Forrest Hill shops plagued by crime spree
Store owners and workers at a strip of Forrest Hill shops are on edge after a spate of thefts from their businesses by offenders who they say live in the neighbourhood.
One store owner said the Raines Ave shops have been hit by thefts and scams over the last 18 months, with the frequency ramp-
ing up in the past six months. He blames the surge on locals he says live in the street.
The superette, sushi shop, liquor store and at least one other shop have been targeted by shoplifters, with the liquor store having stock taken as often as once a week.
The nearby Becroft Park Tennis Club has
also had property taken by thieves.
The shopkeeper told the Observer that some scammers would get food on credit and never pay it off, while others showed staff fake bank transfers on their phones.
“The days where we could trust people To page 5 Sir Roger Hall reveals
Chain gang clicks into gear
Wheelie useful... Forrest Hill Bike Hub assistant Zara Makkink, community bike hub manager Brent Bielby (centre) and hub co-ordinator Steve Cable in front of one of the shipping containers used at the new facility on Greville Reserve. Story, page 4.
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New house coming on top-dollar site
Blue-chip site... a digger on the beachfront property where the house at rear was demolished last week
Demolition of a home in prime position on the Takapuna beachfront has attracted plenty of local interest.
It is understood a new home will be built at the Gibbons Rd property, which has a 2021 Auckland Council valuation of $27.5 million.
When it last changed hands, in 2000, the price tag of $8.3 million was thought to be a national record for a house sale.
Planners approved the low-slung, two-level Cheshire Architects design, saying it sat appropriately in the area. The build, expected to take 30 months, includes a minor dwelling and a swimming pool and spa. A “forest cabin” and a beach pavilion will also be built on the property.
Demolition of the home – which from 1932 to 1971 served as the boarding house, kitchen and dining room of private school
St Anne’s – began late last month.
The site has one of the widest frontages to Takapuna Beach. It sits behind a stone wall, fringed by pōhutukawa trees, south of the beach reserve and playground.
The demolished home was a much-altered villa with a stylistically mismatched two-storey addition, sited well up the slope of the 5142sqm section.
The buyer in 2000 was reported to be David Hughes, a former Aucklander working in the computer industry in California.
In 2020, Hughes sold his networking company Silver Peak to Hewlett Packard Enterprise for $1.3 billion.
The Gibbons Rd property was sold to Hughes by Oenone Bidwill, a member of the wealthy Spencer family and the former wife of well-heeled Auckland entrepreneur and investor Charles Bidwill.
Authorised by Hon Simon Watts, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
Dumpling duty part of school culture day
Filling time... Takapuna Normal Intermediate School year 8 student Jamie Pan making dumplings with his grandmother, Emma Huang, during the school’s cultural fortnight, which ran from 26 August to 6 September. Activities included a day for dressing in traditional clothing along with workshops on different foods, traditions, dances and games.
Sunnynook traffic lights blamed for tailbacks
A new set of Sunnynook traffic lights appears to be causing long traffic tailbacks, which some residents suspect is due to them not being coordinated with a nearby set of lights.
Residents have reported long queues and sometimes having to wait through five phases of light changes since the new lights at the Sunnynook Rd/Sycamore Dr intersection were commissioned on 22 August.
Auckland Transport (AT) has confirmed the lights have not yet been linked for coordination with others at the intersection of Sunnynook Rd and Becroft Dr, but says it is still tweaking the new lights and may decide linking is unnecessary.
“It normally takes up to two months to fully optimise a signalised intersection,” road network optimisation manager Chris Martin told the Observer. “The signal engineer changes the settings until it is operating most optimally.”
Major tailbacks have been reported on Sycamore Drive during weekday morning peaks.
In a response to a query by Devonport-Takapuna Local Board member George Wood, AT confirmed the two sets of lights were not yet linked and said a fibre connection at the Sycamore intersection was awaited “to enhance communication reliability and to establish a connection to the on-site CCTV”.
Martin said data being gathered from the new intersection might lead to a conclusion that linking was “not necessary or optimal”.
“Linking to obtain coordination is just one of the many things that the engineer has to consider and adjust,” he said.
AT had received four complaints about the new lights, and acknowledged that “slight delays” might occur during the morning peak in what was a high-usage area.
Bike hub aims to draw 3500 visitors, fix 1200 bikes a year
From page 1
The North Shore’s first Bike Hub was expected to open in Forrest Hill this week, after a year of delays.
Staff at the hub in Greville Reserve, east of the football pitches on East Coast Rd, will refurbish donated bikes then sell them at affordable prices, and offer services such as safety checks and repairs.
They will also teach people to do their own basic repairs.
Based in converted shipping containers, the hub was scheduled to open for the first
Briefs
Yachtie’s farewell
The life of local yachting identity Mason Pepper who died at home last week, aged 87, will be remembered at the Takapuna Boating Club at noon on 12 October. He leaves four children, including son Hamish, an Olympian and former America’s Cazup sailor.
Minnehaha Ave callout
A person was taken into custody after a big police callout to Minnehaha Ave in Takapuna last week. Multiple police vehicles were sent to a property after a report of a possible firearm sighting just after 10am on Thursday 5 September. Police said enquiries were continuing.
Power outage overnight
A power outage in Takapuna and Hauraki last Thursday was caused when a switch unit failed during maintenance work on Northcroft St causing nearby pole-mounted equipment to blow. The outage lasted from 10.15pm to 8.30am on Friday, with the majority of houses getting power back at 2.30am.
time on 12 September, and operate from Thursdays to Sundays, 10am to 2pm.
The facility was originally due to be established in August 2023, on the concrete reservoir at the reserve. This fell through, due to Watercare rejecting use of the site.
It will be managed by EcoMatters Environment Trust, which runs eight other bike hubs across the city.
The trust’s community hub manager Brent Bielby said he expected the hub to attract 3500 visitors a year, and to repair 1200 bikes.
It would create a safe second-hand bike
market, in comparison to buying a bike on TradeMe and Facebook that might have problems sellers were unaware of. Those bought at the hub would be safety checked.
Auckland Transport (AT) established the facility as part of its efforts to encourage cycling. Its senior active modes specialist, Sam Kemp, told the Observer AT was keen to contract a local artist to paint a mural on one of the containers.
He said as well as the hub being a bike repair zone, it will act as a community space for bike enthusiasts to talk about their shared interest.
Locals asked to pick favoured project to be progressed at Kennedy Park
Beach stairs rebuild or military building restoration? Locals are being asked to help pick between the two costly projects at Kennedy Park.
With council funds looking too tight to do both at once, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board is seeking guidance on what to prioritise.
“I’ve sent a letter to the Castor Bay Residents’ Association on behalf of the board asking for their views on priorities,” board chair Toni van Tonder told the Observer.
This followed a budget workshop last month at which members were told by Auckland Council staff of unexpected extra spending on the Claystore community workshop in Devonport, another major project in the works programme.
Repairing structural issues with the heritage Claystore’s retaining wall meant other budgets would have to be juggled, council area operations manager Sarah Jones flagged to board members.
They had planned to renovate the Claystore – which now requires up to $1 million
extra to fix the wall – decide on a repair option for the Kennedy Park stairs and to start fixing the dilapidated exterior of 139 Beach Rd, a former World War II barracks designed to look like a house.
Told there might need to be a choice between the Kennedy Park projects in the short term, board members were in general agreement that community views could aid the decision.
They also wanted to know more about who used the stairs and what the community wanted to see happen with use of the house after its exterior was fixed.
Castor Bay Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association chair Hamish Anderson told the Observer the group’s committee had discussed the “conundrum” at its meeting last week.
It planned to talk to the board in person. “The two projects represent very different but equally important purposes and choosing between them is nigh on impossible.”
If there was time, it might ask the wider community for its views.
Loss of local constable ‘allows crime to fester’
From page 1
are gone,” he said.
Business owners had asked police to serve trespass notices on some local residents.
Like other business owners and workers in the strip of nine stores, he did not wish to be named. “I might get a brick through my window.”
Another owner said businesses were constantly worried about stock being stolen. “We’re on the lookout when we shouldn’t [have to] be.”
Multiple police reports had been filed, but police had responded by saying they had bigger issues to deal with, he said.
Crimes had been easier to address when a community constable had been based in neighbouring Sunnynook.
That role was disestablished in a police restructure in 2022, when a larger area was assigned to a constable based in Browns Bay.
Some North Shore community constables have since been redeployed to increase the police presence in the Auckland CBD.
The offenders “know nothing is going to happen to them”, the owner said. Constables used to nip problems in the bud, but incidents now festered into bigger problems.
Five owners or operators from the shops went to a meeting on community crime concerns in Greenhithe last week, which was attended by Police Minister Mark Mitchell and representatives of the Waitākere Police District.
The first owner spoken to by the Observer said they were informed about police officers on the North Shore being redeployed to the CBD. He likened it to “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.
Two tennis bags with wallets, mobile
Feeling the brunt... the strip of stores at the northern end of Raines Ave, where businesses have been plagued by crime
phones and car keys were stolen from the Becroft Park Tennis Club, off Bond Cres, next to the motorway, on Sunday 1 September.
A member whose bag was stolen, John Vergara, tracked his mobile phone to a Raines Ave house.
He knocked on the door and recovered his phone. When he asked about the rest of his items and the bag, he was told to look around a nearby pedestrian tunnel, where he recovered his bag and car keys.
His driver’s licence was found by a member of the public on Raines Ave.
The cards were still missing prompting worries about multiple transactions being made from his debit card, he said.
Devonport-Takapuna Local Board member George Wood, who lives in Forrest Hill, said he was concerned people were taking action into their own hands to recover stolen items, putting themselves at risk. “It’s not a good look.”
The former North Shore police boss said
The choice is
the loss of community constables had been damaging. Police needed the resources to put more officers in the community.
Police told the Observer they were aware of concerns raised by residents in the Raines Ave community about recent offending.
“We are actively following up these matters, and this week our staff visited those affected businesses to speak further with them about their concerns.
“As a result, we are working with these businesses around a range of prevention measures.”
These included increasing foot patrols through this area.“Our Youth Aid Team is also following up with a number of enquiries related to this matter.”
Police said they were also following up on “a theft on 1 September where a phone was stolen from the nearby tennis club”.
Meanwhile, thefts of mail continue to plague the wider area, including Takapuna where residents have been followed into apartment buildings.
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Playwright outs penpal as inspiration
New Zealand playwrighting elder statesman Sir Roger Hall made a surprise acknowledgement to an unsuspecting audience member at the opening night of his comedy Taking Off at the PumpHouse last week.
After joining in enthusiastic applause for the actors, the Takapuna resident stood to reveal his presence and to identify Jean Anderson as an inspiration for his play about four Kiwi women embarking on their mid-life OE. She had remained his “penpal” since sharing her travel stories with him 20 years ago.
Sir Roger, 85, credited the cast for a “very strong production”, wryly adding he didn’t always think that when he saw his plays.
Anderson told the Observer after the show that Sir Roger had emailed to let her know it was on, but his shout-out was unexpected.
She first saw Taking Off at its premiere in 2005. The Tadpole Productions version reminded her of travel adventures, which began after a redundancy in her mid-40s prompted two separate stints of four years each, based in the United Kingdom. Her experiences prompted older sister Molly Smith, who accompanied her to the PumpHouse, to do her own OE at age 59.
“Over there you do anything,” said Anderson, who variously worked in a drug clinic, crewed on a yacht and even explored central Africa. She reluctantly returned home “to get a job” before she turned 60. Now retired from office work, she lives in Te Atatu.
A number of her real-life anecdotes, including being told she was too old, replying that she was younger than Joan Collins and then being told she would get the job if she looked like the actress, found their way into the play.
It was through her sister that Anderson, then in London, first learned Sir Roger had made a call in a newspaper column for mature women to share their travel experiences. After several prompts from Molly, she wrote to him.
“I can’t remember how many responses I got, but it was quite a lot,” Sir Roger told the Observer. Jean sent good material and they met, had
long conversations and remained in contact afterwards.
From time to time when he lacked personal experience of a situation in a play, Sir Roger said he would seek outside ideas as part of his research. For his play By Degrees, he drew on his wife’s experience and that of other women going to university in mid-life.
About five years after writing Taking Off, he reached out to couples who had rented villas abroad, which fed into Four Flat Whites in Italy
Sir Roger says he is still writing and looking forward to a new play, End of Summer Time, which was staged in Wellington in May, coming to Auckland next year.
Another about an art club in the 1990s was in the pipeline, but with a largish cast of 10 characters it was yet to be picked up by a theatre company.
• Taking Off finishes its season at the PumpHouse on 15 September.
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Knight on the town... Sir Roger Hall, Jean Anderson (left) and her sister Molly Smith at the opening of Taking Off
Sports Briefs
Golden rugby run ends
A young Westlake Boys High School first XV aims to develop fresh talent at an upcoming international tournament after losing the Blues area final 36-13 to Kelston Boys’ High School late last month. The next focus for the North Harbour champion team is playing in the World Schools Festival in Abu Dhabi from 14 to 21 December, where they will defend their 2023 title against top schoolboy sides from across the globe. Coach Rob Mildenhall said this year’s first XV was the youngest in many years, with 17 players from the squad going to Abu Dhabi returning next season. Westlake’s 2nd XV lost the North Harbour 1B final to Kaipara College 29-12 on 25 August.
B’ballers make nationals
Westlake Girls High School’s top basketball team is off to nationals next month. The team won its zone qualifying event after a disappointing Auckland premier competition in which it was docked points due to a breach of player eligibility rules. It bounced back convincingly at the Auckland and Northland zone tournament, beating Manurewa 58-48 in the final on Saturday, setting up the chance for a three-peat at nationals in Palmerston North.
Westlake choristers win more gold
Westlake choirs have continued their outstanding run of success at the Big Sing Finale, collecting three gold medals and two of the three main trophies awarded at the annual national secondary schools competition.
Cantare, from Westlake Girls High School, has won gold at every outing since 2017. For a third year in a row, the school’s premier treble voice choir also received the trophy for Best Performance of a Choral Art Work.
Voicemale, from Westlake Boys, also brought home a gold medal, confirming its place as the country’s most successful lower-voice school choir.
Another gold went to the two schools’ mixed voices choir, Choralation, keeping up its track record of success since 2018. It also won the Hutt City Trophy for Best Performance of a New Zealand or Pasifika work.
The Finale, held at the end of August in Wellington, brought together the top school choirs in the country, whittled down from regional heats. Gold medals are awarded to those rated in the top tier.
Westlake Boys head of music, Warwick Robinson, put the ongoing success down to strong student leaders and music director David Squires, who built the confidence of his singers. This was backed up by a wider school music team imparting skills and
differing musical styles, within a supportive school culture for the arts.
His counterpart at Westlake’s Girls, Fiona Wilson, who directs both Cantare and Choralation, said the choirs had a whānau atmosphere and pursued excellence, aided by vocal consultant James Harrison.
Both choirs upskilled this year by performing at international events.
Cantare, which she described as an “exceptional ensemble”, travelled to Malaysia for workshops in July and on to Indonesia for the Bali International Choir Festival.
“These extra opportunities provided a further level of extension and motivation for our singers,” Wilson said. “The advanced level of repertoire required for international competition helped develop each singer’s vocal technique.”
Cantare was chosen for the final grand prix at Bali, putting it in the top eight of 68 international choirs at the festival. It had earlier won the Teenage Choir category and come second in the open championship round for Sacred Music.
Around the same dates, Choralation participated in the World Choir Games held for the first time in Auckland. The choir entered the championship division of Youth Choir and Sacred Music, performing two recitals in the Auckland Town Hall and at St Matthew’s in the City, gaining two gold medals.
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Gold medals and silverware... Choir leaders for Choralation and Cantare: (front row, from left) Constantine Mata’afa, Saniel Dones, Arnav Pillai, Abby Wang and Mina Tesimale; (back row, from left) Emily Sullivan, Katie Brown, vocal consultant James Harrison, choir director Fiona Wilson, Yun-Pai Hsu, Tara Yoo, Annah Matthew
Budget service moves to help council sale of Mary Thomas Centre
North Shore Budget Service will move out of the Mary Thomas Centre in Takapuna to make the building easier to sell.
It is taking up the offer of a new council lease within the Community Services Building around the corner on The Strand.
Chief executive Drew Glucina said she was having partitions built for client privacy in the new upstairs space.
She hoped the service would be operating from there within around a month.
The service is the last remaining tenant in what Auckland Council staff earlier described as the “not fit for purpose” centre on Gibbons Rd.
A shift became possible when a larger first-floor space in the services building was vacated by Age Concern, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board was told in a briefing. Lease terms for the service will be month-by-month.
Principal community lease adviser Phillipa Carrol said having the Mary Thomas Centre empty would make it easier for Eke Panuku to sell it.
Write to the Rangitoto Observer
The local board has earmarked proceeds from its sale to go towards its plan for a combined library and community services hub in a revamp of the existing library.
Board chair Toni van Tonder asked if the space the service is being offered might be needed by the library when building work is done in two to three years’ time.
Community lease specialist Sophie Bell said the council would need to look into that but her initial thoughts were that any temporary library space would be on the ground floor of the community services building.
Van Tonder said the budgeting service needed to understand that the same large space would not be provided in the new library. If the library fit-out did not match the service’s needs, it would need to look elsewhere in future.
Deputy chair Terence Harpur queried if the service needed all of its new space. He asked if other community groups might have been offered part of it.
Carrol said the service needed privacy, which meant this was not an option.
We welcome letters. Please limit to 300 words on local topics. Noms de plume or unnamed letters will not be printed. Email news@rangitoto-observer.co.nz or write to Letters, PO Box 32 275, Devonport.
Removal of Sacred Grove boardwalk a denial of democracy Letters
As I reflect on the decision of the DevonportTakapuna Local Board to remove the boardwalk at the northern end of Takapuna beach, my main thought is that this is a scandalous waste of ratepayers’ money, to pay to remove a valuable resource. The estimate to do so three years ago was around $1 million –where is such money coming from?
The boardwalk enabled the disabled and infirm, indeed all users of the beach, with safe dry access at high tide, when the sea laps at the seawall.
Its removal represents a denial of democracy for local residents, a great number of whom signed a petition three years ago asking for the retention and refurbishment of the boardwalk.
When the boardwalk was installed 20 years ago, local iwi were consulted and agreed that it would benefit the trees of the Sacred Grove by protecting their roots.
Due to lack of maintenance by the council, the trees are now in a dangerous state, several have fallen and some have myrtle rust. This has resulted in a serious health and safety risk.
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Rein in board’s library hub fantasies
Ten years ago the [Takapuna] library was reroofed and the interior upgraded.
Last year, the Devonport- Takapuna Local Board decided it needed a legacy project, so it planned to sell the library and build a “hub” on the Anzac carpark.
The community baulked at the idea.
This year? The board wants to flatten the library roof for a viewing platform with a 300sqm “hub”.
Members say the “hub” will replace the existing community rooms and the Senior Citizens and War Memorial Halls.
To pay for the board’s legacy project, they must all be sold.
In the words of the Prime Minister, “It is time to rein in the fantasies”.
Jan O’Connor
A sorry anniversary
As the one-year anniversary of the closure of the very popular Milford-to-Takapuna walkway rolls around, we are seemingly no closer to a satisfactory resolution: proof that procrastination is still sadly well alive in Aotearoa.
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Top local homes and gardens opened to public for charity fundraising
North Shore homes and gardens will feature in two big charity fundraising tours that give the public the chance to peek behind front gates and doors.
Both popular events are held every two years and will return in November, with recent launches confirming the lineups and tickets going on sale.
Homes of Devonport is first up, on Friday 1 November, followed by the Auckland Garden DesignFest over the weekend of 23-24 November.
The North Shore gardens featured in the festival are a modern Castor Bay property with a minimalist landscape design in
natives and subtropicals by Takapuna-based Sculpt Design, which is run by Hauraki resident Claire Talbot, and an Italian-style terraced property in Devonport designed by Penny Milne.
The women are among 21 top designers selected for the event that raises money for groups including Dove Hospice, YouthLine and Garden to Table.
The Devonport event, run by Rotary, features 10 homes ranging from villas to modern gems. In 2022 it raised almost $100,000. Beneficiaries will include local schools, Dementia Auckland, Cure Kids and Devonport Rotary Charitable Trust.
This Milford property (above) is one of 100 finalists chosen from across the country to vie for Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards.
The coastal home is in the category for renovations costing between $500,000 and $1 million. After further judging by
building experts, the prestigious annual competition’s seven category winners and an overall House of the Year will be named at an awards ceremony in November.
The renovation was done by Glover Homes, a Coatesville-based company.
Pizza and politics
Grow Forrest Hill is holding another of its community dinners at the community garden in Seine Reserve on Sunday 15 September, from 4pm to 6pm. Guests can enjoy a slice of free pizza topped with garden goodies, at an event that also doubles as an informal chance to meet Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members. The board is sponsoring the gathering, partly to canvass opinions about its plans to develop a community services hub in tandem with the existing Takapuna Library. Ice creams and games will be available to keep children occupied, while adults mix and mingle. Locals wishing to make a formal submission with their views on the hub can do so on Auckland Council’s Have Your Say website, until 7 October. A dropin session offering information about the plans was held at the library last Saturday and another will operate at the Takapuna Market on Sunday 22 September from 9.30am to 12.30.
Mulch morning
A group of Castor Bay residents got together last Sunday 8 September to help prepare pocket reserves for planting. They responded to a call from the Castor Bay Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association to lay mulch at several spots requiring beautification.
Electrifying grants
Community groups wishing to buy an electric car, convert to electric heating or install solar power have the chance to apply for grants from Meridian Energy. The power company is seeking more applicants from the northern region for its $1.2 million Community Decarbonisation Fund before the end of September.
‘Well-run’ Winter Lights festival lands national award
Takapuna Winter Lights has won a national award for top events.
The 2023 festival was recently named the Best Community or Not for Profit Event (for over 3000 participants) by the Events Association. It attracted 45,000 locals and visitors to the town centre over four nights.
This year’s festival, held in late July, drew more than 50,000 people and included new displays set up on Waiwharariki Anzac Square and Potters Park, as well in the original Hurstmere Rd location.
Judges at an awards dinner in Palmerston North said the 2023 version was a good example of a well-planned and run event delivering dividends back to the community and business.
“Good to note Māori outcomes, accessibility, and schools’ involvement,” they said. “Audience growth is noteworthy.”
Sustainability was another feature, with 91 per cent diversion from landfill.
Event host, the Takapuna Beach Business Association (TBBA), plans to run the event again next year for a fifth time.
Its chief executive Terence Harpur, who collected the award, said it was an honour for a massive team effort.
“It’s a wonderful event to put on and we love seeing the thousands of people enjoying themselves.”
Cultural celebration
The Forrest Hill resident who organised a Filipino Festival in Takapuna in May is bringing more of her culture to the North Shore. Jade-Ceres Munoz plans a food-focused market at Onepoto Domain on Saturday 21 September. The festival will return to Takapuna, next May.
25 Barrys Point Road, Takapuna
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Night-light magic... A young girl (above) enjoys an interactive display at this year’s Takapuna Winter Lights festival. The laser light display (right), titled The Holographic Monolith, was the favourite of Terence Harpur, chief executive of the Takapuna Beach Business Association, along with the neon stick-men – entertainers who walked through the crowds.
NOW SHOWING
Encanto: Reo Māori (PG) 103min
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (M) 91min
Marguerite’s Theorem (M) 114min
Speak No Evil (R16) 110min
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (M) 105min
Thelma (M) 99min
Transformers One (PG) Previews 13-15 Sep
MEL PARSONS Live Show 13 Sep COMING SOON
Ice Maiden (E) 90min 19 Sep
The Substance (R16) 142min 19 Sep
The Three MusketeersPart 2: Milady (M) 114min 19 Sep
Transformers One (PG) Previews 20-22 Sep The Wild Robot (PG) 102min Previews 21-22 Sep
WGHS student’s songwriting fusion wins contest
A Westlake Girls High School student has won a national songwriting competition, with a song that combines classical Chinese instruments with electronic dance music.
Joy Feng’s ‘Be There With You’ earned her the top prize in the Play it Strange Peace Song Competition, which drew more than 150 entries.
The competition asked secondary students to write songs on the theme of peace and nonviolence.
Joy’s song, about family, love and friendship, combines the traditional Chinese instruments dizi (flute) and guzheng (plucked zither) with a dubstep backing.
Her prize gave her the chance to record her song and have a mentoring session with New Zealand music legend and former Exponents frontman Jordan Luck, who came to the school on 16 August.
“I learned more about songwriting, like how you don’t have to be so strict about it, just be free and be you,” she said.
The song will be released as part of a collection with those of other finalists.
Joy also won a $1000 music shop gift card, which she plans to spend on a keyboard, and the chance to sing her song at the annual Play it Strange Awards in October – in what will be her first public performance as a singer.
Authors at library
The Friends of Takapuna Library group has a busy few months of events organised, including book launches by several locals.
Milford-based medical doctor Frances Pitsilis has written Well Woman, a health book with diet, lifestyle and other tips on maximising wellbeing and managing stress, hormones and ageing, which draws on her 30 years experience as an integrative medical specialist. She will speak on Thursday 12 September from 6pm to 7.30pm, with guests Allison Roe and Christine Rankin.
Next up on Wednesday 18 September is a sports history session from 6pm, with Ryan Bodman, the author of Rugby League in New Zealand: A People’s History, which won the illustrated non-fiction prize at this year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
Best-selling Takapuna author Rose Carlyle is booked for 24 October to talk about her new thriller, No One Will Know, which follows her breakthrough success with The Girl in the Mirror. Events begin with light refreshments and for catering purposes and to reserve a seat, those wishing to attend should email takapunaevents@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or call (09) 890 4900.
09 666 0714
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Cash for Schools 2024
Watch a movie, enter the draw and earn your school cash!
Watch any movie during the T3/T4 school holidays at Takapuna Beachside Cinemas. Fill in the online form, and we donate $1 to your school and put you into the draw to win one of three $100 gift cards.
At the end of the holidays, we will total up the entries, donate money back to your school and draw our three prize winners.
1 Primary, 1 Intermediate & 1
The write stuff... Joy Feng with pop veteran Jordan Luck during his visit to Westlake Girls High School for a mentoring session
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