The ins and outs of Station Naming

Using te reo Māori names across New Zealand is an important movement and one we’re proud to be a part of. Not only does it promote te ao Māori (the Māori world view), it also celebrates a rich aspect of Aotearoa’s cultural heritage.

Together, City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) and Auckland Transport (AT) have submitted a joint request to the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) to name its four rail stations.

The station names are:

Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden)

Maungawhau Station directly references the significant nearby dormant volcano, Maungawhau/Mt Eden. The name translates to “mountain of whau”, named for the abundant whau tree growing on its slopes. Whau was an important taonga/resource for early Māori and was used in fishing and traditional healing practices.

Karanga a Hape Station (Karangahape)

Karanga a Hape Station is a grammatical correction of the existing name, Karangahape. It means the “Calling of Hape”. It references the welcome call that Tainui ancestor Hape performed to his relatives who denied him passage in the waka across the ocean to Aotearoa.

Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea)

Te Wai Horotiu will be New Zealand’s busiest rail station when the CRL opens. Its name is a direct link to the past when the Waihorotiu stream flowed down the nearby Queen Steet valley, providing a life-giving resource to local people.

Waitematā Station (Britomart)

Waitematā Station is named after the nearby Waitematā Harbour and references how the rail station itself is built on land reclaimed from the harbour - where its waters and Waihorotiu merged.

The NZGB is the designated authority for naming New Zealand’s places, including train stations. And while our CRL stations have current project or ‘interim’ names, none of the CRL stations have been officially named through this process. In fact, the only station in New Zealand to have been officially named in this way is Grafton.

After receiving the formal naming submission, the NZGB will consult on the proposal and likely go out for a public submission. CRL and AT expect a decision by the end of 2022.

CRL Ltd is honoured to be undertaking this process to name our stations with AT – which will operate the rail link when its complete. AT are working hard to make sure the new station names can be adopted into the rail network, scheduling, and ticketing facilities when the project is complete.