Old-schOOl extra-mile service and tip-tOp results, time after time Helen Michell 021 210 3228
a lt O G e t h e r B e t t e r
July 2, 2021
Licensed under the reA Act 2008
Dinghy lockers under threat... p3
Safety nightmares on Kerr St... p6
Public-transport needs appear to have been sidelined in the latest plans for the large-scale Bayswater Marina housing development. An apparent lack of provision for access to the ferry wharf and bus stops has alarmed a local residents group, who fear Auckland Council and Auckland Transport (AT) will fail
to safeguard the necessary facilities. The Bayswater Community Committee (BCC) wants to know where the public bodies stand in protecting public-transport access and wants assurances that buses will have adequate space to drop passengers near the ferry wharf. It is concerned that buses will be expected
Interview: Honoured educator Helen Varney... p14
Public transport squeezed in Bayswater plans
to drop off and turn around on a narrow strip of council-owned land running down from Sir Peter Blake Pde to the wharf, which would also double as a vehicle drop-off zone, and that the developer appears to control access to the ferry terminal. To page 2
Sunny costume warms icy dip
High fives... Smiling Sunshine Aja Lethaby at the Devonport Midwinter Swim. More pictures, pages 12, 13.
Terrific Tropical Townhouse 24A Aramoana Avenue Call anytime for an appointment. Priced to sell $1,395,000. Gary Potter M 021 953 021
Ben Potter M 027 953 0210
Cooper & Co Real Estate Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008
Cooper & Co Real Estate Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008
gary.potter@harcourts.co.nz
ben.potter@harcourts.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 2
July 2, 2021
Fears public transport neglected in Bayswater plans From page 1 With no provision for bus stops in the development, and public parking massively reduced, the group is also worried that commuters’ cars will be forced onto nearby residential streets. The committee is seeking clarity on AT’s long-term commitment to Bayswater as a transparent node, especially with intensification in Bayswater and nearby suburbs increasing demand for ferry and bus services and parking. “A lot of those people will want to use a ferry to get over to the city,” BCC member Paddy Stafford-Bush told the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s community forum last week. The council is seeking more information on a Bayswater Marina Holdings Ltd (BML) application to build around 110 dwellings (down from an earlier application for 250) on the site. But it seems the local board has not been kept up to date on plans as they unfold. The residents group alerted the board to planning documents showing that BML owns a narrow strip of land that juts out to the side of its main block in front of the ferry wharf. This effectively separates the wharf from the band of council-owned land that runs from the wharf up to Sir Peter Blake Pde. Stafford-Bush urged that the council acts to secure the strip, by the Public Works Act if need be, to ensure unfettered access to the wharf. Board member George Wood said it was “a bit galling” that the board had not seen the plans. “It would be concerning if BML had
Devonport Publishing Ltd First Floor, 9 Wynyard St Telephone: 09 445 0060 Email: sales@devonportflagstaff.co.nz news@devonportflagstaff.co.nz Website: www.devonportflagstaff.co.nz NEW ZEALAND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION AWARDS Best Community Involvement: 2016, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2005 Best Special Project: 2016 Most Improved Newspaper: 2011, 2010 Best Young Journalist: 2014, 2012, 2013 Best Sports Journalist: 2018, 2017, 2016 Best Senior Feature/Lifestyle Writer: 2014,2017 Best Junior Feature/Lifestyle Writer: 2014 Best Headline: 2017, 2018
Access issues... Planning documents show that Bayswater Marina Holdings owns a sliver of land restricting access to the ferry terminal control of access to the ferry hub,” he noted. Stafford-Bush asked about plans for the ferry service. AT’s lease on the wharf ended in around 10 years, she said. “What happens when that goes? Who owns the land, where is Auckland Council in all this?” The local board has itself been seeking answers from AT over some of the issues raised by Stafford-Bush and four other BCC members who attended the forum. It has pushed for a Bayswater ferry-terminal upgrade, and asked that it be included in the council’s Regional Land Transport Plan. Wood said the board had been asking for a briefing from AT for some time. “They haven’t come back to us yet,” said board chair Ruth Jackson. The residents group highlighted likely congestion from conflicting uses in the area. Brianna Parkinson said there appeared to be no integrated plan for the development site. Brian Stafford-Bush said boaties with trailers would have parking spaces, but these were parallel rather than the usual herringbone configuration, and space near the boat ramp for loading was on a tight one-way corner. He was also concerned that BML had an easement for fuel tanks on council land, which might compromise future AT plans.
UPDATES Market Fun We started doing markets here, there and everywhere last year. It was really exciting to be able to bring freshly picked produce direct to people, from local gardens to locals! What I like about markets is the buzz. Stallholders are a great bunch and keen to engage with people. Over the months you build genuine relationships with customers, people working the stalls around you and market attendees in general.
VOYAGER/CANON MEDIA AWARDS Community Reporter of the Year: Winner 2018 Community Newspaper of the Year: Finalist 2017 MANAGING EDITOR: Rob Drent PUBLISHER:
Peter Wilson
DESIGN:
Brendon De Suza
CHIEF REPORTER: COPY EDITOR:
These formed connections with market regulars have been really helpful for us, not only to sell our fruit and jams but also to gather tips, tricks and trees to to pick from!
Janetta Mackay
Its rare to put a face to where your produce comes from. UGLY’s are proud to be that face for our locally sourced produce.
Jo Hammer
Information in the Devonport Flagstaff is copyright and cannot be published or broadcast without the permission of Devonport Publishing Ltd.
NEXT ISSUE: July 16 ADVERTISING DEADLINE: July 9
“Right now, as I see it, there’s not enough land,” said Paddy Stafford-Bush. Board member Trish Deans said in considering the application the council would be duty-bound to consider public-transport needs. Member Aidan Bennett observed “there’s obviously a lot of disagreement in the Bayswater area”. He had walked the suburb and considered it sorely needed development. “Is the committee compromising?” he asked. “We need to get over the fact that Bayswater Marina Holdings purchased the land for a very small amount of money,” said Bennett. (It paid the government $3.7 million for the land in 2014.) Stafford-Bush said BCC members had moved on. “It could be paradise down there – if we could get it right,” she said. She also acknowledged moves by the Takapuna Boating Club to try to revitalise its historic building. “It would be really exciting to see something happening down there,” she said. AT is advising council planners on the resource consent. “This will include making sure services and assets are not impacted,” a spokesperson said. The consent would be notified, giving the community the chance to voice any public transport concerns.
09 445 9800
021482491 uglysproduce@gmail.com www.uglysproduce.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 3
July 2, 2021
Tide running out for waterfront dinghy lockers
Pre-World War II dinghy lockers and a boat ramp on the Devonport waterfront are on the chopping block. Tenants of the 35 boat lockers on Queens Pde have just received notice from an Auckland Council marine-management contractor that the nearby ramp won’t be repaired and while they can continue to use the lockers, it won’t be for the long term. Council has no plans for “major repairs” to the lockers, which will be eventually “retired when they are no longer fit for purpose,” a notification sent to owners said. The Queens Pde lockers and the ramp, on the site of a former wharf, are believed to date back to around 1938. David Simes, whose family has had a locker at Queens Pde for 20 years, said the news was a knockback to a community that appreciates its coastal assets. “We moved to Devonport because of the access to the water – our kids grew up with that idea.” He used the ramp to row a dinghy out to his boat, Layla, moored off Queens Pde – directly across from his home. Council has said boat and kayak users have alternative ramps at Torpedo Bay or Stanley Bay. “Torpedo Bay is a two-kilometre walk away – rowing a dinghy from there to our boat into a head wind isn’t really an option,” Simes said. The Queens Pde ramp has been out of action recently. It broke six years ago and was repaired, but was damaged again in August 2020 and has yet to be fixed. Council said it was not practical to replace the ramp, given the erosion caused by the south-westerly winds and wave wash from passing vessels.
At a low ebb... David Simes wants the dinghy lockers and boat ramp at Queens Parade retained Simes felt the council was running the lockers (and the ramp) under corporate-style management, unsuited to community assets. He felt the lockers should be in the hands of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board. “In reality I don’t think they (council) can be bothered with them.” He estimated the Queens Pde locker
North Shore has big win ahead of carnival Chatham Cup clash A Chatham Cup carnival atmosphere is likely when North Shore United takes on Waiheke in a fourth-round match at Allen Hill stadium on July 10. Waiheke has a number players originating from South America, and a large supporter base who travel with drums and horns. It’s shaping as a facinating encounter with Shore mid-table in the Northern Premier League and Waiheke top of the first division. Kick off is at 2pm. Current Shore coach Malcolm McPherson had a stint with Waiheke prior to coming to Shore – adding an extra strand of interest to the clash. North Shore United had a 4-1 victory against the West Coast Rangers in the Northern Premier league last Saturday.
It was a decisive and much-needed victory for Shore, which has drawn five of its 13 matches so far this season. The win puts Shore mid-table, but only three points off the top four, with nine matches to go. The top four teams at the end of the regular season go into a national league play-off for a New Zealand club championship. North Shore’s next match is against Western Springs at home tomorrow (3 July) – an interesting tussle as both sides are on equal points. The first four rounds of the Chatham Cup are played against local teams. If Shore wins its match against Waiheke and makes the quarter-finals, it will play teams from around the country.
users fees amounted to nearly $20,000 per year – more than enough to maintain them. Tenants of 15 large lockers pay $665 a year, while those with smaller lockers pay $471. Many tenants would be happy to chip in time and money to keep them going, he said. “In reality we are just trying to keep what we’ve already got.”
Lake Rd project restarts: design budget brought forward More than $2 million of the Lake Rd Improvements budget has been brought forward so detailed design and consenting work can start. Last week, Auckland Council’s Planning Committee endorsed the Regional Land Transport Plan, which included the $48.4 million spend on Lake Rd. The plan was to be confirmed by the Auckland Transport Board last Monday, as the Flagstaff went to press. North Shore Councillors Richard Hills and Chris Darby had sought to bring forward some of the spend into the first years to keep the project moving. “The business case for Lake Rd has been retimed by spreading the allocated funding such that $1m is allocated in each of 2021/22 and 2022/2 financial years,” a report to the Planning Committee said. The final Lake Rd budget has been confirmed at $48.4 million, not $52 million, as mentioned in some council documents.
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 4
July 2, 2021
NEW LISTING
Devonport 6 Flagstaff Terrace
Options aplenty at Peace and Plenty
8
This iconic Victorian villa is a showpiece of exquisite craftsmanship and heritage architecture and presents a rare and enticing opportunity to reside or run a business right in the heart of Devonport village, just footsteps from the waterfront and the ferry into Auckland City. 6 Flagstaff Terrace is home to The Peace and Plenty Inn, an award-winning B&B that still attracts guests, despite the current travel restrictions. It’s regarded as one of the country’s finest, recognised both locally and internationally for its character and charm and makes an equally enticing prospect as a family home in this extraordinary location, offering oodles of space and options aplenty, depending on your needs. Work from home, accommodate a nanny, have friends and family to stay, or offer AirBnB.
Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Wed 28 Jul 2021 83 Victoria Road, Devonport View by appointment Linda Simmons 027 459 0957 linda.simmons@bayleys.co.nz
bayleys.co.nz/1470461
bayleys.co.nz
1
8
BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, DEVONPORT, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008
2
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 5
July 2, 2021
Double trouble – identical twins sign for Shore
Two of Auckland’s top cricketers have moved to North Shore in the off-season – a major coup for the club as it cements its position as a title contender in 2021-22. Identical twins Adi and Amit Dhadwal (26) had played several seasons for Cornwall Cricket Club and are members of the Auckland ‘A’ side. Adi had the highest total runs in premier one-day matches last season. Both players enjoyed playing at Cornwall, but were attracted to the Shore club due to its culture and philosophy, and their links to team coach Chris Reid. The twins were first coached by Reid at Waitakere a decade ago, along with Ronnie Hira, who set a world record with North Shore last year for the fastest ever 50. Adi recalls: “ Ronnie used to give me a pair of his gloves when I played well.” “We have always been in touch with Reido and when he went to North Shore, we followed how they were going.” Shore was promoted to Auckland’s top division two years ago, after seven years in division two, and last season was in the running to win the title, until the last match. “The team emphasis has been on processes rather than results,” says Adi. The natural flow-on for a team which gets the mechanics right, then the wins will come. The Dhadwal brothers are top-order batsman – Amit an opener and Adi playing at number three or four. They are supportive of each other, alongside some friendly rivalry when the Flagstaff caught up with them practising at Takapuna Grammar’s indoor nets last Saturday. Adi says he’s perhaps the bigger risk-taker and gets more runs. But Amit is quick to point out his brother may be “more flamboyant – I’m more insurance”, adding his more cautious play has yielded more premier hundreds than Adi. He’s now moving into double digits. The twins’ running between the wickets
Top twins… new North Shore players Adi (left) and Amit Dhadwal has also had many opponents seeing double vision and a few run-outs – some of which are not easy to forget. “I remember Amit running me out at 98 once!” Adi says. Nothing these days compares to the teenage battles of backyard cricket when growing up in Mt Eden and Three Kings. “We broke a lot of our parents’ windows back then,” says Adi. Both twins have played overseas and been part of Auckland Cricket’s elite-player group for the past decade. And in addition to their playing prowess, they hope to mentor promising young North Shore players like Jock McEnzie and Simon Keene. Already the team is looking forward to next summer, with many training hard in the
Debt-to-Income Ratios
The government has approved the RBNZ to look at introducing debtto-income ratios (DTIs) as another measure to help slow the rampant house prices we have seen over the last year or so. The reality is DTIs, already exist implicitly within the banks’ servicing calculators (which assess any lending at an [elevated] interest rate of between 5.80 and 7.20% depending on the bank) – hence the difference in servicing calculators. As a general rule, bank calculators allow debt levels for roughly six or seven times your gross combined income (including rental income) when assessing servicing. This also depends on age, number of dependents, expenses, other liabilities etc. So for the RBNZ to introduce, say, a seven-times DTI, then it would not be drastically different to what already exists. However, what they could do to reduce investor appetite would be to exclude rental income from the servicing calculation. That would mean investors would have to rely totally, or more heavily, on their personal income for servicing, and for many that would not work for them to buy further investment properties. It’s just a possibility, but the government and RBNZ seem to have property investors in their sights right now! So as always, speak with us first.
off-season. A North Shore winter warriors Facebook page has been set up, with team members posting their workouts and practice schedules to encourage others. “There’s a real spirit amongst the players… and North Shore is a great ground to play cricket, we’re really looking forward to it,” Adi said. Shore coach Chris Reid said the signings were the most important for the club in the last couple of decades. To have a balanced side three age groups were needed – under-20s, mid-20s and over-30s. Shore in recent years had gaps in the mid-20s area. “With the twins – who are both prominent Auckland club players – it changes the landscape for us. We will be potential title contenders across all the competitions,” Reid said.
Mortgage advice. Check with us first.
Contact Mike Simpson on 021 283 8040 or mike.simpson@mortgagesupply.co.nz or contact Richard Trounson on 027 580 1004 or richard.trounson@mortgagesupply.co.nz
Free mortgage advice. Costs nothing, saves plenty.
We give mortgage advice through our company Trounson Financial Services Ltd Disclosure Statements are on our website: simpsontrounson.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 6
July 2, 2021
Numerous near misses: safety fears over school street
A near accident involving his twin daughters has prompted local resident Tim McBride to campaign for safety improvements on a busy Devonport Street. He took his case for traffic-slowing measures on Kerr St – which runs beside Devonport Primary School to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s community forum last week, – armed with a letter from school principal Beverley Booth, stating that visibility and safe crossing were ongoing concerns. McBride told the board his daughters and three friends had come close to being hit by a vehicle when crossing Kerr St after an outing to The Vic Theatre in February. “Five girls were nearly taken out at speed,” he said. This had prompted his “keen layperson’s interest” in how the road could be made safer. He also pointed to an incident on the evening of 11 May, when a cyclist travelling down Victoria Rd was injured in a collision with a car turning into Kerr St. The busy section of Kerr St running down from St Aubyn St and Mays St to Victoria Rd was a particular problem area, said McBride. With parked cars on either side, the stretch was effectively reduced to one lane, meaning traffic tended to speed through from either direction to find clear passage before another vehicle approached. In regular walks along Kerr St past the school, McBride, a civil-liberties lawyer and former member of the Devonport Community
Safety campaigner… Tim McBride wants action over traffic issues in Kerr St Board, said he had witnessed a number of near misses in recent years. “Something needs to be done before there’s a really serious accident or worse,” he told board members. He suggested installing two raised pedestrian crossings, similar to one in Westwell Rd, Belmont, to slow traffic and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. One crossing could be located where there is currently a ramped pram-crossing below the school; another near the bottom of Kerr St, at or near the top of the footpath that leads down to The Vic. Pedestrians crossing the road to head up the maunga often did not appreciate the risk local traffic posed, he said.
Due to parked cars, they did not see rapidly approaching vehicles until the last minute. “On occasions, pedestrians are forced to take evasive action, when speeding cars appear from nowhere.” Principal Booth said in her letter that the school had previously asked for yellow lines to be extended to help make junctions along the road safer. This request had been declined by Auckland Transport (AT). “Narrow roads, parking and vehicle speeds all combine to cause safety concerns,” she said. Board members were sympathetic to the concerns, noting the road was a narrow and often congested cut-through. “I totally agree with you,” member Toni van Tonder told McBride. “They speed through the Victoria Rd zebra crossings too.” She suggested Kerr St be added to the traffic-speed evaluation AT was currently doing on central Devonport. Another possibility was for the road to be made one-way. McBride’s presentation was received with thanks, and will be passed on to AT, with the board to be included in AT’s response to McBride. McBride also alerted the board to separate issues at the Church St end of Kerr St. Here, some drivers treated the stop sign as a “give way” or ignored it altogether, he noted. This was dangerous for those travelling up Vauxhall Rd, who wished to enter Church St but could be met by drivers unexpectedly coming out of Kerr St.
July 2, 2021
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 7
RYMAN HEALTHCARE
Our history • The Ryman Difference • What's next for Ryman
Wednesday 14 July, 10.30am Join us for an informative presentation by Michelle Perkins, the Investor Relations Manager at Ryman Healthcare. Michelle will be talking about the history of Ryman, as well as the Ryman difference and the future of the company. The presentation will be followed by light refreshments.
For more information and to RSVP, call 445 0909
WILLIAM SANDERS VILLAGE 7 Ngataringa Road, Devonport rymanhealthcare.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 8
By Rob Drent
While the opening up of Devonport-Takapuna Local Board workshops is a welcome step in improving the flow of information from Auckland Council to the public, the council bureaucracy remains resistant. Under the law, all information held by the council (and government) is public unless there is a good reason for witholding it – for example, for reasons of commercial sensitivity. However, in many instances councils will withhold information simply because it is inconvenient and, at times, embarrassing, to supply it to the public or media organisations. A couple of months ago, the Flagstaff requested information from the council around some legitimate areas of public concern. We asked for the breakdown on how much it costs to plant and maintain Devonport’s public gardens, and if the expenditure would be cut back due to the Covid-19 budget restrictions. The Flagstaff also sought the costs of maintaining and cleaning the old Devonport Borough Council office, which has been closed for three years, and the Devonport Library maintenance costs since it opened.
The Flagstaff Notes Surely line items a cash-strapped council could find fairly easily in its budget? Not so simple, apparently. “Auckland Council’s maintenance contracts are paid on an outcome basis and are calculated across all Auckland Council managed assets. As we do not pay per asset, we are unable to provide a breakdown for maintenance costs as you have requested.” Taryn Crewe, general manager of community facilities, was the officer who made the decision to refuse to supply the information. We don’t think an inability to provide the information is good enough reason to refuse to do so, and appears unlawful. We will be appealing the decision with the Ombudsman. I’d noticed a few more tourists – most likely Australians – around town in the last couple of weeks, clutching our Destination Devonport guide as they walked up Victoria Rd. Things are on the way to getting back to normal, said a couple of retailers I chatted to. Not for long, unfortunately, with the closure of the travel bubble with Sydney after a person with Covid visited Wellington. As health experts said, the situation was made much worse by the fact New Zealand remains largely unvaccinated. The chaos caused by one Covid-positive case in Wellington puts the government’s poor vaccination roll-out in a very poor light. I interviewed an 80-year-old in early June and he had been given a vaccination appointment in late July. I’m in group 3, and was sup-
July 2, 2021 posed to have been vaccinated in May. I have yet to be contacted regarding an appointment. The North Shore has only one vaccination facility at Birkenhead (with another soon to open in Albany) We cannot be isolated forever – while well protected initially, the team of five million is being let down by the government’s snail-like response. Local sports teams having a good run provide a welcome tonic to the onset of winter. North Shore is top of the premiers rugby table, and while the club has had some narrow wins, it looks a good contender for the North Harbour championship this season. Twenty years ago, North Shore won the championship with a 23-12 win over arch-rivals Takapuna. Coached by Grant Simpkins, that was a fine side, including the likes of Willie Walker and All Black Craig Newby, alongside club stalwarts like James Hinchco, Paul Vegar and Phil Weedon. Likewise, North Shore United Football Club is having a strong season, making a good fist of the highly competitive Northern premier league. It has won through to the fourth round (last 32) of the Chatham Cup. Both codes are drawing good crowds. Tauranga has been using bike racks on the fronts of buses for years. One reader suggested while not cheap to install, they are only a fraction of the $800 million price tag for the proposed pedestrian and cycle bridge.
To our valued patients, We are pleased to announce that Dr. Adeel Punjwani has joined as a new dental associate at Devonport Dental. He is from the North Island, with over 15 years of experience in providing personalised dental care to families in NZ and Australia. We are thrilled that he is now part of our clinical team. We are glad to say that Dr. Andrew Steele and Dr. Adeel Punjwani will both be practising at the surgery.
Our vision is to build the
“Best Team in Dentistry” and we hope to make you smile!
DEVONPORT DENTALCARE
445 0097
Dr. Andrew Steele BDS Otago
Dr. Adeel Punjwani
BDS MPH (UK) C-Implants (USA)
July 2, 2021
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 9
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 10
July 2, 2021
July 2, 2021
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 11
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 12
July 2, 2021
Crowds flock for traditional midwinter plunge
Stars and stripes... A selection of swimmers soak up their post-dip high after braving the wintry waters Crowds of hardy swimmers gathered at Windsor Reserve last Sunday for the annual Devonport Midwinter Swim. Dressed in a variety of costumes, 168 eager locals registered to take the plunge. But organiser Amanda French estimates that including support crew, this year’s event had more than 300 attendees. “It was brilliant to see so many locals getting involved, and it was probably one of our best turnouts ever.” French hosted this year’s event, alongside Chris Mullane, Devonport’s Druid, officiating over the exhilarating charge into the icy blue at precisely midday. The 1st Devonport Scout Group were on hand to fire up the sausage sizzle. “It was such a fun day,” says scout leader Cliff Brown, “We’re so grateful to the Devonport Peninsula Trust for inviting us back this year.” Delicious hot soup was provided free by the Officer’s Mess. Concluding the occasion, prizes were awarded to some of the bestdressed locals.
Be prepared... Devonport Scouts provided the sausage sizzle: (from left) Keiran Koit, Cliff Brown, Zara Nelson, Hayley Law, Anna Stevenson and Alex Oldfield
July 2, 2021
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 13
The waiting is the hardest part... A selection of participants, at least one in seasonally appropriate headwear, prepare to hit the briny at the beach beside Windsor Reserve
Fun times, sort of... Costumes seemed to lift the enjoyment level for at least some participants
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 14
Interview
July 2, 2021
Shore teaching identity puts focus on Pasifika
Long-time Devonport resident Helen Varney was recently honoured for her contribution to education. She tells Helen Vause about her passion for teaching and her determination to help improve outcomes for Pacific Island students. Helen Varney is a Pasifika woman with well-established Devonport roots, a teacher with decades of experience, a mother and a grandmother. She has a very clear purpose – she wants Pasifika young people to be successful, and to enhance their chances, she wants to see better learning outcomes for more of them. And these days, she has a leading role in working with school principals towards this shared goal. The former principal of Target Road Primary School in Totara Vale was seconded by the Ministry of Education two years ago to head Tautai o le Moana, a body established to help improve learning outcomes for Pasifika students. Varney is now working with the principals of schools with large numbers of Pacific Island students to take a second look at their learning environment and start making changes based on cultural considerations. “For whatever reasons, and there are many different ones, Pasifika learners have not fared well. Some have done amazingly well, but the majority haven’t. We want to change that through leadership,” she says. Changes at schools have to happen, says Varney, for this section of our young population to get the learning outcomes they’re capable of. “I’m a successful person,” says Varney. “And they can be too if we can make sustainable changes in their schools now and make the environment there one that they feel more connected to. This is about Pasifika connections and pathways and schools finding ways to close that gap between us and them.” Varney was surprised and delighted to be among those in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list awarded an MNZM for her services to education, particularly Pacific education. “When I got the letter, I thought surely it couldn’t be for me. But then I thought it was about the work we are doing. I see it as an acknowledgement of that.” Changes need to come from the top, she says, and already many principals of schools with Pasifika students in Auckland and Wellington have come on board with Varney’s pilot project to have “uncomfortable conversations and uncomfortable recognitions” about whether or not their decisions have been addressing the needs of all their students from all cultures. “We won’t have cultural competency unless we first unpack our current thinking and practices in schools. We need to get a shift in thinking among principals.” “Instead of looking at a Pasifika student and thinking that they don’t understand, it’s about looking at them and seeing that they have come to school in a place that doesn’t look like where they are from.” Varney has grown up in both worlds. Her father was Samoan and her mother’s family came from the Cook Islands. They were the Uhrle family and they settled in Clarence Street in the 1950s and had seven children. Varney went
Fresh thinking... Helen Varney says the changes she is driving will be led by principals and teachers who are open to new ways of doing things through local schools to Takapuna Grammar (TGS). As a teenager, she met her husband to be, James Varney, at school and later married into his Pakeha family deeply connected to Devonport. The couple have lived for decades in Devonport, where their large villa holds many toys for visiting grandchildren, who Varney says have bought a welcome new dimension into her lifelong love of children. Varney’s father was the one who persuaded her that teaching was the right path for her. From TGS, she went to North Shore Teachers College and then to Northcote Intermediate and the start of a 42-year career in education. Today, she’s known to many local families, having taught at a number of North Shore schools, including Vauxhall School. She’s also
known to countless teachers, after 14 years as a primary-school principal and taking an active role in education policy issues. She’s a past president of the North Shore Principals’ Association and the Auckland Primary Principals’ Association, and is a member of the Pasifika Principals national executive. Her last school, Target Road, was probably the most diverse, with 33 different cultures and more than one third of children from backgrounds where English was their second language. “Right from the start, I found I absolutely loved teaching. I had a real passion for the job. I firmly believe that teaching is a calling, and that it is an innate thing where teachers truly care that other people are successful. I’ve always felt like that about the job and I’ve seen it in so
Interview
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 15
some schools in South Auckland were having problems with senior students not coming back to school after lockdown. She points out that the parents of these students had lost their jobs and the children had gone out to work to support their families. “Some schools looked at what they could do to make sure their education wasn’t suspended and changed their normal hours so the students could work school around their jobs.”
Keeping students connected with the school made it easier for them to return when they could, says Varney. “Family, faith and then life are the order of priorities for this group and they do better when they’re in places that reflect that.” “Evidence shows many Pacific Island students are doing better in Catholic schools than in large state schools and we know the reason for that is because they’re in a place with greater emphasis on family and faith – those are the things that fit with their culture. “The principals we’re working with are making a real effort to develop relationships with parents and communities way beyond just having a quick word at the school gate,” says Varney. Family connections with people of other cultures and relationships with the schools will make a positive difference to how well their children do at school, Varney maintains. She says making the changes she is driving through Tautai o le Moana is a work in progress and will be led by principals and teachers who are open to new ways of doing things. “Take another look at the five-year-old child who starts at school already fluent in the Tongan language, because that’s what is spoken at home. Should that child be seen as struggling with English or should they be seen as successfully on the way to becoming bilingual? Surely being bilingual should be seen as a positive thing?” “We need to change our unconscious bias and become more aware. It’s about changing the way we look at things.”
July 2, 2021 many passionate teachers who see the potential in all children.” In 2017, she took a sabbatical from school to do a study on how to grow culturally responsive teaching practices in schools to help accelerate learning for a priority group of target learners, including large numbers of Pasifika students. She visited schools and talked with principals, teachers, students, and with whanau and families, to see if she could learn more about culturally responsive teachers and to get the views of principals on cultural competency. “I wanted to find out whether culturally responsive practices could make a difference to the learners’ rates of progress.” She says that would mean doing much more than has been historically expected of school teachers. It would mean teachers and principals interacting with families to understand their reality, challenging personal beliefs and actions, and changing the way they engage with these students. What is it that makes teachers culturally competent, she asked? Was it much more than a set of technical skills? Culture, says Varney, influences the way our brain makes sense of the world. She calls it “software” for the brain’s hardware. “The brain uses cultural information to turn everyday happenings into meaningful events.” Varney says the report was well received by principals and that the issues she’s raising were well overdue for evaluation and action. The Covid-19 pandemic brought up an example of a need for schools to be open to changing their thinking on cultural differences, when
“I firmly believe that teaching is a calling, and that it is an innate thing where teachers truly care that other people are successful.” But she notes some schools refused to accommodate this group of working kids and stuck rigidly to their opening hours. “We can’t keep working that way,” she says. “Doesn’t it make a lot more sense to see the ability of those young people to juggle so much as being a success? Shouldn’t we be working with them?”
FREE FAMILY FUN FOR A RAINY DAY!
Featuring a ball pit, slides, a fort, a playhouse, giant connect 4 and more!
10th – 25th JULY, 9am-5.30pm Daily LOCATED NEXT TO WHITCOULLS
milfordcentre.co.nz
24 Milford Road, Milford
Letters
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 16
July 2, 2021
Getting vaccinated will help local businesses
Make clocks right – or at least fast
seen with our small lockdowns this year, we only need one infected person to unknowingly spread it to others to go straight back into lockdown. If you love your community, love your local businesses and love your whanau – I encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as you are able to. Terence Harpur, Chief Executive, Takapuna Beach Business Association and vaccinated community member
It is frustrating to see the publication by the Rangitoto Observer (25 June) of the anti-vax protest in our beloved Takapuna. This is harmful to the health, well-being and survival of local businesses. Without our community getting vaccinated, we are at a huge risk of going back into lockdown with this highly contagious Covid-19 virus, and more local businesses closing down. Lockdowns cause significant losses for local businesses (level 3 causes an 85% reduction in spending) and as we have
It’s good to know Auckland Transport maintains the three public clocks in Devonport (Flagstaff, 18 June), though it would be better still if they kept them accurate – or if not, then fast. The Melrose Clock on Victoria Rd always seems to be slow, which could let people down if they need to be on time, such as when waiting at the nearby bus stops. Marshall Piercy
Real-estate reunion signals building’s changed menu
“Sold!” echoed around the tables at Signal Hill restaurant earlier this month, as a group of local real-estate agents returned for a reunion at the building that had been their home for 15 years. Sawyer Realty took over the lease of the Victoria Rd villa in 1992 and in 1996 morphed into Chris Rogers Real Estate, which operated in the premises until 2007, when the company was sold to Premium Real Estate. The reunion of 20 former Sawyer and Chris Rogers staff and partners included Sawyer owners Penny and Bryan Sawyer, Chris and Rhonda Rogers and other well-known agents such as Peter Ayton, Sandy Watts, Fran Travers, Judy Lyon, Rowan Renouf and Peter Restall. Bryan Sawyer said: “It was quite a night – it was funny being back in our old sales office.” Reunion organiser Renouf said the group had dinner where their open-plan offices once were. “It’s wonderful to see the building put to such good use,” he said. Back in the office... Sawyer Realty founders Bryan and Penny Sawyer (second from left and far right) with long-time colleague Peter Ayton and wife Judy
©Copyright OceanFun Publishing Ltd
m am 3 4
Fri
6
Jul 2
9 noon 3
6
www.ofu.co.nz
9 pm am 3
Sat
6
Jul 3
9 noon 3
6
9 pm am 3
Sun
6
Jul 4
9 noon 3
6
9 pm am 3
Mon Jul 5 6
9 noon 3
6
9 pm am 3
Tue
6
Jul 6
9 noon 3
6
9 pm am 3
Wed Jul 7 6
9 noon 3
6
9 pm am 3
Thu
6
Jul 8
9 noon 3
6
9 pm
3 2 1 0
H 1:03am 1:23pm L 7:08am 7:27pm
m am 3 4
Fri
6
Jul 9
9 noon 3
6
H 1:54am 2:17pm L 7:59am 8:24pm
9 pm am 3
Sat Jul 10
6
9 noon 3
6
H 2:44am 3:13pm L 8:51am 9:20pm
H 3:35am 4:08pm L 9:42am 10:13pm
Sun Jul 11
Mon Jul 12
9 pm am 3
6
9 noon 3
6
9 pm am 3
6
9 noon 3
6
H 4:25am 5:01pm L 10:33am 11:02pm
H 5:14am 5:50pm L 11:21am 11:48pm
Tue Jul 13
Wed Jul 14
9 pm am 3
6
9 noon 3
6
9 pm am 3
6
9 noon 3
6
H 6:02am 6:35pm L 12:07pm
9 pm am 3
Thu Jul 15
6
9 noon 3
6
9 pm
3 2 1 0
H 6:48am 7:17pm L 12:31am 12:50pm
H 7:33am 7:58pm L 1:13am 1:31pm
H 8:16am 8:38pm L 1:55am 2:12pm
H 8:59am 9:18pm L 2:37am 2:52pm
H 9:41am 10:00pm L 3:19am 3:33pm
H 10:24am 10:44pm L 4:03am 4:16pm
H 11:08am 11:29pm L 4:48am 5:00pm
Harcourts of Devonport Property Management Put the management of your rental property in safe hands
Nicole Plewinski
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
P 446 2108 M 021 960 313 E nicole.plewinski@harcourts.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 17
July 2, 2021
Dad calls for skatepark to be made more family-friendly Short-term fixes for the Ngataringa skatepark seem likely to get bogged down in talk about the long-term future of the wider recreation reserve. Devonport father Dave Casey took his case for skatepark upgrades to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board on the same day last month that an Auckland Council service assessment of Ngataringa and Dacre parks was down for discussion. Casey wants the lip between the sloping sides and floor of the skate bowl repaired for safety’s sake, and pathways to the facility paved to make it easier for families with younger children, like his, to access it. People get their feet wet taking shortcuts across the grass, or have to get off skateboards and scooters to carry them along an unsuitable gravel path, he told board members. “This park is an incredible facility,” he said, but it needed attention. Seating and a shade sail would be added improvements. Board chair Ruth Jackson said she had made inquiries with staff and been told that the unstable nature of the former rubbish-dump meant special anchoring would be needed if seats and shade sails were to be installed. The location of the skatepark was being looked at as part of the service assessment, she said. The council may one day have the skatepark nearer the southern end of a redesigned Ngataringa Park, closer to the Devonport Community Recycling Centre. Casey, who said he was an administrator for the Skatepark Restoration Society Facebook group, said there was nothing wrong with the current location. “We don’t want to be moved closer to the tip car park.” The exits from both the recycling centre and the Allen Hill stadium further south were
Skate expectations... Dave Casey, with son Beau, aged 7, and daughter March, 6, are regular skatepark users who want the Ngataringa Park facility kept in good condition, with easier access already tricky for pedestrians to navigate along Lake Rd with its “crazy traffic”. Longer-term, a designated car-park area with a paved pathway direct to the skatepark would be the ideal, he said. Toilets would be a bonus. Board member George Wood agreed better parking for park users was needed in any redesign. Casey was quizzed as to how often the skatepark was used and how safe he considered the tucked-away site at the north end of the park.
“Sometimes there’s 40 people there,” he said. It was in constant use, and not just by older children. But because it was hard to take smaller children and their gear there, some family groups were deterred. “If parents could access it, it would be a safer place,” he said. Before he left the meeting, Casey made a final plea for the board to push the council to fix the subsiding lip of the skate bowl floor. A skilled contractor with a bit of mortar could plug this up easily and cheaply, he said.
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 18
July 2, 2021
MP launches new award for high-school students
Students at schools in the North Shore electorate will be eligible for a new award put up by local MP Simon Watts. His Excellence in Community Contribution Award will be made, on the principal’s recommendation, to a student from each of the participating schools. Watts announced the award at a meeting he arranged with principals last week to foster greater understanding of educational issues.
“It’s about me getting engaged in local schools and being an advocate for them in Wellington,” he told the Flagstaff. A second meeting will be held later this year. Around half of the 26 schools in the electorate were represented at the morning-tea meeting. Watts said principals raised funding and workforce issues, including difficulties filling staff vacancies with quality applicants, particularly in maths and science subjects
Simon Watts MP for North Shore
Your local MP, supporting you and our local community 1 Earnoch Avenue, Takapuna northshore@parliament.govt.nz 09 486 0005 simonwattsmp
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR
TERM 3 FRIDAYS 3.30-4.30PM cost: $297 (inc GST)
Authorised by Simon Watts MP, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
www.littlecooks.co.nz
and specialist areas such as woodwork and metalwork. Zoning is another topic Watts is keen to keep tabs on, saying the National Party supports parents’ choice. The party’s education spokesperson, Paul Goldsmith, also spoke at the meeting, which was held at the Shore Junction youth hub.
Alternative to dangerous bus stop investigated Auckland Transport (AT) has met with Takapuna Grammar School and bus operators to discuss moving a potentially dangerous bus stop, highlighted in the 18 June Flagstaff. “At this stage, it (moving the stop from Lake Rd) is in the investigation stage,” an AT spokesperson said. “We’ve spoken to the bus operator, who’s looking at the suitability of St Leonards Rd,” the spokesperson said. “We’re also talking to our infrastructure team to see what changes would be needed to move the stop.” Local resident Peter Smales contacted the Flagstaff about the bus stop outside his home on the corner of Lake and Eversleigh Rds, worried about the potential for a major accident. Concern about students crowding on the footpath beside the stop has led to two deputy principals patrolling the area after school for the past three months.
July 2, 2021
Devonport 09 445 2010
Major sponsor for the North Shore Cricket Club
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 19
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 20
July 2, 2021
Devonport 09 445 2010
Major sponsor for the North Shore Cricket Club
July 2, 2021
Devonport 09 445 2010
Major sponsor for the North Shore Cricket Club
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 21
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 22
July 2, 2021
TheEK EKGroup GroupCan CanHelp HelpYou YouTurn TurnA The
Kim and Eden provide a level service and dedication Kim and Eden provide a level of of service and dedication li They customise their approach deliver exceptionae They customise their approach toto deliver exceptional With You Top MindE With You Top OfOf Mind.
D L SO M E HA H T ER UND
MER
17 Handley Avenue Narrow Neck Sold $3,325,000 40% above CV
Reach out to them to discover their points of difference and why yellow counts. They certainly have the skill, expertise and local knowledge – their clients’ experience will give you every confidence Kim and Eden are the only agents to call.
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 23
July 2, 2021
nAn AnAddress AddressInto IntoAAHome Home
n like other. They are Individual. Like You. like nono other. They are Individual. Like You. al excellence and achieve record results. excellence and achieve record results. d. Every Step The Way. Every Step OfOf The Way.
D L SO AM HE H T R E UND
MER
3/35 Northcroft Street Takapuna Sold $1,200,000 32% above CV
The EK Group. Your local specialists, working with you. Bespoke. Real Estate. Kim Pausina 021 201 7488 Eden Thomson 021 790 552 rwdevonport.co.nz I the ekgroup.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 24
July 2, 2021
Boating club floats new plan for heritage building
The Takapuna Boating Club is looking to expand its operations back to its original site in Bayswater, in an ambitious plan to renovate a dilapidated local landmark. The club hopes to use the lower two floors of the wooden Bayswater boathouse, and look for a commercial tenant, such as a cafe or restaurant, for the top floor. Community use is also to be part of the plan, which includes decking over a silted-up saltwater pool to provide walkway access from the marina area to a waterside reserve to the north. Club vice-commodore James Jordan told the Flagstaff the club was keen to bring sailing back to Bayswater, in addition to its existing activities off The Strand at Takapuna Beach. “We believe it’s our responsibility to return the club to what it was,” he said. “[The building] can never be repeated.” Renovations to the heritage-listed boathouse could cost up to $2 million and would likely be done in stages as money allowed, said Jordan. The building was structurally sound. Its exterior could not be altered, but interior alterations could be undertaken. Ideas mooted several years back to sell the building were “completely off the table”, he said, with the club now keen to work with the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and the community on enhancing it. Due to the building’s complicated legal history, dating back to a 1923 Act of Parliament, the club has had its hands tied in renting out the building for gain. Use for boating and bathing rooms and as a social hub was allowed for. But North Shore MP Simon Watts has brokered a possible solution, working with political advisers and the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives to come up with a draft legislative change. If passed, this would allow the club to generate revenue to properly maintain and upgrade the building. It is believed a bill to enact the change would need to be sponsored by the body closest to the original vesting entity, which was the Takapuna Borough Council, so it may fall to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board or Auckland Council itself. Watts last week outlined to four members of the local board and representatives of the boating
Back to the future... Takapuna Boating Club’s Baywater building as it is today (top), and an impression of how it might look after renovation (above) club that it would likely take around a year to get a bill through select-committee processes if it attracted cross-party support, as he hoped it would. He was not able to sponsor a local bill, but would do what he could to usher it through. First, the local board or council would need to notify Parliament of the intention to put the bill forward. Board chair Ruth Jackson urged the boating
Public Meeting on Crime with Simon Watts MP for North Shore and guest Simeon Brown MP, Spokesperson for Police Monday 12 July, 7pm The Rose Centre, School Rd, Belmont northshore@parliament.govt.nz Authorised by Simon Watts MP, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
club to let Bayswater locals know its intentions. “Nobody wants to see the building fall down,” she said. Board members present were generally supportive of the idea of the boathouse being revitalised, but wanted advice from Auckland Council’s legal team to better understand the legislation and processes. Jordan also outlined the plan to a local-board forum last week, where he said a staged renovation over two or three years was envisaged, once the legislation was changed. The club, which was looking at setting up a separate trust to run the building, was happy to work with Auckland Council’s heritage team, he said. The building was originally transported by barge from Panmure. Its roof was replaced in 2011. Board member Toni van Tonder said, “Everyone shares an aspiration to see this building brought back to life.” But member Aidan Bennett noted the “chicken and egg” aspect to getting the project underway. “The community, the council and the Government, all have to be lined up in a row.”
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 25
July 2, 2021
Mapping reveals Shore coastline’s erosion risk The risks of coastal erosion in New Zealand have been well flagged, but new digital maps from Auckland Council reveal graphically how the impact may play out across the city, including Devonport. “The publication of these hazard lines provides visibility of potential coastal erosion on both public places like beaches and coastal reserves, as well as privately owned property,” says North Shore councillor Richard Hills, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee. The lines show erosion susceptibility over three time-frames: 2050, 2080 and 2130, based on sea-level rise forecasts by the Ministry for the Environment and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) guidance. Hills said it was an important part of the council’s job to understand potential risks and plan accordingly. Auckland had 3200km of coastline, making interpretation of the natural processes of coastal erosion and instability vital. “Our coastal and geotechnical experts have recently completed research to help us all understand the potential impact on our coastline of forecast sea level rise,” he said. From a council report in February that identified areas predicted to be susceptible to erosion and instability, its tabulated results and heat maps have now been been translated to citywide digital maps available on an online mapping platform on the council’s website to make the information more easily accessible. (Our image above shows a North Shore sub-section.) Hills said the council was working on an Auckland Unitary Plan change to ensure that this new coastal erosion study was considered for future development of Auckland’s coast. The council’s general manager of technical services, Paul Klinac, said currently the council may request site-specific hazard assessments for resource-consent applications where development was proposed within coastal-erosion hazard areas defined in the Unitary Plan. The existing requirements would continue, but with reference to the updated erosion susceptibility lines. This would give applicants greater clarity as to when more detailed information might be required by the council, he said. Auckland’s long and diverse coastline, and its high population-to-coastline ratio, meant exposure to coastal hazards was reasonably high. “This risk isn’t new, but our new study helps us better visualise how climate change will impact the coast. This will assist Auckland’s decision-making relating to coastal development,” said Klinac. The release of the digital maps follow a separate talk from a University of Auckland researcher and Devonport resident, Dr Giovanni Coco, which similarly high-
Coastal concern... An Auckland Council map shows potential areas of coastal erosion around Devonport based on sea-level rise forecasts, over three time-frames: to 2050, 2080 and 2130 lighted how rising sea levels, plus coastal inundation and storm surges would impact the Devonport peninsula over time. The international expert questions the visualisations in the council’s map around rocky Maungauika, which he does not consider will be at risk of the erosion as indicated. But lower-lying beach areas are. Coco’s own visualisation (published in
the 21 May Devonport Flagstaff) focused on the Devonport peninsula. He believes Milford warrants a specific study, however, adding: “Difficult situation there.” It would be a good idea for study by a Masters student, he says. • The Auckland maps are available on the council’s website, see online mapping platform.
Belmont Pharmacy
Your natural health specialists In-store Naturopath and Pharmacists
If you areValue not already at Belmont –purchasing Best Prices Pharmacy you are probably paying too much!! Value – Best Range Great prices backed by over 30 years of experience. Value – Best Advice
www.nzpharmacyconnect.co.nz Click & Shop @ www.nzpharmacyconnect.co.nz Allan Pollock Kathryn Pollock SINCE 1989
Belmont Pharmacy 143 Lake Rd, Devonport • Ph 445 8247 www.belmontpharmacy.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 26
July 2, 2021
Belmont Primary sets the pace in peninsula schools cross-country champs
More than 200 of the top junior runners on the Devonport peninsula competed at the annual inter-school peninsula cross-country championships late last month. Intense racing took place in good weather at Fort Takapuna for girls and boys from Years 4, 5 and 6. Belmont was the most successful school overall, of the seven that competed, with six runners in top-three places across the categories. They were followed by Hauraki with five and Devonport with four. Belmont and Vauxhall both produced two first-place-getters, with one runner each from Hauraki and Devonport also recording a first.
Girls Year 4: Clementine Powles, Vauxhall, 1; Arna Tripodi, Belmont, 2; Cassandra Thorne, Belmont, 3; Lucetta Thomas-Cheng, St Leo’s, 4; Zarah Orchard, Belmont, 5; Ruby Stewart, Vauxhall, 6. Year 5: Ella Blincoe, Belmont, 1; Lucy Clentworth, Devonport, 2; Indi Phillips,
Hauraki, 3; Fritha Matthews, Vauxhall, 4; Zoe Richardson, Belmont, 5; Iris Davis, Hauraki, 6. Year 6: Ariana Vosper, Belmont, 1; Margo Slade, Devonport, 2; Hazel Wilson, Stanley Bay, 3; Georgie Uri, Devonport, 4; Renee Barrett, Vauxhall, 5; Ruby Lawton, Hauraki, 6.
Boys Year 4: Daniel McLiver, Hauraki, 1; Jake Tuck, Devonport, 2; Kash Baskerville, Hauraki, 3; Zachary Rhodes, Devonport, 4; Erik Havranek, Hauraki, 5; Louis Mansell, Belmont, 6. Year 5: Brodie Robinson, Devonport, 1; Ben Hindle, Belmont, 2; Archie Fox, Belmont, 3; Leonardo Burson, Hauraki, 4; Harris Johnston, Vauxhall, 5; Cooper Digby, Belmont, 6. Year 6: Leo Powles, Vauxhall, 1; Patrick Ellis, Hauraki, 2; Max Lawton, Hauraki, 3; Neve Upston, Vauxhall, 4; Ben Harvey, Belmont, 5; Freddie Jones, Vauxhall, 6.
Run fun... Year 4 boys winner Daniel McLiver from Hauraki (right) Below: Year 4 girls winner Clementine Powles (second from right) with her fellow Vauxhall competitors (from left) Zoe Smith, Scarlett Smith, Aviv Alexander, Milla Holland and Ruby Stewart
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 27
July 2, 2021
Hundreds turn out to North Shore Legends lunch
More than a dozen All Blacks and almost 300 supporters attended North Shore Rugby Club’s Legends lunch last Friday. North Shore’s All Blacks – including Frano Botica, Don McKay, Gary Cunningham, Brad Johnstone and newly knighted Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford – gathered alongside Ian Jones and stars of the recent Match Fit television series: Frank Bunce, Pita Alatini, Ron Cribb, Craig Dowd, Troy Flavell and Charles Riechelmann. The following day, North Shore premiers continued their winning form, beating East Coast Bays 19-3. The side has won 10 out of 11 matches this season. Legends in their own lunchtime… Troy Flavell and his Match Fit co-stars
TGS comes back to draw with Rosmini
Ferry breakdown
Auckland Transport says a Bayswater morning ferry sailing cancelled without notice on Thursday 24 June was due to a vessel breakdown.
Devonport win chess
Devonport Primary School was the winner of a recent chess tournament hosted by Stanley Bay School. This corrects an earlier report (Flagstaff, 18 June).
Identity farewelled
A service to farewell Paul Firth, who died in his 70s this month, was held at the Officers Mess at Narrow Neck on 28 June. For nearly a decade, the friendly Black Rock resident allowed walkers to cross his property on the Milford-to-Takapuna coastal walk after a section of public boardwalk was washed away. Crunch time…Takapuna Grammar snuff out a Rosmini attack in the First XV clash at home last Saturday, which ended in a 16-16 draw Takapuna Grammar First XV came back have only lost two games this season. The from a 10-3 half-time deficit to draw 16-16 side plays leaders Westlake Boys, at Westwith Rosmini last Saturday. lake, this Saturday. Rosmini plays Whangarei Boys at home. Grammar remain fourth on the table but
Phone: 06 357 3619 Mob: 027 269 4277 Email: margaretjjones13@yahoo.com
2021 SOUTH ISLAND TOUR 19 DAYS 15 October 2021 COST $4,450*
*$165pp FAREWELL SPIT TOUR INCLUDED IN COST
Personal Trainer
Independent Financial Advice Individuals and Businesses Call me for a no obligation chat email: david@davidsmart.co Phone: 027 543 4455 www.davidsmart.co
Copies of Disclosure Statements on website.
Devonport Squash Club Gym Personalised programmes Nutrition advice 1:1 or small group References available
Janet 021 101 96 95
personaltrainerjanet@gmail.com
2022 SOUTH ISLAND TOUR 20 DAYS 20 March 2022 COST $4,350 Check us out Cost of tour based on twin share. on Facebook! For an itinerary please ring MARGARET
www.margaretsgoldentours.com Enquiries any time:
TOLL FREE 0800 77 00 70
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 28
July 2, 2021
RECRUITMENT EVENING
TUESDAY JULY 13, 5.30PM BIRKENHEAD
PIONEERS WANTED
Work locally and care for the most precious people we know, our residents. Come along and learn about working at Ryman, meet the hiring managers and discuss current vacancies. We have full time, part time (fixed shifts) and casual opportunities available: Registered Nurses Caregivers Activity Coordinators Cooks Assistants Kitchen Assistants Housekeepers Laundry Assistants Casual Receptionist Casual Chef As a Ryman team member, you have access to some top-notch benefits including: Great pay Comfortable, designer uniforms Education support If you think you have the pioneering spirit needed to make a difference at Ryman, we’d love to see you. Quote ‘kindness’ and bring along your CV to claim a prize!
BERT SUTCLIFFE RETIREMENT VILLAGE
2 Rangatira Road, Birkenhead, Auckland CAREERS.RYMANHEALTHCARE.COM
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 29
July 2, 2021
Part-time Sales & Marketing Manager ShoreJobs.co.nz is looking for a Sales & Marketing Manager to join our team, in a part-time capacity. This role will be 15-20 hours per week, flexible days and times. ShoreJobs is an online job platform owned and operated by the publishers of the Devonport Flagstaff and the Rangitoto Observer community newspapers. The successful candidate will have a strong background in sales and marketing, and social-media marketing, with excellent customer service and administration skills. A basic recruitment background is an advantage. If you have the skills and experience, we would love to talk with you. Come and be part of a growing team! Apply via ShoreJobs.co.nz
Qualified Relief Teachers Age School in Takapuna is looking for Qualified Relief Teachers to join their team. Age School is a boutique urban school, designed for children for year 1 to 12 who thrive on smaller classes. A place where care for each other and the environment goes hand in hand with learning that goes beyond the national curriculum. This relief role will be throughout the week, 4-8 hour shifts between 8am-5pm.
Apply now to join our amazing team, via ShoreJobs.co.nz
Local jobs for people living on the Shore Live local. Work local. ShoreJobs.co.nz
Events Assistant Coordinator (part-time) Devonport Peninsula Trust is looking for an Events Assistant Coordinator for their summer season. An opportunity has arisen for a skilled events assistant to join the team at the Devonport Peninsula Trust in a part time (9.5 hours per week), fixed-term capacity. Key responsibilities are to assist with the Trust’s popular, annually recurring events; e.g. Summer Fun Tamariki Play, Kids Athletics, Devonport Christmas Festival and others, working closely with the Summer Events Coordinator and Devonport Community Coordinator.
The ideal candidate: • An outgoing personality and can relate well to children and their caregivers • Skilled communicator (both written and verbal) • An understanding of the Devonport peninsula community • Experience with grassroots, community events • Able to work well in a small team and equally able to work autonomously • Physically fit • Clean drivers’ licence and comfortable to drive a manual transmission van • Competent user of MS Office suite of programmes.
For more info, and to apply (with a CV and cover) letter before 16 July. Apply via ShoreJobs.co.nz
Cook Takapuna Learning Space is looking for a Cook to join their loving team. Based on the grounds of North Shore Hospital. This person will join us Monday to Friday for 30 hours per week (7:30am-1:30pm) to provide fresh, nutritious, and delicious meals daily. We are a privately owned centre licensed for 60 children and provide morning and afternoon tea and lunch to all the children. This role will involve you planning for and cooking a menu designed for the children each day, including morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea.
You’ll need to be organised, energetic and have an excellent knowledge of wholefoods that promote good nutrition and healthy eating. An understanding of special diets, allergies and introducing food to babies. Ability to time manage effectively. Ability to relate to young children. Previous experience cooking for large groups is advantageous and a food-handling or safety certificate is preferred, but not necessary. If you would love to join a team of passionate teachers. Please apply online today. Apply via ShoreJobs.co.nz
Law graduate/legal assistant/ legal secretary We are a busy general law practice located in Devonport. Our work consists of residential and commercial conveyancing, leasing, family law and business transactions. If you are a recent law graduate, looking at returning back to the workforce or have current experience but are looking for new opportunities, we want to hear from you. We welcome those who are: • self-starters, • have good communication skills and • willing to learn on the job. We will tailor the role and pay rates to suit the right candidate – we will consider applications for full-time, parttime and fixed-term positions. Contact Karyn Preston-Thomas.
Apply via ShoreJobs.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 30
July 2, 2021
Takapuna
Grammar
SCHOOL NEWS
JUL 2, 2021
In rowing news, TGS students Sydelle and Connor have been selected to join the 2021 Auckland Regional Dark Blues Rowing Programme. TGS had three students who competed in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships in Hawera on June 19th and 20th. The weather conditions were cold (8˚C), wet and muddy, which was a challenge for all the athletes.
In damp and foggy conditions for Cycling Team Time Trial (TTT) #3 we experienced some drama and great results.
On 20 June, TGS Ultimate sent two teams to the Auckland Indoor Ultimate Frisbee Championships held at Bruce Pulman Park, Takanini. Both teams made the quarter-finals, with our junior boys (made up of some new to the sport) coming in eighth overall. Our premier team, mostly Year 13 players, made the final after beating Westlake Boys in the semi-finals. As winners last year, TGS were top seeds, but the Auckland Grammar side was just too strong in the end, winning 10-6 in the final.
Performing Arts Department The Performing Arts Department has had a very busy term with many accomplishments! The annual University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival was held over Queen’s Birthday weekend. One of the competitions was the Morrison Music Trust Shakespeare Composition Competition, which was entered by several of our Year 12 and 13 music students. Three of these students were chosen as finalists. Charlotte Gobbie won third place in the instrumental category, Jaimee Thomas won second place in the vocal category, and Janayah Wadsworth won first place, also in the vocal category. Alice Jones won the North Shore Songwriting Competition, winning two free days in a recording studio. The dance groups also did terrifically at their first competition with Amy Nattress and Tempus receiving a high bronze award for a Jazz routine and
Cactus taking first overall winner performing a contemporary number choreographed by Tessa Renneberg. Andre Samatoi placed first in the New Zealand Champion Solo, in Ethnic Solo, and 13 Years Solo at this year’s New Zealand Accordion Association’s championships and festival. The Performing Arts Council put on the Winter Cabaret with the help of our amazing teachers in the department. Cabarets have been staged for the last couple years now (except last year of course). But this year was different because we were able to go to the Rose Centre. We had some amazing performers, such as the Cactus and Tempus Dance groups, The Usuals (a very talented band of Year 10 students), and a quartet of school-choir students. We really appreciate all the people who came to support and we are looking forward to all of the accomplishments and performances in the future!
IB CAS Experience Race Days by the Sea Bouncy Castle Supervision As a part of the IB diploma, all students are required to participate in a range of activities, sports and co-curriculars in order to become well-rounded learners. This part of the diploma is called CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service). I got involved with this volunteering opportunity because I thought it would be a great chance to get amongst the community, and develop my collaborative skills, particularly with small children. I was able to help the bouncy castles at Race Days by the Sea run smoothly by working together with the other volunteers to create a smooth system of getting the kids on and off the bouncy castle, and ensuring they all felt welcomed and cared for. I kept in mind the ethics of my actions, and ensured I was patient with and encouraging of all of the kids. This was very beneficial for building up my understanding of working with children and their parents, and how my choices and actions have a large effect on the child’s experience. I learned that when dealing with other people, the best virtue you can have is patience, and by being amiable and helpful, I will be able to succeed in other, similar scenarios, such as working a customer-service job. BY PHOEBE RENNIE
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 31
July 2, 2021
Anti-vaxxers bring protest to local streets Protesters opposing the Government’s Covid vaccination strategy set up in Takapuna last month, in what they say will be the first of a series of lunchtime street gatherings they intend to mount locally. Three members of the group Voices for Freedom propped up placards on public seating at the pedestrian edge of Hurstmere Green on 10 June. They offered leaflets and displayed T-shirts on a trestle table on the pavement. “We want to share information with people,” said one of the trio, who said the group was being “deplatformed” online and dismissed by mainstream media. Over the course of an hour, they said more than 10 people stopped, with two dismissive and others “at least curious” to hear their views on the point of mask use, and vaccination effectiveness and safety. “We want to show people we’re around, to counter the impression that anti-vaxxers are a crazy bunch,” said Devonport resident Sally O’Brien, who said she was a retired nurse who had worked with immuno-compromised people. O’Brien maintained that the pandemic was not a risk to the population in general. Those who were vulnerable could be targeted for protection, she argued. This might include boosting their immunity in various ways, including the use of vitamin D. A man and a younger woman in the group declined to give their names, the man citing safety and employment concerns. Different view... Devonport’s Sally O’Brien maintains Covid is not a O’Brien said Voices for Freedom had four risk to the general population groups across the North Shore. The trio’s patch covered Devonport to East Coast that spreading information was the focus, pamphlets as long as they were not selling or Bays. More meetings – from Browns Bay but people could go onto their website and advertising a product. They did not require a licence. order T-shirts. to Devonport – were planned. If their activities or set-up (for example, An Auckland Council spokesperson said Around a quarter of its 100 members came to meetings, which were publicised by letter- the group’s presence on a public street or the table) obstructed pedestrians and took up reserve would be considered protesting, footpath space, a complaint could be made to box leaflet drops, said O’Brien. Asked if they were selling items, or can- which “anyone, including this group, has a the council, the spokesperson said. vassing for members, the Flagstaff was told right to do”. This would include handing out
20 years ago from the Flagstaff files defy North Shore City Council by refusing • A Navy sailor jumps overboard from HMNZS Te Mana when the warship is to install a smoke alarm. leaving the Devonport naval base, leaping • North Shore City mayor George Gair nine metres into the water and swimming to is shouted down at a stormy meeting in Devonport wharf. The ship had just left the Bayswater, attended by 150 people, on the Navy wharf and was embarking on a three future vision for Bayswater Point. month journey around the Pacific Islands, • Bayswater’s Suzanne Lynch, half of the 60s where it was to visit several ports. singing duo The Chicks, is made a member • Convicted drug smuggler Simon Poelman of the New Zealand Order of Merit, as is and former top decathlete is photographed Murray Henshall, for services to mental at Devonport Wharf, following a term of health – specifically for his work with the home detention. He was sentenced to fiveDevonport Gardens, by Ngataringa Park. and-a-half years jail in October 1998, for importing nearly 2000 ecstasy tablets. • Mabel ‘Polly’ Pollock wins an Auckland Council award for eight years of work • Former Crown minister and Devon Park penthouse owner Jack Scott continues to creating the Mary Barrett Glade.
• The venerable Murray Spackman celebrates 20 years as a vicar of the Holy Trinity Parish with a ‘flights of fancy’ night – recognising his interest in flying. • A 3-bedroom bungalow in Narrow Neck is for sale for $365,000. • Ngataringa Reserve, next to the skatepark will get a new $9000 concrete access path. • Concerns about the “run-down” state of Devonport Wharf are lodged with Ports of Auckland by the Devonport Business Association. • Mike Franklin, the CEO of Babcock, is the Flagstaff interview subject.
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 32
(formerly Ogden Electrical, same people & service, different name)
Call us for all your Electrical & Data requirements No job too big or too small No travel charge Shore-wide
Carl Ogden – 445 7528 carlo@searchfield.co.nz
Trades & Services
July 2, 2021
North Shore based renovations, new builds, design & project management since 1985. Trustworthy licensed builders specialising in residential alterations/extensions, kitchens, bathrooms, tiling, re-cladding.
Contact Alex Carey on 0274 660 666, or visit our website
www.efd.kiwi
Big City Drainage & Plumbing
Professional Quality Service
• Gasfitting • Certifying/Licensed • Digger Hire • Plumber/Drainlayer • All Aspects of Plumbing & Drainage
dan@allaspects.co.nz 0800 143 051 or mob 021 119 3227
Guy Anderson
Painting and Decorating All commercial and domestic decoration undertaken. Interior and exterior decorating. All wallpaper and fabrics. Expertly hung. Skim coat plastering and stopping Specialist in decorative paint finishes, carried out by a tradesman with 25 years experience. Competitive pricing. All work guaranteed.
www.scapetech.co.nz
s
ar PHONE 445 2549 30 yreience e p x e MOBILE 021 767 093
scapetech@clear.net.nz scapetech@outlook.com
NORTH HARBOUR CONCRETE
Specialist in all aspects of concrete. Small diggers and Bobcat (for tight excavation work). For free quotes and advice Phone Alan Michie
0274 957 505
YOUR LOCAL CRAFTSMAN
PLUMBER
Friendly, experienced service for all of your plumbing needs.
CALL DERRICK TRAVERS
021-909790 445-6691
Ph 021 841 745 David Mortimore New installations Repairs and Maintenance
david@precisionplumbing.co.nz www.precisionplumbing.co.nz
Backed by over 35 years’ experience of quality preparation and painting
ph ross kingdom
021 723 413
registered professional painters
• Restore • Repair • Retrofit double glazing
Professional Quality Service Craftsman Plumber and Gasfitter
Precision Plumbing 2010 Ltd
We guarantee our Workmanship
“I would heartily recommend their service and their expertise.”
Call us today on 022 471 4469 stella@devontimber.com www.devontimber.com
Trades & Services
July 2, 2021
DEVONPORT DEVONPORT DEVONPORT DEVONPORT DEVONPORT DEVONPORT DEVONPORT AUTO AUTO AUTO AUTO AUTO CENTRE CENTRE CENTRE CENTRE CENTRE CENTRE CENTRE NEW SERVICE
� Vehicle Servicing � Servicing Andrew Holloway � Full Full Vehicle � Full Full Vehicle Vehicle Servicing Tyres andVehicle WheelServicing Alignment � Full Servicing � Full Vehicle Servicing and and � WOF WOF � WOF WOF Floorsander and Maintenance Maintenance and Maintenance Maintenance � � Full Vehicle Servicing and Maintenance and Maintenance � WOF � WOF • Floorsanding • Floorsanding and Maintenance WOF • Polyurethaning and staining ANDRE & WENDY CUMISKEY CUMISKEY ANDRE & WENDY CUMISKEY • Polyurethaning and staining ANDRE & WENDY ANDRE & WENDY CUMISKEY • Tongue and Groove repairs ANDRE CUMISKEY ANDRE & & WENDY WENDY CUMISKEY ANDRE & WENDY CUMISKEY • Tongue and Groove repairs • Serving Devonport since 1995
Ph (09) 445 4456 4456 Ph 445 4456 Ph (09) (09) 445 445 Ph (09) (09) •445 Serving4456 Devonport since 1995 Ph 4456 Ph (09) 445 4456 Ph (09) 445 Please4456 phone for a free quote Fax (09) 445 7629 Fax (09) 445 7629 Fax 445 7629 Fax 445 7629 Please phone a 4519 free quote Phone 027for 285 Fax (09) 445 7629 Fax (09) 445 7629 Fax (09) 445 7629 Phone 027 285 4519 1A Fleet Street, Devonport 1A Fleet Street,ahfloorsanding@xtra.co.nz Devonport 1A Fleet Street, Devonport
ahfloorsanding@xtra.co.nz www.ahfloorsanding.co.nz
John Bisset LtD
Painting & Decorating Specialists Serving Auckland for over 35 years Master Painter of the Year 2017 Interior and Exterior – New and existing, roofs, fences, decks and balustrading, wallpaper stripping, paint stripping, gib stopping, pressure cleaning. Accredited Lead-based Removal Specialists.
Plumbing, Gasfitting, Drainage, Roof Leaks
MAINTENANCE SPECIALISTS Prompt courteous service Fully insured for your peace of mind
Call Mat
Office: 445 8099 email: info@bissetltd.co.nz
0800 277 566
www.bissetltd.co.nz
Certifying Plumber, Gasfitter and Drainlayer
All Safe Electrical Services Ltd • 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
CARS WANTED • Cars • Vans • 4x4s • Utes • Trucks
24/7 CASH PAID
0800 203 060
DESIGN AND BUILD NZ Devonport builders since 1990 Residential Building Architectural Draughting Scott Peters 021 606 737 www.designandbuildnz.co.nz
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 33
Barnett Bros. SPECIALISING IN VILLA/BUNGALOW Barnett Bros. RESTORATION, RENOVATION & ALTERATIONS SPECIALISING IN VILLA/BUNGALOW Qualified RENOVATION builder and & craftsman RESTORATION, ALTERATIONS
Carpenter available now Qualified builder and craftsman for door/window/sash/cord/sill Carpenter available now replacements for door/window/sash/cord/sill All joinery repairs replacements All carpentry and associated All joineryservices repairs building All carpentry and associated Home inspections building services Bathrooms Home inspections All work guaranteed Bathrooms
Scott 021 188 7189 AllBarnett work guaranteed s.barnett.builder@gmail.com Licensed building practitioner Scott Barnett 021 188 7189
Barnett Bros. s.barnett.builder@gmail.com
SPECIALISING IN VILLA/BUNGALOW RESTORATION, RENOVATION & ALTERATIONS
Qualified builder and craftsman Carpenter available now for door/window/sash/cord/sil replacements All joinery repairs Caledonian All carpentry and associated Premier Tiling Ltd. building services Specialising in all aspects of HomeFloor inspectiTiling ons and Wall and Under-tile Waterproofing Bathrooms
Carried out and certified by local tradesman of 24 years’ experience
FREE QUOTES All work guaranteed Contact Doug 021 187 7852 or 09 446 0687 or email Scott Barnett 021 188 7189 calpremtiling@gmail.com
s.barnett.builder@gmail.com
FENCE BROTHERS
• FENCES • REtAiNiNG • PERGOLAS WALLS • DECKS • PROPERtY MAiNtENANCE
www.fencebros.co.nz CONtACt GREG FOR A FREE QUOtE
0800 336 232
ROOF PAINTING SPECIALIST • We use quality paint Resene or Dulux • All work guaranteed for 10 years • Qualified for NZ Safety Heights & Harness Licence and Boom Lift Licence etc
• $1M+ Liability insurance cover • We take photos of progress
Text/call Justin: 021 234 1414
www.jkartpaint.co.nz
JK ART PAINT
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 34
Professional Services RECOVER YOUR
LOUNGE SUITE
July 2, 2021
Devonport’s Locksmith SPECIALIST IN PROVIDING
• New keys for existing locks
Maria Teape Community Coordinator 445 9533 | maria@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz
BAYSWATER SCHOOL MATARIKI FESTIVAL Saturday 3rd July, 3:00pm–7:00pm Bayswater School, Bayswater Ave Bayswater School’s famous annual Matariki Festival! With wonderful Kapa Haka performances, games, inflatables and a market, amongst lots of other exciting entertainment. You can look forward to delicious food trucks and a bar, as well as the crowd favourite bonfire! Nau mai, haere mai and enjoy a midwinter hui taurima, celebrating the Mãori New Year and our beautiful community.
• Lock repairs • Installation
Call us for a free quotation and put the life back into that favourite chair or lounge suite
AWARD FURNITURE Phone COLIN on 480 5864
• Lock Hardware Contact Scott on
021 976 607 445 3064
72 Lake Road, Devonport
CLARE SENIOR & NICK JOHNSTON AT THE BUNKER
Monday 12th July, 8pm The Bunker, Takarunga/Mt Victoria Well-known amongst the Devonport community, Clare Senior and Nick Johnson are steeped in traditional English and Scottish music, and also write their own songs about NZ heritage. Tickets: phone 445 2227 – admission is $5 members, $8 non-members.
MATARIKI AT THE ROSE CENTRE
12th–18th July The Rose Centre is bringing a range of sessions for both adults and children for the first week of the school holidays. Free or low cost, the sessions are part of The Rose Centre’s Matariki series, sharing te ao Maori/the Maori world. Email hello@rosecentre.co.nz to register and follow along on Facebook @TheRoseCentre for further details!
Royal Design & Drapes Made to Measure
Garden design and construction
Whether you are planning a garden refresh of a full renovation, we believe in creating gardens that are personal, purposeful and beautiful
Call Steve Gustasson on 021 345 694 steve@naturalgardens.co.nz www.naturalgardens.co.nz
HŌTOKE/WINTER FUN TAMARIKI PLAY
shorejobs
shorejobs The sure choice for all Shore jobs!
Shore Jobs is the new site for all your job needs on the North Shore. We might be new, but all the jobs that are currently available are here. We have employers from North Head to North Albany and everywhere in between! Looking for a new opportunity? Need to advertise a position? Look no further – ShoreJobs for all your job needs.
Tony Gasperini
Tree & Tall Hedge Specialist
027 770-0099 Devonport, Auckland tony.gasperini@gmail.com
The sure choice for all Shore jobs!
Sponsor this widely read community events column email: sales@devonportflagstaff.co.nz Find us at
• Full boating services • Repairs and maintenance • Expert advice • Free peninsula pickup • Mobile service available
142 Beaumont Street, Westhaven Parking out front in loading zone
Ph (09) 377 4285 www.ovlov.co.nz
BOOKKEEPING SERVICES Xero, MYOB, GST, Payroll
Handyman
Find us at
royaldesign.gk@gmail.com www.royaldesign.nz Gabrielle 021 050 4961
Qualified Local Arborist
Shore Jobs is the new site for all your job needs on the North Shore. We might be new, but all the jobs that are currently available are here. We have employers from North Head to North Albany and everywhere in between! Looking for a new opportunity? Need to advertise a position? Look no further – ShoreJobs for all your job needs.
shorejobs.co.nz
15 yeaRs expeRience
Ovlov Marine Ltd
Tuesdays, 9:30am–11:00am The Rose Centre, School Rd, Belmont Every Tuesday. For children aged 0-5, Tamariki Play sessions are a time to play with big toys, be active and make new friends. The free, casual-attendance sessions are the perfect way to keep little ones active and socialised during the colder, wetter months. Caregiver supervision is required.
Devonport Peninsula Community eNEWS To receive the Devonport Peninsula eNEWS, a monthly email listing of community events, and other community notices, please email us at maria@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz With special thanks to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board for funding the Devonport Peninsula Trust.
Curtains, roman Blinds, roller Blinds, Venetian Blinds, shutters and tracks
Your local handyman in Devonport
021 1968 908
vikinghandyman@yahoo.com www.vikinghandyman.co.nz
www.ljbass.co.nz info@ljbass.co.nz
027 331 3164
Classifieds
July 2, 2021
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 35
ACCOMMODATION
ACCOMMODATION
PUBLIC NOTICES
SERVICES OFFERED
TUITION
WANTED
Accommodation. Self contained, private apartment, fully furnished and equipped in shared family home. Suit a single person or a couple. Handy to Devonport amenities/buses/ferry services etc. Contact Colin at balgray@xtra.co.nz Devonport Gem for rent 3 bedrooms house 2 bathrooms. Aramoana Ave. Very quiet and private. From mid July $950 a week. Comes with some furnishings. Contact Hayley 027 251 7678.
Lady wants to share her home with another lady to houseshare. Double bedroom, off street parking. Rates, power, water, wifi included. Ascot Ave - convenient to buses and ferry. $300 p/w. Call Fay - 445 3256.
Join the Devonport Squash Club’s social squash night every Thursday from 7-9pm at our Narrowneck club. Beginners are welcome. We have racquets you can borrow at no charge and there is no obligation to join the club. 69 Wairoa Road, Narrow Neck.
FixIT Handyman - excellent work, practical budget, most jobs welcome, interior/ exterior free quote. Josh 021 2618 322 . Section Services Trees: pruned, removed. Hedges: trimmed, reduced. Section tidy ups. Insured. Experienced. Local. Ph Dom 027 222 1223.
Line Dancing for Beginners - Tuesdays 6.30 - 7.30pm at St Leo’s School Hall, Owens Road, Devonport. All welcome! Contact Kirst 021-164-1113 Maths Coaching Offered. Year 7 to year 13 welcomed. 15 mins of chess with all my junior students. Ph Peter BE, Dip Tchg on 094451899 or 021 0817 5037. Physics Tuition required for year 10 boy in up coming school holidays. Text Lee 021 132 1878.
Cars Wanted. Cars Vans 4x4s Utes Trucks 24/7 Cash paid 0800 203 060. Devonport commercial property wanted to buy. Owner occupier seeks premises. No agents, strictest confidence. 021 433 535.
SERVICES OFFERED Complete home maintenance by perfectionist boat builder/builders. Including rotten windows, doors, weather boards. Exterior/interior. Call Duane 027 488 5478.
24 Hour Towing 24 Hour Towing Devonport Owned Devonport Owned Operated andand Operated
ESTABLISHED ESTABLISHED 1971 1971
1 Fleet Street, Devonport 1 Fleet Street, Devonport Phone Phone 445 445 04830483 email: fleetst@ihug.co.nz email: office@fleetstpanel.co.nz email: fleetst@ihug.co.nz www.fleetstpanel.co.nz www.fleetstpanel.co.nz
Dennis Hale & Nathan Hale
Local Glazing Services including: • Mirrors • Hush Glass • Glass • Reputties
• Broken Windows • Low E Thermal • Safety Glass • Showers
ContaCt uS at
devonportglass@gmail.com or 021 148 1804 Presented by Auckland's winter fes�val Elemental AKL 2021 Mary-Jane O’Reilly's uber elegant and passionate new work Ballet Noir 'what becomes of the broken-hearted' is a must-go pick from the Elemental's amazing line up. Book at elementalfes�val.co.nz
Support your paper for the price of a cup of coffee.
At the Bruce Mason Centre Takapuna, 23 and 24 July three performances only
Go to devonportflagstaff.co.nz and click on ‘Become a supporter’ at the top of the page.
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 36
Briefs
School celebration
July 2, 2021
No holiday just yet, but
Bayswater School’s Matariki festival is back this Saturday, 3 July and promises to be bigger than ever this year. All are welcome along from 3pm to 7pm, with food trucks, lights, a bonfire, games and rides to enjoy. Kapa haka will include groups from other schools, and a market will feature crafts. Entry is by koha.
Hikoi and hangi
Enrol to make a lantern at a workshop at Whare Toi / Community Arts Space, Kerr St, on 4, 6, 7 or 10 July. Then use the light to guide your way to the Depot Artspace on the evening of 10 July. If skies are clear, star gaze on the lantern hikoi down the hill. People who have not attended a workshop are welcome to join the hikoi. If you fancy a hangi afterwards, these cost $15 (vegetarian option available) and must be booked by 3 July. The koha workshops, led by Natanahira Te Pona, and supported by the Depot and Restoring Takarunga Hauraki, are part of the Indigenous Ecology and Arts Wananga. Details at www.depotartspace.co.nz.
Community korero
Listen, learn and talk about the traditions of Punanga and Matariki in korero with Natanahira Te Pona tonight, 2 July. The session — entry by koha — will be held from 6.30 pm to 7.30pm at the Lake House Arts Centre, 37 Fred Thomas Drive, Takapuna, which has arts works influenced by Matariki on display
Musical interlude
Find out about taonga puoro – Maori musical instruments – at the Navy Musuem on 8 July. A team from Te Taua Moana (Navy) Marae will provide information and show visitors how to use poi and make a flower from flax. The free event, from 10am to 11.30am, will also include a kapa haka performance.
Bridge light show
Auckland has a citywide Matariki Festival, with one of its more visible displays being the light show on the Harbour Bridge. This is lit up for five minutes every half hour, from 6pm to midnight, on 2–3 July and 9–11 July. For other activities, see matarikifestival.org.nz
Craft corner
Learn to craft colourful woollen stars at the Devonport Library, on 14 July. Matariki may officially be over, but the activity is on the library’s school holiday programme. Check at the library or on its Facebook page for details.
Leading the way... North Shore master carver Natanahira Te Pona shows Bayswater School pupils, including Elias Dunne (centre), aged nine, how to make a rubbing. Parent helper Aylin Ataseven looks on. Locals are embracing Matariki celebrations like never before, with a host of activities underway or planned. Bayswater School’s annual Matariki Festival will take place this Saturday 3 July. The following Saturday evening a lantern hikoi will travel from the base of Takarunga down Victoria Rd to the Depot Artspace where a special Matariki exhibition is on display. Some participants have been preparing for these events for weeks, although both welcome impromput community participation (see briefs at left for details). Schools have also been studying Matariki, with Belmont Intermediate making it a topic focus for the last week. The Rose Centre in Belmont got into the mood last Sunday afternoon (27 June).Kapa haka, waiata and whanau-friendly short films led into a shared meal provided by Kaitahi Kitchen, followed by a screening of the uplifting Kiwi movie Poi-E. Preschools are getting in on the act too, including the Belmont Montessori where the children will make soup and bread for whanau and enjoy a Matariki story on 8 July. Master carver Natanahira Te Pona is front and centre of many of the local activities. He has run workshops on lantern-making, using biodegradable paper, for schools, the Restoring Takarunga-Hauraki environmental group, and arts groups. Te Pona works out of the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna,
where he tutors in whakairo, and te reo. He is exhibiting there and in the Depot’s show and is the driving force behind the lantern hikoi. His aim is to build a sense of community aorund it. At Bayswater School, Te Pona has shown children how to make rubbings of carved images and how to make clay tiles. The latter will be used on 6 July, when the whole school heads to a local reserve to plant trees as a Matariki activity. Te Pona, who lives in Birkdale, grew up in Turangi and has Nga Puhi ancestry, is keen for the North Shore community to appreciate the cultural underpinnings of Matariki, which he says have emerged within the last decade. “Previously Matariki remained within a few whanau,” he said. It had become a significant event, but in that some of its true meaning had been taken away. “Each whanau has their own form of Matariki. Some further north [call it] Puanga.” Te Pona has likened Matariki a little to lockdown, a time when whanau hunkered down together to prepare for the new and reflect on the old. It was also a time of learning. Next year, the Matariki public holiday will fall on Friday 24 June. The date of the commemoration will vary each year, because it is determined by star positions. Matariki cannot be seen for a time at the beginning of winter, but when it reappears this heralds the start of a new season.
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 37
July 2, 2021
Matariki is already lighting up the peninsula
Ready to glow... Bayswater School pupils (from left), Liam Faircliff, Vinnie Dahlberg, Elias Dunne, Metua Kainuku, Mira Ataseven, Wiremu Catterall, Clem Whittington with the paper lanterns they and other year 3-4 students made for Matariki
Depot exhibition marks Matariki – and Puanga
Artists from Tamaki Makaurau have been joined by others from Hokianga to provide deeper and differing cultural perspectives on Matariki, at the Depot Artspace. Their exhibition, Te Hauhake / Harvesting, running until 10 July, includes an exploration of ideas drawn from two distinct communities. Painting, carving, sculpture, weaving and ceramics are among the mediums through which the 10 artists work. Among the artists on show is master carver Natanahira Te Pona and some of his students from the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna. Depot curator Nina Dyer explained that Te Pona had come to the gallery with a proposal to recognise Puanga and Matariki and to encourage community awareness of their meaning. “He was interested in not just having stuff on the wall, but creating an impetus to have korero about what Matariki actually means.” This meant culturally, as well as celestially. The reference to the star Puanga (Rigel) as well as to the Matariki cluster (Pleiades
From the land... A work by Hokianga-based landscape artist Joanne Barrett, one of 10 artists in the Te Hauhake / Harvesting exhibition at the Depot Artspace
or the Seven Sisters), is because some iwi see Puanga as the harbinger of the Maori New Year, given it is first more visible in some northern and western areas than Matariki. Accordingly, some use Puanga as their name for the special celebratory time of year, which runs for around a month. Bright stars were considered a signal of a warm growing season, with an abundant harvest to follow. The Depot dovetailed the idea of an exhibition into its Creative Exchange project, picking up on existing links with the Hokianga artistic community. With funding support from Foundation North, the Devonport gallery was able to bring together the two groups of artists, with the aim of creating new audiences for them both, said Dyer. From the Hokianga end, contemporary landscape artist Joanne Barrett had a key role in coordinating the northern artists. Her symbolic pieces draw from the land. “Each work contemplates equilibrium and considers the notion of mindfulness, and respectful transactions with all that exists on and around the whenua,” she says.
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 38
Arts / Entertainment Pages
July 2, 2021
Winning songwriter keen to chart her own epic course
When you’re named for a powerful Norse goddess, shooting for the stars is perhaps inevitable, but Belmont singer Freya is taking a down-to-earth approach to her musical ascent. The 17-year-old Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) student – who has just won the first Depot Sound songwriting competition for North Shore schools – has her Year 13 workload to juggle, along with fitting in gigs to support an EP release mid-month, and working out how to use her Depot prize of two days studiorecording time. “Making a life out of my music is the dream,” says Freya, who roll-checks at TGS under the name Alice Jones. Her mythic middle name, which her parents considered using as her first, is now her stage name. It references a playful goddess of both love and war and has become a handy buffer for someone who has been quietly building her musical pedigree. The single moniker, along with Alice’s passage through Belmont Intermediate and TGS, and song-writing recognition, recalls Devonport export Ella Yelich O’Connor, aka Lorde, who trailblazed the same path to international stardom. “I do often find I get compared to her a lot,” agrees Alice, who remembers when she was at BIS being impressed at Lorde having been there before her. “It’s cool to know someone who has won success from here.” But for Alice, being Freya is her own gig. “Music is something I love and it’s a big part of my life,” she says. Drawing on her middle name creates a useful separation, given a lot of what she writes is intimate. “It’s kind of like an alter ego – cool, calm and collected, in touch with the cosmos,” she says. Alice is realistic as to how obtainable a fulltime musical career may be, but will explore the possibilities. She harbours an interest in studying psychology as well. “I’m not going to university straight away, I’ll get a job next year, maybe teach singing, and do some gigs.”
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons 3–17 July
Four seasons in one play - a show bursting with life by Tim Bray Theatre Company.
Creative Talks: David Veart 19 July
Local historian and author David Veart will share his knowledge in this free event. RSVP on our website.
The Greatest Showman 24 July
Dress up as your favourite character and get ready to sing along to this classic film in the incredible atmosphere of The PumpHouse.
PH: 489 8360
PUMPHOUSE.CO.NZ
Alter ego... Under her middle name, Freya, Alice Jones has already carved out an impressive track record of performance and recording Turning 18 will open up the option of performing at more venues. She has already amassed a decent history, including playing on the Auckland festival circuit for several years. A date at The Vic looms mid-month in support of her first studio EP Wildest Creatures I’ve Dreamed, which is out on 16 July. This follows a single, Afterglow, released in May, and live recordings from this year’s Resolution Festival. Last week, she was at The Bunker, performing for a second time at the Takarunga venue’s monthly acoustic night. Alice became used to performing in public from participating in the concerts her voice tutor of nearly 10 years, Rebecca Nelson, staged with her students each year. At 13, she took up guitar and started busking and singing at gigs. “I like to let it flow,” she says. “Even when I was really young, about four, I was humming and making funny little songs.” Her father encouraged her. “He was in a band at 18,” says Alice. She describes her genre as soft indie pop. Artists she looks to include American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Of her song Warm, which won the Depot competition, Alice said it was about letting go of someone, and wishing them well on their journey. Without getting too literal about it, the song draws on some empathy for her mother, in having her and her brother grow up. “I’ve been writing heartbreak songs since I was eight,” Alice laughs. The idea of two free days of valuable professional studio time to unleash her inner-Freya is exciting. “That’s a lot,” she says. For now, Alice is not quite sure what she will record
and if it is expected she will include Warm or not. “I’d like to get a couple of vocal tracks down,” she says. Her first demo was recorded at the Depot in 2014 and her new EP was also recorded there, with the studio’s former soundman Morgan Allen. Depot Sound’s studio manager, Neil Baldock, who was behind the songwriting competition, launched to coincide with New Zealand Music Month in May, said the judges were blown away by the quality of submissions from intermediate- and high-school-aged entrants. “There was a real range of entries, from your classic singer-songwriter to vaudeville and rock.” It was a great way for the Devonport facility to support emerging musicians and to encourage them to see music as a viable career, he said. Schools and parents had supported the competition and 51 entries were received. “We can’t wait to do it all again next year.” The following songwriters were commended in the competition. Secondary Winner: Freya, Takapuna Grammar, for Warm. Runners-up: Grace Allis and Leigh Edmeades, both from Albany Junior High for (respectively) Tidy Floor and Beautiful Creatures. Intermediate: Winner: Cameron Beattie, Northcross Intermediate, for Who Needs You. Runners-up: Eva Steckler, Belmont Intermediate, for Biggest Mistake; and Maia Potter, Albany Primary, for Hollow. * Freya plays at The Vic on 16 July in support of her EP release, with other dates to follow. See www.freyasingersongwriter.com.
Arts / Entertainment Pages
July 2, 2021
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 39
Eva ready to hit the recording studio
Eva Steckler’s musical ambitions received a boost after being named a runner-up in the Intermediate Schools section of Depot Sound’s songwriting competition. The Devonport 12-year-old, who plays piano, is starting guitar lessons soon and, encouraged by her songwriting success, is considering taking vocal lessons as well. “I’d love to be a musician one day, but we will see how it goes,” says the Belmont Intermediate Year 8 student. Eva began songwriting at the beginning of the year and says she has always really liked music. All styles appeal, with singer-songwriter Taylor Swift being an artist she mentions. Her competition entry, Biggest Mistake, tells the story of someone who isn’t very good to someone else, but comes to reflect on this. It’s not based on personal experience, but is an interpretation. With her prize of recording time at Depot Sound, Eva is looking at laying down the song, but says “I might change it up a bit”. Like a more established musician, Eva already has a few other songs penned, so she is thinking of recording some of those at the session too.
NOW SHOWING
Bye Bye Morons (Adieu les Cons) (M) 87min In The Heights (PG) 143min
The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (R16) 117min Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In (M) 114min Fast & Furious 9: The Fast Saga (M) 142min Herself (M) 97min
Lead Zipline (Live Show)
Black Widow (M) 134min
COMING SOON
LIVE MUSIC MONTH AT THE VIC! There’s something for everyone with a great variety of live music shows coming up this month. • Lead Zipline is a group of international musicians who have come together to pay tribute to rock band Led Zeppelin by meticulously recreating their hit songs – Friday 2 July, 8pm. • Hot & Flustered Shadowcast present their midwinter production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, performing the cult classic live on stage while the movie plays behind them on screen. Get dressed up and enjoy the most immersive theatrical experience Auckland has to offer on Friday 23 July, 8pm. • The Auckland Jazz Orchestra with renowned songstress Caitlin Smith, returns to The Vic to release their newest album East of The Sun. Featuring contemporary arrangements of jazz standards and stunning vocal interpretations, the band breathes fresh life into some well-loved tunes on Friday 30 July at 8pm.
Guitar next... Eva Steckler plays piano and is soon starting guitar lessons, as well as thinking about taking singing lessons
NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
Ian Cunliffe & Diana Murray
Preview Screening 7 JUL 8 JUL
Space Jam: A New Legacy (TBA)
Previews 8-14 JUL
Space Jam: A New Legacy (TBA)
15 JUL
with Mema Wilda (Live Show)
16 JUL
Freya’s EP Release Show
Auckland Transport (AT) has now finished re-contouring the footpath in front of The Vic entrance to provide much-improved access for disabled patrons. There is now full disabled access from the entrance, through the foyer and into the downstairs theatre. The trust thanks the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and AT for their support.
NEW 2 JUL
Black Widow (M) 134min
Oscar LaDell (Live Show)
THE VIC LIVE
Great movies not to be missed are: Herself a heart-warming story by director Phyllida Lloyd that charts one woman’s journey to rebuild her life with empathy and grace. And a moving documentary Never Give In about legendary soccer manager Sir Alex Ferguson, as he recounts his life to his son while recovering from a brain haemorrhage.
9 JUL
SPECIALS CHEAP TUESDAY $10 Adult / $8 Child *EXCEPT PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
events@thevic.co.nz
48 Victoria Road | (09) 446 0100 | www.thevic.co.nz
IAN CUNLIFFE 027 227 9322 DIANA MURRAY 021 911 522 LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 40
July 2, 2021
TAKAPUNA | 1/10 BEACHOLM ROAD | Forever Home
Admired as one of the North Shores most beautiful character homes and set in one of the North Shores most desirable streets, this is the perfect home set in the perfect location. The outstanding accommodation throughout the home includes formal and informal living, office, 4 bedrooms with 2 enjoying panoramic views, 2 ensuite bathrooms plus a 2 full bathrooms in the home. Your forever home awaits!
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPT PRICE | BY NEGOTIATION PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80147 LEWIS GUY 021 867 355 | 916 6000
TAKAPUNA | 13 CAMERON STREET | TAKAPUNA SEAWARDSIDE
This attractive bungalow will grab your eye and attention. On full level site, the home offers a combination of living spaces. Formal dining and separate lounge complete with fireplace open to the front garden. Master suite and another bedroom all on ground level is a rarity. On upper level are 2 bedrooms with a sunny lounge. The vendors are now ready to leave, after 42 happy and magic years.
VIEW | SAT/SUN 12 - 12.45 PM OR BY APPT PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80139 AUCTION | ON SITE 11 JULY 2021 AT 1 PM UNLESS SOLD PRIOR MARIA TODD 021 743 187 | 916 6000 SHANNON DOELL 021 720 225 | 916 6000
MAISON - CENTRAL TAKAPUNA | APARTMENT 405 | STUNNING DESIGNER PENTHOUSE
This amazing luxury two level penthouse apartment in popular ‘Maison’ features open plan living, 3 bedrooms, 2 with ensuites and walk in wardrobes and the other with an adjacent bathroom. 186sqm floor area plus 78sqms to the cityscape and harbour and wrap around decks on both levels. The ultimate and the latest in every way and the ideal lock up and leave lifestyle.
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPT PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80106 PRICE | $2.295M
ALISON PARKER 021 983 533 | 916 4381
MAIN BEACH QUEENSLAND | GOLD COAST | THE MONACO
The Monaco perfectly epitomises the very best of this seaside destination. Thoughtfully designed to capture its breathtaking surroundings, boasting uninterrupted 360-degree views. On offer is a selection of spacious half-floor and full-floor apartments with 3 bedrooms, luxury living and 2 car garaging. Perfect for those looking to embrace luxury, convenience and security. Construction to commence Sept 2021, completion mid 2023 - making now the ideal time to enquire and buy.
CONCEPT IMAGE
PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80127 PRICE | FROM AU$1.8M MARIA TODD 021 743 187 | 916 6000
p re m i um.co.n z | Fin e Homes | Fin e A pa rt m e n t s | Fin e L if e s t y le s PREMIUM REAL ESTATE LTD LICENSED REA 2008 | 916 6000
