When Halswell House was purchased by Peter Watson (1869?–1947), he renamed it Oaklands after the trees lining the driveway.

A subsequent owner, Karl Scott (1910–1997) subdivided the property about 1960.

Before the 2023 census, the suburb had a larger boundary, covering 3.00 km2 (1.16 sq mi).

The percentage of people born overseas was 20.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.6% had no religion, 36.9% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.2% were Hindu, 0.4% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions.