Mangere Settlers’ Buildings in Auckland Airport’s Historic Precinct
Auckland Airport recently received a Property Council of New Zealand Merit award (see Hawkins Construction) for adapting the Abbeville estate historic precinct into a boutique tourism venue offering hosting for events and functions . The precinct site includes 11 hectares of land at the end of Nixon Road. The airport created the precinct by moving Mangere settlers’ houses and buildings there after it acquired those properties for future airport expansion. It took 2 years to restore the buildings moved onto the historic precinct and was under taken in conjunction with New Zealand Historic Places Trust . One of the houses was built by William Westney, who arrived in Mangere in 1853 and established a farm on Ihumatao Road. Ref: Footprints 05024, the former Westney homestead in Westney Road, Mangere, ca 1979 South Auckland Research Centre