Located in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Hobsonville has a fascinating history. Before European settlement, the land was covered in kauri forest, the tidal flats teemed with birds and shellfish. Local iwi, Ngāti Whātua and Te Kawerau a Maki, called the area ‘Onekiritea’, named after the clay soil found in the area, which they used for its pigment and as a natural soap. The land provided richly for Māori and Pākehā alike, offering up seafood, timber, kauri gum and clay for pottery, and eventually fertile farmland for agriculture and horticulture.

In 1853, the Government bought 600 acres of land on the peninsula from Ngāti Whātua and renamed the area ‘Port Hobsonville’ after Captain William Hobson, the first Governor of New Zealand. Hobsonville is also famous for its air base where our commercial aviation industry was first pioneered.

Hobsonville School was originally opened in a private house in April 1875. In 1876, the beautiful and historic Hobsonville Church was built and the school was moved into the church in Scott Road. Nearly 20 years later, in 1894, five acres of land was purchased on Hobsonville Road and the first school building was built on the site where our school still stands today.

Today, Hobsonville School is ideally located at the point where west meets north, between Westgate and surrounding suburbs of Hobsonville Point, Whenuapai and West Harbour. While our semi-rural school has kept pace with Hobsonville’s rapid progress in recent years, we never forget our long history. In fact, some of our families are the descendants of Hobsonville School’s first students!