Papatoetoe
Papatoetoe is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest suburb in Auckland by population and is located to the northwest of Manukau Central, and 18 kilometres southeast of Auckland CBD.
Papatoetoe | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Papatoetoe | |
| Coordinates: 36.979770°S 174.851224°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland |
| Local authority | Auckland Council |
| Electoral ward | Manukau ward |
| Local board | Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board |
| Area | |
| • Land | 1,110 ha (2,740 acres) |
| Population (June 2022) | |
| • Total | 49,130 |
| Train stations | Papatoetoe Train Station Puhinui Train Station |
| Māngere East | Middlemore | Ōtara |
| (Towards Auckland Airport) |
Papatoetoe
|
Flat Bush |
| (Towards Manukau Harbour) | Manukau Central | Manukau Central |
Papatoetoe was traditionally an important area for Tāmaki Māori, who used a waka portage between the Tāmaki River and Waokauri Creek to reach the Manukau Harbour, as an alternative to the Ōtāhuhu portage to the north. The area developed as a farming community in the 19th century, and grew significantly in the 1950s and 1960s after the Auckland Southern Motorway was constructed. Papatoetoe is now known for its significant population of Indian New Zealanders. Papatoetoe is the only suburb in South Auckland where Māori/Pacific Islanders do not form the majority of the suburb's population, and is one of the most rapidly gentrifying suburbs in Auckland.