14 July 2023 Devonport Flagstaff

Dream final for North Shore’s 150th year

North Shore takes on Takapuna this Saturday in the North Harbour premier rugby championship final at home at Vauxhall Rd, to cap a remarkable 150th year.

Shore beat Northcote 20-15 in a semi-final at home last weekend, in front of a crowd of more than 1000.

Finals are usually played at North Harbour

Stadium, but the venue is unavailable this year, due to it being used for Women’s World Cup football matches.

Shore will host the final as the top qualifier in pool play.

It has gone 13 matches undefeated this season, and has beaten Takapuna twice. One of those victories was at Easter weekend,

during Shore’s 150-year celebrations.

The two sides are long-time derby rivals with Takapuna often edging Shore out for the championship, including last year, when it won the final 26-19.

Shore’s premier reserves also beat Northcote last Saturday to make their competition final, which will also be against Takapuna.

Lock it in! ‘Pride’ does the business

Restored photos sharpen view of yesteryear... p16

More paid parking mooted for waterfront... p2

Interview: Marine guardian Gabrielle Goodin... p22

July 14, 2023

Crashing over... Shore captain Alex Woonton (centre) and halfback Brad McNaughten (fist aloft) celebrate James Fiebig’s first-half try in Saturday’s semi-final. Stories and pictures, pages 3-5.

AT seeks more paid parking, expanded P120 zones

Greatly increased zones of paid parking along the Devonport waterfront are part of an Auckland Transport (AT) plan, which could also extend time-limited parking zones in nearby streets.

The plan would introduce paid parking on Queens Pde from Spring St to Wynyard St, and on King Edward Pde from Buchanan St to Church St – two stretches heavily used by commuters catching city-bound ferries.

To cater for residents who live on nominated side streets and the waterfront, AT proposes permits that would exempt their vehicles from payments in paid-parking zones, and P120 time limits in other areas, applying on weekdays from 8am to 6pm. A permit will cost $79 a year.

AT laid out its ideas to Devonport-Takapuna

Local Board members at a workshop last week. Its recommendations were based on a weekday parking-occupancy survey in March that found enough congestion to justify moves to free-up more spaces for shorter-term visits.

A number-plate recognition check established that more than 90 per cent of people parking on Queens and King Edward Pdes had vehicles registered to addresses outside the central survey area, parking design manager Alok Vashita told board members. Parking across the area was for an average of nearly six hours a day.

The survey found that average peak occupancy on the parades was above 85 per cent – rising to 100 per cent in some cases – such as in the side streets off Queens Pde (Anne St, Garden Tce, Kapai Rd and Huia and Spring Sts).

This level was also recorded on the western end of Clarence St; Calliope Rd towards Victoria Rd; and on Kerr St, Rattray St and the top of Buchanan St. (The central business area of Victoria Rd, Wynyard St, Fleet St and eastern Clarence St is not part of the proposals because it already has time-limited parking.)

Other streets the survey identified as high occupancy (between 80 to 85 per cent) included lower Church St and Mays St, and Victoria Rd

between Calliope Rd and Hastings Pde, plus the Calliope Rd ends of High St and Shoal Bay Rd.

AT wants to create east and west P120 zones (see maps) that encompass the clogged streets. It sought the board’s approval to begin consulting residents about the permits for these zones, adding it had not introduced such schemes to neighbourhoods that did not want them.

The board said it did not want the changes to proceed without AT providing more information to justify them. This included breaking down its data to find if those parking in Devonport were from the peninsula or further afield.

Peninsula commuters choosing to use ferries rather than head up congested Lake Rd to get to the city should not be discouraged, said deputy chair Terence Harpur.

Another concern was for local businesses, including big employers such as the supermarket and the Navy, which relied on workers being able to get into the area and find reasonable parking. “I’m really mindful that the town centre needs a steady stream of people to operate,” said chair Toni van Tonder. Without a direct bus route down Lake Rd, some opted to drive.

Vashita replied: “The challenge is when parking is unrestricted, you cannot get a clear picture of who can cycle or walk to work.”

Member Gavin Busch wanted residents and businesses surveyed on the impact changes would have on them. “It looks like a solution looking for a problem,” he said of the proposals.

AT reported it had had 12 requests from residents for a permit scheme since 2018, and 43 complaints about illegal parking.

Busch said this perhaps indicated an enforcement need, as much as the requirement for further parking restrictions.

But member George Wood said consulting residents on permits was one way to find out what they thought. “And if it gets more people on buses, I’m pretty supportive of it.”

Vashita said the initial parking charge would be 50 cents, but this could rise if occupancy remained above 85 cent.

Board member Mel Powell wanted to know what triggered AT to look at Devonport parking. Vashita said the area had a “legacy parking” scheme inconsistent with AT’s current parking policy. He also cited the permit requests.

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Go Shore! Massive crowd expected for derby match

Leading from the front… Shore captain Alex Woonton before last Saturday’s semi-final

A carnival-like atmosphere is expected at North Shore Rugby Club on Saturday 15 July, with sponsor marquees and a packed ground.

The club kitchen will be open from 1pm for an early lunch prior to the 2.45 kick-off in the North Harbour premier-grade final between Shore and arch-rival Takapuna.

The North Shore premier reserves will travel by bus to Takapuna for their final at 1pm, but will head straight back for the premiers final.

Shore club captain Chris Tankard said: “To get our top two teams into the North Harbour finals in our 150th year is massive.”

The Navy has partnered with Shore this year, signing a memorandum of understanding to

Top tips for getting to the final

With a crowd of well in excess of 1000 expected for the final, the Flagstaff offers a few tips to ease a likely parking squeeze.

• Catch a bus. The 814 and 807 both run half-hourly to stops near the ground.

• Walk or cycle.

• Carpool: grab your mates to fill up a car.

• Park further away: try the car park on the corner of King Edward Pde and Cheltenham

Rd and walk through Devonport Domain.

• Be wary of parking on footpaths, across driveways or on yellow lines. Wardens have been known to prowl during big matches.

Another important warning: Don’t drink and drive. Police have been increasing breath-testing patrols in recent months. A roadblock operation on the road out of Devonport on finals day wouldn’t be a surprise.

allow its personnel to play club rugby for the green-and-whites. The Navy high command would be at Vauxhall Rd on Saturday to watch the final, Tankard said.

Before, during and after the match, the club house would be open to all, he confirmed. “Everyone is invited into the club – all the community.” You don’t have to be a member.”

Old foes meet again

Takapuna has won the North Harbour title 13 times and been runner-up on nine occasions, while Shore has won seven titles and fallen at the last hurdle 11 times. Takapuna has beaten Shore in five finals, with North Shore returning the favour three times. Shore beat Takapuna 12-11 in 2021; Takapuna beat Shore 26-19 last year.

North Shore pips Northcote for repeat berth in

The North Shore premier rugby side secured its third consecutive North Harbour final appearance with a 20-15 win over Northcote last Saturday, but it was a torrid battle.

The encounter produced real play-offs rugby: a bit nervy, an intense tussle between two determined forward packs, little expansive back play and plenty of kicking for territory.

Shore has now gone unbeaten in 13 games this season, but looked out of sorts early on against Northcote. Poor defence let in two softish tries to give Northcote a 12-0 lead after 12 minutes. Shore then rallied strongly and put together its best spell of the match.

Dominating the forward exchanges set the platform for centre Rory Taylor to score after 16 minutes, before lock James Fiebig went over by the posts at the 23-minute mark. Cam Howell converted both to give Shore a 14-12 lead.

The home side camped inside Northcote’s half and seemed about to run away with the match. A Shore scrum drove Northcote off the ball. But a lineout from an ensuing penalty was lost. It was typical of the small inaccuracies that cost Shore throughout the match – dropped passes, small knock-ons or a failure to secure possession causing many promising moves to falter.

The sides traded penalties to give Shore a 17-15 half-time lead. Another Howell penalty 13 minutes into the second half put Shore out to 20-15. The rest of the match was something of a dour struggle.

It was a match of small margins. Fiebig had one of his best games for North Shore. He was a dominating lineout jumper; his take against the throw when Northcote was on attack late in the game sealed the result for Shore. He also scored a try, made a couple

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North Shore premier reserves captain Niwa Whatuira with nephew Marcel after Saturday’s semi-final victory

Expert offload… Shore midfielder Cam Howell keeps the ball alive

Harbour final

of thundering runs and was sure on defence.

All the Shore forwards were uncompromising against a feisty Northcote pack. Converted flanker Donald Coleman made a good fist of hooker, nailing most of his throw-ins and offering a fourth loose-forward presence.

Hunter Rice had a solid game at fullback. He was unflinching under the high ball, and his positional play has improved markedly over the season.

Star first-five Oscar Koller, so dominant in his last match against Takapuna, had a quiet match by his standards after coming back from a hamstring injury. He was rested from goal-kicking duties.

Captain Alex Woonton, in a post-match chat to his team, summed up what had been achieved: “Don’t take it for granted – we are playing the final at home in our 150th year. That does not come around often.

“Enjoy tonight, but next week we have got a lot of work to do.”

It was a great day for Shore at home, with three of its teams beating Northcote sides to progress in finals footie. In curtain-raisers to the premiers match, the under-21 side won 30-29 to progress to the semi-finals of the competition this weekend. Shore’s premier reserves were too strong for Northcote. Shore led 15-0 at half-time, and after a second-half arm wrestle, prevailed 22-7 to set up a final at Onewa Domain against Takapuna on Saturday.

Takapuna beat Massey 35-31 in the other premier-grade semi-final played at Moire Park.

Expressive play… Shore fullback Hunter Rice (top right) tries a tongue-in-cheek step on his opposite, while (right) James Fiebig, who had a huge match, tries some footwork of his own

Turning Off The Tap

It seems to us the banks are turning off the tap for borrowers with their latest rate rises, irrespective of no further Official Cas Rate rate hikes in the foreseeable future. Credit has become scarce for business, commercial property, property development and agri sectors as these loans use about three times the banks’ capital compared to a residential loan – hence the banks have essentially become residential mortgage shops!

Floating rates are now @8.64% (vs six-month term deposits @5.65%) and one-year fixed is now 7.19% easing to 6.19% out to 5 years. Mind you, this latest hike is more about the rise in longer term global government bonds rates due to continued inflation pressures and the need to borrow more as tax takes are declining (US 10 year bond is now @ 4%+)these higher bond rates feed through into higher “swap” rates (where banks hedge their fixed-rate exposures) and then on to fixed mortgage rates... it’s not looking good for borrowers or the economy in the next several months as we don’t see any imminent rate cuts.

Speak to us if you need any mortgage/debt advice – we can invariably help.

Trust supporters seek answers

Supporters of the Devonport Peninsula Trust (DPT) want an explanation from the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board about its decision to axe trust funding.

The local board told the trust last week that all of its board funding would be cut for the next financial year, throwing the trust’s future into doubt.

Around 35 people, who attended a public meeting on the issue at the Devonport Yacht Club last week, voted to form a working group and seek an explanation for the local-board decision before it is confirmed next Tuesday 18 July.

Another vote on putting the trust into hibernation received no support.

Views expressed at the meeting ranged from anger at the removal of funding to hope that new sources of support might be found.

The DPT runs events such as the Midwinter Dip, Halloween Trail, Santa Parade and a range of Matariki celebrations, as well as community-building exercises like children’s playgroups and summer athletics.

It employs three part-time employees: a manager, community-events manager and a summer-events coordinator.

In response to its defunding, it has given redundancy notices to staff, though with $12,000 to wind up its operations, it has enough to pay

their wages for a further two-and-a-half months.

DPT manager, Nigel Bioletti told the meeting that though the organisation knew major cuts were coming, he was “gobsmacked” to learn it would be axed completely.

DPT chair Iain Rea said the decision was a great surprise to the whole trust board.

The trust’s main priority was to talk with the local board to understand its thinking.

Rea hoped that the parties “might find some opportunities that are mutually beneficial”.

Other strategies discussed at the meeting included ways of telling the board about the trust’s value, and of looking for new funding sources to plug the hole left by the cut.

One attendee questioned why the deprioritisation of events was given as a reason for the funding cut when the Takapuna Beach Business Association would still receive event funding from the local board.

The trust received $110,000 in local-board funding for 2022-23, plus $18,000 in separate events funding.

Half of the money saved from defunding the DPT and its northern counterpart, the Takapuna North Community Trust, will go towards funding two community coordinators, based at the Devonport Community House and Sunnynook Community Centre.

Big upgrade at Wilson Centre

Villas at the Wilson Centre in Belmont are being demolished as part of a major upgrade of its respite-care and rehabilitation facilities.

Specialised care equipment, such as bed hoists, is being added, kitchens and bathrooms improved, and a recreation area expanded in a three-stage project over the next year.

Wilson Trust board member John Whitehead told the Flagstaff the upgrade would bring general improvements in terms of care and livability.

As the only facility of its kind in the North Island, the centre, which was established in 1937, will remain two-thirds operational throughout construction.

The trust has raised six million dollars for the project and is seeking donations to ease the financial strain.

The villa upgrades follow renovations to the chapel, homestead and nurse station completed in 2022 and 2023.

The walkway through the centre, from Lake Rd to St Leonards Rd, is closed during the upgrade.

Briefs

Burglary arrests

Police took two women on a Belmont street into custody on 28 June, following a burglary in Devonport earlier in the day. The women were arrested near the intersection of Lake Rd and Egremont St. The pair, aged 38 and 42, have been charged with burglary and remanded in custody.

Club lease still in offing

The North Shore Rugby and Cricket Clubs are still waiting on a final lease from Auckland Council for the defunct Devonport Bowling Club. Once it is received and signed, the clubs will move ahead with plans to redevelop the site, which is set to include changing rooms for women players.

No budget for Dacre Park

Plans to redevelop Dacre Park, the home of North Shore United Football Club, are still on hold. The project stalled in 2020 due to Auckland Council’s Covid emergency-andrecovery budgets. No funds are allocated to the project in the next three-year work programme. “Dacre Park, the reserve, is maintained as a normal local sports park and we continue to work with the soccer club to renew small items as necessary,” Sarah Jones, Auckland Council Manager Area Operations, said.

Mataraki holiday fun

Matariki activities in Devonport over the long weekend include the Auckland Youth Symphonic Winds Band at 11am 14 July at the ferry terminal, along with a schools kapa haka at the wharf at 11am on July 15 and evening actitivies on Windsor Reserve. Go to: www.dpt.nz

Saturday 15th July, 2023

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Matariki seems to have been embraced by the Devonport peninsula, with a smorgasbord of events on offer.

The festival was launched at Bayswater School with storming kapa haka performances by local schools. Expressive and passionate children of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities gave their all.

The afternoon felt a bit like Christmas Day, where the joy of kids opening their presents overwhelms any Scrooge-like cynicism about the occasion.

It mattered little that rain was pouring onto the awning sheltering the audience and performers.

I was also pleased to catch up with kaumatua Danny Watson, who suffered life-threatening heart issues during the past year. He did an excellent job in opening the event

Treat yourself – get out and take part in some of the seasonal celebrations.

Efforts to be environmentally responsible don’t always run smoothly. No sooner had we installed a rainwater tank at home than Auckland went into drought, so we had difficulty filling it. Over the past year, we have had almost incessant rain, so have no need for the tank water. We are told a low-rainfall period is ahead, so maybe the tank will come into its own this summer.

It still astounds me that Auckland Council/ Watercare/the government offer no real subsidies or compulsion on new builds for water tanks in city areas. More water tanks would

By Rob Drent

not only lessen the pressure on our stormwater system but also mean less need to upgrade water-supply systems.

Now, I’m having to rethink composting, following the arrival of buckets for the council collection of food waste. After years of compost bins (and of partner queries about when the compost would be ready for use), I had settled on the Zing bin system, in which refuse is essentially pickled to accelerate composting. The council pick-up of compostable material is nothing new around the world (in the south of England, for example, they have been operating a similar system for around 15 years). It’s something generally to be supported. But people who compost already are faced with the dilemma of whether to use the bin or not.

Business confidence has been given a shot in the arm with the purchase of more than 15 commercial buildings in central Devonport by Peninsula Capital. But redevelopment is years away. I wonder if, in the interim, Devonport retailers need to start offering

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customers more – especially leading into summer. Most are open nine to five (some 10am to 5.30pm), with a few notable exceptions, such as Bookmark (9am-6pm, seven days a week). With commuters’ work days stretching out longer – the ability to do a bit of shopping when coming off the ferry would be welcomed. In the summer, I’ve often seen tourists wandering up Victoria Rd at 5.30pm, past a row of closed shops. Tourist destinations in other parts of the world tend to open later.

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board decision-making discussions over the withdrawal of funding from the Devonport Peninsula Trust should have been held in public rather than in confidential meetings behind closed doors.

Yes, it is a sensitive issue, and yes, the decisions affect peoples lives. Budget cuts generally do. But the volunteer trust board members, trust employees and the public deserved to hear how the board arrived at the outcome.

The board has opted for having a community coordinator running out of the Devonport Community House. As a kind of community support-lite, this could work well.

How many of the events the trust ran around Devonport are abandoned remains to be seen. But less council money for them is a given.

I hope the trust board members, who have put a lot of energy into the Devonport community over the years, operating within the council model for funding, do not abandon their commitment.

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Decisions loom for Claystore and other works

The extent of the upgrades to the heritage Claystore building in Devonport is among major decisions pending in Auckland Council’s local-board work programme.

At issue is whether to opt for $750,000 of partial improvements – including re-roofing, some recladding, window replacement and repainting in heritage colours – or to spend $1.2 million, which would also fund a mezzanine floor to be built above the existing ground-floor community workshop.

The intention would be to lease out space on the mezzanine level to maximise use of the building.

At a budget workshop held for Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members last week, chair Toni van Tonder said they needed

Groups seeking funding to support their work on community-led emergency response plans will have to wait to learn what help they might get.

Auckland Emergency Management (AEM), which was widely criticised for its initial response to January’s floods, is expected to report back to local boards by the end of September on how it plans to help.

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, which in its last term put $30,000 towards local efforts to draw up plans, has been asked by groups involved what its future intentions are. “We can’t even buy a marker pen,” one

to decide if there would be long-term savings from doing all the work in one hit.

Staff said this would be the case; or the work could be planned in such a way as to make it easier to later add the mezzanine and, potentially, an external lift to the new level.

One issue flagged was the need for a heritage architect, with waits of up to six months for a specialist to be available.

Seismic-strengthening could also be delayed, the staff advised, as the need for this would only be triggered by a resource consent for the other building work.

Board member Mel Powell supported consideration being given to ways to create commercial revenue from council assets.

Final decisions will be made at the board’s

monthly meeting next Tuesday 18 July, when the works programme for 2023-24 will be confirmed.

Also on the table are decisions about how much to spend on other heritage assets in need of attention, including the run-down Kennedy Park military tunnels and former barracks at Castor Bay.

The board has pencilled in spending $10,000 to explore options for better use of some of the council land and buildings it owns at 27 Lake Rd. As well as the Claystore and Devonport Recycling Centre, which have long-term leases, the site has older buildings in poor condition.

North Shore councillor Chris Darby recently told board members the area was an “eye-sore”, and that its future should be addressed.

community member told the Flagstaff. Board senior adviser Maureen Buchanan said more information was expected from AEM this quarter. Work would be funded regionally, not through the board.

Trish Deans, secretary of the Devonport emergency group, which has completed a plan for the peninsula from Belmont south, said AEM, which was a team of only 35 people, was unlikely to be in position to offer much assistance to local boards any time soon.

In her view, the board needed to step up to give the groups more certainty.

Deans, a former board member, said the original $30,000 had now been spent, under the auspices of Auckland North Community and Development (Ancad).

A group for Hauraki-Takapuna also wants a clear steer from council on AEM’s models before continuing with work.

Deans said her group relied on the support of other community groups, including the Devonport Peninsula Trust (DPT), which is being defunded in board budget cuts.

“We operate on a shoestring, and the withdrawal of DPT funding is shattering; they provide a crucial backbone.”

Lit up: Lantern-making fun ahead of the hikoi

Family time... Young McCrae clan members (from left) Archie (8), Leo (6), Eli (6), Ruby (4) and Sienna (6) enjoyed reuniting recently, with Leo and Ruby back in New Zealand on holiday from Qatar. Devonportresident grandparents Margot and Colin McRae took the cousins to the Community House for Matariki lantern-making activities before the Takarunga hikoi.

Right: Porter Abercrombie (5) receives guidance from father, and professional basketballer, Tom Abercrombie. Porter has followed in her dad’s footsteps in attending Hauraki School. Below: Abraham Parker (7) came from Bayswater with his mother for an outing, adding to the Mataraki experiences he is being offered at school.

The Depot Artspace was transformed for the opening of Matariki show Ahuru Mowai. Below right: Among attendees were show curator Louise Davis (left) and Terehia Walker, a driving force behind local events.

Veteran lensman tackles museum’s photos of

Preserving the past… former press photographer Chris Miller is working through Devonport Museum’s files

A retired photographer is digitally restoring thousands of the Devonport Museum’s historical photos.

Chris Miller’s relationship with the museum began when he worked on the The Hundred of Devonport: A Centennial His-

tory, commemorating Devonport Borough Council’s centenary in 1986.

Miller photographed buildings around Devonport and some local personalities for the volume, and scanned some of the museum’s historic images.

In retirement, he “was looking for something to do other than motor-homing” and thought restoring photos from the museum’s library would be a good way to use his time and skills.

Miller scans the physical photos and

Picture almost perfect… a restored photo of boats on the shore at Torpedo Bay

yesteryear

digitally enhances them on his computer, removing physical damage and dirt from the images while also changing the exposure and sharpness to reveal more detail.

He was a photographer for more than 50 years, working for the Auckland Star and the New Zealand Herald, before moving into commercial photography for companies including Air New Zealand, Spark and the Bank of New Zealand..

Comparing his restoration work with his commercial photography jobs, he told the Flagstaff, “it’s a whole lot better than picking pimples off executives’ faces”.

Miller estimates he’s restored more than 2000 photos since he started the task in January. But that is only a fraction of the musuem’s collection.

On average, each photo takes around half an hour to process, though a damaged image can stretch to a couple of hours, Miller said.

He has come across some “some absolute pearlers” since starting the work, including pictures of Victoria Rd before the Victoria Theatre was built and the first church in Devonport.

He said his motivation for restoring the pictures was “to give something back” and that he simply enjoys it.

“It’s something I can do, so why not?”

The most difficult part for Miller is the slight frustration at not being able to get the photos perfect.

“Sometimes you have to tell yourself, ‘hey it’s a lot better than what you started with’.”

The museum is still deciding how to display the photos once the collection is restored.

Miller is a long-time Devonport local who attended Belmont Intermediate and Takapuna Grammar school, and has lived in multiple houses in the area and whose children went to Devonport Primary School.

Early days… a restored photo of Victoria Rd before the building of the Victoria Theatre in 1912

Transformed… a restored early image of the Navy dry dock (above) and as it was before digitisation by Miller (below)

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FOR SALE

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VIEWING By Appointment

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

BAYSWATER 1/14 BERESFORD STREET

You will be smitten with this stylish two bedroom stand alone home. Set in very desirable Beresford Street.

barfoot.co.nz/848268

FOR SALE

By Negotiation

VIEWING By Appointment

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

Devonport 09 445 2010

Major sponsor for the North Shore Cricket Club

Barfoot & Thompson Limited Licensed REAA 2008

Barfoot & Thompson Limited Licensed REAA 2008

DEVONPORT 13/53 VAUXHALL ROAD

DEADLINE SALE closing

July 13 2023 at 4pm at 39 Victoria Road (unless sold prior)

barfoot.co.nz/849901

CLOSING THIS WEEK

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VIEWING Phone For Viewing Times

Patricia Hinchey 027 222 3367

TAKAPUNA 1/9 HART ROAD

Immaculately presented extra spacious brick and tile front unit. Great for first home buyers or downsizers. So central. Takapuna by the seaside!

barfoot.co.nz/849852

FOR SALE

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VIEWING Sat/Sun 1:00 to 1:30pm

Sue Evans 021 448 977

BAYSWATER 3/54 BAYSWATER AVENUE

Introducing our exclusive time-limited incentives. Our vendor is offering to cap your mortgage at 3.95% for first 2 years. (T's & C's apply)

barfoot.co.nz/848524

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Suzy Wang 022 199 7808

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barfoot.co.nz/850577

4

NEW

FOR SALE $1,575,000

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Lance Richardson 021 796 660

Suzy Wang 022 199 7808

Devonport 09 445 2010

Major sponsor for the North Shore Cricket Club

A dream job: smelly seals and errant boaties

Gabrielle Goodin heads the team of rangers looking after marine reserves across New Zealand. She tells Helen Vause about the reserves – and the challenges of a conservation success story.

The waters of the Hauraki Gulf on a sparkling day are both a very happy place and something of a headache for Gabrielle Goodin.

As a marine-reserves ranger, it’s her job to try to ensure boaties and beach lovers are responsible citizens in the way they interact with this already fragile marine environment – and to get alongside them with the conservation message.

An important part of her role is enforcing the restrictions in the Auckland region’s five marine reserves: Cape Rodney-Okakari Point, Tāwharanui, Long Bay-Okura, Te Matuku at Waiheke Island, and Motu Manawa-Pollen Island in the Waitemata Harbour

And while those reserves, or national parks of the sea, have our highest level of marine protection, Bayswater resident Goodin says on fine days, when the Hauraki Gulf is alive with Aucklanders in their boats, she and her rangers will invariably find people fishing illegally in them.

Protecting the reserves is an uphill battle, she says.

Goodin is one of the three marine-reserves rangers in Auckland, the first generation of these rangers on our seas and shorelines, who have been appointed by the Department of Conservation (DoC) in recent years to step up marine protection.

As well as having her eye over the Hauraki Gulf, she has recently stepped up to become head of the national marine-reserve protection team, with 13 rangers reporting to her across 44 marine reserves.

The issues and conservation threats across the country are very different and so too are the circumstances the rangers are working in.

A ranger heading out to sea off Fiordland, for example, is highly likely to know the name of every skipper and boat they connect with, says Goodin. But in Auckland it’s a very different story for the three rangers who work shifts to cover seven days of the week.

“On a decent day, it’s a sea of boats out there. And the sight of us in our small boat is not necessarily a deterrent to people breaking the

rules in the marine reserves – most of them are not aware that they’re even in a reserve, or that they’re not supposed to be fishing.”

Dishing out $600 fines to anyone with a line in the water in any of the reserves is a regular feature of patrols.

Managing the pressure of recreation on the gulf is a big part of her job and so too is public education and raising awareness of the reserves. Goodin says her role lets her work national responsibilities and her roster around the life

of her nine-year-old son Asher, who attends Devonport Primary School. “I feel pretty lucky doing what I love for a job.”

It was probably the working life she was headed for when she completed her masters degree in marine conservation in 2013. When she graduated, she took a job in marine tourism, working on a Dolphin Encounter boat in Kaikoura. Next she went to Queensland and took a crash course on the teeming tropical fish of the Great Barrier Reef when she was hired as a

Gulf lookout... Gabrielle Goodin at the Department of Conservation base at Maungauika. She oversees protection for Auckland’s five marine reserves, along with the others around New Zealand.

marine-science advisor on a tourism dive boat.

But her interest was in being in a position to make a real difference. She returned to New Zealand and joined the DoC ranks.

The ranger team wasn’t established in the Hauraki Gulf a day too soon, she says.

There is now an accepted urgency about the need for restorative and protective action.

Goodin recently qualified as a skipper. Before she started her national role, many days were spent on the water between Waiheke Island and Long Bay, working in defence of the city’s acquatic playground.

Other aspects of her job include scientific monitoring, advocacy and education.

The importance of the marine reserves to the ongoing health of our waters and all the life within them, cannot be overstated, she says.

As areas free from the pressures of fishing, they provide a place where marine habitats and life can thrive and also provide a study ground for scientists.

Over half of New Zealand’s 17,000 species are only found here. They include an amazing array of fish, invertebrates and seaweeds.

The reserves are also doing a staggering share of the work as breeding grounds for the gulf in compensation for overfishing.

Goodin says that when scientists took DNA samples from snapper in the marine reserve at Goat Island, it was found to account for 10 percent of the DNA in the species tested in other parts of the Hauraki Gulf. In other words, a lot of the regional snapper population could be traced back to that one reserve alone.

When The Flagstaff caught up with Goodin, the local mum had recently donned her uniform for an educational talk to children and parents at Devonport Primary School.

Her subject was fur seals and, in particular, the young pups arriving on our shorelines in growing numbers every winter.

It’s part of her job to make sure people know enough about the visitors to have happy and safe encounters with them.

Because the seals are returning to what was once their territory before their populations were wiped out through brutal over-predation, Goodin says we are likely to see more of the pups coming ashore in ‘seal season’.

Education campaigns are building more understanding that these pups on the beaches and rocks, and around wharves and jetties, are

not lost or distressed. They are teenagers booted out by mothers before another pup baby arrives. And they’re often skinny when they get here because they’re still learning how to find food.

The conservation message for local people, who might encounter a seal on coastal walks from May to September, is hopefully taking root, says Goodin.

Although there is a known breeding colony on the North Island’s west coast, near Raglan, their breeding place on the upper east coast is not yet identified.

Where the pups come from to slide up onto Cheltenham Beach is yet to be established, so it’s unknown how far they have travelled to get here.

Goodin chuckles at memories of her first seal encounter in a West Auckland backyard, when she was a rookie marine ranger.

Her boss came along equipped with basic wooden shields, and between them they were able to manoeuvre the large creature to where they wanted it.

And for all the seals’ goofy appeal, she’s sure on one thing – “yeah, they stink”. They can also be carrying “pretty icky” diseases and can give a very nasty bite, she adds.

Owha, the charismatic, if smelly, leopard seal who for a time frequented the Bayswater and Westhaven marinas, was regularly on Goodin’s radar in her first days as a ranger.

The guidelines are to keep dogs on a leash and a watchful eye on children. We should stay 20 metres clear, letting them rest where they’ve come ashore for a break, which could be just between tides or for some days.

If the animal is hurt or at risk, people should call for expert intervention on 0800 DOC HOT.

The re-establishment of the fur-seal population is a success story, but there is more to learn about their habits and movements, says Goodin.

After a number of summers as a regular visitor, Owha sadly she hasn’t been seen for a while. When she was in close range, scientists were able to take faeces samples to learn more about what she was eating. She was found to have digested a pukeko.

“Goodness knows where she’d got it from,” says Goodin, of this little detail from the ongoing monitoring of marine life.

It’s her dream job, she says, and a job for life.

“I couldn’t ask for more than working in a field I love with others who are passionate about.” their work too.”

Tell us what’s important, Devonport-Takapuna

Our local board has come up with a three-year plan outlining the key initiatives we want to focus on.

Now we need your help to check if we’ve got it right.

Submissions must be received by 4pm Monday 14 August.

For more information go to: akhaveyoursay.co.nz/localboardplans I t ’s your place. Your voice.

“The sight of us in our small boat is not necessarily a deterrent to people breaking the rules...most of them are not aware that they’re even in a reserve.”

Belmont Park Racquets Club junior tennis championships

Results for 2022-23 season R/U denotes runner(s)-up

Under-10 Girls Singles. Championship:

Lucia Balgarnie; (R/U*) Andrea Newsome.

Plate: Isla Nielsen; (R/U) Julliette France.

Under-10 Girls Doubles. Championship:

Lucia Balgarnie and Juliette France; (R/U)

Andrea Newsome and Olivia Bruce. Plate:

Isla Nielsen and Rosa Balgarnie; (R/U)

Lucia Morrison and Tahlia Bates.

Under-12 Girls Singles. Championship: Mikaela Topolsky; (R/U) Cara

Te Whiu. Plate: Lulu Beech; (R/U)

Kate O’Connell. Consolation Plate: Izzy Congdon; (R/U) Jessie Zhang.

Under-12 Girls Doubles. Championship:

Claire Guo and Jessie Zhang; (R/U) Ivy

Cooper and Frankie Morrison. Plate: Izzy Congdon and Lulu Beech; (R/U) Kate

O’Connell and Natalie Biddles.

Under-15 Girls Singles. Championship:

Charlotte Crotty; (R/U) Agnes Su. Plate:

Lucia Sweetman; (R/U) Zoe de Boer.

Under-15 Girls Doubles. Championship:

Amy Sluiter and Natalja Burton; (R/U)

Charlotte Crotty and Agnes Su. Plate: Lucia Sweetman and Sally Nichols; (R/U) Lilly

Warringsholz and Maddie Ryan.

Under-18 Girls Singles. Championship: Imogen O’Rourke; (R/U) Laura Blick-Maroney. Plate: Addis Patten; (R/U) Lucy Collett. Under-18 Girls Doubles. Championship: Laura Blick-Maroney and Lucy Collett; (R/U) Addis Patten and Ivy Denton.

Under-10 Boys Singles. Championship: Dani Condini; (R/U) Eddy Su. Plate: Jasper Brant; (R/U) Luke Nielsen. Under-10 Boys Doubles. Championship: Dani Condini and Luke Nielsen; (R/U) Jasper Brant and Eddy Su.

Under-12 Boys Singles. Championship: JJ Blake; (R/U) Sam Nikolai-Denton. Plate: Eli Millham; (R/U) Toby Profitt. Consolation Plate: Liam Feng; (R/U) Michael Harden. Under-12 Boys Doubles. Championship: JJ Blake and Sam Nikolai-Denton; (R/U) Tim Zhang and Harry Ellin. Plate: Liam Feng and Arlo Marmont; (R/U) Harry Maskell and Michael Harden. Under-15 Boys Singles. Championship: Robbie Brant; (R/U) Patrick Li. Plate: Mack Anderson; (R/U) Ewan Ronald. Consolation Plate: Sam Moffitt; (R/U) Cam James. Under-15 Boys Doubles

Championship: Ethan Clifton and Patrick Li; (R/U) Ryan Craig and Fletcher Gaylard. Plate: Robbie Brant and Mack Anderson; (R/U) Noah Webster and Jim Simpson. Under-18 Boys Singles. Championship: Toby de Boer; (R/U) Alex Sluiter. Plate: Connor Clifton; (R/U) Ryan Sinclair. Under-18 Boys Doubles. Championship: Alex Sluiter and Connor Clifton; (R/U) Ryan Sinclair and Kiel Duncan.

Winning Interclub Teams. 10-12 Girls

A – Pre-Xmas, FOXES: Izzy Congdon, Lulu Beech, Annabel Priddy, Cara Te Whiu, Nicole Rossi, Claire Guo. 13-15 Girls B – Pre-Xmas, SHARKS: Charlotte Crotty,

Su. 16-18 Girls C

Pre-Xmas, EAGLES: Isabella Lovison, Mia Harvey, Ava Cagney-Potts, Ivy Denton, Addis Patten. 16-18 Girls C – Post-Xmas, COBRAS: Annabelle Skerten, Laura Blick-Maroney, Scarlett Sommerville-Ryan, Lucy Collett, Iris Welton.

Easter Bunnies: Club Spirit. Ivy Cooper, Frankie Morrison, Bess Sommerville-Ryan, Lila Steel

Natalja Burton, Izzy Lomax, Amy Sluiter, Agnes

–

Young guns...

Above: Belmont Park Racquets Club junior girls champion Imogen O’Rourke (left), with runner-up Laura Blick-Moroney. Right: Junior boys champion,Toby de Boer.

Ngataringa Tennis Club junior championships

Ngataringa’a Under-15 Boys Singles champ William

Under-11 Girls Singles: Ellie Cumberland. Plate: Mia Vermeulen. Under-13 Girls Singles. Zara Travers; R/U Alisa Tikalenko. Plate: Ellie Cumberland; R/U Rebecca Young. Under-15 Girls Singles: Calliope Bower; R/U Claudia Pearce. Plate: Mia Ohlin; R/U Maxine Williams. Under-15 Girls Doubles: Claudia Pearce and Millie Oxley; R/U Calliope Bower and Imogen Chaddock; Plate: Mia Ohlin and Maxine Williams; R/U Emily Young and Chloe Conroy.

Under-11 Boys Singles: Aleksei Tikalenko. Under-13 Boys Singles: Quinn McAlpine; R/U Lennox Maiava. Plate: Alex McCoubrey. Under-15 Boys Singles: William Robson; R/U Alex Ness. Plate: Jamie King; R/U George Spooner. Under-15 Boys Doubles: William Robson and Michael MacDonald; R/U Jamie King and Harry Prinsep. Under-18 Boys Singles: Gage Volykhine.

Winning Interclub Teams. 16-18 Girls B – Pre-Xmas: Grace Collier, Matisse Irving, Abby Jenkins, Mia Tinkler-Brown, Alice Beale, Lucy Chaddock, Mia Travers. Under-12 Boys B – Pre-Xmas: Zenon Nicholas, Quinn McAlpine, Teo Besier, Leo Zollner, Alex Fielding, Alex McCoubrey, George Edgar, Sam Stewart. Under-15 Boys C – Pre-Xmas: Max Zollner, Alex Ness, George Gaskin, Hayden Steele, George Spooner. Under-15 Boys B – Post-Xmas R/U: Max Zollner, Alex Ness, George Gaskin, Hayden Steele, George Spooner. Boys Prem 1 – Post-Xmas R/U: Gage Volykine, William Robson, Michael MacDonald.

Special Awards. Most Improved Girl: Calliope Bower. Most Improved Boy: Aleksei Tikalenko. Von Huben Cup for Excellence – Girl: Millie Oxley. De Gouy Cup for Excellence – Boy: Benjamin Grenfell. Best Attitude: Mia Ohlin. Outstanding Contribution: Matthew Blair.

Under-11 Girls Singles champ Ellie Cumberland (left) with Under-11 Girls Plate winner Mia Vermeulen

Under-15 Girls Singles champ Calliope Bower (left) with runner-up Claudia Pearce

Robson (left) and runner-up Alex Ness

Fishing Report for July ’23

Who doesn’t love fishing during these winter months? Whilst the weather hasn’t been playing ball, surely there are some better conditions coming….let’s hope so. When you get those beautiful clear and calm days it is a prime time to be out targeting snapper. At this time of the year, they are all in prime condition, fat and perfect for the table. The fish can be a little slow on the bite so enticing them to bite can be challenging, but using smaller-sized baits and a good berley trail will do the trick. Chunking up some old bait and adding to the berley trail is a good idea also, as it seems to spark up a bite. Once you have set up with the current and wind in the same direction, you need to have patience and fish through the tide – you never know what will turn up.

Close to home there are fish in and around the northern side of Rangi, Billy Goat Point on Motutapu and, even closer, it would be worth throwing some baits around the reefs just off Takapuna Grammar. The reefy rocks between Takapuna and Milford also will have snapper in about 10m of water and often there are some moochers in there too.

Out wide, the reports of work-ups are coming in from places like West of Anchorite Rock and the fingers that are bit further north, (you will see them on your chart). The fingers are a broad area of reef that can really produce at this time of year. Also the Craddock Channel between Little Barrier and Great Barrier is also firing. The workups are still going just off Fantail Bay over by Coromandel.

Trev and I had five days fishing out of Rangiputa in the Far North. What an amazing place with accommodation right on the beach and an abundance of fish. We caught large snapper, kingfish and trevally….it was unreal and we are already planning on another trip. Keep an eye out in-store as we are going to be adding to our fishing range with some products from Berkley, Penn and Plano. We are also going to have more freezer space soon for more salt ice and more bait options….let us know what you need so you don’t need to travel up through the traffic.

Cheers

Phone 445 2356

Local volunteer recognised for Hospice work

A longtime Devonport local was recognised during the recent National Volunteers Week for her 15 years of service for Harbour Hospice.

Sheila Copus first saw the benefits of volunteering when her husband was sick and being cared for by hospice staff. Copus felt she needed to do her bit to give back.

Although she now volunteers at the Hospice Shop in Devonport, she previously served as a receptionist at Harbour Hospice in Milford.

After a couple years of volunteering on weekends while she was still working as a personal assistant, Copus decided to offer

her services to the Devonport store once she retired.

“I thought, I’m a Devonport person, I might as well work in Devonport.”

National Volunteer Week ran 18-24 June, with Harbour Hospice giving long-service awards to 125 volunteers for periods of service of up to 35 years.

Harbour Hospice chief executive Jan Nichols said the awards are an opportunity to thank the volunteers for their “dedication, hard work and loyalty.”

Copus and the other shop volunteers switch between sorting and pricing items in the back of the store and serving customers

at the front.

She doesn’t have a preference for either, as her favourite part of the gig is “the people I work with”.

The shop gets a good variety of items that come through and there are some “real treasures from time to time,” Copus said.

Fifteen years of volunteering has snuck up on her. “I wouldnt’ve even thought about it really, but I guess it’s nice to be recognised.”

When she’s not sorting items or helping customers, Copus can be found playing petanque or bowls at Stanley Bay or perhaps tramping on one of New Zealand’s Great Walks – she’s done nearly all of them.

A local treasure… Sheila Copus in the back room of the Victoria Rd Hospice shop

I am shocked and mystified by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s decision to completely defund both the Devonport Peninsula Trust and the Takapuna North Community Trust (which covers from Takapuna to Sunnynook).

The two trusts have had a relationship with council spanning decades, delivering a myriad of successful community programmes serving everyone from babies to the elderly, and across every social, economic, and cultural demographic. They provide significant bang for a pretty modest buck.

The city’s financial woes have been well publicised – so some cuts were expected.What was not expected was that the local board would strip all funding from the two community trusts, and use it to set up two new ‘community activator’ roles – a sole person based in Sunnynook, and another in Devonport.

a risky

The trusts are a safe pair of hands. They have experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable staff; dedicated volunteer boards of trustees; comprehensive resources; and unparalleled local knowledge, community goodwill, and networks. The defunding means they will not be able to deliver their many programmes and events, and jeopardises their very existence. And once they are gone, it will take years to rebuild them and regain the capacity they have.

It seems to me that replacing the trusts with two untried and untested sole-charge positions, and expecting them to be able to deliver the same level of community outcomes, is a very risky strategy.

In listening to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s public workshop on 4 July, there was no clear explanation of their rationale.

A myriad of questions remain unanswered. What ‘problem’ is the board trying to solve,

Peninsula trust is

The Devonport Peninsula Trust is a long-serving community group that delivers a network of community events, builds local voluntary capacity and has created a network of local involvement over decades.

Yet the members of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board have suddenly announced they intend to cut the funding from this invaluable group, giving only eight days’ notice, and without meaningful consultation.

Does the local board have a better plan? Have they discussed this with the community?

if any? If one exists, it was certainly not clearly articulated at the local board’s workshop.

What, if anything, will be different, better, or more cost-effective about the new roles?

What programmes or outcomes will the new roles deliver?

Why has the local board not given the two trusts the opportunity to deliver whatever the board’s new expectations are?

The proposal is a seismic change to the delivery of community programmes in our area, without clear or compelling explanation, and with no evidence offered to assure us that it will succeed.

I believe the public – and the two trusts –deserve better than this.

I hope that the local board will reconsider and, at the board’s 18 July meeting, reinstate funding to the two trusts.

Ruth Jackson

community events

This is a significant organisation, and should not be wound down and dismissed.

Three part-time employees meet the deadlines and run the programmes, supported by the trust board. Six active and engaged members on the trust represent different community groups. They oversee the health-and-safety policies and procedures, provide equipment, police vetting, first aid, traffic control and rubbish management. It’s all a labour of love.

The trust is the glue for the success of Matariki and the Halloween Trail for Bay-

swater; the Christmas Parade doesn’t simply appear; athletic events, playgroups, senior and community forums all rely on the trust’s dedicated effort. The trust has been working on an emergency-preparedness plan. This is now stymied.

The local board’s proposal of one person to replace the trust and its network doesn’t add up. (For the Friends of the Devonport Peninsula Trust.)

Linda Blincko, Ranjeeta Sami, Yvonne Powley,Trish Deans

Local-board funding decisions not taken lightly Opinion

For the last seven months, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has been planning its work programme with the understanding a 61 per cent cut to its locally driven initiatives budget was forthcoming.

This budget is only $1.35 million and is all the board has available to respond to community need for those living in Devonport, Bayswater, Belmont, Hauraki, Takapuna, Milford, Forrest Hill, Castor Bay and Sunnynook. We’ve worked alongside our funded partners throughout, and they have all worked to fortify their organisations, knowing since last December, that cuts were coming.

Working on such a reduced budget, the board had to take a long, hard look at what it had historically funded and how it could continue to deliver on the social, cultural, economic and environmental outcomes it’s required to by law, in a more cost-effective way.

After the January floods, we learned a few things about community; and this was amplified in public consultation on the budget. First, we learned how critical our Community Houses are; veritable beacons of light when times are rough. When houses flooded in Sunnynook and people were in need, they went to their Community House to find support and help with recovery. When the community is strong and connected, they will be more resilient in times of crises. The board agrees it’s time we strengthen the spaces where communities gather.

Our local-board area has a population of approximately 60,000, 44 per cent of whom are migrants. One third (roughly) live on the Devonport Peninsula, while the other two thirds are in Takapuna North. There’s a heck

of a lot of people we haven’t been reaching, and we haven’t always distributed our community development funding equitably.

Keeping that in mind, the local board community development strategy has pivoted. Instead of a top-down, event-led approach, we’ve created two community outreach roles that sit in Devonport Community House and Sunnynook Community Centre. These community activators will be out there, on the ground, agile in supporting neighbourhood-level connections, and responding to need as it emerges.

For instance, if a residents association wants to build their reach, or a migrant group needs support navigating the council

grants programme, our activators will support them. We’re talking neighbourhood barbecues, welcome packs for new housing developments, supporting youth-led activities – grassroots community development. We’re excited about this shift and can’t wait to see what good things come of it.

We recognise that this change means the withdrawal of funding from our two community trusts – Devonport Peninsula Trust and the Takapuna North Community Trust. We respect and acknowledge the years of service and the contribution they have made to building community across the area.

With the change in community-development direction and in light of the reduced funding to the local board and ongoing funding constraints, funding the full operation of two charitable trusts is no longer something the board can do. We know this will be a blow to many, but we have faith that the two trusts can pivot their operations to continue to contribute to community. We give thanks to their governance boards and their staff, and acknowledge their commitment to community.

Change is difficult, we know this. This particular change was not made lightly, but it has been made for the right reasons. The approach is not only financially more sustainable, but it is also a move into best-practice community development. What we’ll get out of it are stronger and more resilient neighbourhoods across the whole local-board area, and stronger Community Houses that are there to serve us all.

Toni van Tonder, chair Devonport-Takapuna Local Board

Change is difficult… local-board chair Toni van Tonder

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Garden maintenance

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Need someone to feed your cat and other pets at your home while you’re away? I love animals and would love to help you! I am 12 years old and live in Devonport. I charge $10 per visit. If you want me to visit twice a day, it will be $15 a day. Each visit I feed your pet and can play with them for about 10 minutes each visit if they are comfortable with me. Devonport only please! Text/call: 021-270-7677.

TUITION

English tutor wanted for Cambridge AS Literature in English student. Text or phone Lee 021 132 1878.

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Trustees, staff, and many members of the community are still saddened and surprised to find that, after many, many years of partnership with Auckland Council and the, Local Board, the Local Board has withdrawn ALL funding for the Peninsula and Takapuna North Trusts, in favour of Community Activation Managers based at Devonport Community House and Sunnynook Community Centre. A very well attended public meeting held on 4 July saw unanimous support for the work of the Trust, and some hope that a way forward can be found. Email me if you would like to offer your support - nigel@dpt.nz

MĀNAWATIA A MATARIKI KI A KOUTOU

Enjoy your Matariki holiday with family and friends, and do think about joining the gathering in Windsor Reserve this Saturday 15th from 5pm, for a Matariki celebration. Devonport Market will be open on the wharf from 4 pm to 8 pm. Our celebration will include welcome, karakia, waiata, Indonesian dance, Community Kapa haka, possible Korean kapa haka group, local musician, lantern display, presentation of colouring in and ‘Find the Stars’ competition prizes, sharing, community.

LANTERN MAKING & HIKOI – JULY 1ST

A wonderful lantern-making day at Devonport Community House saw many beautiful lanterns constructed. Then in the evening, many gathered at Whare Toi for our hikoi to Takarunga – we had a beautiful evening on the summit. Zane Catterall welcomed everyone, Belmont Primary children sang and haka-ed their hearts out, children stepped forward and spoke of their favourite stars, we did a couple of waiatas, then we closed and walked down the hill again. A fantastic evening for one and all. Go to www.dpt.nz to see the events still to come.

shorejobs

shorejobs

Fire-safety rules put kibosh on Scout den sleepovers

Sleepovers at the Allenby Ave Scout den are off limits, due to strict fire-safety rules.

Gatherings of more than 50 people are also no longer allowed, Auckland Council has told the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, which leases the heritage hall on reserve land to the 1st Devonport Scouts Group.

Scout group leader Cliff Brown said sleepovers were “an absolutely fundamental way in how we operate”.

They gave Keas and Cubs a first taste of camping, with tents set up overnight, either in the den or, in fine weather, outside the den, but using its kitchen facilities.

This occurred several times a year for each group, involving up to 20 people.

The hall also played host to visiting Venturers, aged 14 to 18, heading on to stay at a bach the group owned and hired out on Rangitoto. Typically, visitors overnighted in Devonport before catching a ferry to the island the next morning. “Stuff like that we can’t do now,” Brown said.

Auckland Council first flagged concerns last year, saying the hall “probably” should not be used for such gatherings, given tougher new regulations.

Then in April, the Scouts were notified to halt the sleepovers.

While he thought the restriction on numbers was reasonable, Brown said the much tougher fire-safety expectations were problematic in an old building.

He said the group took safety seriously. The building had been subject to a series of assessments for its structural and heritage condition and for fire regulations.

It seemed regulations now required rooms used for sleeping to be treated as a “fire cell”, separated from other rooms by fire doors.

This was problematic with a kitchen opening onto the hall, with little space for a fire door.

Other requirements were for electronic alarms linked to the Fire Service and illuminated signs on doors. An exit with a step was also apparently against the rules, Brown said, something hard to avoid in a heritage building.

The clampdown comes after the hall’s wiring

was upgraded last year, which the Scouts lobbied council to do. “On one hand the council says we have to fix things, but on the other it has already spent a boatload on the den.”

The council’s northern operations manager, Sarah Jones, briefly flagged the as-yet-uncosted budget implications of bringing the hall up to fire standard, during discussions at a workshop with board members about its 2023-24 work programme. This will be finalised at the board’s monthly meeting next week.

At a board meeting several months ago, Jones said future upgrades at the den were well down the list of priorities, given it had had money spent on it last year.

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Bodyline with Guy Body

All welcome at remembrance service

For the first time since 2019, Harbour Hospice is holding a remembrance service.

And in a break from tradition, it is inviting the wider community to attend, not just those with family members who have gone through end-of-life care at the hospice.

The service will be at St George’s Presbyterian Church in Takapuna, on Sunday 23 July at 2pm.

Anyone from the wider North Shore community, who would like to remember a loved one, is welcome to attend.

Hospice said the open invitation was partly because it was mindful of those who had lost someone during the Covid-19 pandemic and had been unable to hold a proper funeral, and those who were unable to attend an important funeral.

The service was designed to be inclusive to people of all faiths, or no particular faith. Attendees will be invited to place a photograph of a loved one on the altar if they wish, or light a candle in remembrance.

Afternoon tea provided by Harbour Hospice will follow.

THE NAVY COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER OFFICER AND SAILOR GRADUATION DAY

On 10 June, the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Basic Common Training intake 23/01 (49 sailors) and Junior Officer

Common Training intake 23/01 (27 officers) combined for their formal graduation ceremony at Devonport Naval Base.

It takes around 16 weeks for a trainee to graduate as a sailor in the Royal New Zealand Navy, and around 22 weeks for an officer. Graduates continue into their branch training, which involves over 20 different trades in the Navy.

The best all-round sailor was Ordinary Electronic Warfare Specialist Molimoli Tamale, receiving the Spencer Tewsley Cup, while the top graduating Junior Officer was Midshipman Finbar O’Flaherty, who received the Minister of Defence’s sword. The latter award is not presented if the standard

isn’t high enough.

The official party included Minister of Defence Andrew Little, who had attended an army graduation earlier in

the week, and both Chief of Navy Rear Admiral David Proctor and Deputy Chief of Navy Commodore Andrew Brown.

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

Congratulations? Thanks? Problems? Complaints?

DEVONPORT NAVAL BASE TEL 445 5002

REGISTER YOURS

If you’re a licence holder, you need to register your firearms.

firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz

Takapuna Grammar

Volunteering for Great Causes

Last month, our wonderful Peer Service and prefect teams volunteered at the opening of the new Harbour Hospice in Takapuna. Our students welcomed and directed guests, served coffee, tea and food and helped with the clean-up afterwards. There was a touching performance from Year 10 student Nathan Fry, which was very well received.

As part of the community, our TGS Peer Service team sees the importance of charity

Midnight in Monte Carlo

The 2023 School Ball was a wonderful night of glamour, dancing and awards at the Ellerslie Event Centre. This year’s theme was MidnightinMonteCarlo. The students looked fantastic in some beautiful gowns and creative combinations.

King and Queen, Harry Tu’isila and Malia

work as it fills the gaps in providing resources to help the most vulnerable. Harbour Hospice does amazing work providing palliative care to our local community and their families.

The Peer Service team also helped spread awareness and fundraise for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). To raise funds a bake sale – selling a range of items including pasta, samosas, fanta and lots of home – baking was held. Baking was supplied by not only the students helping

with the project, but also fellow TGS students and staff who wanted to chip in. The bake sale was held during morning tea and lunch. By the end of the day they had raised an impressive $529.00!

These charities were great to be a part of and we’re really proud of all the hard work that went in to help these awesome causes!

Faulalo, and the Prince and Princess, Maui Hitchens and Maria Valencia, were crowned.

To view event photos, visit bcphotography.co.nz/takapunagrammarschoolball2023

Take a Virtual Tour of our School

We are excited to announce the launch of our new virtual tour tool, which allows parents to explore our school campus from the comfort of their own homes. With this innovative tool, parents can navigate through the various classrooms, facilities and grounds of our school using their computer or mobile device. This tool will provide an immersive and interactive experience for parents to get a first-hand look at the school campus and all it has to offer. We hope that this tool will help parents get a better understanding of our school and its resources. We encourage all parents to take advantage of this exciting new feature and experience our school like never before. Simply scan the QR code with your mobile phone camera.

TGS Peer Service Team

Musical worlds collide in returning Matariki show

Star qualities... Helium Project’s Matariki show offers storytelling, rap and vocals over synthesisers, strings, guitars and hip-hop beats

After successful debut shows last year, Helium Project returns with an extended and updated edition of their Celebrating Matariki show –this year at Devonport’s Victoria Theatre.

Inspired by the stories of Matariki, Helium Project blend vocals and synthesisers with the delicacy of a string quartet and driving guitars – all over intricate hip-hop beats.

Showcasing the compositions of bandleader Nick Edgar is a 13-piece group of multi-instrumentalists, with lead vocals and storytelling from Ash Patea (Te Āti Haunui a Pāpārangi), an experienced educator of tikanga and te reo Māori, to thread the theme of Matariki through the show.

Edgar says to expect a mixture of emotive, sonic landscapes and participative education to transport the audience into the stories behind the star cluster.

“Composing this suite of music has provided an exciting te ao Māori and Matariki journey over the last few years, with generous guidance

from Patea and Apera Woodfine (Te Ātiawa).”

Edgar says Rangi Matamua’s book Matariki: The Star of the Year has also been a helpful resource, “which I’ve read about 16 times”.

New additions to this year’s show include Mama Patea joining her brother on stage to add haunting vocals, and local actor Niwa Whatuira (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) with rap vocals on tracks co-written by Woodfine and Edgar.

The show includes tracks composed for each star in the Matariki cluster and delves into the stories of Taramainuku, (the captain of ‘te waka o Rangi’), Hinetakurua (the winter maiden) and Hineraumati (the summer maiden).

Helium Project is oozing with talent, says Edgar.

“I feel so grateful to be working with such an amazing bunch of multi-instrumentalists who all have busy musical schedules”.

For this performance, the band includes Edgar (Wonderfish Collective, Hoop) synthesiser,

Local novel on awards roll

Devonport author Simon Lendrum’s debut novel The Slow Roll is in contention for the Ngaio Marsh Awards, which recognise the country’s best crime, mystery and thriller writing.

International judges are now whittling down the longlist of 14 New Zealand books to the finalists for each award.

Winners will be named in late August

at the Word festival in Christchurch, hometown of Dame Ngaio, who penned bestselling mysteries from her house in Cashmere last century.

The Slow Roll, set in Auckland, was a lockdown project for Lendrum.

First published in late 2022, it has since been reprinted and won the NZ Booklovers Adult Fiction award this year.

guitar, flute and vocals; Apera Woodfine (Love in Motion, Apera) guitar, bass, synthesiser, drums and vocals; Helen Crook (Wonderfish Collective, Devonport Chamber Orchestra) lead violin; Cameron McLean (Wonderfish Collective) keys and trumpet; Tom Taylor (Cardinal Sleepdog, Molly and the Chromatics) guitar, synthesiser and vocals; Ollie O’Loughlin (Fazerdaze, Molly and the Chromatics) drums and saxophone; Natasha Wesbonk (Isla) violin; Charlotte Lamb (Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Devonport Chamber Orchestra and St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra) violin / viola; and Tim Shacklock (Those Lethals, Mice on Stilts) cello.

• Helium Project, 22 July at 8pm, The Victoria Theatre. Tickets from thevic.co.nz.

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Writing a musical fosters friendship

on what would work musically. Tom had to learn to assert himself, joking that “Aedan is not a musical person and I found that out really quickly”.

WHAT’S ON @ Devonport Library

Aedan Ward and Tom Talbot barely knew each other when they started collaborating on a musical. Now they have an easy camaraderie forged from working hard on the project since last year.

Maria Teape Community Coordinator

445 9533 | maria@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz

Ma - nawatia a Matariki

The stars shine bright over Te Hau Kapua, Devonport as we celebrate Matariki together. We enjoy seeing you at our free library and community events. One special Matariki event focuses on gratitude and finding moments of it every day. We appreciate and celebrate you, this beautiful place and its community.

SUNDAY 16TH JULY 2PM–3PM

Hira Nathan will share the personal story that led to his stunning new book Whakawhetai, a Gratitude Journal with a bilingual focus. Hira and Dave Veart on will open our eyes to ways of thinking about how gratitude supports our health and wellbeing.

SUNDAY 23RD JULY 2PM–3PM

Wendy Hampton (former property lawyer) will run a session discussing the basics of estate planning for all.

TUESDAY 25TH JULY 7PM

Dame Claudia Orange and Kaumatua Danny Watson on the Treaty of Waitangi and Co-Governance. A DLA event.

SUNDAY 30TH JULY 2PM-3PM

Wendy Hampton will present her book First Home Buyers Guide, insights for anyone taking their first step onto the property ladder.

SUNDAYS 1PM–2PM

Navy historian Michael Wynd, is back to share his expertise on family history with a military focus. Do you have a soldier, sailor relative you want to track down?

TUESDAY 18TH JULY 10AM–1PM

Citizens Advice Bureau are back to confidentially answer your questions about budgeting, tenancy, employment and neighbourly matters.

THURSDAYS 10AM–11AM

Auckland Transport representatives visit the library so you can pop in for more information on the current Devonport roading and parking changes.

See you at Windsor Reserve on Saturday 15th July for an evening of festivities, food and kapa haka. Look closely and you may even see a library staff member on stage.

The two senior Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) students are in final rehearsals during their school holidays for Golden Screens, a musical comedy that opens at the Rose Centre in Belmont for a four-night season from Tuesday 18 July.

Like the boys, it’s ambitious and smart. Featuring a thought-provoking script by Aedan and swinging music by Tom, it is centred around television actors and their off-screen travails. The production has a cast of 14, aged 16 to 25, which was assembled in February, and a fourpiece band. Many of the personnel are fellow TGS students.

The creators – encouraged by international singer and vocal teacher Patrick Kelly, who is directing the show – have polished the work to the point they are reasonably relaxed.

“I think with theatre it’s never completely there, but I’ve been told by many directors that it comes together on show week,” says Aedan.

Tom is keen to further refine a few songs, but agrees that the hardest work was early on, when the two had to forge a working relationship.

Devonport-raised Aedan, who is in Year 13 and has a background in stand-up comedy, has always been a keen writer. He had a clear vision for Golden Screens and its lyrics, but had to learn to trust Year 12 Tom’s judgement

“At the start it was quite difficult,” admits Aedan. “I was very protective of what was in my head.” But he soon came to appreciate Tom’s composition skills. “He did one song that was so amazing,” explains Aedan, on how he relaxed into the collaboration.

Tom had to resist rewriting lyrics and focus on the music, but as their confidence in each other grew, they traded ideas.

What followed was a total of around 20 pieces of music: 10 original songs plus reprised versions and linking tunes.

A friendship has also resulted, although Aedan says: “We have quite different lives outside work.”

Tom grew up in Hauraki, playing piano and clarinet, and is a member of the West City Youth Concert Band. He is also in two TGS choirs: Sultans of Swing as head chorister, and Chorale. From playing instruments, he grew into the technical allure of composing.

The challenge of a musical appealed, and working on it has helped confirm his keenness to study composition at university. “I can’t see myself doing anything other than music,” he says.

For Aedan, study in directing and writing appeals, for film or theatre.

It is only now, looking back, that the pair realise how much time Golden Screens has taken, fitted in around their studies. “I have no clue how I did it all,” says Aedan.

“It was hundreds, maybe thousands of hours,” says Tom. This included getting up at 5am and going to bed late, along with rehearsing two times a week and again with the band.

They each stand to pick up some extra NCEA credits for their efforts. They have also established impressive performing-arts CVs for their age.

It is now over to the audience to provide the final validation. They hope locals will book in for an evening. “A nice after-party would be good,” adds Tom.

The cast would no doubt agree. It includes Maui Hitchens, James Cassidy, Charlotte Kelly, Seamus Leathley, Sophie Spooner, Raine Gilchrist, Gemma Leathley, Daniella Ramos, Heloise Phillip Smith, Sahra Leybourne, William Kelly, George Zhang, Reece Thomas and Annie Hughes.

• Golden Screens, at the Rose Centre, 18-21 July at 7.30pm. Tickets, $25, and $15 for students, through iticket.co.nz.

Collaborators... TGS students Aedan Ward (left) and Tom Talbot created musical Golden Screens

TGS choirs make the grade for elite showcase

the same venue in August

Two Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) choirs will compete in the Big Sing Finale, the country’s largest and most prestigious choral competition.

Girls choir Leonessa and mixed-voice Chorale were picked for the event, which features the nation’s top 24 choirs chosen from regional competitions.

Students were excited to be continuing a TGS legacy of choral excellence, the head of school’s performing-arts department, Lauren Raby, said.

Westlake Boys and Girls High Schools are the only other schools with more than one choir in the Finale, at which Leonessa attained a gold award last year and a trophy for the best performance of a New Zealand composition.

This year’s event is at the Auckland Town Hall over 25-27 August. The venue also hosted the Auckland qualifiers last month, at which Leonessa was judged runner-up for its festival recital programme for an upper-voices choir.

Taka Crooners and Sultans of Swings also performed among the 68 choirs at the Auckland qualifiers. Although neither was selected for nationals, Queenie Qiu, a Year 11 member of Sultans of Sing, won an award for best piano accompaniment at the event.

Big Sing has been running for more than 30 years. It is held in 10 centres, involving nearly 300 choirs. Below the Finale level, the Choral Federation also runs Cadenza festivals, with performances for the upper and lower North Island and the South Island.

Big stage... TGS choir Leonessa at the Auckland Town Hall last month, when it qualified for the Big Sing Finale at

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