Otara
My chosen place is Otara.
Otara is where I grew up and the place i call home. I wanted to change people’s perception of Otara by showing the good. For example, the community, food, culture, religion and talent. When people hear of Otara, they think of all the negatives which is shown in the media.
Concepts:
For my story I want to give my perception of Otara and others who live here. This is a good opportunity to give Otara and the people a voice.
What makes Otara special is the people.
Contrast between the good and bad things of Otara
Ideas of context:
Poem
essay
short stories
Final idea:
For my final idea i decided to tell a story about everyday life in Otara from an insiders and outsiders view.
Lyrics from a song
Face Killah – Otara state of mind
‘On the outside it looks like living is all hood’
Who is talking?
- Someone that is proud and embraces where he is from.
- Someone that is in a gang.
What are they saying?
This rappier is talking from someone who lives in the suburb, giving his perception on how other people see Otara as which is dangerous, violent and full of poverty.
Who’s it for?
This is for people who don’t live in Otara. Face Killah is telling his story and gives an insight of what its like living in a place that is looked down on or misunderstood.
Gene Rivers- OMAC
“In my dealings I see nothing but positive and potential”
Who’s is talking?
Someone who is really involved in
the community and wants to make a change in people’s lives.
Really positive person and hard working.
What are they saying?
Saying Otara is good place and full of talent and potential.
Who’s it for?
It’s for people in Otara and others that look down on us.
People that are talented, it can be in academics, music, art and sports.
Articles
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/09/southside-rising/#section-QdOfmoFdVX
This was an interesting article that I read on Otara, where they talked about how it’s the most misunderstood suburb.
Something that stood out to me was how Stuff met leaders, kaumātua, business owners and everyday residents, discussing Ōtara’s past, present and future. This is the story of their suburb giving others an insight of the up and downs and how beautiful Otara is.
Otara was once the fastest growing suburbs in the country. Auckland was short of housing after World War II, so they offered big lands to people desperate for homes.
Meleane Tuiono
“One word to describe Otara, would be rich, rich in love, rich in culture and rich in character”
I think this is a beautiful description of Otara. Coming from a person that grew up in the area they would only see this as we encounter these things on a daily basis, whereas other people will only see it for its bad reputation.
The atmosphere of Otara
Describing the atmosphere of Otara is a good way to pick things out for my poem.
Sound:
Police sirens during the day and night-time.
Dogs barking
Laughter
Singing coming from the churches
Helicopter and planes
Cras and bikes
Sirens + loudspeakers
People arguing
Smell:
Takeaways
Bakery – Fresh bread + Pies
Homemade cooking
Smoke / Weed
Burnt rubber
Laundry
Rubbish
BBQ
Describing Otara
Otara is full of life
Diverse
Kids playing out on the road
Sense of community
People hanging outside on the road, at parks and shops
People riding their bikes
Window washers at the lights
Hustle
When you’re out South you got to have thick skin
A lot of state houses
Cheap
Mixed bag
Struggle
Tihei
This was filmed at the Otara Flea market.
I ended up having a conversation with Tihei and we talked about my project which he agreed on how the media portrays Otara in a negative way. So he ended up doing a free style rap about Otara.
Reflections (Annotations)
Format: Interactive article
Tittle: Southside Rising: The Otara story
Reporter: Harrison Christian
Research: Lesley Longstaff
Visuals: Chris McKeen
Design & Layout: Aaron Wood
Editors: Blair Ensor and John Hartevelt
Abstract: The purpose of this article was to give an insight of Otara’s past, present and future. Through residents, business owners and leaders they were able to tell their stories and experiences with this place I call home.
Link:
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/09/southside-rising/
Our most misunderstood suburb
One thing that I picked out from this article was how Otara is the most misunderstood suburb.
Otara was one of the most fastest growing suburbs in New Zealand, providing a lot of people with homes because the shortage of housing after World War II. At that time most of the population was Pakeha and now Otara is growing rapidly becoming more diverse with Pacific Islanders, Asians and Indians. Personally, coming from someone who grew up in Otara most of his life you will see things differently. When outsiders hear of or see Otara, they only get a glimpse which is shown in the media involving crime, violence, gangs, drugs and poverty. To me I see a community that’s growing and trying to become better for the future generation. I see community groups trying to keep our streets clean, feeding the less fortunate and having after school activities to keep students occupied and out of trouble. With the good things that happen in our community, it doesn’t really get coverage which is sad knowing that we are improving as a suburb but still haunted by our bad reputation. Outsiders need to come see it for themselves and how strong our community is with culture, religion and character.
Format: Documentary
Tittle: Otara market: a place for opportunity
Producer: Talivale Papali’i
Director of photography: Libby Atkinson
Sound + editing: Saffron Nunn
Abstract: This documentary gives us an insight into the Otara flea market and how it has a huge impact on the community. The market is a place for opportunities and unity. For some people this is how they make a living and are able to share it with the community.
Otara flea market is the main attraction and core for the community.
The Otara flea market is one of Auckland’s oldest community markets dating back to 1976.
Otara markets starts at 6am and finishes at 12pm every Saturday. It’s a place for opportunities, as this is a way of people making a living and providing for their families. It’s very sad to hear about some of stories and how it has a huge impact on the community and stall owners. One thing that came to my attention was how the council is not involved in helping out with the flea market. The people have to pay for this space and are struggling to keep it open as payments increase. As someone who goes to the market a lot you see these stall owners who are always smiling and happy but don’t see the struggles they’re facing behind the scenes. Otara flea market is well known for the culture, people and food. They offer a large range of food, arts and crafts, fashion fresh produce and live music. What I like about the market is that it’s very diverse where you can experience different foods, music and clothes from other countries. This is a good environment to bring your families and socialise with others.
Format: Song
Tittle: Southside
Artists: David Dallas, Sid Diamond and Mareko
Abstract: Southside is about pride for our neighbourhood and telling how it is through the rapper’s perspectives.
Sid Diamonds verse 1:27
Sid Diamond is an Otara rapper
Sid Diamond’s verse is very powerful talking about how people from Southside feel and things that we encounter on a daily basis. It’s sad that most lyrics are true, and these mistakes are being repeated. Out here you see a lot of struggle where parents make sacrifices and work long hours to provide for their family but also give them a better life. Coming from deprived areas like Otara is what motivates kids to push themselves to excel in things like sport, academics, arts or music to become successful and set a path for the next generation. Social issues play a big role in how outsiders see us. Southside has been looked down on for many years, being judged from what they see in the media. Which is a place full of crime, poverty, horis and uneducated teens. These things people see is what makes them afraid of us. For example, when I had a conversation with someone, it was going great until I mention I was from Otara, that’s when they started to treat me differently and give me weird looks. People from South carry so much pride and embrace where they’re from. It’s a part of who they are reaping their area and what they stand for.
For research i decided to interview some locals. This was a good opportunity for me to get their perspectives on the topic and how i can incorporate this into my work. I felt that they had very powerful responses in terms of talking about Otara and the way media portrays us.
For the structure of my essay i wanted to write something creative and critical. The main idea of my essay is to tell a story of everyday life in Otara. This includes an inside and outside view contrasting the good and bad. I feel that Otara is miss represented and i want to tell the readers a story through my eyes.
- For the introduction i used descriptive writing talking about Otara.
- For the first paragraph i talked about an inside view.
- I ended up dividing the first paragraph into two parts.
- The first part i talked about the community and talents. – Critical
- The second part i talked about food and the environment. – Descriptive
- For the second paragraph i talked about Otara from an outsiders view.
OTARA 