7 July 2023 Rangitoto Observer

Warnings to safeguard

West End skills shared with

Extra floor for library latest idea to house hub

Adding a third storey to the library has emerged as a surprise option to create a community hub for Takapuna.

But as with an alternative proposal for a new facility in a building in Waiwharariki Anzac Square, a funding shortfall would require ratepayer or council top-up.

The surprise library expansion sugges-

tion emerged last week when the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board said it had signed off in a recent confidential workshop on selling the rundown Mary Thomas Centre around the corner on Gibbons Rd.

That will be disposed of by Auckland Council’s property arm, Eke Panuku, with proceeds to go back into Takapuna facilities.

Board chair Toni van Tonder said the cost of creating community services at the library would be considerably less than a hub on several floors of leased space in a private building, yet to be built in the square.

It also offered a way to future-proof the well-loved, council-owned library building

To page 7

Fan zone... Takapuna Boating Club commodore James Jordan bedecked in Norwegian bunting, and club member Sandra Smedhäll, who is an official ambassador for the Swedish women’s football team, preparing to turn the venue into “Klubb Skandinavien” for Women’s World Cup match-watching, beginning late this month. Story, page 6.

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Axe hangs over local events as charitable trust defunded

A raft of community events are under threat with the complete withdrawal of local-board funding from a local charitable trust.

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has told the Takapuna North Community Trust (TNCT) that all board funding will be cut for the next financial year, throwing its future into doubt.

The trust runs events such as those underway this month for Matariki. It also puts on children’s playgroups, mother-and-bub fitness sessions and art classes, along with senior and youth forums, and other community-building exercises.

It received $120,000 in local-board funding for 2022-23. It also gets smaller amounts to run specific events and seeks grants from other non-council sources.

The TNCT board, and that of its southern counterpart, the Devonport Peninsula Trust (DPT), were informed by the local board late last month that the funding plug will be pulled for 2023-24. This was due to be ratified at a board meeting on 4 July, shortly after this issue went to print.

The TNCT, which covers the area from Hauraki Corner north to Sunnynook, employs a manager, Natasha Geo, who has been in the role for less than a year, along with two part-time co-ordinators.

Local-board chair Toni van Tonder said the board, with less money to distribute, had looked hard at its community-development strategy and decided on a less events-based, more “grass-roots” model to better connect with changing communities, including those from ethnic and migrant groups.

The plan was to bolster the role of the Sunnynook Community Centre and the

Devonport Community House, with a community coordinator to be based at each. This would be funded with around half the money saved by defunding the two trusts which are housed separately in other council buildings.

“I feel dreadfully for the people who are impacted, when there are redundancies,” van Tonder said. Trust staff were valued contributors and decisions had been tough,

Conversations with the TCNT had been held over months, she said. Those about winding down its operations were ongoing.

Auckland Council has required cuts of $126,000 to the board’s discretionary spending. While this was down from the $810,000 initially flagged the board had stuck with its decision on the trusts, because it believed the new model was better, said van Tonder.

Environmental groups Pupuke Birdsong Project and Restoring Takuranga Hauraki look like being the winners in the subsequent contest for funding.

This has been partly due to community feedback that rated the environment and water quality as top priorities.

The two groups also receive money from regional budgets. Pupuke Birdsong has operated under the wing of the TNCT, with its Devonport peninsula counterpart having recently established itself as a separate entity.

Bigger arts groups that operate venues, including the Lake House Centre and the PumpHouse, have been provided bridging finance from the board for the first quarter of the year, while their ongoing allocations are finalised.

It is understood the TCNT is keen to explore options to keep operating.

Authorised by Simon Watts, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

Ceiling cave-in forces meeting move

A ceiling collapse at the local board’s meeting room in Takapuna has seen members and staff shifted to other council facilities on the North Shore to hold meetings.

This included the board’s final deliberations in its first open budget workshop on Tuesday this week which was rescheduled

to the Kaipatiki board offices in Glenfield.

Another meeting was held at the Upper Harbour board’s offices in Albany.

The collapse of ceiling panels occurred on Thursday 27 June at the leased offices on The Strand and was due to a leak. No one was injured as the room was not in use.

published or broadcast without the

Star yachties on hand for midwinter plunge

people are encouraged to immerse themselves in the sea for 30 seconds or longer to raise awareness for ocean conservation. This year, more than a dozen people from the Westlake Girls High School rowing team and Milford’s Awataha Young Mariners took the plunge at Milford Beach.

Sisters (from left) Natalie, Ashleigh and Danielle Robertson participated in the Live Oceans Winter Dip on 22 June, which was attended by the environmental foundation’s founders, top yachtsmen Peter Burling (left) and Blair Tuke (right). The foundation runs the annual winter-solstice event in which

Opinion split over revived Milford boardwalk plan

Environmentalists are strongly opposing a plan for a boardwalk beside the Milford estuary, just as the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has voted to pump $1 million into the project.

While other Milford interests are delighted at the new funding commitment, a leading figure in a local-board-funded environmental group fears wildlife would be threatened if a currently secluded habitat was made accessible to people and pests.

“These areas are important environmental habitats,” said Pupuke Birdsong Project environmental coordinator Tabitha Becroft.

“We need spaces that are left alone for our native species to thrive in.”

The construction of a boardwalk would have a “huge” impact on an area highly likely to be a habitat for the rare banded rail and other native birds such as kingfishers and herons. For a “shy little bird” such as the banded rail, bringing humans into the mangroves would have a significant impact. A boardwalk would also give easy access to dogs, cats and rats.

“We would hate for a boardwalk to go in there and have another area inundated with pests.”

Becfroft also questioned the wisdom of investing so much money in an area prone to extreme flooding, where it was at risk of being “wiped out” in a weather event. Viewing platforms overlooking the estuary could be installed instead, she suggested.

In contrast, Milford Business Association manager Murray Hill warmly welcomed the board’s decision to divert money from a Hauraki-to-Esmonde Rd path to a Milford project long in the planning but that had gone into abeyance due to a lack of funding.

“It’s good to see it back on stream,” he said. “We’ve got great support from the community.”

Locals had previously embraced fundraising ideas such as giving donations for

Birds showcased in new paint job for hall

A new mural celebrating the nearby estuary environment has been painted on the exterior of the Milford Senior Citizens Club (MSCC) Hall at the Milford Shopping Centre.

Club president Norma Bott said the mural, by freelance artist Jonny 4Higher, was commissioned as part of the club’s goal to make the hall more lively and known in the community. It depicts Milford Beach and estuary, and its birdlife.

The artist said it had been a pleasure to work in Milford. “Everyone had positive feedback which I thrive off.”

Picture this... Depictions of banded rails on the MSCC hall individual planks. “I think it would be great for Milford and great for the area altogether.”

The 390m timber boardwalk from Inga Rd to Omana Rd, bridging Wairau Creek, would provide a pedestrian link between Milford Beach and the coastal walkway to Milford and Lake Pupuke. A council plan describes it as having “low impact” on the environment and “offering opportunities to provide ecological enhancement” in reserves.

The local board voted 5-1 to put $1 million towards the Milford project after Auckland Transport (AT) failed to guarantee funding to build the Hauraki-to-Esmonde route. The total cost of the boardwalk has been estimated around $3 million.

The decision at last month’s board meeting aimed to retain funding which AT had told the board a week earlier might not be rolled over for 2023-24.

Board chair Toni van Tonder said the board did not want to see the money disappear from the community.

He said the main influences on his work are Māori and Pasifica art styles and nature. The Christchurch man, who has long lived in Auckland, has been doing murals for 12 years.

Board member George Wood, who was concerned the board was being hasty, cast the sole vote against the transfer. Other members considered the Milford option advanced a project that had been on its priority list over several board terms. Deputy chair Terence Harpur said: “We want reallocations, so the community doesn’t keep missing out.”

Van Tonder said the board had been able to deliver very little from its share of the transport capital fund in recent years, given $3.8 million previously allocated to the Hauraki path had been cut under the Covid Emergency Budget.

Harpur said AT had suggested it could now cost $7-9 million, up from an earlier $5 million estimate. Both that and the Milford project have only had high-level costings.

Van Tonder later told the Observer that carrying over the board’s current-year allocation and combining it with next year’s money for a total of $2.5 million could go a long way towards the Milford project.

After a rollercoaster six months, the rocky ride for community groups and their staff and volunteers is nearing its end.

From experiencing sick-to-the-stomach moments on learning Auckland Council was slashing the funding local boards get to dole out to them, to going into free-fall on how to cope with cuts, to then learning last month that much of the money was reinstated, the wild ride to budget 2023-24 has taken them from agonised to exhausted.

The same could be said for the six elected members of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board (DTLB), who since late last year have faced the grim task of divvying up who gets what. This they have done diligently and without undue division. But they will get little public recognition for it, being the deliverers of tough tidings.

Already conveyed is the defunding of the Takapuna North Community Trust. A final budget workshop, being held as this issue went to press, included recommendations for a big reduction for another trust, Auckland North Community and Development (Ancad). Smaller chops were also on the table for arts organisations and town centre business groups, with rates rebates set to be reduced for some sports groups.

Final amounts, and the local board’s work programme, will be decided at the board’s monthly meeting on 18 July.

The board itself has gone from facing a $810,000 cut of its discretionary spending to

losing $126,000 after councillors moderated the Mayor’s initial budget proposal, by way of airport share sales and a 7.7 per cent rate rise for households.

But there’s wider council cutting spending on the likes of parks and roads and boards, so the challenge for the DTLB is what it can be seen to deliver locally. Guided by public feedback it is prioritising environmental programmes. It also wants to better meet the needs of youth and new and emerging communities. An analysis of previous grants, showed its northern area was being shortchanged. Rebalancing this on a trimmed grants budget won’t be easy.

It seems the board is also gambling on thinking big as another way to stamp its mark.

Convincing Auckland Transport to carry over the board contribution it has on hold for the Hauraki-Esmonde pathway and put it to use for a Milford boardwalk won’t be easy. AT has already stalled the Lake Rd upgrade, so is well used to leaving community aspirations idling. The board’s bid for public support for a targeted rate towards a Takapuna community hub will be a longshot. But looking at new approaches, has led to the inspired idea of seeing if a revamped Takapuna Library can take another storey to create a hub there. Dream next step, shame the council to chip in, seeing it paid for Devonport’s $8 million library and zoned Takapuna as a metropolitan centre. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Janetta Mackay, Editor

Takapuna boaties set up Cup zone

Takapuna Boating Club will be transformed into “Klubb Skandinavien” during the Fifa Women’s World Cup.

Club member Sandra Smedhäll – who is originally from Stockholm – was nominated to be a community champion for Sweden during the event. When she mentioned the role at the club, members immediately wanted to help out. “Straight away it was how can the club help?”

It decided to become a fan hub for supporters of the Scandanivian teams. The club will show seven of their nine group-stage games and any knockout games the nations contest. Dishes such as Swedish meatballs and pickled herrings will be served and part of the venue will be decked out in the teams’ colours.

Club Commodore James Jordan said the involvement was “super-exciting”. The similarity between the club’s flag and Sweden’s has prompted travelling Swedes to come in and ask about it, he said.

Smedhäll, who has been facetiming the Swedish FA and some players said they were excited to hear about the club’s plans.

It is offering a temporary membership for people wanting to watch cup games. The club hopes for a big turnout of supporters when New Zealand takes on Norway at Eden Park in the opening match on 20 July.

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Board hatches new plan for hub with a view

From page

and “to make use of the amazing sea view”.

The latest board proposal would, like the square plan, be tested by seeking public feedback on people’s willingness to be charged a targeted rate to part-pay for it, van Tonder said. If that was not forthcoming then: “We may have to advocate hard to the governing body for support or find something else to optimise,” she said.

“Optimising” is council jargon for selling assets. This could be the Community Services Building by the library, van Tonder confirmed to the Observer. It is home to the War Memorial Hall and offices for community groups, including fitting in those recently moved out of the leaking two-storey Mary Thomas Centre, which requires re-roofing.

Remodelling the library was as yet uncosted, she said. But she told the Observer the board had set aside $100,000 of its $1.2 million local initiatives budget for 2023-24 for Eke Panuku to explore the feasibility of this. This would include establishing the building’s weight-bearing capacity for an added storey. A report is expected to be considered in about six months.

The idea would be to retain the library on the ground floor and the one above, with reconfigured floor plans to use its space more efficiently. Room would be provided to keep the regionally significant northern heritage

research facilities and the Angela Morton art book collection in Takapuna, she said.

Community groups would get a new third level on the 1980s-era building. To make the most of the unique site and volcanic viewshaft, an indoor-outdoor flow would provide an attractive flexible space for use and hire. An architecturally-designed uplifting project built to serve the community longer than the existing library would result, she said. While the total floor area would be less than having three buildings, it would be a more modern user-friendly space.

“Community groups might need to have shared space – like we do in council,” she added.

The targeted rate proposal, revealed in the last issue of the Observer, was questioned at the annual meeting of the Takapuna Residents Association late last month.

Van Tonder knows any extra rate will be a hard sell, but she says with the addition of the library option for feedback she hopes people will see the board is dealing creatively with the area’s tired assets in a bid to come up with something future-proofed.

“The question on a targeted rate is whether people want a brilliant future central hub, with an exciting facility on Waiwharariki Anzac Square or to make the most of the library’s unique location and create it there.”

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she said. Money would also be available to go into the pot to reduce hub costs from the previously agreed sale of the empty former library at No 2 The Strand.

Eke Panuku plans to market No. 2 later in the year, but has no confirmed deadline for a sale of the Mary Thomas Centre.

Asked where the board offices might be located, van Tonder said her personal preference was for them to be incorporated in the hub rather than remain in leased commercial space on The Strand.

The board had not discussed this, she added. But her view was the facilities should be brought together, making democratic representatives more visible.

Van Tonder said she hoped people would engage with the process of giving feedback on what was an important decision for the area. “I want people to know we don’t take a fixed position on this.” No final decision would be made by the board until it considered Eke Panuku’s analysis and public feedback. If a targeted rate is rejected, it would be back to the drawing board.

Feedback will be taken through the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board Plan consultation process, due to get under way from 13 July for a month. To encourage people to participate, extra efforts will soon be made by the board to tell people how to do this, or once consultation opens go online at akhaveyoursay.co.nz.

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Japanese game hosted at youth hub

A Takapuna youth hub is at the forefront of introducing a techno sport to Australasia.

Shore Junction is the only place in the region where gaming fans can try Japanese augmented-reality game Hado.

The game is similar to dodgeball, with teams of up to three players attempting to score points by eliminating opposition players – shooting ‘energy balls’ at them and blocking opposition efforts with shields.

Rounds last 80 seconds and the team with the most eliminations wins.

Players wear a headset with an iPhone inside that displays the game’s augmented elements and another phone on a wrist to capture the motions of shooting the balls and using shields.

Creative Technologist at Shore Junction Connor Green brought the game to the youth hub, though he told the Observer it wasn’t his original plan.

Green and Shore Junction wanted to expand on the gaming capability at the centre by creating an e-sports league.

To do so they needed to upgrade the centre’s “Frankenstein’’ PCs made out of donated parts so had started looking for partnerships to help make that happen.

Green met with representatives of tech company Playtech, who told him they couldn’t sponsor new PCs but they could show him a new game they had.

Playtech was struggling to build a player base for Hado and Green saw an opportunity to do so by introducing it to the young people that visit the hub.

An agreement was made that Shore Junction would house the equipment needed for the game while Playtech would retain ownership of the equipment and Hado licence.

Green rates the game highly and believes it offers a great mix of gaming and physical activity.

“It’s like going to the gym and running on the treadmill, but it’s enjoyable.

“It’s completely non-contact, which is great in my opinion because you can’t get hurt unless you trip over.”

Green plans to train a team to take to Japan to represent New Zealand at the Hado World Cup in October.

Hado in Japan is paying for the accommodation and the New Zealand E-Sports Confederation is paying for the flights.

The game is increasing in popularity globally, with leagues being established out-

side Asia. In a European Championship last year England defeated defending champion Turkey in the final.

The game has attracted a lot of interest in its first months at Shore Junction, and Green is visiting North Shore schools to show students the game and hopefully recruit more players.

“Everyone who plays it thinks it’s a real cool game. Some don’t play again, but everyone gets enjoyment out of it.”

Longer term, Green wants to start a North Shore league

For more information and to sign up to play go to shorejunction.nz/hado.html.

It’s a blast... Connor Green (above, and at right) with cutting-edge electronic gaming gear at Shore Junction in Takapuna

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Housing changes cost millions

Cash-strapped Auckland Council has spent millions implementing government directives on greater intensification – which are now threatened by National’s rethink on the issue.

Labour and National joined forces in a bipartisan accord to pass a National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) in 2022, which directed city councils to allow the building of three, three-storey town houses on single sites in many suburbs.

Auckland Council was required by central government to implement changes to its planning rules to allow for the greater intensification. At the end of May, the external costs for implementing the NPS-UD sat at $3.9 million, according to figures released to the Observer’s sister paper, the Devonport Flagstaff under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.

The bill included legal, planning and other professional services, as well as communications and engagement activities to inform Aucklanders about Proposed Plan Change 78 – Intensification, said Auckland Council general manager for plans and places, John Duguid. But internal/staff costs were on top, and had been met through existing budgets.

The entire plan-change process has been complicated by the flood and cyclone damage across Auckland earlier this year. The government has allowed a year’s deferral of the intensification plan changes because of that.

Harbour Hospice marks milestones

Forty years of care in the community have been celebrated by Harbour Hospice, in tandem with the official opening of its upgraded Takapuna facility.

More than 200 donors, supporters, volunteers and staff gathered at the multimillion-dollar redevelopment at Shea Tce last month, to hear hospice chief executive Jan Nichols put the project and the organisation’s success down to “the unwavering support and loyalty of the community”.

“Forty years ago, a pioneering group of volunteers started the very first hospice on the North Shore. We now care for more than 1200 patients and their families from Devonport to Te Hana each year, with more than 230 staff and 1200 volunteers.”

The redevelopment, built over two years and opened in stages from last year, helped future-proof the organisation, she said. It meant hospice could extend its reach to more people, young and old, and lead the way in providing world-class, specialist end-of-life care. This was both at the hospice, with its 15 patient rooms, whanau area and extended space for day programmes and staff, but also to the nearly 40 per cent of people in its care who died at home.

The day proved an emotional one for many attending, with it being the first time many had been in the completed hospice.

The charity raised $10 million from the community for the redevelopment, which Nichols said was humbling.

The remaining $10 million for the project came from money accrued over many years in its development foundation.

“We are so very proud of what we’ve achieved together, which will serve the community for decades to come,” Nichols said.

Opening address... Hospice board chair Ann Todd

in bricks and mortar and decades

Kennedy Park advice slated

Auckland Council community facilities staff who suggested sealing off the old military tunnels and demolishing Kennedy Park’s barracks have been told by Heritage New Zealand and council’s own heritage team they would oppose this.

Options for the neglected heritage-listed World War II era fortifications in Castor Bay were to be discussed again at a local board workshop as the Observer went to print. “It does appear that decommissioning and / or demolishing are not being recommended, so we’re relieved about that,” said Castor Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association chair Hamish Anderson. But getting a commitment from the council for restoration and ongoing maintenance remained a priority. Indications were it would likely take several months before a plan was decided, he said. A petition the association launched with the Kennedy Park WWII Installations Preservations Trust to save the fortifications has been signed by more than 1200 people since early June, when this paper revealed the threat to the site.

Auckland Civic Trust and Devonport Heritage have also written to the board about their concern as advice from council staff to it suggested demolition of the barracks at 139 Beach Rd was an option and omitted outlining the building’s heritage status. Heritage grants should be explored, they said.

Moving moments... Harbour Hospice supporters (front row, from left) Sally Tetro from Hauraki, Liz Douglas-Brown from Milford and inspiring “aunty” Pat St Claire from Glenfield, who was an early fundraiser for the organisation, at its Shea Tce facilities official opening

Sunnynook Primary pupils help with planting

Senior Sunnynook Primary students planted native trees at Lyford Reserve last Wednesday, helping restore an area damaged during the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.

The planting is part of Auckland Council’s ‘Adopt a Park’ programme, under which students do conservation work such as pest monitoring, weeding and tree planting to learn about their local natural spaces.

The students visit the reserve multiple times a year, mostly weeding, but also

helping with other conservation work such as pest monitoring and litter collection.

The area the students were planting in last week is on the west side of the reserve.

During the floods, water flowed through from the top of the reserve, leaving behind refuse and turning the area into a muddy mess.

Pupuke Birdsong Project environmental coordinator Tabitha Becroft said the new trees would restore the area and provide flood mitigation for the future, as the roots

will help retain the soil.

The plants were from the Kaipatiki Project plant nursery.

Year 5/6 teacher at Sunnynook Primary, Monica Duffield, told the Observer the students have been learning the concept of kaitiakitanga, so the planting was a good way of putting their understanding of guardianship into practice.

Becroft said doing physical work such as planting and weeding helps the children feel a sense of connection and involvement.

Planting pals... (from left) Hayden Fish and David Chen (both 10), and Riley Cooper (9) and Jack Greenwood (10) were among the Sunnynook Primary group planting at Lyford Reserve

Spade work... (from left) Keira Lorier-May, Isabella Holt-Coetzee, Illidan Aulsford, Noah Crisford and Matthew Mildenhall take a break from digging

Night nature watch

Pupuke Birdsong Project is running a guided night-time tour of Lyford Reserve on 20 July, between 7.30 and 9pm, on which locals can learn about the creatures such as spiders, eels and birds that inhabit the reserve.

Seal season warning

Seal season has begun, with the Department of Conservation (DOC) warning people to steer clear of any arriving on local beaches. Between May and September, seals of various ages leave their breeding colonies to explore and rest, and are frequently spotted ashore. DOC recommends keeping dogs on a leash, keeping 20m away from the visitors, never getting between a seal and the sea, never to touch or feed them and to report any deaths or distressed animals.

Library cupboard popular

A community library cupboard is proving a popular addition outside the Sunnynook Community Centre. The bright-blue library is next to the community pantry, with locals welcome to take a book, or drop some off. It is an East Coast Bays Rotary initiative built by Glenfield Men’s Shed.

Tuesday 18 July 2023 4pm and 6pm

Event Centre - 2 Wairau Road, Takapuna

For more information visit: westlakegirls.school.nz/open-night

Small beginnings... Sunyu Kwak (10, left) and Thinsu Kyaw (9) with a tree they’re about to plant

Friends of Takapuna Library: Why pay for new facility?

Takapuna already has a very good library, so a proposal to locate it in a new community hub in the town square and for this to be part-funded by a targeted rate should be rethought, says Friends of the Library spokesperson Ruth Ell.

Speaking at a Devonport-Takapuna Local Board meeting forum late last month, Ell questioned “a one-size fits all” approach.

She told board members she had visited Te Manawa, a combined West Auckland library/ hub cited by the board as an example of the sort of facility that Takapuna might have in the central square redevelopment, but concluded it was a very different community.

Rather than being a greenfields development like the one at Westgate, Takapuna was an established and growing centre with more existing community space than it might end up with.

“In our library there are two taonga, Research North, with important and well-used local and regional literary resources, and the Angela Morton Room, which is unique in New Zealand and of international importance.” This housed the biggest publicly accessible art collection in Australasia, with over 10,000 items.

“We think both of these important collections should stay in Takapuna,” Ell said.

The library also contained a tile mural of Te Ika a Maui by E. Mervyn Taylor that celebrated the communications cable that came ashore at Takapuna Beach.

Ell urged board members to stick with the library, which had parking beneath and a lift, making it convenient for families and older people. The library had room for study and events. She acknowledged, however, that the existing facilities did need “tweaking” and refurbishment.

“There is little to say about the targeted rate. Why would we pay for a new library when we already have a very good one?”

Ell was speaking before the board revealed its alternative plan – outlined in this

issue’s lead story – to build another level on a revamped library to add a community hub there.

To part-fund a hub either at the square or at the library, the board has included the targeted rate proposal in its Local Board Plan. This opens for community feedback this month.

Of the square plan, Ell said if there was overwhelming public support for this approach, library space there should not be less than in the current standalone building. Any square hub would also be best sited in a building, close to Potters Park and Anzac St, rather than the plan to have it at the south end of the square. The northern

location would be easier to access and have a bigger footprint, she said.

Any hub needed to be big enough to be worthy of a metro centre and parking needs also had to be considered, Ell added.

The hub should also include a council help desk, open when the library was closed, given reduced library hours loomed as a possibility, said Ell.

• Correction. The proposal for a targeted rate to help pay for a combined Takapuna community hub and library originated with the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, not from council property arm Eke Panuku, as was mistakenly reported in the Observer issue of 23 June.

Takapuna Residents Association out to boost numbers

The Takapuna Residents Association (TRA) is halving its subscription costs to $10 a year in a bid to boost membership.

The organisation adopted the measure at its recent annual meeting. It is keen for more people to become involved as it focuses on what local issues to prioritise.

Issues raised by 20-plus people at the meeting ranged from housing intensification to the future of community assets, including Takapuna Library. Auckland Council was urged to ensure access to the coastal track to Milford is safeguarded.

Concerns about road safety, possible loss of a pocket park at the Spencer on Byron and inappropriate planting on green spaces in reserves were also on people’s minds.

So too, the need for clearer council leadership on emergency management.

Board member George Wood attended and faced questioning, especially about the board looking at a targeted rate for a new community hub.

He said it was a proposal, and it was up to community members to make their views known, which they could do in feedback to the local-board plan.

Meeting chair Michelle Morrison said the TRA was keen to continue developing its relationship with the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board as a recognised voice for residents.

It had been involved in traffic consultations and had made submissions on various planning applications, she said, but with limited resources and a small membership needed to work out what to prioritise.

Committee member Sandra Allen said it

was disappointing that when the board gave planning feedback over a 39-storey tower proposal for the Gasometer site it asked for a condition to be imposed on developers to keep the Takapuna Beach Business Association informed of construction plans, but not the TRA.

The TRA has a mailing list of just under 1000 people, and is keen to turn more of them into active members.

Chair Steven Salt, who was unable to attend the AGM due to illness, was re-elected, with two new members added to the committee.

It hopes a new website and logo it has developed will be another way of engaging residents.

For information about the organisation, go to takapunara.org.nz

Back to the future... Takapuna Library’s place in the community is up for debate, including how to pay for any shift or upgrade

Grandiose hub concept not backed by data

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board is flying an unstable kite suggesting we locate our current Takapuna Library and the many associated community services in a building yet to be built on a site already owned by a developer. This rather grandiose proposal is not accompanied by any financial analysis or cost/benefit data.

The current Takapuna Library, that we own, needs a new roof and a plan to upgrade. Takapuna residents, or any other yet-to-beidentified ratepayer, should not be lumbered for an undefined time with yet another rate on top of the new council rate increase (and future increases). The Central Auckland Library just got a new roof with a roof top garden; Bob Harvey made sure West Aucklanders got a complete new library without extra rating; Orewa Library will get a new roof allocated from the recent council budget and Devonport got a new library courtesy of the council’s central funds.

Its highly unfortunate that when Panuku, with council’s permission, sold off the Takapuna Car Park area, the proceeds went to council’s coffers. This was a myopic outcome. If a community hub is built over several floors, we will be paying commercial rent on a forever basis.

When No 2 The Strand was a library, the then North Shore Council wisely placed a stipulation on the building, ensuring that should it be sold, the funds must return to the local community. The sale proceeds of that building, in such a prime site, can contribute to the new roofing of the buildings we actually own.

It has been stated that the previous local board did not make a decision on the fate of the current library. In fact, Ruth Jackson, Jan O’Connor and I fought hard to get a better deal. We identified the current library, Mary Thomas Centre and Community Services buildings could continue to be a great community-owned asset. The CAB, the Takapuna Budgeting Service and other groups could expand. It was clear Panuku representatives were deaf to these proposals. We questioned Panuku’s desire to focus on renting one of the square developers’ new buildings.

It’s ironic that we are being asked to consider renting space in the old carpark area, Waiwharariki Anzac Square, when less than 10 years ago this community owned the land.

Trish Deans

Sunday market hiatus looms as operators depart

Takapuna’s Sunday market may temporarily close from the end of August, when the existing operator’s lease ends.

Any gaps in trading until a new operator took over should be kept as brief as possible, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board urged Auckland Council property arm Eke Panuku after learning of the possible hiatus.

Eke Panuku’s northern priority location director, Kate Cumberpatch, told the board last month it hoped for a quick transition to a new operator. “But I don’t think it matters if we have a few weeks or a couple of months between markets, we’ve had that before.”

After Covid breaks, the market had bounced back, she said.

Board chair Toni van Tonder responded: “There’s a big difference between a couple of weeks and a couple of months.”

Members underlined the importance of the market to Takapuna’s vitality and its flow-on effect to other businesses. George Wood said Takapuna people he had spoken to were anxious about what was going to happen. And businesses were keen to see people drawn through to Hurstmere Rd.

Operators for more than 30 years Trish Keith and Ess Jenner gave notice on their lease in May, citing concern about the reduced space and access for stall holders in the Waiwharariki Anzac Town Square space which Eke Panuku is delivering. The

square is on track for completion in August. The board, as landholder, signed off on Eke Panuku seeking expressions of interest for a new market operator on a five-year term.

The board requested that Eke Panuku come up with lease conditions that would deliver a weekly, open-air market of quality goods, including fruit and vegetables. Current stallholders should be given booking priority, provided they met conditions, and entertainers should be encouraged on site.

They thanked the outgoing operators for their contribution to the community.

The board had heard earlier in its meeting from local resident Gary Walker, who operates the smaller Britomart market and has a honey stand at Takapuna. He had reviewed the access plans Eke Panuku had put to the outgoing operators and predicted chaos.

Expecting 70 to 90 stallholders to gain access to the square for unloading via a service lane would be too hard, he said.

A quick transition of operators and expansion to Hurstmere Rd was needed, he said.

Board deputy chair Terence Harpur backed the overflow idea but said Auckland Transport requirements to close the road cost $5000 to $6000.

To deal with this, the board asked Eke Panuku to install traffic-management measures entering Hurstmere Rd, to allow low-cost closing for market and other events.

Takapuna keen to send-off stalwarts in style as season hots up

The Takapuna premier rugby side is playing for two milestone-makers this weekend in its North Harbour semifinal against Massey, away at Moire Park.

It beat East Coast Bays 29-20 in a scrappy quarterfinal last weekend.

Stalwart Marty Brink will play his 99th game for Takapuna this Saturday in the semi-final away at Moire Park. A win would mean he would celebrate his 100th match for the blue and golds in the North Harbour final.

Inspirational coach Aaron Katipa (pictured) marks his 70th match this weekend. The game could be his last, though he is hoping to go another week. He plans to retire at the end of the season after five years as premiers coach.

In a Covid-disrupted tenure Katipa has coached the side to a championship in 2022 and a final in 2021. This year has essentially been a rebuilding year after 15 of the 2022 side left for higher honours with Super rugby contracts, or playing overseas.

New Zealand Sevens player Moses Leo has returned for the playoffs.

Moana Pacifica player Lotu Inisi is in the squad against Massey, but his brother midfielder Fini is out as he is with the Tongan World Cup rugby team.

Chiefs player Bryn Gatland, who was

a match-winner in last year’s final, is still out with injury as is halfback/first five Jack Heighton.

Midfielder Jordan Hyland is back in the starting lineup.

“Massey has beaten us this year. This match is our final… we are putting everything into it – the guys are really hoping for a big one for Marty, so he can make his 100 in the final,”Katipa said.

The 2023 season has turned up a few surprises. Aaron’s son Bailey has shifted from number 12 to loosened prop with great success.

He was on the field for the full 80 minutes in each of Takapuna’s last six games and was named player of the day against East Coast Bays.

Younger players such as Jack Lee and Tristyn Cook, both 18, have developed strongly over 2023 and would be on the bench on Saturday.

Takapuna almost beat fellow competition heavyweight North Shore in its final match of pool play, pinning its opponents inside the 22 for much of the match, with an attacking brand of running rugby, which it would continue on Saturday.

“We want people to come out to watch rugby and be entertained and watch tries being scored,” Katipa said.

TFC in hunt for point

Takapuna Football Club suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Western Springs AFC last Saturday. But a loss by Bay Olympics to Birkenhead United, by the same score, means the yellow and blues remain second to last, rather than bottom of the table. They are one point away from climbing out of the relegation zone and will get another chance to do this in their next game which is away to Hamilton Wanderers on 15 July.

Runners on long haul

Members of Westlake Boys High School’s talented distance running team have travelled to Kenya to experience high-altitude training. During their time in the leading running nation they fitted in a side trip to a game reserve, in what is an annual adventure. Before the holidays, Westlake’s six-strong senior team claimed first place in the national cross-country championship team race.

Silver in squash

Westlake Girls had to settle for silver at Auckland Secondary Schools Squash Teams Championship, going down 4-1 to Shore rivals Takapuna Grammar. The final ended a strong run for the team which is led by NZ schools representative Lucy Cadness-Aspinall. It hopes to turn the tables at nationals next month.

New play ideas could be as easy falling off a log

Jacquelyn Collins is a woman on a mission – to make children’s play more adventurous and less managed.

The Auckland Council play-advocacy adviser is asking local boards across the city to support a new approach, and says some suburbs already boast good examples.

These include swings on street trees, tree houses and opportunities for children to climb and jump in public spaces.

Encouraging children to play freely is a good thing, she says.

It also keeps them engaged in play longer, whereas older children soon outgrow most standard council playgrounds.

Introducing traditional Māori play elements into public parks is another idea she supports to engage people in having fun and being active.

Collins says leaving the likes of a fallen tree to climb on in a council reserve is another example of the sort of lower-cost option she has been trialling, albeit with the tree trimmed for safety.

This was being piloted elsewhere on the North Shore, she told the DevonportTakapuna Local Board at a workshop.

Collins would like the design of public spaces to be done in a way that children

Hop

can enjoy. One example she gave was in Sunnynook, where a community project had painted hopscotch squares on a footpath, using te reo for numbering.

The area outside Devonport library also provided a fine example of how this could be done, she said, with a sculpture of Benjamin, the late library cat, being something that

would draw children’s attention and the seating nearby robust enough to be climbed and walked on.

Other more ambitious ideas she wants to encourage include ‘play streets’ where, with the approval of authorities, streets are temporarily closed, allowing for and games and activities to be set up to encourage community get-togethers.

The concept was successfully trialled in 2021, with guidelines from Waka Kotahi, and Auckland Transport is looking into further pilots.

Board members praised Collins for her enthusiasm and expressed interest in some of the ideas.

But they questioned whether play streets might be costly because of transportmanagement requirements.

Board member Mel Powell also encouraged Collins to look at how various non-Western cultures liked to play to see if this was another opportunity to add diverse appeal to projects.

It was agreed that Collins would come back to the board later in the year to talk about more opportunities in its area.

The board wanted a clear understanding of who would do any work it authorised in local parks.

to it... This Sunnynook community initiative employs te reo Māori

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Wig out... Castor Bay locals Clayton and Gayle Coplestone got dressed up for the occasion.

Unicorn enterprise... Regular swimmer Dianna Bell (left) and her sister Helen Boram who made the trip from Whitianga

Grin and bear it... (from left) Andy Parker, Jack Caunter and Olivia Cameron were all smiles after their chilly plunge

West End expertise fine-tunes Westlake schools musical

Skills shared by international theatre professionals with students cast in the upcoming combined Westlake schools’ musical Into the Woods are ensuring the production is truly something to sing and dance about.

Top-notch choreographer Darren Royston and acclaimed musical director Mark Dorrell – who have both worked on shows in London’s West End – held workshops with the students last month.

Both are friends of Westlake Boys High School head of drama and theatre arts Nick Brown, dating back to his time in the UK theatre scene.

As the show’s producer and director, Brown, who has a PhD in drama, was able to convince his mates, one who was visiting New Zealand and the other who has relocated here, to lend a hand.

“We’ve been really lucky,” he says, explaining that among those Royston has taught dancing skills to are Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.

Wellington-based Dorrell, a former head of music at the Royal National Theatre, has also worked with big names, including Hugh Jackman, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judy Dench. He was in town as musical director for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s recent A Night of Sondheim.

A roster of 45 students performers and a crew of 10, drawn roughly equally from both schools, have enjoyed being able to tap into that added expertise, says Brown.

“The kids were really lucky to able to work with people of this calibre.” They were also enjoying the challenges of the musical itself, by a legend of the genre, Stephen Sondheim.

“We’ve done a lot of Sondheim here at Westlake because it’s so complex,” says Brown. Sweeney Todd, staged in 2017, won the school a Showdown Award.

Into the Woods, which debuted in the United States in 1986, is a “mash-up” of traditional fairy tales, Brown says. It has three main characters: the baker, the baker’s wife and the witch.

Their paths cross with other fairytale creatures, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack, of beanstalk-climbing fame.

A whimsical first half, in which the characters have to overcome challenges, turns into something darker as the story progresses.

Brown says the musical, which won Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book and in recent years, Best Revival, features the trademark beautiful, soaring Sondheim score.

Marshalling students from two schools to work on two annual productions staged midyear is a long-standing practice. Brown is focusing on Into the Woods, while Mary-Jean Milburn from Westlake Girls High School is steering the production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It a week later. “With the music and drama, we collaborate regularly and really successfully,” says Brown. A bevy of awards is testament to the success of the approach.

The two shows have separate casts, re-

flecting the popularity of the performing arts among students and eagerness to participate in extra-curricular shows, despite the time commitment.

Into the Woods itself has two casts, with 22 required per show. The back-up of a full understudy cast is a Covid-era precaution, but it also adds to participation rates, with all students guaranteed to appear on at least one of the show’s five nights.

Weekend workshops have been part of their preparation for the production, which was cast late last year. Rehearsals began in earnest in February.

Into the Woods also involves a 28-piece school orchestra. Parents and other supporters pitch in to help backstage.

Brown, who was born in Christchurch but raised in the UK, where he trained in theatre at the Guildford School, acted professionally, including in the West End.

He has also toured in lead roles in pantomime, worked in television and then got into directing. He and his wife chose to return to New Zealand to bring up their family. He has been at Westlake Boys since 2015.

The curriculum offers drama and stage management as options and while the students do not get NCEA credits for participating in the productions they build valuable experience.

For the audience, there is the opportunity to enjoy all their hard work and talent.

• Into the Woods, 18-22 July at Westlake Boys High School auditorium.

Every witch way... Gabby Galao as the baker’s wife, Arnav Pillai as the baker, and Katie Brown as the witch, are among cast members in the combined Westlake High Schools production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods

Big crowd attracted by schools’ Chinese Night

Westlake Girls and Boys High Schools combined to host their annual Chinese Night last month, drawing an audience of 1400 to enjoy cultural performances. The event raised $1500 for each school and $1000 for the Child Cancer Foundation.

Traditional performances... A Fan Dance and Lion Dance were among other items presented

Dance divas... (from left) Mizuki Osada, Dora Liu, Karah Ancog, Kristy Zhang, Ashley Hilvano and Milyn Suwanwanichkul bring a modern twist to the Westlake Chinese cultural night with their C-pop routine

Westlake singers tune in for top competition

Westlake high schools have again sung their way into the Big Sing Finale, the country’s largest and most prestigious choir competition, after three of their six choirs shone at the regional qualifier.

Voicemale from Westlake Boys High School, Cantare from Westlake Girls and mixed line-up Choralation have been chosen among the nation’s top 24 choirs to compete at the national event to be held at the Auckland Town Hall over 25-27 August.

The same venue was where the 62-strong Voicemale, directed by David Squire, was named best regional boys’ choir last month, for the eighth time in 10 years. Choralation, was named most outstanding choir overall and Cantare recognised as having the best programme for an upper voice choir.

Two Westlake senior music students also gained individual awards from the Choral Federation which runs Big Sing. In its choral composition competition, Matilda Faamausili’s original piece was judged best entry, with Bella Allan-Moetaua’s winning the te reo section.

Westlake Girls head of music Fiona Wilson, who leads both Chorolation and Cantare, says while it is competitive to get into the premier

choirs, the girls school prides itself on a programme catering for all of its 150 singers. This includes having one non-auditioned contemporary choir.

“The singers find their tribe in their choir whanau and are invested to work hard to contribute to developing their goals,” says Wilson. As part of this they perform in the community and get the chance to work with top adult choirs, orchestras and North Shore Brass.

The Westlake schools are the only ones from around the country that have more than one choir selected for the national Finale. They have a big reputation to live up to. In 2022, Cantare and Choralation were awarded gold medals and Voicemale a silver, with special awards also going to Cantare for the best performance of choral art music (non New Zealand) and Westlake Boys student William Squire winning a composition award.

This year, the choirs have had plenty of preparation, with a joint public performance at the Westlake Girls High School Events Centre. Choralation performed at St Matthew-in-theCity with the Auckland Chamber Choir and the University of Auckland Orchestra.

Westlake various other choirs also showed

their skills at local retirement villages and primary and intermediate schools.

“Local retirement villages look forward to us visiting every year,” said Wilson. Working with primary schools encouraged youngsters on the pathway when they got to secondary level.

Other North Shore choirs that will be represented at the 2023 Finale are Leonessa and Chorale from Takapuna Grammar and Euphony from Kristin School.

Big Sing has been running for more than 30 years. It is held in 10 centres, involving around 8000 students from more than 200 schools. To celebrate the wealth of talent beneath the Finale level, the Choral Federation also runs Cadenza festivals involving 60 choirs, with performances for the upper and lower North Island and the South Island.

Westlake Girls will be represented by its Notta Bella choir at the Upper North Island Cadenza to be held in Rotorua in mid-August. This will also feature Serenata from Rangitoto College.

The Westlake Girls Cigno Voice choir is on the reserve list for Cadenza, along with Rosmini College’s Chamber Choir – further underlining that the North Shore remains in good voice.

Milford / Takapuna Tides

Composition queens... Matilda Faamausili (left) and Bella Allan-Moetaua and the Cantare choir from Westlake Girls High School were among those recognised at the Auckland Town Hall

Outdoor Matariki show returns to PumpHouse

The Matariki play .co.nz returns to the PumpHouse this month with a fresh directorial approach.

Presented by Chocolate & Carnage Theatre, the play follows three friends navigating the complexity of modern life during the Matariki season.

On their journey they are confronted with issues such as discrimination and hate – and their own place within Māori culture.

It explores te ao Māori (the Maori world view) through the lens of Matariki and has themes of reflection, meditation, mourning, acceptance and celebration.

Playwright Mark Wilson wrote the play last year out of a feeling of “deep shame of what I would consider not knowing enough about my own culture”.

The story is linked to Wilson’s own journey of learning more about Māori culture and his connection with it.

Wilson, who also stars in the play, says he’s “thrilled” to share his story.

Director Meg Andrews said that to avoid doing the exact same show as last year, she “made it my mission to freshen it”.

The team had taken the elements that worked and enhanced them, while embracing making new additions such as a live musician.

Last year, the music was run through a sound system, but Andrews thought a live

Star power: locals celebrate the heavenly

Matariki season is in full swing, with plenty of ways to celebrate locally this month, before and after the public holiday on Friday, 14 July. Highlights include:

• Twilight Waiata Family Gathering. Come to the Sunnynook Community Centre to learn about Matariki, immerse yourself in Māori culture and create memories you won’t forget. Bring a plate for a potluck meal at this free event on 14 July, from 5pm to 7pm. See tnct.org.nz

• Matariki group exhibition Hauora is at Lake House Arts in Takapuna until 13 July. The works span multiple mediums, including sculpture, weaving and painting, and explore the Māori concept of hau ora – a holistic understanding of health and wellbeing.

• Join a lantern-making workshop at the Lake House on Friday 14 July, from 1pm to 4pm.

• The Takapuna Matariki Market is on 15 July, 9am-3pm, with stalls selling food and goods with a distinct Matariki flavour. Free workshops and live music will be on offer throughout the day at Waiwharariki Anzac Square and Hurstmere Green.

Devonport peninsula is also hosting a range of activities, including a hikoi up Maungauika this weekend For details, see the Devonport Peninsula Trust site, dpt.nz

musician would add to the ambience. Entry to performances is by koha rather than a set price, as Wilson wants everyone to feel welcome.

With the cost of living increasing, a ticket price “locks some people out and we don’t want to do that”, Wilson said.

The play is performed in the Pump-

House’s outdoor amphitheatre, which means the audience is exposed to the elements, but the experience is worth it, promise both Andrews and Wilson.

• The play .co.nz, runs from 11-15 July, optional koha of $5-$30. Wet-weather gear and a blanket recommended in case of rain. More information at pumphouse.co.nz

Under the stars... Actor and playwright Mark Wilson (left) on stage with co-stars Āria Harrison-Sparke and Jordan Henare in last year’s production of .co.nz

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