Papakura is a suburb of Auckland, and is currently under authority of the Auckland Council, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres south of Auckland CBD. Papakura is the last off-ramp on Auckland's southern motorway and the area is not considered to be a part of South Auckland because of its rural and urban lifestyle, unlike nearby Manukau City.
Papakura is a Māori word believed to have originated from papa, meaning earth or flat (abbreviation of Papatuanuku) and kura meaning red, reflecting the rich, fertile soil upon which the community was founded.
History
An old highway, the
Great South Road, runs through Papakura, forming its main street. The road was constructed during the
New Zealand Wars to transport supplies to the Waikato campaign. It was guarded by armed constabulary and was a designated military road.
During the major reformation of local government in 1989, Papakura became a district. Prior to that time, a smaller area was known as Papakura City, which was a small city of New Zealand, but the new district included parts of the surrounding rural countryside that had previously been part of Manukau City. After the major change “Papakura City” went to “Papakura District”, and instead of being an independent city, the area was amalgamated, including it into the Auckland Region. The whole district counts as part of the Auckland urban area for statistical purposes, forming part of its southern boundary.
From October 2010, after a review of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance, the entire Auckland Region was amalgamated into a single city authority. As well as the Papakura District, other territorial authorities such as North Shore City, Rodney District, Waitakere City, Auckland City, Manukau City, and the Franklin District were abolished and the entire area was dissolved into a single Auckland city council. The suburb of Papakura and other suburbs of the Papakura District are now in the Manurewa-Papakura Ward of the Auckland Council.
Military Camp
The Papakura Military Camp was established on the outskirts of the town in 1940 and remains an important army base for
New Zealand. It incorporates the New Zealand
SAS training area. In the early 2000s some land was set aside for new housing developments.
Association football
Papakura is home to
Papakura City who compete in the
Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.
Education
Primary education
Papakura has many primary schools in its zone (excluding
Rosehill,
Takanini, and
Opaheke):
Papakura Normal School is a coeducational full primary school with the state system. It has a decile rating of 3.
Papakura Central School is a coeducational full state primary school with a decile rating of 5.
Papakura South School is a coeducational full state primary school. It has a decile rating of 1.
Kelvin Road School is a coeducational state contributing primary school.It has a decile rating of 1.
Edmund Hillary School is a coeducational state full primary school.It has a decile rating of 1.
Cosgrave School is a coeducational state contributing primary school.It has a decile rating of 2.
St Mary's School is a state integrated coeducational school. It has a decile rating of 4.
Park Estate Primary is a state integrated coeducational contributing to Rosehill Intermediate and on to Rosehill College
Intermediate education
Papakura has two intermediate school (excluding
Rosehill,
Takanini, and
Opaheke):
Mansell Senior School
Rosehill Intermediate
Secondary education
Papakura has two secondary school (excluding
Rosehill,
Takanini, and
Opaheke):
Papakura High School
Rosehill College
Notable people
Sir Edmund Hillary- Mountaineer and Explorer
Kimberley Smith - Long-distance runner
Joe Rokocoko - Rugby union player
Kieran Read - All Black
John Walker- Olympic gold medallist
Fleur Adcock - Poet
George Hawkins - New Zealand MP
P-Money - hip-hop DJ
Blair Pocock - Cricketer
Lance Hamilton - Cricketer
Reg Mombassa - Artist and Musician
Katrina Grant - Southern Steel netballer and Silver Ferns netballer
Keisha Castle-Hughes - Actress
Facilities
Government
In addition to the Local Council Chambers, Papakura is served by a large Police Department; one of Auckland's busiest stations, a District Courthouse, and a
WINZ office. In
2004, the Papakura Courthouse acted as the
Supreme Court for
Pitcairn Island.
Armed Forces
Papakura once served a significant
military population, but now only the
SAS special forces are based at Papakura.. Nearby houses were originally Army Homes, but are now in private hands.
Transport
, viewed from Clevedon Road]]
Auckland's
southern motorway and the
North Island Main Trunk Railway run through the Papakura District. Train and bus services provide the bulk of public transport, with frequent trains on the
Southern Line between
Papakura and the CBD (
Britomart). Recent investment has focused on upgrading and refurbishing the region's trains and suburban railway stations, most recently with the opening of a modern station facility at the town centre. Papakura is the final stop for most southbound public transport in Auckland, and Papakura is the third busiest station on the rail network. Drawn by frequent services into and out of the city, rail commuters come from Papakura itself, Franklin County and the northern Waikato. Though the motorway and Great South Road flow relatively freely at peak times, road commuters are affected by the acute traffic congestion as they get closer to metropolitan Auckland.
Recreation
Some notable sports facilities include an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, an international-quality athletics track, a sports stadium, and venues for rugby, netball, golf, tennis, badminton, soccer, and many other sports. The council also operates a library and a theatre. Papakura also has a number of skate parks, and a skate bowl.
External links
Papakura District Council
New Auckland Council
Papakura Normal School
Papakura High School
Notes
Category:Suburbs of Auckland
Category:Populated places in New Zealand