Grafton Railway Station Place Name Report
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This report is also available in PDF Grafton railway station place name report (pdf 2.72MB).
- Altered railway station name
- Grafton Railway Station or
- Khyber Pass Railway Station
- Adjacent to Central Auckland.
27 March 2009 Place Name Proposal Report
General Background
The submitter is Ontrack, who are relocating the Boston Road Railway Station from beneath the Auckland southern motorway to the intersection of Park Road and Khyber Pass Road, Auckland.
The proposal seeks to alter the place name of Boston Road Railway Station to Grafton Railway Station or Khyber Pass Railway Station. Ontrack is in the process of extensively remodelling the rail network within the larger Auckland city area, which will better manage transport flows in the future. The new site of the railway station will bring it closer to Auckland Domain, Auckland Hospital, Auckland University, and any future developments by AMP on the Lion Breweries site.
Ontrack has provided documentary evidence of consultation.
| Support Grafton Railway Station proposal | Support Khyber Pass Railway Station proposal |
|---|---|
| Auckland City Council Transport Committee | Auckland Regional Transport Authority |
| Hobson Community Board | Department of Corrections (Mt Eden Prison) |
| Grafton Residents Association | Newmarket Business Association. |
The submitter states that the proposed railway station names have been forwarded to Auckland Grammar School, St Peter's College, Auckland War Memorial Museum, University of Auckland School of Medical and Health Sciences, Campaign for Better Transport and Ngāti Whātua o Orakei for consultation; however, no responses have been received.
Alternative names which were considered during Ontrack's consultation were suggested by AMP and the Auckland District Health Board. Auckland City Council Transport Committee argue that naming the feature 'Grafton Railway Station' would be consistent with the practice to name a railway station after the suburb in which it is located. It is the view of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority that the name should provide specific information as to where the location of the station is within context to the adjacent area. They argue that 'Khyber Pass Station' will improve legibility and understanding of the public transport system, making communications and marketing more relevant to users. However, they consider that 'Grafton Railway Station' also fits the principles of their station naming policy, and while it is not their preferred name, it would be an acceptable alternative to 'Khyber Pass Railway Station'.
One other location in New Zealand, near the mouth of the Wainuiomata River, Wellington, is named Khyber Pass (refer to NZ Gazette 1948, p.939). The name Khyber Pass also appears in the New Zealand Place Names Database (Archived) as a recorded name, as follows:
Khyber Pass
District: Hawke's Bay
Description: PASS: Low point in a range of hills
Lat: -39.8742
Long: 176.2221
NZMG Easting: 2785587
NZMG Northing: 6143101.7
NZMS 260 sheet: U22
The only other duplication is Khyber Pass Road, which is in the vicinity of the railway station.
The name Grafton has not been gazetted as official through the NZGB Act, however, it appears in the New Zealand Place Names Database (Archived) as a recorded name, as follows:
Grafton
District: North Auckland
Description: SUBURB: Component part of a town
Lat: -36.8661
Long: 174.7632
NZMG Easting: 2667618.1
NZMG Northing: 6480427
NZMS 260 sheet: R11
Duplication of the name Grafton is prevalent, but is predominately concentrated in the area of
Auckland city:
| Grafton Bridge | Auckland City |
| Grafton Road | Auckland City Wellington Gisborne Thames |
| Grafton Terrace | Auckland City |
| Grafton Street | Christchurch |
While Ontrack advise that they have no preference for either name, Auckland City Council Transport Committee is of the view that the name of the railway station should be 'Grafton Railway Station', reflecting the name of the suburb where it is located. However, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority argue for 'Khyber Pass Railway Station', in that the name should provide specific information as to where the location of the station is within context to the adjacent area.
16 September 2009 Place Name Summary Report
At its previous meeting of 27 March 2009, the Board noted that the proposer, Ontrack has relocated the former Boston Railway Station from beneath the Auckland southern motorway to the intersection of Park Road and Khyber Pass Road, in the suburb of Grafton, Auckland. Media attention about the proposed name change has garnered interest from the local community and businesses. Ontrack proposed two names and advised no preference for either. Ontrack consulted a number of organisations and authorities within the vicinity and wider metropolitan Auckland. The two Auckland transport authorities have opposing views for the names. One supports Khyber Pass Railway Station and the other supports Grafton Railway Station, both advising valid reasons for their particular choice.
The Board noted that those who opted for Khyber Pass Railway Station could live with the option of Grafton Railway Station. The Board therefore accepted Grafton Railway Station as a proposal and proceeded to publicly notify for a three month period.
To give effect to the 'Protocols for Maori Place Names', the views of six iwi were sought;
| Contact | Iwi | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Don Baker Chairperson | Te Rūnanga a Iwi o Ngāti Tamaterā | Paeroa |
| Waati Ngamane Chairperson | Ngāti Maru ki Hauraki Inc | Thames |
| Te Warena Taua Chairperson | Te Kawera a Maki Iwi Tribal Authority | Manukau |
| Naida Glavish Chairperson | Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua | Whangarei |
| Glen Tupuhi Chairperson | The Ngāti Paoa Trust Board | Pukekohe |
| Grant Hawke Chairperson | Ngāti Whātua o Ōrakei Māori Trust Board | Auckland |
No response from iwi has been received.
Submissions received following public notification resulted in two objections for Grafton Station and five in support.
| Objector | Grounds for Objection | Preference |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara Sturmfels 17 May 2009 (within notification period) |
|
Khyber Pass Railway Station |
| Ken McLeod 10 August 2009 (within notification period) |
|
Khyber Pass Railway Station |
| Supporter | Grounds for Support | Preference |
|---|---|---|
| Alan Most 15 May 2009 (within notification period) |
|
Grafton Railway Station |
| Jacqui Wilkinson 20 April 2009 outside notification period) |
|
Grafton Railway Station |
| Alister M Martin Honorary Consul-General for Papua New Guinea 3 April 2009 (outside notification period) |
|
Grafton Railway Station |
| John and Kathleen Shaw 1 April 2009 (outside notification period) |
|
Grafton Railway Station |
| Craig Gillett 19 May 2009 (within notification period) |
|
Grafton Railway Station |
Map
For a larger scale version of this map please refer to the pdf version of the Grafton railway station place name report (pdf 2.72MB).


