Hamilton-Auckland train gets a name

It might have been already unofficially dubbed The Tron Express by some, but the new Auckland-Hamilton passenger rail service now has a proper name: Te Huia.

The moniker for the service, due to start operating in July, was discussed and unanimously endorsed in a Hamilton City Council meeting on Tuesday.

The name Te Huia was put to a December meeting of the Passenger Rail Service Project Governance Group, which chose it over a variety of other suggestions including ‘‘The Tron Express’’, ‘‘The Tron’’, ‘‘H2A’’, ‘‘Waikato Link’’ and ‘‘Tuhono Waikato’’.

Following the council’s endorsement, it will go back to the governance group for final approval.

The huia is an extinct wattlebird related to the tui. Sacred to Maori, its tail-feathers were particularly highly prized as adornments on ornamental cloaks.

But due to overhunting and the loss of its forest habitats the birds are no more.

The last confirmed sighting of the birds was in 1907, although there have been subsequent unconfirmed sightings, the last in the early 1960s.

Ticking off the naming of the service was an exciting moment for the new council, mayor Paula Southgate declared.

‘‘It’s a very handsome bird, the Te Huia.

Albeit extinct, very sadly. But an amazing bird.’’

Councillor Ewan Wilson, the city council’s representative on the governance group, said the name of the rail service was just part of a big marketing and branding strategy.

‘‘The most important message is still to come, which is the tagline.

From a marketing standpoint we still have a lot of work to do in that area.

‘‘Clearly, it will be a world class connection between two world class cities . . . Te Huia reflects our cultural background. ‘‘It’s colourful. ‘‘I think it’s a really good name.’’

Councillor Dave Macpherson, who was involved in the naming process at an earlier stage, said informal canvassing had found that The Tron Express was by far the most popular name among the early options.

However, there were some councillors from the Waikato District Council who were vehemently opposed to that name, and said it would be called The Tron Express ‘‘over their dead bodies’’.

‘‘It’s a contentious name, even though it was technically the most popular,’’ Macpherson said.

‘‘Then Te Huia came up.’’

Recent cost estimates of establishing the service have been put at $91.37 million.

In 1910 — around the time of the last confirmed huia sighting — the Frankton Junction Railway Station was a bustling rail hub. HAMILTON CITY LIBRARIES. Huia were once plentiful in New Zealand, before loss of habitat and over-hunting led to their extinction early last century. This painting by JG Keulemans depicts a female, a male, and a white female. SUPPLIED