Merivale - a summary (extracts from Merivale - Proud Of It)
Merivale is a suburb that has emerged in Tauranga since the end of World War Two. It covers a land area of approximately 220 acres (89 hectares), lying north of Greerton and east of Gate Pa on the western bank of the Waimapu just where the Waimapu River spills out into the estuary.
For centuries, the area fell into the rohe of Ngāti Ruahine, a hapū of Ngāti Ranginui, who named the area Tutarawānanga. All Ngati Ruahine land west of the Waimapu River became raupatu (confiscated) after the Battles of Gate Pa and Te Ranga. Pākehā surveyed Tutarawānanga in the late 1860s.
Theophilus Heale surveyed Tutarawananga into Block XIV of Tauranga Suburbs. Tutarawananga became parts of lots 19, 54, 57 and 458 along with the entirety of lot 20, comprising 196 acres. Lot 20 was set aside as a native reserve but a Pākehā local landholder soon bought it.
The first Pākehā landholders, the Chadwick family, called their Tutarawānanga land Yatton. They farmed Yatton with grains, vegetables and livestock. As the estate was broken up into smaller units over the years, subsequent farmers generally continued this pattern of farming. The livestock was predominantly dairy cows for the factory in Eleventh Avenue.
After the Second World War, the six families farming in the area began selling their land for housing subdivisions. One of the first housing areas on the market was called the Merrivale Estate after one of the farming families and this name became associated with the school and shops in the area.
Parkvale is the official name of the suburb. It was adopted in 1961 when a post office opened and this became the name describing the Department of Statistics' meshblock for twenty years. However Parkvale is not a popular choice with the residents who describe themselves as living in Merivale.
The name Yatton is perpetuated in the naming of the large park in the southeastern corner of the suburb. Since 1991, Statistics has used this name to distinguish the meshblock.
A number of families have long associations with Merivale, whether it be from farming days or over the last forty years.
