Prince | Māngere, Auckland

“I call Māngere home, 275. Being in Māngere, it’s like a real open community, so I kind of interact with a lot of races, and a lot of different religions every day.

Like, I was in town one time and a Monk came up to me, and he was just trying to explain his religion so I sat there, let him talk about it, and it was kind of buzzy, you know, like hearing other people open up about their religion and what they go through on a daily basis, you know, not accepting money and stuff, and yeah, it’s pretty cool, to know that other people in Māngere are like that. 

I just feel like everyone has a different centre, like everyone has a different core to them; like religions, beliefs, what you stand for, morals and stuff. So, just gave me a good understanding on his morals, especially with life.

You know, racism starts like that, eh? Not just beliefs, but by what you do in life and how you live. People will start judging you, but if you keep an open mind, like, people go through other stuff that you’re not going through, so can’t really judge eh?

I grew up in Māngere. That’s my area. I’m raised by my, only Mum. My dad kind of left the picture when we were little. So, you know, it’s like normal around these areas to get raised by just your mum, and you know, that’s my queen. So, I’m really family-orientated, and Niuean-Samoan-Persian descent. I just love the vibe of the area, you know, it’s really a hood, but it’s also like, life-communicating, as well.  

It’s very interactional.  Everyone has their own part to play; everyone says hello here and there, and make a lot of friends, and stuff, too. This is the area I call home, and where I’ll always call home.”