Franklin is a local government area in the southernmost part of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing ...

, governed by the

Franklin Local Board The Franklin Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council. It is overseen by the Franklin ward councillor. The Franklin Local Board area spans the full width of the North Island, from the Hauraki Gulf to the Manukau Har ...

and

Auckland Council Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is ...

. It currently aligns with the council's

Franklin Ward The Franklin Ward is the southernmost ward on the Auckland Council. The Franklin ward has one local board, also called Franklin; the Franklin Local Board has three subdivisions - Wairoa, Pukekohe and Waiuku. Franklin is currently represented by ...

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is in South Auckland, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. Th ...

is the largest settlement of the area and the seat of the local board. The predecessor to Franklin was the

Franklin District Franklin District was a New Zealand territorial authority that lay between the Auckland metropolitan area and the Waikato Plains. As a formal territory it was abolished on 31 October 2010 and divided between Auckland Council in the Auckland Reg ...

Geography

The area spans from the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burne ...

and

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...

in the west. The forests of the

Hunua Ranges The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland city, in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui.

and the southern and western shores of the Manukau Harbour provide a habitat for a range of wildlife, including birds. Franklin includes the townships of

Waiuku Waiuku is a rural town in the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which ...

and Beachlands, as well as Awhitu Peninsula, Karaka, Ardmore,

Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 i ...

, Whitford,

Maraetai Maraetai is a coastal town and the easternmost suburb of greater Auckland in New Zealand. The closest town, Beachlands, lies approximately 4 km to the west. Its name is Māori meaning "meeting place by the sea". Maraetai was the origina ...

Kawakawa Bay Kawakawa Bay is an east coast bay and settlement in the Franklin area of New Zealand's Auckland Region. It is located on the western side and northern end of the Firth of Thames, the southern side of the Hauraki Gulf, and north of the Hunua Ran ...

and Orere Point.

Econoomy

The area is predominantly rural, with an economy based around horticulture and agriculture. The community is also known for the Clevedon Farmers' Market, horse breeding, and motorsports.

Infrastructure

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

and the

North Island Main Trunk Railway The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

run through Franklin, with Pukekohe being the last stop for Auckland's commuter train network. The water reservoirs in the Hunua Ranges are one of Auckland's main sources of water. Other critical gas, water, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure also pass through Franklin.

References

{{Franklin Local Board Area