History of Te Aro

Before Europeans arrived in Wellington there were several substantial Maori settlements in the area. In 1840, the New Zealand Company along with many European settlers, arrived in Wellington Harbour and divided the city into 1100 'town acres' (one acre blocks of land) for sale. One tenth of these acres were to be set aside for Maori.

Today, the layout and street alignment of 1840 largely remains unchanged, however most of the original town acre blocks have been subdivided.

Te Aro (where the 700 metres of new road will be built) was one of the earliest areas settled in the city, as it was a flat area. There was no control over subdivision of the town acre blocks and many small alleyways and lanes were created including the Tonks and Footscray avenues.

Tonks Avenue is notable for the workers' cottages which were situated alongside their employers' houses. These cottages demonstrate the early Wellington and English tradition for employers to provide housing and welfare for their workers.

The Arthur and Buckle street area is notable for its associations with the defence, law and order systems of early Wellington. Buildings still standing from the 1870s include a drill hall and barracks.

Further History of Te Aro

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