution

The relative lack of older people in Wellington is less marked when the neighbouring Kapiti Coast District is included. Nearly 7% of Kapiti Coast residents are over 80. Overall, Wellington's age structure matches the national average pretty closely.

[edit] Arts and culture

Wellington is considered the arts and culture capital of New Zealand, and is the centre of the nation's film industry.

[edit] Film

Peter Jackson famous for The Lord of the Rings, Richard Taylor, and a growing team of creative professionals have turned the eastern suburb of Miramar into one of the world's most acclaimed film-making infrastructures. Directors like Jane Campion and Vincent Ward have managed to reach the world's screens with their independent spirit. Emerging Kiwi film-makers, like Robert Sarkies, Taika Waititi, Costa Botes and Jennifer Bush-Daumec, are extending the Wellington-based lineage and cinematic scope.

[edit] Museums and Cultural Institutions

Wellington is home to Te Papa Tongarewa (the Museum of New Zealand), the Museum of Wellington City and Sea, the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Museum, Colonial Cottage, the New Zealand Cricket Museum, the Cable Car Museum, Old Saint Paul's, and the Law School (largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere) and the Wellington City Art Gallery.

[edit] Food

Wellington's cafe culture is extremely strong. The city has more cafes per head of population than New York.^[8]

[edit] Festivals

Wellington has become home to a myriad of high-profile events and cultural celebrations, including a biennial International Festival of the Arts, annual International Jazz Festival, and major events such as Cuba Street Carnival, New Zealand Fringe Festival, Summer City, New Zealand Affordable Art Show, numerous film festivals, and World of Wearable Art.

[edit] Music

The local music scene has produced bands such as The Phoenix Foundation, Shihad, Fly My Pretties, Fat Freddy's Drop, The Black Seeds, Fur Patrol, Flight Of The Conchords and Trinity Roots. The New Zealand School of Music was established in 2005 through a merger of the conservatory and theory programmes at Massey University and Victoria University of Wellington. New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Nevine String Quartet and Chamber Music New Zealand are based in Wellington.

[edit] Performing Arts

Wellington is home to the National Opera Company, City Gallery, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, St James' Theatre, Downstage Theatre, Bats Theatre, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and the New Zealand International Arts Festival.

Wellington is also home to groups that perform Improvised Theatre and Improvisational comedy, including Wellington Improvisation Troupe (WIT), The Improvisors and youth group, Joe Improv. Poet Bill Manhire, director of the International Institute of Modern Letters, has turned the Creative Writing Programme at Victoria University of Wellington into a forge of new literary activity. Te Whaea, New Zealand's university-level school of dance and drama, and tertiary institutions such as The Learning Connexion, offer training and creative development.

[edit] Arts

The city's new arts centre, Toi Poneke, serves as a nexus of creative projects, collaborations, and multi-disciplinary production. Arts Programmes and Services Manager Eric Vaughn Holowacz and a small team based in the Abel Smith Street facility have produced ambitious new initiatives such as Opening Notes, Drive by Art, the annual Artsplash Festival, and new public art projects. The city is also home to experimental arts publication White Fungus Magazine.

[edit] Sport

Wellington is the home to:

• The Hurricanes - Super 14 rugby team
• Wellington Lions - Air New Zealand Cup (formerly NPC) rugby
• Wellington Phoenix FC - soccer club playing in the Australian A-League
• Wellington Firebirds - cricket team
• Wellington Orcas - Bartercard Cup rugby league football club
• Capital Shakers - The National Bank Cup netball team
• Team Wellington - Wellington's franchise in the New Zealand Football Championship
• Wellington Saints - The National Basketball League basketball team

Sporting events hosted in Wellington include:

• the Wellington Sevens - a round of the IRB Sevens World Series. Held at the Westpac Stadium over a weekend every February, this rugby sevens tournament contributes $6.8 million to the local economy each year.
• a Wellington 500 street race for touring cars, between 1985 and 1996.
• the World Mountain Running Championships in 2005.

[edit] Gallery

[edit] Notable Wellingtonians

(Alphabetically by surname)

• Ivan Bootham - novelist, short story writer, poet and composer
• John Campbell - broadcaster and news journalist
• Jane Campion - Oscar winning film-maker
• Jemaine Clement - musician, member of Flight of the Conchords
• Sir Robin Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon (dec) - barrister and jurist
• Russell Crowe - Oscar-winning actor
• Rod Drury - technology entrepreneur
• Lauris Edmond (dec) - poet
• Brooke Fraser - Multi-platinum selling singer
• Patricia Grace - writer
• Eric Vaughn Holowacz - arts manager and cultural engineer
• Peter Jackson - Oscar-winning film-maker
• Lloyd Jones - award winning writer
• Elizabeth Knox - Celebrated author
• Melanie Lynskey - actress
• Alan MacDiarmid (dec) - scientist
• Katherine Mansfield (dec) - writer
• Jack Marshall (dec) - former Prime Minister
• Bret McKenzie - musician, member of Flight of the Conchords
• Sam Morgan - founder of online auction site TradeMe
• Anna Paquin - Oscar-winning actress
• William Hayward Pickering (dec) - electrical engineer, former head of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California
• Antonia Prebble - actress
• John Psathas - composer
• Jonathan Sarfati - chess master and author, raised in Wellington
• Tom Scott - cartoonist, political commentator
• Richard Taylor - head of film prop and special effects company Weta Workshop, owned by Peter Jackson. Multiple Oscar winner.
• Jon Toogood - singer and guitarist for the rock band Shihad
• Tana Umaga - former captain of the All Blacks
• Karl Urban - actor
• Fran Walsh - Oscar-winning screenwriter

[edit] See also

• Courtenay Place
• Civic Square
• Wellywood
• Public transport in Wellington
• The Bucket Fountain
• Cuba Street
• Lambton Quay
• Te Aro

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Greater Wellington Regional Council
• Official NZ Tourism website for Wellington
• Wellington City Council
• Wellington travel guide from Wikitravel

Coordinates: 41°17′20″S, 174°46′38″E

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