Franklin County I S the Southernmost Local Authority of the Auckland Regional Di$Trict As Defined in Section 3 of the Auckland Regional Authority Act 1963
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PART 2 - DESCRIPTION OF DISTRICT PART 2 DESCRIPTION OF DISTRICT 2 Section Topic Page 201 Regional Location 11 202 Area of County 11 203 Principal Settlements 1 1 204 Historical 14 205 Natural Resources 14 206 Geographical 15 207 Climate 16 208 Economic 16 209 Social 17 210 Topography and Natural Features 17 211 Land Ownership 18 11 PART 2 - DESCRIPTION OF DISTRICT PART 2 DESCRIPTION OF DISTRICT 201 REGIONAL LOCATION: Franklin County i s the southernmost local authority of the Auckland Regional di$trict as defined in Section 3 of the Auckland Regional Authority Act 1963. Manukau and Papakura Cities adjoin it to the north, and Raglan, Waikato and Hauraki Plains Counties adjoin its southern boundaries. The independent Boroughs of Pukekohe, Tuakau and Waiuku are all surrounded by the County. The County stretches from the Tasman Sea as its western boundary to the Firth of Thames in the east. The Waikato River, which is i ncluded in the County, forms part of the southern boundary and a considerable por- tion of the Manukau Harbour, its northern boundary. •) Franklin County' s regional location is shown on Map No. 1. 202 AREA OF COUNTY: Franklin County contains an area of approximately 14 1900 hectares , and is divided into ten ridings with approximate areas as follows. The extent of each riding as at 31st March 1982 is shown on Map No .2 . Awhitu 17892 hectares Mauku 9073 hectares Karaka 11185 hectares Drury 12239 hectares Hunua 15613 hectares Waipipi 12979 hectares Waiuku 10257 hectares Pukekohe West 6779 hectares Pukekohe East 8495 hectares Mercer 37388 hectares 203 PRINCIPAL SETTLEMENTS: Drury township is the major urban area within the County. It i s sit- uated at the apex of the triangle formed by the southern boundary of Papakura City, the Southern Motorway and the N.I.M.T. Railway. Other areas of urban development occur at Bombay, Buckland, Hunua, Karaka, Mangatangi, Matakawau, Mercer, Otaua, Paerata, Patumahoe, Pokeno, Pollok, Puni, Te Hihi and Waiau Pa. Beach settlements are to be found at Big Bay, Bottletop Bay, Clarks Beach, Glenbrook Beach, Grahams Beach, Hudson Beach, Kaiaua, Matakawau Beach, Orua Bay-Wattle Bay, Waharau and Whakatiwai. The function and policies for these settlements and townships are covered in part 5 of this scheme. In addition to these settlements in the County, there are the urban areas of Pukekohe, Tuakau and Waiuku Boroughs wh ich provide support services for the residents of the County. 12 ROD 1ifY CCU NTY firth of Thames FRANKLIN COUNTY 0-PUKEKOHE HAURAKI PLAINS COUNTY KtY. 1. 1l ewm;:irket ~ Vt [den ). ~t Albert 1t. ~ew Lynn 5. f,'.t Roski 11 RAGLAN COUNTY 6. One Tree Hill ?. Onehunga R. fllerslie ,. ~t ~ellington Map N° 1 Scale : 500 000 FRANKLIN COUNTY- REGIONAL LOCATION MANUKAU HARB OU R AWH I TU DRURY MER CER. ,-\ \ PU \ I ,._,,.> ', 1~ l'../ ( , ....,,, ,,f I PUKEKOHE I I .... WAI PIPI ' ....... Map N° 2 w SCALE 1 :250 000 '·Z/"oI /, RIDING BOUNDARIES 14 PART 2 - DESCRIPTION OF DISTRICT 204 HISTORICAL: For over 600 year s the sub-tribes of Tainui have occupied the environs of the Manukau Harbour, the Firth of Thames and the rivers and lakes of the County. Without exception the Mcrae in the Franklin region are Tainui. Therefore, the people are Tainui and as such are at one with the land, waterways and environment. The Tai nu i people of today trace their origins from those who arrived on the Tainui canoe and others who were among the original inhabitants of the area. The heritage of Tainui is preserved by the traditional, cultural, spiritual, social and economic values that are observed today as they were yesterday. Like their forbears from the 1850's the Tainui people cont inue their daily allegiance to the Kiingitanga in the natural setting of their Mcrae. Thus Franklin County enjoys a strong Maori heritage. Although in 1860 the County was named after Lady Jane Franklin, to may sub-tribes of the Waikato Federation of Tribes it wa s and still is known a s part of Tamaki Makaurau. The story of the pioneers in t h is County, both Maori and European has been told in other writings. That history contains a lesson for all and tribute must be paid to those pioneers for their tenacity of purpose which helped to lay the foundations for the development of the County. Early European contact with the Maori people was initially by trader s and later by mi ss ionaries and settlers. Following earlier trade and land sales to the Europeans a general breakdown of good relations occurred as a result of pressure on land remaining in Maori ownership. This breakdown culminated in the land war s of the 1860's which resulted in a major confiscation of land, much of which was later settled by European immigrants. Transportation through the waterways surrounding the County played a large part in its physical and social development. In the late 19th century a further "opening up" process was assisted by the construction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway and throughout this 20th century the formation of a comprehensive reading network has enabled Franklin County to evolve a land utilisation style unique in its productivity and of vital national interest. 205 NATURAL RESOURCES : Franklin County h,as a wide range of natural featur es and resources although continued development has meant that often only remnants of the natural landscape remain. Natural resources and features must not be viewed solely in terms of commercial use values. These assets are also important to the community because they have an inherent, intrinsi c value as we ll as being valuable as wildlife habitats, for water catchment protection . soi l conservation, recreation and sc ientific study. 15 PART 2 - DESCRIPTION OF DISTRICT Many natural features in the County ore of international, notional and regional significance. These include the Miranda c henier plain, Waikato River Islands and associated wetlands and the Awhitu lakes. The Monukau Harbour provides many important bird roosting areas including the Koroko foreshore and Pollok Spit while in the Fi,rth of Thomes on area of particular importance to birdlife extends from Miranda to j ust south of Koiouo . 206 GEOGRAPHICAL: Emphasis hos been placed on the geographical proximity of Frankl in to Metropolitan Auckland, with the heartland of Pukekohe being only 50 kilometres from downtown Auckland, and its extremities having o common boundary with greater Auckland. When this proximity is combined with the fact that approximately l million people reside within a 90 kilo- metre radius of Pukekohe, the physical assets which the County possesses in terms of soil quality, undulating topography and a mild and humid climate, are rendered that much more valuable. Not only is Franklin able to service the demands of the metropolitan area for food supplies and recreational space, but its own population is able to avail itself of the amenities and cultural diversity of a vib~ant city. The geographic location is therefore advantageous to both the urban and rural communities. State Highway No. 1, traversing the centre of the County, provides the main North-South link between Auckland and Wellington. Several kilo- metres of its length form part of the Southern Motorway. Just north of Pokeno, S.H . 2 links the area with the eastern portions of the North Island. State Highway No. 22 leaves S.H. 1 at Drury and then links Pukekohe and Tuokau with the Raglan County. From just north of Paerato , Glenbrook Rood connects S.H. 22 with the Steel Mill at Mission Bush (Glenbrook) and Waiuku Borough. The twin tracks of the North Island Main Trunk Railway also traverse the centre of the County with a s ingle track branch line linking the Steel Mill with the main l ines at Paerata . Whilst the importance of the Manukau Harbour for transporation has diminished considerably, its importance for eommercial fishing has remained, and its recreational use has intensified and diversified . Similarly, the role of the Waikato River is now largely recreational. Its future potential as a source of fresh water for metropolitan Auck- land and for irrigation of the central Franklin area, hos already been investigated. Recently consent was granted for a water pipeline to take water from the River to the steel mill to provide water for the proposed expansion by New Zealand Steel Limited. Both the Monukau Harbour and Waikato River ar e of great cu l tural signi ficance to the Maori peop l e . (See Sections 1007 . 2 and 1007 . 3 ) The southern extremities of the County give way in their central por- tion to the imporied drainage system of the Waikato River. Swamplands within the County however have been progressively drained and now ex- hibit considerable potential for arable farming. 16 PART 2 - DESCRIPTION OF DISTRICT The massive block of the Hunua Ranges in the east contains a number of dams and tunnels which comprise part of the Auckland Regional Authority's water supply system for Auckland. This bush covered area contrasts with the elite soils of the Pukekohe Hill, Puni, Bombay and Mauku areas which with adept management are capable of sustaining almost all year round crop production. The pastoral farming areas of Karaka and Mauku are primarily engaged in town supply dairying and supply a large percentage of Auckland in fresh milk. Remaining areas of the County are used pre- dominantly for dairy farming, prime s tock and other pastoral activities . 207 CLIMATE: Franklin County's c l imate can best be described as mild and humid . It is not given to extremea Climatic records indicate that the mean average temgerature is 14.4°C with the annual temperatures ranging from 6 0.