Wattle Downs

Wattle Downs gets its name from the Wattle trees planted in the area by its farmer/owner, Mr White, for an extract from the bark that was used in the tanning of skins [1]

Wattle Downs history dates back to 1933 when the Kimptons, Campbell and Clements families purchased the 460 acre dairy farm on the peninsula. The first homes were built on the peninsula around 1970, after the farm was acquired for development.[2]

An aerial showing Wattle Downs during its first stage of development in 1980 pointing towards Manukau Harbour

• The original Wattle Downs development takes place in the 1970's, it was developed in phases, most houses were single-detached and were built on the southern side of the Wattle farm peninsula that featured predominantly bungalow, art deco and many 70's style housing, however houses were also built on the Mahia Downs precinct near Mahia Road that included mostly state housing.

• Wattle Cove, a significant development by Fletcher Building, was a $300 million subdivision that built 900 houses on the peninsula's west side throughout 2005-2016. A school & early learning centre was also built[3]
• Acacia Cove, a retirement village, was built in the 2000s and currently has 217 villas and 15 self-contained apartments.[4] Wattle Downs Care Home, operated by Bupa, is a further retirement community situated opposite Acacia Cove. It includes 60 rest homes, a medical and geriatric hospital and Bupa Short Stay services.[5]
• Mahia Park, another significant development, built houses on the peninsulas east side adjacent to Papakura Stream, the houses were built over the course of the 2000's.[1]
• An large greenfield land holding on the western waterfront side of the Wattle Cove precinct is currently zoned as Mixed Housing Suburban as per the Auckland Unitary Plan. However, the land currently remains as privately owned open space following the adjacent development of Wattle Cove between 2005 and 2016.
• Wattle Park, a recent development that started construction in 2019, is a 112 terraced home subdivision located off Mahia Road opposite the established peninsula's housing.[6]
• A small housing development situated on the waterfront of Carnoustie Drive is proposed.

Most streets in Wattle Downs are tree-lined, and the majority of the trees are non-native. However the reserves in the suburb have been planted mainly with native trees to New Zealand.

A Monterey pine tree in Kauri Point Reserve

During the development of the suburb, several artificial wetlands were constructed in reserves for stormwater management and creating habitats for wildlife, many native birds can be found in these areas.

The ponds at Wattle Farm Ponds Reserve were established in the 1960’s. They were previously sewage treatment ponds that were decommissioned after the construction of the Mangere Treatment Plant. The two ponds now act as a fresh water cleansing system to take the silt from the runoff of the Papakura and Waimahia streams before it is released into the Manukau Harbour. The main pond is between 0.6m deep at the jetty end, to 1.6m at the far end by the tide gate.[17] A $3.5 million improvement project of the reserve commenced throughout 2017-2018 and improved water quality and sediment management, new recreational facilities were also built.[18] The ponds are used for radio-controlled boating, model yachting, and waka ama racing.