Mana whenua and the design

The City Rail Link is a 3.45km twin tunnel railway connection linking Waitematā Station to Maungawhau Station via Te Waihorotiu Station and Karanga-a-Hape Station.

From the very beginning, the project was shaped in partnership with mana whenua.

In 2012, iwi from across Tāmaki Makaurau came together to guide how Māori histories, values and knowledge would be expressed through the new stations.

Eight iwi formed the City Rail Link Mana Whenua Forum and worked alongside architects and artists as the design was developed.

Through this collaboration, Māori culture was embedded into the stations’ architecture, artworks and spaces — not added afterward but woven into their foundations.

The iwi represented on the Mana Whenua Forum were:

• Te Ākitai Waiohua
• Te Kawerau ā Maki
• Ngāti Maru
• Ngāti Pāoa
• Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki
• Ngāti Tamaoho
• Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei
• Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua.

Together, they ensured that the stations speak to whakapapa, whenua and Māori worldviews, creating spaces that carry meaning as people move through them every day.

Station names

The Mana Whenua Forum gifted the names for the 4 City Rail Link stations: Maungawhau Station (formerly Mount Eden Station), Karanga-a-Hape Station, Te Waihorotiu Station and Waitematā Station (formerly Britomart Station).

These are ngā ingoa tuku iho — traditional names carrying stories of the land, the waterways and the communities that shaped each place long before the city was built.

The names connect the stations to ancestral histories, iwi creation stories and ways of life that once defined these areas.

As people arrive, descend and travel through the stations, their names act as the first layer of storytelling.

Mātauranga Māori design principles

The designs of the City Rail Link stations are guided by Te Aranga design principles. These principles were embedded in the project in 2012 in conjunction with the City Rail Link Mana Whenua Forum.

Developed through partnership with mana whenua, the principles stem from Māori knowledge systems and values, and shape both the visible and unseen aspects of the stations.

The 7 Te Aranga principles are:

• Mana – recognising the authority of iwi and hapū as mana whenua
• Whakapapa – celebrating Māori names, both old and new
• Taiao – respecting and caring for the natural environment
• Mauri tū – supporting the life force and wellbeing of a place
• Mahi toi – telling iwi and hapū stories through creative expression and art
• Tohu – acknowledging significant sites, landmarks and narratives
• Ahi kā – recognising and promoting the enduring presence of mana whenua.

These principles guided decisions about station naming, shapes, material, light and movement. They also provide a foundation for the mahi toi (artwork) within each station.

The Māori creation story

At the heart of the City Rail Link design approach is the Māori creation story, which references birth, separation and the movement from darkness into light.

In the beginning, Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) were held tightly together in te pō, the darkness.

Their many children, the atua (deities) lived in the small space between them. Some wanted to live out in the light and debated whether their parents should be separated.

Tāne Mahuta, atua of the forests, was chosen to attempt this task. Lying on his back, he pushed Ranginui upwards with his arms and legs while his siblings cut away the bindings that held their parents together.

Tāne then placed posts to keep the sky and earth apart, earning him the name Tāne te tokotoko o ngā rangi — Tāne of the posts that hold up the heavens. Through this act, te ao mārama, or the world of light, came into being.

This creation story shapes how the stations feel as people enter, move through and pass between different spaces.

As people move down into the underground spaces and back up again, the station architecture and mahi toi reference the journey from darkness toward light.

4 elements shaping the stations

The City Rail Link design story is told through 4 shared design elements: sky, earth, threshold and the fourth element. Each station uses these elements in its own way, based on its name, location and story.

Mahi toi is expressed throughout this design language, giving each station a clear identity to help people understand its meaning.

To support this, a lead mana whenua artist was nominated for each station to work closely with the design team.

Sky element

The sky element represents Ranginui (Sky Father) and appears on the upper levels of the station buildings.

Above each main entrance, the sky element forms a building wrap that responds to weather and light.

Made up of blue, light blue and white colours, its surface appears to shift and move as conditions change.

After dark, lighting patterns emerge across its surface, representing stars, galaxies and Ranginui himself.

Threshold element

Threshold elements mark the transition from the street to the station.

Each is a three‑dimensional artwork linked to an atua (deity) or story unique to that place.

Using materials, shapes and light, these elements mark the shift from outside to inside spaces, or from the world above to the spaces below.

As people pass by them, the threshold elements bring the station stories into lived experience.

Fourth element

The fourth element represents te whaiao, the first glimmer of light between darkness and day. It sits between the earth and sky elements, helping to connect and strengthen the overall design. 

Layers, posts, and transparent materials add depth and gentle brightness.

As people move through the stations, these elements create gradual shifts in light and form, recalling the moment Ranginui and Papatūānuku were separated and the world of light emerged. 

Further detail on how these elements are expressed can be found on each station’s design story page.

Earth element

The earth element represents Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) and forms the grounded base of each station building.

It appears to rise from the whenua, anchoring the entrances and holding up the spaces above.

Its weight and texture give a sense of strength and support.

As people move past it, the earth element reinforces the feeling of the station emerging from the land, rather than sitting on top of it.

While not a permanent part of the station design, the Waka Train, or Te Waka Tūhono, played a key role in sharing the City Rail Link story during construction.

It carried Māori narratives into motion, connecting traditional journeys with contemporary rail travel.

It also symbolised the ongoing movement of people from the past, through the present, and into the future.

The Waka Train imagery is based on the form of a waka (canoe). Its taurapa (stern) honours the many waka that brought Māori to Aotearoa.

The manaia (stylised figure) at the top acknowledges the tohunga (expert knowledge holders) who travelled on those waka.

The tangata (person) below represents the captains, while the two manaia at the base are kaitiaki (guardians) who protected both the people and the waka.

These ideas are carried forward by the people who schedule, drive and crew trains today.

The Waka Train was created by the project’s social outcomes lead Berenize Peita (Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua), artist Maaka Potini (Ngāti Tamaoho) and graphic designer Geoff Fitzpatrick.