Papakura once served a large military population, but now only the SAS special forces are based at Papakura. Nearby houses were originally Army Homes, but are now in private hands. The army base was made much smaller in the 2010s and become a residential area for a large number of modern houses, both detached and terraced. The subdivision is called McLennan Housing Development next to McLennan Park, home of Papakura Football Club. McLennan being the name of the farming brothers that first settled in the area from Scotland.
