Wiremutaone/Johnsonville

Written records of a Māori presence at Wiremutaone begin in the 1840s -- McCleverty Reserves were awarded to Pipitea and Te Aro Pā  "natives" 1847.  (Please see two DigitalNZ files - Ngauranga and "McCleverty Reserves 1847 @ Wiremutaone",  which illustrate some of the history and development of Sections (6), 7, 8, 9).  (See also first chapter of Wellington's northern suburbs, 1840-1918 compiled by Julie Bremner, 1983).

The settler history begins with Frank Johnson's clearing of the bush, and establishment of a sawmill at the northern end of the present Johnsonville settlement, in the vicinity of Waitohi Stream and Trafalgar Street.  Rev. Samuel Ironside named the clearing 'Johnsonville' in the 1840s.

The first church meeting place was for the Methodist followers with William Nott delivering some of the first services.  The next church to be built was the first of five churches for the Anglican parish - (all) built upon the site of the present St John's Church.

The first track  north followed the hilltops from Ngaio to Johnsonville.  The valleys were heavily clad in bush.  A series of stockades was built along this route, to protect the settlers but the stockades served  also to open up a much improved route to Porirua.  

Volunteer training grounds at Johnsonville

Johnsonville's contribution to the wars.

Exampes of the forested road north to Porirua.

Further development of the Johnsonville to Porirua road.

The saleyards were established around 1894 (Freeman R Jackson & Co.)  Behind the saleyards lie the state housing of the later 1930s -- The construction of houses in this block followed closely on the heels of first state houses at Wellington and Titahi Bay.  This Johnsonville land was part of the Te Aro Pā Reserves awarded to Ngāti Haumia, (1847) and was occupied by them from late 1890s. - (you may track stories  of Agnes Himiona (Simeon), Ani Waaka Durling and Charles Wallace).  

The first railway  line winding through Johnsonville to (Whanganui)  was opened 1885.   The line terminated at Johnsonville after the building of the rail bridge at Ngāuranga with its subsequent bypass to Porirua and beyond.

Here are aerial photographs of the rapidly expanding Johnsonville suburb, glimpses of the new highway north and the resulting overhead bridges.

Factories at Johsonville:  there was a complaint of "stench" from the glue factory, 1877 ; Chapman's tannery was destroyed by fire 1898 ; and another bush fire destroyed the hotel, Chapman's store and Bowler's cottage, January 1899.  There was once a mattress factory , a custom-built Post Office opened 1907, and a  blacksmith was still operating on Main Road, in 1957.  Just to the right of the blacksmith building is the edge of Mrs Flossie Riddell's dairy.  The Symonds building (William's butchery) on the corner of Broderick and Johnsonville roads advertises Jantzen swimwear.  Whilst the main Jantzen factory was at Tawa, there is a report of a branch at Johnsonville.  Toyota had built a large warehouse on the site of the Salvation Army offices (but this closed in the 1980s?)

Johnsonville became a Town District in 1874.  The Licensing Trust was a community-owned trust operating pubs at Johnsonville  (where the fitness centre , Johnsonville Mall now stands) and Newlands Arms ;  and also the Burma Lodge, (now Ryman's retirement village).

Johnsonville Mall opened its doors at labour weekend, 1969 but languishes in 2020 -- desperately in need of an upgrade.

SCHOOLS

ONSLOW  COLLEGE, opened 1956,  and later Johnsonville West was built to accommodate  families in an expanding housing development.

Tip Top Ice Cream Factory - later General Foods, opened at Johnsonville in 1953.  Many of the local women found employment on the factory floor of Tip Top, and an enlightened management sought, at one stage, to employ women on probation from Aroha Borstal, and also physically handicapped.  It was a popular summer holiday source of employment for secondary and university students.  By 1950s, the factory was owned and managed by Len Malaghan and sons, whose legacy of research now extends to the Malaghan Institute - presently working in areas such as vaccine development (Coronavirus).

(The Comis family members - Lil (Lilia) and Maria were foundation staff and core workers on the  Johnsonville factory floor. (part of the highland Italian farmers who migrated to Johnsonville, and became part of community around the 1940s.  Their brother Italo's fine voice was heard in local Wellington light opera.) 

...  The Wellington company remained private, financed personally by Malaghan, and in 1953 it moved its operations to a modern factory in Johnsonville. Tip Top grew into the largest manufacturer of ice cream in New Zealand, supplying retail outlets throughout the country. In 1960 the Auckland and Wellington companies merged as General Foods Corporation (New Zealand), with Malaghan as managing director. Six years later, in a mutual exchange of directors, he joined the board of J. Wattie Canneries, with which General Foods completed a merger in 1969. 

.... Len Malaghan had interests in farming, roller-skating, and fly fishing, particularly in the central North Island. He developed Hodgkin’s disease in the early 1960s. Impressed with his medical treatment, in 1967 he and his wife made a gift of £200,000 worth of General Foods shares to the Wellington Medical Research Foundation. This was used to establish the Len and Ann Malaghan Medical Research Trust and the Wellington Cancer and Medical Research Institute, later renamed the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. 

 https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5m29/malaghan-leonard-aloysius-patrick 

Sport  played a large part for many Johnsonville families - rugby, cricket, softball, boxing, bowls, hockey, soccer (Johnsonvilla - wore Aston Villa colours for many years).  R Cameron was a promising welterweight boxer prior to the outbreak of WW2 and later became involved with administration of women's softball  team.  His grandson, Shane, has carried on and extended the legacy in the boxing world.  The Kenny family excelled at rugby and boxing  featuring strongly in provincial, army and Māori All Black rugby teams:  

M. Kenny in the NZEF team:   https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19441104.2.111.6?items_per_page=10&query=kenny+%2c+rugby&snippet=true. Cricket was a longstanding  favourite sport.  Women's hockey made a very early beginning in the Wellington competition (early 1900s) 

Random thoughts:  the 1975 Land March on the motorway   ; and a snow fall low-down in Johnsonville.

Johnsonville suffragists are well-represented in the petition lists on the NZ History website:   https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/womens-suffrage/petition,   see entries for:

Mrs Cunliffe, Mrs Angell, Emma Chapman, Mrs Simmons, S Mildenhall, Mrs Tayor, Mrs Morgan.

Other Sources:

Johnsonville Memories and Old Friends:    https://www.facebook.com/groups/337057353392313/ 

Wellington's northern suburbs, 1919-1945 / compiled by Julie Bremner for the Onslow Historical Society Inc.    Millwood Press for The Society, 1987. 

Wellington's northern suburbs, 1840-1918 / compiled by Julie Bremner ; for the Onslow Historical Society Inc.   Millwood Press for the Onslow Historical Society, 1983.