Penrose, New Zealand

Penrose
Penrose business plaza, an office skyscraper in the area, a local landmark - it towers over most of the lower buildings of the area
Basic information
Local authority	Auckland Council
Electoral ward	Maungakiekie-Tamaki
Local board	Maungakiekie-Tamaki
Board subdivision	Maungakiekie
Date established	1860s (approx.)
Population	675 (2006)
Facilities
Train station(s)	Penrose Train Station
Surrounds
North	Ellerslie
Northeast	Ellerslie
East	Mount Wellington
Southeast	Southdown
South	Te Papapa
Southwest	Oranga
West	One Tree Hill
Northwest	Greenlane

Penrose is an industrial suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located to the southeast of the city centre, at a distance of about nine kilometres, between the suburbs of Oranga and Mount Wellington, and close to the Mangere Inlet, an arm of the Manukau Harbour. According to the 2006 census, Penrose has a population of only 675, due to the high intensity of industrial and commercial sites in the area.

In 2008, there were 44,975 employees and 4,998 businesses in the Penrose area, 14 per cent of Auckland City's employment, making up seven per cent of its businesses. Of these, 16% were in manufacturing, 14% in wholesale trade, 10% in administrative and support services, 10% in professional, scientific and technical services, 8% in construction and 6% in transport, postal and warehousing business types.

The area was purchased from three local Maori Chiefs by The Wiiliams family in the late 1830s, the farm being called Penrose after their home area in Cornwall, England.

The railway line between Auckland and Onehunga running through Penrose (now known as the Onehunga Line) was one of the first Government funded railways in New Zealand, being opened in 1873. It was built by the Auckland provincial government.

Industry started to flourish in the area from the 1920s, due to its close connection to the main railway line and the main road (Great South Road) with these important transport links later strengthened by the motorway (State Highway 1) built following the same alignment in the 1950s. By this time, around 5,000 workers were employed in the suburb.

The new motorway and the move of industrial and manufacturing occupations out of older centres like the Auckland CBD soon started a boom in the Penrose-Mount Wellington area. Industry also successfully lobbied for state housing to be built close by, to provide the new area with a supply of labour. To this day, the area remains almost exclusively industrial, with a mix of run-down areas and newly established sites.