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Māngere Bridge is a suburb of
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand, under the local governance of the
Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
. Surrounded by the
Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnett ...
, the area is the most north-western suburb of
South Auckland South Auckland ( or ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki M� ...
, and is connected to
Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is ...
in central Auckland by three bridges that cross the
Māngere Inlet Mangere Inlet is an arm of the Manukau Harbour, the southwestern of the two harbours of Auckland, New Zealand and itself an arm of the Tasman Sea. The inlet lies between the Auckland isthmus and South Auckland, and has a size of 6.6 km2 a ...
. Many features of the
Auckland volcanic field The Auckland volcanic field is an area of monogenetic volcanoes covered by much of the metropolitan area of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, located in the North Island. The approximately 53 volcanoes in the field have produced a divers ...
are found in and around Māngere Bridge, including
Māngere Mountain Māngere Mountain, also known by the names Te Pane-o-Mataaho and Te Ara Pueru, is a volcanic cone in Māngere, Auckland. Located within Māngere Domain, it is one of the largest volcanic cones in the Auckland volcanic field, with a peak above ...
, a feature in the centre of the suburb, and Māngere Lagoon, a volcanic tidal lagoon opposite Puketutu Island in the harbour. The suburb is also home to Ambury Regional Park, a working farm and nature sanctuary run by Auckland Council, that connects to the Kiwi Esplanade and Watercare Coastal walkways. After being inhabited for hundreds of years by
Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M� ...
, the area became a
Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...
settlement to provide defense of Auckland from the late 1840s until the
invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
in 1863. From later in the 19th century, Māngere Bridge became an important rural area for supplying Auckland with produce and dairy, and from the 1920s it became a popular location for
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
-run
market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to s ...
s. Māngere Bridge developed suburban housing in the 1950s and 1960s, experiencing growth helped by its proximity to
Auckland Airport Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 18.7 million passengers served in the year ended December 2024. The airpor ...
, which opened in 1966. After the closure of open-air wastewater-treatment ponds in the early 2000s, the part of the harbour surrounding Māngere Bridge underwent significant ecological restoration. The suburb is multicultural; many residents are large families, and the housing stock is dominated by brick-and-tile homes built in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2019, the suburb name was officially gazetted as Māngere Bridge.


History


Māori history

Most of the land around Māngere Bridge is formed from lava flows from Te Pane o Mataaho / Māngere Mountain. Archaeological records date fishing activities in the area as far back as the 15th century. The Ambury Regional Park and Māngere Lagoon areas have around 100 recorded archaeological sites, including stoneworks and shell middens. The area closer to Māngere Mountain has fewer identified sites, likely as the result of modern developments destroying evidence of these. In the early 18th century, Te Pane o Mataaho / Māngere Mountain was a major
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...
for the
Waiohua Te Waiohua or Te Wai-o-Hua is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) confederation that thrived in the early 17th century. The rohe (tribal area) was primarily the central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau area (the Auckland isthmus) and they had pā (for ...
, a confederacy of
Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M� ...
iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...
. The mountain complex may have been home to thousands of people, with the mountain acting as a central place for rua (food storage pits). Paramount chief
Kiwi Tāmaki Kiwi Tāmaki (died ) was a Māori people, Māori warrior and paramount chief of the Waiohua confederation in Auckland region, Tāmaki Makaurau (modern-day Auckland isthmus). The third generation paramount chief of Waiohua, Kiwi Tāmaki consolid ...
would stay at Māngere seasonally, when it was the time of year to hunt sharks in the Manukau Harbour. In the early 1740s, Kiwi Tāmaki was slain in battle by the
Te Taoū Te Taoū is a Māori iwi (tribe) of Northland and the Auckland Region in New Zealand. Together with Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei, it comprises the iwi (tribe) of Ngāti Whātua. The four iwi can act together or separate ...
hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...
of
Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...
. After the battle, most Waiohua fled the region, although many of the remaining Waiohua warriors regrouped at Te Pane o Mataaho. The warriors strew pipi shells around the base of the mountain to warn against attacks, but Te Taoū warriors covered the pipi shells with dogskin cloaks to muffle the sound, and raided the pā at dawn. An alternate name for the mountain, Te Ara Pueru ("the dogskin cloak path"), references this event. After the events of this war,
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei or Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei is an Auckland-based Māori hapū (sub-tribe) in New Zealand. Together with Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa and Te Taoū, it comprises the iwi (tribe) of Ngāti Whātua. These four hapū can act togeth ...
, a hapū created by the members of Te Taoū who remained near the
Tāmaki isthmus The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland and the Auckland CBD, central busi ...
, who intermarried with defeated members of Waiohua, settled the region. Originally the iwi were based on
Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill is a volcano, volcanic peak and Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau, Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountain) in Auckland, New Zealand. It is an important place culturally and archeologically for both Māori people, Māo ...
, but after the death of paramount chief Tūperiri (circa 1795), the Māngere Bridge area and
Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is ...
became permanent
kāinga A kāinga ( southern Māori: ''kaika'' or ''kaik'') is the traditional form of village habitation of pre-European Māori in New Zealand. It was unfortified or only lightly fortified, and over time became less important than the well-fortified ...
(settlements) for Ngāti Whātua. The location was chosen because of the good quality soils for gardening, resources from the
Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnett ...
, and the area acting as a junction for surrounding trade routes. Māngere and Onehunga were considered a single settlement, as the Manukau Harbour was easily traversable by foot at low tide, connected by a natural basalt rock causeway, separated only by a narrow low tide stream. Residence at Māngere-Onehunga was seasonal, with most people travelling along fishing and gardening circuits in the region, returning to Māngere-Onehunga in the winter. A small number of permanent residents remained at Māngere-Onehunga, such as pig farmers. The land around Māngere Bridge area was predominantly used to grow
kūmara The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...
(sweet potato) by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Māngere-Onehunga remained the principal residence of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei until the 1840s, before the iwi moved to Ōrākei.


Colonial period and land confiscation

In the 1820s and early 1830s, the threat of
Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...
raiders from the north during the
Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...
caused most of the Tāmaki Makaurau area to become deserted. During this period, a peace accord between Ngāpuhi and
Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zeal ...
was reached through the marriage of Matire Toha, daughter of Ngāpuhi chief Rewa was married to Kati Takiwaru, the younger brother of Tainui chief
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori people, Māori rangatira who reigned as the inaugural Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1858 until his death. A powerful nobleman and a leader of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato iwi of the ...
, and they settled together on the slopes of Māngere Mountain. Ngāti Whātua returned to the Māngere-Onehunga area by the mid-1830s, re-establishing a pā on Māngere Mountain called Whakarongo. In late 1837, members of Tainui iwi
Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...
settled at Māngere Bridge, after receiving an offer from Ngāti Whātua to share land. On 20 March 1840, Ngāti Whātua chief
Apihai Te Kawau Apihai Te Kawau (died November 1869) was a paramount chief of the Ngāti Whātua Māori iwi (tribe) of Auckland (), New Zealand in the 19th century. Te Kawau's father was Tarahawaiki and his grandfather was Tūperiri, the principal leader of T ...
signed the
Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
at Orua Bay on the Manukau Harbour, inviting Lieutenant-Governor
William Hobson Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Royal Navy, who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson was dispatched f ...
to settle in Auckland, hoping this would protect the land and people living in Tāmaki Makaurau. In the winter of 1840, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei moved the majority of the iwi to the
Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...
, with most iwi members resettling to the
Remuera Remuera is an affluent suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian era, Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy ...
-
Ōrākei Ōrākei is a suburb of Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on a peninsula five kilometres to the east of the city centre, on the shore of the Waitematā Harbour, which lies to the north, and Hobson Bay and Ōr� ...
area, closer to the new European settlement at Waihorotiu (modern-day
Auckland CBD The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson on land gifted ...
). A smaller Ngāti Whātua presence remained at Māngere-Onehunga, as well as members of Te Uringutu. In the late 1840s, Governor
George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...
asked Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (then known as a powerful chief and negotiator, but later the first
Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
) to settle his people in the Māngere Bridge area to defend the township of Auckland, in an arrangement similar to the European Fencible Corps settlements on the outskirts of the Auckland township. Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and his people (known as the Māori Militia) settled near to the land where his brother Kati Takiwaru lived, an area of around the base of Māngere Mountain. The Māngere Bridge area was divided into 81 single-acre and 81 two-acre lots by the colonial government. In 1847, the first ferry service between Onehunga and Māngere Bridge was established by Mr Bradney, where passengers would raise a flag at Māngere Bridge to signal the ferry operator. The 1850s were a prosperous time for the region. Māngere Bridge was settled by a mix of Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Whatua, Waiohua-descendant tribes such as
Te Ākitai Waiohua Te Ākitai Waiohua is a Māori iwi of the southern part of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. History Te Ākitai Waiohua are descended from Kiwi Tāmaki, the grandson of Huakaiwaka, himself the ancestor of the Waiohua iwi, who lived in Tāmaki ...
and a minority of European/
Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
farmers. Māori from the Manukau Harbour and
Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
areas would bring goods to sell or barter with the European population, including goods such as peaches, melons, fish and potatoes. In 1858, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero relocated to
Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato River, Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Rang ...
, with his role as tribal leader of the Māngere settlement taken up by Tāmati Ngāpora. In the late 1850s, the St James Anglican Church was constructed as a joint project between European settlers and the Ngāti Mahuta militia, using scoria taken from Māngere Mountain. The prosperity was short-lived, as on 9 July 1863, due to fears of the Māori King Movement, Governor Grey proclaimed that all Māori living in the South Auckland area needed to swear loyalty to the Queen and give up their weapons. Most people refused due to strong links to Tainui, leaving for the south before the Government's
Invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
. Six men remained in the Māngere area, in order to tend to the farms and for ahi kā (land rights through continued occupation). On 16 May 1865, the Ngāti Mahuta village at Māngere Bridge was seized under the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863. European settlers continued to live in the area, often looting the abandoned settlements. In 1867, the Native Compensation Court returned 144 of the original 485 acres that had been seized by the crown. The remaining land was kept by the crown as reserves, or sold on to settlers.


Opening of the bridge and dairy farming

Plans for a bridge spanning the Māngere Inlet began in 1866, when a company was formed to investigate a crossing between Māngere and Onehunga, funded by a grant provided by the Auckland provincial government. In 1872, a commission was created by the
Auckland Provincial Council The Auckland Province was a Provinces of New Zealand, province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the ...
to investigate the creation of a bridge south of Onehunga. In 1875, the first Māngere Bridge was opened, leading to Māngere Bridge being one of the first areas of Māngere to develop suburban housing. In the latter 19th century, Māngere Bridge was well-known for wheat, and produced oats, barley, potatoes and cattle for the growing settlement of Auckland. The postal service reached Māngere Bridge in 1878, and by 1883 the first shop was operating at Māngere Bridge, on the corner of corner of Kiwi Esplanade and Coronation Road. 1886 saw the first post office open in Māngere Bridge, and in August 1890 the Māngere Bridge School opened (previously the Māngere Central School served the area). Further land was returned to Waikato tribes in 1890, where a cottage was built for King
Tāwhiao ''Kīngitanga, Kīngi'' Tāwhiao (Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, ; c. 1822 – 26 August 1894), known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1860 until his death. After his flight to ...
, which housed family members of the king visiting Auckland, or family members being educated at schools in Auckland, such as
Mahuta Tāwhiao Mahuta Tāwhiao I ( – 9 November 1912) was the third Māori King, reigning from 1894 to 1912, and member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1903 to 1910. Early life Born Whatiwhatihoe in the Waikato, probably in 1854 or 1855, Mah ...
, Tumate Mahuta and Tonga Mahuta. From the late 1880s, Māngere Bridge was one of the largest dairy suppliers to the city of Auckland. In October 1887, Ambury and English Ltd opened a dairy factory in the area, supplying milk from the dairy farms (which includes modern day Ambury Regional Park, and farms along Wallace Road and Creamery Road) to their stores on
Karangahape Road Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is one of the main streets in the Auckland CBD, central business district (CBD) of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area – and subsequent flig ...
and Ponsonby Road. The creamery closed in 1937, and in 1943 operations were sold to the
New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...
.


Chinese market gardens and suburbanisation

In 1915, a new, wider bridge across the Manukau Harbour was opened, after the original was declared unsafe and closed the previous year. The first
Chinese New Zealanders Chinese New Zealanders (; ) or Sino-New Zealanders are New Zealanders of Chinese people, Chinese ancestry. The largest subset of Asian New Zealanders, many of the Chinese immigrants came from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or other countrie ...
arrived in the area in 1915, and ten years later the first freehold land was sold to a Chinese buyer. Between the 1920s and 1940s, a large proportion of the area was used for Chinese-owned and operated market gardens. By 1954, over half of the registered market gardens in the Māngere-Onehunga area were run by Chinese families. Other employers in the area included a quarry established at Taylor Road in the mid-1920s (running until 1963), rope works, and a dancehall and tearooms called the Oriental Rendezvous, which was built on the waterfront and became a regular fixture of Auckland nightlife until it burnt down in 1932. In 1932, a water reservoir was constructed atop Māngere Mountain, and in the late 1930s the area was electrified. In the 1950s, the area changed from mostly rural to suburban, as Māngere Bridge was developed for housing, extending west past Seaforth Avenue in 1959. The Māngere Bridge town centre began to develop in the 1950s and 1960s (mostly undeveloped until this time, due to the close proximity of the shops in Onehunga), during which the first banks were built in the suburb. In 1954, Māngere Bridge formed as a county town within the Manukau County Council, and in 1965 it became a suburb of the newly formed
Manukau City Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is also referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does not ...
. In 1965, the
Te Puea Memorial Marae Te Puea Memorial Marae is a marae located in Māngere Bridge (suburb), Māngere Bridge, Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 1965, it was the first urban marae in Auckland, built for all Māori instead of a specific iwi, but in particular as a commu ...
was opened, later becoming a temporary refuge to help combat growing
homelessness in New Zealand Homelessness in New Zealand has been linked to the general issue of lack of suitable housing. The homeless population is generally measured through the country's census and by universities and other academic centres. According to the 2023 Census ...
. The area saw significant increase in traffic after the opening of the
Auckland Airport Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 18.7 million passengers served in the year ended December 2024. The airpor ...
in 1966.


Māngere sewage ponds, new bridges and the Southwestern Motorway

In 1960, the Manukau Sewage Purification Works (now Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant) was opened, using an algae-based system to process the waste for the majority of the Auckland region with oxidation ponds in the Manukau Harbour and Māngere Lagoon, extending outwards to Puketutu Island. The Manukau Harbour site was chosen in 1954 to replace the Ōkahu Bay sewage tanks (the site of modern-day
Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium (formerly Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World) is a public aquarium opened in 1985 in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at 23 Tamaki Drive, it was the brainchild of New Zealand marine archaeologist and diver Kelly T ...
). The Manukau Harbour became the preferred site after
Dove-Myer Robinson Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (15 June 1901 – 14 August 1989) was Mayor of Auckland City from 1959 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1980. Holding office for 6,543 days in total (17 years, 10 months, and 30 days), his was the longest tenure of any holder of ...
lobbied against the planned Motukorea / Browns Island sewage plant. The ponds caused degradation to the environment of the harbour, destruction of traditional fishing grounds at the Oruarangi Creek, strong odours and swarms of '' Chironomus zealandicus'' (New Zealand midge) in the surrounding areas. The following year, the Māngere Residents' Protest Committee was formed to seek improvements or compensation. The plant was upgraded in 1983, but odour and midge problems persisted in Māngere Bridge. In the early 2000s the oxidation ponds were decommissioned and the treatment plant upgraded to use ultraviolet lamps to disinfect the sewage. As a part of the pond closure process, work on the ecological restoration of the harbour and shoreline began, resulting in the construction of the Watercare Coastal Walkway and an increase in migratory wading birds returning to the harbour. In 1970, planning began for State Highway 20 (commonly known as the Southwestern Motorway), an additional motorway connecting the
Auckland CBD The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson on land gifted ...
to Auckland Airport through
Mount Roskill Mount Roskill () is a suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is named for the volcanic peak Mount Roskill. Etymology The name Mount Roskill was first recorded as Mt Rascal in 1841, on a map created by a Wesleyan missionary, ...
and Onehunga. Planning for this highway included a new motorway bridge to be built alongside the existing Māngere Bridge, and for the far eastern section of the suburb to be bisected by the new motorway. Construction on the bridge began in the mid 1970s. However, by May 1978, the construction halted when workers organised a
labour strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became co ...
over insufficient redundancy payments. The partially constructed bridge was picketed for a period of two and a half years, becoming the longest continuous labour strike in the history of New Zealand. The bridge was opened in 1983, and by 1984 State Highway 20 had extended south to Coronation Road, and to Massey Road by 1997. In 2010, a parallel motorway bridge over the Māngere Inlet was constructed, doubling the number of lanes to eight. The entire Western Ring Route project, connecting the Northwestern Motorway to the Southern Motorway was completed in 2017. In November 2018, the old Māngere Bridge was closed due to safety issues. A new, curved, pedestrian and cycling bridge will open by late August 2022. The proposals for the City Centre-to-Māngere
light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
project involve a stop at Māngere Bridge, which may also involve a new crossing of the Māngere Inlet, separate to the Māngere Bridge pedestrian bridge and motorway bridges. After the
2023 New Zealand general election The 2023 New Zealand general election was held on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th New Zealand Parliament, 54th Parliament of New Zealand. Voters elected 122 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Representatives ...
, plans for light rail to Māngere were placed on hold. In 2019, the name of the suburb was officially gazetted as Māngere Bridge, adding a
macron Macron may refer to: People * Emmanuel Macron (born 1977), president of France since 2017 * Brigitte Macron (born 1953), French teacher, wife of Emmanuel Macron * Jean-Michel Macron (born 1950), French professor of neurology, father of Emmanuel ...
to the suburb's name.


Demographics

Māngere Bridge covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Māngere Bridge had a population of 10,839 in the
2023 New Zealand census The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...
, an increase of 543 people (5.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,578 people (17.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 5,346 males, 5,454 females and 42 people of other genders in 3,429 dwellings. 2.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 35.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 2,496 people (23.0%) aged under 15 years, 2,079 (19.2%) aged 15 to 29, 4,830 (44.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,434 (13.2%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 51.0%
European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
(
Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
); 19.8%
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
; 37.0% Pasifika; 13.7% Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.2%, Māori language by 4.7%, Samoan by 8.9%, and other languages by 17.9%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk).
New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...
was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 27.6, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 48.0%
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 1.7%
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 1.8%
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 1.5%
Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, 1.2%
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, 0.3%
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, 0.1%
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 37.1%, and 7.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,079 (24.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 4,053 (48.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 2,214 (26.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $45,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,212 people (14.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 4,503 (54.0%) people were employed full-time, 942 (11.3%) were part-time, and 306 (3.7%) were unemployed.


Landmarks and features


Notable buildings and sites

*Māngere Bridge Village. The commercial centre of the suburb, which developed in the 1950s and 1960s. The village holds weekly Sunday markets, and is the venue for the annual Māngere Bridge Santa Parade. The village includes the Māngere Bridge Library, opened in 1979 by member of parliament for
Māngere Māngere () is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau City Centre and south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland city centre. ...
,
David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. A member of the New Zealand Labour Party, Lange was also the Minister of Education ...
, and the Naomi and Bill Kirk Park (formerly the Coronation Road Reserve), named for local community figures who received
Queen's Service Medal The King's Service Medal (created as the Queen's Service Medal in 1975 and renamed in 2024) is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or app ...
s in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
. *Māngere Memorial Hall. A public hall opened in 1955, commemorating the soldiers who served in the
First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
and
Second World Wars World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. *Māngere Mountain Education Centre. Established in 1995 through the work of
Te Ākitai Waiohua Te Ākitai Waiohua is a Māori iwi of the southern part of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. History Te Ākitai Waiohua are descended from Kiwi Tāmaki, the grandson of Huakaiwaka, himself the ancestor of the Waiohua iwi, who lived in Tāmaki ...
kuia Mahia Wilson, the centre acts as a living museum. Members of
Waiohua Te Waiohua or Te Wai-o-Hua is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) confederation that thrived in the early 17th century. The rohe (tribal area) was primarily the central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau area (the Auckland isthmus) and they had pā (for ...
iwi impart traditional knowledge of storytelling, tool-making, traditional gardening and weaving to visitors. A house built in Māngere Bridge in the 1890s for use by
Tāwhiao ''Kīngitanga, Kīngi'' Tāwhiao (Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, ; c. 1822 – 26 August 1894), known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1860 until his death. After his flight to ...
, the second
Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, was relocated to the centre in 2017. * St James Anglican Church. Opened on 1 January 1860 by George Selwyn, the church was built from scoria rock collected from
Māngere Mountain Māngere Mountain, also known by the names Te Pane-o-Mataaho and Te Ara Pueru, is a volcanic cone in Māngere, Auckland. Located within Māngere Domain, it is one of the largest volcanic cones in the Auckland volcanic field, with a peak above ...
, much of the work done by the
Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...
Māori Militia led by Tāmati Ngāpora. The church was registered on 7 April 1983 by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now
Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
) as a Category II historic place with registration number 689. *
Te Puea Memorial Marae Te Puea Memorial Marae is a marae located in Māngere Bridge (suburb), Māngere Bridge, Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 1965, it was the first urban marae in Auckland, built for all Māori instead of a specific iwi, but in particular as a commu ...
. A tribal meeting ground for the
Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zeal ...
hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...
of
Ngāti Kuiaarangi Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zeal ...
,
Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...
,
Ngāti Tai Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...
and
Ngāti Whāwhākia Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zea ...
. It includes a
meeting house A meeting house (also spelled meetinghouse or meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes private meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a: * chu ...
, also called Te Puea. The marae has helped hundreds of people find housing during the homelessness crisis, through a philosophy of manaakitanga.


Natural areas

* Ambury Regional Park. Opened as a regional park on 26 September 1987, the area is an archaeological site and working farm, which organises the annual Ambury Farm Day. Areas of the park are leased to the Māngere Pony Club, and the Ambury Park Centre for Riding Therapy, a charity which provides physiological and psychological therapy through horse riding. The Watercare Coastal Walkway, opened in 2005 after the removal of the oxidation ponds, links Ambury Regional Park to Ōtuataua Stonefields in the south. * Kiwi Esplanade Walkway. A walkway extending along the Manukau Harbour from Ambury Regional Park to the Mangere Bridges. The shoreline features
pāhoehoe Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or unde ...
flows; hot fluid lava that travelled up to 10 km/h from the Māngere Mountain eruption, approximately 50,000 years ago. * Māngere Mountain / Te Pane-o-Mataaho / Te Ara Pueru. A volcano and
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...
site important to
Waiohua Te Waiohua or Te Wai-o-Hua is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) confederation that thrived in the early 17th century. The rohe (tribal area) was primarily the central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau area (the Auckland isthmus) and they had pā (for ...
and
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei or Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei is an Auckland-based Māori hapū (sub-tribe) in New Zealand. Together with Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa and Te Taoū, it comprises the iwi (tribe) of Ngāti Whātua. These four hapū can act togeth ...
history. The mountain was set aside as a public domain in 1890, for use as a water reservoir, a quarry, and for recreation. * Māngere Lagoon. A volcanic
maar A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow ...
and tidal lagoon, used as sewage oxidation ponds from 1959–2001, after which it was ecologically restored and form a part of the Watercare Coastal Walkway. * Puketutu Island / Te Motu a Hiaroa. The first permanent home of the
Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
people in
Aotearoa ''Aotearoa'' () is the Māori name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference only to the North Island, with the whole country being referred to as ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' – where ''Te Ika-a-Māui'' means N ...
, after the ''
Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
'' waka was transported over the Te Tō Waka portage at
Ōtāhuhu Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...
, from the
Tāmaki River The Tāmaki River or Tāmaki Estuary is mostly an estuarial arm and harbour of the Hauraki Gulf, within the city of Auckland in New Zealand.
to the Manukau Harbour. In the 1950s and 1960s, four scoria cones on the island were quarried for use in public works projects such as
Auckland Airport Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 18.7 million passengers served in the year ended December 2024. The airpor ...
and the Manukau Sewage Purification Works. From 2014, the former site of the quarry has been the site of a Watercare Services project to recreate the quarried volcanic cones using biosolids from the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant. After the project's completion, the island will become a regional park and cultural centre.


Gallery

File:Bird nesting area at Ambury Regional Park 20200712 161842.jpg, Nesting area for birds at Ambury Regional Park File:Māngere Mountain Education Centre 20211026 122816.jpg, The Māngere Mountain Education Centre File:Mangere Memorial Hall, Mangere Bridge.jpg, Māngere Memorial Hall File:St James Anglican Church 20211023 144537.jpg, St James Anglican Church and Māngere Mountain File:South Island Oystercatchers in Mangere Bridge-2.jpg,
Variable oystercatcher The variable oystercatcher (''Haematopus unicolor'') is a species of wader in the family Haematopodidae. It is Endemism, endemic to New Zealand. The Māori name is tōrea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. Description "Variable" refers ...
s along the Kiwi Esplanade Walkway File:Mangere Bridge and Puketutu ISS005-E-16872.jpg, Satellite view of Māngere Bridge File:King Tāwhiao's Cottage 20211026 122702.jpg, Restored cottage built for
Tāwhiao ''Kīngitanga, Kīngi'' Tāwhiao (Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, ; c. 1822 – 26 August 1894), known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1860 until his death. After his flight to ...
, the second
Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...


Politics

Māngere Bridge is a part of the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local government area in Auckland, which elects seven board members to serve on the
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council, and is overseen by the council's Manukau ward councillors. The board is governed by seven board members elected at-large. The board's administrative area i ...
, The board is currently chaired by
Lemauga Lydia Sosene Lemauga Lydia Sosene (born 14 April 1965) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician. She was a member of the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local board from the October 2010 local elections until her election to the New Zealand House of Representatives in Ma ...
, and all seven members are affiliated to the
New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party, also known simply as Labour (), is a Centre-left politics, centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descri ...
. The Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local government area is within the Auckland council's
Manukau ward Manukau Ward is an Auckland Council ward that elects two councillors and covers the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu and Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board, Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Boards. The two councillors are currently Alf Filipain ...
, and is currently represented on the Auckland Council by two councillors: Fa'anānā Alf Filipaina and
Lotu Fuli Lotu Fuli is a New Zealand politician who is an Auckland Councillor. In 2022, Fuli was elected as one of the two councillors for the Manukau ward. Early life Lotu was born in Samoa and came to New Zealand with her family in the 1970s, original ...
. Māngere Bridge is located within the
Māngere Māngere () is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau City Centre and south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland city centre. ...
general and
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
Māori parliamentary electorates. Since the
2008 New Zealand general election The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand Parliament. The liberal-conservative New Zealand National Party, National Party, headed by its parliamentary leader John Key, ...
, the Māngere electorate has been represented by Aupito
William Sio Aupito Tofae Su'a William Sio (born 1960) is a politician who became a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives on 1 April 2008 for the Labour Party as a list MP. From the November to 2023, he represented the Māngere electorate. Pe ...
, while
Peeni Henare Peeni Ereatara Gladwyn Henare () is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who has been a member of the New Zealand parliament since the 2014 general election. Henare held the Tāmaki Makaurau Māori electorate since 2014 before being defeated ...
has been the Member of Parliament for Tāmaki Makaurau since . In the
2014 New Zealand general election The 2014 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 20 September 2014 to determine the membership of the 51st New Zealand Parliament. Voters elected 121 members to the New Zealand House of Representatives, House of Representatives, wi ...
, the voters of the suburb narrowly preferred the
New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party (), often shortened to National () or the Nats, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right List of political parties in New Zealand, political party in New Zealand that is the current senior ruling party. It is one ...
, despite the electorate overall voting strongly for the Labour Party. Māngere Bridge voters gave a
relative majority A plurality vote (in North American English) or relative majority (in British English) describes the circumstance when a party, candidate, or proposition polls more votes than any other but does not receive more than half of all votes cast. For ...
to the Labour Party in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
. Among Māngere Bridge polling stations in 2017 and 2020, support for the
New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party (), often shortened to National () or the Nats, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right List of political parties in New Zealand, political party in New Zealand that is the current senior ruling party. It is one ...
and
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand (), commonly known as Green or the Greens, is a Green politics, green List of political parties in New Zealand, political party in New Zealand. Like many green parties around the world, it has four pillar ...
was higher compared to the overall average for the Māngere electorate.


Education

The Māngere Bridge area was originally served by the Māngere Central School, which opened in
Māngere Māngere () is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau City Centre and south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland city centre. ...
in 1859. The first school in the suburb was Māngere Bridge School, which opened in 1890. This was followed by Waterlea Public School (originally called Māngere Bridge No. 2 School) and Mountain View School (originally known as Miller Road Primary School) in 1955 and 1963, respectively. These three schools are contributing primary schools (years 1–6) with rolls of , and students, respectively. Ambury Park Centre is a private secondary school (years 9–13) for students with disabilities. It has a roll of students. Horse riding and care of horses are an important feature of their educational programme. Auckland Seventh-day Adventist High School is a state-integrated secondary school (years 9–13) with a roll of students. All these schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of


Transportation

Māngere Bridge is accessible by the Southwestern Motorway, which first served the suburb after the opening of the motorway bridge in 1983. The motorway was gradually extended northwest and southeast, and completed in July 2017. In October 2016, a new bus network was implemented for
South Auckland South Auckland ( or ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki M� ...
by
Auckland Transport Auckland Transport (AT) is the council-controlled organisation (CCO) of Auckland Council responsible for transport projects and services. It was established by section 38 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, and operates under ...
, involving three bus routes that served Māngere Bridge: the 309 between Māngere Town Centre and the
Auckland CBD The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson on land gifted ...
; the 313 service connecting
Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is ...
town centre to
Manukau Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, ...
via Māngere and Papatoetoe; and the 380 connecting to
Auckland Airport Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 18.7 million passengers served in the year ended December 2024. The airpor ...
. In July 2021, the 36 and 38, frequent bus services to Manukau and Auckland Airport, replaced the 313 and 380. Māngere Bridge is a planned stop for the City Centre-to-Māngere
light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
project.


Amenities

Māngere Bridge is home to Onehunga-Mangere United football club. Originally formed in Onehunga, the club moved its ground to
Māngere Mountain Māngere Mountain, also known by the names Te Pane-o-Mataaho and Te Ara Pueru, is a volcanic cone in Māngere, Auckland. Located within Māngere Domain, it is one of the largest volcanic cones in the Auckland volcanic field, with a peak above ...
in 1965. The disused Taylor Road quarry was redeveloped in 1965 as a sporting grounds, and became home to the Bridge Park Tennis Club, the Bridge Park Bowling Club in the 1990s, and the Māngere Bridge Scouts Hall. The
scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
group, who have operated in Māngere Bridge since 1920, moved to the location after a fire in May 2007 destroyed the scouting hall at Ambury Regional Park. The Chinese Community Sports Centre was opened in October 1978.


Notable people

* Alf Filipaina – former Māngere Bridge community constable, and
Manukau ward Manukau Ward is an Auckland Council ward that elects two councillors and covers the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu and Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board, Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Boards. The two councillors are currently Alf Filipain ...
councillor from 2010 *
David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. A member of the New Zealand Labour Party, Lange was also the Minister of Education ...
– former prime minister * Willie Jackson – politician, broadcaster * Mike King – comedian, mental health advocate *
Mahuta Tāwhiao Mahuta Tāwhiao I ( – 9 November 1912) was the third Māori King, reigning from 1894 to 1912, and member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1903 to 1910. Early life Born Whatiwhatihoe in the Waikato, probably in 1854 or 1855, Mah ...
– third Māori king * Tumate Mahuta
Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...
(
Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
) tribal leader * Tonga Mahuta – Ngāti Mahuta tribal leader * Peter Murdoch
All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
and former member of the Mangere Rugby Football Club * Waka Nathan – All Black and former member of the Mangere Rugby Football Club * Tāmati Ngāpora – St James Anglican Church preacher, adviser to the Māori King *
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori people, Māori rangatira who reigned as the inaugural Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1858 until his death. A powerful nobleman and a leader of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato iwi of the ...
– first
Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
*
William Sio Aupito Tofae Su'a William Sio (born 1960) is a politician who became a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives on 1 April 2008 for the Labour Party as a list MP. From the November to 2023, he represented the Māngere electorate. Pe ...
– politician *
Tāwhiao ''Kīngitanga, Kīngi'' Tāwhiao (Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, ; c. 1822 – 26 August 1894), known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1860 until his death. After his flight to ...
– second
Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
* Jon Zealando – magician, who won the
Grand Master of Magic Award The Grand Master of Magic Award is a lifetime achievement award presented by the Brotherhood of Auckland Magicians Incorporated on behalf of the magicians of New Zealand. It was first awarded in 1969 and to date it has been awarded on twenty o ...
with his wife Janet in 1985


References


Bibliography

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External links


It's All About Māngere Bridge
community website and newsletter
Photographs of Māngere Bridge
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.
Photographs of Māngere Bridge
held in
Auckland Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...
's heritage collections.
Photographs of Māngere Bridge
held in the
National Library of New Zealand The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...
's heritage collections. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mangere Bridge, New Zealand 1840s establishments in New Zealand Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Area Populated places around the Manukau Harbour Populated places established in the 1840s Suburbs of Auckland