1953: Auckland’s Southern Motorway
July 16, 2024
By AHNZ
Today in history, 16 July 1953, Auckland’s first motorway, the Southern Motorway, officially opened. This 3.2-kilometre Penrose to Mt Wellington section was only the beginning.
Created by Minister of Works Stan Goosman (National 1.0) and he keept building it further and further south opening up southern Auckland. In 1955 it reached Wiri, then Takanini in 1963.
“Showing the cars of the official party at the opening of the Southern Motorway at the overbridge on the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway across the North Island Main Trunk railway. Beyond the parked vehicles is the Great South Road.” – Auckland Libraries [incorrect]
“The description isn’t quite accurate. The road is the beginning of the Southern Motorway, not the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, which is some way away from this point and wasn’t joined to the Motorway until some years later. And the railway isn’t the NIMT as that is the line through Glen Innes.” – Robert Winchester, Facebook (2020)
“Correct, not NIMT to me, photo appears to be taken on the Motorway overbridge, from the Ellerslie side of motorway, looking toward Gt Sth Rd Penrose. The factory with chimney on right would have been Ried Rubber tyre factory.” – Don McClean, ibid
As Auckland expanded, it resembled a living organism requiring a network of arteries to sustain its growth. Initially its size and shape was determined by tram cars but now, in the 1950s, that prescription was written by the motorcar. Roads being the lines on the paper.
The Southern Motorway played a crucial role in this development, acting as a vital conduit for workers traveling from the burgeoning suburbs in the south. These too were a government program. The Otara Project of 1952 exemplified the State’s ambitious plans to create new residential areas, anticipating the influx of people seeking homes and employment. This influx too was not natural but a State program as Maoris and Pacific Islanders came flooding in to New Zealand at the invitation of The State.
By extending the motorway further south to Wiri in 1955 and Takanini in 1963, Auckland ensured that these new suburbs were well-connected to the city’s heart. This infrastructure not only facilitated the daily commute but also fostered economic growth and urban development, making the Southern Motorway an indispensable lifeline for Auckland’s expansion. The benefit was mutual for Auckland City and Southern Auckland with the later becoming a city in its own right: Manukau City (est. 1965.) However, these two neighbors did not grow at equal rates.
As could have been predicted from the moment the Southern Motorway went ahead, South Auckland was only being made fattened up to be eaten. Despite valiant attempts to resist, such as the short-lived Tamaki City, every sibling in the nest was eventually gobbled up by the hungry Auckland City. Where once there were 27 mayors there was now one Auckland Supercity (est. 2010.)
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Image ref. NZ Herald; Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections
Ref. 1952: The Otara Project, AHNZ
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