page_title: Hillpark, Auckland
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Hillpark, Auckland / History
context_page_description: Hillpark is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is bordered by suburbs of The Gardens on the east and Manurewa on the south. It was formerly part of Manukau City until the 2010 amalgamation of all of Auckland's councils, and is now under the governance of Auckland Council.
  In 2016 Auckland Council recognised Hillpark as Special Character Area. The key characteristics of the area include International Style modernist houses, mid-20th century brick and tile bungalows, Arts and Crafts influenced houses, and English Cottage style houses. The area features large open front yards and setbacks, large lots, wide roads, low densities of buildings, and an abundance of trees. Houses were generally constructed from the late 1950s to 1970s following the creation of a garden subdivision around significant stands of native forest. Hillpark suburb is a native sanctuary, which is home to large areas of native forest and parkland including Orford Park, David Park and Hillcrest Grove Reserve.
context_section_description: In 1910, David Laurence Nathan, son of prominent merchant David Nathan, and his wife Simone built their summer residence in Manurewa and named the property ‘The Hill’. In 1961, with the development of the Auckland Southern Motorway, the estate was sold to accommodate residential growth in South Auckland. The land around the Nathan home was developed as the subdivision named "Hillpark Estate", while David Nathan Park and Homestead were held as public assets at the request of the Nathan family.
  The first sections of the Hillpark subdivision went on the market on 2 December 1961. The advertisement from South Auckland Courier in 1961 advertised Hillpark as a modern subdivision "developed in accordance with overseas practice in having all underground services, selected street lanterns, spacious proposed neighbourhood shopping area and extensive public reserves".
  The southern motorway extension between Redoubt Road and Takanini was formally opened on 30 May 1963. It included northern on and off ramps at Hill Road.
caption: Aerial view of Hillpark subdivision - Nathan Homestead and Hill road - 1961
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