As part of the City Rail Link (CRL) project, the Mana Whenua Forum gifted a new name — Waitematā Station — to Auckland’s Britomart Station.

 

Auckland Transport (AT) began the final stage of the renaming process in September 2025, updating brochures, signage, and online platforms to reflect the new name. The transition was designed to ensure commuters became familiar with the change ahead of the CRL’s opening in 2026.

The New Zealand Geographic Board invited public submissions on the proposed station names until November 2022 and officially confirmed Waitematā Station in March 2023.

The name Waitematā originates from the nearby Waitematā Harbour. It refers to the harbour’s flat, glassy waters resembling matā (obsidian), and also recalls a Te Arawa ancestor who is said to have placed an obsidian stone as a talisman in the northern part of the harbour.

Waitematā Station operates Monday to Thursday from 5am to 11pm, until 1:15am on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 11pm on Sundays.

The station has two main entrances: the historic Chief Post Office (CPO) on Te Komititanga (Lower Queen Street) and an eastern entrance via Takutai Square near Britomart Place. Ticket offices, customer service facilities, electronic gates, and platforms located on the B2 level are centred around the CPO building.

Surrounding the station are several bus stops, ferry links, and rapid bus connections, as well as cycle and walking routes to Viaduct Harbour, Mission Bay, St Heliers, Wynyard Quarter, and the Harbour Bridge.

Once the CRL is completed, trains will operate in both directions through Waitematā Station, boosting rail capacity by more than 50 percent. The project will shorten journey times, add new city centre stations, and significantly improve Auckland’s transport network.