Upper Hutt

Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongomai{{cite web|title=Our Maori Heritage|url=http://www.upperhuttcity.com/arts-culture/our-maori-heritage/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126142332/http://www.upperhuttcity.com/arts-culture/our-maori-heritage/|archive-date=2016-01-26|access-date=8 September 2015|publisher=Upper Hutt City Council}} and that of the river was Heretaunga (today the name of a suburb of Upper Hutt). The first residents of the area were Māori of the Ngāi Tara iwi. Various other iwi controlled the area in the years before 1840, and by the time the first colonial settlers arrived the area was part of the Te Āti awa rohe.

Orongomai Marae is to the south of the modern city centre.

In 1839, the English colonising company, The New Zealand Company made a purchase from Māori chiefs of about 160,000 acres of land in the Wellington region including Upper Hutt.{{Cite book|last=New Zealand. Waitangi Tribunal.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53261192|title=Te Whanganui a Tara me ona takiwa : report on the Wellington District.|date=2003|publisher=Legislation Direct|isbn=1-86956-264-X|location=Wellington, N.Z.|oclc=53261192}} The Hutt Valley is named after one of the founders of this company.{{Cite web|title=Our history|url=http://www.huttcity.govt.nz/leisure--culture/archives-and-heritage/heritage/our-history/|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Hutt City|language=en}} Dealings from the New Zealand Company and following that, the Crown (after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840), with local Māori regarding the land in Upper Hutt were flawed including not transacting with all the iwi that had claims on the land. Disputes arose and there were skirmishes and warfare in the Hutt Valley in 1846 between troops under Governor George Grey and Māori including chiefs Te Rauparaha, Te Rangihaeata, Te Mamaku and iwi including Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Rangatahi, Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi.{{Cite web|date=2019|title=War in Wellington|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/wellington-war|access-date=2020-10-12|website=NZHistory, New Zealand history online}}

File:Richard Barton grave.JPGRichard Barton, who settled at Trentham in 1841 in the area now known as Trentham Memorial Park, was the first European resident.{{Cite web|title=Our history and heritage|url=https://www.upperhuttcity.com/Your-Council/Our-city/Our-history-and-heritage|access-date=2020-10-12|website=www.upperhuttcity.com|language=en-AU}} Barton subsequently subdivided his land and set aside a large area that was turned into parkland. James Brown settled in the area that became the Upper Hutt town in 1848.

Having divided the land into 100 acre block, the settlers set about clearing the land of its indigenous forest and turning it into farmland. Sawmillers milled larger trees, such as Totara, for building materials and burned off the remaining scrub and underbrush.

File:Upper Hutt Blockhouse2.JPG was built as part of a stockade in 1860, during the New Zealand Wars.]]Alarmed by unrest in Taranaki and sightings of local Māori bearing arms, settlers in the Hutt Valley lobbied for the construction of fortifications in Upper and Lower Hutt. The government and the military responded by constructing 2 stockades in the Hutt Valley in 1860. While the stockade in Upper Hutt was manned for 6 months, the threat of hostilities soon passed and neither installation ever saw hostile action.

The railway line from Wellington reached Upper Hutt on 1 February 1876. The line was extended to Kaitoke at the top end of the valley, reaching there on 1 January 1878. The line continued over the Remutaka Ranges to Featherston in the Wairarapa as a Fell railway, opening on 12 October 1878.

By the beginning of March 1914, the area of Upper Hutt controlled by the Upper Hutt Town Board had its own water supply. The supply capacity was increased when the Birchville Dam was built in 1930.

On the evening of 28 March 1914, fire broke out at the Benge and Pratt store in Main Street. An explosion killed 8 of the volunteers fighting the fire and destroyed the building.

File:View of Upper Hutt from Wallaceville Hill, 1924. ATLIB 293874.pngFor many years, Upper Hutt was a rural service town, supporting the surrounding rural farming and forestry community. Serious urbanisation of the upper Hutt Valley only started around the 1920s, but from the late 1940s onwards, Upper Hutt's population exploded as people moved from the crowded hustle and bustle of inner-city Wellington into a more secluded yet sprawling Hutt Valley. In 1950, Trentham Memorial Park was created with an area of almost 50 hectares.

Upper Hutt continued to grow in population and became a city within the Wellington metropolitan area on 2 May 1966 after the Government Statistician certified that the population had reached 20 000, allowing the Town Clerk to make an application for city status.{{cite news|title=With City Status Close Upper Hutt No Snake Gully|url=https://newspaperarchives.uhcc.govt.nz/cgi-bin/upperhutt?a=d&d=UpperHuttLeader19641021.2.58&srpos=2&e=------196-en-20--1--txt-txIN-city+status----1964--|access-date=25 October 2017|publisher=Upper Hutt Leader|date=21 October 1964}}

On 9 April 1976, Upper Hutt became the first area in New Zealand to implement subscriber toll dialling (STD), allowing telephone subscribers to make national calls without operator assistance.{{Cite news |date=25 March 1976 |title=Direct toll calls in Hutt first |pages=1 |work=The Press |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19760325.2.9}}

File:Orongomai marae 11.JPG

Residential subdivision in areas such as Clouston Park, Maoribank, Tōtara Park and Kingsley Heights continued into the 1980s.

In February 1979 Muhammed Ali came to New Zealand, staying at Upper Hutt.{{cite web |last=Boyack |first=Nicholas |date=24 April 2023 |title=When Muhammad Ali was a huge hit in Upper Hutt |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/131824295/when-muhammad-ali-was-a-huge-hit-in-upper-hutt|access-date=27 April 2023 |website=Stuff}}

{{Main|List of historic places in Upper Hutt}}

There are twelve historic sites within Upper Hutt included on the Heritage New Zealand list of historic places, including four Category 1 sites, seven Category 2 sites, and one historic area.{{Cite web |title=New Zealand Heritage List – Rārangi Kōrero |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/places |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326042332/http://www.historicplaces.org.nz/placestovisit/auckland/alberton.aspx |archive-date=26 March 2014 |access-date=8 May 2024 |website=Heritage New Zealand}} The historic area, the Remutaka Incline Rail Trail, crosses into part of neighbouring South Wairarapa District.{{Cite web |title=Remutaka Incline Rail Trail |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/7511/Remutaka%20Incline%20Rail%20Trail |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729183443/https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/7511/Remutaka%20Incline%20Rail%20Trail |archive-date=29 July 2024 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Heritage New Zealand}}

The Upper Hutt city centre lies approximately 26 km north-east of Wellington.

[https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=wellington+%22upper+hutt%22 WolframAlpha]

While the main areas of urban development lie along the Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River valley floor, the city extends to the top of the Remutaka Pass to the north-east and into the Akatarawa Valley and rough hill-country of the Akatarawa ranges to the north and north-west, almost reaching the Kāpiti Coast close to Paekākāriki.

Upper Hutt is in the bed of an ancient river flood plain and as such was prone to flooding. In the 1970s and 1980s, a stop bank was built alongside the eastern side of the river from northern Upper Hutt to the mouth of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River in Lower Hutt to prevent further flooding. Centred on the upper (northern) valley of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River, which flows north-east to south-west on its way to Wellington harbour, the flat land widens briefly into a 2500-m-wide floodplain between the Remutaka and Akatarawa Ranges before constricting nine kilometres further downstream at the Taitā Gorge, which separates Upper Hutt from its neighbour, Lower Hutt. The city's main urban area spreads over this plain. A smaller flood plain lies upstream, above the Kaitoke Gorge, but has experienced little urban development.

Upper Hutt has a temperate climate however due to its sheltered valley location, it generally tends to be warmer than inner city Wellington in the summer and much colder in the winter. It is not uncommon in summer for temperatures to reach the high-20s Celsius (+/- 82 °F), and in winter, the temperature to drop to as low as −5 °C (about 23 °F) with regular and often heavy frost. Snow generally doesn't fall below 300 m, but in 2011 Upper Hutt sea level snow occurred twice, as part of 2011 New Zealand snowstorms. On 25 July and again between 14 and 16 August, which was the heaviest blizzard in Upper Hutt since 1976 and came as a great novelty to residents. Upper Hutt receives about 1400 mm of rain per year. At 17.5 °C on average, February is the warmest month, while July is the coldest at 8.5 °C.[https://en.climate-data.org/oceania/new-zealand/wellington/upper-hutt-1780/ climate-data.org]

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Upper Hutt (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1939–present)

| Jan record high C = 33.5

| Feb record high C = 31.0

| Mar record high C = 30.8

| Apr record high C = 26.0

| May record high C = 23.3

| Jun record high C = 20.2

| Jul record high C = 19.5

| Aug record high C = 20.5

| Sep record high C = 23.1

| Oct record high C = 25.9

| Nov record high C = 27.4

| Dec record high C = 29.3

| year record high C = 33.5

|Jan high C = 22.2

|Feb high C = 22.3

|Mar high C = 20.6

|Apr high C = 17.8

|May high C = 15.5

|Jun high C = 12.9

|Jul high C = 12.4

|Aug high C = 13.0

|Sep high C = 14.3

|Oct high C = 16.1

|Nov high C = 17.8

|Dec high C = 20.1

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 17.1

|Feb mean C = 17.0

|Mar mean C = 15.2

|Apr mean C = 12.7

|May mean C = 10.8

|Jun mean C = 8.2

|Jul mean C = 7.5

|Aug mean C = 8.3

|Sep mean C = 10.0

|Oct mean C = 11.6

|Nov mean C = 13.3

|Dec mean C = 15.6

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = 12.1

|Feb low C = 11.6

|Mar low C = 9.7

|Apr low C = 7.6

|May low C = 6.1

|Jun low C = 3.5

|Jul low C = 2.7

|Aug low C = 3.6

|Sep low C = 5.7

|Oct low C = 7.2

|Nov low C = 8.7

|Dec low C = 11.0

| year low C =

|Jan record low C = 0.6

|Feb record low C = 0.9

|Mar record low C = -1.5

|Apr record low C = -3.1

|May record low C = -4.9

|Jun record low C = -7.2

|Jul record low C = -6.1

|Aug record low C = -6.7

|Sep record low C = -5.5

|Oct record low C = -4.6

|Nov record low C = -1.5

|Dec record low C = -0.3

|year record low C = -7.2

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 50.9

|Feb rain mm = 71.0

|Mar rain mm = 69.4

|Apr rain mm = 106.6

|May rain mm = 133.9

|Jun rain mm = 121.5

|Jul rain mm = 131.5

|Aug rain mm = 110.5

|Sep rain mm = 124.3

|Oct rain mm = 101.1

|Nov rain mm = 132.0

|Dec rain mm = 103.2

|year rain mm =

|source 1 = NIWA

{{cite web

|url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz

|title = CliFlo – National Climate Database : Upper Hutt, Trentham Ews

|publisher = NIWA

|access-date = 19 May 2024}}{{cite web

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

|title = CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent numbers: 3477, 17029, 40750)

|publisher = NIWA

|access-date = 5 Jun 2024}}

}}

Upper Hutt City Council administers the city with its surrounding rural areas, parks and reserves. Its area is 540 km², the third-largest area of city council in New Zealand, after Dunedin and Auckland. New Zealand local authorities with a large land area are usually termed districts, but Upper Hutt maintains its status as a city largely because of its high degree of urbanisation.

Upper Hutt was originally administered by the Hutt County Council, which was constituted in 1877. The Town Board was proclaimed on 24 April 1908. Upper Hutt became a Borough on 26 February 1926 and a City on 2 May 1966. On 1 April 1973, the Rimutaka Riding of Hutt County was added to the city. When the Hutt County Council was abolished on 1 November 1988, the city took over administration of the Heretaunga/Pinehaven ward, which was incorporated into the city on 1 November 1989 when the Heretaunga/Pinehaven Community Council was abolished.{{cite web | url= http://www.upperhuttcity.com/page/306/LocalgovernmentinUpperHutt.boss | title=History of our city: Local Government in Upper Hutt| publisher=Upper Hutt City Council | access-date=12 January 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309164155/http://www.upperhuttcity.com/page/306/LocalgovernmentinUpperHutt.boss | archive-date=9 March 2012}}

Today, Upper Hutt City falls entirely within the boundaries of the Remutaka electorate, currently held by Labour's Chris Hipkins. Upper Hutt was represented by the Heretaunga electorate prior to the introduction of MMP in 1996, when the seat was merged with Eastern Hutt to form Remutaka.

File:Welcome to Upper Hutt sign at Te Marua.JPG, with a wrought iron depiction of a New Zealand fantail.]]

Upper Hutt City's territory covers {{Convert|539.88|km2||abbr=on}}{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=7 March 2022|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Upper Hutt city|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Upper Hutt city|y}}|R}}/539.88|0}} people per km².

{{Historical populations|2006|38,415|2013|40,179|2018|43,980|2023|45,759|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for the territorial area|source={{NZ census 2018|Upper Hutt City (045)|upper-hutt-city|Upper Hutt City}}}}

Upper Hutt City had a population of 45,759 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,779 people (4.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 5,580 people (13.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 22,749 males, 22,803 females and 207 people of other genders in 16,890 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%2Bdo1.045.2023&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}} 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 39.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,811 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 7,728 (16.9%) aged 15 to 29, 21,900 (47.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,317 (16.0%) aged 65 or older.

File:2023 NZ Census Population Density - Upper Hutt City.png

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 78.4% European (Pākehā); 16.7% Māori; 6.5% Pasifika; 11.9% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.6%, Māori language by 3.4%, Samoan by 1.7% and other languages by 12.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 33.3% Christian, 2.8% Hindu, 0.6% Islam, 0.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 52.2%, and 6.8% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 6,804 (18.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 20,001 (54.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,130 (22.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $48,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 5,823 people (15.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 20,517 (55.5%) people were employed full-time, 4,293 (11.6%) were part-time, and 942 (2.5%) 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.045.2013%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=Upper Hutt City (045)}}

The urban area of Upper Hutt covers {{Convert|51.16|km2||abbr=on}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Upper Hutt|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Upper Hutt|y}}|R}}/51.16|0}} people per km².

{{Historical populations|2013|37,695|2018|41,301|2023|42,903|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for the urban area|source=}}

Upper Hutt had a population of 42,903 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,602 people (3.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 5,208 people (13.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 21,321 males, 21,393 females and 192 people of other genders in 15,909 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%2Bdo1.1398.2023&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}} 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,316 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 7,275 (17.0%) aged 15 to 29, 20,406 (47.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,906 (16.1%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.3% European (Pākehā); 17.1% Māori; 6.9% Pasifika; 12.5% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.4%, Māori language by 3.5%, Samoan by 1.7% and other languages by 13.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 33.6% Christian, 3.0% Hindu, 0.6% Islam, 0.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.7%, and 6.7% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 6,321 (18.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 18,645 (53.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 7,761 (22.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $48,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 5,262 people (15.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 19,119 (55.3%) people were employed full-time, 3,945 (11.4%) were part-time, and 915 (2.6%) 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.1398.2013%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=Upper Hutt (1398)}}

The main suburbs of Upper Hutt, from north-east to south-west, include:

:Te Mārua, Akatarawa, Rimutaka, Parkdale, Emerald Hill, Birchville, Timberlea, Brown Owl, Kaitoke, Maoribank, Ebdentown, Upper Hutt Central, Clouston Park, Mangaroa, Maymorn, Whitemans Valley, Tōtara Park, Kingsley Heights, Elderslea, Wallaceville, Trentham, Heretaunga, Silverstream and Pinehaven.

Developments in the area include Mount Timbale Marua, Marua Downs, Waitoka Estate, Wallaceville Estate, and Riverstone Terraces. A development called The Lanes was proposed but rejected by the Lanes Commissioners appointed by the council. This decision was made as to ensure the maintenance of the significant rural character and amenity in the Mangaroa Valley.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

In 1945, Dunlop was granted a government licence to manufacture tyres. A site in Upper Hutt was purchased for a factory,{{Cite news |date=23 June 1945 |title=Dunlop factory planned for Upper Hutt |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19450623.2.65 |work=The Press |volume=LXXXI |issue=24600}} and the first Dunlop tyres were produced on 11 March 1949.{{Cite news |date=12 March 1949 |title=First tyre produced: New factory at Upper Hutt |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19490312.2.131 |work=Otago Daily Times |page=9 |via=PapersPast}}{{Cite web |title=Dunlop/South Pacific Tyres factory; people and events |url=https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/16015 |access-date=2024-09-17 |website= |publisher=Upper Hutt City Library |language=en}} South Pacific Tyres was subsequently formed as a joint venture between Pacific Dunlop and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.{{Cite news |date=16 June 1989 |title=Scope for tyre price cuts - firm |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19890616.2.155.3 |work=The Press |via=Papers Past}} In November 1987, the company laid off around 120 of its 500 workers citing deregulation of the tyre industry that had led to reductions in the tariffs imposed on imported tyres.{{Cite news |date=11 November 1987 |title=Tyre factory to lay off 120 staff |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19871111.2.60 |work=The Press |page=8 |via=Papers Past}} In June 2008, the company announced that the plant would be closing within 8 months.{{Cite web |date=30 June 2006 |title=Tyre factory to close with loss of 430 jobs |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/tyre-factory-to-close-with-loss-of-430-jobs/RQKJ6HBKXWOL3D33TI2RCX4D7E/ |access-date=17 September 2024 |website=New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}

In 2008, a {{Convert|20.2|ha}} site including the former tyre factory was purchased by property developer Malcolm Gillies, with the intention of turning it into an industrial park.{{Cite news |last=Calman |first=Matt |date=14 March 2009 |title=Grand plan for former tyre factory |work=Dominion Post |pages=C11 |id={{ProQuest|338353637}}}} The subsequent development of the site has focussed on craft brewing and the area has been branded as Brewtown.{{Cite news |date=2 August 2024 |title=Thinking outside the box (of beer) |work=Wanganui Chronicle |page=A.28 |id={{ProQuest|3086860810}}}}{{Cite news |last=Boyack |first=Nicholas |date=5 June 2024 |title=Craft breweries doing it tough as buyers turn to cheaper beers |url=https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/350299884/craft-breweries-doing-it-tough-buyers-turn-cheaper-beers |access-date=17 September 2024 |work=The Post}} As of 2024, Brewtown is home to some popular entertainment attractions such as Daytona Adventure Park, which houses Go-kart racing, ice skating and ten-pin bowling. There are some other activities like escape rooms and axe throwing in the area. Weekend markets and events are also hosted on the grassy area.{{Cite web |last=Quill |first=Annemarie |date=6 October 2024 |title=Upper Hutt: from bogans to Wellington’s best buy |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350431557/upper-hutt-bogans-wellingtons-best-buy |access-date=30 December 2024 |website=Stuff}}{{Cite web |last=Heard |first=Stephen |date=29 June 2020 |title=Upper Hutt's Brewtown Is Opening a Huge New Craft Beer Entertainment Complex |url=https://concreteplayground.com/auckland/food-drink/upper-hutts-brewtown-is-opening-a-huge-new-craft-beer-entertainment-complex |access-date=30 December 2024 |website=Concrete Playground |language=en-NZ}}

{{See also|Public transport in the Wellington Region}}

State Highway 2 is the principal highway through Upper Hutt, connecting with Lower Hutt and Wellington's motorway system to the south, and the Wairarapa region via the Remutaka Hill Road to the north.

Fergusson Drive is the main thoroughfare through suburban Upper Hutt, passing through the city centre and connecting to State Highway 2 at Silverstream and Maoribank. It formed part of State Highway 2 before the River Road bypass opened in 1987.

In the 1980s, significant travel delays were being experienced through Upper Hutt, with State Highway 2 traffic travelling from Lower Hutt and Wellington to central Upper Hutt and further afield to the Wairarapa being funnelled down the two-lane Fergusson Drive and mixing with local traffic through Silverstream and Trentham. With the central government reluctant to fund any road improvements in the area, the Upper Hutt City Council commissioned the construction of a two-laned high-speed bypass along the banks of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River from the Taitā Gorge in the south to Māoribank in the north. River Road, as the road became known, opened in 1987. It promptly ran at full capacity and, after several serious accidents that were a legacy of its origins, it was enlarged and re-engineered to cope with the growing traffic volume. Today, River Road is a median-divided 2+1 road from the Taitā Gorge to Tōtara Park, with two-laned undivided sections over the Moonshine Bridge and from Tōtara Park to Maoribank.

State Highway 58, while only briefly in Upper Hutt itself, intersects with SH 2 a short distance to the south of the boundary of Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, and provides a link between Upper Hutt and Porirua.

State Highway 1 (as the Transmission Gully Motorway) briefly touches Upper Hutt at the Wainui Saddle (the tripoint of Upper Hutt, Porirua City and the Kāpiti Coast District), but otherwise does not pass through the region.

Bus services, planned and subsidised by Greater Wellington Regional Council under the Metlink brand, are centred around the Upper Hutt railway station and operate from Monday to Saturday on most routes, with the 110 route between Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt operating 7 days a week.{{cite web |url=https://www.metlink.org.nz/service/110 |title=Route 110 Emerald Hill – Upper Hutt – Lower Hutt – Petone |website=Metlink |access-date=8 December 2021}} All of the urbanised areas of the city are served by public bus routes, and the rural areas are served by school buses.

{{main|Hutt Valley Line|Wairarapa Line|Upper Hutt railway station}}

Upper Hutt is on the Hutt Valley Line, Metlink electric trains operated by Transdev Wellington run between 4:30{{nbsp}}am and 11{{nbsp}}pm weekdays, (midnight Fridays), 5{{nbsp}}am till midnight Saturdays and 6{{nbsp}}am till 11{{nbsp}}pm Sundays. Service which reaches Waterloo in Lower Hutt in around 20 minutes and Wellington in around 45 minutes. Express peak hour weekday trains reach Wellington in around 38 minutes. Services run every 20 minutes between 6{{nbsp}}am and 4:30{{nbsp}}pm weekday and half-hourly Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Evening services run hourly from 8 to 11{{nbsp}}pm.

The railway continues beyond Upper Hutt to Masterton, becoming the Wairarapa Line, which is not electrified. Masterton is about an hour away by morning and afternoon diesel hauled trains. There are services five times a day each way Monday to Thursday, six on Friday, and twice a day, each way on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. A notable feature of this section of railway is the Rimutaka Tunnel, the second-longest railway tunnel in New Zealand, which replaced the Rimutaka Incline in 1955.

There are six railway stations within the boundaries of the city: Silverstream, Heretaunga, Trentham, Wallaceville, Upper Hutt (the main station for the city and outer terminus of electric services), and Maymorn (a request stop on the Wairarapa Line).

File:Upper Hutt sculpture (2020 LM) 08.jpg

Upper Hutt's main railway station was originally built in 1876 but has been rebuilt twice, firstly in 1955 and more recently in 2015. The most recent rebuild, jointly funded by NZTA and the Upper Hutt City Council, cost $3.5m and features a coffee bar, public toilets and an upgraded ticket office featuring real-time information of arrivals and departures of trains in a larger waiting room than the 1955 building.{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/75110358/regional-collaboration-gets-new-upper-hutt-railway-station-finished|title=Regional collaboration gets new Upper Hutt railway station finished|last=Edwards|first=Simon|date=15 December 2015|work=The Dominion Post|publisher=Fairfax|access-date=23 July 2018}}

In July 1955, the electrification of the railway line from Wellington to Upper Hutt was completed, allowing fast electric multiple unit trains to replace steam- and diesel-electric-hauled carriage trains. Later in November, the 8.8 km Rimutaka Tunnel opened, bypassing the Remutaka Incline and most of the existing line between Upper Hutt and Featherston, and reducing the time between the two from 2.5 hours to just 40 minutes.

The Blue Mountains Campus at Wallaceville is to be the location for KiwiRail 's national train control centre, which is to move from the Wellington railway station; to house a team of 120 train control team members in a {{Convert|2700|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} train control room. It will be next to the rail network.{{cite web|url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/126515555/kiwirail-signs-20year-lease-at-100m-business-hub-plans-to-set-up-new-train-control-room |title= KiwiRail signs 20-year lease at 100M2 business hub, plans to set-up new train control room |publisher= Stuff/Fairfax |date= 2023}}

{{Main|Rimutaka Incline}}

To assist with the 1 in 15 grade of the Rimutaka Incline on the Featherston side of the range, the Fell engines that used a raised centre rail to haul trains up the steep grade were employed. The less steep 1 in 40 grades between Upper Hutt and the small settlement and shunting yard at Summit could be managed by ordinary steam locomotives. The only other rolling stock able to traverse the incline unaided were small bus-like Wairarapa railcars, colloquially known as "Tin Hares".

By the 1950s, the Fell system had become too expensive to operate and was closed on 29 October 1955. To replace it, the Rimutaka Tunnel had been constructed, opening on 3 November 1955. In conjunction with the tunnel, the laying of a new route, new bridges and substantial realignment and double-tracking of the rest of the line from Wellington to Trentham had occurred by 26 June 1955.

The course of the incline is open to the public as part of the Remutaka Rail Trail.

File:Upper Hutt City SC Logo.gif

Walking and mountain-biking is popular along Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River and on the tracks in many parks, including Karapoti (focal point of the annual Karapoti Classic), Kaitoke, Cannon Point Walkway, Tunnel Gully and the Remutaka Rail Trail. Popular team sports include Cricket, Netball, Rugby, Rugby league, Soccer, and Valley Gridiron American football.

File:H2O Xtream.jpg

Expressions Whirinaki Arts and Entertainment Centre is home to Upper Hutt's public art gallery including Golden Homes Gallery and Mitre 10 Mega Create Gallery, these two galleries feature a diverse programme of Local and National exhibitions. The Expressions Whirinaki complex also includes Gillies Group Theatre; the city's performing arts venue, and the civic hall known as Professionals Recreation Hall. Close by is the central library of Upper Hutt Libraries – Ngā Puna Mātauranga o Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta and swimming pool {{H2O-nl}} Xtreme.

Upper Hutt is home to the biggest junior football club in New Zealand. The club was formed when Tararua Sports Club Inc and Upper Hutt City Soccer merged to create one club. The club now carries both of the old clubs' names. The club primarily plays its home games at Maidstone Park but also plays at Awakairangi, Harcourt Park and Trentham Memorial Park.

The city has one of New Zealand's largest Inline speed skating clubs, Valley Inline which has many successful skaters and holds the annual Speed King Tour that celebrated its 22nd year in 2012.

Popular recreation sites include:

{{Div col}}

• Staglands Wildlife Reserve at Akatarawa
• Taekwon-Do with United ITF New Zealand at Heretaunga
• Royal Wellington Golf Club at Heretaunga
• Te Mārua Golf Club at Te Mārua
• Wellington Family Speedway at Te Mārua
• Wellington Naturist Club at Te Mārua
• Kartsport Wellington Raceway at Kaitoke
• Wellington Racing Club at Trentham
• Trentham Memorial Park at Trentham
• Cannon Point Walkway
• Birchville Dam
• Upper Hutt Rugby Football Club at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt
• Rimutaka Rugby Football Club at Maoribank, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt United Cricket Club at Trentham, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt City Soccer Club at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt
• Harcourt Park diskgolf course at Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt Roller Skating Club at Upper Hutt
• Wellington Model Aeroplane Club Inc at Trentham, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt Hockey Club at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt

{{Div col end}}

{{See also|List of schools in the Wellington Region#Upper Hutt City}}

{{Div col}}

• Fraser Crescent School
• St Brendans School, Heretaunga
• Trentham School
• Birchville School
• Tōtara Park School
• St Josephs School, City Centre
• Upper Hutt School
• Plateau School
• Silverstream School
• Mangaroa School
• Maoribank School
• Pinehaven School
• Plateau School
• Oxford Crescent School
• Brown Owl Primary School

{{Div col end}}

• Maidstone Intermediate
• Fergusson Intermediate

• Heretaunga College
• Hutt International Boys' School, Trentham
• St. Patrick's College, Silverstream
• Upper Hutt College

== Sister-city relationships ==

• Mesa, Arizona, United States{{Cite web |title=Mesa Youth Ambassador Exchange |url=https://www.upperhuttcity.com/Community/People-and-programmes/Mesa-Youth-Ambassadors-Exchange-Programme |access-date=2023-08-18 |website=www.upperhuttcity.com |language=en-AU}}{{cite web|url=http://en.sistercity.info/sister-cities/Upper%20Hutt.html|title=Sister cities of Upper Hutt|website=Sister Cities of the World|access-date=18 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818204015/http://en.sistercity.info/sister-cities/Upper%20Hutt.html|archive-date=18 August 2023}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikivoyage|Upper Hutt}}

• {{cite web|url= https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22863370?search%5Bi%5D%5Bsubject_authority_id%5D=-4019&search%5Bi%5D%5Btag%5D=natlib%3Aonline_item&search%5Bpath%5D=items |title= Upper Hutt and railway station (painting, 1890) |publisher= National Library (NZ) |date= 1890 }}
• [http://www.upperhuttcity.com/ Official website]
• [http://www.huttvalleynz.com/ Upper Hutt City i-SITE]
• [http://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/ Upper Hutt Heritage Collection online]

{{Adjacent communities

| title = Adjacent cities and districts

| Centre = Upper Hutt

| N = Kāpiti Coast

| E = South Wairarapa

| S = Lower Hutt

| W = Porirua

}}

{{Upper Hutt}}

{{Cities and districts of New Zealand}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in the Wellington Region

Category:Populated places on Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River

Category:Hutt Valley