Trams in New Zealand characterised by inflexible routes and expensive infrastructure maintenance. In Wellington there was significant opposition to the closure of the last tramway system in New Zealand, and the final decision to disestablish the remaining lines followed on a public referendum in 1959. All trolleybus systems in New Zealand have now been closed: Christchurch (1956), New Plymouth (1967), Auckland (1980), Dunedin (1982) and Wellington (2017). Auckland City had a private company operating horse-drawn trams from 1884. The Auckland Electric Tram Company's system was officially opened on 17 November 1902, but public service was delayed because three of the motormen, from Sydney, Australia,
Auckland national average of NZ$54,178. In 2014, the median personal income (for all persons older than 15 years of age, per year) in Auckland was estimated at NZ$41,860, behind only Wellington. The Auckland urban area has 340 primary schools, 80 secondary schools, and 29 composite (primary/secondary combined) schools as of February 2012, catering for nearly quarter of a million students. The majority are state schools, but 63 schools are state-integrated and 39 are private. The city is home to some of the largest schools in New Zealand, including Rangitoto College in the East Coast Bays area, the largest school in New