Moera was formed in the 1920’s as a planned settlement for working families.
It was part of the Hutt Valley Settlement Scheme and involved both the government and the Lower Hutt Borough Council.
It began with Lower Hutt Mayor W T Strand securing options over several large blocks of land in the area.
In 1924 the government agreed to purchase the land for a new rail line from Petone to Waterloo and new railway workshops.
About half the land was set aside for residential development with some of the funds from the land sales used to fund the construction of the rail line.
Moera was built on the three blocks south of Whites Line – Mandel, Eglinton and Awamutu (Nathan and Reeves).
The government decided that the area that became Moera would be a settlement for working families.
Moera was designed in accordance with garden city planning principles and concepts. Sections were between one sixth and a quarter of an acre and included space for lawns and gardens. Space was provided for parks and recreation areas and for trees to line the streets.
The government supplied the sections, finance and the houses. The scheme entailed long term mortgages (34 year terms). Mortgage repayments were set at 22 shillings and 6 pence a week, which was significantly lower than for rentals. Houses were only available to workers with families.
The houses were prefabricated railway cottages. Building commenced in 1926 with the first houses erected in York Street. By May 1927 nearly 600 sections had been sold. Construction was completed by the end of 1927.
The development attracted considerable attention. Including that of the Duke of York (later to become King George VI). The Duke who was touring the country at the time expressed a desire to see the settlement. He visited Moera on 7 March 1927 accompanied by Prime Minister Gordon Coates and Mayor Strand. He viewed houses in Mason and Baldwin Streets and talked to some of the residents.
In October 1927 the Lower Hutt Borough Council agreed to officially name the suburb Moera. The name was first used for the workers settlement at the time of the official opening of the new railway line on 25 May 1927 but the area was still often referred to as the Mandel Block.
The name was likely derived from Moe-i-te-ra, a Te Ati Awa kainga in Wellington and means ‘sleeping in the sun’. However it’s not clear why the name was chosen for the new settlement in Lower Hutt.
