Russell, New Zealand

Russell Kororāreka
Town
Russell
Coordinates: 35°15′42″S 174°7′20″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Northland Region
District	Far North District
Ward	Bay of Islands-Whangaroa
Community	Bay of Islands-Whangaroa
Subdivision	Russell-Ōpua
Settled	Early 19th century
Named for	John Russell, Secretary of State for the Colonies
Electorates	Northland Te Tai Tokerau
Government
• Territorial Authority	Far North District Council
• Regional council	Northland Regional Council
• Mayor of Far North	Moko Tepania
• Northland MP	Grant McCallum
• Te Tai Tokerau MP	Mariameno Kapa-Kingi
Area [1]
• Total	3.28 km^2 (1.27 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)[2]
• Total	810
• Density	250/km^2 (640/sq mi)
Postcode	0202

Russell, also known by the Māori name Kororāreka, is a town in the Bay of Islands, in New Zealand's far north. It was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand.

History

Christ Church, built in 1835 and New Zealand's oldest church.

Memorial for Royal Navy personnel killed during fighting in 1845.

The first public notice in New Zealand was printed for Kororarika [sic] by William Colenso's press in Paihia, across the Bay of Islands.

Māori settlement

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the area now known as Russell was inhabited by Māori because of its pleasant climate and the abundance of food, fish and fertile soil. The settlement was known as Kororāreka, and was located on the coast. The name translates to 'sweet blue penguin', after an ailing chief who had eaten a penguin broth remarked ka reka te kororā or 'the kororā is sweet'.^[3][4][5]

Early European explorers James Cook and Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne remarked, by their arrival in the 18th century, that the area was quite prosperous.^[6]

Early European settlement

When European and American ships began visiting New Zealand in the early 1800s, the indigenous Māori quickly recognised there were great advantages in trading with these strangers, whom they called tauiwi.^[7] The Bay of Islands offered a safe anchorage and had a large Māori population. To attract ships, Māori began to supply food, timber and prostitution. In exchange, the Māori population traded for firearms, alcohol and other goods of European manufacture.

Kororāreka developed as a result of this trade but soon earned a reputation as a community full of prostitution and without laws. It became known as the "Hell Hole of the Pacific";^[8] European law had no influence and Māori law was seldom enforced within the town's area. Fighting on the beach at Kororāreka in March 1830, between northern and southern subtribes (hapū) within the Ngāpuhi iwi, became known as the Girls' War.

On 30 January 1840 at Christ Church, Governor William Hobson read his proclamations (which were the beginnings of the Treaty of Waitangi) in the presence of a number of settlers and the Māori chief Moka Te Kainga-mataa. A document confirming what had happened was signed at this time by around forty witnesses, including Moka, the only Māori signatory. The following week, the treaty proceedings moved across to the western side of the bay to Waitangi.^[9]

By this time, Kororāreka was an important mercantile centre and served as a vital resupply port for whaling and sealing operations. When the Colony of New Zealand was founded in that year, Hobson was reluctant to choose Kororāreka as his capital, due to its bad reputation. Instead, he purchased land at Okiato, situated five kilometres to the south, and renamed it Russell in honour of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord John Russell. Hobson soon decided that the move to the Okiato site was a mistake, and Auckland was selected as the new capital not long after.^[10]

Kororāreka was part of the Port of Russell, and after Russell (now Okiato) became virtually deserted, Kororāreka gradually came to be known as Russell as well. In January 1844, Governor Robert FitzRoy officially designated Kororāreka as part of the township of Russell. Today, the name Russell applies only to Kororāreka, while the former capital is known either by its original name of Okiato or as Old Russell.

Catholic mission

In 1841–42, Jean Baptiste Pompallier established a Roman Catholic mission in Russell, which contained a printing press for the production of Māori-language religious texts. His building, known as Pompallier Mission, remains in the care of Heritage New Zealand.

On 18 November 1844, while at anchor in the Bay of Islands, Mary Davis Wallis described "Kororarika" [sic] as a town "which appears small, consisting of a few houses along the shore, and cottages scattered here and there on the slope of the hills behind. Nothing is to be seen back of the town but lofty hills not particularly verdant."^[11]

Flagstaff War

The Flagstaff War was touched off in 1845 by the repeated felling and re-erection of the Union Jack on Flagstaff Hill above the town. The town was sacked by Hōne Heke, after diversionary raids drew away the British defenders. The flagstaff was felled for the fourth time at the commencement of the Battle of Kororāreka, and the inhabitants fled aboard British ships, which then shelled and destroyed most of the houses.^[12]

Hōne Heke directed his warriors not to interfere with Christ Church and the Pompallier Mission.^{[citation needed]}

Twenty-first century

In January 2023, the New Zealand Geographic Board proposed that the town's name be officially changed back to Kororāreka, its original Māori name.^[13]

Demographics

Russell covers 3.28 km² (1.27 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 810 as of June 2024,^[2] with a population density of 247 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	786	—
2013	702	−1.60%
2018	762	+1.65%
2023	798	+0.93%
Source: [14][15]

Russell had a population of 798 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 36 people (4.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 96 people (13.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 384 males, 408 females and 3 people of other genders in 408 dwellings.^[16] 3.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 61.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 57 people (7.1%) aged under 15 years, 66 (8.3%) aged 15 to 29, 342 (42.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 330 (41.4%) aged 65 or older.^[15]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 84.6% European (Pākehā); 21.8% Māori; 1.5% Pasifika; 1.9% Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.5%, Māori language by 4.9%, and other languages by 12.8%. No language could be spoken by 0.8% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 33.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 24.4% Christian, 0.4% Hindu, 1.5% Māori religious beliefs, 1.1% Buddhist, 0.8% New Age, 0.4% Jewish, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.4%, and 8.6% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 150 (20.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 366 (49.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 177 (23.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $32,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 63 people (8.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 258 (34.8%) people were employed full-time, 123 (16.6%) were part-time, and 15 (2.0%) were unemployed.^[15]

Much of the accommodation in the area consists of holiday homes or tourist accommodation.

Marae

The local Kororāreka Marae is a traditional meeting ground of Te Kapotai, a hapū of Ngāpuhi.^[17][18]

Climate

Russell experiences a mild subtropical climate.^{[citation needed]}

Climate data for Russell, elevation 15 m (49 ft), (2016–2024)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	25.1 (77.2)	25.0 (77.0)	23.8 (74.8)	21.7 (71.1)	19.6 (67.3)	17.3 (63.1)	16.7 (62.1)	17.0 (62.6)	18.3 (64.9)	19.9 (67.8)	21.6 (70.9)	23.7 (74.7)	20.8 (69.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	19.9 (67.8)	20.2 (68.4)	18.7 (65.7)	17.0 (62.6)	15.1 (59.2)	12.8 (55.0)	12.1 (53.8)	12.2 (54.0)	13.5 (56.3)	15.0 (59.0)	16.7 (62.1)	18.6 (65.5)	16.0 (60.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	14.7 (58.5)	15.4 (59.7)	13.7 (56.7)	12.3 (54.1)	10.6 (51.1)	8.4 (47.1)	7.4 (45.3)	7.4 (45.3)	8.6 (47.5)	10.1 (50.2)	11.8 (53.2)	13.6 (56.5)	11.2 (52.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	93.2 (3.67)	90.1 (3.55)	108.8 (4.28)	118.7 (4.67)	139.2 (5.48)	148.6 (5.85)	177.0 (6.97)	143.7 (5.66)	112.2 (4.42)	81.5 (3.21)	74.7 (2.94)	104.1 (4.10)	1,391.8 (54.8)
Source: NIWA (rainfall 1991–2020)[19]

Economy

Duke of Marlborough Hotel

Russell is now mostly a "bastion of cafés, gift shops and B&Bs".^[12]

Pompallier Mission, the historic printery/tannery/storehouse of the early Roman Catholic missionaries, is the oldest surviving industrial building in New Zealand, while the town's Christ Church is the country's oldest surviving Anglican church.^[20] The surrounding area also contains many expensive holiday homes, as well as New Zealand's most expensive rental accommodation, the Eagles Nest.^[12] The photographer Laurence Aberhart lives here.

A car ferry across the Bay of Islands runs between Okiato and Opua, and is the main tourist access to Russell. There is a land connection, but this requires a substantial detour (the ferry route is only 2.3 kilometres, while the land route is 43.5 km^[21]).

Education

Russell School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school^[22] with a roll of 63 as of August 2024.^[23] The school opened in 1892.^[24]

Notable people

• Lucy Takiora Lord (1842–1893), guide and interpreter

References

1. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
2. "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
3. "History of Russell". russellnz.co.nz. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
4. McCloy, Nicola (2006). Whykickamoocow – curious New Zealand place names., Random House New Zealand.
5. "Town of Russell could soon go back to its original Māori name". 1 News. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
6. "PRE-CONTACT – TŌ MUA I A TAUIWI". Russell.
7. Binney, Judith (2007). Te Kerikeri 1770–1850, The Meeting Pool, Bridget Williams Books (Wellington) in association with Craig Potton Publishing (Nelson). ISBN 1877242381.
8. "Bay of Islands History". Jasons Travel Media.
9. King, M. (1949). Port in the North: A Short History of Russell. p. 37
10. NZETC. The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. The Seat Of Government, Page 8. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
11. Wallis, Mary (a lady) (2002). Life in Feejee : five years among the cannibals, a woman's account of voyaging the Fiji Islands aboard the "Zotoff" (1844–49). Santa Barbara, Calif.: Narrative Press. p. 10. ISBN 1-58976-208-8.
12. Russell (from the Lonely Planet New Zealand, 13th Edition, September 2006.
13. Tokalau, Torika (18 January 2023). "Proposal to change name of Russell township to original Māori name". Stuff. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
14. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Russell (103800). 2018 Census place summary: Russell
15. "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Russell (1033). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
16. "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
17. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
18. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
19. "CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent numbers: 41262)". NIWA. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
20. Petriello, Amy (28 August 2005). "Russell – the sleeping beauty". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
21. Google Maps Directions
22. Education Counts: Russell School
23. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
24. "Cosmopolitan Russell". Russell Lights. 9 (3). February 2006.

External links

• Russell (a local page about the town)