Te Atatū is the name of the two neighbouring suburbs of western Auckland, New Zealand, the Te Atatū Peninsula and Te Atatū South, which are located about 10 kilometres west of the centre of Auckland and are separated by the Northwest Motorway.
History
The European settlement started between 1853 and 1873 when Thomas Henderson bought land from Ngati Whatua and the Crown in 1855. The Henderson Timber Mill was built in what is now known as Henderson.
The area was known as Henderson Point until 1907 when it was renamed Te Atatu by Reverend Jackson Bennett, which literally means dawn.
Education
Rutherford College is a local state secondary school in the Te Atatū Peninsula. It’s named after New Zealand-born nuclear physicist and chemist Lord Ernest Rutherford.
Henderson High School, ACG Sunderland School and College, Liston College, and St Dominic’s College are other secondary schools serving the Te Atatū Peninsula.