AUCKLAND

city, Auckland local government region, New Zealand, the country's largest city and its largest port. It occupies a narrow isthmus of North Island between Waitemata Harbour (east) and Manukau Harbour. It was established in 1840 by Governor William Hobson as the capital of the colonial government and was named for George Eden, 2nd Earl of Auckland, British first lord of the Admiralty and later governor-general of India. Incorporated as a borough in 1851, it remained the capital until superseded by the city of Wellington in 1865. It was made a city in 1871. Auckland is the largest urban area in New Zealand. It also has the country's largest concentration of indigenous Maoris and has large numbers of Polynesians from other islands in the South Pacific. A focal point of road and rail transportation, the urban area is also served by New Zealand's leading international airport, at Mangere. Auckland's most important feature is Waitemata Harbour, a 70-square-mile (180-square-kilometre) body of water that has maximum channel depths of 33 feet (10 m) and serves overseas and intercoastal shipping. The port's principal exports include iron, steel, dairy products, and meat and hides. Petroleum, iron and steel products, sugar, wheat, and phosphates are imported. Other industries of the Auckland area include engineering and metal trades; textiles, clothing, leather, and timber and allied products; car assembly, boatbuilding, paint, glass, footwear, plastic, chemicals, and cement; and fishing, food processing, brewing, and sugar refining. A large iron and steel mill was opened at Glenbrook (20 miles south) in 1969. The Auckland Harbour Bridge (1959) links the city with the rapidly growing, primarily residential North Shore suburbs and with Devonport, the chief naval base and dockyard for New Zealand. Construction of a natural-gas pipeline running from the Maui field to Auckland was completed in 1977. Major institutions within the urban area include the War Memorial Museum, the Museum of Transport and Technology, the Auckland City Art Gallery, the public library, the University of Auckland (1957; from 1882 to 1957, Auckland University College, a constituent part of the University of New Zealand), the town hall, and several teacher training colleges. Also in the locality are swimming and surfing beaches, several extinct volcanic cones, golf courses, sporting grounds, and parks and reserves. Pop. (1991) city, 315,668; (1992 est.) urban area, 896,200. local government region, northwestern North Island, New Zealand. It includes the city of Auckland and its metropolitan area. The region is surrounded by several fine harbours, including Kaipara Harbour to the north and Manukau Harbour to the south. When Europeans arrived in the early 19th century, the region was densely populated by Maoris. European settlements were located predominantly around the shores of Hauraki Gulf or near the present site of the city of Auckland. In 1853 Auckland province was established; it had nearly 10,000 European settlers at the time, and the city of Auckland soon became an administrative, military, and trading centre for the entire agricultural hinterland. The province of Auckland was abolished in 1876. Much of the region has been cleared for agriculture, although dairying and sheep raising are also important. Manufacturing centres on sawmilling, food processing, steel mills, and allied industries. Pop. (1991) 953,980.