3 March 2023 Rangitoto Observer

Massive flood damage disrupts Shore sports

Thousands of sports participants face months of playing at alternative venues across the North Shore in the wake of serious flood damage to major facilities, including several in Forrest Hill.

School, club and social competitions and training sessions will all be disrupted.

Harbour Basketball, Tennis Northern and

Badminton North Harbour are among organisations juggling limited indoor playing space while contemplating expensive repairs or rebuilds. Come summer sports season, volleyball and futsal will also be disrupted, when Netball North Harbour re-lays arena flooring. Three groups’ facilities east of the Northern Motorway below Tristram Ave were particu-

larly badly hit. Badminton North Harbour fears its centre – the country’s leading badminton venue – will be out of action for nine to 12 months.

It was meant to have hosted the Oceania Championships in mid-February, but was left a smelly shell by the floods of 27 January.

To page 4

Mammoth task clearing way to beach

Milford, Castor Bay, Forrest Hill and Sunnynook

Mucky job... Glenn Cupit of Milford Mariners alongside one day’s rubbish swept down the Wairau Creek after recent flooding. Silt dredging at the beach entrance yielded 100 tonnes. Story, page 3.

bill looms for Milford

The Bard falls short for unlucky Shoreside... p14

Amaia seeks subdivision

The developers of the Amaia site at 48 Esmonde Rd are proposing to subdivide it in two stages. The first involves a subdivision of the 2.1566 ha site into five lots. The second subdivision would create unit titles within the planned apartment building. “Granting consent will enable the development of additional and welldesigned housing, the application to Auckland Council says. No boardwalk design is included in the subdivision, although this was initially promoted as a feature of the project, but the developer says it is happy to have a condition imposed “to future-proof the design and implementation of the boardwalk at a later stage”.

Man charged after fire

A 19-year-old man appeared in the North Shore District Court on 15 February following a Milford house fire. He appeared on a charge of wilfully setting fire to a property.

Time to slow down

The new 30km/h Takapuna speed zone takes effect from Thursday, 2 March. The limit applied by Auckland Transport is designed as a safety measure, with signage being progressively unveiled leading into the town centre. Speed restrictions apply in Devonport also.

Rescues recognised

Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club members, who used inflatable boats to ferry 69 people to safety from North Shore floodwaters on 27 January, have been awarded the national surf rescue of the month. Ten club members were sent to Wairau Valley and Nile Rd, Milford.

House carnage worse than official figures suggest

Hundreds of local homes remain unliveable due to flood damage despite official figures showing few red-stickered buildings.

Some landlords and home-owners have chosen not to call in council inspectors, with many preferring to make their own arrangements for assessments and repairs. The same applies to some retirement homes in the North Shore flood zone, where residents have been moved out of scores of apartments and villas.

While homes and units may be below the threshold to be yellow or red-stickered, their condition has meant people have been forced to move out for repairs or are essentially camping in compromised living situations.

Among damaged Auckland Council properties leased to sports clubs, a number have also not been visited by inspectors.

The Observer has been pushing for a comprehensive breakdown of council figures for damaged homes, but discovered statistics give a different impression than conditions in local suburbs. Some community leaders fear with attention centring on cyclone damage in Hawkes Bay and dramatic slips in west Auckland, the wider public is unaware of just how many people have been impacted in Milford, Sunnynook and surrounding suburbs.

They are now dealing with people desperate for accommodation, in dispute with landlords or living in fear of more rain in their own flood-damaged homes, carrying mortgages.

Auckland Council’s latest figures for the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area show:

• Milford has six properties with red stickers, 132 with yellow stickers and 52 white stickers.

• Forrest Hill is next most flagged, with two red-stickers, 55 yellow and 44 white.

• Castor Bay no red, 12 yellow and 11 white.

• Takapuna has no red, seven yellow and eight white

• Sunnynook, has no red, 13 yellow and three white.

(A red sticker means it is unsafe to enter the property; a yellow sticker indicates restrictions on entry; and a white sticker allows entry though some flood damage has occurred).

In Sunnynook, where two people were swept to their deaths in the Wairau Creek on 27 January, as recently as last week people were being told on reinspection that their homes needed to be temporarily vacated.

“There are masses of houses that probably shouldn’t be lived in,” Sunnynook Community Centre coordinator Bronwyn Bound told the Observer. “If the landlord won’t do anything about the wet carpet, it’s usually the tenant saying you need to get Auckland Council in to inspect and they say ‘No, no, no’.”

In some places she was aware of, people were still waiting for their landlord to turn up. In others, tenants who could no longer deal with the stench and mould had given the allowed two days’ notice for uninhabitable homes.

“Those that own houses have no options –they have to stay in place.”

This included a scared resident in hard-hit Kapiti Pl by the Sunnynook Bus Station who had previously approached the council over her concerns about the culvert there.

At the Parklane Retirement Village over Sunnynook Rd in Forrest Hill, 35 villas have had to be vacated by residents, some in their 80s and 90s.

“A resident from Parklane came over and said he had never felt so stressed,” Bound said.

While intensification and infrastructure issues were council and government matters, they were at the centre of community concerns.

“It takes everyone to be involved and say that’s not good enough,” said Bound.

Telephone: 09 445 0060

Email: sales@rangitoto-observer.co.nz news@rangitoto-observer.co.nz

Website: www.rangitoto-observer.co.nz

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2021, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2005

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Community Reporter of the Year: Winner 2018

Community Newspaper of the Year: Finalist 2017

MANAGING EDITOR: Rob Drent

PUBLISHER: Peter Wilson

EDITOR: Janetta Mackay

REPORTER: Lochlan Lineham

NEXT ISSUE: March 17

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WRITE TO US: Noms-de-plume or unnamed submissions will not be printed. Email news@rangitoto-observer.co.nz

100 issues and growing strong

The Rangitoto Observer newspaper you are reading this week is our 100th edition. We thank you for spending your time with us and helping our publication cement its place in the local community.

Our first issue (pictured right) was published on 15 March 2019. It now seems aeons ago since co-owners Rob Drent and Peter Wilson took a punt that readers would respond to local news and advertisers appreicate a targeted market.

So it has proved. Despite testing times through the Covid pandemic and climatic

challenges we haven’t missed a deadline.

We’re not having a party to celebrate our 100th – somehow it doesn’t seem the right time for that with so many people, including in our own area, dealing with stressful circumstances – but we are treating the milestone as one to quietly note and build on.

It is a chance for our small team to reconfirm our commitment to telling the stories that matter in our area and to listen to what our readers would like more of.

Here’s to the next 100 issues.

– Janetta Mackay, Editor

Tonnes of waste cleared, but big bill looms for marina

Over 100 tonnes of waste was cleared from the mouth of the Wairau Creek and Milford Beach last week in the clean-up following Cyclone Gabrielle and earlier flooding.

But it is believed restoring the Milford Marina to its previous condition could cost up to $500,000 due to “islands” left by floodwaters. Waste on the creek banks and beach after successive bouts of heavy rain and the cyclone’s high winds included silt, mud, tree branches, shopping trolleys and fences.

Milford Mariners, the society that manages the marina, began the clean-up with a primary focus of clearing the creek bed so boats could get in and out of the marina.

A further 50 to 80 tonnes of waste is expected to be cleared from the beach and creek banks.

Work can only be undertaken at the marina for fours a day around low tide, so the group spent the rest of its time clearing the waste and debris from the beach close to the creek mouth.

Mariners president Glenn Cupit said the clean-up started with clearing the channel so

boats could get out of the marina but grew with community support.

“Something needed to be done, because all the plastic, branches and seaweed mixed together, once it’s been sitting there, it reeks and it’s not that healthy to be around.”

Auckland Council granted permission for the use of excavators on the waste piles, provided trucks to take away the waste, and isn’t charging dumping fees.

The society has to pay expensive dumping fees for their regular marina dredging, due to the toxic substances that wash downstream from the Wairau catchment area. It has been fighting the cost of dumping fees for years.

It is paying equipment costs of around $20,000 for the clean-up. The Milford Cruising Club and others are taking donations and providing volunteer time to the effort.

Cupit said efforts had been focused mainly around the creek mouth but “acres of waste” would need to be cleared from the rest of the estuary.

The marina itself would need dredging as some boats couldn’t be moved due to rubbish and waste piling up beneath them.

Cupit said in some places the water depth has gone from 2m to 20cm due to the “islands of sand and gravel” that have formed.

The society is holding off dredging due to the cost of equipment required.

The co-chair of the Milford Residents Association, Norma Bott, said it was also planning community clean-up days to clear the estuary of waste.

“We’ll start with one clean-up and see how long it’ll take and how many clean-ups we’ll have to do to clear it all.”

It would be a major undertaking, she said., with dates to be decided soon.

Discussions had to be held with council, Healthy Waters and local boards to find out why the damage happened and how it can be prevented in the future.

Indoor sports venues hit hard by flood damage

From page 1

Water up to two metres-high flowed into the badminton hall, leaving sodden walls and warping beyond repair to the sprung flooring of its 11 courts.

“It’s total destruction of the lower ground floor,” chief executive Glenn Cox said. “It seems to have separated from boards and joinery underneath.”

Efforts were being made to dry out the stripped-down frame of the building which caters for 150,000 players a year.

Neighbouring Forrest Hill Tennis Centre has managed to get most of its courts back in play, but has lost its clubrooms, where water reached shoulder height. Chipboard floors were ruined, doors won’t close and a water main burst. The building would need replacing at a cost of $1.2 million, said Tennis Northern chief executive Chris Casey.

“It fried all our lights,” he said. These would cost $100,000-plus to replace. Without floodlights, senior inter-club matches have had to be moved elsewhere and casual evening play halted.

The small Becroft Tennis Club in Becroft Reserve, which like the other two Forrest Hill groups is accessed via Bond Cres, also had its clubrooms badly damaged. Water rose to 1.7m up interior walls, and the surface lifted badly from one of its four courts.

On the other side of the motorway, Eventfinda stadium – the home of Harbour Basketball and Harbour Gymnastics – also requires major work, including the “hugely expensive” replacement of sprung flooring.

Harbour Basketball chief executive John Hunt said every effort was being made to get ready for the upcoming season of what is the region’s most-played secondary school sport.

“The stadium floors will all need to be replaced,” he told the Observer. This would require specially imported timber.

Ahead of what he hoped might be a midyear stadium fix, school gyms would be added to draws to host games involving 200-plus secondary teams, 160 from intermediate schools and 150 from primary schools.

Hunt hoped it might be possible to have a temporary surface laid on two courts to get

Eventfinda partially back in action earlier., Netball North Harbour at Onewa Domain was also flooded, but water inside was shallow. Initially, it was thought a dry-out would do, but chief excecutive Lynette Brady said it had now learned timber flooring on its two indoor courts would require replacement due to damp beneath that could lead to cracking.

The plan was to delay re-laying floors until after winter, perhaps with a sanding mid-season. But carpet removal meant those using the cafe and other downstairs space would be doing so on concrete floors.

Before the arena switches to summer season use by school vollebyball, futsal and social netball, the arena would need repair. This would delay its use and hit rental revenues, said Brady. Netball’s winter season starts in a month and until then it is helping tennis by renting out its dual-marked outdoor courts.

On top of the flood impacts at Forrest Hill, eight tennis courts at Browns Bay cllub were damaged, along with four at Northcote Tennis Club and two at Mairangi Bay Tennis Club. Consequently inter-club players were sometimes having to use a third club’s courts,

necessitating more travel time, said Casey.

Badminton, like the other sports, is lining up third party help, securing courts at Massey and AUT universities and several schools.

The flooding highlighted the desperate shortage of facilities in Auckland, said basketball’s Hunt. Aside from Pullman Arena in Papakura and Trusts Arena in Henderson –both shared with netball – Eventfinda was the only other four-court or larger indoor venue available for fast-growing basketball.

Compared with just those three sizable venues in Auckland, the state of Victoria (admittedly with five times the population) boasted 68, he said. “The lack of indoor facilities is appalling.”

Council and government talked about supporting sport, but had not spent enough on its infrastructure, Hunt said.

The three damaged facilities in Forrest Hill are on long-term leases on Auckland Council land. The sports leaders say it will be up to council to determine future risks.

Safety does need assessing, said Badminton North Harbour’s Cox. “The same could be said of the whole Wairau Valley.”

Drain-clearing among issues local board wants answers on

Workshops to explain what Auckland Council will do to deal with issues identified in recent floods are being sought by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.

Among topics the board wants council staff to address is the scheduling of cleaning and maintenance of stormwater catchpits.

These are tended to by both Auckland Transport and Healthy Waters, but less frequently than in North Shore City Council days.

The board also wants to hear from Healthy Waters on its plans for managing the floodprone Wairau Creek catchment in Sunnynook and Milford. The building consents team has been asked to address the downstream impacts

to properties from housing intensification.

Board member George Wood, who put up a unanimously supported notice of motion calling for the briefings, said the Building Act stated planning consents should be refused if they resulted in a natural hazard. “I don’t see how Auckland Council is continuing to give [some] building consents,” he said.

Although Healthy Waters had put in extra piping in William Souter Ave to a dry pond in Linwood Reserve and at Lyford Reserve draining to Sunnynook Park, too little capacity lay downstream. “A number of people have been impacted badly in that area.”

Wood questioned the adequacy of piping

around Sunnynook Bus Station and the motorway. As recently as March 2022, he pointed out that water had risen to the top of the banks at the Alma Rd bridge in Milford.

Deputy chair Terence Harpur said an immediate focus should be on clearing drains.

Member Mel Powell said conversations were needed about where responsibility lies if homes were deemed uninsurable.

“This is our job to get vocal about this,” said chair Toni van Tonder.

She said council had since the flooding allocated an extra $20 million in its annual budget for extra drain cleaning, but other issues needed following up.

In flood... Badminton North Harbour’s building and carpark during the 27 January flood, with Becroft Tennis Club over the fence

Shocking deluge jolts sports chief before swim to safety

Less than two hours after first noticing water in Badminton North Harbour’s car park, the organisation’s chief executive was forced to swim from the flood-wrecked building.

In the late afternoon of ‘Flood Friday’ (27 January), Glenn Cox, his staff and coaches had the place busy with training. By 5.30pm, as water rose in the car park, they sent players home.

Cox thought about sandbagging the step to the main entrance of the building, but by 6.30pm water was rising from below the floorboards.

It “escalated particularly quickly”, he says. He and four remaining staff set about moving office gear off the floor.

“I got a belt from one of the plugs,” says Cox, who decided it was time to turn off the power at the mains and send the others on their way.

It was by then around 6.45pm. He was worried where his deaf dog had got to. With calling out ineffective, Cox headed for an exit with a glass door that had water half-way up it. Once he pushed it open and got outside, he had to swim to find his dog and get them both to higher ground.

Water inside the 70m-long by 40m-wide building later peaked at nearly two metres high, Cox said.

When it drained away, it left downstairs offices, changing rooms, shops and the playing hall filled with toxic residue. Within two days the walls sprouted thick mould. “It was white and other colours and we were told that’s not good.”

A team of workers stripped the lower wallboards off. Even weeks later, Cox finds it hard to credit how quickly the badminton facility was made unusable. “We were proud of what we’ve been able to provide. That’s just been blown away to a shell.”

Built in the 1970s, the original five-court facility has been twice expanded over the decades. It was in use seven days a week, from 6am to 11pm, with increasing booking demand and an average 85 per cent occupancy. Cox would love to build back, bigger and better.

Heari ng and Memory

Heari ng and Memory

Heari ng and Memory

Heari ng and Memory

Heari ng and Memory

Heari ng and Memory

Did you know hearing is good for your brain? Recent studies show people with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia, and people with severe hearing loss are five times more likely1. If you or someone you love has trouble hearing, book in for a hearing check. If you have a hearing loss - get hearing aids! If you have hearing aidswear them!

Did you know hearing is good for your brain? Recent studies show people with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia, and people with severe hearing loss are five times more likely1. If you or someone you love has trouble hearing, book in for a hearing check. If you have a hearing loss - get hearing aids! If you have hearing aidswear them!

Did you know hearing is good for your brain? Recent studies show people with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia, and people with severe hearing loss are five times more likely1. If you or someone you love has trouble hearing, book in for a hearing check. If you have a hearing loss - get hearing aids! If you have hearing aidswear them!

Did you know hearing is good for your brain? Recent studies show people with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia, and people with severe hearing loss are five times more likely1. If you or someone you love has trouble hearing, book in for a hearing check. If you have a hearing loss - get hearing aids! If you have hearing aidswear them!

Did you know hearing is good for your brain? Recent studies show people with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia, and people with severe hearing loss are five times more likely1. If you or someone you love has trouble hearing, book in for a hearing check. If you have a hearing loss - get hearing aids! If you have hearing aidswear them!

Did you know hearing is good for your brain? Recent studies show people with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia, and people with severe hearing loss are five times more likely1. If you or someone you love has trouble hearing, book in for a hearing check. If you have a hearing loss - get hearing aids! If you have hearing aidswear them!

1. Strutt, et al (2019). Hearing Loss & Dementia Incidence in Australia Findings from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study

Wet work... Chief executive Glenn Cox and one of many dehumidifiers still in action at Badminton North Harbour last week. Inset: Mould formed on the building’s lower walls before they were stripped out.

1. Strutt, et al (2019). Hearing Loss & Dementia Incidence in Australia Findings from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study

1. Strutt, et al (2019). Hearing Loss & Dementia Incidence in Australia Findings from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study

1. Strutt, et al (2019). Hearing Loss & Dementia Incidence in Australia Findings from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study

1. Strutt, et al (2019). Hearing Loss & Dementia Incidence in Australia Findings from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study

1. Strutt, et al (2019). Hearing Loss & Dementia Incidence in Australia Findings from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study

Cuts loom just as community proves its worth

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chair Toni van Tonder talks about the fraught funding choices ahead after local heroes stepped up to help their fellow residents through tough times

It’s been a dreadful start to the year. To all those who have been badly impacted by the devastating weather events, our thoughts are with you. The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area was badly impacted by the flooding, with massive cliff-face erosion, homes under water and properties red-stickered.

On the North Shore there were 914 rapid building assessments for the floods, 103 for the cyclone and a total of 68 homes red-stickered. It has been truly devastating for some, and I’ve met families who have lost everything – and I mean absolutely everything.

I met one family from Sunnynook, a mother with two sons, who told me of their swim over their 1.8m fence to safety. Another resident had to pass her newborn baby out the window to a stranger to be carried through flood waters.

We have lost lives.

The cyclone too left folk without power for long periods of time, and some of our most vulnerable people had to be relocated from homes that were no longer safe for them to be in. It has been hard.

What has been most astounding however, has been the community response. Neighbours and community groups have leapt into action, providing food, welfare support, daily checks and clean-up crews, sharing vital information and helping us, the elected

members, understand the need on the ground so that we could respond in a coordinated way. Community is everything.

that you understand what this means – our arts partners, our community houses, our restoration groups, our community coordinators, local events and our town-centre support will all be impacted. Public transport fares will increase, parks will be mown less frequently, and bins will be removed. Our libraries may need to close one day a week.

All options are on the table and if they weren’t considered, we’d be looking at a 12 per cent rates increase like Wellington City’s proposed rise. So now is a time for you to have your say.

Sadly, at a time when we’ve been reminded of the importance of community, Auckland Council is proposing a range of spending cuts to present a balanced budget for the next financial year. We’re short $300 million in annual operating costs and any cuts will not be for one year only. They will need to be enduring.

For the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board those implications represent a reduction of 60 per cent of the budget that we use to support our community groups and partners. At this stage, unless something shifts, we’re going to thank all the people who helped us out the most during this challenging time by offering up a funding cut.

I’m being quite blunt here, but it’s important

CARMEL COLLEGE

Pre-Enrolment Evening Year 7 to 9, 2024

Families of prospective students for Year 7 to 9 in 2024 are invited to attend the pre-enrolment evening. We highly encourage any prospective families to attend this evening as it is an excellent opportunity to learn about our school, look around the campus and receive information on the enrolment process.

Date: Tuesday 14th March

Venue: College Hall Time: 4pm Presentation 4:30 – 5:30 pm Tours of the school

Enrolments close on Friday 26th May

*Please note there are limited places available in Year 8 and 9 for 2024

If you are unable to attend or would like further information please read the enrolment information posted on the website. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the college via call 486 1132 ext 704 or email admin@carmel.school.nz

The annual budget is open for consultation between 28 February and 28 March. (Details on the council’s Have Your Say website) I’m asking you to help us advocate for the things that matter most. If it means a slightly higher rates increase, is this something you’re willing to consider?

The local board’s job is to present the views of its community, so please participate in this consultation. It’s more important than ever that we hear from you. We need a balanced budget, and we need to hear how you think this should be achieved.

As always, I welcome you to contact me or any other local-board member if you want to learn more, or require additional support following the weather events. We’re here to help.

– Toni van Tonder, Local Board chair

Neighbours

reunite over dinner

Sunnynook residents got together this week at the community centre for a casual dinner in the wake of the floods. The event, supported by Rotary volunteers, reunited those whose homes were hit with those who pitched in to clean them out.

“A lot of the people who were affected wanted to meet the people who helped,” said community centre co-ordinator Bronwyn Bound. “We wanted to remind people what a great community we have.”

The centre is hosting a parenting coach the evening of 7 March, with tips for those with children traumatised by weather events.

In Milford, a community barbecue was put on by Rotary on Nile Reserve last month for those who lost power in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Kai 4 Communities group arranged emergency catering drop-offs for residents without lifts in the Spencer in Byron building in Takapuna. In Hauraki, it set up its caravan, to help cater for people from some streets without power for two days.

Meanwhile, Takapuna resident Marko Barber, who was overwhelmed by his call for donations for those hit by Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bay and Tairawhiti, has done a second charity run south in his truck.

“We’re going to thank all the people who helped us out the most... by offering up a funding cut.”

Out with the old, in with the blue at local intermediate

Wairau Intermediate school has begun a rebrand to help foster a sense of unity and gain more exposure in the community.

The Forrest Hill school has introduced new uniforms with a new colour scheme and incorporating the school logo in the fabric.

Principal Yolanda East said the change to blue shirts with the logo prominent better reflected the “unique and boutique” nature of the school. “Being a smaller school we wanted to find a way to get ourselves out there and let everyone know what we have to offer.”

East said that the logo represents the school’s values and origins. It illustrates rivers coming together to form one body of water, which encapsulated the school’s values of togetherness, growth and nurturing.

“We wanted to bring in a uniform that the students could have a sense of pride in and one that represents the school’s identity.”

A revitalised website is also being designed.

The rebrand started in 2020, when the board of trustees decided the school’s imagery needed to be more appealing to potential students, better reflect the school’s values and give it a more consistent identity. Further uniform changes are coming, with

maroon jumpers being phased out for blue hoodies, and house and PE uniforms also being updated.

East hopes the rebrand will help boost the school’s roll from its current 280 to a consistent roll of 350 students.

True blue... Year 7 students (from left) Alex Hey, Chester Dorado, Kobe Salosagcol, Mikos Woods and Gian Villareal in their new uniforms

So last year... Year 8s Maz Peterson, Oliver McManus, Siahn Findlay, Maggie Carter and Mia Gu are some of the last students to wear the departing uniforms

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Footballers sport new kit and updated badge

Takapuna Football Club is introducing a new logo (pictured) and playing kit for all its teams.

Club members first proposed a logo redesign last year, to better match the current demographic of members.

Chairman Glyn Taylor said it made sense for the club to modernise its branding as over half of the current 650 members are youth players.

A club member, Sam Allen, owner of On Fire Designs, was asked to design a new logo which he further tweaked after feedback from club members.

Taylor said it was important to modernise the design while “keeping the history and existing characteristics of the old badge.”

“There are about 450 ways of drawing a dolphin and we did 500 of them,” said Taylor.

It is said that the old badge, adopted when the club was formed in 1964, was based in haste

on the Takapuna City Council crest of the day, when the committee urgently had to supply a badge to register a team.

The club’s new kits will be worn by all of its

Westlake student makes Junior White Sox

Charlotte Graham, a Year 13 student at Westlake Girls High School, has been selected for the Junior White Sox team which will travel to the United States for three weeks in June.

The 17-year- old pitcher (left) comes from a softball-playing family, taking up the sport around age five, and first making North Harbour representative teams at 11. Now in the national under-18 team, she hopes to progress to the New Zealand senior squad. “But lots of work and training is to be done to reach that goal,” she says.

This season, in addition to Westlake’s top team, Charlotte played for three club sides: North Shore United’s under 18s, Bandits premiers, and Northcote premier reserves.

“I have always been a pitcher as I followed on from my brother when learning about the sport and decided it was the position for me,” says Charlotte, who is also a house prefect. She likes always being involved in play and the chance to control a game, NSRFC

teams at senior and youth levels.

Taylor said the move is part of a new holistic approach, aimed at uniting the club under one vision.

The club previously had different variations of its yellow and blue strip being used randomly across different teams.

Taylor said the players need to look the same if they are going to have a “one-team, one-club” mentality.

“How can they think of the club as one identity if they look different?”

The new kits are set to cost the club $65,000. It has asked service clubs and other organisations to assist with the funding.

Another change is to its name, which was shortened from Takapuna Association Football Club, losing the word association.

The premier team is in training now, for its season which kicks off on 25 March.

• ROOF WASH

• GUTTER WASH

• SOFT HOUSE WASH

• PRE-PAINT WASH

• PATHS, DRIVEWAYS

• SPIDER TREATMENTS

• MOSS MOULD TREATMENTS

Winding up... Charlotte Graham on the pitching mat

Family day promises insights into Lake Pupuke

A community event this Saturday promises to be a fun family day out and a chance to learn about one of Auckland’s oldest and most unique volcanoes.

Pupuke Bird Song (PBS) Projects’s Discover Pupukemoana event, at Killarney Park on 5 March, from 9:30 am to 3pm, promises a range of on- and off-water activities for the family to enjoy.

PBS environmental coordinator Tabitha Becroft said the day was about “learning about the fascinating nature of the lake and why we need to protect it”.

Event organisers have partnered with two

groups, Aotearoa Lakes and Experiencing Marine Reserves, to offer tours of the lake as well as workshops and information stalls.

Experiencing Marine Reserves will operate guided kayak and snorkelling tours of the lake, with guides teaching participants about the lake’s plants, wildlife and history.

The tours offer the opportunity to get close to the eels, fish and plants in the lake.

Aotearoa Lakes will have educational stalls set up, displaying the results of research about what lives in the lake, showing how the ecosystem has changed over time, and identifying threats to its health.

The organisation has been doing research in the lake since 2017, measuring water quality, taking samples of sediment and mapping historical mussel beds.

Flax-weaving workshops and tours of the pumphouse will also be available.

The event is zero-waste, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own food and take their rubbish home with them, though Takapuna Primary School will have a small food stand on-site.

To secure a spot on a tour, book online at takapunatrust.org.nz/discover-pupukemoana/. All tours and activities are free.

Cyclone claims notable trees in Takapuna centre

Takapuna town centre has lost three feature trees due to Cyclone Gabrielle, one of which fell onto a parked vehicle

This was on the Takapuna town square development, where the tree which had been factored into the design of the area now under construction came down.

On Hurstmere Green a tree on the lawn required removal below the tiered steps from its concrete planter ring where it was a popular shaded spot for people having lunch. It suffered splitting during

the stormy weather and despite the hopes of council arborists to retain it, the amount of trauma to its trunk on inspection meant it was deemed too damaged to retain.

Another tree would be selected and planted in its place in May, said Takapuna Beach Business Association chief executive Terence Harpur.

Outside the Hospice Shop on Huron St at the Lake Rd corner, a third large tree fell and has been cut up ready for removal.

Green no more... A tree in the Takapuna town square development (left) and another on Hurstmere Green fell victim to recent stormy weather

Weather extends company’s run of misfortune

For the first time in its 20-year history, Shakespeare in the Park , staged at the PumpHouse, has made a loss.

The popular production was only able to proceed with 12 of its scheduled 26 shows due to bad weather and then flooding of the theatre when it was shifted inside from the Takapuna arts venue’s outdoor amphitheatre.

“It was not a great year for Shakespeare this year,” said a disappointed James Bell, director of one of the two plays presented by Shoreside Theatre.

The truncated season followed what has been a tough few years for the company, including thefts on top of Covid interruptions.

While final figures are yet to be tallied from ticket-refund processing, Bell said the season’s loss on the annual North Shore arts highlight was expected to be around $5000.

The interrupted 2023 season, which began on 21 January and was to have run through until mid-February, was meant to have helped Shoreside get back on its feet.

In 2020, like other arts groups, it began three years of grappling with Covid, while also dealing with the blow of having $50,000 stolen from its accounts by former volunteer treasurer Nicholas Greer.

Things were finally looking up, but in January sound and other electronic gear was stolen in a break-in at the theatre by four people shortly before the Shakespeare season of The Merry Wives of Windsor and Antony and Cleopatra began.

“We relied on Shakespeare to make a healthy profit and fund the rest of the year’s programme,” said Bell. Instead, the company was now hoping theatregoers would support its other two productions this year, one-act plays by up-and-comers and then its annual Agatha Christie outing in July.

The Christie play is yet to be announced, but Bell promises it will be a drawcard, and

Milford

one Shoreside has not staged previously.

Bell says Shoreside does not typically rely on grants for staging its productions, only for capital items, so box-office success is important for its viability.

“If you want to support your local theatre group get tickets to a show,” he says.

Meanwhile, the PumpHouse itself is back in action and cleaned up after the floods. Insurance claims are being considered, but due to the age of the building a claim may not proceed because the excess may be too high.

Bell, who is also the theatre’s business manager, says the PumpHouse has spent around $5000 in the wake of flooding in late January and early February. Carpets needed

cleaning and areas sanitising after water entered the building, both on the ground level and upstairs. Sandbags were also bought and some seating incurred water damage, as did sections of chipboard flooring which needed replacing.

A full assessment of the heritage building was yet to be completed by owner Auckland Council, he said.

The Friends of the PumpHouse is raising funds to replace older seating in the theatre.

A planned fundraising movie night was cancelled last week due to slow ticket sales, which Bell put down to uncertainty with the weather and people currently being hesitant to plan ahead.

Cruel cuts... A scene from Shoreside’s Antony and Cleopatra

Show mixes rock classics and Macedonian folk

A North Shore musician is bringing new songs, old favourites and special guests to the PumpHouse on 8 March.

Composer, producer and performer Gjorgji Mishkovski describes his show, Journey to Dreamland, as a showcase of new originals and songs by other artists.

Mishkovski, who works in a sound and lighting business, moved to New Zealand from Macedonia six years ago. His three new songs describe key moments in his journey to his first Kiwi home in Sunnynook.

“I was inspired [to immigrate] by my boys who were speaking very good English and

Surf’s up on the big screen

A nationwide surf film festival includes a screening at Takapuna Beach on Saturday 8 March.

The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez, a documentary by Stacy Peralta about the influential American surfer, will be shown on a beachfront big screen as part of the Aotearoa Surf Film Festival.

The film screening begins at 8:30pm, with food trucks on site. Short films will also be shown and prize giveaways made to keep attendees entertained.

Morning music shows return

Monthly Morning Melodies concerts are back at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna for a 22nd year.

Performers include returning favourite brass bands and top vocalists and a jazz trio making its Morning Melodies debut.

The 6 March show will feature Base Auckland Brass, formally known as The Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Auckland Band. North Shore Brass performs in May.

The monthly morning concerts run until December.

I realised their future should be somewhere where people speak English. I was thinking, where was the best country to come? And I chose New Zealand.”

His song, “Bridging the Distance” is about the dynamics Mishkovski faced when adapting to his new life here.

The Macedonian Chamber Choir will be a part of the show, performing music from Macedonian composers and folk songs. Mishkovski said punters don’t need to be Macedonian or to speak the language to enjoy the show.

Mishkovski will also perform Macedonian folk songs and his own interpretations of

New notes...

Gjorgji

Mishkovski’s show tracks his immigrant experience

“Shine on You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

The idea of a concert came to Mishkovski when he and his wife walked around Killarney Park and noticed the “beautiful” PumpHouse Theatre.

“I didn’t know there was such a beautiful amphitheatre and such a lovely place. It’s wonderful. I said this is good for a concert. We can do something here.”

• Journey to Dreamland, Wednesday 8 March at 7.30 pm at the PumpHouse, Takapuna. Tickets, $20, from pumphouse.co.nz/ whats-on/show/journey-to-dreamland/.

TAKAPUNA | 314C HURSTMERE ROAD | LAKEFRONT |

TAKAPUNA | 314C HURSTMERE ROAD | LAKEFRONT | MODERN MASONRY RESIDENCE

MILFORD

MILFORD | 1/41 EAST COAST ROAD

| 1/41 EAST COAST ROAD | MILFORD ICON

| MILFORD ICON

MODERN MASONRY RESIDENCE

Sequestered behind a motorised gate this near new masonry home is set on a 407sqm approx freehold title, located on the ‘golden mile’s’ lakefront and is simply a stunning one of a kind property. Comprising 3 bedrooms plus study/storage room, 2 stylish bathrooms, guest powder room, double garage and off street parking. This really is the ultimate lock up and leave.

Sequestered behind a motorised gate this near new masonry home is set on a 407sqm approx freehold title, located on the ‘golden mile’s’ lakefront and is simply a stunning one of a kind property. Comprising 3 bedrooms plus study/storage room, 2 stylish bathrooms, guest powder room, double garage and off street parking. This really is the ultimate lock up and leave.

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80365

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80365

EOI | 16 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM UNLESS SOLD PRIOR

EOI | 16 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM UNLESS SOLD PRIOR

ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94 | 916 6000 RICHARD MILNE 021 770 611 | 916 6000

ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94 | 916 6000

RICHARD MILNE 021 770 611 | 916 6000

RESIDENCE

Standing high and proud sits one of the original homesteads in Milford now offered to the market. With 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 4 living areas this property has brought so much fun to the current owners. With amazing views and a separate guest apartment downstairs this home offers a multitude of family situations where everyone can have their own space.

Standing high and proud sits one of the original homesteads in Milford now offered to the market. With 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 4 living areas this property has brought so much fun to the current owners. With amazing views and a separate guest apartment downstairs this home offers a multitude of family situations where everyone can have their own space.

Sequestered behind a motorised gate this near new masonry home is set on a 407sqm approx freehold title, located on the ‘golden mile’s’ lakefront and is simply a stunning one of a kind property. Comprising 3 bedrooms plus study/storage room, 2 stylish bathrooms, guest powder room, double garage and off street parking. This really is the ultimate lock up and leave.

VIEW | SUN 1.15 - 2 PM OR BY APPT

VIEW | SUN 1.15 - 2 PM OR BY APPT

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80390

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80390

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80365

SET DATE SALE | 15 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM USP

SET DATE SALE | 15 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM USP

EOI | 16 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM

UNLESS SOLD PRIOR

JELENA FREEMAN 021 65 65 63 | 916 6000

JELENA FREEMAN 021 65 65 63 | 916 6000

GERRY PETRIE 021 92 3352 | 916 6000

GERRY PETRIE 021 92 3352 | 916 6000

ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94 | 916 6000 RICHARD MILNE 021 770 611 | 916 6000

HAURAK | 8 NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE |

HAURAK

TAKAPUNA

TAKAPUNA

HAURAK

CHARMING CHARACTER HOME

NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE | CHARMING CHARACTER HOME

This stunning one level residence has been remodeled and updated, and the result is simply inspirational. Multiple relaxation zones, open plan living, designer kitchen, large pantry space and seamless flow to sun drenched decking and a beautifully landscaped garden. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (incl ensuite). Fully fenced, carport and generous off street parking.

This stunning one level residence has been remodeled and updated, and the result is simply inspirational. Multiple relaxation zones, open plan living, designer kitchen, large pantry space and seamless flow to sun drenched decking and a beautifully landscaped garden. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (incl ensuite). Fully fenced, carport and generous off street parking.

Standing high and proud sits one of the original homesteads in Milford now offered to the market. With 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 4 living areas this property has brought so much fun to the current owners. With amazing views and a separate guest apartment downstairs this home offers a multitude of family situations where everyone can have their own space.

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80385

VIEW | SUN 1.15 - 2 PM OR BY APPT PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80390

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80385

EOI | 9 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM UNLESS SOLD PRIOR

EOI | 9 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM UNLESS SOLD PRIOR

SET DATE SALE | 15 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM USP

ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94 | 916 6000

ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94 | 916 6000

JELENA FREEMAN 021 65 65 63 | 916 6000

RICHARD MILNE 021 770 611 | 916 6000

RICHARD MILNE 021 770 611 | 916 6000

GERRY PETRIE 021 92 3352 | 916 6000

HURSTMERE

| 1C/175 HURSTMERE ROAD | LOCATION LIFESTYLE PLUS | MON DESIR

8 NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE | CHARMING CHARACTER HOME

1C is a spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in the sought after Mon Desir complex. You can enjoy a stroll to the many cafes and restaurants, the Sunday market, shopping mall, Bruce Mason theatre and supermarket. Everything is at your fingertips. With 2 secure parallel carparks and a storage locker in the basement, this is a true lock and leave option, ideal for downsizers, business people, semi or retired couples.

1C is a spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in the sought after Mon Desir complex. You can enjoy a stroll to the many cafes and restaurants, the Sunday market, shopping mall, Bruce Mason theatre and supermarket. Everything is at your fingertips. With 2 secure parallel carparks and a storage locker in the basement, this is a true lock and leave option, ideal for downsizers, business people, semi or retired couples.

This stunning one level residence has been remodeled and updated, and the result is simply inspirational. Multiple relaxation zones, open plan living, designer kitchen, large pantry space and seamless flow to sun drenched decking and a beautifully landscaped garden. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (incl ensuite). Fully fenced, carport and generous off street parking.

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES

VIEW | PLEASE PHONE FOR VIEWING TIMES PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80385

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80375

PREMIUM.CO.NZ/80375

EOI | 9 MARCH 2023 AT 4 PM UNLESS SOLD PRIOR

PRICE | BY NEGOTIATION

PRICE | BY NEGOTIATION

ALISON PARKER 021 983 533 | 916 6000

ALISON PARKER 021 983 533 | 916 6000

ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94 | 916 6000 RICHARD MILNE 021 770 611 | 916 6000

1C is a spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in the sought after Mon Desir complex. You can enjoy a stroll to the many cafes and restaurants, the Sunday market, shopping mall, Bruce Mason theatre and supermarket. Everything is at your fingertips. With 2 secure parallel carparks and a storage locker in the

| 1C/175

ROAD | LOCATION LIFESTYLE PLUS | MON DESIR

| 8

MILFORD | 1/41 EAST COAST ROAD | MILFORD ICON

|

TAKAPUNA | 314C HURSTMERE ROAD | LAKEFRONT | MODERN MASONRY

TAKAPUNA | 1C/175 HURSTMERE ROAD | LOCATION LIFESTYLE PLUS | MON DESIR