The winning name for City Rail Link’s TBM is Dame Whina Cooper. City Rail Link’s TBM will share the name of Dame Whina Cooper, a woman who spent most of an illustrious life leading the fight for social justice and land rights for Maoris

Dame Whina Cooper’s name topped a nationwide poll ahead of internationally recognised Antarctic scientist, Dr Margaret Bradshaw, and the world’s first elected openly transgender mayor and Member of Parliament, Georgina Beyer.

Dame Whina was born in 1895 at Panguru, Northland, and died in 1994. She began her first campaigns for Maoris as a teenager before moving to Auckland in 1949 where she was identified as one of the “100 Makers of Auckland” in a book featuring influential people who helped develop the city. Dame Whina was the first president of the Maori Women’s Welfare League and played a significant role in improving Maori living conditions across New Zealand.

In 1975 aged 80, she led a land rights march from the Far North to Parliament. She was made a Dame in 1981 and was awarded the country’s highest honour, the Order of New Zealand, in 1991. Dame Whina, Dr Bradshaw and Ms Beyer were the shortlisted finalists selected from more than 300 women’s names nominated by New Zealanders.

Around 3,500 participated in the competition with Dame Whina Cooper securing just under 50 per cent of the final total vote. CRL’s TBM is due to arrive in kitset sections from China in October. It will be reassembled at the Link Alliance project site at Mt Eden. The newly named Dame Whina Cooper TBM will be blessed before the Link Alliance starts the first of two 1.6-km underground excavations from Mt Eden to the Aotea Station in the central city to connect with the twin tunnels already built from Britomart Station and under Albert Street. Click here and nz/15 for the tunnelbuilder archive. For further information please click this link  https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/. 20/20.