mar 18, 1966 - Waipapa hostel demolished
Description:
In 1955, the New Zealand Herald revealed that Waipapa had become dilapidated, describing it
as a “blot on the face of Auckland.” A social worker labelled the place a “dungeon.” There was no furniture in some rooms; guests slept on mattresses on the floor; a wood-fired coal range
was the only cooking facility; water had to be drawn from an outside tap; and electricity was
only used for lighting. With parties of schoolchildren staying there for up to a week, the place created “a bad impression of city life and the provisions made for Maoris in Auckland.” In response, the Māori Trustee, Mr T. Ropiha, explained that plans were afoot to renovate the place or completely rebuild it.93 However, by this time the need for it was declining. With many Māori from outside Auckland now moving to the city to work and live—as mātāwaka—state
and religious agencies were providing hostel accommodation for young single Māori men and women. Māori couples and families were also moving into houses and flats in inner city
suburbs like Freeman’s Bay; city visitors were thus often able to stay with friends or whanau.
Waipapa was therefore living on borrowed time. This ran out in 1966, when the building was
summarily demolished, for a proposed but unbuilt motorway ramp. A witness watched the
massive timber portal emblazoned with “Waipapa” and the large entranceway “rules and
regulations” board being removed before the building too disappeared. Referencing the now
landlocked Mechanic’s Bay, the observer recorded: “‘Waipapa’ the house, like Waipapa the bay, was no more
Source: https://ojs.victoria.ac.nz/jnzs/article/download/4100/3630/
Added to timeline:
A chronology of Māori housing in Tāmaki Makaurau - Key events
This timeline charts the changing institutional framework an...
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