Western Heights, Auckland
Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Heights is a neighbourhood of Henderson, in West Auckland, New Zealand. Western Heights School and the nearby shops are the centre of the community. Western Heights is a "frontier suburb", separating suburban Auckland from lifestyle farming blocks, orchards and the Waitākere Ranges.
Western Heights | |
|---|---|
View from Palomino Drive, looking toward the Waitākere Ranges | |
 Interactive map of Western Heights | |
| Coordinates: 36°52′59″S 174°36′54″E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland |
| Local authority | Auckland Council |
| Electoral ward | Waitākere Ward |
| Local board | Henderson-Massey |
| Area | |
| • Land | 325 ha (800 acres) |
| Population (June 2025)[2] | |
• Total | 10,020 |
| • Density | 3,080/km2 (7,990/sq mi) |
| Train stations | Sturges Road Railway Station |
| Rānui | Lincoln | |
  Western Heights  |
Henderson | |
| Henderson Valley | McLaren Park | Sunnyvale |
Part of the area was called Summerland, from an export apple grown in local orchards in the mid-20th century.[3]
History
Demographics
Western Heights covers 3.25 km2 (1.25 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 10,020 as of June 2025,[2] with a population density of 3,083 people per km2.
Western Heights had a population of 9,291 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 33 people (−0.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 780 people (9.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 4,575 males, 4,704 females and 18 people of other genders in 2,817 dwellings.[7] 1.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 1,785 people (19.2%) aged under 15 years, 1,755 (18.9%) aged 15 to 29, 4,473 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,278 (13.8%) aged 65 or older.[6]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 41.5% European (Pākehā); 10.2% Māori; 12.2% Pasifika; 45.9% Asian; 2.9% 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 92.3%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 3.5%, and other languages by 36.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 46.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 36.2% Christian, 9.0% Hindu, 4.6% Islam, 0.6% Māori religious beliefs, 2.2% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 39.5%, and 6.0% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,322 (30.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,267 (43.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,926 (25.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 972 people (12.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 4,080 (54.4%) people were employed full-time, 870 (11.6%) were part-time, and 207 (2.8%) were unemployed.[6]
Education
Western Heights School and Summerland Primary are coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) schools with rolls of 659 and 619 respectively, as of July 2026.[11][12][13] Summerland Primary opened in 2002. The area is named for the summerland apple variety once grown there.[3]
The local State secondary schools are Henderson High School, Waitakere College, Massey High School, Liston College and St Dominic's College.