Grey Lynn and Ponsonby: From working class roots to Auckland's most sought after suburbs

Auckland's villa-lined and leafy central suburbs are some of the city's most sought after and expensive, with the trendiest cafes and bars.

But Grey Lynn and Ponsonby were once working class areas, home to Pasifika communities and a social justice movement.

RNZ spoke to some of the people who have hung on through all of the changes.

One of them is Josephina Faiva - she has been living in her family home on Richmond Road for nearly 50 years - her family bought the house when they moved from Tonga when she was 17.

"A lot of a different Island people were in the area and now they all moved out and White man moved in. They've got the money and they move in."

As living nearer to the city became more desirable, house prices and rents shot up through the 1980s and 1990s and much of the Pasifika community was pushed to South Auckland.
But, Josephina's family stayed put, and she said despite having to travel to South Auckland to visit extended family, she still loved living in the area.

"We're sitting in the cafe, mostly with my White friends for coffee, and we get on very well."

Tigilau Ness was a member of the Polynesian Panthers, a social justice movement which was an important part of Ponsonby's history in the 1970s.

They were formed to fight against racism across society - including the infamous dawn raids, Ness said.

"It was a scary time for us. For Polynesians, and as Polynesian Panthers we stood up against it. We were dead set against any policy like that. It was state sanctioned terrorism to us."

Ness said there were illegal speakeasies run by gangs in Ponsonby at the time, which many young people frequented.

The Polynesian Panthers aimed to offer a more positive community, he said, offering homework centres and legal aid.

Ness had lived in the area for most of his life - but he found out this year his home on Ivanhoe Road would be forcibly bought out by the Transport Agency as part of the Northwestern busway project.

He was "hoping to" buy again in the area, but was unsure if he and his wife would be able to afford it.

"We've had a look around already. It's all in the $1 million + area, and we don't want to move in to apartments."

Local artist John Reynolds had lived in his house Richmond Road since the 1980s. He remembered a dairy owned by an "old communist" named George across the road.

"George was a wonderful character, and he'd go out the back if I mentioned communism, and bring out old Soviet magazines, like propaganda."

Reynolds said the building where George's dairy used to be was now a French wine bar.

He said that was great for people like him - but it was a good example of the sad, though inevitable change in the fabric of the neighbourhood over the years.