Papakura North


Papakura North is a suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. Located on the eastern shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 30 kilometres south of Auckland CBD under authority of the Auckland Council. The suburb makes up the area between the Papakura Town Centre and Takanini, making up the southernmost part of the Auckland metropolitan area.
Papakura North is home to the national headquarters of the New Zealand Special Air Service, a branch of the New Zealand Army.

History

Papakura North became recognised as an independent suburb when the Papakura District was overtaken by Auckland's urban sprawl, and was separated from the other areas east and west of the town centre. The previous area was referred to as a small area of greater Papakura, but has now developed into a single suburban area, stretching south of the Addison complex, west of the Southern Railway Line, down to Old Wairoa Road, and right to the western border of the Papakura Military Camp.
Arimu Road and Russell Road properties were originally vacated by army personnel, until the mid-1990s when they were sold off for private use. However this area still remains a Defence Area as ordered by the NZ SAS for security purposes. Access points to the Papakura Military Camp on Russell Road and Walters Road are secured by electric fencing and the area is not listed in Google Maps. The speed limit down the north side of Arimu Road still remains 30 km/h and the surrounding area is often monitored by army staff. Training exercises often take place in the restricted camp area.

People

The most common ethnic group in Papakura North is European as at 2006, with 71.0 percent. Maori residents only make up 19.7 percent of the suburb, and Asian residents consisting of 7.5 percent.
According to the 2006 New Zealand census, the most common occupational group in Papakura North is Professionals, and the least common group is Community and personal service workers, with an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent of the Papakura North population.