Papakura

Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Papakura
Suburb
Aerial view of Papakura and the Auckland Southern Motorway
Coordinates: 37°3′45″S 174°56′31″E / 37.06250°S 174.94194°E / -37.06250; 174.94194
Country	New Zealand
City	Auckland
Local authority	Auckland Council
Electoral ward	Manurewa-Papakura ward
Local board	Papakura Local Board
Established	1846
Area [1]
• Land	1,291 ha (3,190 acres)
Population  (June 2024)[2]
• Total	31,750
Train stations	Papakura railway station
Hospitals	Counties Manukau District Health Board

Wattle Downs	Takanini	Ardmore
Pahurehure	Papakura	Red Hill
Rosehill	Drury	Ōpaheke

Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of the Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council.

The area was settled by Tāmaki Māori in the 13th or 14th centuries, who utilised the resources of the Hunua Ranges and Manukau Harbour. A defensive pā was constructed on Pukekiwiriki, and the surrounding area developed into gardens. By the latter 18th century, the tribal identities of Te Ākitai Waiohua, Ngāti Tamaoho and Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua began developing, among Waiohua descendant iwi of the Manukau Harbour, who lived seasonally in the Papakura area.

The first permanent European residents moved to Papakura in 1846. The town developed significantly during the construction of the Great South Road, and was a military outpost during the Invasion of the Waikato. During the latter 19th century, Papakura became a centre for the kauri gum trade, logging and later dairy farming. In 1938, the town had grown enough to become the Borough of Papakura, independent from the surrounding Manukau County.

From the 1950s, Papakura and the surrounding areas urbanised, in part due to the construction of the Auckland Southern Motorway. By 1987, Papakura had become a part of the greater urban sprawl of Auckland. In 1975, Papakura became a city, but lost this status in 1989 due to local government reforms.