Ponsonby, New Zealand

Ponsonby was originally a working-class neighbourhood until going through a period gentrification that saw upper-middle class residents move to the area starting in the 1970s.

The name Ponsonby Road, which appears as early as 1860 on a map of Auckland, and reportedly was also recorded earlier in the 1850s.

[6] There are various people who might have inspired the name Ponsonby: The Māori name for the ridge is Te Rimu Tahi ('The Lone Rimu Tree'), referring to an ancient tree which, it is claimed, stood in a prominent position at what is now the intersection of Ponsonby Road and Karangahape Road.

[9] The Auckland region was settled by Māori not long after their arrival, and by the 15th century, they had several fishing and gardening circuits in the area.

[9] In Ponsonby, there was a harvesting place for Kuta alongside the Waikuta Stream that flowed down College Hill.

[9][5][10] Ponsonby saw residential growth as Dedwood in the 1840s and 1850s with saw mills and shipyards supporting a small work force.

[11] In 1853, Bishop Pompallier purchased 40 acres (160,000 m2), what was later known as St Mary's Mount, which saw a large Catholic immigration to the area.

[11][12][13] Later in 1853, Bishop Pompallier moved St Mary's College for Catechists on the North Shore to St Mary's Bay, and St. Marys School for Boys & a Seminary were built on 5 acres (20,000 m2) of Crown Grant land at the end of Waitemata St.[12] In 1855, formerly the Bishop Pompallier House became St. Anne's School for Māori Girls run by the Sisters of Mercy.

[15] In 1858, The Church of the Immaculate Conception was built and later demolished in 1869 – 70, and is now the site of the Pompallier Tennis Club.

[16][17] On 23 March 1869, Bishop Pompallier resigns and returns to France, leaving behind a diocese that still had a considerable amount of debt.

[20] In the 1870s, Ponsonby's houses continued to grow in number as the population of Auckland increased.

[11] In 1917, the Victoria Park Market-City Destructor was built to begin to manage rubbish for the area.

[5] During World War II, Victoria Park was the location of an American army camp.

[24] During the 1940s to the 1970s, there were many Pacific Islanders arriving in the country and many settled in Auckland, especially in the Ponsonby area.

[25] In the 1950s and 1960s, a combination of people moving to new outer suburbs, Auckland City Council policy of "slum" clearances and the construction of the motorway through Freemans Bay, led to significantly lower rents and a economic downturn in the area directly west of the CBD including Ponsonby.

Over 100 houses on the street participate in decorating their homes with Christmas lights for free public viewing.

[37] The Ponsonby Fire Station was constructed in 1902 and is registered as a category B building with Auckland Council.

[38] The Ponsonby Post Office was constructed in 1912 with an Edwardian Baroque design from John Campbell.

The Leys Institute was founded from the will of a local resident and built in 1905–1906 in an Edwardian Baroque design by Robert Martin Watt.

The properties on the street reflect the varied styles of construction for housing for lower-income families.

[5] 225 Ponsonby Road has an unnamed house that was used as a doctor's surgery from 1908 to 1920 by two Seventh-day Adventists.

[5] 203–209 Ponsonby Road contains a group of terraced houses that were built in the early 20th century.

[45] Ponsonby is popularly imagined as having a large gay population relative to other Auckland suburbs.

A survey by the NZ AIDS Foundation found that the stereotype seems to be true, and that the area and the directly adjacent suburbs have a (in comparison) very high percentage of gay people, possibly attracted by the fact that they feel more at ease in an environment where gay people are relatively commonplace.

[47] St Paul's College is a state-integrated Catholic boys' secondary school (years 7–13) with a roll of 402 students.

Ponsonby in the early 1900s as seen from Cox's Creek
Aerial view of Ponsonby, 1970
The Three Lamps in Ponsonby, whence the name Three Lamps derives
Gluepot Tavern with the replica Three Lamps visible
Renall Street is a protected historic area in Ponsonby
St John's Church