Herne Bay, New Zealand

The suburb is named after Herne Bay, a fashionable but respectable seaside resort in English county of Kent.

From the 1850s onwards it became apparent that Auckland's Herne Bay was quite handy to the centre of town by a short boat trip. Herne Bay developed as an early commuter suburb and was the location of several large houses belonging to members of the professional classes. Most of these houses (termed 'marine villas') were readily accessible from the water, with their own jetties and boathouses - in some cases there was not any land route to them. Some of these early houses still exist, surrounded by later houses which were built as their large properties were subdivided around the turn of the 20th century.

Also located in this area on the shore of Ponsonby (between Argyle Street and the sea) was Kemp's Gardens. This was a popular pleasure resort for Auckland's people during the 1860s. The gardens were "complete with pavilion, gardens and illuminations": "A free hand was given, drinks were sold, music was provided and the least said the better". Later renamed "Cremorne Gardens" after the fashionable pleasure gardens in London, Kemp's gardens boasted a "Dancing Pavilion, ten acres of walks and sports grounds". It is remembered in the name "Cremorne Street".

In late 2008, Herne Bay became New Zealand's first "$2 million suburb", when the average house price surpassed the $2 million mark.^[6]

Herne Bay covers 0.88 km² (0.34 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 2,830 as of June 2025,^[2] with a population density of 3,216 people per km².

Herne Bay had a population of 2,775 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 261 people (−8.6%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 165 people (−5.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,326 males, 1,425 females and 21 people of other genders in 1,194 dwellings.^[9] 5.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 47.6 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 387 people (13.9%) aged under 15 years, 450 (16.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,377 (49.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 558 (20.1%) aged 65 or older.^[8]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 90.9% European (Pākehā); 7.5% Māori; 1.9% Pasifika; 7.2% Asian; 2.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.6%, Māori language by 1.2%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 13.8%. No language could be spoken by 0.8% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 24.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 30.8% Christian, 0.6% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 0.1% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, 0.3% Jewish, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 60.5%, and 4.9% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,224 (51.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 885 (37.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 270 (11.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $70,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 873 people (36.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,260 (52.8%) people were employed full-time, 354 (14.8%) were part-time, and 57 (2.4%) were unemployed.^[8]

Bayfield School and Ponsonby Primary School are coeducational contributing primary schools (years 1-6) with rolls of 379 and 315 respectively, as of October 2025.^[10][11][12]