The area was traditionally settled by Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and in 1847 Howick was established as a defensive settlement for Auckland, by veteran fencible soldiers of the British Army.

Earl Grey was the Secretary of State for the Colonies who decided to settle British Army veterans in settlements around Auckland.

[10] The Tāmaki Strait was visited by the Tainui migratory waka around the year 1300, and members of the crew settled around East Auckland and the Pōhutukawa Coast.

[9][11] In 1836, English Missionary William Thomas Fairburn brokered a land sale between Tāmaki Māori chiefs, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and Turia of Ngāti Te Rau, covering the majority of modern-day South Auckland, East Auckland and the Pōhutukawa Coast.

[13][14] Fairburn's Purchase was investigated by the New Zealand Land Commission found to be excessive and reduced in size.

[15] As a part of this arrangement, Ngāi Tai agreed not to settle elsewhere in the region, which included Howick.

[16] Howick was established in 1847 as a defensive outpost for Auckland, by fencibles (retired British Army soldiers) and their families.

It was allegedly chosen to protect Auckland against potential invasion from Marutūāhu tribes to the east, but the site was too far inland to serve this purpose.

[6] In 1849 when William Fox of the New Zealand Company visited Howick, he described the settlement as a costly failure.

[26] The settlers were dependent on water transport and ferry services, until the construction of the Panmure Bridge across the Tāmaki River in 1865.

Most stayed in Howick, with some moving to Auckland, the gold mine towns of the Coromandel Peninsula, or new defensive settlements to the south, such as Hunua, Papakura and Pukekawa.

While Māori of South Auckland such as Te Ākitai Waiohua were forced to leave, Ngāi Tai were designated as a "friendly" people by the Crown, and remained neutral in the fighting.

[34][9] The first local government was established in the area in 1862, with the creation of the Howick Township Road Board.

This caused major financial problems for the residents of Howick, as income from butter dropped and land prices plummeted.

[44] Major suburban growth occurred in Howick in the 1960s and 1970s, including the development of new suburbs in the surrounding areas.

While making recommendations for the boundaries to apply in the 2008 general election, the Electoral Commission recently proposed to resurrect the Howick seat.

The planned seat would have taken in the population centres of Howick and Botany Downs-Dannemora but would have had the effect of splitting Bucklands Beach and Highland Park across two electorates.

[44] As a part of the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms, Howick Borough was incorporated into Manukau City.

[54] The original historic buildings, sourced from around Howick and its environs, were saved from demolition between the mid 1960s and early 1980s and moved to Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga.

The 'Garden of Memories' was developed by Howick resident Emilia Maude Nixon to "promote understanding, harmony and goodwill between all people".

A waka was also located in the garden, with the wharenui named Torere – after the daughter of Hoturoa, the chief of the Tainui.

The original structure was demolished and rebuilt by the Manukau City Council following the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms – though the wharenui's facade and carvings were maintained.

[60] The wharenui rebuild project was contested by some locals,[67] notably the Howick Ratepayers and Residents Association,[68][60] and was only completed in 2011.

[23] Howick is home to Fencibles United association football club, who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2, and the Howick Hornets rugby league club, who compete in Auckland Rugby League's top division, the Fox Memorial.