1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Otara: 55 years of community life
An Otara timeline from 1955 to 2010
Bruce Ringer
This timeline includes a selection of significant or representative events in the life of Otara over the last 55 years:
For further information on these and related events, go to 
Manukau’s Journey. For a selection of photographs, go to the photographic database Footprints. If you would like to suggest an event for inclusion in this timeline, please contact Bruce Ringer, Manager Research Services, Manukau Libraries.
Introduction
The name Otara honours a mythological figure named Tara from Te Akitai traditions, or O-tara-mai-nuku, a once-famous rangatira of the area, or Tara Te Irirangi, a nineteenth century Ngai Tai leader who lived at Umupuia, near Maraetai.
‘Otara’ appears in published sources from the 1850s onwards, referring to an area around the Otara Creek, across the Tamaki River to the south-east of Otahuhu. Otara thus has a long shared history with the neighbouring areas of Papatoetoe, East Tamaki and Flat Bush.
In the 1950s Otara was still largely a rural area. However, it was then chosen as the location for a large State housing development. Otara as defined for planning purposes was a large triangular block of land bordered by the Tamaki River and the Otara Creek to the north, the southern motorway to the west, Springs Road, East Tamaki Road and Preston Road to the east, and Puhinui Road or Boundary Road to the south. It also included the Wymondley Road area to the west of the motorway.
This area later formed the nucleus of Manukau City’s Otara ward, and with some extension to the east, is what is generally referred to as Otara today.
Tamaki: Department of Lands & Survey, 1943. Scale: 1:25,000. This map includes the Otara area to the south of the Tamaki River.
View large image of map | View enlargement of the Otara area, 1943
back to top
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7