In Search of Their Local Identity UITON CHO Affirming their local identity has been a learning experience for students at Sutton Park School. Gaining knowledge of the Mangere area has been a challenge for students at the school largely due to the lack of information readily available. Added to that is the limited access to people with knowledge of the area. The whole school visited a Papatuanuku Marae in 2018, and the Mangere Education Centre at the start of 2019, in search of the history and more understanding of the area. Mataoho appears to be of great standing in the area, but very little is known about, and of him. Nga Tapuwae o Mataoho, Te Ihu o Mataoho and Te Pane o Mataoho, all suggest that he was significant in the genesis of Mangere. However the winds of change over decades, the desire to make Auckland airport an international airport, Auckland City needing a sewerage plant, more homes, better public roads, the degradation of local iwi and their knowledge, have all conspired to make the students' search for their local identity challenging. Mangere is an important part of the identity of students at the school. Their haka talks of the area full of folklore, historical landmarks and claims that need affirming. Their search will go on well after they leave Sutton Park School We want our students to be grounded locally and affirm Mangere as an important part of that identity,' said the principal. You have to be local to be global. He went on to say