16 December 2022 Devonport Flagstaff

Rowers left in limbo over Bayswater

it will be forced out of its training facilities at Bayswater.

Club president Paula Halliday says the club – which this year had the top co-ed school squad in New Zealand – desperately wants answers about its future from Auckland Trans-

port (AT) and lease administrator Panuku.

She is frustrated at the lack of information from either of the two Auckland Councilcontrolled organisations.

“We’ve been here for 20 years, so I don’t understand, why not give us a quick call?” Halliday said that in an informal conversa-

tion late last month, a Panuku staff member indicated the club would need to find a new site, possibly within three to six months.

But she has been unable to pin down Panuku’s intentions in writing.

The club occupies the “big blue shed” at the

It’s a wrap! ‘Gifted’ children on parade

Takapuna Grammar School Rowing Club fears

All presents and correct... Sarah Ostergaard leads a group of children from Stanley Bay Primary School during the Devonport Santa Parade that drew big crowds on a sunny Sunday. More photos, p12-15.

Funding available to community groups in the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area will be cut hugely under shock budget proposals put up by Mayor Wayne Brown, says board chair Toni van Tonder.

More than half of the board’s $1.3 million of operating expenses used for locally driven initiatives (LDIs) is at stake.

Support for environmental and community trusts and grant money available for events and local groups is at risk.

“We will not be able to tolerate that,” van Tonder told the Flagstaff. It would threaten the future of some groups, she said.

Some faced “death by a thousand cuts”, with their regional funding also on the line.

The board was expected to give feedback to the 2023-24 draft budget proposals just a day after the Mayor went public this month with an outline of them.

In the detail was a plan to stop running Kauri Kids community creches, including in Takapuna.

Peppercorn leases for using Auckland Council buildings are also to be reviewed.

The board’s feedback accepted spending cuts were needed due to the council’s forecast $290

What happens next

Budget setting time-frames are tight, with councillors this week having to agree regional matters. Local boards need to give feedback about their board agreements in early February. The Mayor’s consultation document on the 2023-24 budget is to be approved by Auckland Council’s governing body that month, to allow public consultation from late February to late March. The final budget has to be adopted by June.

million deficit. But it said the local impacts had been downplayed.

Although the Mayor talked of trimming just 5 per cent from local-board budgets across the city, van Tonder says the impact is unevenly spread due to the application of an “equity” calculation. Areas such as the Shore, which have historically funded groups to do work rather than use council resources, are much harder hit by cuts than other parts of the city.

Sixty- one per cent of the DTLB’s discretionary funds are at stake, she says.

Van Tonder had a brief opportunity to tell

the Mayor of the true extent of the cuts on Devonport-Takapuna at a closed session of the governing body last week. She said he seemed surprised.

Since then she has met with other northern board chairs who will attempt to lobby the council again this week.

“I’m frustrated that it’s been a top-down approach,” she said. Board chairs should have been consulted.

Any LDI cuts should be for one year only, the board said in its feedback.

The mayoral proposals include lopping a further $60 million off Auckland Council spending on top of an existing savings target of $90 million.

The cuts come as costs surge and after Covid hit revenues. To to put a brake on rate rises, asset sales and service reductions loom.

General rate rises will be capped at 7 per cent, up on the 3.5 per cent signalled earlier, with residential rates to rise 4.66 per cent.

The water-quality targeted rate, which helped fund beach and Wairau Estuary clean-up work, is being cut by two-thirds, but North Shore councillor Richard Hills hopes work will continue with funds in hand.

Season’s greetings and happy holidays

To all our readers and advertisers, warmest wishes for Christmas and the New Year from the staff and publishers of the Devonport Flagstaff.

As we all look forward to a relaxing summer after another challenging year for Auckland, the country and the world, we hope you are able to take time out to enjoy the special things about living here on the Devonport Peninsula.

To those who are working through, thank you; to those ‘staycationing’, what better place to do it? To anyone

heading away, safe travels.

We are proud to be your independent voice for local news and appreciate your interest and support. We look forward to continuing to report on local issues and achievements in 2023.

Look out for the year’s first Flagstaff on 27 January. Our office reopens with limited hours from 9 January.

For holiday reading – ideal for guests you may be hosting – pick up a copy of our Destination Devonport visitor’s guide in the village or at the ferry terminal. It’s full of ideas to love local.

TGS cricketer tops legend’s record run tally

A Takapuna Grammar School all-rounder has broken a school record set 80 years ago by New Zealand cricket great Bert Sutcliffe.

Year 12 student Christian Scott recorded the highest-ever season run total at TGS, scoring 801. This beat Sutcliffe’s run tally of 745 set in 1942.

Christian said his achievement felt “pretty surreal considering [Sutcliffe] is one of New Zealand’s greats”.

Sutcliffe, who died in 2001, is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most legendary cricketers. He played test cricket for New Zealand from 1947 to 1965, averaging 40 and scoring five centuries.

The school’s cricket pavilion is named after him.

Christian’s record tally helped the school’s first XI to its eighth second-grade title, which earned promotion back to the premier grade for next season. It will be the team’s 72nd year in the top Auckland schools competition.

The 17-year-old, who lives in Cheltenham, hit two centuries during the season, one against Selwyn College (finishing with 123) and the other against Whangārei Boys High School (125).

The cricketer’s talents aren’t limited to batting, either. He took a five-wicket bag against Macleans College this season.

Christian says he’s focused on coming back next season to score more runs for the first XI. In the longer term, wants to head south to play cricket at Lincoln University once he leaves school.

Christian’s grandfather Verdun Scott used to open with Sutcliffe for New Zealand. They combined for 122, 89 and 121 in three matches of the 1949 tour of England. He was also a rugby league international.

Two other TGS players topped 500 runs this season: Daniel Middleton (593) and Freddy Birch (508). It was the first time three players scored more than 500 runs in the same season.

Great Scott... Christian Scott after one of his top knocks

All-rounder... Christian in action on the Takapuna Grammar School fields, with ball and bat

Rowing club fears loss of ‘blue shed’ at Bayswater

From page 1

bottom of Sir Peter Blake Pde, using it as a base for training for its 90 rowers, who are drawn from Takapuna Grammar (TGS) and Belmont Intermediate School (BIS).

Inside, it stores 30 boats and 100 sliding seats. An adjoining building provides a meeting area and toilets for the rowers who gather before dawn to head out on the water.

Without the facility, or some alternative base at Bayswater, Halliday said the club would fold. “There are no further options.”

She wanted a permanent solution negotiated between the parties, which could involve a nearby triangle of reserve land.

“I’m not saying we need this building, but we need somewhere for the kids to store all this and for the kids to go to the loo.”

A memorandum of understanding covers the club’s use of the site. AT has dibs on the public land for transport needs and Panuku, as council’s property arm, manages the peppercorn lease.

With a planning decision pending on plans to build apartments on the adjoining privately-owned marina land, AT is yet to reveal how it intends to manage bus access to the ferry, which might have to be provided through the site occupied by the blue shed.

In an email to Halliday this month, Panuku manager of transport portfolios Shelley Watson said: “At this point in time we have had no further updates from AT on your term and your licence is currently on a monthly hold-over.”

With the young rowers entering their busiest time of the year, Halliday says it is unsettling not being able to get a dialogue going about options.

Watson told Halliday: “They (AT) have advised that the Rowing Club will be consulted when the time comes and when there is something tangible to share.”

North Shore MP Simon Watts said he wanted to see the parties involved around a table. “It’s not AT who lives here, it’s us and the young people.”

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members have for years been calling on AT to brief them on public transport plans for the area, which include a possible ferry-berth relocation to the old Bayswater wharf, near where the rowers enter the water.

Chair Toni van Tonder told the Flagstaff she expected to hear more about AT’s plans after the consent decision was issued.

The board would be open to looking at landholder approval for use of the vacant triangle of reserve land if the club had to vacate the shed, she said.

But given access to the water from the reserve would be in a sensitive coastal area requiring consents, she wondered if a better solution might be exploring access to the marina-activities space the developer had to provide.

Having spoken to AT about the time-frames for any changes at the site, van Tonder believed the club would not have to move during this rowing season.

Halliday wants to to hear that direct from AT.

Uncertain future... Takapuna Grammar School Rowing Club president Kate Halliday in the rowing shed at Bayswater which the club fears may be lost. Below: Year 12 rowers outside the shed with North Shore MP Simon Watts.

Shop goods trashed after crash cuts power

Belmont businesses were hit hard by a power cut caused by a car smashing into a power pole on Lake Rd at speed last Saturday morning.

Thousands of dollars worth of chilled and frozen perishables had to be discarded after the 6.50am crash near Westwell Rd took out multiple powerlines and caused electricity to be cut until 8.30pm.

The Belmont Superette in Lake Rd was one of the worst-affected businesses.

Operator Shaun Patel said it lost up to $3000 worth of ice cream and milk products due to its fridges and freezers going down.

“If it (dairy products) goes below a certain temperature, because of health and safety protocols we can’t sell it, so we had to dump the whole stock,” he said.

The business attempted to access a generator from powerlines company Vector so it could stay open but was told it had to organise that itself through its insurance.

“We looked into it and the excess was a thousand dollars and our premiums would go up so it just wasn’t worth it,” Patel said.

The superette was forced to close for the entire day, losing a day’s revenue.

Patel said it would take weeks to make back the lost money.

Lekk Bakery was also struck by the outage, having to dump all of the stock baked earlier in the morning.

“We couldn’t save the pies because the warmers weren’t working and they got cold,” owner Jane Ye said.

Ye said she and her staff had to come in on Sunday when the bakery is usually closed to clean up the mess that melted products left in the freezers.

It was a similar story for DalDak Chicken which had to dump its supplies of chicken and vegetables.

On the other side of Lake Rd, Elizabeth Dairy, which is still awaiting repairs after a ram-raid in July, also had to dump ice creams,

Wide impact... Power was cut to Belmont businesses and homes for more than 13 hours after this car smashed into a power pole on Lake Rd. Right: Belmont Superette operator Shaun Patel, who was forced to discard up to $3000 worth of perishable stock.

milk and other stock.

A Vector spokesperson told the Flagstaff the power restoration took longer than usual due to the extent of the damage and the difficulties caused by high winds and torrential rain.

The car’s sole occupant reportedly suffered no serious injuries in the collision. Police said no charges had been laid.

Milford Shops

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Wakatere stalwart recognised for green sailing focus

Delayne Salthouse from Wakatere Boating Club has won Yachting New Zealand’s Sustainability Award, recognising the leading hand she has played in developing a national Clean Club programme.

This promotes how clubs can clean up their act, through waste management, conservation and education and making administrative and leadership changes.

Recognition for Salthouse (pictured) came at the Yachting Excellence Awards.

Yachting New Zealand’s Clean Club programme, launched late last year, is the first of its kind in the world and has gained attention from other countries.

Wakatere has three-star clean club status under the programme’s three-step framework, and is helping pave the way for sustainability at other New Zealand sailing clubs.

For Salthouse seeing the amount of litter on Narrow Neck Beach during her daily

walks sparked a view something needed to be done about how people regarded the environment. Realising the club, with its 450 members, could be a catalyst for change she started with a local action plan that then went national.

In 2018, Wakatere began running Sailors for the Sea Clean Regattas with its juniors, then extended this to all major regattas, encouraging members and visitors to alter behaviours. Soon other clubs were asking how to follow suit. A sustainability certification for water-based events has been drawn up. It eliminates single-use items, takes better care of the environment and involves the community.

The committee member, whose family has had a long involvement with the club, would like to see Wakatere help regenerate shellfish at Narrow Neck.

She continues to encourage club members to become active in sustainability initiatives.

Push goes on for breakwater reopening

A call for public access to be reopened to the Bayswater Marina breakwater has been taken to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.

Bayswater resident Mike Single said it had been four years since the breakwater was partially closed off by the marina owner, Bayswater Marina Holdings Ltd (BMHL).

“I’m seeking support for a bid to reopen the entire seawall, as per the [company’s] resource consent, to let the community use it,” Single told the board this month.

Access has been blocked off since 2018, the owner citing the need for repairs after storm damage two years earlier.

A reopening had been promised in March 2020, said Single, but although there had been partial re-openings and work occurring sporadically, four years had passed without a proper resolution.

Single said this was despite the previous board threatening court action.

Walkers, cyclists and fishers had all enjoyed using the area, said Single, who stood unsuccessfully for the board in the October local body elections..

Board chair Toni van Tonder agreed that community use should be reinstated.

The board asked that officers speak to planners and come back with an update.

Briefs

Pets get ticket to ride

Auckland Transport is allowing small pets in suitable pet carriers on buses from Boxing Day. The move applies weekdays in off-peak hours (from 9am to 3pm and after 6.30pm) and at all times on weekends and public holidays. If a six-week trial proves successful, AT will then look to let larger dogs in approved muzzles on board. Caged pets have been allowed on trains since 2020. In extending the move to buses, AT said the practice was common overseas. The pet carrier must fit on a passenger’s lap or under a seat and if buses are full entry may be refused.

Life savers on patrol

Takapuna Beach will be patrolled by surf life savers daily from 17 December to 5 February, from noon until 7pm. It is the only lower North Shore beach being patrolled. Further north, Mairangi Bay and Long Bay will also have guards on duty this summer.

Square opening

Stage one of the Waiwharariki Anzac Square development in Takapuna will open to the public after a dawn karakia on Monday 19 December. Paving and giant planters are in place, with street furniture to come, on the site off Hurstmere Rd. The rest of the public square is expected to be finished in mid-2023.

Picnic postponed

A bad weather forecast prompted the postponement of Hauraki Primary’s Electric Picnic fundraiser last weekend. The school has rescheduled the event to 26 February, with tickets remaining valid but refunds available.

We hope all the Flagstaff readers, and those who have referred business to us, have a great festive season and we look forward to again supporting this excellent community publication in 2023

It looks like next year is going to be a bit tough for the property and mortgage sectors.

We just hope the RBNZ takes a bit of a breather in the new year to see the impact of their rapid tightening cycle as they are well ahead of most other Central Banks!

Enjoy and get in touch for any finance requirements or advice, we can invariably help.

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Veteran TGS staffer steps down

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• GUTTER

• SOFT HOUSE WASH

• PRE-PAINT WASH

• PATHS, DRIVEWAYS

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Retiring... Departing deputy principal Brian Wynn, with principal Mary Nixon at rear, at the recent TGS prize-giving

After 32 years at Takapuna Grammar School, senior deputy principal Brian Wynn is looking forward to a retirement that includes fishing, cycling and overseas travel.

The Devonport resident was farewelled by colleagues last week.

At a prize-giving ceremony held earlier, students performed a rousing kapa haka in his honour.

Wynn joined the school as a physical education teacher and worked his way up to be a dean, head of PE and health and then deputy principal.

He was eager to sneak out without a fuss, but principal Mary Nixon made sure to laud what she described as his sterling service to the school.

He had inspired thousands of students over the years, she said.

“This year he organised the inaugural whole-school prize-giving ceremony, host-

ing over 2000 staff, students, and whanau to celebrate students achieving at the highest level academically and in sport, culture, and service.

“This special event was a fitting swansong to the exceptional standards Mr Wynn has set and delivered.”

Nixon said people who spent time with Wynn were overawed by his deep connections to and knowledge of many students and their later progress.

“He is a fine example of pride in TGS, personified in his contributions to the development of the physical environment and the intangibles that sit at the heart of the school.”

These would remain his legacy, she said.

Wynn, who spent time in the Air Force before becoming a teacher, grew up in Christchurch.

He intends staying in Devonport, but has travel overseas on his agenda next year.

Developer seeks to upsize Esmonde Rd project

A major development on Esmonde Rd’s estuary fringe – sold on its green credentials and already under construction – now wants to hugely expand, throwing into doubt promised public space and raising fears of further congestion.

The developer of the Amaia apartments project on the former Harbourside Church site has applied for a private plan change to Auckland Council’s earlier consent for two buildings of no more than seven storeys to allow a precinct with 13 more buildings across the site, ranging from four to 16 storeys high.

In one of 55 submissions on the application, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board said the new design would result in an over-developed site that dominates a special marine landscape.

The board told council planners green space would be lost and the quality of the residential proposal degraded. This undermined the initial proposition to develop a high-quality contemporary ‘urban village’.

It noted a coastal boardwalk in the original plan was described as “indicative” in the new design, with no certainty about when it would be designed or built. “Without this amenity, the development will present as a privately owned residential island that offers no public amenity or connection with neighbouring communities.”

The board said no council funding was available for a linked up Francis-Esmonde Rd connection to the boardwalk. “Unless the appli-

Projected traffic jump from expanded complex causes concern

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board is concerned about the impact – on Lake Rd traffic in particular – of up to 358 more peakhour vehicle movements through the Amaia intersection under the latest project design.

A 2018 survey showed 1045 peak-hour movements through the intersection.

Access from Amaia onto Esmonde Rd was also flagged as a concern, given that the latest Auckland Transport (AT) proposal for Esmonde Rd is for one rather than two lanes of city-bound general traffic, with another for T2 vehicles and buses. “The local board is concerned that it will be difficult to get cars out of the 48 Esmonde Rd site to join the single general traffic lane.”

The board supported Amaia’s provision of cycle parks. But it said cyclists crossing at Amaia to use the future westbound cycle lane on Esmonde Rd could also cause congestion on the raised centre median with its light-controlled pedestrian crossing. “We wish to see this issue be resolved.”

AT is also wary over increased traffic to and from the site. It wanted a transport assessment done to ensure a cap of 420 peakhour vehicle movements is not exceeded.

turn into a type of “gated community”.

Rezoning the coastal edge of the site Open Space Conservation Zone was supported as a protection from future development, but the board considered a 20m buffer was not of sufficient width, given future impacts from climate change, sea level rise and coastal erosion. It did not want the land vested in the council, given it was unusable for the public and would impose ongoing costs for restoration and maintenance.

The board also expressed concerns about the degree of land disturbance over 10-15 years of large-scale development and requested that sediment controls include biofiltration of stormwater entering Shoal Bay.

It said that a greater bird-strike risk for en-

dangered species in the bay due to increased building heights also needed to be considered.

Opposing the plan change,the Takapuna Residents Association warned that an expansion of the complex would create an overpowering imposition on the landscape. The buildings in the new design presented as a large unbroken area of structure, out of proportion to the environment, at a main entry point to the suburb.

The proposal to create a coastal reserve seemed to be being used as a bargaining tool to squeeze more onto the site and should be dealt with separately, the association said.

T h e B e s t G i f t s A r e H a n d m a d e

Comparison photos from Appendix I – Landscape

Super-sized... the latest design for the Amaia development (top) compared with the original proposal (above)

Wrapping up the year

with

Housing agency pushes high density for Devonport

A massive increase in housing density on the Devonport peninsula including in its heritage heart has been sought by the government’s accommodation provider Kāinga Ora.

It wants the character overlay and zoning in central Devonport replaced with a Terrace and Housing and Apartment block zoning which would mean blocks up to seven storeys high.

The rest of Devonport should be Mixed Housing Urban – 11-metre high, three-dwelling developments built without needing resource consent, Kāinga Ora says in a submission on proposed Plan Change 78, which addresses government edicts to intensify Auckland.

Kāinga Ora also want the volcanic cone viewshafts and height-sensitive areas around

Auckland’s maunga removed, along with the single-house zone or its proposed replacement, the Low Density Housing zone.

The Kāinga Ora submission has alarmed Devonport Heritage, which asked how a government agency can ignore the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, which has a commitment to preserving heritage.

“And will that ministry stand back and allow a historic area like Devonport to have its heritage utterly destroyed?” asked the organisation chair Margot McRae

“We deplore the fact that Auckland Council did not refuse to implement the government’s intensification directives like Christchurch City Council did.

“Now the council’s proposed Plan Change

78 has opened a can of worms, with every developer and government department being able to weigh in and change the face of Auckland to their own agendas,” McRae said.

At next year’s hearing, small local groups like Devonport Heritage will be fighting David and Goliath battles against the might of Government ministries and big developers with their huge resources and money, she said.

“It seems Kainga Ora is the government’s arm to try to make sure its intensification agenda happens, despite the fact the Independent Hearings Panel has been set up to make independent decisions based on the evidence it hears.”

• Further submissions on the plan change can be made prior to January 20.

Local board backs viewshaft and other protections

Maunga viewshafts should be retained as a limitation on building heights, says the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.

In other views that run counter to Kāinga Ora’s submissions seeking an easing of building restrictions to allow greater intensification across Devonport, the board has backed Auckland Council’s proposed Special Character Residential overlay to apply to most of the suburb.

This would prevent the introduction of medium-density standards favoured by the housing agency: single houses of no more than two storeys would remain the norm.

The board’s feedback on council’s proposed planning response to national intensification directives also supported the inclusion of water and wastewater servicing constraints as qualifying matters, noting that Devonport’s water supply was currently inadequate to provide for growth.

Including this as a planning qualifying matter would give council a reason to exempt areas from unsustainable development.

The board also backs significant-ecological-area overlays and coastal-erosion and inundation zones as qualifying features that limit residential development density.

“We support the continued protection of our environmentally significant areas such as Shoal Bay, Lake Pupuke, Wairau Estuary and our beaches and cliffs,” the board said. It also backs building-height restrictions in areas close to eastern beaches and overlays applying to significant ecological areas, to reduce shading.

It also supported protection for sites of significance to mana whenua, with overlays applying on Takararo / Mt Cambria and for O Peretu / Fort Takapuna.

The board was disappointed the council proposes downgrading 10 main-street Devonport heritage sites from A to B heritage designations.

Man in red takes centre stage in Devonport

Christmas came early for delighted locals who turned out in force to enjoy the Santa Parade on 4 December, then take in entertainment and market stalls on Windsor Reserve. Satellite markets at the ferry terminal and Devonport Community House made for a buzzy Sunday.

A

during

Spit and polish... William Tweed, a former Tainui Motors owner, with his 1949 Buick Roadmaster.

Right: Devonport community constable Glenda Peri, who trimmed her police patrol car with tinsel

lolly scramble had children scurrying for treats

vintage and classic car parade down Victoria

Parade

as sun shines on parade and Christmas festival

Ahoy there... The Navy Pipes and Drums band leads the way for Santa, on parade after 2021’s Covid break

Family outing... Chelsea and Brad Johnson from Hauraki with six-month-old baby Georgia, Flynn, aged 4, and Archie, 2

Ready and waiting... Devonport residents Mike Gutierrez and Leo, 5, and former nurse and doctor Angela and Ian Symes await the parade

Standing by... Amanda Cardinale, Tighe Wall and daughter Claire Wall, 4, await Santa

Santa

Santa Parade

Pack pride... Members of the 1st Devonport Scouts assemble for the Santa Parade organised by the Lions club. Calliope Sea Scouts also participated, along with other community groups and businesses.

Up for it... Under welcome blue skies, Father Christmas rode high on a vintage fire engine, wishing peace and goodwill to all. Devonport also celebrated Friday After Five on parade weekend, see pages 37-39

Mental-health cause inspires teen’s fundraiser

Takapuna Grammar School student Maia Madsen is selling hand-made candles to raise money for the I Am Hope charity.

The Year 11 student has set up shop for a second time at 38 Victoria Rd, a heritage business premises that doubles as her father’s office.

She hopes to better the nearly 100 candles she sold two weekends ago by attracting last-minute Christmas shoppers on the main street.

Maia said she chose the Mike King-founded charity because she believes the work it does in mental health is extremely important.

“I really love everything they’re about, especially the whole idea of talking about mental health and making it a conversation, and teaching people how to help those who might need help.”

The Belmont resident said I Am Hope’s work in helping teenagers and young people access mental health care also helped her decide to raise money for the charity.

“I know mental health care has helped me a lot in the past so I wanted to help out in any way I could.”

The idea to raise money for the charity initially began as a business-studies project at school, when her group sold candles at the school business fair.

Maia wanted to donate her portion of the profits to the charity but after realising she only had two dollars to donate she decided to operate on a larger scale.

She used the candle moulds she already had and bought soy wax to start her own shop, which had its first stint last year, raising $500 for the charity – 50 per cent of her profits.

This year she has boosted what she gives to 70 per cent of proceeds.

Maia has spent the last two weeks restocking her supply of candles.

She hopes to sell all 120 she has at hand over this weekend.

They range between $12 and $20 and come in a variety of scents.

Candles for a cause...

Maia Madsen is giving 70 per cent of her revenue to the mentalhealth charity I Am Hope.

Doggie tea towels sell out

Two Devonport women behind a sell-out Christmas fundraiser for dog charities are already planning what to do next year.

Dog groomer Barbara Tubby and photographer Kathryn Nobbs got together this year for a second time to create a Dogs of Devonport tea towel. Last year they produced photographic dog portraits, and next year a calendar is in the offing.

The women, who are both devoted dog owners, have found plenty of kindred souls keen to support their efforts, this year raising more than $3500.

For Nobbs, the project which began mid-year was a fun departure from being behind the lens, including for the Flagstaff. Working from photographs the owners supplied – in some cases portraits she shot the year before – she came up with cartoon-style drawings of 93 pets.

“I decided to incorporate what the dogs liked doing,” she said. The drawings range from dogs carrying a stick in their mouths or holding their leads eager for walkies, to food-driven animals with a bone, or snoozers having a lie-down. A keen swimmer is shown in a snorkel and a few dearly departed pets are depicted with angel wings.

The odd cat has even sneaked onto the tea towel from families who can’t pick favourites among their furry friends. Money raised will go to Paws Restart and Long Acres Animal Haven.

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

Doggy friends... Photographer Kathryn Nobbs (above, left) and groomer Barbara Tubby are behind the Dogs of Devonport fundraiser. Right: local florist Nicole Birch and son Charlie, with Poppy, 14, an SPCA rescue, and Willow, 5, collect their tea towel supporting animal charities

Sue Evans Residential Sales Geraldine Booth Residential Sales

Cathy Fiebig Residential Sales

Trish Fitzgerald Residential Sales Toni Gregor y Residential Sales David Han Residential Sales

Ron

Roland Waiariki Branch Manager

Cricketers

focus from willow to festive pine

The North Shore Cricket Club has branched out into Christmas-tree sales as a fundraiser.

The club has been busy this month selling trees from outside its pavilion on Devonport Domain, after taking over the business run for 10 years in Victoria Rd by the McNicoll family.

For many locals, the giant blow-up Father Christmas and trees and strawberries for sale outside the McNicoll home has been a signal of the start of the holiday season.

But this year, Lucy McNicoll and her brother Ben, who are both busy in jobs after gaining marketing degrees, decided to pass on the reins.

“We started it when we were in high school and it was a good job through school and uni,” Lucy said.

“But work and renovations on the house led us to deciding to pass it on to the cricket club.”

Club chairman Hayden Smith said it was grateful to pick up the operation and had been given “incredible” assistance from the Victoria Rd crew during the handover.

The trees are on sale seven days a week until 18 December, priced at $35 to $105. The club is also offering a delivery and collection service.

Community support had been strong, Smith said.

The 1st Devonport Scouts Group was another community organisation using tree-sales for fundraising and similarly offering a pick-up and dump service, although its sales are now closed for the year.

Seasonal sapling... Stacey Edgar from Hauraki with her tree from the North Shore Cricket Club for a family Christmas with her mother, who is visiting from Japan

Ryman residents hit the tools for rat campaign

Residents of Ryman’s William Sanders Retirement Village have joined community rat-trapping efforts, so far making 50 rat-trap boxes for Restoring Takarunga Hauraki (RTH).

Residents Vern Coleman and Brian Watson aim to make 3000 trap boxes over a three-year period.

Coleman said it was a great way to get involved with a good cause.

“I’d much rather do this than sell raffle tickets,” the 76-year-old said.

“I’ve made 25 a week for the past couple

of weeks but I think 10 is a more sustainable number in the long term.”

Watson, who is also 76, is putting his experience as a former house and boat builder to use, overseeing and lending a hand.

RTH lead coordinator and educator for RTH Lance Cablk said the pair’s contribution “helps massively with the cost of keeping up the trapping lines”.

The boxes are made in the Ryman workshop using leftover construction timber.

Charlie’s charity fundraiser earns him award from local MP

A campaign that raised more than $1700 to support children suffering from cancer has led to Year 6 Belmont Primary School pupil Charlie Richardson (pictured) being recognised with a Community Contribution Award from North Shore MP Simon Watts.

Charlie, who received the award from Watts at the school’s recent prize-giving, aimed to raise awareness as well as money for his chosen cause.

He spoke to his schoolmates at

an assembly, telling them of the hardships children go through with cancer and the impact it has on them and their families.

To raise funds, he organised a crazywig and mufti day, for which pupils brought a gold-coin donation.

Many families donated more, however, leading to the total in excess of $1700, from a school with a roll of 400.

Charlie thanked the school community for supporting such a worthwhile cause.

said many other Ryman villages have rattrapping production lines so suggesting it to Devonport residents had been a “natural step”.

The traps will be placed at RTH’s new nursery at nearby Dacre Park.

The Claystore provided traps to RTH prior to the pandemic, but has struggled to continue the operation due to the impact of Covid.

Currently the Auckland East Men’s Shed, which manufactures thousands of traps a year, provides RTH with most of its traps.

Ryman spokesperson Maryvonne Gray

Production line... Ryman resident Vern Coleman in the retirement village workshop with some of the traps he and Brian Watson have made

Loss and washouts rain on Shore’s opening T20 parade

North Shore Cricket Club’s premier team had a testing start to its T20 season, losing to East Coast Bays on a blustery evening playing at home last week and having a double header in New Lynn washed out last Sunday.

The club, which is leading the Hedley Howarth two-day table and is joint leader in the Jeff Crowe one-day competition, failed to fire first up at the shorter game.

It scored just 9/95 off its 20 overs, with the top three batsmen tumbling cheaply.

Tom Pleciak, back home to join the team from university in Dunedin, top scored batting fourth with 33 – a third of the team’s runs.

East Coast Bays took just 11.3 overs to surpass Shore’s total for the loss of five wickets.

Captain Will Clarke was the best of the Shore bowlers, taking two wickets for 20 runs.

Clarke said the team had been doing well overall. “The T20 is a bit of a blip – it’s a

format where you get those blips.

“The general momentum is going our way.”

Shore was to play another T20 match against Hibiscus Coast at Devonport Domain on Wednesday this week, after this isue of the Flagstaff went to press.

The next opportunity to see the side in action in the short-form game at home will be a double header against Kumeu (from 11am) and Waitakere (from 3pm) on Saturday 7 January.

Rare boundary... North Shore’s Tom Pleciak pulls for four during his top-scoring 33 in the team’s recent first-up T20 loss to East Coast Bays at the Devonport Domain

Years of service rewarded with life membership

North Shore Rugby Club stalwart Grant Simpkins has been made a life member.

It’s a rare honour for the former premiers hooker and later coach: the club has had only 71 life members in the last 149 years. Only 18 are still alive.

Simpkins has represented North Harbour, both playing and coaching, coached the Shore premiers to a championship, coached and played for its prem 2 team, coached its under 21s, coached the Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) 1st XV for six years and served on the club committee for five years.

Simpkins comes from Rotorua. Like his friend and mentor Sir Wayne Shelford, he attended Western Heights High School.

In 1986, he was a part of the school’s 1st XV that won the coveted Moascar Cup.

He followed Shelford into a Navy career and like him eventually became a physical training instructor.

He played for the Navy club but Shelford invited him to Shore in 1991.

In the mid-90s, he was in such dynamic form that long-time club statistician Nev Meek selected him in his all-time club 1st XV. He made the North Harbour NPC squad and played two matches, but bad luck struck in 1998 when he suffered a career-ending neck injury.

Simpkins took up coaching in 1999, earning a reputation for his innovative techniques and man-management skills.

In 2001, when he became premiers coach, Shore won its first championship in 11 years.

Simpkins coached to the final the next year and in 2003 coached the North Harbour U19s. By 2007, he was back assistant-coaching and playing with the club’s comp-winning premier 2s.

In 2008 he assisted his friend Paul Vega, who coached the premiers. By then Simpkins was working at TGS and also coaching the 1st XV.

He had three stints coaching the 1st XV,

clocking up six years in the role.

After two years in Perth, he returned to coach the club’s U 1s in 2014, and from 2017 mentored and assisted another old teammate, Robert Todd, with the premiers

for two more years.

In 2017, he joined the club committee and for five years was part of a group with Shelford and Chris Tankard overseeing and mentoring coaches.

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Key figure... New North Shore Rugby club life member Grant Simpkins (left) with fellow life member Max Webb at the club AGM earlier this month

Devonport Squash alumnus lands national title in Brazil

Lucas Rosa, a former

junior champion, has won the Brazilian 23-35 age-group squash title.

Originally from Brazil, Lucas grew up in Devonport.

After playing in the New Zealand squash nationals this year, the 27-year-old decided to go to Brazil to try his luck at its national champs in the city of Fortaleza, entering the pro, A-grade, doubles and 23-35 age group events.

Playing in the multiple events meant seven games of more than an hour each, over three days, in temperatures of up to 34 degrees.

“It was really tough on the body,” he told the Flagstaff. “I had some really good games, but lost in the pro, A grade, and doubles.

“Then I won the age groups, which is quite cool, to be national champion in the sub-35 age group.”

In New Zealand Rosa has an A2 grading and is ranked in the top 50 male players.

The win in Brazil has buoyed Rosa’s squash ambitions, with a tilt at the pro circuit in his sights. “Next year I really want to focus on it.”

Peninsula squash club championships decided

Justine Pausch won both the senior and junior titles at the Belmont Racquets Club 2022 squash champs.

The club’s full results were:

Men’s winner – Shane Buckle; runnerup – Michael Laws. Women’s winner

– Justine Pausch; runner-up – Sarah Bowden. Junior boys winner – Shane Buckle; runner-up – Riley McCracken. Junior boys division two winner – Oscar Dixon-Hall. Junior girls winner – Justine Pausch; runner-up – Sarah Bowden.

Nic Larking and Nick Griffiths are the Devonport Squash Club women’s and men’s 2022 champions.

It is the fifth time Griffiths has won the championship, setting a club record.

He beat son Henry in the 2022 final.

Larking took the women’s title for the first time.

The club’s 2022 junior champions were: Henry and Aggie Griffiths.

Devonport Squash Club

Aiming to go pro… Rosa in action in New Zealand (above) and celebrating in Brazil (top left, second from left) after his age-group win

Takapuna Grammar duo win top sports awards

Two Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) students have won top awards in their sports at this year’s Auckland College Sports Awards.

Year 10 student Carrie Guo won the junior table-tennis player of the year award and Year 13 sailor Vivien Chung finished her time at school on a high, taking out the award for yachting.

Carrie enjoyed victories this year in the Under 15 Girls Teams, Open Women’s Teams, Under 15 Singles and Under 19 Singles table-tennis competitions.

Vivien made the New Zealand team for the i420 open world championships and won the New Zealand 420 national championship with her teammate, Kiera Sinton.

She came second in the national youthteam trial, qualified for the youth world championships wider-training squad and won the Auckland Anniversary Regatta 420 event to become Auckland 420 youth female champion.

Vivien also received the Wakatere Paddle for outstanding female sailor.

Three other TGS students were finalists at the awards: Ruben Vogel for athletics and Justine Pausch for squash, and Terry Tidbury for his services to rowing.

Another TGS student, diver Maggie Squire, was recognised at the awards night for her performance at the Commonwealth Games.

Westlake Girls High School also made a strong showing at this year’s awards, with students winning six categories.

Two of the winners, basketballer Mackenzie Chatfield, who is taking up a US college scholarship next year, and rower Sofia Greenhalgh were also finalists for the overall Young Sportswoman of the Year title. Holly Williams, who was named best female touch-rugby player, won a second award as one of five students given an All Rounder of the Year Award, for her accom-

plishments in rugby and basketball as well as touch.

Other category winners were Holly Isherwood (volleyball) and football referee Courtney Day, named official of the year.

Two other Westlake students, Harriet Gowing (snowsports) and Brooke James (hockey), were category finalists.

A cyclist from Westlake Boys High School, Lewis Bower, who won the top title last year and is now competing professionally in Europe, gained an international achievement award for 2022.

Westlake Boys again did well, with five current students singled out.

Category awards went to the captain of

the first XV, Tristyn Cook (rugby), Larn Hamblyn-Ough (swimming), Alex Liu Cao (table tennis) and George Rush (yachting).

Cam Maunder won an all-rounder award (for triathlon, duathlon and aquathon). The school also had seven student finalists.

Carmel College’s Moira Macdonald was named Student Coach of the Year, while Rosmini College had a category winner in Everton O’Leary (football), along with finalists in football, basketball, volleyball and waterpolo.

The overall Sportswoman of the Year was footballer Emily Clegg of Mt Albert Grammar; and Sportsman of the Year was cyclist Edward Pawson of Auckland Grammar.

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Best of the bunch... Yachtie Vivien Chung (left) and table-tennis player Carrie Guo with their Auckland College Sport awards

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Stanley Bay pitches in poor state

The “terrible condition” of two cricket pitches at Stanley Bay Park will be investigated, with the possibility they may not be retained.

The two wickets were so run down Auckland Cricket had been forced to reschedule children’s games to another venue, Gavin Busch told fellow Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members at the board’s monthly meeting.

Busch, who presented photographs of the weed-infested uneven surfaces, said he had been approached by members of the North Shore Cricket Club with their concerns.

Investigations would be undertaken with Auckland Cricket and Auckland Council parks staff around the suitability of retaining and maintaining the wickets, he reported.

“If it’s not going to be usable, turn it into grass,” he suggested to fellow members.

The area was also prone to flooding, he said, which was another impediment to play.

Board chair Toni van Tonder said signage in the park was also ratty and a fence was down.

The board would pursue the issues with staff to get a clearer idea of what was involoved, she said.

Sport

Belmont Intermediate athletes win gold

Belmont Intermediate School (BIS) students picked up two gold medals in shot put and one in discus at the Auckland Athletics Championships this month.

The school’s 20-strong contingent delivered a total of 10 medal-winning performances and had three of four of its relay teams qualify for finals at Massey Park in Papapkura.

Alex Hallie was a double medallist, winning both shot put and discus in Year 7 competition. Connor Brady won the Year 8 boys shot put, and came second in both discus and the 400m race, and third in a team relay.

Both boys are promising members of Takapuna Athletics Club. Alex’s older sister, Kate, is a shotput winner at secondary level.

BIS did well in the 800m, with Year 8 Jacob Howell and Year 7 Ariana Vosper coming third in their finals. Romey Jewell was third in the Year 7 girls 400m and Year 8 Orla Chambers third in the 200m.

Bronze was also won by the Year 8 boys relay team of Baxter McNaughton, Will Taylor, Angus Waddams and Connor Brady.

TGS duo bring home national athletics golds

Two Takapuna Grammar students, Kate Hallie and Ruben Vogel, have won gold medals at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Track, Field and Road Championships held last weekend.

Shotputter Hallie threw 14.63m to win the junior section, which also matched the senior winner’s distance. Vogel cleared 4.50m in the senior boys pole vault at the event held in Inglewood.

Westlake Boys High School student Alfie Steedman, who grew up in

Belmont, achieved a notable double, setting national records in both the junior boys 1500m and 3000m races. The 15-year-old’s times were also personal bests of 3m 53.47s and 8m 27.08s. In breaking the 3000m record, he passed a mark set 45 years ago.

• TGS basketballers Bailey Flavell and Zenthia Stowers returned from the FIBA Under-15 Oceania Championships in Guam with silver medals after the New Zealand team made the final.

Top throwers... Alex Hallie (above) puts the shot and (left) Connor Brady spins into his discus throw

Placegetters... Romey Jewell (above) in the Year 7 girls 400m race and (below) Jacob Howell in the Year 7 boys 800m

Takapuna

SCHOOL NEWS

TGS Dux of 2022 Lachlan Jardine & Parents

Ruby Wilson & Parents

Neve Mann Benn

Gabrielle Buslon, Susie Ji and Jack Chen

Fifteen minutes of fame at street-party event

Devonport

The community event on 2 December put everyone in the mood for the countdown to Christmas.

It was chosen to be showcased by TV3’s The Project in a regular slot on the best ac-

tivities in Auckland and around the nation.

Families gathered to enjoy entertainment on a packed section of Clarence St. This ranged from circus performers and musicians to an entertainer blowing giant bubbles.

Groups of teens and tween-agers enjoyed hanging out, including for photo-opportunities in a retro-Kombi van, while youngsters

queued for face painting.

Several food trucks proved popular, with local restaurants Vic Road Kitchen and Flying Rickshaw among those serving up tasty tucker.

The event was supported by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.

Photo spread, pages 38-39

street party Friday After Five made for a fun start to a festive weekend that included the annual Santa Parade.

National exposure... Becky Umbers from TV3’s The Project entered into the spirit of Devonport’s Friday After Five community event during a live cross to the studio from Clarence St

Fab Friday! Crowds hit the street for fun times

Framed... Entertainer ‘Bexly Hoops’ with Devonport Primary student Dani Ramos, aged 9. Right: Bayswater musician Apera Woodfine produced some laid-back sounds to suit the atmosphere.

Sweet treats... Maddy Thorne, home from university in Wellington, dispenses cupcakes

Bunfight...Pork belly buns prepared on the barbecue by Ian Shields of Vic Road Kitchen were popular, as were Flying Rickshaw’s takeaways

Anyone for tennis... TGS student Joe Ohlsson, 15 (left), and Tahitian visitor Elie Manovia, 18, oversaw Belmont Intermediate students (from left) Harris Dojjrell, Riley Marsh, and Dominic Harrison, all 12.

Pop art... Giant bubbles were a cause of great excitement for younger event-goers

Crepe crazy... BIS students (from left) Zoe Farmer, Violet Goodwin and Emily Cousins.

Above: Five-year-old Belmont Primary pupil Ezy, in the queue for dessert with mum Teatareva Isaia

Chill zone... Bean bags were a popular resting spot. Left: Dogs got in on the act including Peppa, with Chris McKeown and Joanna Seruga.

Like a Piece of Fine Furniture

The kitchen is a vital part of any home, not simply in terms of how it functions but also in setting the tone for the décor of the rest of the house That’s why it is essential to bring a kitchen designer on board right at the beginning of your design journey –and also choose a kitchen company that can offer the total package, both design-andmanufacture

This contemporar y kitchen played an integral role in the renovation of a 1950s home, says Michelle Gillbanks, one of the three qualified kitchen designers who work at Kitchens By Design. Michelle was heavily involved with the architect and client from the outset to ensure their vision was followed through the entire renovation.

“My client and his architect had a ver y clear idea of what they wanted right from the beginning,” says Michelle. “ They were ver y hands-on and drew up sketches of what

they wanted. I worked with them to help realise the vision and establish a material palette that would integrate well with the rest of the home ”

The brief was for clean, elegant lines with a functional layout and uncluttered surfaces. Essential to the whole scheme was for a ‘furniture look’ to balance and blend in with the clients’ surrounding open-plan living space.

“For the back walls of the kitchen, we decided on a dark finish with lighter tones on the island to connect it with the underlying theme of the rest of their new interior spaces, ” says the designer “A combination of stained, brushed veneer and plain painted surfaces were used for cabinet finishes, along with a polished-stone feature island Both provide a tactile experience and visual engagement.”

The island was designed to look like a

piece of furniture rather than a workspace. To give the illusion of a single, floating block of stone, Dekton Khalo was used for the island’s top and three sides, along with mirror toe-kicks

As the design of the kitchen progressed, Michelle was asked to design built-in cabinetr y for the home, which included the bathrooms, laundr y and wardrobes. “ This is not unusual,” says Michelle. “We are often asked to work on other parts of their home – particularly the bathrooms and laundr y areas, where the same style cabinetr y is needed for that integrated look.”

If you’re looking for a new kitchen, please call (09) 379 3084 to make an appointment with one of our designers at Kitchens By Design’s showroom, located at 3 Byron Ave in Takapuna. For inspiration, take a look at some fabulous projects at www.kitchensbydesign.co.nz

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20 years ago from the Flagstaff files

• Caroline and Lloyd Sills’ application to demolish their house at 2 Buchanan St and build a new one is turned down.

• Mother and daughter Jacqui and Caroline Goldingham win first places at the National Bear Fair. Jacqui wins the vintage-bear section and Caroline the under-18 section

• A conman attempts to fleece an elderly householder out of $300 up-front to cut a hedge.

• Devonport Residents in possession of loyalty tickets for the closed Devonport 3 Cinemas complex appear unlikely to get their money back.

• Devonport singing star Debbie Harwood is moving to the South Island but plans a concert for friends at the Masonic Tavern before leaving.

• A residents’ campaign to prevent traffic speeding past their homes paid off with the Devonport Community Board

voting to spend $60,000 on two raised tables in Mozeley Ave.

• Devonport architects Dave Pearson and Geoff Richards win New Zealand Institute of Architecture awards. Pearson’s award is for restoring heritage buildings. Richards’ is for a low-cost holiday home on Waiheke Island.

• Six restaurants feature in the Flagstaff’s Devonport dining guide: On Bourbon Street; Devonport Bar & Brasserie; The Watermark; Kiwi Omelettes; Oyster Blue and D-Central.

• Angle parking in King Edward Pde is knocked back by the Devonport Community after being recommended by North Shore City Council officers.

• A $480,000 tender is awarded for the demolition and rebuild of Torpedo Bay Wharf.

• Santa is in Devonport every day from 16 December through to 24 December.

Decades before Vic Theatre needs strengthening

Seismic strengthening is not an urgent priority for The Vic Theatre.

“We’ve checked the seismic strength, and it’s 20 or 30 years before we need to worry,” theatre trust co-chair Mark Sigglekow said. Strengthening would cost $3m-$4m.

Sigglekow was responding to questions from Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members after he and fellow co-chair Margot McCrae provided them with an update on the 110-yearold theatre.

Board member Peter Allen wanted to know what the long-term plan was to meet the need for older masonry buildings to improve seismic standards over time.

“You’re talking about most of the main street of Devonport,” said Sigglekow. The trust, like others, was grappling with how to meet future requirements. Engineers had assessed the building six years ago and found it solid.

McCrae said the council-owned, trust-run building was expensive to maintain and operate, but was a great community asset and financially sustainable.

OUR NEWEST GRADUATES

The Royal New Zealand Navy congratulates the members of its latest intakes of sailors and officers, who graduated at Devonport Naval Base on Saturday 10 December.

Junior officers, who train for 21 weeks, and sailors, who train for 16 weeks, share a graduation day in front of family and friends at the North Yard Parade Ground on the Ngataringa side of Devonport Naval Base The graduation features parades and drills from the graduates, a display of physical training, presentation of awards, performances by the Royal New Zealand Navy Band and Pacifica Cultural Group, and a haka. This year the Reviewing Officer was the Minister of Defence, Peeni Henare.

The junior officer intake, the second of 2022, saw 26 commissioned officers (17 male and nine female) graduate. With the sailors, 59 graduated (42 male and 17 female).

Although many graduates come from Auckland, the backgrounds and hometowns are spread across New Zealand and around the world, included graduates whose ethnicities are Egypt, America, UK, Korea, India and a variety of Pacific Islands.

Next year the graduates progress to their trade training, including warfare, engineering, diving, chefing, logistics, communications, hydrography, electronics, weapons, military police, stewarding and administration.

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.

Young Wakatere sailors taste success at big regatta Sport

Wakatere Boating Club sailors won medals and trophies at the Sir Peter Blake regatta held early this month at Torbay Sailing Club.

Among those enjoying success at the the southern hemisphere’s largest youth regatta was 10-year-old Elias Dunne, from Bayswater, who won the David Barnes Trophy for determination and courage. He was participating in his first regatta.

Elias accepted his trophy with the same big smile he wore all weekend, to massive applause from the hundreds in attendance.

Tom Pilkington won gold in the Starling class in a 57-strong fleet.

William Mason collected silver in the P Class, as did Gus Gillies in the 72-strong Optimist Green fleet, and George Pilkington in the Laser 6 class.

Alex Norman and Cam Brown combined for second in the 420, with Tessa Clinton and Nicola Hume third in the same class.

The national regatta ran over two days and attracted nearly 400 junior and youth level sailors.

The event aims to inspire entrants to embrace the values of Bayswater-bred sailing great Sir Peter, with regard to the environment, leadership and fair play.

With the America’s Cup on display, it was a reminder that the regatta has produced some of New Zealand’s best sailors over its 20 years, including Olympic gold medallist and board sailor Jo Aleh, who won at the event as a teenager and spoke to the sailors at the prizegiving.

“I handed it on to Peter Burling and since then, we’ve had Sam Meech and nearly all our Olympians come through this event,” she said.

Top show... Elias Dunne hoists the David Barnes Trophy, with yachting commentator Peter Montgomery and Antoinette Cooke from Torbay Sailing Club alongside

In the medals... Wakatere took second and third place in the 420 Class, with (from left) Alex Norman and Cam Brown claiming silver and, at right, Tessa Clinton (left) and Nicola Hime the bronze medallists. The winners were Joe Leith (centre, left) and Josh Ferrissey of Murrays Bay Sailing Club.

It’s gold... Tom Pilkington takes centre stage for his Starling Class win

Beehive exhibition showcases Shore artists

Capital idea...

the Beehive

North Shore artists are having their work shown at the Beehive in Wellington, in an initiative organised by local MP Simon Watts.

Working with the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna, Watts has arranged for works by more than 20 artists to be displayed at Parliament’s gallery space, Te Papakura.

“Arts and culture are important, and they’ve been challenged through Covid,” says Watts, who saw an opportunity to showcase artists from the Shore. MPs can seek one of six slots a year.

With the large arts community in Wellington, he hopes the exhibition will prove a good opportunity for the exhibitors.

Lake House staff selected a range of paintings, sculpture and ceramics drawn from artists who have been successful in the centre’s two major awards, dating back around 20 years.

These include carver Uenuku Hawira, who was the supreme winner of

the 2020 Wood Sculpture Symposium held at the Lake House. Although based in Northland he retains strong connections to the centre.

Among the other artists chosen was North Shore resident Chihui Tang, who was runner-up in the centre’s Members Merit Awards of 2020.

Tang’s watercolour Driftwood was hung in Wellington last week, along with a print of wrybills by Members Merit winner Vivien Davimes.

Parliamentary Services began the community-art exhibitions programme in the recently opened Te Papakura in 2021. The small gallery space is also used to display a rotating selection of art and objects from the eclectic parliamentary collection.

The new group show will run until late January or early February.

Te Papakura is open daily to the public from 10am to 4pm. Access is from the visitor centre in the Beehive foyer, from where people will be directed to Te Papakura on level two.

North Shore MP Simon Watts at Lake House with works by Uenuku Hawira and Chihui Tang that are being exhibited at

Bioletti General & Fundraising Manager

Phone 027 445 6211

nigelbioletti@devonportpeninsulatrust nz

FROM THE PENINSULA

A fantastic weekend in Devonport – well done to Devonport Business Association’s new manager, Richard Thorne, and team, for a great ‘Friday after Five’ event

And the weather was kind on Sunday too for a wonderful Christmas Parade and Festival –thanks to Devonport Lions, Matt (Markets), Lofty (Dance and music entertainment), all groups who supported the day, and, of course, below, the star of the show!

Many have commented on the sheer number of people present Another great co-ordination by Abby, along with the support of Maddy and Holly, pictured, and Terehia and whanau

DEVONPORT SENIOR FORUM

The group had a great final meeting, with lunch very kindly sponsored by Lorena O Connor and Rory Diver, of P M G The group acknowledged the support Trish Deans had given over the years Mel Powell also introduced herself to the group

SITUATIONS VACANT

Abby is looking for secondary students who would be interested in helping run our very popular Kids Athletics programme next year The programme runs on Tuesday afternoons - approx 14 Feb to March 21 - 4 pm to 6 pm, plus a training session These are paid positions Thank you to those young people who have made contact If you are interested, email abby@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz

COMING UP

Folk in the Park – February 12th - Abby is working with Devonport Folk Music Club to set up this traditional summer event Christmas break – staff are finishing for the year on December 23rd, and on leave through to January 9th, and then any additional leave they take Merry Christmas everyone!

Golden Weather begins again

The long-standing Christmas morning tradition of a beachside reading from The End of the Golden Weather in Takapuna is in for a new look.

The Bruce Mason classic returns after a one-year Covid break, with a fresh interpretation from actor Tess Sullivan, the first female to perform it.

Stephen Lovatt, who took the role for many years, welcomed the change as overdue.

Mason’s daughter and trust chair Belinda Robinson said her father would have been “tickled pink”.

Mason performed the work, inspired by growing up in Takapuna, more than 1000 times. The half-hour reading begins at 10am.

Nigel

A Rose Centre by any other name?

The Rose Centre in Belmont is looking to rebrand with a different name and hoping to use its 30th birthday party this weekend as a chance to get feedback on options.

All the names suggested by the centre board have ‘@the RoseCentre’ appended to them.

They include ‘BECA@ theRoseCentre’, BECA being an acronym for Belmont Events, Community and Arts.

The other options for the first part of the name are: BELA (Belmont Events, Learning and Arts); THE BEL (Belong Engage Learn); Te Rito (te reo for a new harakeke/flax shoot); Te Puāwai (to bloom); Convene; The B.C. (The Belmont Centre); Vivida (Latin for lively); or Ovation.

Rose Centre board member Ann Langis said the centre wanted to be known for more than just its theatre. The decision to rebrand was taken to better incorporate a community aspect into the name.

The centre wanted a name that respected its past while creating a new identity as a community space rather than a venue for hire.

The rebranding process initially began in 2020, when the new board surveyed 163 people and found it was more commonly recognised as a theatre than a community space.

Langis said the nine options all aimed to “elevate the status of the community”.

The board had begun consulting with the community via a survey to discover the most popular options.

Retaining the current name is not given as an option in the survey, but Langis said changing it is not a foregone conclusion.

“Nothing is set in stone,” she said. The goal was to engage the community in the conversation.

Links to the survey have been shared with people on the the centre’s mailing list and that of the Company Theatre, which has been based at the centre since it was built in 1992. It has also been shared on social media. Saturday’s birthday party, running from 3-5pm, will be used as a chance to get further feedback. Rose Centre volunteers plan to circulate during the event, surveying those not reached by email

The party will feature an archival photo exhibition showing the centre’s history and its partnerships with Belmont Primary School and Company Theatre.

At 6pm, the Rose Singers will give a Christmas performance.

The centre held a smaller 30th birthday celebration in September for board members and others close to the centre, such as volunteers and associated organisations.

Thorny question... Thirty years after it was built, a name change has been suggested for the Rose Centre

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