Hutt Valley

The Hutt Valley is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. The lower valley, known as Lower Hutt, contains the City of Lower Hutt, often called Hutt City, while the adjacent, larger but less populous city of Upper Hutt has its business heart about 20 km up river, above the Taita Gorge. The area forms a major dormitory suburban area for Wellington City as well as being a location for manufacturing and heavy industry and educational facilities.

Petone, at the mouth of the valley, was proposed as the initial site for the settlement of Wellington by the Wellington Company. However, as the chosen site was soon seen to be prone to river flooding, early settlement was relocated to the present Wellington City. A small settlement remained at the Petone site as the whole valley was believed to be well suited as farm land.

In 1846 there was fighting between Maori tribes and the Government, known as the Hutt Valley Campaign.

Almost the whole valley was subsequently clear felled and converted to pasture or market gardens before the urbanisation of the 20th century. A small remnant of the early podocarp forest is preserved in Barton's Bush in Upper Hutt.