Heartland - Grey Lynn

As Ponsonby became the Toorak of Auckland, certain people gravitated towards Grey Lynn. There's always been a healthy collection of mad people in Grey Lynn. Going back to Ponsonby now sticks in my craw. I'm very blue collar, very working class. We don't have a class system here, it's about money — rather than family. Same effect though.

– Songwriter and Grey Lynn resident Graham Brazier on his longtime suburb, in The Grey Lynn Book (2015)

In the 1880s it was more sort of an up and coming, lower middle class wanting to be middle class kind of development. The large villas were built on Surrey Hills...that was very much we'll say a self-employed, working class: builders, plumbers, mechanics, those were the people who moved into the area.

– Local historian Kaaren Hiyama on the colonial history of Grey Lynn

On one side I have the Psychiatric Survivors. On the other side I have the Tongan church and I'm somewhere in-between heaven and hell.

– Auckland Central MP Richard Prebble on the location of his Grey Lynn office

The whole generation of young Aucklanders that grew up around here were very sort of sports minded, very community minded, and literally hundreds of kids played on this park.

– Former Auckland Mayor Less Mills on the importance of Grey Lynn Park

I'm the next Graham Lowe.

– Grey Lynn rugby league coach Rosalina Solomona-Kali aims high

Some men should have mountains to bear their names to time. One such man was Tavita Solomona. When I came to this school Tavita was the father of the school ... Tavita, I say to you I cannot give you a mountain but I can give you this pool to bear your name.

– Grey Lynn Primary Principal Chuck Thompson dedicates the new school pool to local father Tavita Solomona, who was a stalwart for the school

In rural New Zealand it's usually the case that the glue that binds the community together is the school, the church and the sports club. And the same is true here in the heart of New Zealand's biggest city.

– Maggie Barry on the three organisations that make up much of the Grey Lynn community

When we first came here the houses were mostly old people living in here, there are no children around. The football club, the athletic running club, they were all short of kids, Now soon as we came and start having families there are children, they all prosper and they all fill with children and laughter came back again to this area.

– Samoan Kiwi James Tanuvasa Yandall on arriving in Grey Lynn in 1954

I like to say Polynesia is the heart of the world and Grey Lynn is the heart of Polynesia.

– Former MP Richard Prebble on how he views his home suburb

Everybody wants their points tallied up and so we get heaps of protests on the last day. That's why we call it Waitangi Day!

– Touch Rugby tournament organiser Afi Ah Khoi on the contentious mood before the Grey Lynn grand final