Porirua is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It officially became a city on 2 October 1965, when the population was estimated to have reached the necessary threshold of 20,000. Governor-General Sir Bernard Ferguson declared the new city status during a public function. Porirua became the twenty-first city of New Zealand, and adopted the motto ‘All that is done is for the benefit of all’.

The name Porirua is believed to be a variant of Pari-rua, meaning ‘the tide sweeping up both reaches’ – a reference to the two arms of Porirua Harbour. It is said that the Polynesian explorer Kupe was the first person to see the Porirua Harbour. Ngāi Tara was the first iwi in the area, followed by Ngāti Kahungunu, then Ngāti Ira, and in the 1820s, Ngāti Toa. Pākehā began to settle in Porirua in the late 1820s.

Following the Second World War, Porirua was identified as an ideal location for much-needed new housing. More than 2700 state houses were built. In the 1960s, £1 million was spent reshaping the landscape and developing the city centre. The city centre was rebuilt in the early 1990s, at a cost of $50 million. By 2014, the population of Porirua was estimated to be nearly 54000.

The photograph above shows Porirua in 1966, one year after it achieved city status. It is an aerial shot of the city centre, taken by Mr R Anderson for the National Publicity Studios. This record is part of a series of thousands of black and white prints, many of which have been digitised and are available to view on Archway.

Archives Reference: AAQT 6539 W3537 67/ A80523 (R24461269) www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=24461269

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