Ōtara is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, situated 18 kilometres to the southeast of the Auckland CBD. Ōtara lies near the head of the Tāmaki River (actually an arm of the Hauraki Gulf), which extends south towards the Manukau Harbour. Contemporary Ōtara is surrounded by the suburbs of Ōtāhuhu, Middlemore, Mangere, Papatoetoe, Wiri, Manurewa, Manukau Heights, Flat Bush, Botany Downs, Pakuranga and Howick. The suburb is noted for its proportion of Pacific Islander residents, who make up 68% of the Ōtara population and its unusually low number of New Zealand European (Pākehā) residents (13%).