Crofton Downs

Crofton Downs is an inner suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It is situated between Ngaio and Wadestown, above where the northern and southern branches of the Kaiwharawhara Stream join to flow down the Ngaio Gorge into the harbour.

Crofton Downs
Suburb
Crofton Downs
Crofton Downs
Coordinates: 41.257°S 174.764°E / -41.257; 174.764
CountryNew Zealand
Local authorityWellington City
Electoral wardOnslow-Western
Area
 • Land262 ha (647 acres)
Population
 (2013)[1]
 • Total1,508
Railway station(s)Crofton Downs
Hospitals(s)Bowen Hospital (Private)
Mount Kaukau
Wilton
Crofton Downs
 Ngaio
Kaiwharawhara

Etymology

Crofton Downs belonged to Ngaio and takes its name from a house built in the 1860s by then Premier, William Fox. The house was possibly named after his wife's birthplace.[2] The street names in the suburb are a tribute to the life of former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.[3]

Facilities

Crofton Downs contains a supermarket, pharmacy, petrol station, hardware store, veterinary clinic and the private Bowen Hospital.

Bowen Hospital

Bowen Hospital is located on Churchill Drive on the south end of Crofton Downs. The hospital was originally situated in Bowen St opposite parliament in 1912.[4] The old hospital was closed in 1965 and the modern location of the hospital was chosen.

Education

School enrollment zone

Crofton Downs is within the enrollment zones for Wellington Girls' College, Onslow College, St Oran's College and Raroa Normal Intermediate.[5]

Primary school

Crofton Downs Primary school is a Decile 10 coeducational contributing state school catering to years 1 to 6.[6] Formerly called Chartwell School, the school was opened in 1970. Its name was changed to Crofton Downs Primary school in 2008 as the surrounding area was more commonly referred to as Crofton Downs rather than Chartwell.[7][8] It has a roll of 208 as of March 2020.[6]

Pre-school

Ngaio Playcentre is parent led preschool based in Huntleigh Park, Crofton Downs, which caters for children aged 0 to 6 years old.[9] Originally based in Ngaio town hall it moved into Huntleigh Park in the mid 1970s.[10]

Transport

The suburb is served by the Johnsonville Branch commuter railway which connects it to the central city.

Predator Free Crofton Downs

Crofton Downs was the first New Zealand Suburb to be declared predator free after local community group, Predator Free Crofton Downs, arranged stoat and rat traps for over 200 households[11] throughout the suburb. Since its inception in 2014,[12] the community model has inspired other communities throughout New Zealand to start their own predator free groups.

References
  1. "Community Profile: Crofton Downs". Wellington City Council.
  2. Reed, A. W. (2010). Peter Dowling (ed.). Place Names of New Zealand. Rosedale, North Shore: Raupo. p. 92. ISBN 9780143204107.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Greenland, James (24 August 2012). "Crofton Downs' stately links to Britain". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  4. "Our History". Bowen Hospital. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  5. "eLearning Schools Search". Ministry of Education.
  6. "Crofton Downs Primary School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  7. "Crofton Downs Primary School Official School Website". croftondownsprimary.school.nz.
  8. "Crofton Downs Primary School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  9. "Welcome to Ngaio Playcentre". Ngaio Playcentre. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  10. "Ngaio Playcentre - Preschool Education". Yelp. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  11. Olivia, Wannan (3 December 2015). "Pest-free Wellington spreads beyond fence".
  12. Thomas, Rachel (1 October 2016). "Wellington's predator free hero Kelvin Hastie - the smiling assassin".
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