Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of the Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council.

The area was settled by Tāmaki Māori in the 13th or 14th centuries, who utilised the resources of the Hunua Ranges and Manukau Harbour. A defensive pā was constructed on Pukekiwiriki, and the surrounding area developed into gardens. By the latter 18th century, the tribal identities of Te Ākitai Waiohua, Ngāti Tamaoho and Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua began developing, among Waiohua descendant iwi of the Manukau Harbour, who lived seasonally in the Papakura area.

The first permanent European residents moved to Papakura in 1846. The town developed significantly during the construction of the Great South Road, and was a military outpost during the Invasion of the Waikato. During the latter 19th century, Papakura became a centre for the kauri gum trade, logging and later dairy farming. In 1938, the town had grown enough to become the Borough of Papakura, independent from the surrounding Manukau County.

From the 1950s, Papakura and the surrounding areas urbanised, in part due to the construction of the Auckland Southern Motorway. By 1987, Papakura had become a part of the greater urban sprawl of Auckland. In 1975, Papakura became a city, but lost this status in 1989 due to local government reforms.

Papakura is a Māori language word typically translated to mean "Red Earth" or "Red Flats". While kura is usually interpreted to be a reference to the red soil of the area, ethnographer George Graham offers an alternative translation of Papakura, "Flat of the Moa". Graham believed that kura was a reference to the North Island giant moa (kuranui), known for its red plumage, that could come down from the Papakura Hills to feed in the Papakura lowlands. A name associated with the location of the modern township of Papakura is Wharekawa, while the Coles Crescent area adjacent to the Pahurehure Inlet was known as Waipapa.

Papakura is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, a southeastern inlet of the Manukau Harbour. It is located between the suburb of Takanini to the north, and the rural settlements of Drury to the south and Karaka to the west. Papakura is surrounded by Pahurehure, Rosehill, Ōpaheke and Red Hill, variously considered independent suburbs or as areas within Papakura.

To the east of Papakura is Pukekiwiriki, a basalt volcano within the South Auckland volcanic field that erupted an estimated 1,000,000 years ago. Lava flows from the eruption flowed west towards Papakura. Further east of Papakura are the Hunua Ranges, a regional park in the Auckland and Waikato regions.

Before the arrival of humans, northern Papakura and Takanini were predominantly wetlands and peat bogs, while southern Papakura and Drury was home to a dense kauri-dominated forest. Kirks Bush in Papakura is a remnant of this forest.