Avalon, New Zealand

Avalon is a suburb of Lower Hutt in New Zealand, formed as a private residential development in the 1970s on land formerly occupied by market-gardens on the left (eastern) bank of the Hutt River. It features mostly California-inspired designed houses, often split-level, with 3 or 4 bedrooms.

For other uses, see Avalon (disambiguation).
Avalon
Suburb
Avalon Studios
Avalon
Location of Avalon within the Wellington metro area
Avalon
Avalon (New Zealand Wellington)
Coordinates: 41.1931°S 174.9404°E / -41.1931; 174.9404
CountryNew Zealand
Local authorityLower Hutt City
Population
 (2006 [1])
 • Total4,662
Taitā
Belmont
Avalon
 Wingate
Boulcott Epuni Naenae

The Hutt City Council formally defines Avalon as the area bounded by Percy Cameron Street and the Wingate Overbridge in the north, the Hutt Valley rail line in the east, Fairway Drive and Daysh Street in the south, and the Hutt River in the west.[2]

Avalon Studios

Avalon came to the attention of most New Zealanders as the early centre of the country's nationwide television-broadcasting production, particularly with the opening of the purpose-built Avalon Studios in 1975. Given that New Zealand started regular public television-broadcasting for the first time in 1960, and instituted networked television in 1969 with only a single (and State-owned) channel available to viewers, the sole provider of television-broadcasting acquired a monopoly position of immense influence within the New Zealand mass media, and the name "Avalon" summarised and expressed that clout for many years.

Avalon also became the focus of New Zealand film-production - through and building on the National Film Unit, which Peter Jackson bought in the late 1990s and incorporated into his Park Road Post facility. Avalon was the filming location for the 2002 television show 100 Hours.

Television New Zealand (founded in 1980) inherited the Avalon real-estate and continued to operate some functions from Avalon, even though its activities mostly moved to Auckland in the course of the 1980s. Avalon produced television-shows such as Good Morning and the New Zealand Lotteries Commission's live Lotto draw.

However, in 2011 TVNZ announced that it would sell off the site for good by 2013 and shift its remaining shows to Auckland, thus consolidating the broadcaster's Auckland focus.[3][4] According to Wellington-based TV personalities, the northward drift began in 1980 with the formation of TVNZ, and the subsequent relocation of the TV One newsroom and headquarters to Auckland under then Prime Minister Rob Muldoon[5] (in office 1975-1984).

In April 2012 a consortium, Avalon Holdings, bought the Avalon Studios with the expectation of officially taking possession in early 2013.[6][7] In 2017 the studio facilities were used for filming of the Scarlett Johansson starrer Ghost in the Shell (2017 film).[8][9] In March 2019 an application was lodged to transform the 10-storey Avalon Tower into 61 residential units. [10]


Education

Avalon has five schools.

  • Avalon Intermediate School is a state intermediate (Year 7–8) school, and has 218 students as of March 2020.[11]
  • Avalon School is a state contributing primary (Year 1–6) school, and has 217 students as of March 2020.[11]
  • Kimi Ora School is a state special school for students with physical disabilities, and has 73 students as of March 2020.[11]
  • Naenae College is a state secondary (Year 9–13) school, and has 736 students as of March 2020.[11] The school opened in 1953.
  • Naenae Intermediate School is a state intermediate (Year 7–8) school, and has 421 students as of March 2020.[11]

References
  1. Hutt City Council - 2006 Hutt City Demographic Profile Archived 2008-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 7 January 2009
  2. "Hutt City Wards and Suburbs" (PDF). Hutt City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  3. "TVNZ moving Good Morning, selling Avalon studio". The Dominion Post. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  4. Tom Hunt and Paul Easton (11 April 2011). "The rise and fall of Avalon". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  5. Drinnan, John (17 December 2010). "Mallard sees red over Avalon Studios". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  6. Hank Schouten (2012-04-28). "New owners for Avalon Studios". The Dominion Post.
  7. Media3, 29 September 2012
  8. https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/06/08/action-filmmakers-back-to-work-in-new-zealand-after-coronavirus.html
  9. https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/news/wellington%E2%80%99s-ghost-shell-transformation
  10. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/110952966/application-lodged-to-transform-lower-hutts-avalon-tower-into-apartments
  11. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
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