Wellington Settlement

Wellington was initially established at the northern end of the harbour, on land near the present-day suburb of Petone. In the 1840s recurring floods from the Hutt River caused settlers to ‘up-sticks’ and move the settlement to the south side of the harbour.

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The new settlement grew quickly as settlers forged trading ties with local Māori. A large earthquake in 1855 lifted the harbour edge and subsequent reclamation of land allowed the central hub of the city to grow around its present location.

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In these early years, Wellingtonians lived in or very close to the current downtown area.  As the population grew (from about 7,000 in 1865 to about 50,000 by 1900), demand for land and better living conditions led to expansion into the surrounding farmland and hillsides.

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Suburbs including Hataitai, Seatoun, and Island Bay became established. Roads, services, and transportation slowly improved, and this allowed residents to live even further afield.

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Wellington went through a period of great expansion in the 20 years following 1900, the population growing five-fold. Many of the homes you find in Wellington suburbs, date from the period 1880 to 1930.

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The northern motorway to Porirua City was established in the early 1950s. This pushed most new residential development into the northern suburbs. Most of Wellington’s new housing development is still within these suburbs.

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We acknowledge that this is only a brief history of European settlement in Wellington, and does not recognise the longer term settlement of Wellington, or the surrounding areas of Porirua, the Hutt Valley, and Kapiti. For more information on this history, we suggest the following links:

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https://www.southernbayshistory.org/māori/tenths-trust

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https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/land-settlement/page-3

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https://visit-heritage.shorthandstories.com/The-rapid-development-of-Wellington/index.html

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