Ōrākei Sewerage System Box 

Introduction

This box was presented to the Mayor of Auckland, Christopher Parr, at the opening ceremony for the Ōrākei sewerage system in 1914.  The silver box (also known as a casket) was designed in the shape of the main sewage pipe and is engraved with the names of the members of the drainage board who implemented the system, as well as information about the operation of the sewage system.  On one side of the box there is also an engraved illustration of Ōkahu Bay, which shows the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei papakāinga and the newly installed sewer pipe running along the foreshore in front of it.  This finely crafted box commemorates a significant moment in the development of the city of Auckland, but it also marks a traumatic event for members of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, whose papakāinga was severely impacted by the installation of the sewer pipes.   

At the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Auckland was growing rapidly and the city’s leaders were grappling with how to solve the increased infrastructure and service requirements. One of the biggest issues was an inadequate sewage system, which only served part of the city and led to raw effluent being dumped and discharged into many bays in the Waitematā Harbour. The polluted waterways in Auckland were one of the many causes of public health concerns in the city.   

After considering various proposals, Auckland Council decided to implement a new scheme with a single outfall near the southern entrance to the Waitematā Harbour at Ōkahu Point. The decision was opposed by members of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, whose ancestral papakāinga, with its whare nui, urupā and gardens, was located at Ōkahu Bay and who still owned much of the surrounding land at Ōrākei. Despite visiting the Council to voice their concerns, the scheme went ahead. From 1914, much of the city’s waste was carried via the main sewer across Ōkahu Bay to several large holding tanks (now the site of Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium) before it was discharged into the harbour at high tide, with the expectation that the raw sewage would flow further out to sea. 

The engraved image of Ōkahu Bay on the silver box depicts a tranquil, picturesque scene, but the reality for those that lived in the papakāinga was very different once the sewage system became operational. The 8-foot (2.5 metre) high sewage pipe blocked access to Ōkahu Bay and caused the papakāinga to flood regularly, while the raw effluent polluted the local shellfish beds and fishing grounds. As Ropata Paora of Ngāti Whātua recounts, the sewage system was unhygienic and deeply offensive to Māori values, yet "amidst all of that ... we still tried to stay and make the best of a bad situation." 

From 1912, however, the Crown began purchasing land at Ōrākei, which had been converted to individual title by the Native Land Court in 1869 despite the objections of Ngāti Whātua leaders, who had intended to keep 700 acres at Ōrākei in tribal ownership. By 1951, the Crown had purchased or compulsorily taken all of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei land except for the papakāinga at Ōkahu Bay. The following year, the Government evicted the remaining residents from the papakāinga and relocated them to state houses in Ōrākei. Paora describes it as an extremely traumatic time for the hapū but, he says, it is “also a story about resilience”. 

Originally created to celebrate Auckland’s first integrated wastewater system, this box also provides insights into other significant histories in the city, including the enduring presence and resilience of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the use and misuse of power, and the changing relationships between people and their environments. 

Text by Lucy Mackintosh