14 February 2025, Devonport Flagstaff by Devonport Flagstaff

Belmont Primary principal signs off... p6-7

February 14, 2025

Revamped TGS swimming pool nearly ready... p14

Interview: Paddy StaffordBush moves on... p22-23

Dog and owner beat quick retreat from deadly reptile

A close encounter with a highly poisonous sea snake left the Devonport owners of terrier-cross Archie fearing the worst.

When Archie got home after coming across the blue-lipped sea krait on the rocky shore at the foot of Maungauika during his

regular walk from Torpedo Bay, owners Derek Parker and Susan McSweeney thought an emergency trip to the vet was needed.

“He had a nick below his eye and was very out of sorts,” Susan said.

However, a call from a Department of

Conservation (DoC) reptile expert ruled out a bite in stark terms.

“She said if Archie had been bitten he would be dead by now,” Derek said.

Archie and Derek encountered the snake,

To page 2

Ladies (and others) in Red run up maunga

Dress code... Local members of the Hash House Harriers network of running groups hosted visitors from other parts of New Zealand and further afield for a ‘Red Dress Run’ which took them up Takarunga last Wednesday. Story, more photos, page 32.

Swimmers wary after poisonous invader returns to tide

From page 1

rarely seen alive in New Zealand, around 9am last Wednesday on their usual low-tide walking route.

At first, Derek thought the snake was a length of colourful marine rope.

“Archie wandered up to inspect it and it started to coil up and flicked out its tongue,” he said.

“We both lost a bit of interest instantly... Archie backed off and I took a rapid step backwards.”

The snake seemed to be quite content on the rocks about six or seven metres away from the tide. “I’d never seen a sea snake before. It was a blue/black colour and looked quite exotic ... I thought it may have been someone’s pet that had escaped or had been sold illegally.”

Derek called the Ministry of Primary Industries and was referred to DoC, having conversations with several departments.

But by the time a DoC officer went looking for the snake at 5.30pm, it was gone, most likely on the outgoing tide.

The snake’s whereabouts are now unknown, but Derek said a few of his friends weren’t planning on going swimming in the area for a while.

Archie was sunbathing and unscathed when the Flagstaff visited. Meeting the snake was his and Derek’s second encounter with unexpected wildlife at Maungauika – they previously came across a basking seal.

It’s also the dog’s second “15 minutes of fame”. He recently appeared on television during a Devonport segment of New Zealand’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer, captured running out of the water at Windsor Reserve.

• DoC says live sea snakes are uncommon around New Zealand as the water is generally too cold for them to survive.

Too close for comfort...

Terrier-cross Archie and his owner Derek Parker quickly backed off after finding a live blue-lipped sea kriat (right) coiling and flicking its tongue on the rocks beneath Maungauika last week. The snake is believed to have returned to the harbour.

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TGS rowers win at North Island club champs

Takapuna Grammar School rowing club won two golds at the North Island club championships at Karapiro in January.

TGS made it to five A finals and won gold in the Men’s Intermediate Coxed Four and the Open Para 1000m.

In the Men’s Intermediate Eight and the Women’s Intermediate Double, the school finished just outside the medals.

The B and C finals, which were due to feature many TGS rowers, were cancelled due to high winds.

The school sent 39 competitors to the champs, which was the biggest since 2021, with 2104 contestants taking part.

Winning duo… Zoe Penny (left) and Poppy Hawkins won gold in the Open Para/Adaptive 1000m

Top team… The gold-winning TGS Men’s Intermediate Coxed Four, from left: coach Jamie Vuckovich, Charlie Tallon, Leon Boardman-Hill, Leonardo Bacchus, Lucas Forsyth, cox Ashley Bourke and coach Sam Grant

Student leaders reveal ambitions for TGS in 2025

Claudia Pearce (left) and Alexandre Berrux have been selected as Takapuna Grammar School’s Head Girl and Head Boy for 2025.

Claudia, the captain of the girls premier water polo team as well as a netball and tennis player, said she’s excited at the opportunity to have a positive and influential impact on improving things that will benefit all of the school’s students.

“Overall as Head Girl I want to uplift the school environment even more and continue to create a place where every student feels as though they can be their true self.”

She is also an Environment Club leader, is part of the

UNICEF club and student peer team and is a special education buddy.

Alexandre told the Flagstaff he’s keen to connect younger and older students across the school and invite people to get out of their comfort zone by talking to people they don’t know.

The first XV hooker and flanker is part of the peer drugs and alcohol team and Tutangate senior leadership, which organises activities surrounding Maori culture and helps junior students develop their leadership skills.

Hugo Chapman is Deputy Head Boy and Harmony WilsonNgata Deputy Head Girl.

People-person principal knows name of the game

Bruce Cunningham steps down as Belmont Primary principal at the end of this term, counting numerous former pupils and their parents as friends. He talks to Rob Drent about his unique journey in education, popularity with the news media and plans for an active retirement.

Bruce Cunningham knows the names of all 440 pupils at Belmont Primary.

And after 45 years’ teaching – the last 20 as Belmont Primary principal – his extraordinary recall has extended well beyond the school grounds, with many former pupils, their parents and even some grandparents having become long-term friends.

“It’s been great,” he says in the first week of his final term at the school. He will retire when the term ends on 11 April.

“I’ve had 20 fantastic years,” he says. “I’ve had amazing kids, parents and staff, many of whom have become close friends.”

He has also appreciated the support he’s had from the school board.

“I’ve had five board chairs over my time and they have all been hugely supportive, both professionally and personally.”

He says he’s been lucky in that respect. “It hasn’t always been the case for others (teachers and principals) around Auckland.”

Perhaps the greatest testimony to the culture Cunningham nurtured at Belmont has been the stability of the staff.

Four teachers – Moira Clews, Chris Bioletti, Rosey D’Anvers and Michaela von Sturmer – were at the school when Cunningham started and remain today.

His assistant principal, Peter Thorne –who will succeed him as principal – has been at the school for 18 years.

Along with his successes within the school, Cunningham has garnered something of a media profile over the years, appearing regularly on television news, and also the Sunday programme and RNZ, and in the pages of the New Zealand Herald and the Devonport Flagstaff.

His boys-only class, which ran for three years, and his efforts to discourage parents from dropping off and picking up children from school “to encourage them to be more independent” were covered by the news media.

He was interviewed by broadcaster Paul Henry on the benefits of a sugar tax to combat obesity, and as recently as last month RNZ’s morning host, Kathryn Ryan, called about curriculum changes.

His profile might have also owed some

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thing to the likes of journalist Michael Morrah and broadcaster Toni Street having been among parents at the school.

Cunningham even had his ‘15 minutes of fame’ as an online star when Street posted a video of him dancing in the aisle of a bus on a school trip.

“I was never afraid to give an opinion –hopefully it encouraged more discussion,” Cunningham says matter of factly.

He’s ready to offer another opinion during our interview: he hopes more incentives

WE ARE OPEN from 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Friday, and from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekends and public holiday.

Happy place... Bruce Cunningham, pictured with a group of Belmont Primary students last week, says he has had “20 fantastic years” at the school

will be given to school leavers to become teachers.

Cunningham grew up in South Auckland, attending Papatoetoe High School, where a career presentation in his sixth-form year sparked his interest and led him to Auckland Teachers’ Training College for three years.

“We got paid $55 a week, which was enough for petrol, my flat and maybe a dozen beer.”

He played soccer until he was 21, then switched to play rugby for the Teachers club, mainly at fullback for its reserve team, with a couple of games for the seniors. “My first senior game was against North Shore who had Brad Johnstone in the side,” he recalls.

Graduating as a primary school teacher, Cunningham spent four years at Bairds Primary, then another four years at Richmond Rd Primary in Ponsonby, which then had a large Maori and Pacific Island population, from 1985 until 1989.

Cunningham was part of a team which introduced Maori, Cook Island, Samoan and Tongan immersion classes. He recalls teaching All Black Bryan Williams’ four children.

He coached the Auckland East Roller Mills side from 1987 to 1989, winning the Auckland title in 1988.

Taking up a job running the Kelston Boys High School outdoor education centre in 1990, Cunningham’s skills at motivating young men came to the attention of then Kelston principal Graham Henry, later a World Cup-winning All Black coach.

In 1992, Cunningham coached a Kelston first XV which included future All Black Kees Meeuws and Samoa international Trevor Leota to an Auckland secondary schools championship.

Cunningham says Henry wanted him as full-time coach and “created a position for me at the school” as head of an Independent Learning Programme.

“Basically it was there for the kids who could not fit into the fifth or sixth form because they were too disruptive... I was teaching them literacy and numeracy using my primary teaching skills.”

From 1995 to 2000 Cunningham coached the Kelston first XV to four Auckland titles, two further Auckland finals and three national championships.

A highlight was winning the inaugural world secondary schools rugby championship in Zimbabwe in 1998. It was a “big mission” taking 22 boys from West Auckland to Africa for the tournament, he recalls.

Numerous players in his sides went on

to play international and provincial rugby, including, Mils Muliaina, Sam Tuitupo, DJ Forbes, Sione Lauaki, Steven Bates, Mose Tuiali’i, Kevin Senio and Anthony Tuitavake. Many of his charges played for Samoa in the 2003 World Cup.

“They were fantastic kids, even if they didn’t make national honours. I enjoyed it immensely.”

His relationship with Kelston ended somewhat abruptly in 2001 when he was turned down for the school’s deputy principal job.

“I was told I had no secondary teacher training... I resigned on the spot.”

He became deputy director of the junior school at Southern Cross Campus at Mangere for three years. But after losing out on a principal’s job at Tamaki Primary he saw another job advertised in the Education Gazette.

“It was a half-page in colour: ‘Belmont Primary – turn a good school into a great school – please apply’.”

Although Cunningham was living in Hillcrest, he had spent his entire career working in decile 1 schools in Auckland’s south and west.

“I thought if I wasn’t good enough for Tamaki Primary how was I going to be good enough for a decile 10 school?”

He decided on the direct and personal approach. He called then Board of Trustees chair Shelley Power and “asked if I could walk around the school and ask a few questions”.

He became principal at the start of term 2 in 2005. Looking back, he says it was “probably my enthusiasm” that secured him the job.

When he started, the school had 220 pupils and 12 teachers. Today it has 450 pupils, 24 teachers and 44 staff in total.

Cunningham turns 65 in March, and that’s it for work.

He’s been offered jobs as a relieving principal, and with the Education Ministry in a variety of roles. “But I’ve said ‘thanks but no thanks’. I want to relax.”

He and wife Alison have bought a motorhome and plan to explore New Zealand.

“We pick it up in June. It’s solar powered so we can live off the grid. I’m keen to experience the bike trails and walking tracks... I’m also keen to lose 10 kilos.”

He has two grown children: Liam, a teacher at Murray’s Bay Primary, and Laura, a producer at the ABC in Melbourne. He’s due to become a grandfather in late March, with the arrival of Liam’s first child. “We’re looking forward to that too.”

Nearing the end of his tenure at Belmont, Cunningham knew it was the time to go when his start-of-the-year ‘vision for the school’ speech became just a few “funny stories” of his early days in teaching.

“I’ll miss the kids, their excitement and joy of learning... but I also want to have some time to myself.”

Busting some moves... Cunningham’s enthusiastic dancing on a school trip made its way into the Herald after being shared on social media

By Rob Drent

Thank you to all who responded to our call for donations in our last issue. The response was somewhat humbling.

One anonymous donor generously pledged $1000, but the ongoing $5 or so per month other local residents contribute is also hugely appreciated.

We have been publishing for 32 years, and feedback from advertisers and readers is that the print version of the paper is still eagerly welcomed.

Copies of all of our papers are held at Devonport Library, and in the national archives and the parliamentary library. Anything published in the Flagstaff becomes part of the historical record, stored for future generations of archivists and researchers.

While we are printed in Whakatane, we continue to employ local staff, with no outsourcing of work elsewhere.

The entire Flagstaff team is very grateful for the support – and the vote of confidence it represents.

The Flagstaff Notes

Its great to see summer in full flow in Devonport, with tourists flocking in and life returning to the village through events on Windsor Reserve and elsewhere.

The Sunsetter festival at the reserve was a big success, with crowds enjoying the music, drinks and food. It was something of a modern-day throwback to the Devonport Food & Wine Festival of yesteryear, which was a landmark of the social calendar for almost 25 years. Sunsetter organisers have said their festival is likely to become an annual event.

This weekend, Folk in the Park returns to the band rotunda after a break last year, due to bad weather.

It’s a great laid-back event and I hope locals turn out to support it.

Events and music continue at Harmony Hall, along with live music at Tiny Triumphs and the Patriot as well as numerous events at the Victoria Theatre.

The village seems to finally be shaking off the lingering knock-on effects of Covid and the post-Covid recession.

I hope the Devonport Business Association reconsiders relaunching other popular events: Fashion on the Wharf and Friday after Five. Both were extremely popular but discontinued in 2024 due to a combination of rising costs, declining council funds available and a change in focus by the association away from organising events.

I’m pleased to report the fifth issue of our summer publication Destination Devonport has been flying out of the newsstands. We’ve put out nearly10,000 copies so far and received lots of good feedback.

Pictured above is a tourist outside Manuka restaurant last week contemplating her next move with the help of the map in the Destination Devonport centrespread.

CRUISE SHOW

Departing hardware man has seen big changes

Shutting up shop on what Eric Mitchell calls the “corner dairy of hardware” has brought many reminders of the value of the business to his community.

Since people found out he was closing his Hammer Hardware in Hauraki after 27 years, a steady stream of customers have filed in – some looking for a bargain, most lingering to wish him well and thank him for his help with their DIY questions.

Giving good advice – with a side of deadpan humour – is his stock in trade.

Asked by the Flagstaff when he decided to retire, Mitchell quips: “Ever since I started work.”

But in truth Mitchell – who turned 77 in January – hasn’t been in any rush to put his feet up. He says he has always liked keeping busy, but when his offsider of five years told him he was leaving before Christmas due to a long commute, he decided it was finally time to wind down from running a seven-day business. With no back-up for days off and sickness and his wife Mary unwell, he decided it was high time to spend more time at home in Milford.

The store will close in late March, at the end of the financial year.

Mitchell says Hammer Hardware owner Mitre 10 will decide if a new operator will be found to keep the Hauraki Corner location going, but a prospective owner would need to put up a good business case to the company.

Mitchell says for small-business operators being an employer in New Zealand was a regulatory minefield.

But he says the store is still viable, despite the market having changed “drastically” over the decades.

What hasn’t changed is that locals still like the convenience of popping into a shop close to home. But what they buy and who

is doing the buying is different.

The advent of big box retail in Wairau Valley about 15 years ago saw a stagnation of trade, exacerbated by older loyal residents moving into retirement homes. But infill housing has brought the biggest change.

“Once upon a time we sold lawnmowers and lots of garden equipment, but now hardly anyone has a blade of grass.”

The store now needs to sell a lot more small-ticket items to make up the difference.

Three decades ago, Mitchell had a mainly male clientele, which has morphed over the years to being nearly 70 per cent female, especially on weekdays.

Some get into DIY projects via the internet, but still like in-person pointers, he says.

Common questions included how to change electrical plugs and selecting the right tools for the job.

Loyal regulars were much in evidence during the Flagstaff’s visit last week. One woman asked, “Is this the best one to buy?”; another said, “You’ve been wonderful to me”; and a man chimed in with, “I really don’t want to have to drive to Wairau.”

Shopping at big outlets has its appeal, however. “Younger double-income people don’t go out just to buy a plant,” Mitchell says. “They go to the garden centre to have coffee and the kids play on the bouncy castle, and the reason is they don’t have a back yard.”

Philosophically, he adds: “People might go to Bunnings or Mitre 10 for paint, but they come here for the paintbrush they forgot.”

Mitchell, who hails originally from Dunedin and once worked in the marine industry, got into hardware with a first shop in Snells Beach.

He moved to Auckland after the death of his first wife and worked part-time at the Hauraki store before buying it in 1998. He’ll says he’ll miss the opportunity to be helpful and the daily banter with customers.

As to his retirement plans with Mary, he says: “I’m sure she’ll tell me – with a list on the fridge.”

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New mural depicts familiar geography

Devonport’s timeless elements – the mountains and the beach – were at the centre of a local artist’s mind when painting a new mural at the front of the Devonport Community House.

The mural depicts a view, high above Devonport, looking out toward the Hauraki Gulf.

Artist Steve Bolton said he wanted to show the landscape that has remained constant, “irrespective of the details that come and go”. His work shows the horizon, the curve of the beach, the maunga and the islands in the Hauraki Gulf.

The warm, bold colours aim to capture the feeling of dawn while “upping the energy” of the piece, Bolton said.

“I didn’t want to do something like a blue sea or green mountains. Everything’s much more complex than that.”

Predominantly a cartoonist, graphic de signer and painter, Bolton has only done a couple of murals on a smaller scale “a long time ago”.

He said he enjoyed working outdoors and chatting to passers by who were curious about the work. It was a good change from working in his studio space.

The project also came with more artistic risk. A mistake would be there for everyone to see.

The artist couldn’t just “throw it away and start again” as they might in a studio, he said. Bolton has lived in Devonport for around a decade and has a studio above The Depot

Artspace, where he does his cartoon work.

The 58-year-old North Shore native is a regular contributor to the New Zealand Listener and previously had a weekly spot with a magazine which was distributed with the Sunday Times in London, where he was living at the time.

Growing up, Bolton was surrounded by art, as his father worked in advertising and graphic design. This led him into the world of cartoons, drawings and paintings, a creative space he has never left.

He also teaches art classes at the Community House, focused on helping people make art with creative freedom.

The mural is a part of an effort by the Community House to brighten up the build-

ing. Another large, new artwork is on display inside the building.

It invited artists to submit their concepts and the winners were commissioned to do the work.

Takapuna artist Mahsa Kheirkhah was selected for the indoor work.

She painted a large, playful and colourful piece depicting Devonport’s “lively streets, iconic landmarks, and the warmth of its people”.

Separate from that initiative, but in keeping with the overall goal to introduce more art, Component (Sparrow Phillips), a former Devonport resident, painted the electrical box outside the Community House with a red, pink, blue and purple gradient.

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Instant feedback... Artist Steve Bolton enjoyed chatting to passers by who were curious about his new work at the Devonport Community House

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Briefs

Armed police on Lake Rd

Armed police attended a family harm incident at the Kainga Ora housing units on Lake Rd, Belmont, on 28 January. The alleged offending had occurred in previous days, police said. A 42-year-old man has appeared in the North Shore District Court on charges including impeding breathing and threatening to kill.

Kestrel in Gastro Top 50

The Kestrel on Devonport Wharf has made the Top 50 in the New Zealand Gastropub Awards. Public nominations decide the list in the annual competition for Hospitality New Zealand venues. A judging panel will decide four regional winners and a national champion.

Grave consequences

A 63-year-old man fled a car accident and later left the vehicle in the Mt Victoria Cemetery last Tuesday morning. Police responded to reports of a “suspicious vehicle” in the cemetery at around 8.30am, finding it was sought over an earlier crash in Browns Bay. The crash, after midnight, involved two vehicles. No one was injured. The man is due to appear in the North Shore District Court next month charged with dangerous driving. Police have removed the vehicle.

TGS pool upgrade nearly finished

The $2 million upgrade of the Takapuna Grammar School pool is almost complete, with public access through Devonport Swim Club on target for next month.

The swim club had been based at the Navy swim pool for decades but has been without a home since the Covid pandemic.

Devonport Swim Club president Tom King said the club had agreed on set sessions with TGS. The club will have two hours in the morning before school for masters and teenage swimmers and three hours in the afternoon and evening for children and masters.

A swim coach had been appointed with an announcement imminent, King said.

The club’s website was being upgraded to

allow new members to join and pay online. It should be finished by the time official timelines for the opening were decided later in February, King said.

The club has committed to a three-year licence to run swim squads at the school, meaning squad swimmers will no longer have to travel off the Devonport peninsula for pool training. The upgraded pool will be heated year round, floodlit and deeper by 70cm to allow water polo.

Takapuna Grammar board member Michael Sweetman, who was project managing the upgrade, had done a “fantastic” job, King said. Sweetman didn’t return Flagstaff calls prior to deadline.

Maunga courts revamp to cost $2.2m

The makeover of the run down tennis courts on Takarunga has a budget of $2.2 million.

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) approved a design that includes one combined tennis and basketball court, an informal children’s play area, a games wall and accessible toilets. A bus parking area is planned downhill from the courts.

The budget for the work was not initially given, but has been outlined in a capital expenditure programme approved by the TMA board in December, which shows $1.1 million has been allocated for the project in the 2025/26 year, and $1.1 million in 2026/27.

Charming 1950s gem

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It incorporates cultural elements, new picnic tables, and seating and planting.

The design for the courts, uphill from Devonport Primary School and across the road from the Michael King Writers’ Centre, requires Auckland Council resource consent.

When the consenting process is completed, construction will begin later this year.

A large sculpture, pou and coloured and patterned whāriki (welcome mat) surfaces will enhance the area. The art elements have been designed to reflect the Tainui waka landing in Devonport, and broader narratives of migration and exploration.

Shore cricketers fight on two fronts amid mixed season

North Shore Cricket Club’s premier side faces an unusual weekend, fighting for survival in the Auckland two-day competition on Saturday, then playing in a semi-final of the Auckland one-day competition on Sunday.

Coach Chris Reid said the club would essentially be fielding the same team for both fixtures, but it was possible Auckland rep player Jock McKenzie would be available for the one-day Jeff Crowe Trophy semi-final against Auckland University at Shore Rd, Parnell.

Last Saturday Max Clarke continued to be a standout batsman for Shore in its battle to avoid relegation from the premier Hedley Howarth two-day competition.

Clarke top-scored with 58 on the first day of a match against Suburbs at Ken

Maunder Park, following up on a century against Cornwall in Shore’s previous match.

Shore is at the bottom of the two-day table, winless after three matches.

Public access idea for suggested for AT crash data tool

The public should be encouraged to report road incidents to ensure a full picture emerges of accident-prone areas, says Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chair Toni van Tonder.

A recent lucky escape by her teenage son who was side-swiped by a car while riding his bike in Brisbane, was raised by van Tonder during discussion of crash date at a board workshop with Auckland Transport (AT) officials last week.

“My son got hit by a car a few days ago, he got sideswiped... he’s fine – he got grazed on the side but I’d like to put a pin-point on the map,” she said.

Van Tonder was backing a suggestion by board member Mel Powell that a crash data tool that AT is rolling out should have the information it displays expanded to allow for public input. This would capture more incidents and provide a fuller picture of trouble-spots, where speeding, near misses and minor injuries occurred for cyclists and pedestrians.

AT told the board the online tool it demonstrated had been developed to provide elected local body representatives better access to crash data. It drew on crashes police attended and uploaded information about, so there was “under reporting” because it did not capture more minor matters treated by St John, reported to ACC, or where injured people took themselves to hospitals or doctors.

Van Tonder later told the Flagstaff the incident involving her 13-year-old son had occurred in Brisbane, where her family is relocating to, rather than locally. “It was a terrifying ‘sliding-doors’ moment.”

At the workshop, which she attended online because she was settling her children into school in Brisbane, she said the AT data tool would be great for the public to be have a view on where crashes occurred and why

traffic safety interventions were adopted.

AT said the intention was to have it running mid-year for elected members and then make it publicly accessible.

Staff said they would look at the board’s interest in expanding the range of sources its crash data drew on. One mentioned a Nelson City Council initiative which allowed people to report on cycling incidents.

Having access to accident information from the Ministry of Health would also be useful, she said. Coroners reports and community feedback were already used to feed into its safety planning.

Member Gavin Busch said the data tool – which uses drop-down menus to provide a more localised picture – would be made even more meaningful if it could include a further click-through function to provide context about crashes. He was concerned groups might try to sway results.

AT said its roadside engineering teams read reports to narrow down causes to ensure data was robust.

The data shows that across Auckland, the typical fatal or serious-injury crash occurs between 2pm to 7pm on a road with a 50km/h speed limit, and that 43 per cent of those killed or seriously injured are aged 15-34. More than half of people killed or seriously injured are walking, cycling or on motorcycles, and 69 per cent are male.

For the last five years, to the end of 2023, a total of 231 fatal accidents were reported in the Auckland region, with only two of those in the DTLB area.

AT said fatalities had decreased 16 per cent in the last 12 months.

In the DTLB area, over five years, 76 serious incidents and 410 others were reported. Of those killed or injured, 259 were drivers, 61 vehicle passengers, 59 cyclists, 58 pedestrians and 51 motorcyclists.

It ended the first day against Suburbs at 185, but took seven wickets for 120 to be handily placed for a first innings or even possibly an outright win with the second day to be played this Saturday.

With Suburbs batting and 47 without loss, “we weren’t looking too flash,” Shore coach Chris Reid said.

But then bowler Will Clarke (pictured) stepped up to take four wickets. “And he was unlucky not to get five,” Reid said.

Shore had been in the relegation zone the last couple of years.

It was in a rebuilding phase, with many of its top players retiring from premier cricket, moving out of the area or – in the case of players such as Jock McKenzie and Simon Keane – being picked for Auckland.

Final fortnight for board chair

Toni van Tonder is back in Auckland for her final fortnight as Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chair. This includes a farewell from Restoring Takarunga Hauraki for the keen environmentalist and cycling proponent. Her stint on the board ends at its 18 February meeting. She will rejoin family in Brisbane where they moved last month. Decisions on replacing her will be made next month.

Narrow Neck

Vauxhall Road

Tender Tuesday 4th March at 4.00pm (Unless Sold Prior)

Arts & Craft Gem Between the Beaches

Discover the charm and character of this exceptional family home. Perfect for both entertaining and relaxation, this residence offers a seamless blend of spacious indoor and outdoor living areas. Nestled on a sun-drenched 835 m2 site, this magnificent home is quietly tucked away, providing a serene and private retreat. The open-concept layout ensures a natural flow from the kitchen to the living and dining areas, all leading out to the pool area. The home features three double bedrooms, two single bedrooms, and an additional room above the garage. The separate garage includes a workshop and a room upstairs, making it ideal for a teenager's private sanctuary or a rental opportunity. Situated between the beaches and close to the golf club, public transport, and a primary school just metres away, this home offers an unbeatable location.

Grant Speedy 0274 511 800 grant.speedy@harcourts.co.nz

Tender Wednesday 26th February at 4.00pm (Unless Sold Prior)

View

Monika Bak 021 857 565 monika.bak@harcourts.co.nz

Devonport Central - Large Outdoor Living!

Executive apartment within the Esplanade Apartments complex right in the heart of Devonport's waterfront living. One of the best in the block, this "end" apartment has its own separate private gated entrance into Wynyard St or through the Queens Parade front communal door to the lifts. Stunning indoor/outdoor flow to an extremely large outdoor patio. Create your garden oasis with potted natives and colour or raised vegetable beds. North/West facing for all day sun. Two carparks, the best in the basement straight in from the street, positioned beautifully for easy manoeuvre, plus a large storage locker. Take a look at the aerial shots online to see Devonport Village at your front door, the ferry and beach across the road, the supermarket and more shops at the end of the road. This property offers a lifestyle most will envy. Motivated vendors are packing!

Jane Hastings 021 735 263 jane.hastings@harcourts.co.nz

Jackie Mark 021 458 797 jackie.mark@harcourts.co.nz

Maria Stevens 021 979 084 maria.stevens@harcourts.co.nz

Marissa Muirhead 021 337 222 marissa.muirhead@harcourts.co.nz

WIN

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Since 1888, Harcourts has been dedicated to guiding clients through every step of their real estate journey. As New Zealand's most trusted real estate brand for 12 years in a row, we pride ourselves on delivering outstanding service and successful outcomes. Whether you're buying or selling, our award-winning team is here to ensure you achieve your goals with confidence.

Now, we’re adding even more value! List and sell your property with a participating Harcourts office before 31st March 2025, and you’ll be entered to win one of ten $10,000 travel vouchers – the perfect way to celebrate your next chapter.

Sell with Harcourts* and you could soon be packing your bags for a dream getaway!

A Slice Of History

2:00pm 5th Mar 2025 at Devonport branch office (unless sold prior)

VIEWING Sat & Sun 1:00-1:30pm

This classic 1890’s cottage offers unique old world charm & elegance in this coveted central location next to the fabulous sports grounds. The home sits on a 481sqm section with all day sun, views and Duder's Beach,Torpedo Bay & the village a short walk away. The current owners have enjoyed this great home for the past 30 years. There's a garden studio, great storage under the home, what an opportunity!

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

t.lawrence@barfoot.co.nz barfoot.co.nz/906780

Devonport 09 445 2010

Devonport 09 445 2010 Major

Devonport 09 445 2010

Devonport 09 445 2010 Major sponsor for the North Shore

15 SUMMER STREET TENDER

2:00pm 4 Mar 2025 at (Devonport Office) (unless sold prior)

TREASURED VILLA ON SUMMER STREET

TREASURED VILLA ON

15 SUMMER STREET TENDER 2:00pm 4 Mar 2025 at (Devonport Office) (unless sold prior)

15 SUMMER STREET TENDER

2:00pm 4 Mar 2025 at (Devonport Office) (unless sold prior)

15 SUMMER STREET TENDER 2:00pm 4 Mar 2025 at (Devonport Office) (unless sold prior)

What a rare and special find this is - a wonderful treasured family home on a much desired full quartre acre north west facing section. Situated on the prestigious and picturesque beautiful Summer Street where properties are tightly held. Call us today to arrange your private viewing or we look forward to seeing you at our open homes.

VIEWING Sat/Sun 12:00-12:30pm

Sat/Sun 12:00-12:30pm

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452 t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz barfoot.co.nz/905645 VIEWING Sat/Sun 12:00-12:30pm

barfoot.co.nz/905645 VIEWING Sat/Sun 12:00-12:30pm

VIEWING Sat/Sun 12:00-12:30pm

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681 t.lawrence@barfoot.co.nz

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681 t.lawrence@barfoot.co.nz

t.lawrence@barfoot.co.nz

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681 t.lawrence@barfoot.co.nz

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452 t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz barfoot.co.nz/905645

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz barfoot.co.nz/905645

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452 t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz barfoot.co.nz/905645

Devonport 09 445 2010

1/12 WESTWELL ROAD

Welcome to 1/12 Westwell Road, a solid, double storey brick and tile beauty, offering half ownership of a generous 809m² section.

barfoot.co.nz/906631

TENDER

2:00pm 25 Feb 2025 at 39 Victoria Road, Devonport (unless sold prior) VIEWING Sat/Sun 12:00-12:30pm

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

WOW! What an amazing opportunity this is. With a combination of a large family or Home and Income. A must view.

barfoot.co.nz/906311

1/19 MONTGOMERY AVENUE

If you’re seeking the perfect first home in this beautiful area, look no further. 1/19 Montgomery Ave is calling your name!

barfoot.co.nz/906425

TENDER

2:00pm 25 Feb 2025 at (Devonport Office) (unless sold prior) VIEWING Sat/Sun 11.00-11.30am

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

$2,595,000 VIEWING Sat/Sun 2:00-2:30pm

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452 FOR SALE

DEVONPORT 1/151 VICTORIA ROAD

Welcome to this unique piece of history, a charming turn-of-thecentury weatherboard home.

barfoot.co.nz/906095

DEADLINE SALE 2:00pm 20 Feb 2025 (unless sold prior)

VIEWING Sat/Sun 11:00-11:30am

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

Barfoot & Thompson Limited Licensed REAA 2008

DEVONPORT

Do not miss the chance to discover this charming 1920s bungalow, nestled in the heart of the picturesque coastal suburb of Devonport.

barfoot.co.nz/905200

2 1 1

4 2

DEVONPORT

37 EWEN ALISON AVENUE

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452 FOR SALE By Negotiation VIEWING Sat/Sun 2:00-2:30pm

26 ARAMOANA AVENUE 2 1 1

TAKAPUNA

4/24 KARAKA STREET

Two bedroom brick and tile magic ! The end unit in a block of 4 offers extra off street parking and loads of sun with immediate possession.

barfoot.co.nz/905042

Cathy Fiebig 021 383 149 FOR SALE By Negotiation VIEWING Sat/Sun 12.00-12.30pm

Heart of Devonport. Sunlit living, master with ensuite, private deck, landscaped gardens, freehold title, and prime location.

barfoot.co.nz/903865

AUCTION

10:00am 27 Feb 2025 at The Promenade, Takapuna (unless sold prior)

VIEWING

Phone For Viewing Times

Kurt Piper 021 137 6450

TAKAPUNA 1/13 ESMONDE ROAD

- 80m² modern end unit.

- Handy to beach, shops & schooling.

- Easy access to the CBD.

- Motivated Vendor says Sell.

barfoot.co.nz/904955

2 1 1 0

AUCTION

10:00am 27 Feb 2025 at The Promenade,Takapuna (unless sold prior)

VIEWING

Phone For Viewing Times

Ron Sadler 021 613 546

Devonport 09 445 2010 Major sponsor for the North Shore Cricket Club

Local dynamo makes parting pitch for philanthropy

After years of community service on the Devonport peninsula, Paddy Stafford-Bush plans a move. She tells Helen Vause about the benefits of being involved – and giving if you can.

Paddy Stafford-Bush is a believer in knowing when it’s time for a change, intervention or review.

Into her 70s, she’s fit, feisty and, formidably active. She’s lived a life of putting her hand up to do stuff where she could see the need.

At home in Bayswater, she talked to the Flagstaff about her public life in our community and beyond, and what changes might be coming next in her private world.

In the 40 years since Stafford-Bush came to Bayswater, where she raised a family with her husband Brian, her track record of community and public service is impressive. In 2018, her community service was recognised with a Queen’s Service Medal.

Stafford-Bush was raised in Palmerston North with three brothers. She was a “tomboy”, she told the Flagstaff in a 2003 interview, who loved sports and won the senior girls athletics cup at Palmerston North Girls High School.

Aged 18 she moved to Auckland to be with her teenage sweetheart Brian Stafford-Bush. Brian’s father Billy had owned a garage in Church St.

Her community engagement started for her in her young parenting days, helping with Bayswater School and Takarunga Play Centre. The power of the collective became a theme of her adult life.

One major focus was her close involvement in the founding of the Rose Centre in Belmont, along with nights on the stage, all greasepaint and high energy.

She served 11 years on the Devonport Community Board, including six as chair, until standing down in 2001.

She was also on the Auckland Conservation Board and prominent in Devonport Rotary

Fit and formidable... Paddy Stafford-Bush is ready to continue her community involvement in a different location

and the Bayswater Community Committee.

Her energy has always spilled over into sports – hockey, and later skiing and serious long-distance cycling.

In a life full of successes, highs and some good fortune, there has also been loss. Her 16-year-old son Bobby was killed in a car accident in 2001.

Some 18 months ago, Paddy’s rock and life companion, Brian, died suddenly at home.

But it’s not tragedy and picking yourself up from it that she wants to talk about, nor some minor scrapes she has recently endured.

There’s just a wobbly grin over the accidents she’s had over the past year: it seems an altercation between her bike and a wheelie bin accounted for one sighting of her with an injured am.

More recently, it was an accidental tumble around the rocky breakwater at the marina

that saw an arm bandaged again.

What she really wants to discuss is the power of a living legacy and the positive impacts being a benefactor have brought into her life.

“People who could afford to be generous to others may never realise the huge impacts they could have and perhaps the unexpected joy that could bring them.”

After Bobby died, his parents wanted to find a way to honour his life in some way that would benefit others, and carry on as a living legacy.

A large windfall from an investment, gave them the option to begin granting money to a range of recipients.

A decade after his death they formed the pathway for a living inheritance through the establishment of the Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation, which aligned with who he was.

“Bobby was a young man but he was passionate about the sea, marine life, art, technology, inventing and making things. He was energetic and lived life to the full.”

The foundation’s website goes further: “… a charitable trust would in a sense be a living document to Bobby and in essence be an extension of what if he had lived.”

The aim is to help support and give opportunity to young people and community groups who have a passion or objective which may be unobtainable without financial assistance.

For Stafford-Bush, it’s a source of great pride and satisfaction, and it has opened a world of opportunity and interest she would never have had without taking a step into benevolence.

“It’s been fantastic for everyone,” she says, before adding in her forthright manner, “We’re pretty stingy in this country when it comes to helping others financially in a private capacity. We are not good at opening our purse strings.

“If you can do it, you should,” she says.

According to Charities Register records, the Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation has given away up to $100,000 annually in recent years.

Recipients of grants have included young athletes aiming to reach a higher level of competition, footballers, artists, performers, and maritime conservation and recreational enterprises such as Project Jonah and Sea Cleaners.

Another recipient is the Queenstown Fire Service, which is a clue to where another part of Stafford-Bush’s community interest lies.

“We’re pretty stingy in this country when it comes to helping others financially in a private capacity. We are not good at opening our purse strings... If you can do it, you should.”

The connection relates to years of commuting to Central Otago, home to both her adult children – Mia and Samuel – and the setting of a lot of outdoor pursuits for Paddy and Brian.

Recipients have largely been found by word of mouth. For Stafford-Bush, making a success of what she calls “a business model with empathy and understanding” has been a learning curve, underpinned by her own background in social service and an upbringing far removed from a silver-spoon childhood.

“I know what it’s like to have nothing much,” she says.

When it has come to providing funding, she says she has been no soft touch.

“I most definitely believe people have to be able to stand on their own two feet and to show they want to do that.

“People who come to us don’t have to be the best but they do have to show a passion that comes from within and they do have to show what they want to do.

“And they’ve got to really want it and actually have the ability to do what it is they want to achieve.

“I do feel it is very important for this country to support our young people. I’d love people to see the joy on the faces of those applicants who are able to succeed with the help of this funding where otherwise they may not have.”

Never one to shy away from a crossroads, she says the time has come to choose a route to follow during the next stages of her life. “Life goes in cycles and for me it’s the time for a new one.”

She will soon be making a move south to establish a new home near family.

She’s quick to say this may not mean a final goodbye to her beloved Bayswater and community.

But it does mean she is serious about creating a new life, getting stuck into outdoor living and, yes, getting into more community involvement in a new location.

“Of course I will want to be part of things. Being active and involved is good for me. It’s good for everyone. You have to look forward, not back.”

Looking around her lovely Bayswater home, full of Stafford-Bush’s paintings, quirky touches, memories and rich history, it’s not quite clear yet how it will all go into a suitcase when the day comes to go.

But soon enough, she says, Paddy Stafford-Bush is moving on.

• Hundreds of Belmont Intermediate and Takapuna Grammar students were left stranded on their first day back at school after bus operator Ritchies failed to inform people about changes to times and routes.

• Mt Victoria’s ‘mushrooms’ are repainted.

• Parts of Windsor Reserve are controversially fenced off for the Devonport Food and Wine Festival.

• Artists Karen Williamson and Su Fippard bring 50s and 60s Kiwiana to life in an International Girls of Mystery exhibition at the Depot.

• A spate of day-time burglaries in

Devonport prompts North Shore police to set up checkpoints to deter potential offenders coming into the suburb.

• The Devonport area office of North Shore City Council at 3 Victoria Rd is attacked by paint-splattering vandals.

• Open days at the Devonport Cinema are planned by the Victoria Theatre Trust to encourage moves to bring the building into public ownership.

• Ice It cafe offers a free lunch in exchange for information leading to the return of a stolen table.

• Sue Gibb is appointed as the Devonport Community Coordinator.

• Fullers moves to discharge sewage from its ferries into a new pump station instead of the sea.

• Margaret Hight, a local martial arts instructor, is inducted into the Kempo Hall of fame.

• Sam the Labrador, known as the foreman of Mt Victoria for his role accompanying Roger Giles during tasks on the maunga, dies aged 15.

• Matthew Vaea is the new North Shore Rugby Club premiers coach.

• Devonport yachtie Paul Snow-Hansen is the Flagstaff interview subject.

Belmont 35A Montgomery Avenue

Award-winning family haven

Discover why this Master Builders Gold Award winning property ticks all the boxes! Architecturally designed and thoughtfully crafted, this low-maintenance home offers modern living with family convenience. Upstairs, you’ll find four generously sized bedrooms, including a luxurious master suite with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, plus a sleek, contemporary family bathroom. The lower level serves as the heart of the home, featuring a stunning open-plan kitchen, seamlessly flowing into the living and dining areas. Step outside to the private astroturf yard—designed for effortless, easy-care enjoyment and year-round entertaining. A laundry and bathroom on this level, adding convenience for busy households. bayleys.co.nz/1451682 bayleys.co.nz

Belmont 35A Montgomery Avenue

4 2 2.5

Auction (unless sold prior) 1.30pm, Thu 6 Mar 2025

28 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland

View Sat/Sun 11.30am-12pm

Blair Monk 021 399 966 blair.monk@bayleys.co.nz

Discover why this Master Builders Gold Award winning designed and thoughtfully crafted, this low-maintenance convenience. Upstairs, you’ll find four generously sized suite with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, plus a sleek, level serves as the heart of the home, featuring a stunning into the living and dining areas. Step outside to the private easy-care enjoyment and year-round entertaining. A laundry convenience for busy households. bayleys.co.nz/1451682

bayleys.co.nz

Don’t delay! Owners say to ignore CV & put forward your best offer. This charming villa sits on a large 712m² (more or less) section allowing you to experience comfortable living, nestled in a Victorian-style neighbourhood filled with history and character. Enjoy coastal living and sea views in a location that offers both convenience and charm.

Becky Zhu 021 075 9200

b.zhu@barfoot.co.nz

Bob Voss 027 425 1781

b.voss@barfoot.co.nz barfoot.co.nz/906511

We need you!

New Zealand’s media continues to undergo massive change.

Last year, Newshub canned its hour-long evening news show and morning AM show in July, while TVNZ dropped Fair Go and its Sunday programme; among other job cuts.

In the world of community newspapers, The 50-year-old Howick and Pakuranga Times has shut down, along with the 100-year-old Wairoa Star. (Both have reappeared under new ownership.)

Last year, NZME closed 14 community titles. (Several have since been bought by local communities). Last week, the company announced 38 further jobs would go - reporting, sub-editing and production roles.

The common reasons for the media cutbacks and closures are declining advertising revenues and rising costs. Newspapers across the country have faced print bill increases of 56 per cent over the last five years.* (Our print bill has gone up $6000 per month during this time.)

At the same time, New Zealand companies are spending millions of dollars on Google and Facebook advertising. This money goes offshore, with massive impacts on New Zealand journalism and jobs.

Journalist numbers in New Zealand have dropped from 4000 to 1700 in the past 20 years.*

At Devonport Publishing, we employ nine people (full-time and part-time) across our two newspapers — The Devonport Flagstaff and the Rangitoto Observer. All live locally.

How long can community newspapers continue under the current model?

If the trends in advertising and costs continue, we are likely to run out of money — sooner rather than later.

On publication day, I see dozens of people — young and old — wandering around with the Flagstaff. It is read and valued as much today as it was when it was started

32 years ago.

Most media are now relying on donations or subscriptions in some form to survive.

I hope you are prepared to pay something towards the production of our newspapers.

Click ‘Become a supporter’ at the top of our website home page: devonportflagstaff.co.nz

Every little bit helps.

Please sign up for our email alerts for when the paper goes online and to get our weekly newsletter.

Finally, a massive thanks to our advertisers who continue to support us, and to those readers who have already made donations.

Rob Drent

Devonport Flagstaff Owner and Editor for 28 years

*Source: Koi Tū: University of Auckland Centre for Informed Futures. A position paper on New Zealand’s news media. Author: Gavin Ellis. Released May 2024.

Go to devonportflagstaff.co.nz and click to ‘Become a supporter’ at the top of the page

Trades & Services

• New builds and renovations

• Rewires

• Home network cabling

• Wall-mount TVs

• Home theatre

LocaL to Devonport

Call Peter Cairns for your free quotation

Phone 021 858 243 or 445 4675

email allsafe.electrical@xtra.co.nz

Andrew Holloway Floorsander

• Floorsanding

• Polyurethaning and staining

• Tongue and Groove repairs

• Serving Devonport since 1995

• Tongue and Groove repairs

• Serving Devonport since 1995

Please phone for a free quote Phone 027 285 4519

ahfloorsanding@xtra.co.nz

ahfloorsanding@xtra.co.nz www.ahfloorsanding.co.nz

Plumbing, Gasfitting, Drainage, Roof Leaks

MAINTENANCE SPECIALISTS

Prompt courteous service

Fully insured for your peace of mind Certifying Plumber, Gasfitter and Drainlayer Call Matt

Garden design and construction

Whether you are planning a garden refresh or a full renovation, we can help with all the planning, construction and planting. Including decks, retaining, pergolas, paving and fencing. Everything outdoors! Call Steve on 021 345 694 www.naturalgardens.co.nz

John Bisset LtD

•

•Limited

•Siting/asbuilt

RYMAN VILLAGE

OPEN DAYS

First Day Pōwhiri Welcome

The 2025 year commenced with over 400 new Year 9 students, 77 international students and new staff being welcomed onto the school grounds with a pōwhiri. The pōwhiri was led by Matua William Catterall, Whaea Tina Peters and our Tū Tangata students who performed waiata and the school haka Te Karanga Pakanga with pride. Principal, Mary Nixon addressed the cohort and extended a warm welcome to parents and whānau.

We wish our students all the very best for the coming year and look forward to seeing them embrace all that TGS has to offer.

Social runners in red take their time up Takarunga

Around 50 runners and walkers in red dresses took to the streets of Devonport last week, with the proceeds going to Starship Children’s Hospital.

The event was organised by the North Shore Hussies, the local Hash House Harriers club.

The Harriers are an international group of non-competitive running social clubs whose origins date back to the 1930s.

This red-dress run, a tradition clubs all over the world partake in annually to raise money for charity, was held in the buildup to the national ‘NashHash’ which was hosted in Auckland last weekend, attracting club members from around New Zealand.

Among other traditions, Hash House runners use nicknames or aliases to refer to each other, and often put more of a focus on socialising than running.

‘Grandmaster’ of the North Shore club, “Revs”, said Devonport was chosen for the run as it was where many of the North Shore Hussies live.

Group concerned about local 5G sites calls public meeting

Local group SaferTech NZ is holding a public meeting on 17 February, from 7.30 to 9pm at the Devonport Community House, 32 Clarence St, on the 5G cell towers proposed for the area.

Since June last year the group has raised concerns about the planned installation of “small-cell 5G arrays” by One NZ and For-

tysouth at eight residential locations around central Devonport.

SaferTech spokesman Michael Fleck said that people directly affected have not been consulted.

“The existing 4G technology serves us well,” he said.

Council was allowing the installations

based on outdated safety standards and One NZ had not considered other locations. SaferTech wanted to hear from the local community.

Many small communities around the world had stood up against corporate agendas. “Devonport can be another mouse that roared,” he said.

Slow progress... Harriers on a steep stretch of their route up to the summit of Takarunga. Below: Hussies members ‘Scratchy George’ (left) and Devonport resident Chris Morrison, who is known to his clubmates as ‘Ten Speed’.

Council unconcerned at gate installed on new seawall

A gate installed on a Narrow Neck seawall wasn’t part of the original consent, but Auckland Council says it will not be looking into the matter.

The privately owned seawall below the properties at 66 and 68 Seacliffe Ave was built in late 2023, with the purpose of stabilising the cliff.

The metal gate at the top of stairs from the beach, which was installed after the seawall’s construction, is very unlikely to need consent as it is not on public land, an Auckland Council spokesperson said.

The steps and gate are within the boundary of 66 Seacliffe Ave.

The spokesperson said if members of the public are concerned they could log a complaint with the council. “However, based on the information we have so far, it does not sound like there has been any breach, and it would not be enough to trigger an investigation.”

Nothing in the consent indicated the semi-circular sea wall around a large, flat concrete pad would have public access, the spokesperson said.

Gated space... The seawall at the foot of the cliff below 66 and 68 Seacliffe Ave. The gate installed since construction is at right.

AUCKLAND

NEW ZEALAND TEMPLE

OPEN HOUSE

27 FEBRUARY - 22 MARCH (EXCLUDING SUNDAYS)

EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND PEACE OF THE AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND TEMPLE.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARN MORE AND RESERVE YOUR VISIT.

WHAT’S ON @ Devonport Library

Ko te mea nui, ko te aroha. The greatest thing is love.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Birthday, Happy Pride to us all. There’s so so much to celebrate.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14TH 12-2PM

Virginia Gautusa will launch Love Language, her second book of poems and haiku. Step in and listen for a while over light lunchtime refreshments.

FRIDAY 21ST FEBRUARY, 6PM

Ngā mihi nui ki a Dr Monty Soutar, (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Kahungunu) ONZM. The esteemed scholar and author of the best-selling Kāwai fiction series will be with us to discuss writing his powerful trilogy of epic historical stories of Aotearoa.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25TH 7PM

A Writer’s Life. An evening of Devonport literary talent with local writers, wine, and birthday cake. The first Devonport Library Associates event of 2025 and our tenth birthday. Everyone welcome.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5TH 6:30PM

Hachette Press is launching Erin Palmisano’s The Secrets of Maiden’s Cove. New escapist fiction by the author of The Secrets of the Little Greek Taverna.

A BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK?

Some romance novels hide their charms. Take a chance on a beautifully wrapped book. Be delighted. Plus every three romance novels you borrow in February creates a chance to win a $100 e-giftcard.

KIA ORA TAMARIKI! Rhymetime, Wriggle and Rhyme, Lego Club and Minecraft have all resumed and free lollipops for anyone wishing us a Happy Birthday.

He reka. Sweet as!

Koller enjoys Chiefs pre-season stint

Spending a pre-season with the Chiefs has helped North Shore Rugby Club and North Harbour first five-eighth Oscar Koller pick up some skills for his future career.

Koller (24) spent eight weeks training with the Hamilton-based Super Rugby side as a replacement player.

“I feel like I’m a far better player than I was 10 weeks ago,” he told the Flagstaff.

Being around the high-calibre players in the squad, especially All Blacks such as Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown, meant he had a chance to observe “how they go about craft”. Koller got a taste of the top flight in a preseason match against the Hurricanes which he found involved greater pace, more highly skilled players and “bigger bodies flying at you” than rugby at lower levels.

His interim contract with the Chiefs has ended, but there’s a chance they or another Super side could call him in as cover if anyone in his position is injured.

For now, he is available to play for the North Shore premiers as they push for a third consecutive North Harbour club title, and is keen to do so. But if the opportunity arises to play Super Rugby that’s the priority, he said.

The Devonport resident played for Shore during their 2023 campaign, scoring 21 points in that year’s final, but he missed last year’s season because he was playing Major League Rugby in the United States with Anthem Rugby Carolina.

Ready to step up... Oscar Koller is keen to turn out for North Shore, but will also jump at the chance for Super Rugby exposure

Gill has rival’s measure at big Auckland meet

Devonport’s Jacko Gill threw a metre further than long-time rival Tom Walsh to win the shot put at the Sir Graeme Douglas International athletics event at Trusts Arena in Henderson last weekend.

Gill won with a heave of 21.85m, having led the contest from start to finish.

Walsh, in his first outing since an adductor injury sustained at the Paris Olympics, posted a best of 20.86m in the third round. Ready to launch... Jacko Gill in action in the shot-put final last weekend PICTURE: ATHLETICS NZ

Woolworths count down to graffiti removal

The site of Woolworths’ new ‘Direct to Boot’ outlet on Lake Rd has been plastered with graffiti. Approached by the Flagstaff, the grocery retailer said the graffiti would be removed soon: “Likely in the next few days.”

Asked when the new grocery operation would open, a company spokesperson said: “We don’t have a specific update on timing to share at the moment.” The company said last October that it hoped to open the outlet in the first half of 2025. It will be New Zealand’s first standalone direct-to-boot facility – allowing customers to order online and then pick up their goods from the site.

Enrich and protect your valuable asset with high quality painting by Kingdom Decorators

Kingdom Decorators has been operating on and around the Devonport Peninsula for over 40 years

Owner, Ross Kingdom built an extensive team of loyal, high quality painters, most of whom have been with him for more than 20 years

Ross offers a ‘one stop shop’ service from advice with colours, paint finishes through to scaffold and building repairs including project management where necessary

Existing paintwork often requires attention after 10 years or so and deferring maintenance can incur extra costs down the line

We have been so lucky with all our staff, they are courteous, friendly, helpful guys and always have a clean and tidy site. The harmonious singing is an absolute bonus!

Your editorial (31 January) mentions that the legacy of Toni van Tonder, the departing Chair of the Devonport Takapuna Local Board, “is difficult to quantify”.

You failed to mention the lead she has taken to sell each and every community building adjacent to the Takapuna Library (all built in 1989) and replace them with a 300sqm structure with a viewing platform on top of the existing library.

The reason? These community buildings need maintenance! Of course they do. The only building that has had a new roof and an upgrade is the Takapuna Library, albeit 11 years ago.

To sell the Mary Thomas Centre, Takapuna’s Community Offices, the War Memorial Hall and the Senior Citizens Hall is utter lunacy. Dilapidated, empty buildings soon become derelict and a community eyesore.

If I was Toni van Tonder, I too would resign and head to Australia.

Jan O’Connor

Thanks for publishing my letter and photo of the broken Kings Pde railing (31 January).

I note that the featured item has been fixed, however further along (opposite Dulcie cafe) there are more, as per images attached (above, left and centre).

By comparison the uprights west of the

Write to the Devonport Flagstaff

yacht club are mostly in good shape (above, right), as they all should be.

Hopefully our council will assign a contractor to de-rust, repair and repaint those railing supports as required, but until then we are stuck with what we see.

Barry Watkin

We welcome letters. Please limit to 300 words on local topics. Noms de plume or unnamed letters will not be printed. Email news@devonportflagstaff.co.nz or write to Letters, PO Box 32 275, Devonport.

THE NAVY COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

NAVY REPRESENT AT WAITANGI

The Royal New Zealand Navy, a longestablished guest for Waitangi Day commemorations, has made its presence felt at the 185th Anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Navy’s involvement comes from an annual invitation from Te Tokerau to attend at Waitangi and perform a range of full ceremonial duties.

This year HMNZS Canterbury anchored off Waitangi between 4-6 February, firing a 21-gun salute at midday on 6 February to observe the signing.

Other Navy involvement included the Navy Band performing at the Village Green in Paihia and a Beat Retreat and Ceremonial Sunset Ceremony at the Treaty Ground flagpole on the evening before Waitangi Day. A 50-person Guard of Honour conducted the ceremonial lowering of the New

Zealand White Ensign, signifying the end of the day.

Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said the invitation was always a great honour for the Navy and an

absolute privilege to be part of. He was joined this year by Chief of Army Major General Rose King and Chief of Air Force Air Vice Marshal Darryn Webb.

Devonport Naval Base security reminder – for the safety of the community, please take care and remain outside the 60-metre perimeter of the Naval Base at all times. This includes when swimming, diving, kayaking, fishing and sailing.

Finger-pickin’ good: Folk music returns to the rotunda

Folk in the Park returns to Devonport this Sunday 16 February, with three hours of music being performed by local and national artists at the band rotunda in Windsor Reserve from 1-4pm.

Devonport local Diane Ponzio – who blends jazz, pop and folk – is among performers on the bill.

Others include Sonja and Nigel – Sonja Wilson and Nigel Gavin – a multi-cultural acoustic duo who weave French, Kiwi, and American songs with their own compositions; Neil Finlay and friends, specialising in blues and country-folk; Celtic Ferret; Jean Reid; and Ian Bartlett.

String section... The Wires and Wood bluegrass band playing at Folk in the Park in 2020.

Monty Soutar, historian and author of the bestselling Kāwai series will speak at Devonport Library on 21 February from 6pm.

Historian and author speaks at library Support your paper for the price of a cup of

The Michael King Writer’s Fellowship recipient has so far written two books of his trilogy, starting his fictional family story in pre-colonial Aotearoa.

Go to

and click on ‘Become a supporter’ at the top of the

DEVONPORT | 38 JUBILEE AVENUE

Stunning Clifftop Estate

Superbly located on an elevated 1047sqm (approx) freehold title at the end of sought after Jubilee Avenue and set amongst some of north shores finest homes, this substantial and elegant residence is one of a kind. This property presents a fantastic opportunity to enjoy as is, renovate, landbank or build your dream home. The existing home offers well proportioned living and dining areas which open effortlessly to lovely outdoor living. Comprising five bedrooms, four bathrooms, 2x double garages, large covered parking structure with room for a car or boat plus plenty of off street parking. Close proximity Torpedo Bay, Cheltenham Beach, cafes, restaurants and all that Devonport has to offer. premium.co.nz /80680 VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST | THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2025 AT 4 PM

Musical worlds collide in Irish Kiwi’s guitar virtuosity

Dave Flynn’s Irish upbringing is immediately obvious in his accent, but his musical journey has taken him far from home.

He plans to share the story of the many influences on his traditional tunes in his Celtic Guitar Journey show at the Vic theatre in Devonport this month.

Flynn (pictured) splits his time between Auckland, Ireland and touring. He and his Irish wife, whom he met in Takapuna 11 years ago at a wedding, have New Zealand residency and a home in Hauraki.

“Funnily enough, I’ve never done a concert in this area, on the North Shore,” he says.

The professional guitarist of 25 years has played at venues around the country for a decade, and has appeared with the New Zealand String Quartet in Auckland.

The Celtic Guitar Journey programme is a distillation of his life’s work and study, which included a PhD in composition in Irish music

Flynn is well-known in the Irish music scene, but doesn’t limit himself to purely Irish tunes. Classical influences are strong in his playing and he recently spent time in Spain to pick up some flamenco guitar and percussive techniques, all of which will be evident in his performance at the Vic.

“I’ve always been interested in all sorts of types of music,” he says. “Irish traditional folk is influenced by all sorts of other forms

Peter Bradburn

Visceralism: Striking a Chord Meet the artist Sat 7 Feb11am – 2 pm Exhibition: 6 to 23 Feb

of music and the show I do illustrates that.”

In two 40-minute halves, the show will traverse myriad influences, reflecting the origins and diaspora of the Celts.

He will play a set of tunes from Scotland and has also looked to Nova Scotia in Canada, where immigrants of Celtic descent fashioned their own style. Manchester Irish made their own music too, he says.

“The stuff people will not be so familiar with comes from central Europe, where the Celts started.”

His playing also takes in Polish and German influences. The mazurka dance has

become a tradition in Ireland, he says.

DNA tests have revealed people on the Irish west coast have a 7 per cent Iberian ancestry. Flynn says there is an old style of singing in Ireland, known as sean nos, which has commonality with the ornamentation and inflection of Spain’s more flamboyant music.

Culture Ireland is a backer of Celtic Guitar Journey, which he took to other parts of New Zealand last year. The repertoire has grown since then due to his Spanish stint.

Befitting his status as an Irish-Kiwi, Flynn says he has started to pick up on Aotearoan influences. Flying Nun band The Bats have made an impression and he says native birdsong resonates to his musical ear.

On top of his guitar work, he’s written a few orchestral pieces, including some with distinctly Kiwi names such as “Takapuna Beach Hop” and “Kaikoura Lobster”.

A festival in Wanaka beckons next, before he will reunite with the New Zealand String Quartet in Wellington.

Locally, he has visited the Bunker on Takarunga several times for folk performances. For his debut North Shore performance, he says he was attracted to the Vic for its historic character.

“It’s going to be great.”

• Celtic Guitar Journey,8pm Friday 28 February, at The Vic. Tickets, $20 plus booking fee, from thevic.co.nz

MOVIES & SPECIAL EVENTS

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (M) 120min

Captain America: Brave New World (M) 119min

Bird (R16) 119min Advance Screenings 14-16 Feb

September 5 (M) 95min

Widow Clicquot (M) 90min

Becoming Led Zeppelin (E) 121min

Touch (M) 122min

Babygirl (R16) 115min

Companion (R16) 97min

The Haka Party Incident (E) 90min

A Complete Unknown (M) 141min

The Brutalist (R16) 215min

We Live in Time (M) 108min

Anora (R16) 139min

Dragonkeeper (PG) 99min

COMING SOON

Tinā (M) 126min Advance Screenings 21-23 Feb Thanks to our partners and supporters

61a Victoria Rd, Devonport

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Devonport 42 King Edward Parade

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BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, DEVONPORT, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

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BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, DEVONPORT, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Celebrating a landmark position on Devonport’s iconic waterfront, this gracious 1890s villa has been adored by the same family for over 40 years. Sitting on an 817sqm flat corner site, the incredibly spacious, two-level residence showcases spectacular harbour views from almost every room. Duder’s Beach Reserve and beautiful Torpedo Bay are just across the road– perfect for swimming, strolling, dog walking and boat launching. The home’s original character has been retained and enhanced throughout – rich Kauri panelling, soaring original ceilings and stained glass. The solid teak kitchen is at its heart and a flexible floorplan offers up to five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study and numerous light-filled living and dining spaces to gather and entertain. bayleys.co.nz/1470721

Duder’s Beach Reserve and beautiful Torpedo Bay are just across the road– perfect for swimming, strolling, dog walking and boat launching. The home’s original character has been retained and enhanced throughout – rich Kauri panelling, soaring original ceilings and stained glass. The solid teak kitchen is at its heart and a flexible floorplan offers up to five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study and numerous light-filled living and dining spaces to gather and entertain. bayleys.co.nz/1470721

bayleys.co.nz

33 King Edward Parade, Devonport,

Auckland

View Sun 12-12.30pm

Emma Lynskey 021 803 873 emma.lynskey@bayleys.co.nz

Set Sale Date (unless sold prior) 4pm, Wed 5 Mar 2025 33 King Edward Parade, Devonport, Auckland View Sun 12-12.30pm Emma Lynskey 021 803 873 emma.lynskey@bayleys.co.nz

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, DEVONPORT, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008