[3][4] The surrounding area contains several vineyards and breweries,[5] developing a name for pinot gris, merlot, syrah and a host of obscure varietals.

George Darroch had a large shipyard building timber ships by 1852,[11] which continued for over 50 years.

[10] A shark oil factory opened in 1905[14] and continued till at least 1921[15] and the industry longer.

[19] The memorial features an early statue of George V that was sculpted from Oamaru stone by a New Zealand sculptor, William Henry Feldon.

[20] Instead of ordering a sculpted figure from overseas, which soldier and politician Sir James Allen recommended at the time,[21] local subscribers commissioned Feldon for the memorials in Matakana, Papakura,[22] Helensville,[23] Mercer,[24] Ōtāhuhu, and the Arawa Memorial in Rotorua.

The memorial was sited prominently on donated land at the town junction next to the wharf where the servicemen were fare welled.

[17] Matakana's local militia unit became a troop of the Auckland Mounted Rifles.

[28] The theme of the statue has George V in field marshal cavalry full dress uniform.

Religious affiliations were 30.0% Christian, 1.6% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 0.5% Buddhist, 1.1% New Age, 0.5% Jewish, and 1.1% other religions.

There was a horse racing track in the heart of Matakana township, laid out on Dr Cruickshank’s property, with meetings held on New Year’s Day and Easter Monday (approx.

The area is now The Diamond Jubilee Park, which opened subsequent to the abandonment of the racetrack and to celebrate Queen Victoria’s 60 years on the throne.

Matakana Cricket Club moved to the Park when it opened and was famous for its Boxing Day cricket matches Tennis courts were established in the 1920s The ex Kawau Island schoolroom from Matakana School was moved onto the Park behind the tennis courts, in the early 1960s.

Records exist with council of this until 1996 The Matakana Pony Club met for the first time in 1977 with a September to April Season.

This area was not level and often plagued by ponds that would form in the winter making it unusable most of the year.

Council funded the removal of the existing abandoned yards and also flattened the area making it more functional as a community space.

The Pony club funded the rebuild of the yards nearer to their clubhouse to help free up space.

To further the development of the Matakana Open Space Study and gain community commentary on the future use of Matakana Jubilee Park, Auckland Council led a consultation process with the general public culminating in the report REGIONAL OPEN SPACE STUDY + ENHANCEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS The purpose of the consultation was to present to the community a series of options for Matakana Jubilee Park, and spark discussion and commentary about what future vision of the park is preferred across the community.

[42] in 2020 A lease that formalises shared use of the Diamond Jubilee Park in Matakana between the village pony club and the wider community was granted by Rodney Local Board.