The word Mangere chills the hearts of many people, but things are gradually changing in this area. Admittedly, roller-doors are evident as the preferred method of nighttime security for shops here, and there are still some streets with ramshackle houses and unkempt lawns, but there now seems to be more camellias than car wrecks on the front lawns; Mangere seems to have raised itself up a notch. This is primarily because demand for affordable homes is bringing more house-proud owner-occupiers into the area. The new homes being built on the sites of former farms and market gardens are also lending Mangere a look of respectability. The old sewage treatment ponds have now been restored as natural coastline, the area is clean and thriving, and wildlife has returned to the area in droves. In all, 13 kilometres of shoreline has returned to the harbour.
Who Lives There?
This is a very multicultural area, with Europeans, Maori, Pacifc Islanders and Asians all calling Mangere home for a long time, with the greatest concentration of Europeans in Mangere Bridge. Facing each other across Favona Rd are a Vietnamese Buddhist temple (a former state house, with a gold Buddha in the front yard) and a huge Tongan church (built in the traditional style).
The newer subdivisions attract a lot of Indians, both from Fiji and from India. Mangere Bridge prices are higher than Favona or Mangere, so it appeals to comparatively wealthier people, who refer to their enclave as “The Devonport of the South”.
Typical Homes
Being next to the sea, Mangere was one of the earliest parts of Auckland to be settled, so there is a smattering of villas and bungalows, often on the site of old farms or market gardens. Much of Mangere was developed by the state during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, with street after street of weatherboard homes and group housing. In Mangere Bridge large 1960s and 70s brick-and-tile homes dominate.
That was Mangere in brief.
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