About Mangere

South Auckland is an area of Auckland, New Zealand, characterized in the popular mind as a socio-economically below-average, and sometimes rough, urban area with a relatively large Polynesian and Mâori population. The name South Auckland is not an official place name but is in popular use by New Zealanders.
Since the 1970s South Auckland has had negative connotations with outsiders, being associated with deprivation, crime and violence.

When street crime occurs in the area, the mass media have a tendency to use the name South Auckland rather than the name of a suburb or territorial authority. A previous Manukau City mayor Barry Curtis tried to discourage use of the name because of its negative connotations. Many South Auckland youth, however, use the name with pride.

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.

People who hail from South Auckland include rugby union footballers Jonah Lomu and Eric Rush, rugby league legend Ruben Wiki, heavyweight boxer David Tua, cricketer Daryl Tuffey, kick boxer Mark Hunt and hip hop music artists Young Sid and Savage.