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Story: Auckland places

Burning homes

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Burning homes

At Ōkahu Bay, boys watch the burning of their homes, which were part of Ngāti Whātua’s last Auckland settlement. The government had eyed the area for housing since the 1920s and in 1951 it forcibly bought the land from the tribe. The new owners considered the settlement a slum and razed it to the ground. The site then became a park.

Using this item

Auckland Council Libraries − Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero o Tāmaki Makaurau

Reference: 7-A14286A

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero o Tāmaki Makaurau must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Margaret McClure, Auckland places – Eastern suburbs: Ōrākei to the Tāmaki River, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/16197/burning-homes (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Margaret McClure, published 2 March 2009, updated 5 August 2016.

Comments

Ngahuia Asher
01 March 2015
Kia ora Te Ara for providing this. Extremely important to my research. I just wish I could locate the actual photo via Auckland Library. Their website is so difficult to navigate. I've used Te Ara for many many research topics. Thank goodness you exist. Kia ora rawa atu.
tenivisa
15 November 2012
hi my name is tenivisa just new about dis