Why Auckland may never become a Grown-Up city

in General by Jon C — March 19, 2009 at 12:26 pm | 3 comments

Auckland’s small-minded small-town parochialism strikes again.

No wonder Auckland is the butt of jokes country-wide.

Hurry up Rodney and give us one council with people capable of making business decisions fit for a real major city.

The new railway station on the corner of Khyber Pass and Park Rd opens in 12 months.

It replaces the present Boston Rd station - named because it’s ..well it’s in Boston Rd.

Kind of logical I guess.

Just as New Lynn is called New Lynn station because it’s smack dab in the middle of the New Lynn shops. And Sylvia Park is called that because it’s outside that named shopping centre.

So a station in Khyber Pass should be called … let’s guess.
..How about Grafton?

Grafton is that little horizontally-challenged suburb way way over in that direction by the Auckland Hospital which is sort of in some long walking distance away but not if you’re sick and in a wheelchair.

Khyber Pass is and always has been in the heart of thriving bustling Newmarket.
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Some group called the Grafton Residents say it should be called Grafton because Khyber Pass is not a suburb and train stations are named after suburbs.

Funny but I have heard of the Boston Rd station but never heard of a suburb called Boston Rd but then I have only lived in Auckland all my life.

Google maps doesn’t seem to be able to find a Boston suburb in Auckland either.

Newmarket Business Association’s Cameron Brewer as always brings some sensible life to the debate.

Here’s what he emailed:

“We respect that over the years the suburb of Grafton’s identity has been eroded away by the likes of motorways. However while we have a lot of sympathy for this disappearing suburb, we strongly believe the name of the station should reflect its actual geographical location nothing else. This station will sit right in the middle of Khyber Pass Road, a well known Auckland arterial road. What’s more, let’s not forget that it is replacing ‘Boston Road’ so there is a strong precedent to call the station after a road not a suburb. Very few Aucklanders standing on the corner of Khyber Pass Road and Park Road would tell you they are standing in Grafton. The site of the new station is on the very far reaches of modern day Grafton. If the station was named Grafton it would not be a good geographical representation of where it is and would only confuse commuters. The most popular destination in Grafton was the Auckland Hospital, yet if visitors thought the Grafton station was the best option of getting to the hospital, they’d be disappointed when they got dropped off at the bottom of Park Road.

“Grafton residents are using this naming exercise in an attempt to reclaim some suburban identity. That is to be commended. However this is not about what’s in the best interests for Grafton residents or Newmarket businesses. This should be about what’s in the best interests for rail commuters and we strongly believe ‘Khyber Pass’ most accurately describes the new station’s geographical location. We have every confidence the New Zealand Geographical Board will agree.”

If they don’t do the sensible thing Cameron, we should stage a protest outside the not so bustling Grafton Dairy.

Indeed The Geographical Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB)  will make the final decision soon. You can make a submission by following these details.

I’m just hoping the very politically correct sounding Geographical Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) don’t get their wires crossed and decide to call the new station Whanganui!

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Tags: Boston Rd Debate new station Newmarket