The New Zealand Geographic Board has accepted City Rail Link and Auckland Transport’s proposal to give four train stations te reo Māori ingoa (names) in honour of the city’s past.
The new names are Maungawhau (Mt Eden), Karanga a Hape (Karangahape), Te Waihorotiu (Aotea) and Waitematā (Britomart).
Each of the names, gifted by City Rail Link’s Mana Whenua Forum, are strongly linked to each station’s location.
Mana Whenua Forum spokesperson Kingi Makoare, (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei), said they had drawn on intergenerational wisdom in gifting the names, which gave meaning and purpose.
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”We believe this whakapapa is a chance to share and celebrate the rich history of Tāmaki Makaurau with the wider community.
“It’s about reinstating the traditional names of the area – looking back to a time before concrete and skyscrapers – when people lived off the land. They reflect the mythology, atua, people and aspects of early life indigenous to the landscapes.”
The names were quintessentially Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa, he said.
Karanga a Hape station – which is a correction of the misspelled Karangahape – means “the call of Hape”. Hape was an ancestor of the Tainui iwi who made his own way to Tāmaki Makaurau when his waka left him in Hawaiki.
Te Waihorotiu station refers to the stream Wai Horotiu, which flows beneath Queen St. Wai Horotiu has been covered up by urbanisation, but its name has also been lent to the Queen St transformation project.
Maungawhau is the namesake of Mt Eden, and was originally named for its whau trees.
City Rail Link chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney said the names celebrated the projects’ strong links to history and storytelling.
Chris McKeen/Stuff
Britomart station is being renamed to honour the land around the station which was reclaimed from the Waitematā harbour. (File photo)
“The names and station designs are a unique expression of a cultural narrative for both the people and the city that hasn’t been seen anywhere else in the world, evocative of both people and place,” he said.
The names and designs were revealed at the proposed Te Wai Horotiu (Aotea) site in May, last year, and went through a public consultation process.
Auckland Transport (AT) interim chief executive Mark Lambert said the names acknowledged the “rich history” of the area.
“It has been a privilege to work with Mana Whenua on this journey, and we look forward to even stronger connections in the future,” he said.
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