| Suburb: | Johnsonville |
| City: | Wellington |
| Island: | North Island |
| Surrounded by - to the north |
Churton Park |
Johnsonville is a large suburb in northern Wellington, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres north of the city centre, at the top of the Ngauranga Gorge, on the main route to Porirua (State Highway 1). The population of "J'ville" (as it is commonly known) was about 6,500 at the 2001 census.[1]
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Johnsonville is a reasonably large residential and commercial suburb. Johnsonville Station is the northern terminus of the Johnsonville branch line of the Tranz Metro electric passenger service to central Wellington, with an adjacent bus stop for several routes known as the Johnsonville Hub. Johnsonville supports a large commuter population. Housing is spread around the shopping hub in the centre and extends out to the base of Mt Kaukau to the west, and out across the hill towards the suburb of Newlands to the south-east.
As a part of the Northern Growth Management Plan from Wellington City Council, there exists a proposal to redevelop Johnsonville's main precinct into the "Johnsonville Town Centre." This plan recognises Johnsonville as Wellington's most economically important commercial and population hub outside the city centre. The plan recommends the creation of a unique and identifiable Johnsonville culture around the triangular precinct - bounded by Johnsonville Road to the east, Broderick Road to the south and Moorefield Road to the west.
Johnsonville has a large infrastructure and is self-sufficient; it has its own shopping mall, two supermarkets, a library and a good number of other shops.
Johnsonville is home to Onslow College, a relatively large high decile co-educational high school, Raroa Normal Intermediate and several primary schools.
The residents of nearby suburbs such as Churton Park, Grenada Village, Newlands, Khandallah, Ngaio and Broadmeadows also use its facilities especially for shopping at the Johnsonville Shopping Centre and the two supermarkets.
Johnsonville is the starting point for Wellington's Northern Walkway, which runs from Johnsonville through several parks via the Town Belt to Kelburn. The walkway has many attractions, including spectacular views, picnic sites, children's play areas, unused tunnels and the Khandallah Summer Pool. It is steep in some places but not difficult overall. The walk takes at least four hours to complete. Various exits to suburban streets allow you to complete the walk in stages if you wish. Historic places in Johnsonville include the Daisy Hill Farm House.