Pollok, New Zealand Explained

Pollok
Coordinates:-37.139°N 174.618°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:New Zealand
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Auckland Region
Subdivision Type2:Ward
Subdivision Name2:Franklin ward
Subdivision Type3:Board
Subdivision Name3:Franklin Local Board
Leader Title:Territorial Authority
Leader Name:Auckland Council
Population Density Km2:auto
Postal Code Type:Postcode
Postal Code:2684
Area Code:09

Pollok is a small settlement on the Āwhitu Peninsula in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is located to the north-west of Waiuku.

History

Pollok is a part of the rohe of Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua.[1] The Crown purchased the land in 1861,[1] and in 1865 the town was founded by Scottish immigrants from Pollokshaws near Glasgow,[2] led by James Milne Smith, the reverend of the Pollokshaws United Original Secession Church.[1] Smith tried to establish a self-contained and self-sufficient religious community at Pollok.[1] In 1870, his church was joined by the Pollok Presbyterian Church.[1]

Smith left the community in 1882, when the community's combined church and school was destroyed in a fire.[1] After Smith's departure, the Auckland Education Board purchased a site next to the Pollok Presbyterian Church, and opened a school on 11 July 1883.[1]

In the early 1910s, the first telephone exchange was constructed in the area in Pollok. This house was later moved to the historical precinct at the Waiuku Museum.[3]

In 2005, the Pollok School was closed.[1]

Education

Pollok School was established in the town in 1883. It operated for over 120 years as a primary school, until its closure in 2005.[1] As of 2023, the closest school to the settlement is Awhitu District School, a coeducational full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of students as of .

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pollok School (Former) . . 13 March 2023.
  2. Book: Cameron . Ewen . Hayward . Bruce . Bruce Hayward . Murdoch . Graeme . A Field Guide to Auckland: Exploring the Region's Natural and Historical Heritage . 978-1-86962-1513 . Random House New Zealand . 2008 . 278 . Revised.
  3. Web site: Pollok Cottage, Waiuku, 2012 . . 13 March 2023.