# Wellinton area



## vicbarrowman (Feb 11, 2014)

Hi all,
I have been reading threads for a while but first time I have posted! I have been offered a job as a peadiatric nurse based at kenepuru hospital, porirua. We are just waiting for EOI to get the go ahead.
Does anyone have any advice on best areas to live around here...I have a one year old son so in the back of my mind am also thinking of good school areas also? Have been looking at Tawa or Tahiti bay?
Any advice greatly appreciated ta


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

vicbarrowman said:


> Hi all, I have been reading threads for a while but first time I have posted! I have been offered a job as a peadiatric nurse based at kenepuru hospital, porirua. We are just waiting for EOI to get the go ahead. Does anyone have any advice on best areas to live around here...I have a one year old son so in the back of my mind am also thinking of good school areas also? Have been looking at Tawa or Tahiti bay? Any advice greatly appreciated ta


Hi,
I'm currently living just 5 minutes drive from Kenepuru Hospital in Tawa.
The best places to live in Tawa are up the sides of the valley overlooking the town. The bottom of the valley is a lower socio-economic area.
We live on the Eastern side of the valley off Woodman Drive and we overlook the whole of the Tawa valley and have the hill range including colonial knob in front of us - cracking view. Colonial Knob is the high point with a repeater station for Wellington Airport. It's a great walk.
The houses around us are relatively new - the one we rent was built 1995 and then there are new cul de sacs being built now.
Tawa ok for shopping. There's everything you will need and a supermarket.

I wouldn't recommend Porirua, Titahi Bay or Cannons Creek. Lower socio-economic areas and a high population of Pacific Islanders.
Aotea is virtually all new and has great views of the inlet. Very nice.
Papakowhai is older but fine. Whitby is fine. Camborne is fine and so is Plimmerton.

You have plenty of time to worry about schools. Your son will start school after his 5th birthday. What you will probably need is a good kindergarden (nursery).
Our (turned 3 yrs yesterday) boy attends Kindercare in Johnsonville and they are great. There's one in Tawa and one in Aotea. He goes to that one as we used to live that way and decided to leave him where he knew the kids and staff. It's only 10/15 mins away.

The best schools are nearer to the city and to be in the zones for them you must be living in the Northern suburbs like Khandallah, Ngaio, Crofton Downs etc so I'm led to believe.
Not an issue for us as we are moving up to Tauranga for the perfect beach lifestyle later this year.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

escapedtonz said:


> Hi,
> a high population of Pacific Islanders.


I am disappointed to see racial profiling on an expat site.

The five largest ethnic groups in New Zealand are New Zealand European, Maori, Chinese, Samoan, and Indian.


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## vicbarrowman (Feb 11, 2014)

Thankyou escaped to nz.
It's so difficult to look at these places when you don't live there isn't it!!


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## SaffaNZ (Feb 9, 2014)

Kapiti coast is the best place to live. The weather is far better than Wellington and its pretty close to Porirua if you going to be working there.

I will avoid living in Porirua. Its known as one of Wellingtons more dodgy areas.


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## SaffaNZ (Feb 9, 2014)

Song_Si said:


> I am disappointed to see racial profiling on an expat site.
> 
> The five largest ethnic groups in New Zealand are New Zealand European, Maori, Chinese, Samoan, and Indian.


Ummm. A high population of pacific islanders may be attractive if you are a pacific islander. Don't pull the "racial profiling" card. Nothing wrong with mentioning who lives where. And it sure as hell is not "racial profiling" 

Even the cencus forms ask this sort of information. Nothing wrong with it.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

Classic from a South African!
And Newtown where I lived had Indians, Somalis, Maoris, Pacific Islanders; as have my workplaces. For two years I worked unpaid mentoring new New Zealanders through the refugee quota system, and attitudes like these are just so wrong.
I have very right to object - you do not know my NZ mixed ancestry/heritage, or race/colour if that is a deciding factor for you.
Goodbye forum, I have made my views known, and if moderators choose to ignore my complaint, well that's up to them.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

Song_Si said:


> I am disappointed to see racial profiling on an expat site. The five largest ethnic groups in New Zealand are New Zealand European, Maori, Chinese, Samoan, and Indian.


Seems you're disappointed to hear real life facts there Song_Si.
Unsure why you feel my comments were "racial profiling". Maybe you can explain ?

The OP was asking for information on the area within the vicinity of Kenepuru Hospital, Tawa.
Your list of the five largest ethnic groups in New Zealand is irrelevant information.

I was merely pointing out that large areas of Tawa (through the valley basin) and Porirua (Cannons Creek and Titahi Bay to name a couple of areas) are highly populated by Pacific Islanders. There's also probably a high portion of those that are actually Maori, however being from the UK myself I have difficulty recognising the difference between their ethnic characteristics.
In my experience of these areas there does not seem to be many NZ European, Other European, Chinese or Indian.

These areas are also of a lower socio-economic class. This can easily be noticed by checking out decile ratings of the schools in those areas as the decile rating is a reflection of the class of the families who's children attend there as students.
This is always a good method to check out areas to live when one doesn't have the benefit of being able to drive round the neighbourhood first.

I agree with other comments that Kapiti Coast is probably the best place to live in Wellington, however the daily commute can be a grind. At least 45 mins from Paraparaumu.
Will be much better when the Transmission Gully Highway is built as this will make places like Waikanai, Otaki etc easily commutable from Wellington CBD, however it'll be a few years yet.
The weather is definitely better up the Kapiti. Less wind, more sun and less rain.
I'm just disappointed the beaches aren't better than they are.

You can't really go wrong with Porirua City as a place to live. There are many nice areas to live and just like anywhere else in the world there are areas that are less desirable. 
Everything you need is there in the centre. Good shops, take outs, restaurants, supermarkets, petrol stations, big stores like Mitre10Mega and Bunnings, The Warehouse etc. 
There's the inlet for water sports. 
Colonial Knob for hiking. 
The walking / cycling track to Pukurua Bay is cool.
Easy access up the Kapiti Coast, through to the Hutt and of course Wellington.


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## SaffaNZ (Feb 9, 2014)

Song_Si said:


> Classic from a South African!


Hows your comment for racial profiling then? Pot calling the kettle black eh?

Seems you have an issue when others do it and then you go and do it yourself.

By the way, I'm not offended in the least! I am a south african, just like pacific islanders are pacific islanders.


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