The Kumeū River valley was an important transport node between the Kaipara and Waitematā harbours, due to a portage called Te Tōangaroa, where waka could be hauled overland.

Urban West Auckland suburbs are located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the south-east of Kumeū, including Westgate and the NorthWest Shopping Centre.

[6] Many place names in the Kumeū River valley reference Te Kauea, a member of Tini ō Toi.

[20][21] While the Kumeū River valley was sparsely populated by Tāmaki Māori due to poor soil quality not suited to traditional crops,[7] it was an important transportation node due to Te Tōangaroa, a portage where waka could be hauled between the Kaipara Harbour and the Waitematā Harbour, via the Kaipara and Kumeū rivers.

[14] Around the 15th century, a group known as Ngāti Awa who descended from the Mātaatua waka settled Te Korowai-o-Te-Tonga Peninsula, led by Tītahi.

A descendant of Tītahi, Hauparoa, to ask his relative, a renowned warrior, to migrated from the Kāwhia Harbour to his ancestral home in the Auckland Region.

[28] Ngāti Whātua divided the land among different hapū, including Te Taoū, who were the major power in the Kaipara River catchment.

Kiwi Tāmaki, paramount chief of Waiohua, led a surprise attack in the south Kaipara during an uhunga (funeral rite commemoration), in response for past grievances and to assist a Ngāti Whātua faction who were opposed to Te Taoū.

Following the end of the conflict, members of Te Taoū established themselves on the Auckland isthmus,[29] and a Ngāti Whātua kāinga was settled in the Kumeū area, until the 1820s.

[13] During the Musket Wars of the 1820s, Ngāti Whātua and Te Kawerau ā Maki vacated the area, returning in the late 1820s and 1830s.

[13] During modern times, the area is considered parts of the rohe of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and Te Kawerau ā Maki.

[13] After the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, Ngāti Whātua operated coastal trading vessels, supplying goods to early European settlers at Auckland.

[32] Ngāti Whātua sold land in the hope that this would lead to Europeans settlements developing and stimulate the economy of the area.

[34] The Kumeū River valley was difficult to navigate, and a narrow dray road was constructed primarily by Ngāti Whātua in the 1850s.

Road conditions along the Kumeū River valley were so poor and the Kaipara Harbour mouth too treacherous for most ships, that the Albertland settlers petitioned the government for better transportation links, fearing that they would starve.

[35] Ngāti Whātua, hoping for better infrastructure in the area, sold a narrow strip of land between the Awaroa Creek and Riverhead in 1866.

[36] The first references to European settlement begins in 1867, with the mention of a court case involving a store at Kumeu Flats, owned by Mr. Vidal of Auckland and illegally operated by James Ensor.

[44] This caused significant growth in the Kumeū area,[13] and the surrounding communities gradually gravitated towards the railway stations along the North Auckland Line.

[46] Farmers were increasingly drawn to the Kumeū area from the 1880s, as land was gradually cleared of forest, kauri gum and flax.

[54] In 1915, Alfred Buckland established the Kumeu Stockyards adjacent to the railway, and fortnightly livestock auctions became a major fixture of Kumeū for much of the 20th century.

[57] Winemaking was established at an industry at Kumeū in the early 1940s, led by Croatian families such as Nick and Zuva Nobilo, and Mick and Katé Brajkovich.

[58] During World War II, the RNZAF Base Auckland was established to the east at Whenuapai, becoming the main hub of operations for the New Zealand Defence Force.

Wary of the threat of Japanese airstrikes, a decoy airforce base was established at Kumeū, and wooden Hudson bombers were constructed.

[61] The winemaking industry underwent a boom in the 1960s and 1970s, including vineyards such as San Marino (now known as Kumeū River Valley), Gilbey Nobilo.

Corbans bought vineyeards in the area, and in 1960 Selaks relocated to Kumeū after their Te Atatū vineyard was requisitioned to construct the Northwestern Motorway.

[73] Areas surrounding the Kumeū district produce labels such as Kumeu River, Cooper's Creek and Soljans Estate Winery have gained a good reputation for their Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc wines.

Since 1948 Kumeū has had a brass band, competing in many events, and playing in parades, concerts & private Functions, traditional & modern music for all occasions.

[82] The Kumeu Showgrounds are also the venue for the annual Auckland Folk Festival, a 4-day event of music, dancing and workshops, now in its 46th year.

For six years the town was the terminus of the isolated Kumeu-Riverhead Section railway, which linked Kumeū to Riverhead, where ferries ran to Auckland.

This status lasted a mere five days; the new railway from Auckland made the line to Riverhead redundant and it was accordingly closed.