Westside fortunes

Black t-shirts, leather jackets and mullet haircuts; V8s and Holdens cruising the streets; blue collar industry and a slightly tough culture… That remains the stereotypical view most often applied to West Auckland.

Yet while the region made famous by a certain much-loved TV series remains a little rough around the edges, it was never without some underlying gold. It is, after all, home to the spectacular West Coast beaches, the Waitakere Ranges, a ground-breaking winemaking industry and the SuperCity’s booming screen industry.

And it’s changing rapidly. Already made up of a very diverse array of communities, the region has seen growing numbers of young families and professionals moving in. That’s because, compared to much of Auckland, house prices are more affordable, while the redevelopment of motorway and public transport links has made commuting much easier.

Those trends are set to continue for years to come as massive commercial and residential development is going on in West Auckland. While the development of Hobsonville Point received a lot of coverage, there’s also major development projects in place around the Westgate and NorthWest retail centres.