Neighbourhood - Pukekohe

When I was growing up here, son of a Māori-Chinese mother and a Pākehā father, Pukekohe was a real microcosm of New Zealand, multicultural, rural, small town and relaxed.

– Presenter Tim Lambourne introduces his hometown

I have always been interested in portraiture. It links back to my favourite art work I was taken to see by my grandmother and I was fascinated by how one was judged by outer appearance — and that really good portraiture should go beyond that, should transcend that.

– Pukekohe art teacher and painter Peter Le Fevre

Even a street dog gets better treatment than us. Every day it is the same and it is hard to keep on going.

– Excerpt from a World War ll prisoner of war diary, belonging to the father of Dutch-Kiwi Shane Snyder

Dad had no animosity towards the Japanese. War is war and a lot of bad things happen during war, and the sooner people can get over it ... the easier for them to move on.

– Shane Snyder on his father's philosophy towards his treatment by the Japanese in WWll

It's a real mixed bag of people here: Indians, Chinese, I have Kiwi Pākehā, I have Māori, I have Pacific Islanders, Samoan, Tongan, Niuean...they're friends as well as employees and family. We're really lucky here, we can all get on so well and work together.

– Market gardener Allan Fong on his Pukekohe vegetable growing business