Hauraki dairy takes nictotine-free stand

A Hauraki dairy has banned the sale of vapes and cigarettes.

Concern for the local children they get to know well as customers has prompted the move by Arun and Sejal Jadav, who have owned their Jutland Rd Superette for 25 years.

Arun Jadav said he didn’t want young people becoming addicted to vapes and wouldn’t want his own children going to stores stocking them, so decided to “play my part” by taking them off the shelves.

Even though children aren’t permitted to buy either vapes or cigarettes, the possi- bility of an older friend or family member supplying them with the products was a concern.

The store had begun selling the vapes when they were first advocated as a way for smokers to quit cigarettes.

But when Jadav heard stories of schoolchildren getting addicted, he decided that approach wasn’t right.

“Why introduce something different that’s making people more addicted?”

Local parents have told him they see the store as a safe place to send their children to pick up a few items, since they stopped stocking vapes and cigarettes, Jadav said. Nicotine products had been only a small proportion of the store’s sales and the business would survive without them, he said.

More than 10 years ago, Jadav took a similar stand against party pills and synthetic cannabis.

He believes the government should restrict vape and cigarette sales to specific stores, in the way that alcohol sales are restricted to licensed liquor stores.

The nearby Hauraki Corner Cellars on Lake Rd is another local outlet choosing not to sell cigarettes or vapes.

And they’re off... The start of the Year 7 girls cross-country at Belmont Intermediate School last Wednesday. Below (from left): Year 8 boys winner Patrick Ellis makes a sprint for the line; Year 7 boys winner Brodie Robinson leading the field; Ariana Vosper on her way to winning the Year 8 girls event.

BIS students stride out in annual cross-country

Leading results.– Year 7 girls: 1 Lucy Clentworth, 2 Taylor Travis, 3 Indi Holland. Year 7 boys: 1 Brodie Robinson, 2 Archie Fox, 3 Cooper Digby.

Year 8 girls: 1 Ariana Vosper, 2 Renee Barrett, 3 Ruby Lawton and Issy Congdon. Year 8 boys: 1 Patrick Ellis, 2 Jack Watts, 3 Max Lawton.

TGS basketballer stars for national under-16 side

Bayswater basketballer Bailey Flavell was a standout in the New Zealand side that won a bronze medal at the FIBA Asian Under-16 championship held in Jordan this month.

The Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) Year 12 student top-scored with 16 points in a tense 66-63 win against Chinese Taipei, which gave New Zealand third place. This followed a 95-73 win against China in pool play, before a loss to Australia, 62-99 in a semi-final.

By finishing in the top four, New Zealand have qualified for the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Mexico next year.

Flavell, who plays in the TGS premier grade team, was recently named in the Northern Kahu women’s team, to play in the women’s national league.

Head coach for the national Under-16s,

Mel Bennett, said when the Chinese Taipei side caught up after a strong start by New Zealand, it was Flavell who was pivotal in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of her 16 points for the match. She also recorded 12 rebounds and five assists.

Australia won its third straight championship by defeating Japan 80-74 in the final. Japan was the only other side New Zealand lost to.

The stars have certainly aligned for North Shore Rugby Club in its 150th year. At Easter, a well-attended weekend of events set the tone, with a celebration ball and the defeat of traditional rival Takapuna in a local derby match.

Even before that, a meticulously researched and sumptuously produced coffee-table-book history of the club was launched, with then Crusaders coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson as guest speaker – just days before he was made All Black coach;

The season progressed with Shore premiers vanquishing all, resplendent in their redwhite-and-green 150th-year jerseys; the club launched its first premier women’s team; and a memorandum of understanding was signed between the club and the Navy, which will allow Navy personnel to play for Shore and also play for Defence teams in international competitions.

This month, the first North Harbour championship final to be held at the Vauxhall Rd ground was watched by more than 2000 people. Shore again beat Takapuna, completing a championship double-header following the premier reserves win over their counterparts at Onewa Domain.

Max Webb, the Shore stalwart and life member who coordinated and wrote most of the club history for the book, couldn’t have scripted it better.

The premier final was an enthralling match with a massive struggle for ascendancy in the first half. Shore gradually gained control and took advantage in the second. Shore had a

By Rob Drent

seasoned forward pack, and made fewer errors than Takapuna as the match went on. Mistakes can emerge through tiredness, and Shore seemed the fitter side, a tribute to its dedicated trainer, Dean Rice. Shore also looked like a happy team – playing for each other.

One thing for sure, Oscar Koller, the Shore first-five, who scored two tries in the final and was the side’s top scorer for the season, is a man to watch. From a promising junior at Takapuna Grammar School pre-Covid, he has emerged as one of the best club players in North Harbour after two seasons with Shore, and now has a North Harbour NPC contract.

If Koller continues to improve at his current rate and makes the most of the NPC season, he must have a chance at a Super Rugby slot –especially with incumbent Crusaders and All Blacks first-five Richie Mo’unga heading to Japan after the World Cup. Another All Black first-five, Blues player Beauden Barrett, also heads to Japan in 2024.

My coverage of the Shore premiers and reserves matches almost became news for all the wrong reasons. The premier reserves match kicked off at Onewa Domain at 1pm, with the premiers game due to start at Vauxhall Rd at 2.45pm.

Wanting to cover both games, I parked near the Onewa exit for a quick getaway. Having grabbed a few pics of Shore’s post-match celebrations, I hightailed it to the car. So far so good. But others had the same idea.

Turning into Akoranga Dr, I had to brake sharply as a man ran across the road to his car: Buck Shelford. Can you imagine running over an All Black and club legend on the day Shore premiers and reserves both won titles to make for a triumphant 150th year? It doesn’t bear thinking about.

It was great to see Buck, one of Shore’s favourite sons, supporting both reserves and premiers. I can also happily report Buck still has a good turn of speed.

Both Buck and I arrived late to the premiers match. Lake Rd, as is now normal on Saturdays and Sundays, was clogged.

Personally, I’m not that upset the long-awaited $47-million Lake Rd upgrade has been canned. In real terms, it wouldn’t have lessened the congestion by much and the construction would have brought years of chaos. Isn’t it better to have another look at Lake Rd as part of the government’s plan to bring rail to the Shore? A tramline down Lake Rd connecting to rail would take thousands of cars a day off Lake Rd: a long-term solution rather than spending money for the sake of it.