Mount Albert, New Zealand

File:MtAlbert.1.jpg surrounded by the suburb in 2009]]

The suburb is centred around Ōwairaka / Mount Albert, a volcano which erupted an estimated 120,000 years ago.{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.05.033| issn = 0377-0273| volume = 343| pages = 60–74| last1 = Leonard| first1 = Graham S| last2 = Calvert| first2 = Andrew T| last3 = Hopkins| first3 = Jenni L| last4 = Wilson| first4 = Colin JN| last5 = Smid| first5 = Elaine R| last6 = Lindsay| first6 = Jan M| last7 = Champion| first7 = Duane E| title = High-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of Quaternary basalts from Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, with implications for eruption rates and paleomagnetic correlations| journal = Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research| date = 2017}} Ōwairaka / Mount Albert is one of the older volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field, and the westernmost volcanic feature. Approximately 28,000 years ago, Te Kōpuke / Mount Saint John erupted, causing a lava flow in northern Mount Albert, which flowed into the Waitematā Harbour and created the Meola Reef.{{cite book |last1=Hayward |first1=Bruce W. |author-link1=Bruce W. Hayward |last2=Murdoch |first2=Graeme |last3=Maitland |first3=Gordon |title=Volcanoes of Auckland: The Essential Guide |year=2011 |publisher=Auckland University Press |isbn=978-1-86940-479-6 }}

Oakley Creek is a major stream on the Auckland isthmus, which forms the western border of the suburb.

File:Mount Albert Ōwairaka 1845 (cropped).jpg in an 1845 watercolour by John Guise Mitford]]

One of the earliest names Tāmaki Māori gave to the volcano was Te Puke o Ruarangi (The Hill of Ruarangi). A traditional story involves Ruarangi, a chief of the supernatural Patupaiarehe people, escaping a siege on the volcano through lava tunnels.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=13-14}} Other early names include {{lang|MI|Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura}} or {{lang|MI|Te Ahi-kā-roa-a-Raka}}, means 'the long burning fires of Rakataura', referring to its continuous occupation by the Tainui explorer Rakataura.{{Cite web |title=Ōwairaka / Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura |url=https://www.maunga.nz/maunga/owairaka-te-ahi-ka-a-rakataura/ |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=www.maunga.nz |language=en-GB}}{{LINZ|id=54557|name=Ōwairaka|access-date=21 July 2022}} The name Ōwairaka refers to Wairaka, an early Māori ancestor, who was the daughter of Toroa, the captain of the Mātaatua voyaging waka.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=14}} Wairaka fled to Auckland to escape an unwanted marriage, and established her people on the volcano.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=14}}

During the early 18th century, the Auckland isthmus was heavily populated by the Waiohua confederation of tribes. Ōwairaka / Mount Albert was the western-most hill-top pā of Waiohua and had extensive terraces and cultivations, although not as many as Maungakiekie or Maungawhau to the east.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=14}} After a conflict between Waiohua and Ngāti Whātua in the mid-18th century, the area became part of the rohe of Ngāti Whātua. Ngāti Whātua had a much smaller population than the Waiohua, and seaside areas were preferred places to live. Because of this, much of the area fell into disuse.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=14}} Oakley Creek has been traditionally used by Tāmaki Māori as a source for crayfish, eels and weka. Harakeke (New Zealand flax) and raupō, which grew along the banks of the creek, were harvested here to create Māori traditional textiles.{{sfn|Reidy, Jade|2013|pp=12-17}}

In 1820, English priest Samuel Marsden visited the area, and climbed to the peak of Ōwairaka / Mount Albert with the paramount chief of Ngāti Whātua, Apihai Te Kawau.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=14}} The mountain was named during the early colonial era after Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=16}}

File:Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand.jpg

On 29 June 1841, Mount Albert was sold to the Crown by Ngāti Whātua, as a part of a 12,000 acre section.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=19}} The terrain of the area was rough, meaning the area saw slower development compared to other parts of the Auckland isthmus.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=25}} In the 1860s, New North Road was established as road access for the area and as an alternative to the Great North Road to the north.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=26-29}} Mount Albert area became an area of large estates for wealthy landowners, due to its proximity to Auckland township. Large houses including Alberton and Ferndale House were constructed for the families of the area.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=23-26, 46}}{{cite news |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=10732213 |title=So you want to live in...? Mt Albert |first=Ashley |last= Campbell |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=14 June 2011 |accessdate=19 November 2011}}

In 1866, the Mt Albert Methodist Church was constructed.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=33}} Later that year in October 1866, the Mt Albert District Highway Board, the first local government in the area, was formed to administer New North Road and surrounding areas.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=26-29}} Tensions existed among the ratepayers of the area, primarily between the "mountain" area ratepayers and the city-side ratepayers in Eden Terrace, who believes that they were paying too high rates for a road that did not lead to any specific location. By June 1875, Eden Terrace had split from the Mt Albert District Highway Board.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=36-37}} The first school in the area, Mt Albert School, was established in 1870 on land gifted by John McElwain, at School Road in Morningside.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=43}}

Early society in Mount Albert centred around the Anglican Church, and figures such as pioneer Allan Kerr Taylor and his wife Sophia Taylor.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=46-48}} The Kerr Taylor family renovated their home in the early 1870s, transforming Alberton into an elaborate Anglo-Indian-inspired mansion, that hosted many formal events in the area.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=46}}

Mount Albert railway station opened in March 1880, connecting Morningside to Auckland city by rail,{{cite web|url=http://railheritage.org.nz/assets/Dates_and_names.pdf|title=Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations|last=Scoble|first=Juliet|date=2010|website=Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand|access-date=11 November 2018}} and spurring suburban growth.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=37}} In the 10 years after 1881, the population of Mount Albert doubled to 1,400 people.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=51}} During the latter 19th century, a quarry was established on Ōwairaka / Mount Albert, with a rail spur connecting the quarry to the North Auckland Line.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=38}} Local residents had become concerned for the mountain, and petitioned the government to stop the quarry in 1895 and 1915. The Railways department chief engineer dismissed the residents' concerns. By 1905, the summit of the mountain became public land,{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=71-72}} and the quarry was eventually closed in 1928.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=101-102}}

File:Anzac Service, Mount Albert, 1961.jpg services at the newly constructed Mount Albert War Memorial in 1961]]

By the 1910s, Mount Albert had become one of the fastest growing suburbs of Auckland.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=72}} The district attracted many families from outside the Anglican community, notably many successful businessmen, who wanted to establish large family homes while still able to commute to Auckland.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=53, 56-57}} By 1911, the population of the area had grown to 6,666,{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=53}} and in 1912 the King George V Hall opened, becoming a social hub for Mount Albert.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=84}} The area was still significantly more rural compared to Kingsland in the north-east, home to many dairy and poultry farms.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=56-57}} In 1915, the Auckland tramline reached the suburb, creating suburban growth and leading to the development of the Mount Albert commercial shopping area, originally known as Ohlsen's Corner.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=56-57, 84}} As the Mount Albert shops developed, the area gained the name the Terminus, as at the time it was the final stop on the tramline along New North Road.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=56-57}}

Growth in the area led to the creation of the Mount Albert Borough on 1 April 1911. The borough took our significant loans, in order to invest in the water supply for the area.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=72}} Between 1901 and 1931, the population of the area surged from 2,035 to 20,600,{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=82}} making Mount Albert the largest borough in New Zealand. After World War II, a major housing shortage in New Zealand led to the construction of many state housing areas, including the Stewart Estate in Mount Albert.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=119}}

The Mount Albert shops flourished in the 1950s and 1960s.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=137}} During the 1960s, Mount Albert had a significantly older population than the surrounding areas of Auckland.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=131-132}} In April 1961, the Mount Albert War Memorial Hall, a large modernist community centre, was constructed.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=133-136}} Urban Māori and Pasifika communities grew in the area from the 1950s onwards, and increased in the 1970s due to the gentrification of the inner city suburbs close to the Auckland city centre.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=141}} The Mount Albert shopping village began to go into a decline in the 1970s, after the establishment of the St Lukes Shopping Centre to the north.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=168}}

By the 1990s, Mount Albert has developed into a multicultural centre in Auckland, with a growth in Indian, Sri Lankan and Chinese communities, in part caused by two tertiary institutes in the area: Unitec Institute of Technology and the Auckland Institute of Studies.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=205-206}}{{cite news |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/st-lukes/news/article.cfm?l_id=420&objectid=10332502 |title=Mt Albert |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=14 September 2005 |accessdate=19 November 2011}}

Mount Albert covers {{convert|5.04|km2||abbr=on}}{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised)|access-date=7 January 2025}} and had an estimated population of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert West|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert North|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert Central|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert South|y}}|R}}|0}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|({{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert West|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert North|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert Central|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Mount Albert South|y}}|R}})/5.04|0}} people per km².

{{Historical populations|2006|12,036|2013|12,228|2018|12,813|2023|12,666|percentages=pagr|align=left|source={{NZ census 2018|Mount Albert West (131900), Mount Albert North (132200), Mount Albert Central (134200) and Mount Albert South (135200)}}}}

Mount Albert had a population of 12,666 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 147 people (−1.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 438 people (3.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 6,255 males, 6,333 females and 78 people of other genders in 4,254 dwellings.{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.131900%2B132200%2B134200%2B135200.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}} 5.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 2,373 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 2,790 (22.0%) aged 15 to 29, 6,078 (48.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,440 (11.4%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 63.5% European (Pākehā); 10.8% Māori; 10.1% Pasifika; 26.4% Asian; 3.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 93.8%, Māori language by 2.2%, Samoan by 2.3%, and other languages by 24.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 35.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 29.9% Christian, 3.4% Hindu, 2.8% Islam, 0.5% Māori religious beliefs, 1.7% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.2% Jewish, and 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.3%, and 5.6% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 4,545 (44.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,810 (37.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,956 (19.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 2,043 people (19.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 5,562 (54.0%) people were employed full-time, 1,512 (14.7%) were part-time, and 324 (3.1%) were unemployed.{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.131900%2B132200%2B134200%2B135200.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Mount Albert West (131900), Mount Albert North (132200), Mount Albert Central (134200) and Mount Albert South (135200)}}

In October 1866, the Mt Albert District Highway Board, the first local government in the area, was formed to administer New North Road and the surrounding areas.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=26-29}} In 1911, the board became the Mount Albert Borough, which elected a mayor.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=79}} In 1978, Mount Albert became a city,{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=119}} and in 1989 it was absorbed into Auckland City.{{sfn|Dunsford, Deborah|2016|pp=200}}{{cite web |url= http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/CityArchives/FamilyHistory/MAC104/searchmtalbertratebooks.htm |title=Mount Albert Highway District Rate Books 1867-1884 |publisher=Auckland City Council |accessdate=19 November 2011}} In November 2010, all cities and districts of the Auckland Region were amalgamated into a single body, governed by the Auckland Council.{{Cite journal| doi = 10.26686/pq.v11i4.4572| issn = 2324-1101| volume = 11| issue = 4| last = Blakeley| first = Roger| title = The planning framework for Auckland 'super city': an insider's view| journal = Policy Quarterly| date = 2015| doi-access = free}}

Mount Albert is a part of the Albert-Eden local board area. The residents of Albert-Eden elect a local board, and two councillors from the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward to sit on the Auckland Council.

Mount Albert has been part of the Mount Albert electorate since 1946, except for the 1996–99 term, when it was the Owairaka electorate. The electorate has been held by Helen White of the Labour Party since 14 October 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-24.html |title=Mt Albert - Official Result (2023) |publisher=Electoral Commission|access-date=7 January 2025}}

• Michael John Coyle, 1911–1914
• Murdoch McLean, 1914–1917
• Thomas Benjamin Clay, 1917–1921
• Alfred Ferdinand Bennett, 1921–1923
• Leonard Edgar Rhodes, 1923–1931
• Wilfred Fosberry Stilwell, 1931–1933
• Raymond Ferner, 1933–1936
• Henry Albert Anderson, 1936–1959
• Francis Gordon Turner, 1959–1968
• Frank Ryan, 1968–1978

• Frank Ryan, 1978–1989

File:Alberton in Auckland.jpg in Mount Albert]]

• Mt. Albert War Memorial Park. 773 New North Road.
• Mt. Albert War Memorial Hall. 773 New North Road. Large modernist single span shell auditorium. Built in 1960 by the citizens of the borough of Mt. Albert in memory of those who gave their lives in the service of their country. On 24 September 1989 the last civic function of the City of Mt. Albert was held which marked the final act of 122 years of autonomous local government in Mt. Albert.
• Mt. Albert community and recreation centre. 773 New North Road.
• Rocket Park. Early 1960s children's playground with metal jungle gym shapes formed like planets, stars, comets, space ships & flying saucers.
• Mount Albert Baptist Church. 732 New North Rd. Modernist church from the 1950s.
• St Mary's Catholic Church. 10 Kitenui Ave. Roman Catholic Church attendant on the adjoining churches.
• Marist School. Alberton Avenue. Roman Catholic School.
• Marist College. 31 Alberton Ave. Roman Catholic Secondary School.
• Ferndale House. 830 New North Road. A wooden Carpenter Gothic house near the main shopping area. This was built by Jonathon Tonson Garlick as a four-room cottage in 1865 and extended in 1881. His widow sold it to Mount Albert Borough Council in the 1940s. The family firm 'Tonson Garlick' manufactured furniture. The property is distinguished by several enormous Norfolk pine trees planted in the 1860s. The house is now a community venue.{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/services/venues/ferndale.asp |title=Ferndale House |publisher=Auckland Council |accessdate=19 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115011531/http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/services/venues/ferndale.asp |archive-date=15 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url= http://www.mtalberthistoricalsociety.org.nz/Local_Heritage.php |title=Local heritage: Ferndale |first=Arnold R. |last=Turner |date=March 2011 |publisher=Mount Albert Historical Society |accessdate=19 November 2011}}
• Mt Albert Methodist Church. 831 New North Road. Across the road from Ferndale is the wooden Gothic Mt Albert Methodist Church. The land for this building was donated by local resident Mr Stone.
• Mr Stone's House. 4 Alexis Avenue. Large masonry house in the Italianate style.
• Former Post Office. 911 New North Road. 1970s brick building with distinctive cylinder turrets.
• Mount Albert Railway Station. Opened in 1880, significantly upgraded 2013–16.
• Former Deluxe Cinema. 960 New North Road. 1920s building.
• Mt. Albert Presbyterian Church. 14 Mt. Albert Road.
• Alberton. 100 Mt. Albert Road. A large wooden house with distinctive turrets, was built as the residence of Allan Kerr Taylor.{{cite web |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2t15/1 |title=Taylor, Allan Kerr |first=John |last=Stacpoole |authorlink=John Stacpoole |date=1 September 2010 |work=Dictionary of New Zealand Biography |accessdate=19 November 2011}} This two-storied wooden house has wrap-round verandahs and turrets in the Anglo-Indian style. Originally this property commanded a view towards Auckland across a thousand-acre (4 km²) farm. The house was later bequeathed to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1972. Claims of paranormal activity have been reported at the well-known homestead.{{Cite web |title=Haunted by the memory of these visits |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/haunted-by-the-memory-of-these-visits/ZWJIEWEDANGJUM54NJA4LKQ7UU/ |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}
• Crown Research Institute. 120 Mt. Albert Rd. The main building is a modernist highrise block from the 1960s. (Former DSIR – Department of Scientific and Industrial Research)
• Mount Albert School. Primary School on Taylor's Road. School built in its current location in 1940 on the site of Wilson's Quarry.
• Mount Albert Grammar School. Alberton Avenue. Main building from the 1920s was designed by Walter Arthur Cumming this school is unusual for an urban facility as it has an agricultural department - this is the last open ground left from the Alberton Farmlands.
• Mt. Albert Aquatic Centre. 38 Alberton Ave, Mt. Albert.
• Winstone House. 29 Summit Drive. Late 19th century Italianate style house located on the slopes of Mt. Albert. Built for George Winstone in Upper Symonds Street and relocated here around 1910. Winstone founded the well known Transport firm.
• Caughey House. 15 McLean Street. Distinctive house with turret. Moving to Mt. Albert in 1888, Andrew Caughey (of Smith & Caughey's Department Store) built this two storied wooden house on 4-acres of Edward Allen's land. Architect Arthur White designed a 16-room house where Caughey, his wife and seven children lived until 1923. The property is now run as part of the private school, Hebron Christian College
• Former St Helens Hospital. 28a Linwood Ave. Officially opened on 15 February 1968.{{cite web |url= http://nationalwomenshealth.adhb.govt.nz/about-us/our-history/1960-1970|title=1960 - 1970 |publisher=National Women's Health |accessdate=5 May 2015}} One of a number of St Helens Hospitals built around New Zealand since 1905 and named by Prime Minister Rt Hon Richard J Seddon after the town of St Helens in Merseyside, England, near which he was born.{{cite web |url= http://nationalwomenshealth.adhb.govt.nz/about-us/our-history/1906-1960|title=1906 - 1960 |publisher=National Women's Health |accessdate=5 May 2015}} The hospital closed on 12 June 1990 following a formal closing ceremony.{{cite web |url= http://nationalwomenshealth.adhb.govt.nz/about-us/our-history/1990-2000|title=1990 - 2000 |publisher=National Women's Health |accessdate=5 May 2015}} The property was purchased by Auckland Institute of Studies in 1992,{{cite web |url= http://ais.ac.nz/about-ais/|title=About AIS |publisher=Auckland Institute of Studies |accessdate=5 May 2015}} refurbished and reopened the following year as the institute's St Helens Campus.

Rugby player Sonny Bill Williams and actress Lucy Lawless both grew up in Mount Albert. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark, famous acoustician Sir Harold Marshall and the former TVNZ's Breakfast presenter Petra Bagust are current residents of the area.

New Zealand athlete, Sir Peter Snell (triple Olympic gold medalist and world mile record holder and NZ's athlete of the 20th century), was educated in and a long-time resident of Mt. Albert as was Bryan Williams, an All Black great and president of the NZRFU.

Mount Albert Grammar School is a high school (years 9–13) with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|69|y}}.{{TKI|69|Mount Albert Grammar School}} Opened in 1922, it was a single-sex boys' school until 2000, when it became co-educational.{{cite web|url=https://www.mags.school.nz/the-school/history-and-archives/|title=A brief history of Mount Albert Grammar School|publisher=Mount Albert Grammar School|accessdate=17 July 2020}}

Marist College is a Catholic state-integrated girls' college (years 7–13) with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|70|y}}.{{TKI|70|Marist College}} The college was founded in 1928, and originally called Marist Sisters College,{{Cite web|date=2016-07-30|title=The key to living to 100? Laughter|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/inspire-me/82486324/laughter-the-key-ingredient|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Stuff|language=en}} changing its name to Marist College in 2000. Marist School is a Catholic contributing primary (years 1-6) school on the same site as Marist College. It has a roll of {{NZ school roll data|1359|y}}.{{TKI|1359|Marist School}}

Mount Albert School and Gladstone Primary School are contributing primary schools (years 1-6) with rolls of {{NZ school roll data|1381|y}} and {{NZ school roll data|1282|y}}, respectively.{{TKI|1381|Mount Albert School}}{{TKI|1282|Gladstone Primary School}} Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Nga Maungarongo is a full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|4207|y}}.{{TKI|4207|Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Nga Maungarongo}} It is a Māori language-immersion school.

All these schools apart from Marist College are coeducational. Rolls are as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|y||.}}

Tertiary education providers in the area include Auckland Institute of Studies and Unitec.

Mount Albert is the home of association football club Metro F.C., who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Premier, and Mount Albert-Ponsonby, who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.

Mount Albert is home to both the Marist Saints and the Mount Albert Lions, who split from Marist in 1927. Both clubs compete in the Auckland Rugby League's top division, the Fox Memorial.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|location = Mount Albert (Ōwairaka, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1949–2008)

| Jan record high C = 28.7

| Feb record high C = 30.5

| Mar record high C = 28.7

| Apr record high C = 26.7

| May record high C = 24.4

| Jun record high C = 21.1

| Jul record high C = 20.0

| Aug record high C = 20.0

| Sep record high C = 21.5

| Oct record high C = 23.5

| Nov record high C = 25.3

| Dec record high C = 27.8

| year record high C =

|Jan record low C = 6.8

|Feb record low C = 6.9

|Mar record low C = 2.0

|Apr record low C = 2.1

|May record low C = 0.0

|Jun record low C = -2.5

|Jul record low C = -2.3

|Aug record low C = -1.3

|Sep record low C = 0.2

|Oct record low C = 2.2

|Nov record low C = 4.1

|Dec record low C = 5.2

|year record low C =

| Jan high C = 23.5

| Feb high C = 24.0

| Mar high C = 22.7

| Apr high C = 20.4

| May high C = 18.0

| Jun high C = 15.7

| Jul high C = 14.9

| Aug high C = 15.4

| Sep high C = 16.7

| Oct high C = 17.9

| Nov high C = 19.6

| Dec high C = 21.8

| year high C =

| Jan mean C = 19.4

| Feb mean C = 20.0

| Mar mean C = 18.6

| Apr mean C = 16.4

| May mean C = 14.3

| Jun mean C = 12.1

| Jul mean C = 11.1

| Aug mean C = 11.6

| Sep mean C = 12.8

| Oct mean C = 14.3

| Nov mean C = 15.8

| Dec mean C = 18.0

| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 15.4

| Feb low C = 16.0

| Mar low C = 14.5

| Apr low C = 12.4

| May low C = 10.6

| Jun low C = 8.4

| Jul low C = 7.2

| Aug low C = 7.7

| Sep low C = 9.0

| Oct low C = 10.6

| Nov low C = 12.0

| Dec low C = 14.3

| year low C =

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 73.7

|Feb rain mm = 65.6

|Mar rain mm = 90.5

|Apr rain mm = 101.8

|May rain mm = 108.5

|Jun rain mm = 124.1

|Jul rain mm = 146.8

|Aug rain mm = 116.0

|Sep rain mm = 103.0

|Oct rain mm = 100.8

|Nov rain mm = 89.8

|Dec rain mm = 92.6

|year rain mm =

|source 1 = NIWA (rainfall 1981–2010){{cite web

|url = https://data.niwa.co.nz/

|title = NIWA Datahub (Agent number: 1468)

|publisher = NIWA

|access-date = 25 Nov 2024}}

}}

Mount Albert is well served by trains and buses, and is only 7 km from Auckland's CBD.{{cite web|title=Public Transport|url=http://www.maxx.co.nz/|publisher=Auckland Transport|accessdate=16 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011094951/http://www.maxx.co.nz/|archive-date=11 October 2012|url-status=dead}} The railway station is centrally located, near the intersection of New North Road and Mt. Albert/Carrington Road. Mount Albert Railway Station is a part of the Western Line; trains run regularly into the city and the western suburbs beyond.

The centre of all the shopping and business activities in the suburb of Mt. Albert is New North Road, roughly between Richardson Road and Lloyd Avenue.

{{notelist-ua}}

{{reflist}}

• {{citeq |author=Dunsford, Deborah |date=2016 |Q117189974}}
• {{citeq|Q116775081|author=Reidy, Jade|date=2013}}

• [http://www.mtalbertinc.co.nz/ Mt. Albert Inc for community news and information]
• [http://www.mtalberthistoricalsociety.org.nz/ Mount Albert Historical Society]
• [https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/search/searchterm/Mount%20Albert/field/all/mode/exact/conn/and Early photo of Mount Albert] held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.

{{Albert-Eden Local Board Area}}

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Category:1840s establishments in New Zealand

Category:Albert-Eden Local Board Area

Category:Suburbs of Auckland

Category:Populated places established in the 1840s