Editing Onehunga (section)

=== Early European town ===
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| footer = Watercolour sketches of Onehunga by [[William Fox (politician)|William Fox]], circa 1863
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The European village of Onehunga was founded as a [[Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps|Fencible]] settlement by [[George Grey|Governor Grey]]. The Fencibles were former soldiers, many of them Irish, who were granted land to settle on, with the implied understanding that if Māori threatened the Auckland isthmus, they would defend it.<ref name=SOLDIERS/> Onehunga was the first village for Fencibles in New Zealand. Grey chose the site in 1846<ref>{{cite web |url= https://onehungagrotto.wordpress.com/the-history-of-the-grotto/ |title=The history of the grotto |work=The Onehunga Grotto |date=21 April 2008 |access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref> and the Fencibles arrived in 1847.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/2017/05/02/more-on-the-fencibles-2/ |title=More on the Fencibles (2) |first=Merv |last=Duffy |date=2 May 2017 |work=Marist Messenger |access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref>

European settlement of the Manukau Harbour area was begun from and long focused on Onehunga. When the [[New Zealand Wars]] later occurred, it was mostly fought with regular soldiers rather than Fencibles.<ref name=SOLDIERS>{{cite news|title=Auckland: Soldiers of fortune|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/panmure/news/article.cfm?l_id=356&objectid=10667027|access-date=28 July 2020 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Naval volunteers based at Onehunga raided Māori territories on the south side of the harbour during the wars.<ref name="TE ARA3">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Manukau Harbour: European settlement |first=Frederick Ernest |last=Bowen |editor-first=A.H. |editor-last=McLintock |encyclopedia=[[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]] |date=1966 |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/manukau-harbour/page-3 |via=[[Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Onehunga_Borough_map.jpg|thumb|Map of Onehunga, 1911]]
During the [[Invasion of the Waikato]] in 1863 many women and children from small European settlements arrived in Onehunga as refugees. The [[Onehunga Ladies' Benevolent Society]] was formed to care for the refugees.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Limbrick |first1=Warren |title=Saint Bride's Church, Mauku: A Frontier Church in the Midst of Conflict |journal=Anglican Historical Society newsletter |date=April 2011 |issue=46 |url=https://www.historyanglican.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/St-Brides-Church-Mauku.pdf |publisher=The Anglican Historical Society of New Zealand}}</ref>
It was the oldest surviving women's organisation in New Zealand at the time of its deregistration in 2017.<ref name="nzhistory.govt.nz">{{cite web |last1=Tennant |first1=Margaret |last2=Else |first2=Anne |title=Onehunga Ladies' Benevolent Society |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/women-together/onehunga-ladies-benevolent-society |website=New Zealand History |date=2018}}</ref>

During the 19th century most shipping between New Zealand and Great Britain came to Onehunga, via South Africa and Australia. While some shipping entered the [[Waitematā Harbour]] and docked at Auckland, much of it entered the [[Manukau Heads]] and docked at Onehunga, thus saving several days sailing around North Cape. The Manukau Harbour was treacherous however (as evidenced by the sinking of [[HMS Orpheus (1860)|HMS ''Orpheus'']] in 1863, killing 180 people) but the coastal steamship lines carried virtually all passenger and freight trade between Auckland and Wellington via Wanganui and Onehunga.<ref name="nzhistory.govt.nz"/>

Onehunga was also the main route to and from the south, as most shipping routes were shorter via the western coast of the North Island than around the east coast to the Waitematā Harbour. Until 1908 a steamer from Onehunga was the fastest means of travel from Auckland to [[Wellington]], the capital of the colony (initially the sea journey went all the way, then later it connected to the [[New Plymouth Express]] instead).<ref name="SOLDIERS"/><ref name="TEARASHIP">[http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaAndAirTransport/Shipping/2/en The era of steam – Saving time] (from [[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]. Retrieved 2008-03-10.)</ref> In 1909 a typical coastal freight connection was a steamer from Onehunga to locations such as [[Raglan, New Zealand|Raglan]], [[Kawhia]] and [[Waitara, New Zealand|Waitara]].<ref>[http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=HNS19100126.2.13.2&cl=&srpos=0&st=1&e=-------en--1----0-all Page 4 Advertisements Column 2] (from the ''Hawera & Normanby Star'', volume LVIII, issue LVIII, 26 January 1910, via the [[National Library of New Zealand|National Library]] website. Accessed 2008-03-10.)</ref> Onehunga was the [[Northern Steamship Company|Northern Steamship]]'s base for serving the west coast, including also [[Āwhitu Peninsula|Āwhitu]], [[Hokianga]] and [[Waiuku]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 Nov 1913 |title=Northern Steamship Co., Ltd. |work=[[New Zealand Herald]] |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19131115.2.3.3 |access-date=2022-12-01 |via=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}</ref>

By the First World War Onehunga was no longer an important commercial port. This was partly because of a general increase in the size of ships, which meant the Waitematā Harbour was favoured, especially as it was wider and deeper. More significant however was the completion of the [[North Island Main Trunk]] railway in 1908 – this effectively made the coastal passenger and freight steamship trade on both coasts of the country largely unprofitable. Coastal shipping did continue at Onehunga until the 2010s. The port still serves some local fishing, and a cement and sand company maintains facilities there.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.poal.co.nz/about_us/history_onehunga.htm|title=POAL – Our Story}}</ref>

In 1874, the town of Onehunga had 2,044 inhabitants, compared with Wellington's 10,547, reflecting the importance of the smaller port towns during an age when New Zealand was booming, but internal transport links were still rudimentary.<ref name="NZHA53">''New Zealand Historical Atlas'' – McKinnon, Malcolm (Editor); David Bateman, 1997, Plate 53</ref> In 1877, Onehunga was declared a borough with a mayor and 16 councillors.<ref name=SOLDIERS/><ref>{{cite book | last=Bloomfield | first=Gerald Taylor | title=The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840–1971 | publisher=Auckland University Press | publication-place=Auckland | date=1973 | isbn=0-19-647714-X |page=107 }}</ref>

From 1883, until around 1903 when it was partially demolished, the [[Onehunga Ironworks]] was situated in the town.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC18830511.2.16 |title=The Onehunga Iron Works |date=1883-05-01|via=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz |work=Colonist |volume=XXVI |issue=3766|page=4|access-date=2019-07-15}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19030110.2.81.2 |title=Sales By Auction |date=1903-10-01 |via=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz |work=[[New Zealand Herald]] |volume=XL |issue=12165 |page=8|access-date=2019-07-15}}</ref> It operated until around 1895.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18950831.2.9|title=The Tariff Commission|date=1895-08-31|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|series=Otago Daily Times, Issue 10453|page=2|access-date=2019-07-15}}</ref> The ironworks was located opposite the original [[Onehunga railway station#History|Onehunga railway station]].<ref name=":0" /> Its chimney and some structures survived into the late 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/?p=r&collection=p20062coll1&id=53397|title=Photograph: Old iron works, Onehunga|last=Diamond|first=John Thomas|date=July 1968|website=kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz|access-date=2019-07-30}}</ref>

From 1885, the town became known for its wool industry (several firms maintained factories here including one which produced blankets). This weaving industry saved the area from more serious decline when the shipping trade reduced after 1908. As the centre of the Auckland isthmus became covered by suburban developments the Onehunga foreshore became an attraction for families from Mount Eden, Epsom and One Tree Hill. The beach at Onehunga became popular after the electric tram route was completed in 1906 and the Tea Rooms situated at the tram terminus, overlooking the harbour were an attraction in their own right.

After the Municipal Abattoir was relocated from [[Freeman's Bay]] to [[Westfield, New Zealand|Westfield]] and [[Southdown, New Zealand|Southdown]], Onehunga started to suffer from the toxic discharges the freezing works pumped into the harbour.<ref name=SOLDIERS/> This effectively put an end to Onehunga's emerging role as a seaside resort and also made it a less attractive place to live. By the late 1930s the water quality of the harbour was poor, with a discernible downturn in fish and wildlife numbers. It became unsafe to eat any shellfish for example and fish numbers dwindled. The installation of a large sewerage treatment plant in the harbour in the 1960s only made things worse. Since the decommissioning of the freezing works at Westfield and Southdown and a redesign of the Manukau Sewerage Treatment Works, the quality of the water has increased significantly.

In 1893, [[Elizabeth Yates (mayor)|Elizabeth Yates]] became mayor of Onehunga. While she was defeated at the polls only one year later, she was the first woman in the British Empire to hold such a post.<ref name="DNZB">{{DNZB|Mogford|Janice C.|2y1|Yates, Elizabeth 1840–1848?–1918|7 April 2011}}</ref>