In the early 1920s, local residents of Manurewa, including John Dreadon, lobbied the Manurewa Town Board for the creation of a second train station in the area,[3] which opened in 1924.[4] The train station was named Homai, suggested by Auckland resident Maurice Harding, referring to the gift of land and financing that Dreadon and his neighbours gave to create the station.[5] Over time, the name became associated with the suburban area close to the train station. "Homai" is a Māori language verb, meaning "to give (to me)".
Demographics
Homai covers 2.27 km2 (0.88 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 15,000 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 6,608 people per km2.
Homai had a population of 11,931 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,052 people (20.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,493 people (26.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 2,604 households, comprising 6,057 males and 5,877 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 3,372 people (28.3%) aged under 15 years, 3,345 (28.0%) aged 15 to 29, 4,506 (37.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 714 (6.0%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 19.8% European/Pākehā, 29.8% Māori, 45.1% Pacific peoples, 22.6% Asian, and 2.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 36.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 25.5% had no religion, 48.8% were Christian, 2.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 6.8% were Hindu, 2.7% were Muslim, 1.7% were Buddhist and 5.5% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 897 (10.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 2,001 (23.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 498 people (5.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 4,275 (49.9%) people were employed full-time, 885 (10.3%) were part-time, and 639 (7.5%) were unemployed.[6]
Manurewa High School is a secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of 2172.[10] The school opened in 1960.[11]Homai School is a contributing primary school (years 1–6) with a roll of 391,[12] than opened in 1955 as Manurewa North School.[13]
Both schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of August 2024.[14]
^Wichman, Gwen (2001). Soaring Bird: a History of Manurewa to 1965. Manurewa: Manurewa Historical Society. p. 46-47. ISBN0-473-07114-2. WikidataQ117421984.