Fairfield, Lower Hutt

Demographics

Fairfield is included in the demographics for Epuni East.

Education

Epuni School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of as of . See photo of Epuni School, 1970s

Community

The Common Unity Project Aotearoa located at 310 Waiwhetu Road was founded in 2012 by Julia Milne based on a philosophy of strengthening the community through collaboration.

Epuni Boys Home

Epuni Boys Home was opened on 29 January 1959 at 441 Riverside Drive as a state-run home for "troubled" boys aged between eight and 17. It closed in February 1990. Numerous allegations of physical and sexual abuse have been made by former residents during their time at the Home and these were among allegations examined by the Royal Commission of Enquiry into State Care.

Waiwhetū Stream

Main article: Waiwhetū Stream

The Waiwhetū Stream is a small watercourse that flows through Fairfield and drains the eastern side of the Hutt Valley. It enters Wellington Harbour at the Hutt River estuary. Development and urbanisation of the Hutt Valley since the arrival of settlers led to increasing pollution and degradation of the stream environment. The stream was diverted into concrete culverts in many sections in an attempt to reduce flooding. Industrial development in the area around the lower reaches of the stream led to that section becoming an industrial sewer. In 2010, the stream was described as one of the most polluted waterways in New Zealand.

Pressure from the community beginning around 2003 helped to trigger a major project to clean up the lower reaches. This project was declared complete in June 2010, after the removal of 56,000 tonnes of toxic waste. In 2010-11, a community group was formed to lead restoration of the upper reaches of the stream. Over a period of 10 years, volunteers cleared invasive aquatic weeds and rubbish from 6 km of the stream bed and established around 34,000 locally sourced native plants on the banks of the stream.

Flock mill

Main article: Flock mill, Lower Hutt

A flock mill was established in 1898 in Fairfield, adjacent to the Waiwhetū Stream at the intersection of what is now Rumgay Street and Riverside Drive. It used a weir in the stream and a breastshot water wheel as a source of mechanical power. The flock mill operated for around 50 years, but was the subject of litigation in 1909-1910 that was heard in the Supreme Court over the effects of the flooding caused by the construction of the weir in the stream.

Notable residents

• Montague Ongley

References

References

1. [http://www.huttcity.govt.nz/Our-City/Hutt-City-Demographic-Profile/ Hutt City Council - 2006 Hutt City Demographic Profile] {{webarchive. link. (27 December 2008 Retrieved: 7 January 2009)
2. "2018 Census place summary: Epuni East".
3. "Epuni School Official School Website".
4. "Epuni School Education Review Office Report". [[Education Review Office]].
5. "Epuni School Ministry of Education School Profile". [[Ministry of Education (New Zealand).
6. "Epuni School, Wai Whetu Road, Lower Hutt".
7. Klein-Nixon, Kylie. (21 December 2019). "Down to Earth: Common Unity founder Julia Milne's love of the Remakery". Stuff.
8. Somerset, Guy. (4 March 2011). "The lost boys of Epuni Boys Home". NZ Listener.
9. Cohen, David. (5 May 2018). "Inside Epuni: The hard life served to us as state wards". NZ Listener.
10. Cohen, David. (5 October 2020). "Victims, IHC and lawyers combine in new chapter of never-ending process". [[RNZ]].
11. (25 July 2024). "Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry - final report published".
12. (1 February 2010). "Budget blowout in cleanup of toxic Waiwhetu Stream". [[Dominion Post (New Zealand).
13. Boyack, Nicholas. (6 September 2023). "Friends win battle against South African invasive weeds".
14. "Hutt Flock Mills, Norton Park, Lower Hutt, New Zealand". Windmill World.
15. Mason, Allan. (2000). "Ongley, Montague".