Raewyn – Ōtara
“I am originally from Ōtara, born and bred, I am actually living in Manukau at the moment.
I would probably turn around and say “look at life as much as you can, stay away from trouble, don’t harm anybody because it’ll come back to ya. Go for the goals that you’re heading for, don’t hold back.” I would probably say “make the most of life that you can.”
If I could go back to when I was eleven I wouldn’t make the mistakes that I have made today that’s for sure.
I grew up in Ōtara originally by no choice of my own. I moved out of Auckland before I actually came back for the fact that the area I moved to I was looking for a different future and trying to get a job wasn’t possible so I actually came back to Auckland because there were more jobs in Auckland than in Taranaki.
I wish I hadn’t hung around with the wrong crowd. I did and I got into a little bit of trouble at one point there and so I regret it now, and I didn’t make the right choices at the time that I should have so if I could go back and do that again I would definitely make the right choices. Just young teenagers all hanging out together just smoking, drinking and so if I could take that back I would even though I don’t drink so much now I wish I didn’t start back then.
Certain parts of Auckland are safe to grow up in. I grew in Ōtara all my years and never had a problem. Like you could leave your house unlocked, your doors wide open, no body would come into your home, no body would even try anything. Not like today where you’ve got all the crime, people are breaking into homes; it was never like that back then. Today it’s a lot worse and the fact that where I am living in Manurewa, I am actually living with my Dad at the moment because of Housing New Zealand issues. I have had my house where I’m living in Manurewa broken into four times so I mean if they can make that a lot safer for people in their homes so they don’t feel afraid and scared then yeah that would be a great place to live.
It’s not very nice, and I have children and it makes them vulnerable and the robbers that break in you never know if they’ll do it at night when they’re sleeping. So it’s pretty scary for them. I just think that better safety standards need to be put up for people in their home.
I feel like I am pretty connected to Auckland. You get a lot of immigrants that come into New Zealand – pretty friendly – they all say hello and talk to you a little bit and find out more about New Zealand. I’ve had some ask me what’s New Zealand like to travel in. I’ve told them it’s a great place to travel in, good scenery, depending on where they wanna go, but I’ve also said to them too not every New Zealander’s the same, you know, all different, but you have a lot friendly ones out there who will say hello and talk to you.
I’m 52 years old now. I have lived a good life. I’ve got some good education out of life. I’ve done courses and graduated from the courses. I’ve got jobs that have involved those courses sometimes like with security. I used to do security work. I have done a computer course, and I’ve done a hospitality course so there are different walks of life but I have enjoyed it.
Actually I am going out to the airport to apply for a job in immigration. I want to work in immigration with different cultures. I want to also be able to, later on, see if I can get a job in customs, and then later on in aviation security. So that’s what I am about to do today.
Enjoy life as a kid before you grow up because the years go that fast you forget where it’s all gone and you can’t remember what you did in your childhood so yeah that’s what I am saying. Take photos and, you know, video tape yourselves so you can remember it all when you do get older.”
