Ngākōroa railway station

Ngākōroa
Ngākōroa
General information
Location	Drury West, Auckland
Coordinates	37.1229°S 174.9357°E
Owned by	Auckland Transport
Line(s)	Southern Line
Other information
Website	KiwiRail
History
Opened	late 2025 (planned)
Electrified	Yes
Services

Ngākōroa railway station (formerly under the placeholder name Drury West railway station) is a railway station under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. It is due to open in 2025 as part of the Auckland railway electrification project. It will serve the Drury West and Runciman area, linking with new housing developments in the area. The station will be located on the existing rail line, about 450 m south of the existing intersection of State Highway 22/Karaka Road and Jesmond Road.[1]

History

As part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, Jacinda Ardern's government announced $371 million in funding towards the electrification of track from Papakura to Pukekohe, and a separate $247 million towards the construction of two new stations in Drury Central and Drury West. This was later expanded to include a third station at Paerata.

Planning consent was granted for the Drury Central and Paerata stations in February 2022, with further work being undertaken to gain approval for the Drury West station.[2]

The new stations have attracted criticism from public transport advocates, who say that they are too designed for auto-dependency.[3]

In May 2022, KiwiRail and Auckland Transport announced proposed names for the three stations, replacing the placeholder names of Paerata, Drury West, and Drury Central. These names were gifted by mana whenua, in order to restore the original te reo Māori names of the area.[4] The placeholder name of Drury West was replaced by Ngaakooroa, after the station's proximity to the Ngākōroa stream.[5]

In August 2022, the New Zealand Geographic Board returned its verdict on the name, rejecting the use of double vowels as preferred by the Mana Whenua Forum, and instead recommending the name 'Ngākōroa', in line with national and te reo Māori orthographic standards. The iwi involved expressed strong dislike of the decision, saying that standardisation of the written form is a loss of their identity and homogenisation of culture, and that they want their children to not be penalised in schools and to learn written te reo Māori in their regional form. The public consultations on the name change ran until early November that year. The Board's recommended name was approved by the Land Information Minister Damien O'Connor in March 2023.

References

"Southern station locations announced". KiwiRail. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
"Approval For Two Stations In Southern Auckland". Scoop. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
"The Papakura to Pukekohe upgrade". Greater Auckland. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
Auckland Transport [@AklTransport] (19 May 2022). "Today Kiwirail and AT are announcing the proposed names for the three new stations to be constructed between Papakura & Pukekohe. – Maketuu, – Ngaakooroa – Paeraataa. We are honoured to have been gifted these names by Mana Whenua, which restore the original Māori place names" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
Auckland Transport [@AklTransport] (19 May 2022). "Ngaakooroa Station (for Drury West) - Ngaakooroa has been chosen due to the proximity to the Ngakoroa Stream. The Ngakoroa catchment includes extensive natural resources, including large waterways, and proximity to the resources of the Manukau harbour" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

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[1] "Southern station locations announced". KiwiRail. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.

[2] "Approval For Two Stations In Southern Auckland". Scoop. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.

[3] "The Papakura to Pukekohe upgrade". Greater Auckland. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.

[4] Auckland Transport [@AklTransport] (19 May 2022). "Today Kiwirail and AT are announcing the proposed names for the three new stations to be constructed between Papakura & Pukekohe. – Maketuu, – Ngaakooroa – Paeraataa. We are honoured to have been gifted these names by Mana Whenua, which restore the original Māori place names" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[5] Auckland Transport [@AklTransport] (19 May 2022). "Ngaakooroa Station (for Drury West) - Ngaakooroa has been chosen due to the proximity to the Ngakoroa Stream. The Ngakoroa catchment includes extensive natural resources, including large waterways, and proximity to the resources of the Manukau harbour" (Tweet) – via Twitter.