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The name "Porirua" is of Maori origin. It is possibly a variant of "Pari-rua", a reference to the two arms of the Porirua Harbour . It was the name given in the 19th century to a land registration district that stretched from Kaiwharawhara (or "Kaiwarra") (on the north-west shore of Port Nicholson ) northwards to and around the Porirua Harbour . A road climbing the hill from Kaiwharawhara towards Ngaio and Khandallah is still called "Old Porirua Road".
In the 19th century a small Maori settlement existed, and a small European village grew up, partly because of the need for a ferry across the harbour. Late in that century the Porirua Mental Hospital was erected on the hill south-west of the village.
Originally planned to become a satellite city to Wellington with State housing in the late 1940s, Porirua has grown to a city population approaching 55,000. Major territorial additions to the city were made in 1973 and 1988 as part of the reduction and eventual abolition of the Hutt County .
Suburbs include Ascot Park , Cannons Creek , Elsdon (named after writer Elsdon Best ), Onepoto , Paremata, Pauatahanui , Plimmerton, Pukerua Bay (where film-maker Peter Jackson grew up), Ranui Heights , Takapuwahia (originally a Ngati Toa settlement), Titahi Bay , Waitangirua , and Whitby. Rural localities include Judgeford and Horokiri .
Local government in the area is shared by the Porirua City Council and the Wellington Regional Council .
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