The Fringe June 2022 by Fringe Media

ISSUE 215, JUNE 2022

community news, issues, arts, people, events

NEW STAGE

Released

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Contents

Features

Regulars

A celebration of nature ........................................ 6

Gatherings and events ................................... 4 – 5

Summer sailing season ends on a high ............... 7

Art and about with Naomi McCleary ....... 12 – 13

“It’s about having fun with music” ...................... 8

At the libraries;

Disease-free kauri available for sale ................... 9 “Bring us your positive, creative thinking”;

Tītīrangi Theatre update ...................................... 14 Keeping it Local ........................................... 15 – 16

Cycling budget controversy misses point ......... 10

Weather by the moon......................................... 18

Olaf Petersen: Nature Boy .................................. 11

Sustainable solutions ............................................ 19

Securing our future;

Naturally West: Kākā pay an extended visit .... 20

Love Your Place Awards ..................................... 18 A threatened species rescue mission Volunteers needed .............................................. 21

Live @ the lounge ............................................... 22 Advertisers’ Directory........................................... 23

Prizes for school gardens Keep New Zealand Beautiful has launched a Kai Garden Competition, an opportunity for pre-school, primary and intermediate aged students to design, build and grow an edible garden for their school with up to $15,000 in grants to be won. The Kai Garden Competition encourages students to focus on (kai) edible and/or rongoā (traditional Māori medicinal) plants, and to use sustainable or reclaimed materials where possible. The 10 winning designs will each receive $1,500 towards building and maintaining an edible garden. The competition has been designed to work in with the New Zealand School Curriculum and also aims to provide lessons far beyond simply growing a garden such as teaching children about healthy lifestyles, which crops grow best in different environments, seasonal eating, and returning waste to the earth through composting. Heather Saunderson, CEO of Keep New Zealand Beautiful said, “the Kai Garden Competition is an opportunity to teach environmental kaitiakitanga, or stewardship, helping make students responsible and proud caretakers of their little patch.” The competition also aims to make the process of hands-on learning fun and accessible. “Gardening can be an enjoyable skill that can become a lifelong hobby,” says Heather. Design entries are open until 11.59pm on June 17, 2022. Visit www.knzb.org.nz for information, inspiration and to enter your school’s design. On our cover: Looking south-west from Waima on a misty

morning: we really are ‘on the Fringe’. Photo by Bevis England.

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Every issue of The Fringe (and the Titirangi Tatler before it) since April 2011 is on-line at www.fringemedia.co.nz. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FringeWest) to hear when each issue is available and get other updates.

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www.fringemedia.co.nz Delivered free to letter boxes, post boxes, libraries and selected outlets throughout Tītīrangi, Glen Eden, Green Bay, New Lynn, Konini, Wood Bay, French Bay, Waima, Woodlands Park, Laingholm, Parau, Cornwallis, Huia, Oratia, and beyond.

Published by: Fringe Media Ltd, PO Box 60-469, Titirangi, Auckland 0642

Editor: Bevis England 817 8024, 027 494 0700 bevis@fringemedia.co.nz

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info@fringemedia.co.nz

Writers and contributors: Moira Kennedy, David Thiele, Naomi McCleary, Susannah Bridges, Fiona Drummond, Jade Reidy, Zoe Hawkins, , Jill Poulston, John Goudge.

Advertising deadline for July 2022: June 10. The Fringe JUNE 2022

Places to go – Things to do

Gatherings and events in our neighbourhood June w – 5, Cora-Allan Wickliffe: From Otitori Bay Rd, landscapes painted with

pigments and colours from the land and sea; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 12, ICI: Notes for Tomorrow, an exhibition conceived by Independent Curators International featuring artworks selected by curators around the world to reflect on the post Covid reality; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 26, The Big Boys, a collection of works by Zeke Wolf, Sefton Rani, John Madden, Andy Mardell and Gareth Price; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; Thu/Fri 10am-2pm, Sat/Sun 10am-4pm. Phone 812 8029. www. westcoastgallery.co.nz. w – August 28, Counting frames for a transient era, Wanda Gillespie considers timelessness as a term of value given new meaning during the pandemic; the window space, Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w 3 – July 24, Remembering Forward, photos by Russ Flatt present the vulnerability that comes with growing up against rich local landscapes from around Waitākere; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mt Lebanon Lane, Henderson; 10am-4.30pm. Phone 838 4455. w 4 – July 24, Wa:Hine – Wai:Rua, referencing the twin stars in the Matariki cluster, Waitī and Waitā, representing the ocean and fresh waters, Ashlee Tawhiti acknowledges the vital role of water mixed with earthly ochres

that bring alive local clays; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mt Lebanon Lane, Henderson; 10am-4.30pm. Phone 838 4455. w 4 – September 4, Otherwise-image-worlds brings together five newly commissioned artworks from artists working in animation. Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Juliet Carpenter, Tanu Gago, Ary Jansen and Sorawit Songsataya expand and reconfigure the conventions of image-making; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w 5, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732. w 10, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club, guest speaker and morning tea; Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12noon. Phone Laurie 820 2234. w 10, Ladies’ Probus Club, fellowship, fun, speakers, and a monthly day trip; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatū South; 9.45am-Noon. Phone Betty 09 832 0484. w 11, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents The Pipi Pickers, the finest in bluegrass and Americana. Floorsingers in first half; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $12, members $8, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289. Vaccination Pass and mask required. w 11 – September, Motutapu, the conclusion of a four-year journey by artist Benjamin Work and photographer Brendan Kitto, this exhibition looks at the shared history of motutapu (sacred islands) throughout Moana Oceania as places of santuary, reconnection and reconciliation; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w 14, West Auckland Historical Society Family History Group meeting; Henderson Central Library West Auckland Research Centre; 10-11.30am. Phone Gary Snow 832 5098, 021 618 434 or email gary@snofam.co.nz. w 15, Combined Waitākere Rebus Club; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatu South; 10am-Noon. Contact Philis on 838 5361. w 15, Waitākere Greypower Association Annual General Meeting with guest speaker Hon.Carmel Sepuloni, Minister of Social Development and

Event organisers: Do you have an upcoming event you’d like listed in The Fringe? Send the details, including a contact person and number, to info@fringemedia.co.nz.

Readers: While we take care to ensure listings are correct, errors may occur. Check with the contact person wherever possible. Covid precautions: All events and gatherings in these listings will require full compliance with relevant Covid regulations. There is so much happening in and around our community, including many weekly events, that we can’t fit everything into these listings. If you can’t see the event you’re interested in, visit:

www.fringemedia.co.nz/ourplace

The Fringe JUNE 2022

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Places to go – Things to do

refreshments to follow; Te Atatū South Community Centre, 247 Edmonton Rd, Te Atatū South; 1pm. Phone Mate Marinovich 838 5207. w 18, Matariki Market, arts and crafts, handmade Kawakawa balm, Hangi and free family activities; Green Bay Community House, 1 Barron Drive, Green Bay; 10am-2pm. Phone Sara Mihaere on 827 3300. w 18 – September 18, Matariki Ring of Fire – Emily Karaka follows her 2021 McCahon House residency with an exhibition centring on the festival of Matariki, the Matariki star cluster, and the fourteen Tūpuna Maunga of the Tāmaki Makaurau region; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w 20, Henderson Falls Combined Friendship Club; Henderson Bowling Clubrooms, 2/20 Alderman Drive, Henderson; 10am-noon. Contact Joy 837 4646 or 021 267 3544. w 21, SeniorNet West Auckland; RSA Henderson, Poppy Restaurant, 66-70 Railside Avenue, Henderson; 10am. Phone June 021 179 3635. w 24, Glen Eden Combined Probus Club; Ceramco Park Function Centre, 120 Glendale Road, Kaurilands; 9.45am. Phone Brian Holt 838 5857. w 24, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Friday Folk, an informal gathering of musicians and singers; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $5. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289. Vaccination Pass and mask required. w 26, Titirangi Village Market: art, craft, produce and music; Titirangi War Memorial Hall; 10am-2pm. Contact Tess on tvm.manager@gmail.com or phone 022 631 9436.

w 28, Tītīrangi U3A – informal learning for people 60-years plus, guest

speakers, study groups; West Lynn Garden, 73 Parker Avenue, New Lynn; 1pm. Contact 818 8809, 027 699 5480 or heathertanguay@slingshot.co.nz. www.u3a.nz.

July

w July 2 – August 7, a mixed media exhibition by brother and sister Celeste and Rudi Strewe; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; Thu/Fri 10am-2pm, Sat/Sun 10am-4pm. Phone 812 8029. www.westcoastgallery. co.nz. w July 3, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732. w July 8, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club, guest speaker and morning tea; Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12noon. Phone Laurie 820 2234. w July 8, Ladies’ Probus Club, fellowship, fun, speakers, and a monthly day trip; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatū South; 9.45am-Noon. Phone Betty 09 832 0484. w July 9, Titirangi Folk Music Club presents Fingal, Mike & Deb Harding with Lisa Dohig and Ken Kowalchuk, direct from their cave in Traranaki. Floorsingers in first half; Titirangi Beach Hall, bottom of Titirangi Beach Road; 8pm; $12, members $8, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289. Vaccination Pass and mask required.

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People

A celebration of nature Aysun is about to release a Aysun Scott was a medical second range of cards featuring doctor in Turkey: now she trees including pink mānuka, celebrates the rich designs pōhutukawa and nīkau palms, and colours of New Zealand some water scenes, and more nature making cards and birds. A marine series with orca jewellery in her Tītīrangi and penguins is also on her home. schedule. Aysun had always had an But it doesn’t stop there. interest in art but working in Aysun wants to develop her a busy hospital left her limited designs onto textiles, pottery, time to pursue her talent in her stationery and t-shirts. Then home country. “I was told as a there’s her recycling of old bits child that I had a bit of flair, and of broken jewellery (given to enjoyed art classes most of all.” her by friends) into decorative When she married and came rings, bracelets and earrings. out to New Zealand, Aysun “I just started that to entertain took a design course but work myself and to recycle and options didn’t materialise so redesign the old jewellery. I love she started creating cards from the recycling aspect. home. “It was a big journey to learn “Friends encouraged me but how to do my home-printed, it wasn’t until Covid came along hand-crafted cards and I was that I had a lot of time to refine really encouraged when people my designs and, during that liked them. Perhaps art is my very difficult time, it was very From medical doctor in Turkey to artist in Titirangi, Aysun Scott loves local nature second career!” therapeutic too. Big on supporting everything local, and with plans for a “I was surrounded by lush nature and having become a Westie, I was feeling that nature inside of me. I just had to website on the drawing board, Aysun has now created a small business, Imagineer, through which to market her work. Her pull it out of my heart and put it into drawings,” she says. Her work included kiwi, tūī and cards are being printed locally and are sold through Tītīrangi kereru which she hand-drew in Post Shop, Green Bay Bookshop bright colours on paper before and some local cafés. “I feel very excited. The cards digitising them. “They are all about nature as are like my babies but every artist I see it. My cards come out of probably thinks that about their my own feelings and make me work. I am very happy when I see feel so very lucky to be here. I other people enjoy them.” Aysun@imagineer.kiwi or aysun. draw and paint my subjects as I see them in my mind, often arabaci7@gmail.com in watercolours, and then use – Moira Kennedy a computer programme to test my colours and composition. When I feel satisfied, I go to the next level,” Aysun says. “I want my work to be clean, honest and clear. If I go for a walk and see something, I draw it when I get home and then work on it from there. I have a long list of drawings to move to the next stage!”

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Our place

Summer sailing season ends on a high Local sailors have enjoyed a great summer of sailing at French Bay Yacht Club, writes Zoe Hawkins. Since lockdowns ended, sailing events have been held nearly every weekend, ranging from an adventure sail and camping trip from French Bay across the Manukau Harbour to Clarks Beach, a fun-filled French Bay Regatta, the successful defence of the Manukau Shield (the America’s Cup of the harbour!), wind-surfing and foiling, and an epic road trip to the Optimist and Starling class national championships in Napier for a group of nine under-13 sailors, their coach Hamish Hall-Smith and parents. Dozens of children have completed Learn to Sail and Learn to Race programmes, and five courses have been held for adults too along with a season-long coaching programme. “We’ve shown that sailing can be

done on a budget, and be a lot of fun,” says club commodore Allan Geddes. “Clubs like this one have a terrific role to play bringing communities together and creating sporting opportunities and social connections, and this is a great example.” Phoenix Clayton, who only started sailing with the club this summer, took victory in the Green Fleet, a division for new sailors, at the Napier event. To enrol in courses for summer 2022-23, visit www. frenchbay.org.nz. The club recommends signing up early for both adult and youth courses and coaching.

Top: Team French Bay in Napier. © Mel Bennet Left: Phoenix Clayton being congratulated by super-star Dean Barker © Glenn Schussler Right: Luke Campbell in his 1970s era Laser has excelled in the adult race fleet.

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People

“It’s about having fun with music” Judy Nicholls’ smile is as big as her lifelong love of music and sharing it with others at Green Bay retirement village, Pinesong, where she and husband John have lived for the past six years. When she was a little girl of seven or so, her Dad taught her the piano and Judy fell in love with it. “It never went away. I had a gift for it,” she says. So there were no surprises when she grew up to become a music teacher working at various schools including Glen Eden Intermediate. She plays the piano, omnichord (an electronic musical instrument), organ and ukulele and has shared her talent with childrens’ and church choirs, playing at weddings, funerals and community sing-alongs or to dementia patients in other villages as well as other happenings along the way. “Older people with memory issues remember the old songs. It takes them back. Music does that, it's something you've got right through your life.” During Covid-19 lockdowns, Judy played piano, sitting alone in one of Pinesong’s lounges once a week for a couple of hours, with her cheery music broadcast over part of the village grounds. “So many residents and staff people told me it made a difference to how they were feeling,” she says. And making people feel good leads on to Judy’s creation of – and passion for – the Rainbow Rockers, the village’s ukulele orchestra she started five years ago. “When I first came here I realised that while there were musical events and a choir, there wasn’t anything involving playing instruments. Nearly 500 people live here and I thought there must be some who’d like to do that.” She was right and other instruments have been added to the group too. The name? “Some people wonder about that but I just love colour and all our ukuleles are different colours. We often go out wearing wigs and flowers in our favourite colours. Rockers? That’s because we rock music. Some people think it’s a bit strange but we love it and that’s all that matters,” Judy says. “The greatest thing is seeing people get so much enjoyment out of it. Perhaps some have dreamed of going on stage and playing something, and suddenly, they're in their 80s and it’s happening. That's pretty cool.” Last month Judy took over as choirmaster of the Pinesongsters, the choir that started soon after the village was established, about 20 years ago. “I’ve told people that my aim is about having fun with music – not four-part harmonies and perfection. You don’t need to be a great singer or be able to read music. It will be

The Fringe JUNE 2022

uncomplicated and enjoyable and you just need to love singing.” “With Covid lockdowns lifted, the village is starting to come alive with music again and we’re all getting our breath back and planning a nostalgia concert in October, and a Christmas concert later. There was nothing happening last year because of Covid so we had a sing-along in the garden. People were so appreciative.” There’s talk too of a concert of show tunes – “songs that everyone knows and enjoys and that will be new territory for me,” says Judy. “But having fun is the big thing. There’s nothing worse than listening to groups that are all uptight and bound by their music. “Music is so important for older people. It’s a soul thing, calms you down and there’s the nostalgia aspect as well. Familiar songs bring happiness and it’s therapeutic too.” It’s a Wednesday morning and Judy is off to tickle the ivories at Pinesong’s Nu 2 U pop-up store selling good recycled women’s clothing, jewellery, bags and accessories to residents and the public alike. “The Nu 2 U team has raised thousands of dollars for St John in just a couple of years. The team thought me playing the piano in the background might just add to the fun and encourage people to spend more, it’s such a good cause. People are even getting up to sing and dance when their shopping’s finished. “Music’s like that. It brings happiness.” – Moira Kennedy

Ivy Margaret Copeland (1888 – 1961) was mentioned in the April issue of The Fringe (page 16) when we shared John Clark’s account of how he was able to identify the location of one of her paintings after seeing a black and white image from the Auckland Libraries Heritage Collection (right). Ivy’s original painting is shown above (© Ivy Copeland and International Art Centre).

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Our place

Disease-free kauri available for sale Three hundred healthy kauri saplings went on sale to new homes last month, thanks to the Kauri Ora project. In May, we brought you details about this collaborative project between McCahon House and the Kauri Project. The 3.5 year-old saplings were grown from seed pods harvested from the grounds of the artists’ residency. There are 60,000 Kauri trees in the Waitākere Ranges and some of the saplings will have their DNA from trees older than human habitation. The new-borns were taken to a Covid-free area of Auckland, and nurtured under the watchful eye of Plant and Food Research in Pukekohe, which is funded by Auckland Council. In the first week of May, the saplings were then taken to Allpress Studio in Freemans Bay to be sold for $100 each. “The project has been carried out away from Tītīrangi so we can send the saplings off to be planted in confidence that they’re disease-free,” says McCahon House director Vivienne Stone. The sale will raise $30,000 for the project partners.

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Allpress Studio provided its gallery free of charge. Around the walls were art works celebrating kauri, by some of New Zealand’s iconic artists. These showcased the connection between art and science. One of three digital prints titled Kauri Ora by Emily Karaka, a McCahon alumnus, is pictured behind Vivienne (left), and these were also on sale for $200 each. The other artists exhibited were Colin McCahon, Shane Cotton, Imogen Taylor, and CoraAllan Lafaiki Twiss. All of McCahon House artist-in-residence Cora-Allan’s paintings use natural paints created from locally sourced pigments such as berries, leaves and kauri gum. Natural paint starter boxes were handed out free to tamariki during the school holidays. There are still 100 McCahon House Kauri Project saplings available for sale. To purchase, visit the online store at mccahonhouse.org.nz/kauriora For more on the Kauri Project’s events, go to thekauriproject. org. – Jade Reidy

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Our place

“Bring us your positive, creative thinking” The trustees of Tītīrangi Soldiers’ We’d love the community to share their Memorial Church in Park Road are ideas,” says trustee Beryl Sweeting-Shaw calling on the community to bring of Laingholm. them new ideas for the use of the old Fresh, young and creative thinking is building. also being encouraged. A group from Built in 1922 in memory of those Green Bay High School has made a movie who lived locally and lost their lives there and music artist Kiki Rockwell in World War 1, the church was later turned the interior into a mediaeval also dedicated to Tītīrangi veterans who castle for a backing video for one of her gave their lives in subsequent conflicts. songs. It was officially opened by the then “We’re open to all kinds of approaches,” Governor-General Lord Jellicoe in 1924 says Beryl, “but this is a church in and is thought to be one of few soldiers’ memory of fallen soldiers so we do need memorial churches in New Zealand. to keep respect for them in mind. It is still used as a church for a weekly “We have a responsibility to keep it service, and is a popular venue for alive and being used by the community. Tītīrangi Soldiers’ Memorial Church wedding ceremonies due to its traditional Trustees, John Shaw, Beryl SweetingIt’s such as asset to Tītīrangi and it style. Funerals, baptisms and naming Shaw and Don Anton. would be a tragedy to lose it.” ceremonies are also held there but The church seats 80 people and the trustees are open the trustees are keen to encourage to moving some of the original rimu pews around to more community activities. accommodate other events. “There’s been talk of a pottery “It’s in a great location too,” says Beryl. “There are plenty of exhibition and we’d very much excellent hospitality and photography options in the Village. like all kinds of community groups We just want the community to use it.” to think about it as a venue. For more information email Sweetingberyl@msn.com or Exhibitions could be held here, Anton43d@gmail.com. perhaps play groups and similar. – Moira Kennedy

Cycling budget controversy misses point

Waitākere Ward Councillors Shane Henderson and Linda Cooper say that headlines criticising plans for future cycling infrastructure in Auckland missed the real issue, tackling climate change. While widely reported as being $1.7 billion for cycleways, the 10-year figure for new cycle infrastructure remains at $306 million with no extra funding having been agreed. What has been agreed, says Shane, is the council’s plan to halve emissions by 2030, which will heavily rely on many more people getting on their bikes and scooters rather than getting in their cars. “What Auckland Transport did was bring a business case for several projects that could be funded at some point in the future, if funding became available, be it from council or government,” says Shane. “It’s a way to look to the future and have projects ready to go should funding allow. “The cycling plan was already agreed last year through our planning and budgeting processes, and was unanimously agreed to by the Mayor, every councillor and every local board when it went through the process. “And even while $306 million sounds like a big number, it's less than one percent of our $32 billion transport budget.

The Fringe JUNE 2022

“I understand that times are hard right now and people don’t want to see things that they think are wasteful spending. “However, climate change is not going away, and we need to act now to make a difference. That means providing options for people to use other means of transport safely. “The scandal isn’t the $1.7 billion for cycleways, it's what our children will face if we don’t do anything about our emissions.” Linda Cooper also agrees and says that the key is to make cycling safer for everyone. “As a keen cyclist myself I know only too well how harrowing it can be on the road on a bike. It is no surprise that Auckland is one of the least safe cities in the world for people to walk and cycle around. In fact walking or cycling is one of the top 10 causes of death and serious injury for kids. “We must do better, and we have to do better. Planning for the future isn’t a luxury, it’s an absolute must. We have to plan and see how to make Auckland a better place for everyone. More people cycling and walking mean fewer people on the road causing congestion. “But the only way we will get people to do that is if they feel safe. We owe that to everyone.” Advertise with The Fringe – It’s who we are.

Places to go – Things to do

Olaf Petersen: Nature Boy Swanson photographer Olaf Petersen is being show-cased in an exhibition of his work at Auckland Museum. Entitled Nature Boy: The Photography of Olaf Petersen, the exhibition displays Olaf’s preoccupation with the natural world which he explored in the West of Auckland in the post-war decades. Of Danish and Swedish heritage, Olaf lived all his life in Swanson and left us a vivid record of life in the towns, villages and remote places of Waitākere. The exhibition will tour and the Museum is in discussion with Te Uru about the possibility of the exhibition showing there in the future. The photo featured, right, is entitled Walkabout and was created at Te Henga in 1971. The exhibition, runs until March 2023. Find it at the Sainsbury Horrocks Gallery, Level 2, Auckland War Memorial Museum. There is also a book, Nature Boy: The Photography of Olaf Petersen, edited by Catherine Hammond and Shaun Higgins, and published by Auckland University Press. – Sandra Coney

Merger of West Auckland Law Firms We are pleased to announce the merger of David J Brown & Associates (lawyers in Titirangi) with Thomas & Co Lawyers Limited (lawyers in New Lynn). Thomas & Co already incorporates the practice of Ray Ganda (Titirangi Law Centre) from a merger in 2017. The original principals of the three practices, Ray, David and Don, have many years of experience working in West Auckland. The David J Brown & Associates team – Paula Fletcher, Legal Executive, Jaimee KirbyBrown, Lawyer and Danielle Norrie, Lawyer - join the merged team to continue to assist all their existing clients as well as the clients of the merged practices. See the “Our Team” tab on the website for the whole team. Our focus on service for our community and clients is behind the merger. The directors and staff of the combined practices can now offer an even wider range of skills and resources. This means we can meet your every legal requirement. There is always someone available with the necessary knowledge and experience to assist with any legal matters that might arise. Give us a call, or come in and visit us. We welcome enquiries and are happy to answer any questions. Details of our office location and on-site parking can be found under the “Contact” tab on our website. We have lift access and are also handy to the bus/train interchange. This means that visiting our office is easy and convenient.

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TITIRANGI LAW CENTRE

2nd Floor, 3 Totara Avenue, New Lynn (09) 827 5907 www.thomas.co.nz

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The Fringe JUNE 2022

Art & About with Naomi McCleary

The Art of the Smile that emanate from the community. And On a peerless Saturday morning yet, without a public service structure, I joined the throngs that gather all manner of inequities and injustices weekly at the Vegan Market in can abound. So I’m grateful to them all. Oratia. The almost dream-like But to the point. Within a couple atmosphere is a product of a pretty of months the Going West Trust will laid-back crowd and a space that is have the responsibility of developing framed by history; an old packing a writers’ residency programme at shed, the family home on one side Maurice Shadbolt’s home of 40 years; the facing ‘Just Plane Interesting’ on place where almost the entire cannon the other. Masks used inside, but of his work was produced. No writer outside little evidence of them as of his time so captured our history folks spread out across the lawns to and captivated the reading public. His picnic on a surprisingly wide range New Zealand Wars trilogy brought of delectables. to life a period of our history never I went to shop but what I came away before tackled in novel form; historical with was a ‘basketful of smiles’. And it characters made flesh; new perspectives made me realise how we have been so on some dark parts of our past. deprived of that connecting rictus of He was a prodigious researcher. One the face. Wrinkling ones eyes above Maurice Shadbolt. Photo by Ted Scott. the mask doesn’t quite do it. At the entrance I squeezed past of the last times I was with Maurice, when his dementia was another driver in my car and she let loose a megawatt smile well-advanced, his conversation was about researching an of acknowledgement; an instant, fleeting moment. Lovely! area of post-colonial Northland history. He was way beyond A toddler returned my smile and ran towards me. Everyone writing, but some part of his mind was still searching. Although his books sold well, both here and internationally, looked beautiful. I felt bathed in good will. he boosted his income with frequent writing assignments, Smiles all round at the May meeting of the Waitākere mainly for the Readers Digest, National Geographic and Ranges Local Board. After an unmentionable number of other publications. So at this moment in time, when the years, the board was able to approve an Agreement to Lease blurred line between fact and disinformation is challenging of the Shadbolt House to the Going West Trust*. the media world, Going West Trust is considering longBureaucracies are strange beasts. They are the operating form journalism as worthy of support alongside the more arm of democracies and their processes and practices can traditional residency genres. seem impenetrable much of the time. How it is that the First things first. The house is crying out for attention. transfer of Maurice Shadbolt’s house has taken years is both Foundation walls must be completely replaced and the a mystery and a frustrating journey for the local board and interior needs sensitive updating and refurbishing. The site the trust. And yet, on that journey, I have met some wonderful is sublime; a long narrow bush-covered (and weed infested) and incredibly helpful public servants. It’s not the people so section sloping down to the Manukau and looking directly much as the systems; cautious, risk averse, protocol-bound. across to Little Muddy Creek. In his memoir, From the Edge of FRINGEADLTD.pdf 1 15/11/16 16:33 ‘Town Hall’ is not conducive to organic or opportunistic ideas

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The Fringe JUNE 2022

Embossed Lights

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Art & About with Naomi McCleary

the Sky, Maurice describes it thus: Much of my life, possibly too much, has been lived in a studio set above a serene New Zealand estuary. This hermit hideout where I write now is fringed with spindly bat mangroves, wreathed with rainforest and always under siege from loud mouthed birds. My nearest dictionary defines an estuary as a breach in the land where local tides blend with global currents. That bears some similarity to my situation. With one foot in Oceania, the other in Europe, my life has been a miscellany of the near and the far, the native and the exotic, the insular and the cosmopolitan. As a New Zealander I belong as much to the societies bordering the North Sea as to those fringing the South Pacific. It’s a daunting task, but we’ve planned for this for so many years with the result that there is a well-formed path forward. Right now, in our Covid world, Going West trustees are exploring how this residency programme might intersect and interweave into the future of the Going West Festival. In that regard, look out for a new season of podcasts, due to hit the airwaves by the time you read this.

Artist of the Month

His name is Alan. He is 91. He has lived in a quiet suburban Glen Eden street for over 60 years. I can confidently say that he would never describe himself as an artist; yet he has, over those many years, crafted a most beautiful and arresting living artwork. I regularly visit the neighbouring house, where I’m mesmerised by a sculpted hedge between the two properties. It is monumental; 50 metres long and three metres high; a billowing, free-form sleeping giant. It is clipped to perfection. I visited him to find out more. Alan escaped post-war Britain in the early ’50s and took a farm-hand job near Cambridge. When his family joined him he shifted to Auckland and to Glen Eden. He bought the quarter-acre, gorse-covered section in 1958 and planted the Lawsoniana hedge (a species of Cyprus) in 1959. A house

Alan (right) is completely dwarfed by his ‘sleeping giant’ (above). He can just be seen at the back on the left of the photo.

was built where he and his wife reared a family of four. Along with the emerging ‘sleeping giant’, he created a beautiful garden. Roses a favourite, but so many other old-fashioned flowers; michaelmas daisies, cosmos, painted ladies – all things I remember from my mother’s garden. He tells me he loves self-seeding plants, as do I, and we share ‘gardener’s stories’. Alan works in the garden almost every day and it is immaculate. As the hedge grew, Alan followed, allowing the hedge to dictate its form; sometimes using electric clippers, but mostly, and now always, hand clippers. On a sunny morning this is where I find him; up a tall ladder painstakingly manicuring the top; a diminutive figure moving confidently up and down the ladder. I am torn between fear that he might fall and total admiration. What a gift this nonagenarian has created. Instead of having a boundary, the neighbours live with a shared object of beauty. It’s such a cliché, but ‘salt of the earth’ does come to mind. And the fruit of Alan’s labour over 60 years does make me smile with delight. * The writer is a trustee of the Going West Trust.

Your local MP LindaLinda Cooper Cooper Dr Deborah Russell MP for New Lynn New Lynn Electorate Office 09 820 6245 newlynn.mp@parliament.govt.nz 1885 Great North Rd, Avondale, Auckland

Councillor for Waitākere Councillor for Waitākere Please feel free to

Please feel free to contact me with contact me with issuesissues or ideas or ideas

021 629 533

021 629 533 linda.cooper@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz linda.cooper@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Authorised by Deborah Russell MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

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The Fringe JUNE 2022

Places to go – Things to do

At the libraries ... Tītīrangi Library

Wednesday, June 1, 11.30am-12.30pm: Royal Visits to New Zealand. Raewynn Robertson from Research West presents photographs from the Auckland Libraries Heritage collections of royal visits dating from 1869 through to the 1980s. Registrations preferred to titirangi.library@ aucklandcouncil.govt.nz After-school activities are back during term time with a free Lego Club on Wednesdays, 3.30-4.30pm and the popular social gaming Minecraft Club on Thursdays 3.30-4.30pm (own device and Minecraft login required). A new Kids’ Book Club meets on June 7, 3.30-4.30pm. We will be reviewing and discussing popular book series. Bring along what you have been reading or find a new great read to take home. Suitable for ages 7+. The library is also excited to be part of the Hell Reading Challenge 2022. Visit the library for more details and start reading for pizza today. The Hell Reading Challenge is open to students in Years 1-8. We’re back! And definitely in business. Our first production for 2022 at Tītīrangi Theatre has come to us rather unexpectedly. The Homecoming, by renowned playwright Harold Pinter, was in performance in the city, when Covid struck. Directors Edward Peni and Michael Lawrence approached us to see if we had an opportunity to host the play in June, and we were delighted to be able to say “Yes!” The cast comprises Calum Gittens, Michael Lawrence, our own Ross Brannigan, Jesse Dean Miller, Phil Brooks and Venetia Clark. The show runs from June 18-24 at 8pm (no show on Monday) and a matinee is being arranged. Bookings can be made on iTicket, where all will be made clear. And now for something completely different! Keep June 11 free for the first, but hopefully not the last, Open Stage Night! You’ve heard of Open Mic, where anyone can get up and sing or crack jokes? Well, on Open Stage Night, anyone can get up on our stage and read, perform, sing, dance … perform a monologue! Or a

The Fringe JUNE 2022

Rhymetime is on Tuesdays, 10.3011.00am, suitable for ages 18 months to three years (and older), and Wriggle and Rhyme is on Fridays, 9.30-10.00am, for babies and toddlers, two years and under.

Glen Eden Library

Celebrate Matariki with Ahi Kaa, Saturday, June 25, 1-3:30pm. Fun activities and live music for the whole whānau. Wriggle and Rhyme is on June 1 and 15, 11-11:30am and Rhymetime is on June 2 and 16, 11-11:30am. The Lego Club meets on Tuesdays, 3:30-5:00pm. Fill-in Word Game: Friday, June 24, 3:305:00pm. Play this funny and crazy word game after school. Children under 8 will need some help from parents. Whau Ace Adult and Community Education offers job seekers free support and advice at the Job Café, Mondays, 12:30-2:30pm, and the Library’s Book Chat group meets on Wednesday, June 1, 10.30-11.30am, in the library’s meeting room. Everyone is welcome to go along and share what they have been reading.

duologue! A scene from a play you have been in. Or one that you would like to be in. A reading from a book you particularly like. Be creative! Ring me on 021 279 7901 and give me your ideas. In September we hope to resurrect our season of one-act plays, held over from last year, cast and crew availability notwithstanding. And in November? You guessed it - the pantomime, Jack and the Giant Kauri Tree! At last! Watch this space for dates and times. Ever optimistic, your committee even has a programme for next year worked out. We would like to open in March with The Woman in Black, when a director steps forward. Interested? Ring me. In June, Kerynn Walsh is keen to direct Winding Up by Roger Hall, and in September Terry Rutledge has promised us his take on The Diary of Anne Frank. November’s treat is yet to be decided, but a treat it will be. All of these, of course, are subject to the performing rights being available. And Covid keeping its sticky little fingers away from us. Keep well, keep safe, and keep on supporting us! – Phoebe Falconer, President, Tītīrangi Theatre Advertise with The Fringe – It’s who we are.

Keeping it Local The Fringe makes space on these pages available for current advertisers and non-commercial organisations, at no charge. To be included in our next issue, email info@fringemedia. co.nz before June 10.

Imagine if there was a place you could go and leave all your stress, tension and anxiety behind. Imagine if for one hour you could remember what it’s like to feel light, relaxed and free, then afterward you could go back into your life feeling calm, focused and energetic. Imagine what life would be like if you could access that space whenever you want. Enter Tītīrangi Float Club. Float Culture’s new studio at Tītīrangi Wellness Centre (511 South Tītīrangi Road) brings the profound physical and mental benefits of floating to the neighbourhood for the very first time. Float Culture's Float Club is a space to slow down and recharge, inspiring creativity and innovation in our lives, and it’s available 24/7. Float tanks are a relaxation and recovery tool often used for pain, anxiety, and stress management, as well as to stimulate creativity and improve mood. The tank holds several inches of skin temperature water and hundreds of kgs of Epsom Salt, making the water so

dense you’re able to lie back and float effortlessly. The space is private, peaceful, and calm – creating a reprieve from life’s noisy demands to give your body a chance to properly rest. Each experience is unique, with each person controlling the lights, door and duration of their experience. While gentle meditation music plays to signify the end of the session, choosing to finish up sooner is as easy as standing up and stepping out. Float Club members make their bookings online, receive an entry code to let themselves in, shower, float, tidy up and leave. The automated studio cleans, disinfects and takes care of the rest. Easy as. Prices start at $49 per float per month or you can float as much as you like for $59 per week. Visit floatclub.co.nz to learn more.

Urban Renewal – the new frontier

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We also oppose the proposed fee for local parkand-rides. Outer settlements such as Piha pay the same transport charge as the inner suburbs, but do not have the same access to public transport. Our preference is for local link shuttle buses, but without these the outer settlements need parkand-ride facilities in order to access the city-wide public transport network. Fewer car trips from the Waitākere Ranges area to downtown will help address congestion. Future West wants to see an increased responsiveness from developers to local community desires as we retrofit our neighbourhoods. The Swanson Heritage Plan, developed with the local community, is a good example of the ways that community-led precinct planning can improve the outcomes in new developments like the Yozin Site. If we are elected, Future West will be seeking innovative ways to ensure local voices are heard and influential in the shaping of our communities.

As Auckland builds up to provide more housing near where people work, shop, and go to school, we need to ensure that our neighbourhoods are safe, and walkable, and that community needs are met. We all want children to be able to walk and cycle to school safely, and we all want public transport that is regular and safe and addresses workers’ needs. Good footpaths, separated cycleways, and street lighting that lights the path and not the night sky will all contribute to making our neighbourhoods safe and accessible. Future West wants more community facilities, including more parks and green linkages, footpath improvements, small buses to the outer settlements, and links back to the train stations in Glen Eden and Swanson. So that Council can address current and future community demands, Future West opposes council land sales and continues to advocate for increased tree protection for future generations.

The Fringe JUNE 2022

Auckland-based music collective The Human Kind celebrate the release of their single Tell Me How in the lead up to their debut show series Solacium (Thursday, June 23 at 7pm, at The Pah Homestead, and Sunday, July 10 at 7pm, at Lopdell Theatre in Tītīrangi). The shows are a continuation of their initiative to support organisations promoting mental health in Aotearoa and 100% of the profits from these shows will be donated to the Mental Health Foundation. Tell Me How bends genres from previous releases of The Human Kind, offering a psychedelic folk influence and features the raw, ageless vocals of Mitch French. Ethereal harmonies from Debbie Toko-Stevens and Chrissy Diamond offset Mitch’s soulful lament, and the instrumentation enveloped in cinematicstyled production, evokes a sense of wistful melancholy that leaves the listener yearning for more. It portrays someone who’s wrestling with turbulent emotions, with no way of helping themselves or even knowing how to ask for help. “This is a big problem with men these days and I can relate to this second hand,” says Mitch. The Human Kind have gained strength through their own mental health challenges and are now turning pain into purpose through their shared creative vision. Made up of professional creatives from different cultures and gender identities, The Human Kind combines live music, songs and images in audio-visual events that express the spectrum of human emotions.

www.thehumankind.net/ events

The incredibly dry summer is coming to an end, with temperatures dropping, rain in the horizon and tree leaves covering paths. While some may miss the sunshine and dread the wet season, the brown glory of autumn is undeniable. The team of locals at Drain Ranger are, like most of us, enjoying the cooler days and beauty around but also bracing themselves for what’s to come their way. They are about to get hit hard with phone calls and message requests for overflowing drains: a common consequence of blown leaves and left-over debris from all those summer projects being swept away by the increasing rain. “With the longer summer, our busiest period has moved by a month or so in the past few years. March used to be the start of it but we now start to get busier around the end of April and peak in July and August,” says Kelly Horan, business manager. While the business has been operating for nearly 20 years, main boss and operator Derek Marsom has been on the tools for a decade longer. “The one thing I can’t stress enough is that a maintenance plan including CCTV and hydro-jett at least once a year is the most cost-effective way to go,” he says when asked about his number one pro tip. “Drains are like your car: if you don’t care for them regularly, you will get a heavy bill at some point. The difference is, you can always get a cheap car to get you through but replacing damaged drains will set you back ten of thousands of dollars.” The Drain Ranger team know that not all properties need the same frequency or level of care. The company offers expert advice and a customised plan to keep things running smoothly. So as you change your wardrobe for the winter, make an appointment to get your home ready for it too.

You Shop We Deliver

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Titirangi Supermarket 429 Titirangi Rd, Auckland, 0604

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The Fringe JUNE 2022

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WORST WEEDS WATCHLIST

Have you spotted these in your backyard? Pest plants have a real ecological impact when they jump the garden fence and smother our forests and streams. Keeping them at bay means that native plants and birds can flourish.

CLIMBING ASPARAGUS

MOTH PLANT

WILD GINGER

Smothers the forest floor and prevents growth of native plants. Climbing plant with small, thin leaves, white flowers and green berries that ripen to orange/ red. For small amounts, dig out tubers, rhizomes and seeds & rot in a water barrel or dispose in community weed bins. Try to remove before seeding occurs. Large infestations may require herbicide.

Strangles native plants and is a prolific seeder. Noxious woody vine with white sap and large green pods bearing up to 1000 seeds. Wear gloves when removing pods and dispose of in community weed bins. Pull out young plants at the root, or cut woody stumps and apply herbicide. Avoid skin contact - sap is an irritant.

Quickly forms dense stands that prevents native plants from growing. Cut off seed heads and dispose at community weed bins. Green stems and leaves can be left to compost. If rhizomes can be removed without causing erosion, dig out and rot in water barrels or dispose in community weed bins. If leaving rhizomes in the ground, cut stems at base and paste immediately with herbicide.

WOOLLY NIGHTSHADE

JASMINE

TRADESCANTIA

Quickly forms dense stands that prevent native plants from growing. Small shrubs grow into large trees with furry grey/green leaves, purple flowers and green fruit turning yellow when ripe. Dig or pull out small plants or cut and paste large trees with herbicide. Remove seeds and dispose of in community weed bins.

Grows densely and smothers native plants on the ground and in the subcanopy. Evergreen climber with tough stems, dark green leaves, red/pink flower buds and white, five-petalled flowers. Cut vines and leave upper stems to die in trees, alternatively dig out roots. Rot down in a water barrel or dispose in community weed bins.

Forms dense mats preventing native plants from growing, and will regrow from stem fragments. Rake up or pull out all pieces and compost in a weed bag, or dispose of in community weed bin.

For large infestations or more detailed information, visit https://pestsearch.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz To prevent the spread of kauri dieback, refrain from removing weeds from around the root zones of kauri. Those who live in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area can dispose of invasive weeds free of charge at the community weed bins: www.ecomatters.org.nz/weed-bins

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The Fringe JUNE 2022

Our place

Securing Our Future As I write this, a major Wellbeing Budget 2022 announcement has just been released which sets out the government’s action plan on climate change. The Emissions Reduction Plan and Climate Emergency Response Fund will prepare Aotearoa New Zealand for the future. The new fund invests in a range of initiatives to achieve the Climate Commission’s independent, science-based targets. Rising global energy prices show we must wean ourselves off expensive fossil fuels, scale up our ambition to decarbonise industry, and future proof our energy system. We support smart, long-term solutions to the climate challenge, rather than short-term, piecemeal responses. Every sector, from transport to food production, will play its part to ensure we can meet our climate targets. In brief the plan will: • Help New Zealanders purchase electric vehicles • Reduce waste going to landfills • Provide easier, cleaner, cheaper public transport • Zero emissions buses only to enter fleet from 2025 and the entire public transport fleet to be decarbonised by 2035 • Require trucks to cut emissions by 35% by 2035 • More of our biggest businesses to be powered by clean, renewable energy generated in New Zealand • Put an end to our reliance on coal • An emissions pricing mechanism for agriculture by 1 January 2025 • Support native wildlife and forests We can’t opt out of the effects of climate change, so we can’t opt out of taking action. A low emissions future is achievable for New Zealand – and our plan sets out a clear path for getting there. The full plan is available at https://environment.govt.nz/publications/aotearoanew-zealands-first-emissions-reduction-plan. – Deborah Russell, MP for New Lynn

Love Your Place Awards Nominations are now open for the biennial Love Your Place Awards, which celebrate those making a difference for the environment in the Waitākere Ranges. “What makes these awards so special is that they truly celebrate the people behind the initiatives helping protect our precious heritage,” says EcoMatters CEO Carla Gee. The previous awards, in 2020, recognised those working in predator and weed control, food growing and waste minimisation initiatives. The five award categories are: • Denise Yates Award: for youth (under 16) • Karaka Award: for a school or school group • Nīkau Award: for a business or social enterprise • Rātā Award: for an outstanding volunteer group • Kahikatea Award: for an outstanding individual volunteer Nominations are open until June 30 at ecomatters.org.nz/ loveyourplace. The Love Your Place Awards 2022 are funded by the Waitākere Ranges Local Board and organised and hosted by EcoMatters Environment Trust.

Weather by the Moon

June is expected to be wetter than average. The first week may be sunniest, the second week the wettest, and the third week the cloudiest. The fourth week may be driest with highest pressure and rain returns in the last couple of days. The driest weekend may be the 25th/26th. Highest tides are around the 15th. The best fishing bitetimes in the West are around noon on the 1st, 13th-16th and 29th-30th. Bite-chances are also good around dusk of 7th-9th, and 20th-22nd. For gardeners, planting is best between the 2nd-12th, and pruning is best 16th-27th. For preserving and longer shelflife, pick crops or flowers around the 8th and 23rd. Always allow 24 hour error for all forecasting. For future weather for any date, visit www.predictweather.com. © Ken Ring 2021.

Anne Maree Gardens, Rest Home & Hospital 213 – 215 Woodlands Park Road, Titirangi, Auckland 0604 Phone: 09 817 8495 or 09 817 6188 www.kenturnermotors.co.nz

The Fringe JUNE 2022

Respite & Day Care, Specialist Hospital Dementia Care and Young Persons Disability Care

We believe that inclusiveness, enjoyment and fun, contribute to a resident’s holistic well-being. Phone: Resina Rakai on (09) 828 3741 / 021 835 743 www.annemareeresthome.co.nz 24 Coronet Place, Avondale Advertise with The Fringe – It’s who we are.

Sustainable solutions with Fiona Drummond

Bag weeds for compost

Harvest your rainwater

Disposing of weeds in general rubbish is not the way to go as green waste creates carbon emissions. Locally made weed bags, available from EcoMatters, are a better option particularly if you don't want to use herbicides, don't have a trailer or would like to compost your weeds The bags come in small size 1.8 x 1.8m or large size 1.8 x 2.4m, and are designed to break down weeds and create compost in six to 12 months if left in a sunny spot. Avoid putting woody weeds and branches in the bags and don’t put any seeds from the weeds into the bag. They won’t die and will regrow when you use the compost. Once the bag is full, it will be heavy. Wrap it up like a present and put a brick or log on top to help it stay closed and to stop any light entering. (This stops the weeds regrowing.) Once the contents look like soil, it's ready to be used as compost. Purchase weed bags from https://www.ecomatters.org. nz/ecomatters-store/online/ or direct from Ecomatters in New Lynn. To find out which weeds can be composted visit https://www.tiakitamakimakaurau.nz/protect-and-restoreour-environment/pests-in-auckland/home/

Auckland property owners can now install rainwater tanks without applying for resource consent, as long as the tank is not connected to internal household plumbing. Auckland Council used to consider rainwater tanks to be a “building”, requiring resource consent but in Auckland’s revised Unitary Plan rainwater tanks are now their own category. The change means most property owners wanting to put in a rainwater tank will no longer need to submit a resource consent or pay a resource consent application fee. The impacts of climate change including long severe dry spells and increased periods of torrential rainfall has had an effect on the resilience of household water supply, and removing the consent requirement and costs will make it easier for Aucklanders to be resourceful with rainwater. If only one percent of Auckland’s urban households were to use a rainwater tank, this could save approximately one million litres of dam storage every day. Full Council rules about rainwater tanks can be found at https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/ looking-after-aucklands-water/rainwater-tanks/Pages/ default.aspx

We need consistency We (Auckland Council) seem to have no hard and fast way of correlating public feedback from the many public consultations that council is obliged to do by law.

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– Ken Turner, WestWards

The Fringe JUNE 2022

Council’s Regional Park Management Plan Review recently received 4684 written submissions from individuals, organisations, and mana whenua. However, Council has identified that 3830 of these submissions were generated from a campaign website through which 3646 people had used a template provided by the website to make their submission. The writer of this executive summary then challenges these submissions for being all the same and infers people had been ‘coached’ in what they said. Because of this the bureaucracy has decided to treat these 3646 submissions as a Petition and view them collectively as one (1). So, all the guidance given to decision-makers and the public by way of PowerPoint graphs etc, are percentages derived from approximately 900 submissions, not 4684. However, consideration of how individual submissions have been sourced doesn’t seem to have been applied to the 20222023 Annual Budget consultation. Auckland Council received

11,550 pieces of feedback in total from across the region, but nowhere does council mention that 46% (5,313) of submissions came from 15 to 24-year-olds and 8% (924) from children under the age of 15. This fact was confined to one bar-graph in the supporting information. This level of engagement in bureaucratic process by school age persons is, in my experience, very unusual. I’m now of the understanding that most of these submissions came through the school curriculum and a teaching process. As admirable as teaching young people the importance of engaging with council process may be, I argue that these approximately 6,000 pieces of feedback, even if not ‘all the same’, were generated in a way that offers just as much opportunity for people to have been ‘coached’ as Council claims most people were during the RPMP feedback process. So, what is Council’s rationale for determining who gets heard in-full and who gets heard in-part. I suspect it depends on what best supports the bureaucracy’s preferred outcome. At best this is double standards undermining people’s faith in democracy. At worst, the manipulation of legal process. I am calling on all elected members to demand consistency in our process.

Naturally West with Fiona Drummond

Kākā pay an extended visit Local conservationist and researcher, Tītīrangi residents have been Mark Harvey believes that the work treated to the welcome, and vocal, done by all the local pest-free groups, return of a rare native parrot, the including the Waima to Laingholm kākā. Pest-Free and the South Tītīrangi Sightings were first reported in early Neighbourhood Network groups, have April at Konini Road, Exhibition Drive, improved the habitat and reduced Waima Crescent, Manuka Road and the numbers of their main predators Minnehaha Avenue. The kākā set (possums and stoats). He is hopeful up base in a patch of bush along the that this scouting trip could lead to Woodlands Park/Laingholm ridgeline. kākā returning to the area where they For the next 16 days, they went visiting haven’t been resident since the 1950s. other parts of the valley, returning in Kākā typically eat fruits, berries, the evenings. seeds, flowers, buds, nectar, sap, plants On April 26, five kākā provided a and invertebrates, using their strong vocal dusk chorus at Tītīrangi Beach beak to shred the cones of the kauri and French Bay and a day later it tree to obtain seeds. They are partial to was reported another had joined them. native trees such as kōwhai, kahikatea, Another three kākā arrived in Huia, putaputawētā, pūriri, rewarewa, nīkau, with a local commenting that there are kauri and tōtara. They also forage in a four kākā pairs flying over Huia each wide range of exotic trees. day from Karekare (where a colony has Photo by Andrew Ross. Although kākā have occasionally been established). By the end of April kākā were reported in Park Road, Kohu Road and Green Bay. been seen or heard in our area, they haven’t hung around Park Road resident, Chris Haines, took some photos from let alone landed for as long as this, so this visit was exciting, his deck of a kākā (pictured below) tucking into kauri cones, particularly as they might be here to stay. Ecosystems researcher Neil Fitzgerald, from Manaaki and it returned to his property often until the second week Whenua ran a kākā monitoring programme in 2020 when of May. 11 were fitted with solar-powered transmitters and released in the Waikato. The tags have their limitations but three of the birds have registered some interesting movements, travelling over 150km north to islands in the Hauraki Gulf. “We know that kākā are most abundant on pest-free offshore islands such as Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island and Kāpiti Island, and in mainland eco-sanctuaries such as the Waipapa Ecological Area at Pureora, but outside of these sites numbers are thought to be in general decline in both the North and South Islands,” says Neil. Kākā are formally classified as an “At Risk” species.

The Fringe JUNE 2022

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Our Place

A threatened species rescue mission

Volunteers needed

Carex litorosa, a small coastal sedge, is generally uncommon in New Zealand, and it's extremely rare in and around Auckland, writes Megan Fitter. The grass-like plant is now only found in Little Muddy Creek after the other West Auckland population in Te Atatū was washed away. Knowing how precious it was, the Little Muddy Creek Rehabilitation Project has been keen to protect this tiny population, in line with the 2014 Muddy Creeks Local Area Plan that guides it. Rescuing this rare plant has been a labour of love for Simon Grant, aka the Wizard of Huia. After collecting seed and lavishing great care – and the occasional magic spell – on the plants for 18 months, the precious seedlings were returned to Little Muddy Creek. Locals welcomed them back and neighbouring children will plant them and be their kaitiaki (guardian) to ensure that this special plant will flourish in the Tītīrangi area. Left: Simon Grant with Little Muddy Creek neighbours Kayleigh, Hugo, Charlie, Liz Manley and her granddaughter Talili. (Hugo and Talili are also pictured above.)

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Inspired by the return of kākā to South Tītīrangi? A local trapping line needs volunteers to keep traps baited and catching rats, mice, possums and stoats to encourage kākā to stay here, writes Zoe Hawkins. Community volunteer Matt Bloxham established the trapline with Clair Hobi (pictured above) and Tony Dunn, with assistance and support from Auckland Council’s Regional Parks Unit. “By keeping the number of pest species down, species like tūī and kererū can thrive, and we’re hoping kākā will eventuality set up residence,” he says. “Predators like ship rats are so pervasive. As well as eating eggs and nestlings, they also climb kauri to feast on the seeds. which puts rats in direct competition with kākā,” says Matt. “We need more people to check, clear and rebait the traps. It’s a grizzly, often smelly job but it’s satisfying work. With more folks, we’ll be able to clear the traps more often and knock over substantially more predators”, says Clair. (Trained volunteers are allowed to enter the bush.) To get involved, email neighbours@southtitirangi.org.nz, or visit www.southtitirangi.org.nz. ‘your eyecare centre’

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The Fringe JUNE 2022

Live @ the lounge

Bugger ... Hi guys. It’s about time I took this chance to have a chat. I know Lizard has often mentioned me in his many escapades but, like the marital bed, you’ve only got the one side. Here’s my side ... the right side. My given name was Sharon. I never thought I had the hair to be a Sharon so please call me Shaz. So… let’s begin with my favourite six words in the English language – I probably shouldn’t tell you this – Lizard has moved out. Oops. A bit of giddiness. Steady girl. There, I’ve said it. Lizard is no longer live@the lounge. So what happened? Let’s go back aways. The problem with being born in Auckland, unlike a small town, is that you can’t run away to the big city. You’re already in it. What you can do though (at 17, with a cute boy, a fresh perm. $20.00 stuffed into your bra, in a ‘borrowed’ ’58 Ford Customline) is run away to West Auckland. Oh yeah, and a one-year-old. “I’m glad you’ve already got a sprog, Shaz. I like the way people stare at us like we’re too young. Like they don’t give us a chance. Hey, we’re risk-takers man. We’ll show em eh Shazza.” And by and large, we did. Ah, with the passing of time and yep, the endless Auckland lockdowns probably had a lot to do with it, but that 17-yearold ‘me’ has been asking, this is what I’ve been waiting for? Living with Lizard would turn me inside out sometimes. I kind of couldn’t find my true self in all his indulgent, often magnificent madness. Days on end I’d sit at home with the kids and worry if he was safe. Never jealous. There was more chance of him catching a cold than catching a girl’s eye. Eventually he’d arrive home. Generally with that skinny mopey kid, Jesus and often a stray puppy under his shirt so yet again he was the kids’ hero. He’d shoulder open the back door, slap me on the bum, look in the fridge and say something he would’ve worked on, thinking it was clever and forgiveable. (More than likely he’d read it off a beer coaster.) His classic was, “never let a clock say what you’ve got time for, Shazza.” Then he’d go to bed for two days. No time to ask if I’d like to go to see a movie then? No time to perhaps visit an art gallery or stroll through the botanical gardens with

The Fringe JUNE 2022

the kids and me then? No Paris in spring time? If you want a do-right-all-day woman, you’ve got to be a do-right-all-night man. Aretha Franklin. Amen, sister. Lizard always said he was called Lizard because he was a chameleon and had the tattoo to prove it. “I can change to any environment.” That would explain the 20 odd mint uniforms of all colours supplied by heaps of different companies hanging in the wardrobe. Obviously the chameleon could only fit into his environment for no more than a week. In fact, less than one in a million lizards can change their colours. That’s why I got my tattoo of a butterfly. I know you’ve never seen my tat even when I go to West Wave. I’d have to be skinny dipping to show it off and I’m pretty sure the life guards would frown at the sight of a naked old chook in the wave pool. Lizard thought I got the butterfly because it was sexy. Not at all. If you know anything about butterflies, they often have two completely different sides to their wings. The top can be amazing blues, or reds or oranges but the underside can be dull brown and spotty. One side to attract, one side in an instant switch to disappear on the trunk of a tree. It’s my time to be my true butterfly. I’m sure one day, Lizard and I will be friends. I hope so. I’ll stay around here with Mum. Lizard has taken off in Whitevan somewhere up north. I think to squat on a mate’s lawn. As he so lovingly said, “time to skedaddle.” I worry he eats well. Then again, he was never going to sacrifice his life for his health. I feel OK, thanks for asking. I like the quiet. I’m definitely not going to dye my hair purple. Might even shave my legs. Lizard always thought chicks that did that were weird. Might get the girls over for a vegan meal. Might never cook meat again. Might get a female to move into the caravan to help out with the money situation. Plumless Walker just put his old head on my lap and sighed. Not sure if he’s getting decidedly more deaf or just deciding not to listen. Bugger, a tear just hit the page. Oh well. You get that. Thanks with kindness, Shaz.

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