Wainuiomata

Wainuiomata
A view of Wainuiomata as seen from above Sunny Grove looking North.
Nickname:  Nappy Valley (historic)[1]
Coordinates: 41°15′41″S 174°57′3″E / 41.26139°S 174.95083°E / -41.26139; 174.95083
Country	New Zealand
Region	Wellington
Territorial authority	Lower Hutt City
Ward	Wainuiomata
Community board	Wainuiomata Community Board[2]
Electorates	Hutt South Ikaroa-Rāwhiti (Māori)
Government
• Territorial Authority	Hutt City Council
• Regional council	Greater Wellington Regional Council
• Hutt South MP	Chris Bishop
• Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP	Cushla Tangaere-Manuel
Area [3]
• Total	12.76 km2 (4.93 sq mi)
Elevation	86 m (282 ft)
Population  (June 2023)[4]
• Total	19,840
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Postcode	5014
Website	www.wainuiomata.co.nz

Wainuiomata (/ˌwaɪnuːiˈɔːmɑːtə/) is a large dormitory suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington metropolitan area in New Zealand. Its population was estimated as being 19,840 as of June 2023,^[4] with a density of 1,600 people per km². European settlement of Wainuiomata began in the 1850s with timber-felling and farming and began to grow in the 1920s. After World War 2 there was rapid population expansion, with Wainuiomata earning the nickname 'Nappy Valley' because of the large number of families with young children. From the late 1980s the economy slowed and the population decreased, but since about 2020 there has been a housing boom and corresponding increase in population. Wainuiomata is noted for being the origin of New Zealand's kōhanga reo (Māori-language immersion preschool) movement.