Wainuiomata () is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island.
Origin of name
The word 'Wainui-o-mata' is a Māori name made up of the words Wai = water, Nui = big, O = of, and Mata – which could refer to a woman's name. The origins of the word are disputed, but one commonly accepted translation refers to the women who came over the Wainuiomata Hill to evade marauding tribes from the north, and who sat wailing by the stream after the slaughter of their menfolk. From this we have 'faces streaming with water' or 'tears' although it could equally refer to the large pools of water which lay over the swampy surface (face) of the northern end of the Valley, or the river itself which is known to flood the Wainui (Coast Road) valley.
The town is often abbreviated to Wainui by locals.
History
Wainuiomata occupies a basin at the headwaters of the Wainuiomata River, between the eastern Hutt hills and the Orongorongo Range. There are conflicting reports about the evidence of Māori occupation of the basin prior to European settlement. One source says there is evidence Māori were in Wainuiomata from the moa-hunting period and the iwi Rangitane, Ngāti Ira and Kahungunu were all settled there. The earliest European settlements grew up around the river, where timber mills supplied the Wellington region when the demand was great in the 1850s and '60s. Today this area is known as "The Village" or "Homedale". The isolated location of Wainuiomata proved a problem for early settlers. Narrow hill-routes into the settlement were the only access during the 1850s and 1860s. By the end of the 19th century there were two roads in the valley: Main Road and Fitzherbert Road (known locally as "Swamp Road").
The town's economy in these early days largely depended on timber milling from the forests around the Wainuiomata River. In the 1850s Sir William Fitzherbert started a flax-milling business in the north of the valley, but this proved economically unviable.
In 1866 the Methodist Wainuiomata Coast Road Church was built on land donated by settler Richard Prouse. The oldest Methodist Church and the third-oldest church in the Wellington Region, it was used for regular services until the congregation outgrew it and moved to the new St Stephens Church in 1957.
With the clearing of the forests, sheep- and dairy-farming became an important part of the local economy. The settlement started to grow in the 1920s.
In 1928 Wainui-o-Mata Development Limited formed for the purpose of developing the Wainuiomata Valley through the acquisition of 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) of land, its subdivision and its sale as residential lots. An important part of the project involved the construction of the Wainuiomata Tunnel linking the Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata Valley for improving access to the new settlement. Construction of the tunnel commenced in 1932, but the Depression bought a halt to construction, with many investors in the company losing money.
After World War II ended in 1945, major growth occurred due to affordable housing developments attracting many young couples, which transformed Wainuiomata into a working-class community. This influx of young families earned the community the nickname of "Nappy Valley" in the 1950s.
New Zealand's first Kōhanga Reo opened in Wainuiomata in 1982.
Gary McCormick's 1994 documentary series Heartland featured an episode about Wainuiomata. The programme angered many local people because it focussed on negative aspects and ignored many positive things going on in the valley. One resident featured on the programme was Chloe Reeves, who for a time became known as 'Chloe of Wainuiomata'.
In April 2009 a Palmerston North hotelier banned all Wainuiomata residents after a series of misdemeanours by visitors from there.
The first series of the television production Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby was shot in the old Wainuiomata College with many local residents as cast members.
In 2022, a study commissioned by Wellington Regional Council and conducted by Jim Lynch, the founder of Zealandia, found that establishing a wildlife sanctuary in the Wainuiomata Water Collection Area was "technically and practically feasible". The name given to the proposed sanctuary is Puketahā.
Geography
Hills surround Wainuiomata on three sides. The topography reduces local wind-flow, resulting in lower minimum temperatures in winter and higher maximum temperatures in summer than in most other parts of Wellington and the Hutt Valley.
The Orongorongo Valley, accessed via the Wainuiomata Valley, features bush walks and native-forest scenery.