kids encyclopedia robot

South Auckland facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
South Auckland 20190904 172443
A view southwards from Māngere Mountain showing South Auckland suburbs, including Māngere, Papatoetoe and Manukau.

South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name South Auckland, though not an official place name, has come into common use among New Zealanders. It also appears in the names of some organisations and companies.

Since the 1970s the term "South Auckland" has developed negative connotations with outsiders, being associated with deprivation, crime and violence. When street crime occurs in the area, the mass media tend to use the generic "South Auckland" phrase, with its vague and unfortunate stereotypes, rather than a more precise name of a suburb or territorial authority. Barry Curtis, mayor of Manukau City from 1983 to 2007, tried to discourage use of the name "South Auckland" because of its negative connotations.

Geography

The heart of South Auckland is the low socio-economic suburbs of the former Manukau City, typified by Otara but including Papatoetoe, Mangere and Manurewa. Broadly speaking, South Auckland is the urban area stretching from at the very least the narrowing of the Auckland isthmus at Otahuhu, southwards through the Manukau City suburbs lying to the west and near east of Auckland's Southern Motorway (State Highway 1). The area does not include the more well-to-do, eastern and northern Manukau City suburbs such as Howick, Dannemora, Botany Downs, or Pakuranga, nor the large rural area of Manukau City. The name does not include Franklin District, which lies south of Papakura.

Prior to the 1970s, South Auckland encompassed the region from Otahuhu south to Mercer, and from the west coast to the Firth of Thames, including the southern towns of Pukekohe, Tuakau and Waiuku.

Auckland Airport is located in South Auckland, as well as several other places of interest, including the amusement park Rainbow's End, the Auckland Botanic Gardens and one of the oldest shopping malls in the country, now called Westfield Manukau City.

Some of the suburbs in South Auckland contain predominantly state housing and are the poorest suburbs of Auckland. The area also contains the industrial heartland of Auckland (Mangere, Otahuhu, Manukau CBD, and the Port of Onehunga), with workshops, factories and warehouses providing work for many Aucklanders.

Demographics and culture

The area has a multiracial population including Pākehā (European New Zealanders) and Asians as well as a high proportion of Polynesians and Māori. This gives it a very cosmopolitan feel and a thriving culture, especially at street level, most often seen by visitors at the Saturday markets at Otara, Manurewa and Mangere.

Manukau City, before its amalgamation, used the slogan "Face of the Future" to reflect its youthful demographic, having one of the highest proportion of people under 18. South Auckland is also a major centre of hip hop culture and music in New Zealand.

Notable people

People who hail from South Auckland include Olympic champion John Walker, mountaineer Edmund Hillary, and former Prime Minister David Lange. Many successful sportspeople are South Aucklanders; including rugby players Jonah Lomu and Eric Rush, rugby league player Ruben Wiki, heavyweight boxers David Tua and Joseph Parker, cricketer Daryl Tuffey, kickboxer Mark Hunt, IndyCar racer Scott Dixon, Shot-putter Valerie Adams and hip hop music artists Young Sid, Savage, and P-Money.

kids search engine
South Auckland Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.