20 January 2023 Rangitoto Observer

Pongy kelp lingers as Takapuna showcase looms

Days before a big weekend of attractions at the reserve above Takapuna Beach, the sands below were a sorry sight, buried beneath rotting kelp washed up in recent storms.

With thousands expected to attend Saturday’s Summer Days Festival and Sunday’s

Chinese New Year celebrations, the debris stretched south past the reserve covering much of the popular beach.

Early this week, clean-up plans remained unclear.

Late last week, Takapuna Beach Business Association (TBBA) chief executive Ter-

ence Harpur was holding off on contacting Auckland Council about clearing the debris.

He hoped the mess would be gone in time for what was expected to be a “massive” weekend.

“The beach is a natural thing. It changes To page 2

Actor swans around at Lake Pupuke

11.

Pupuke player... Jordan Henare takes a dip readying for his role as Falstaff in Shakespeare’s comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor being staged by Shoreside Theatre at the PumpHouse. Story, page

Beach clean-up plans left unclear

all the time, so we’re hoping it’ll be washed away naturally by then,” he said. If not, he would ask the council to act.

“If they don’t, we can clean up a bit of it ourselves.”

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board member George Wood said he had already lodged a request with the council to check the state of both Takapuna and Milford beaches. Removal protocols agreed with staff in 2018 when he was board chair should be triggered, he believed. Very high tides were not expected for a week or more, he said.

The debris has been raising concerns for two weeks. Lifeguard Ruth Kayes said when the sun came out it caused a pungent odour.

The council’s area operations manager, Sarah Jones, told the Observer the council did not generally uplift seaweed from beaches, instead it was removed through natural coastal processes. “However, our team will investigate tomorrow (Tuesday) to check whether the build-up meets the threshold for removals,” she said just ahead of the paper’s deadline.

For the TBBA, hopes are high for the coming weekend. It was excited to get 2023 going with two big events to welcome everyone back to Takapuna. Its Summer

Days Festival hosts a lineup of three musical acts, along with food trucks, giant games and other activities.

The event starts at 10am, with live music from Tobias, The Renegades and Encore from 3pm until 7pm.

The organisers of Sunday’s event are bringing Chinese New Year celebrations to Takapuna for the first time, and expect crowds from across Auckland.

The NZ-China International Trade Associaiton and the Chinese Cultural Centre in Auckland promise a “spectacle” of dances, including the traditional dragon dance, and 20-plus market stalls offering Chinese cuisine, cultural paintings, Chinese calligraphy, face masks and traditional crafts. The event runs from 10am to 8pm.

Locals recognised in New Year’s Honours

Geoff Clews, who led the campaign to fund and build the Bruce Mason Centre, was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in the New Year’s Honours List for his work for the arts and community.

The Bayswater resident went on to chair the board of the Takapuna venue for 12 years.

Clews was also involved in setting up the Rose Centre at Belmont and was chair of the North Shore Theatre and Conference Centre Trust from 1984 to 1996.

Milford woman Tuifa’asisina Lafaele received a QSO, for her work promoting Pacific health initiatives and governance.

Lafaele was active in encouraging Covid vaccination among Pacific communities across Auckland and as a project manager worked with Waitemata and Auckland district health boards.

She is now interim director of the National Office of the Pacific Health Director, championing pathways for Pasifika and its women at top strategic levels.

Thieves target vital gear on eve of theatre season

The PumpHouse and Shoreside Theatre were targets of a theft last weekend which saw sound equipment, including monitors and cables, stolen.

In the early hours of Sunday 15 January, three men and one woman were seen on CCTV cameras loitering in the Lake Pupuke car park before entering the theatre’s amphitheatre and breaking into its tech booth.

Business manager for the PumpHouse. James Bell, said it didn’t seem like an opportunist theft as the offenders knew where the equipment was stored in a shed. It was also “weird” the robbery took place the night the amphitheatre was set up for Shoreside’s upcoming Shakespeare in the Park season.

Much of the equipment was donated by Shoreside members and was specially made to work with the PumpHouse’s stage setup. Bell said it would likely to be of little use to most people.

Stolen items were mostly able to be replaced thanks to backups and the help of theatre and community members. But the real kick in the teeth was the extra labour volunteers were going to have to put into getting them working for the season, he said.

Replacement gear would need modifying and to be securely packed away after shows. These start on Saturday 21 January.

“It really sucks for our volunteers who will be there already from four or five until midnight because it’s putting more work on to people who are already working really hard.”

Shoreside and the PumpHouse are more interested in retrieving the stolen equipment than seeing the offenders prosecuted and are asking for it to be returned “no questions asked”. This can be done by emailing info@ shoresidetheatre.com to arrange a return.

Shakespeare show preview, page 11

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last week

Faltering summer brings quiet days for lifesavers

Head counts at Takapuna Beach have been as low as 15 during poor weather and as high as 450 on good days, following what has been a turbulent time for the beach.

The slow start to summer 2023 comes after sand was depleted during spring 2022 to its lowest level since records were first kept 25 years ago. A venomous sea snake was also found on the beach in mid-December.

Long Bay, Mairangi Bay and Takapuna are the only beaches on the North Shore to

be patrolled by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand. Lifeguards Jayden Earley, Ruth Kayes and Oliver Clarke said that on the rare times the sun was out in the first half of January numbers of people venturing out to Shore beaches soon picked up.

Behaviour at Takapuna had been good with only one group of intoxicated individuals needing rescuing on New Year’s Eve after getting stuck on the rocks near Takapuna Beach Cafe.

“The waves are pretty calm here, so there hasn’t been any need for us to make any rescues or anything so far,” said Earley.

Patrols at Takapuna will continue until 6 February, with lifeguards on the beach from noon to 7pm.

Weather statistics show that between 13 December 2022 and 11 January, 154mm of rain fell in Auckland – well in excess of the 116mm that fell last summer during all of December and January combined.

On guard... Lifeguards including Jayden Earley, Oliver Clarke and Ruth Kayes have had few swimmers to keep an eye on during rainy days at Takapuna Beach, but hope to be busier at the end of school holidays

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Burglars snaffle bowling club booze

Alcohol was the main target in four burglaries at Takapuna Bowling Club late last year that cost the club thousands of dollars in damages and stolen property.

The latest break-in was on 30 December, with others on 9 December, 18 November an 7 August, all between 11.30pm and 2.30am.

Clubhouse manager Judy MacKinnon said the burglaries had been tough but the 200-strong membership had helped the club cope.

“Our members have been very supportive. We had to cancel games to clean up the mess and everyone was very understanding. They’ve been giving us suggestions on how

to deal with everything.”

Posters have been circulated with the club’s contact details and an image of the offender caught on the club’s security-camera system.

“We’re hoping people from the wider community will be able to assist in any way they can,” MacKinnon said.

Police investigations into the burglaries are still ongoing. Anyone with relevant information can email takapunabowling@ xtra.co.nz, leave a message on 09 4894624 or give information to police online or by calling 105.

Takapuna ocean swimmer’s Surf rolls out

A Takapuna beach swimmer had his car stolen in broad daylight while he was less than 50 metres away.

Peter Clark, a keen ocean swimmer, had finished his swim and exited the water near the boat ramp on 9 January just after 8am, when he briefly left the keys of his 1996 Toyota Surf in the driver’s door.

A thief pounced when Clark popped back to the ramp to chat to his swimming mates.

“I was literally standing there in my speedos and turned around and the car was gone,” Clark said.

One of the swimming friends he was talking to saw the car being driven away. “In hindsight I should have been a lot more careful.”

A van with two occupants had been spotted

parked nearby, and Clark said it appeared they were waiting for an opportunity to steal a car. His friend got an excellent description of the offender, a European of medium build and aged around 35 to 40.

Police had no luck quickly finding the car, but encouraged Clark to search himself using social media. He’s insured but could be around $15,000 out of pocket if he buys a replacement.

He hopes the car might be found in a local street.

Since the theft Clark has heard anecdotally of wallets being stolen and cars being broken into at the Takapuna Rugby Club grounds.

“There seems to be a crime wave sweeping through the Takapuna area at the moment.”

Big Harbour Hospice building project finished

Harbour Hospice’s $20 million revamp has been completed, with an official opening planned soon.

The new facilities in use from this month at Shea Tce, Takapuna, include outpatient clinics, a whanau room, counselling and therapy services and more office space. Final touches are now being put to the site’s

outdoor areas. The project’s first stage, a refurbished in-patient unit, opened a year ago.

“We are so very proud of our new facility, which will serve the community for decades to come,” said chief executive Jan Nichols.

Generous donations from the North Shore community had helped meet the cost, with under $300,000 left to fundraise.

Briefs

Milford dairy ram-raided

A Milford dairy was ram-raided on 4 January, with lollies and vapes taken by the offenders. The raid follows an incident on 10 December, when a rock was used to smash the Pacific Superette’s street-facing window. Local board and community members posted in support of the distressed owners of the dairy on East Coast Rd at Stanley Ave. Police investigations are ongoing, with lines of enquiry being followed for both incidents.

Attractions at lake

Waterworld will set up at Lake Pupuke from 22-27 January, running hourly sessions on its floating inflatable. The attraction, for those aged five and over, has run at various Auckland locations over summer. Tickets are $22. Children under 10 must be supervised by a paying adult. Lakeside Killarney Park will also host the Food Truck Collective on Friday 27 January, with around a dozen trucks due to park up from 5pm until 9pm.

Waitangi Day plans

The Takapuna Boating Club will host its second Waitangi Day celebration at the beach on Monday 6 February. After commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi with iwi from 9am, the morning focuses on letting people try water-craft, including waka ama. The event ends at 1pm.

Picnic gets new date

The Hauraki Primary’s Electric Picnic fundraiser has been rescheduled to 26 February, after bad weather forced a postponement before Christmas. Tickets remain valid but refunds are available.

Supersized project ‘overpowering’– residents

A proposed expansion of the Amaia complex on the former Harbourside Church site on Esmonde Rd would create an overpowering imposition on the landscape, the Takapuna Residents Association says.

The developer of the apartments complex – sold on its green credentials and already under construction – wants to hugely expand its site coverage, throwing into doubt promised public space and raising fears of traffic congestion.

Kingstone Property has applied for a private plan change to Auckland Council’s earlier consent for two buildings of no more than seven storeys. It wants a precinct with 13 more buildings across the site, ranging from four to 16 storeys high to be allowed

The residents association, which is opposing the plan change, said in a submission the buildings in the new design presented as a large unbroken area of structure, out of proportion to the environment, at a main entry point to the suburb.

A proposal to create a coastal reserve seemed to be being used as a bargaining tool to squeeze more onto the site and should be dealt with separately, it submitted to the council.

Residents in nearby streets in Hauraki and Takapuna are among others who are objecting to the plan change.

Forest and Bird fears its environmental impact on the adjoining sensitive coastal area and the Patuone mangrove reserve where rare birds breed.

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

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

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

amenity or connection with neighbouring communities.”

The board said no council funding was available for a linked up Francis-Esmonde Rd connection to the boardwalk. “Unless the applicant includes this amenity in their development, the local board respectfully asks that reference to the shared path be removed from any sales material as it sets an unrealistic expectation for future apartment owners.”

The board wanted an easement at least 5m wide running through the site to guarantee public access and give certainty it could not turn into a type of “gated community”.

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

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

It said that a greater bird-strike risk for endangered species in the bay due to increased building heights also needed to be considered.

A date has yet to set for a hearing on the application before an independent commissioner.

Projected traffic jump sparks concern

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

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

Access from Amaia onto Esmonde Rd was also flagged as a concern, given that the latest Auckland Transport (AT) proposal for Esmonde Rd is for one rather than two lanes of city-bound general traffic, with another for T2 vehicles and buses.

“The local board is concerned that it will

be difficult to get cars out of the 48 Esmonde Rd site to join the single general traffic lane.”

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

“We wish to see this issue be resolved.”

AT is also wary of increased traffic travelling and from the site. It wants a transport assessment done to ensure a cap of 420 peak-hour vehicle movements is not exceeded.

Worries over ‘unrealistic’ parking provision

Hauraki residents say their quiet streets will be overlooked by Amaia’s towers and become congested with an overflow of parking from the complex.

Among householders from the neighbourhood opposing the plan change, many highlighted Amaia’s car parking allowance of 0.55 car parks per dwelling as unrealistically low.

It was feared a footbridge and cycle path from the site to Francis St would lead to apartment residents parking in the vicinity. “There are already existing challenges with out-of-area people parking cars to use the bus service on Esmonde Rd,” said one resident.

Some submitters said if the enlarged development was allowed, the pathway to Francis St should not proceed.

Light, shade and wind impacts were also pointed to as detrimental to the neighbourhood.

A Napier St resident said a visual impact impression the developer presented showed the view from the top of the street, not lower down, where the scale dominated the skyline. “It is a very different perspective from our property at the end of the street, at water level.”

Big plans... the latest design for the Amaia development (top) is considerably larger than the original proposal (above)

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Briefs

Case for costs against council lost

A Takapuna man who won a six-year court battle against Auckland Council over a failure to fully consider submissions on aspects of its Unitary Plan has been denied costs.

Franco Belgiorno-Nettis sought $379,126 in costs from Auckland Council at a High Court hearing last November.

In a ruling delivered on 23 December, Justice Christian Whata said a Unitary Plan hearings panel decision on Belgiorno-Nettis’ and others’ submissions was “defective for want of clear consideration”.

But while it was “easy to empathise with Mr Belgiorno-Nettis given the long road

he has travelled, the error was not of a kind that meets the threshold practice for costs awards against an abiding quasi-judicial decision-maker”, Justice Whata said.

“The panel’s deliberative process was imperfect insofar as some members do not appear to have directly or indirectly engaged with Mr Belgiorno-Netttis’ submissions and evidence when formulating the reasons for the decision,” he said.

But “no evidence of intention to mislead, deceive or to contrive an outcome adverse to Mr Belgiorno-Nettis” existed, Justice Whata said.

Seniors offered tech support

Digital Seniors has started one-on-one sessions at Takapuna Library, using community volunteer coaches to pass on skills.

The free sessions on Saturdays from 10am to noon are aimed at ensuring older people can share the benefits of technology.

The group’s community manager, Fiona Colbert, says it recruited around 20 helpers in the last quarter of 2022 for its planned work in partnership with various North Shore libraries and community centres.

A December session held in Takapuna drew seniors wanting advice on issues such

as security, filing photographs, setting up email, attaching documents and clearing unwanted apps. The sessions began again last weekend. The group is also working with BNZ on a scam-savvy inititative to support seniors

Digital Seniors hopes to offer the same service from Devonport Library. It is seeking volunteers who can spare two hours a week to make this possible.

Anyone keen to find out more can ring 0800 373646 or email to fiona.colbert@ digitalseniors.co.nz

Aborists to front up on reserve planting

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A local board workshop will be held with arborists in response to issues raised about the siting of trees in council reserves.

Michelle Morrison, a volunteer who coordinates weeding at Henderson Park, on the shores of Lake Pupuke, made a presentation to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board in December, outlining concerns about recent planting blocking lake views and open green-space areas.

She has since been told by board chair Toni van Tonder that in response to her concerns board members will be briefed by council arborists, and that she and other interested parties are able to attend.

Morrison is keen for council staff to consult more with the board and interested locals to get feedback on whether future planting is appropriate for local areas and needs.

Noa looks a goer in strong Takapuna track showing

Takapuna Athletics Club members made a strong showing at the Colgate Games, the country’s biggest competitive athletics event for children.

A group of 18 athletes, aged from seven to 14, attended the North Island competition held in Whanganui early this month, with several also competing in the South Island last weekend.

Among the standouts were Northcote thrower Sina-Marie Su’a, who went to both events. Competing in Grade 11, she won both the discus and shot put in Whanganui, setting new Auckland records, and then took golds in Timaru.

Noa King, a first time attendee at the Colgates which draw more than 1000 participants each January, also shone. He won the North Island Grade 14 race over 400m, was second in the 200m and third in the 100m, all in personal best times.

Club president Dan Brady said Noa, also from Northcote, was one to watch, with times that would have been competitive at senior level.

Continuing the strong tradition of athletes from the Devonport peninsula – who include Olympic Games medallist Eliza McCartney and Commonweath Games medallist Jacko Gill, who trains at the club’s Onewa Domain grounds – the next generation of talent showed up.

Brady’s son Connor won the Grade 13 boys 80m hurdles, setting a Takapuna club record. He also took silver in the shot put and bronze in discus. Connor, who starts at Takapuna Grammar School this year, finished second in the 400m final, but was disqualified for a lane

infringement which his

said he was sure to learn from.

Belmont Intermediate School (BIS) student Ariana Vosper, under the coaching guidance of another local, Jared Letica, ran tactically sound races in the Grade 12 girls 800m and 1500m finals, taking home two silver medals. The Devonport resident’s elder sister, Saskia, plays for the Wellington Phoenix.

Another Coalgate newcomer, Romey Jewell from Bayswater, was unlucky to be pipped for a medal in the 400m Grade 11 race, having set the pace, said Brady. The BIS student would gain from the experience, he added.

Jewell was a member of the four-strong

girls Grade 12 4 x 100m relay team that secured a bronze medal, running with Elizabeth Plaistowe, who lives in Takapuna, Lula Free (Milford) and Dominique Maltby (Northcross).

In the Grade 13 final of the 800m, an assertive Jacob Howell from Devonport managed a bronze medal after leading the pack for much of the race. He took silver in the 400m and ran in a jostling 1500m final.

Meanwhile, club member and former Westlake head girl Kaia Tupu-South, who is on an athletics scholarship in the United States, threw a personal best shot put of 16.16m in Seattle last weekend, moving her up one place to 11th on the NZ all-time list.

Fast mover... Noa King (right) strides ahead on the inside curve at the Colgate Games held in Whanganui

Quick quartet... (from left) Elizabeth Plaistowe, Lula Free, Dominique Maltby and Romey Jewell combined for a relay bronze.

father

Milford arts champion Lynette Jolicoeur remembered

Lynette Jolicoeur, long a champion of the arts on the North Shore, was farewelled at a function at the PumpHouse Theatre in Takapuna last week.

The 95-year-old was a life member of both the theatre and Lake House Arts Centre. She died on 29 December.

Being a private person, she did not want a funeral, said her Palmerston North-based daughter, Karen Hall. Instead, an intimate afternoon-tea gathering of those who knew her locally proved an appropriate way to remember her championing of the arts venues.

The lively personality was herself a talented painter, and last year donated a painting which hangs at the PumpHouse.

“She goes back really to the beginning,” said friend Angela Anthony, explaining that Jolicoeur was on the committee set up to give the then dilapidated PumpHouse building a new life as an arts hub.

Until Covid lockdowns, she was an avid attendee at performances and exhibitions. Anthony, who drove her to evening outings,

said, “she loved going to all the openings”. She was also active in the Friends of Takapuna Library group.

One of six children, Dorothy Lynette King was born in 1927 and grew up in New Plymouth. She valued her family descent from Sir Truby King, who founded baby support organisation Plunket.

After studying art at Elam, where she attained a diploma in the days before the University of Auckland arts school ran a degree course, she spent several years painting and living in Italy. She married an American and moved to the United States for a time before settling on the North Shore. As well as her daughter, Jolicoeur had two sons, Paul and Robert, who live overseas, and grandchildren.

After a time living in Rothesay Bay, she moved to Milford for 30-plus years. Until a fall during Covid lockdown, which resulted in her shifting into Orchards Metlifecare in Glenfield, Jolicoeur lived independently, and made regular outings to Milford mall.

Anthony described Jolicoeur as a tiny energiser bunny, who only cut back on her involvement in committees in her later years. She had wanted to help arrange a retrospective of her friend’s work, saying Jolicoeur had left a cupboard full of her “lovely original paintings”. The one she gave to the PumpHouse depicts the heritage building and is on display on the wall of its downstairs office.

PumpHouse business manager James Bell paid tribute to Jolicoeur’s countless hours as a volunteer, especially in supporting artists.

As well as attending almost every annual meeting of the theatre, she loved to attend productions of Tadpole Theatre, Tim Bray Theatre Company, Shoreside Theatre’s productions of Agatha Christie and the vocal competitions run by North Shore Performing Arts Society.

“We will miss Lynette’s candid feedback, her delightful sense of humour and her love and affection for an arts community she was such an important part of creating,” Bell said.

Arts lover... Lynette Jolicoeur with other local arts supporters Angela Anthony (far left) and Genevieve Becroft (far right). She was a founding force in the PumpHouse Theatre and Lake House Arts Centre.

Director plots exit from summer Shakespeare

This year’s Shakespeare in the Park will be a swansong beside Lake Pupuke for a veteran of the annual summer arts attraction.

Director James Bell plans a switch to producing after the curtain falls on The Merry Wives of Windsor

But first he has to navigate his way through Shoreside Theatre’s 28th year of Shakespeare at the PumpHouse Theatre on the lakeside in Takapuna.

For Bell – whose day job is business manager of the theatre – it is his 15th year directing the Shakespeare season.

He will steer a cast of 18 in 13 shows of the comedy from this weekend.

Another cast, under another director, will perform Antony and Cleopatra, in an alternating season that runs until mid-February.

The Merry Wives of Windsor centres on roguish knight Falstaff, who plans to solve his financial problems by seducing the wives of the town’s wealthy merchants. When the wives realise he sent them identical letters they begin to play tricks on him.

Milford resident Bell says he’s excited to showcase the classic comedy, though the production hasn’t been without its challenges, with cases of Covid among the cast disrupting rehearsals.

“We’re at a point now where I have to tell the cast to be a little boring. You know, maybe don’t go clubbing on the weekend, [and] wear a mask in large crowds, because someone getting Covid and missing a week of shows would be quite derailing at this stage.”

Last year’s shows had smaller crowds and mask requirements due to regulations in force at the time.

While Shakespearean language is un -usual to modern ears, all the language in the play is true to the period, with Bell saying the performances from the actors are more than enough to convey the story clearly.

“It’s like the opera. I bet not everyone that goes speaks Italian or understands what’s being said, but they can understand the story and the emotion through the performances.”

Bell wants to take a break from directing, in favour of the logistical and organisational side of producing theatre.

Putting on Shakespeare in the Park is a long process, with the plays for next year to be decided soon after the current shows have concluded. After this comes a lengthy casting process, with actors chosen by August and rehearsals starting in September.

The Merry Wives cast includes Jordan Henare as Falstaff, Steph Curtis playing Mistress Page and Aria Harrison-Sparke as Mistress Ford.

• Shakespeare in the Park runs from 21 January to 18 February at the PumpHouse Theatre outdoor amphitheatre. Tickets are $24-$28. Admission is free for children with a paying adult. See pumphouse.co.nz for details.

Stepping back... Director James Bell, pictured in the amphitheatre at the PumpHouse, plans a switch to producing. Below: Steph Curtis (left), Aria Harrison-Sparke and Jordan Henare in rehearsal for the Shoreside Theatre production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

The

Wairau Intermediate School students (from left) Lily Mowlem, Dani Midenhall, Mark Minhinnick, DJ Alexander, Mia Gu, Anna Le and Flora Zhou ended the 2022 school year by gathering with members of the community for the official unveiling of the tiles they made to decorate the map on the rear of the mural outside the Sunnynook Community Centre.

The mural shows noted early New Zealand botanist Leonard Cockayne, for whom Cockayne Cres is named.

map now highlights streets in the suburb with botanical names. Students researched the plants and trees and painted tiles to depict them, some illustrating tiles for the streets they live in.

WHAT’S ON @ Takapuna Library

SIZZLING SUMMER FUN AT TAKAPUNA LIBRARY!

The weather may be dull and boring, but we have lots of fun in store for children and their whãnau!

Join us on Tuesday, 17th January between 10am-12pm for badge making with our badge-making-kit – it’s almost like a mini printing press, which our library community should be well acquainted with!

Our visit from Circability on Thursday, 19th January is not to be missed! Brush up on your circus skills or try something new – they’ll be with us from 2-4pm.

Our last children’s event is a visit from Tabitha from the Pupuke Birdsong Project, join us from 3-5pm, 25th January for information on our local minibeasts – let’s learn how to recognise ‘friend or foe’ in our little creatures, and make a monitoring tunnel for your backyard!

Leading actor-director running workshops on intimacy for community theatre groups

When Jennifer Ward-Lealand was a young up-and-coming actor she says that like many others in her profession she experienced uncomfortable moments when boundaries were pushed.

Now, alongside her acclaimed stage and screen appearances, she works as an intimacy director, running workshops to safeguard the next generation of actors. The aim is to spread the word on best practice during scenes that call for actors to come into close contact or be in states of undress.

“People have had to sort it out themselves or people have been embarrassed to talk about it, or there has been a culture of, if you won’t do it hundreds of others will,” she says.

Following the ‘MeToo’ movement –sparked by sexual harassment in the film industry – intimacy coaches are increasingly common in professional productions.

Ward-Lealand wants to ensure community theatre groups and actors also get access to guidance. To this end she is is running a day-long workshop, Working in the Intimate Zone, at the PumpHouse Theatre in Takapuna on 28 January.

Digital Seniors is back from Saturday, 14th January and will be held every Saturday from 10am-12pm. This is a drop-in session, held upstairs in the Rangitoto Room, with volunteer digital experts! Come in if you have any questions about the new device you got over the holidays, and our lovely experts will assist you.

Stay tuned to our Facebook page @TakapunaLibrary for updates on the return of our regular in-house programming in February.

The aim is to make planning as integral for intimacy scenes as it is to stunt work. The guiding principles are to ensure everyone is informed, prepared and safe. Carefully choreographed moves are key to avoiding impacts that range from discomfort right through to sexual assault. Someone getting a bit handsy on set, or turning a stage kiss into an unexpected pash is definitely not working to script. It can be traumatising physiologically or physically.

Ward-Lealand’s own interest in how intimacy is managed pre-dates MeToo and reflects her own wider commitment to her craft.

Alongside the 60-year-old’s impressive resume of performance and direction, four years ago she began stints as an intimacy director, after being educated on the issues by an international industry pioneer.

She also represents her fellow actors’ interests as president of Equity New Zealand. Equity updated its ethical guidelines in consultation with the industy in 2020, and has these on its website.

Around 80 per cent of actors have dealt with difficulties caused by intimacy in the workplace, Ward-Lealand maintains. Herself included.

“When I was a young actor you just got on with it, there was no choreography around it.”

Those who go through drama schools are now educated in what is acceptable, but her workshops target the many hundreds of people who participate in community

theatre productions. Having herself late last year directed at the PumpHouse and knowing of the strong theatre scene on the North Shore it made for an appealing venue.

Ward-Lealand says some community theatre groups have already put in place good practices and she is keen for more to do so. The notion the scene was more important than the comfort and safety of the actors was outdated, she said. “We don’t say that with stunts.”

There was also a myth that ‘showmances’ brought real chemistry between actors, but she says actors can “create real” and stay professional.

The idea was not to remove all nudity and intimate scenes, just to manage them properly.

As an intimacy director her role is to help the director realise a vision, while also advocating for the actor within that, given the power imbalance.

“The work is not about sanitising the intimacy, but a conversation about why a scene is in there is important.”

Well-written intimate scenes are often turning points in productions, she says, and if they are not, it might be asked if they are gratuitous.

Auditions forms should specify what roles required, so there are no surprises.

Ward-Lealand says consent and conversation should be maintained and some roles or actors benefitted from debriefing afterwards.

Directors in New Zealand had been mostly “incredibly open” to having help, she says. Being a small country makes adopting new practices quickly easier, she says.

“They’ve all been eager and willing to learn and want the best for their people.”

Jennifer Ward-Lealand

Takapuna scenes in focus

Takapuna storefronts are again playing host to striking imagery. More than 50 photographs from the Auckland Photo Day summer exhibition are on show until late April, including several by locals.

Andrew Malmo from Takapuna shot the scene above, which has been cropped top and bottom to fit the page. It is entitled Takapuna Cafe Closing. Seung Jae Song from Castor Bay caught a young girl admiring her face paint (at right, also cropped) in a picture called Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholders.

The Takapuna Beach Business Association organised the exhibition with Image Auckland. It follows one with a musical theme and is on Hurstmere Rd and Lake Rd.

Auckland Shakespeare in the Park

21st JAN – 18th FEB, 7:30pm

The Merry Wives of Windsor and Antony & Cleopatra performed in our outdoor amphitheatre.

Working

in the Intimate Zone

with Jennifer Ward-Lealand 28th JAN, 9:30am-4.30pm Learn tools to work safely with intimate scenes in theatre.

Improvisation Workshops

5th & 11th FEB, 10am-2pm

Beginners & Improvers Improvisation Workshops facilitated by visiting tutor Jeff Sleeman.

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