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Papakura District
Country:	New Zealand
Main town:	Papakura
Other towns:	Alfriston, Drury, Pahurehure, Ardmore, Redhill, Takanini
Population:	45,283 (2006 census)
Papakura (central)	28,010
Takanini	10,870
Territorial Authority
Name:	Papakura District
Mayor:	John Robertson
Extent:	Takanini to Drury; Pahurehure to Ardmore/Alfriston
Land Area:	123 km²
Website:	http://www.papakura.govt.nz
See also:	Manukau City, Franklin
Council Contacts
Postal Address	35 Coles Cres, Private Bag 7, Auckland
Internet	pdc.govt.nz
E-Mail	(@link)
Regional Council
Name:	Auckland Regional Council
Website:	http://www.arc.govt.nz

The Papakura District is one of the several local territories in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It is nearly the southernmost part of the Auckland metropolitan area, and forms part of the area informally known as South Auckland.

Originally a small independent city, it became Papakura District in the 1989 reorganisation of New Zealand's local governments, and has now been overtaken by Auckland’s urban sprawl. The district is flanked by beaches on the Manukau Harbour to the west, Manukau City to the north, and farmland to the east and south, with Drury the closest town in that direction.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 District Wards 1.2 List of Suburbs 1.2.1 Inner Suburbs 1.2.2 Outer Suburbs 1.2.3 Satellite Towns 2 History 3 People 3.1 Populations 3.2 Famous Figures 4 Local Facilities 4.1 Sports 4.2 Outdoor Recreation 4.3 Ardmore Airport 4.4 Government 4.5 Army Base 4.6 Transport 4.7 McLennan 4.8 News & Media 5 Notes 6 External links

The district is divided into four wards; Ardmore, Drury, Red Hill, and Pahurehure.

• Ardmore Ward is northernmost, including routes to Ardmore.
• Pahurehure Ward is north and west.
• Drury Ward is southernmost, bounded by Franklin. It includes motorway links and routes to Karaka.
• Red Hill Ward lies to the east, and includes routes to Hunua and Clevedon.

The district has a few beaches to the west, although some of these beaches are unable to be used due to pollution and sewage disposal. These beaches are often used for BMX biking and regional projects and are closely watched by local councils.

Below is a list of suburbs in the Papakura District.

(Clockwise starting north of Papakura's central town center)

• Addison, Papakura, Takanini, Conifer Grove, Longford Park, Papakura Central, Opaheke, Rosehill, and Pahurehure.

(Clockwise starting northwest of Takanini's central township)

• Manurewa East, Ardmore, and Red Hill.

• Conifer Grove
• Takanini
• Papakura
• Pahurehure

Red Hill is believed to be Papakura's most picturesque suburb, with views of approaches to Papakura and the greater Auckland area.

Papakura's name originates from Māori words papa, meaning earth or flat (abbreviation of Papatuanuku) and kura meaning red, reflecting the rich, fertile soil upon which the district was founded. The indigeneous Māori people built a Pa named Puke-Kiwi-Riki, at the top of Red Hill, overlooking the Manukau Harbour and surrounding countryside, to Manukau Heights. Puke-Kiwi-Riki was once the domain of a diminutive but respected Ngati-Paoa chief named Kiwi.

Great South Road, runs through some of Papakura's suburbs, forming the areas main street. The road was constructed during the New Zealand Wars to transport supplies to the Waikato campaign. Much of the road between Newmarket (Auckland City) and Drury (Franklin District) is laid in concrete, up to 1 foot thick but is now covered with asphalt.

In 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 area 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 with Auckland, including it into the Auckland Region. The district was now apart of the Auckland Metropolitan Area, and was soon put on southern boundaries of Auckland City.

Papakura District’s population is estimated to be growing at three times the rate of New Zealand as a whole and is predominantly European. It features a mixture of ethnicities which is fairly typical of New Zealand, although over 20% of its residents are Māori and less than 75% are European.^[1] The city council is planning for Papakura's population to more than triple within the next 50 years.^[2]

• Papakura - 28010
• Takanini - 10870
• Drury (Franklin District) - 3360

• Sir Edmund Hillary- First to climb Mount Everest
• Joe Rokocoko - All Blacks rugby player
• David Dixon - American Football Player and Minnesota millionaire
• John Walker- Olympic gold medallist
• Fleur Adcock- Famous Internationally recognized poet
• George Hawkins - New Zealand MP
• P-Money - hip-hop DJ
• Blair Pocock - Cricketer
• Lance Hamilton - Cricketer
• Keisha Castle-Hughes - Oscar-nominated Actress
• Rhys Castle-Hughes - Young New Zealand Actor
• Nicky Watson - Model/Divorcee

Papakura boasts an Olympic-sized swimming pool at the Massey Park Aquatic Centre (associated with Mount Albert's Philips Aquatic Centre), an international-quality athletics track, a small yet handy sports stadium, and several venues for rugby, netball, golf, tennis, badminton, soccer and other sports.

While Pahurehure, Papakura West, and Eastern areas of Papakura have beaches, there are more popular beaches nearby at Maraetai, Mission Bay, Tamaki Drive, Orere Point, and Kawakawa Bay on the Hauraki Gulf. A 30 minute drive southeast of the Papakura District is the Hunua Ranges (in Franklin District). This Auckland Regional attraction features a waterfall and forested walking tracks. Since Papakura has no major river, just a stream, much of Auckland's water (including Papakura District’s) is supplied from reservoirs in the Hunua Ranges.

Ardmore Airport serves recreational aviators and private flights. It is the haven for local pilots. 2005: A small aircraft was stolen from Ardmore on election night in 2005, with the pilot threatening to fly the envio aircraft into the city's Sky Tower. The Sky Tower was slowly evacuated and the pilot eventually crashed the plane off the sea in Kohimarama, in Central Auckland.^[3][4]

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.

Papakura North is home to the New Zealand Army base where its SAS special forces are located.^[5] Nearby Army Homes are located on the streets of Arimu Road, Russell Ave, and Dittmar Place, located just 2 minutes away.

Auckland's southern motorway and the North Island Main Trunk Railway run through the Papakura District and a large airfield is located nearby at Ardmore. Bus and train services provide the bulk of public transport, with frequent services between Papakura and the CBD (Britomart). Recent investment has focused on upgrading and refurbishing the region's trains and suburban railway stations. Papakura is the final stop for most southbound public transport in Auckland. Papakura is widely affected by Auckland's acute traffic congestion problems, Transit New Zealand always focuses on these issues and helps prevent major congestion build-up throughout the region.

Currently, McLennan Park, the 24ha site is the future site of also a new suburb: McLennan. The development company "McConnell Property" has agreed to take over the development of the land from "Housing New Zealand", the former owners.

After rezoning approvals McLennan plans to have around about 450 modern homes being built, a new school, a new college, an early childhood service centre, a sports centre with large grounds, and a couple of modern public parks. Again, this project is believed to increase the local market value of the surrounding areas in the future.

Construction will start in approximately early 2007 and the project is believed to be completed in the next 10-12 years.

The Papakura community newspaper is the Papakura Courier, and The Aucklander is also delivered in the area.

1. ^ Papakura District Community Profile. Statistics New Zealand (2003). Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
2. ^ Progress Papakura: Long Term Council Community Plan 2006 - 2016: Volume 1 (PDF) 6 (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
3. ^ Pilot survives plane crash after drama. TVNZ. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.
4. ^ Jilted pilot jailed for NZ tower crash threat. ABC News Online. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.
5. ^ Forces and Locations. New Zealand Defence Force. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.

• Papakura District Council
• Interactive Maps: zoomin.co.nz     District Plan     Wises
• 2006 Census results (provisional) (Excel format)
• Some histories of Papakura
• Breakwater against the Tide, by Elsdon Craig A definitive history of Papakura.
• Papakura Marae
• Rosehill College
• Papakura High School
• Papakura District Coat of Arms description of civic heraldry

The Overlander passenger train stops: (North Island Main Trunk Railway)
Auckland (Britomart) | Middlemore | Papakura | Pukekohe | Hamilton | Otorohanga | Te Kuiti | Taumarunui | National Park | Ohakune | Marton | Feilding | Palmerston North | Levin | Paraparaumu | Porirua | Wellington (Railway Station)

Coordinates: 37°05′S 174°57′E