Westfield, New Zealand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Westfield
Suburb
A look over the still mostly industrialised Westfield area, with the Railway yards in the front.
Westfield Location in New Zealand
Country	New Zealand
Local authority	Auckland Council

	Westfield, New Zealand

Westfield is a busy industrial area in Auckland, New Zealand. It's known for its history of factories and its important transport links.

For many years, large meat processing factories called abattoirs were located here. They used to release a lot of untreated waste into the Manukau Harbour. This was really bad for the harbour's environment. At the start of the 1900s, the harbour was a popular spot for swimming, sailing, and fishing. But by the middle of the 20th century, it became unhealthy. Its shellfish were even risky to eat. Luckily, since these factories closed down, the water quality has gotten much better.

Westfield is also home to a large railway yard. This is where train carriages are sorted and moved around. It's located right next to the Manukau Harbour.

A very important historical place is Portage Road. This was once part of "Te Tō Waka," which means "the canoe dragging place." Māori people would pull their waka (canoes) overland here. This allowed them to travel between the two main harbours of Auckland. It connected the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea without having to paddle all the way around North Cape. Because of this, the area was super important for travel and trade for hundreds of years.

Westfield's Story

A Look at the Past

During World War II, there were plans to build a canal in Westfield. This canal would have connected the two harbours directly. The canal was never built, but the land set aside for it still exists. It's located between the Tamaki River and Manukau Harbour.

Westfield was once a major industrial hub. It had a large meat processing plant called the Westfield Freezing Works. This plant was a big part of the area's industry. It was located close to the main railway line, the North Island Main Trunk. The buildings were closed down in the 1980s and 1990s. This freed up lots of land, which was then redeveloped into modern office parks.

Another important factory was the Kempthorne Prosser Chemical Fertiliser Works. This factory made chemical fertilisers and operated from 1887 to 1966. Its buildings were taken down in the 1970s.

Transport and Travel

Westfield used to have its own railway station, called Westfield Railway Station. However, this station was permanently closed in March 2017. Not many people were using it. Auckland Transport explained that it would have cost too much money to upgrade the station to keep it open.