Flat Bush is a developing suburb of Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Located near Manukau Heights

Manukau Heights

Manukau Heights is a suburb to the east of the centre of the former Manukau City, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located east of the motorway, with the shopping and business district of the City to the west....

, it is governed by the Auckland Council

Auckland Council

The Auckland Council is the council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the existing regional council and the region's seven previous city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city" governed by a mayor, 20...

, which has planned for the area to undergo substantial development since buying 290 hectares there in 1996. At least 40,000 people are expected to live in the suburb by 2020.

The suburb contains the 94 hectare "Barry Curtis Park", named in recognition of Manukau's longest standing mayor, Barry Curtis

Barry Curtis

Sir Barry Curtis was the Mayor of Manukau from 1983 until 2007. When he announced his intention to retire in 2007, he was New Zealand's longest serving mayor at that time.-Career:...

, with a development programme stretching into the 2020s. A neighbouring 20 hectare town centre will be developed starting in 2010, and planning is underway for subdivision of another 440 hectares.

New Zealand's first cable-stayed bridge

Cable-stayed bridge

A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....

, on Ormiston Road, runs through the middle of Barry Curtis Park

Barry Curtis Park

Barry Curtis Park is a new park named after Barry Curtis in Flat Bush, Manukau City of which the first stage was opened in April 2009. At 94 hectares, it is one of New Zealand's largest parks, of a size as has not been established since the Auckland Domain in the 1840s.The park is currently only...

, which is to be the green centre piece of the new town. The bridge was opened in October 2008.

Flat Bush has four schools: Mission Heights Junior College and Mission Heights Primary (which both opened in February 2009), Baverstock Oaks School (opened 2005), Tryndale Park Christian School and Ormiston Senior College (opened 2011).

External links

• Flat Bush, Manukau City Council