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, Tītīrangi, Auckland 0642
Editor: Bevis England 817 8024, 027 494 0700 bevis@fringemedia.co.nz
Advertising: info@fringemedia.co.nz
Writers and contributors: Moira Kennedy, David Thiele, Naomi McCleary, Fiona Drummond, Jade Reidy, John Goudge, Karen McCarthy, Kerry Lee
Every issue of The Fringe (and the Tītīrangi 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.
Am I missing something?
A recent communication from Council informed us that 34% of our rates is spent on transport but only 3% is spent on developing better town centres to support our local communities.
This strikes me as extremely odd. If we spent more on our local community centres (better urban spaces, better shops, local hospitals, local employment options, local entertainment options, etc.) people wouldn’t need to travel as much and we’d save a lot of the transport budget, reduce emissions and save much of the time we spend in traffic jams.
That most of the transport budget is being spent on getting people to Auckland’s CBD makes it even stranger. Apart from the occasional big-ticket concert and office-bound work (for the unfortunate people who still have to travel to offices every day), there is nothing in the CBD for most of us.
We’re spending over 10 times more on helping people get somewhere most don’t want to go than we are on making the communities we live in safer, more attractive and better places to live. This doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.
Smart planners try to eliminate problems, not accommodate them. Travel is the problem. We should be spending more on reducing our need to travel.
– Bevis England
On our cover:
Tītīrangi local Stephanie Nierstenhoefer, an outgoing and active person who loves the outdoors, was diagnosed with relapsing, remitting, multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in 2023 (see p.9, The Fringe December 2024/January 2025).
“The diagnosis was difficult to accept, and I found myself in denial, withdrawing from friends and family,” she says. However, prior to her diagnosis, she had set herself the challenge of completing all of New Zealand’s Great Walks and with the support of Mastering Mountains, a charity dedicated to bringing hope to people affected by multiple sclerosis, she was able to successfully complete the Milford track last month.
From her notes: Conquering McKinnon Pass. The climb up Omanui’s zigzags felt like a breeze (it turns out six months of training does pay off) but the descent was nextlevel tough. Steep, rocky, and narrow – it demanded full concentration, and my ankles weren’t thrilled.
Anderson Cascades provided a refreshing break, and after 7.5 hours, we ditched our packs at Quintin Lodge for a bonus 1.5-hour trek to Sutherland Falls ...
Instead of letting MS define her, Stephanie set out to redefine what is possible. Her determination serves as a powerful testament that a diagnosis is not the end of an active life – it’s the start of a new adventure.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @_ms_interpreted_and help her fundraise for the next grant recipient, Visit https://www. masteringmountains.org.nz/ to donate or apply for help.
Free fun that might help in a natural disaster
A free fun day for the community to learn a few handy hints that might help them in a disaster will take place in Green Bay this month, writes MOIRA KENNEDY.
Borrowing from the concept of the well-known international television reality shows, Green Bay’s Amazing Race will see participants running around the community from one of four pop-up pergolas to the next. At each stop they’ll solve a simple puzzle or game that could help them in a disaster, before running on to the next pop-up.
It will start at the Community House and will end there too with a sausage sizzle, bouncy castle and spot prizes. The event is open to all ages but participants must register (see email contact below). It will go ahead no matter the weather.
Green Bay Community House operations manager Sara Mihaere says disaster resilience programmes have been planned since the devastating effects of tropical Cyclone Gabrielle two years ago and this is one way to learn about such things as well as having fun with family and others in the community.
“It’s a great chance for families to talk about what is (or should be) in their emergency kits, and to get brains thinking about just what might be needed in households if there is an emergency.”
A booklet on disaster resilience is also planned and a team is developing local networking options in Green Bay to prepare for any future disasters or extreme weather events.
GREEN BAY AMAZING RACE
The Amazing Race Day will be on Saturday March 15, 10am-1pm, starting and finishing at the Community House, 1 Barron Drive, Green Bay. It is sponsored by Auckland Emergency Management and the Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Trust (among others). Register for this free event by emailing gbcommunityhouse@ gmail.com.
Why is seagrass washing up on our beaches?
Large amounts of dead seagrass have been washing up on Manukau Harbour foreshores this past year while sea-weed has all but vanished, writes JADE REIDY.
Both seagrass (which is a plant with roots) and seaweed (an algae) have boom and bust cycles for reasons that are still obscure, says Professor Conrad Pilditch (right), director of the University of Auckland’s Institute of Marine Sciences. He has recently co-authored a paper on seagrass.
“Seagrass can and does disappear for long periods of time and then returns,” he explains, and while it’s easy to see areas of permanent loss from deterioration over time (via satellite images), we don’t understand the drivers of recovery.”
Potential causes of the current reversal in fortune for seagrass include disease and heat stress (marine heat waves), says Conrad. The seaweed disappearance could be more about timing of where and when biomass accumulates.
Dual Maori name for whau park
A Māori name has been generously gifted to Sister René Shadbolt Park.
Tiakina was gifted by local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki, creating the dual name of Tiakina / Sister René Shadbolt Park.
Auckland Council is committed for te reo Māori to be seen, heard, spoken and learnt in our public places. This is facilitated by the Māori naming and storytelling programme, Te Kete Rukuruku. Bilingual signage has been installed in the park, including one that outlines the meaning of the name and its local significance.
Whau Local Board Chair Kay Thomas is delighted with the name. “We are honoured that one of our major parks is to receive a name which reflects a kaupapa that is central to our work as a board, as well as honouring the namesake of the park. None of this would have been possible without many hours of research by Robyn Taua-Gordon and the support of Te Kawerau ā Maki. I wish to thank and acknowledge their enthusiasm for the Te Kete Rukuruku programme.”
Tiakina means to look after, care, protect and conserve and can relate to whenua (land), taiao (environment) and tāngata (people). Sister René Shadbolt (1903-1977) was a New Zealand nurse who served in the Spanish Civil War. She demonstrated her kaitiakitanga (care) for people in her work as a nurse, a humanitarian and an activist, across Europe and back home in Aotearoa. The name Tiakina remembers the mahi (work) of Sister René Shadbolt as well as the Māori nurses that went to war.
Although extensive seagrass meadows exist in Tauranga Harbour, the Coromandel and parts of Northland, the seagrass we see around the Manukau will be local, Conrad says.
Seagrass has been a focus for restoration efforts globally and here in Aotearoa because of its ability to capture vast quantities of carbon (known as blue carbon) and hence mitigate climate change. According to British marine biologist Dr Helen Scales, in her latest book What the Wild Sea Can Be, seagrass meadows are likely to store close to 20 billion tonnes of carbon globally, equal to more than half of the global annual emissions in the mid-2020s.
Unlike tropical seagrass, which can grow to several metres long, Aotearoa’s zostera muelleri is “small and wimpy” says Conrad, yet it provides structure and stability on the sea floor and creates a complex food web for juvenile fish species. In addition, because seagrass performs its photosynthesis entirely underwater – absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen –its presence supports healthy estuaries and kai moana.
Conrad collaborates with the Cawthron Institute on its ‘Restore the Meadows’ programme. The institute has developed a blueprint for seed-based regeneration, including where and when to find seagrass flowers, and how to collect and germinate seeds. See www.cawthron.org.nz/research/ our-projects/seagrass-restoration.
Note: seagrass is an effective mulch for vegetable gardens and around fruit tree drip lines but, unlike seaweed, it does not contain sufficient nutrients to be an all-purpose fertiliser.
Westies honoured
Two Westies have been named as Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Linda Cooper received her award for services to the community, having contributed to the Auckland community and regional governance for more than 30 years. As a city councillor, she served two terms on the Waitākere City Council and three terms representing Waitākere on Auckland Council between 2004 and 2022. She was elected to the Waitākere Licensing Trust in 2001 and has been president of the trust since 2010.
Dr Karen Colgan has been recognised for services to wildlife conservation and education. She was volunteer coordinator at Ark in the Park from 2003 to 2011 and served on the Ark Management Committee until 2021. She was one of the most active volunteers in the field and was instrumental in the success of the Ark’s translocation programmes, which reached 25,000 volunteer hours annually. She was also a founding trustee of Opanuku Birdsong Trust in 2017.
A ‘shocking’ story ...
When residents of Okewa Road, Tītīrangi, started noticing dead tūī under a local pōhutukawa tree they were alarmed and distressed, writes KAREN MCCARTHY.
On one occasion, six lifeless birds were found. Neighbours raised the alarm, getting word of the deaths to David Blake, a long-time conservationist and member of the South Tītīrangi Neighbourhood Network, which does a lot of pest control in the area, targeting rats and possums.
“It was heartbreaking”, he recalls. “It’s a big old tree, the birds squabble and fight in it, as tūī do. We wondered if somebody was shooting or poisoning them.
“We wanted to be sure the dead birds had nothing to do with our activities. We lay rat bait and stations. We didn’t think it was that, but wanted to be sure” David says.
Approaches were made to the Ministry of Primary Industries, and Auckland Council. Investigations and testing ruled out poison, bird flu or air guns and the cause of death remained a mystery.
Auckland Council senior ecologist Sarah Gibbs says “it was a bit like CSI:Tūī. They are a beloved native bird and we don’t like to see them turning up dead without explanation.”
The breakthrough came when David Blake noticed a Facebook post about dead tūī that had been discovered in Ranui – victims of electrocution from overhead power lines. He got in touch with Massey University veterinary school experts and sent two dead birds to them, frozen and packaged in bubble-wrap. They tested them and, found it was indeed electrocution.
High tension power lines running through the upper canopy of the Tītīrangi pōhutukawa tree were the problem.
The birds, on a nectar high, were coming into contact with the power lines and receiving a deadly jolt. Even when they were not in direct contact with the power lines, the feasting birds were under threat.
“When it rained, the branches got heavier and touched the lines. If the current was running off the lines and into the branches the tūī could still get zapped,” David says.
Dr Alvaro Wehrle-Martinez at Massey University carried
out the postmortems, taking tissue samples and examining them under the microscope.
“The lesions we found were consistent with electrocution.
Looking at the history, the location, the literature, and our investigations, all the pieces of the puzzle came together.” he says.
The findings prompted swift action. Arborists were called in to do a major trim of the pōhutukawa to protect the tree and its feathered friends.
“It’s not ideal to trim such a magnificent tree, but this way, the tūī can safely enjoy their summer smorgasbord,” says Sarah.
This summer, there has been another flowering, and plenty of tūī action, but no more dead birds.
“I’m glad we solved it, but will miss seeing so many tūī in one place, now the tree has had a haircut. Still, better a few less blooms than fewer tūī,” says David.
09 817-9937
Titirangi Road, Titirangi Village
The ‘deadly’ pōhutukawa, before and after trimming.
Art & About with Naomi McCLeary
Exaltation
It’s a record that I play and replay with possibly monotonous frequency; that the arts are critical to our survival in an increasingly unfamiliar and frightening world; that artists dig into our past, make some sense of our present, and reveal and interrogate the issues that plague our humanity. They are increasingly the ‘canary in the mine’, whistling that danger may be near.
I think I have become a little too preoccupied with the seriousness that artists of all stripes do bring to our attention. I recently watched an interview with one of my favourite ‘celebrities’, the wonderfully erudite Stephen Fry. He repeated a more eloquent version of my mantra in his own inimitable style, but finished with a typically ‘Fry’ flourish; that the arts exult; that they celebrate the beauty of our complex world and give us hope.
That notion of exultation has been an earworm ever since; haunting my days and nights in an insistent but lovely way.
So, I want to celebrate two women who, in radically different ways, play at the joyful end of creativity.
Pusi Urale has a solo exhibition at The Upstairs Gallery for all of February. By the time you read this, Fia Fiafiaga will not be there. But this does not matter. The gallery website will be rich with images of her paintings; and it is so worth taking a look; as is visiting the gallery to chat with Carlos or Tatiana. There is such warmth there and an embracing of the community of creativity it serves.
Pusi Urale is 86 years old. Born in Samoa, she moved to New Zealand with her family in the 1970s, becoming part of the Pacific diaspora that has transformed Tāmaki Makaurau into the greatest Pacifica city in the world and significantly enriched Aotearoa's cultural landscape. A self-taught artist, she began painting later in life, after raising her family, and quickly gained recognition for her bold, colourful works. But these are not the naïve paintings of a ‘Grandma Moses’. They
are sophisticated works that radiate joy and movement; they literally dance on the canvas. They incorporate traditional Samoan motifs and symbols, but they are re-imagined through a contemporary lens. Her words completely capture the exultation I’m seeking.
My art has kept me alive and living a fulsome joyful life. At my age, the body feels heavy and numb and feels challenged every morning, but the idea of creating new work gives me purpose. It encourages me to slowly get out of bed and start a new day. I feel lucky that I have a hobby that keeps my creativity flowing and gives me tremendous happiness. I hope that other old people have creative hobbies in any art form that is a source of happiness like painting is for me. At 86 years old I still look forward to creating my own fun art everyday. – Pusi Urale
Rebekah Majdi* would struggle to call herself an artist, or even a craft artist, but she works magic with wool. She is a perfectionist and would happily answer to a somewhat obsessive nature. But this mother of four spends her evenings crafting exquisite rugs that make visible the background of our daily lives. She has an innate sense of colour along with a mind that can tangle with the scientific detail of weather data. Intrigued?
Some time ago Rebekah came across, online, a rug that was crafted by attributing a colour line to each day’s top temperature, producing a visual colour-scape of a year in place and time. She immediately started and completed an ‘Auckland rug’ working within a range of 12 degrees (cool colours) to 28 degrees (hot colours). The result is arresting; abstract but with an inherent order. But this was just the beginning. Rebekah, who I think actually loves complexity, moved rapidly to working with hourly temperatures. This requires huge attention to detail; not just the colour references but seeking out the temperature data across each day. In practical terms this means a changing colour palette across each line of crocheting; each strand to be woven into the next. The end result is a kaleidoscope; again, inherent order in what may appear random at first sight. This rug is Auckland by the hour; 24 hours across each line and over 466 days. It is stunning! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in this one rug. Because all the climate data is available,
My art has kept me alive – Pusi Urale. (Photo by Tatiana Harper Photography)
Auckland by the hour by Rebekah Majdi.
Rebekah plans rugs for other places. But there has been a distraction. A first impulse was to work forward to record visually the changing climate; followed rapidly by the notion of working backwards to show the changes already recorded. Look carefully at the photo of the two and a bit panels (right). These will be eventually beautifully woven together as earlier years are added. From the right, 2023, 2024 and 2025 to date. It beautifully, and scarily, shows what we know is happening.
At base line Rebekah, somewhat unconsciously, epitomises all that I think an artist is meant to be; to make visible the invisible, and to do it in a way that allows us respond and celebrate.
* Rebekah Majdi is a member of the writer’s extended family.
Stop Press: Families: Hold the day!
The Corban Estate Arts Centre is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated Kids Arts Festival 2025. This year’s festival is centred around the vibrant theme of Celebrating Colour and promises a day of creativity, fun, and inspiration for children and families alike. Best of all, the festival and its activities are entirely free.
Saturday, April 5, 10am-3pm.
There’s nothing like a good sing!
Singing in a group is known to be a positive experience that is good for physical and mental health.
Tītīrangi’s SingJam is a long-established singing group and is looking for new members. If you enjoy music and like to have fun, you are more than welcome to join the group. (Musicians are also welcome.)
Singjam meets in the Tītīrangi RSA museum on Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm. (Ask at the bar if you’re not sure where to go.)
22 March – 22 April
Places to go – Things to do
Out and About in the West
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 if possible, especially over the festive and holiday season
Exhibitions
w – 9, An exhibition of large-scale sculpturist installations by Turumeke Harrington; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.
w – April 5, Hellenic, glass works by Sofia Athineou exploring the essence of Hellenic identity, weaving together histories, mythology, and lived experiences; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz.
w – April 5, Big sea, Small waves, an exhibition by Guy Howard-Smith building on, and celebrating, Anglo-Indian traditions, touching on ideas of nationhood and belonging which reach beyond the community; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz.
w – May 25, Photosynthesisers: Women and the lens, an exhibition of photographs and videos by 41 women artists and collectives from Aotearoa and Australia. Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.
March
w 1, West Lynn Garden Club. Learn new skills, meet new people, monthly speakers, day-trips; West Lynn Gardens, 73 Parker Ave, New Lynn; 9:3011:30am. Contact lynne.hunter@xtra.co.nz, 0210 245 5120.
w 2, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.
w 3, Fall Prevention Workshop; Glen Eden Library, 12/32 Glendale Road, Glen Eden; 10:30-11:30am. Phone 377 0209.
w 7 – 9, made Huia & Cornwallis Art Show, featuring emerging and established artists from the Huia and Cornwallis area with photography and paintings, printmaking and collage, ceramics, textiles and sculpture. Supported by Waitākere Ranges Local Board and Ken Turner Motors; Huia Hall, 1253 Huia Road; 10am-4pm.
w 8, Tītīrangi Poets with a guest poet and readings by members; Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 2-4pm. Phone Ron Riddell 021 181 6698.
w 8, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Donnybrook Fair floorsingers in first half; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $15, members $10, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289.
w 13, Economic Futures and Climate Change, Professor Ruth Irwin explains how restructuring the economic system offers solutions to the current ecological and social crisis; Tītīrangi Community House, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 7:30pm. Contact laurie-ross@xtra.co.nz, 818 0696.
w 14, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club, guest speaker and morning tea; Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12noon. Phone Vince 021 189 6822.
w 14 – 16, Norma McBurney (1947-2024) paintings, an exhibition curated by Robin Kewell; Seminar Room, 1st Floor, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road; 6-8-30pm on 14th, 10am-4pm on 15th and 16th. All sales proceeds go to the Arohanui Hospice where Norma spent the last weeks of her life.
w 15, New Lynn Lions Club $1 Book Sale: Books, Magazines, CDs, DVDs, LPs and jigsaw puzzles; New Lynn Friendship Club Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn (down the driveway by the traffic lights); 8am-4pm. Contact Mary Hibberd on 027 487 0639.
w 16, Mystery Fun Family Car Rally. Blockhouse Bay-Lynfield Lions Club invite you to enter this annual event, exploring wonderful but often overlooked spots around West Auckland and beyond, finishing with a sausage sizzle to complement your BYO lunch; from 9am; $15 per person, under 12 free. Visit www.bhbl-lions.org/car-rally for full details and to register.
w 16, Oral History Day featuring a fascinating glimpse into the past history of Cornwallis in the 1930s to 1960s old Cornwallis from 8mm movies (now digitised), presented by Ken Elcoat and his son Andrew; Huia Hall, 1253 Huia Road, Huia; 1:30pm; $5, under 5 free.
w 18, Tītīrangi U3A – informal learning for people 50-years plus, guest speakers, study groups; West Lynn Garden, 73 Parker Avenue, New Lynn; 1pm. Contact Irene Pearcey ipearceyu3a@gmail.com. www.u3a.nz.
w 19, Combined Waitākere Rebus Club; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatū South; 10am-Noon. Contact Philis on 838 5361.
w 20, Waitākere Forest & Bird AGM and Project Updates: find out what Forest & Bird have been working on in our area; Ranui Community Centre, 474 Swanson Road; 7:30pm; Koha appreciated. Phone Liz 027 476 2732, lizanstey@hotmail.com.
w 21, Friday Crafternoon, celebrate Pasifika Month by making sapasui; Glen Eden Library, 12/32 Glendale Road; 3:30 – 5pm. Phone 377 0209.
w 25, Upcycled Botanical Collage, make your own nature collage to take home; Tītīrangi Library, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 10:30am-12 noon. Please book at Humanitix/Upcycled Botanical Collage. Phone 817 0011.
w 28, Glen Eden Combined Probus Club: company and fellowship, speakers, morning tea and monthly outings; Ceramco Park Function Centre, 120 Glendale Road, Kaurilands; 9:45am. Phone Brian Holt 838 5857.
w 28, Vegan Living Meet-up, learn how removing animal products from our diet makes positive changes for the planet and our health; Glen Eden Library, 12/32 Glendale Road, Glen Eden; 11am-12 noon. Phone 377 0209.
w 28, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Friday Folk, an informal gathering of musicians, singers and listeners; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 7:30pm; $5. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289.
w 29, New Lynn Repair Cafe organised and run by DEANZ (Doughnut Economics Advocates NZ). Bring your broken items and work with skilled volunteers to fix them; New Lynn Community Centre, Tōtara Avenue, New Lynn; 11am-2pm; Koha. Phone Surbhi Gupta 022 507 0905.
Places to go – Things to do
w 30, Tītīrangi Village Market: art, craft, produce and music; Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall; 10am-2pm. Contact tvm.manager@gmail.com or phone 022 631 9436.
w April 1, Climate Change and Alternative Economics, Ruth Irwin explores what drives economic growth and opens discussion about what a relaxed economy of ‘enoughness’ might look like; Titirangi Library, 500 South Titirangi Road; 11am–12:30pm. Phone 817 0011.
w April 4, Fall Prevention Workshop; Glen Eden Library, 12/32 Glendale Road, Glen Eden; 10:30-11:30am. Phone 377 0209.
w April 4, West Lynn Garden Club. Learn new skills, meet new people, monthly speakers, day-trips; West Lynn Gardens, 73 Parker Ave, New Lynn; 9:30-11:30am. Contact lynne.hunter@xtra.co.nz, 0210 245 5120.
w April 5, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.
There is so much happening in and around our community, including many regular 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
Henderson Open Day
Sunday 30 March 10am - 4pm 561 Blockhouse Bay Road Blockhouse Bay Village (opposite the Library) Tues – Fri: 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-3pm Closed Sun and Mon Ph 626 5633
Try Country dancing –the folk dance of Scotland!
All welcome. No need to bring a partner, but the more the merrier. Social dancing in groups – all dances taught. Fabulous Celtic music.
Waitematā Club starts Tuesday March 4 and runs every Tuesday, 7.45-10.00pm (Beginners, 6.45-7.45pm).
Kelston Community Centre (Te Pae o Kura), Corner Great North & Awaroa Roads, Kelston.
Now is the time of come and have a go!
COME AND VISIT OUR FUNERAL HOME
See behind the scenes to find out how we take care of your families. Visit our chapels, viewing rooms, mortuary, and crematorium.
Our team will be on hand to show you around and answer any questions that you may have.
Street art challenge returns Who do you want to see?
EcoMatters has announced that the Street Art Bike Challenge is back for its fifth year. The initiative aims to encourage people to get out and about by bike to find hundreds of examples of street art and win more than $1000 worth of prizes.
The Challenge will run throughout April to make the most of end-of-summer weather, Easter and school holidays, plus the region-wide EcoFest.
Participants are invited to pedal around the city’s colourful street art spots, take their ‘me and my bike were here!’ shot, and then upload it to an online form. Every picture will put them into the draw to win end-of-challenge prizes plus weekly spot prizes all around Tāmaki Makaurau.
“People are welcome to enter as many times as they like,” says Community Bike Hub Manager Brent Bielby. “We want to see more people out riding, more often. Exploring the city by bike is one of the best ways to get to know your community, it’s good for your health, and it’s good for the planet. There’s bucketloads of art in this beautiful city and most people only see a small fraction of it when travelling by car.”
EcoMatters is creating a street art trail option around each of its nine Bike Hubs located in north, east, south, west and central Auckland. While the challenge extends to all of the city’s 7000km-plus of roads, producing bite-size art trails will give people a great starting point to explore their own neighbourhood by bike.
Visit https://www.ecomatters.org.nz/on-bikes/street-artbike-challenge/to find out more.
It's back! The Tītīrangi Festival of Music Returns in 2025. After a hiatus, Tītīrangi Festival of Music is to be relaunched later this year. Mark your calendars for Spring 2025: the event will be packed with rhythm, melody and soul, right in the heart of Tītīrangi.
The 2025 festival will welcome Dixon Nacey (a musician and promoter who most recently organised the Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park) as its new artistic director. With his talent and creative vision, Dixon is bringing a fresh energy to the festival.
As in the past, this year's festival isn’t just about amazing music – it’s about bringing the whole community together. Daytime festivities will be family-friendly with activities, performances, and entertainment that everyone can enjoy. Whether you're young or young-at-heart, there will be something for you at the Tītīrangi Festival of Music.
Look out for the formal announcements, dates, artist lineups and all the other details in future issues of The Fringe and visit https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=titirangi festival of music to tell the organisers who you would like to see on stage at the 2025 Tītīrangi Festival of Music. Let’s make 2025 unforgettable. The music is calling.
Letter
Dear Fringe,
After reading p.3 of your December/January issue, we complained to the ASB about the unheralded removal of its ATM machine from Tītīrangi, the last vestige of any form of banking services in the Village. This affects residents over a large area and all the businesses in the Village.
We invited other Tītīrangi residents to join in our complaint and understand they have. We also drew the matter to the attention of Greg Presland [Waitākere Ranges Local Board].
We have not received so much as an acknowledgement, still less an explanation, so we have renewed the complaint.
Joy & Hugh Williams
Phone 0800 803 804 or email complaints@asb.co.nz to register your complaint.
A ‘time capsule’ of social change
Auckland has over 50 cemeteries. The largest one, a regional park in its own right, is Waikumete, sprawling over 108 hectares, writes JADE REIDY.
However, after almost 140 years, Waikumete is reaching capacity for body burial plots. A new section on the perimeter, called Waitākere View, is being developed but its 800 plots will be the last ones available for purchase.
Space in the natural burials section is also limited and plots are only available on an ‘as needed’ basis, i.e. when someone actually dies. This area was cleared of old pine trees and invasive weeds and is the final resting place for those who choose to be buried without headstones, identified instead among new native plantings by GPS location. This area has some other unique features as well. “Bodies must be clothed in cotton and we bury less deep so decomposition happens faster,” says operations manager Sheree Stout.
with personal messages. There’s no stigma anymore of class and wealth, or rosewood caskets.”
Sheree’s entire family, going back to her great-grandparents, is buried at Waikumete. She began working there as one of the three full-time gardeners and was appointed as the country’s first female sexton 10 years ago, then operations manager of all the cemeteries four years ago.
“I learn something new every day in this job,” she says. “And we get to help families like no-one else can. You see all different types of grief, including what I call ‘reverse mourning’ where people are almost joyful in their relief that a long illness is over.”
The cemetery will always be a working one, and open to the hundreds of dog walkers, joggers, rugby teams in training and visitors to the graves and monuments, which includes 15 caskets of remains from the Erebus disaster and the biggest number of war graves in New Zealand.
Waikumete is the only council cemetery in Tāmaki Makaurau to have an urupā, for Māori. There is also a Muslim section and a Jewish area side by side, as these ethnicities have specific cultural burial requirements and do not cremate.
Sheree thinks of the cemetery as a ‘time capsule’ of social change. Today’s adaptations are being driven largely by cost and personal choice, she says.
“We see people taking more control over how family members are buried or cremated. Increasingly in linen shrouds or plain wooden caskets that are hand painted
Sheree is proud of the cemetery’s reputation as a serene and beautiful open space for the community. “We keep the place in top condition,” she says. The cemetery has won an international Green Flag award for quality several years running and it operates under the highest ecological protection.
There are three chapels available for hire. The 1886 Chapel of Faith in the Oaks is available for weddings and community use as well as for funerals.
To get in touch with the cemetery, call 0800 423 638 or email west.cemeteries@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Muslim and Jewish graves side by side.
A guide to recycling in the West
There are many items that go to landfill every year that could be recycled elsewhere. FIONA DRUMMOND explains what can be left at your nearest EcoMatters drop off location.
Metal and plastic caps and lids: Clean and dry flip-top/ hinged caps, screw caps, container lids, crown caps, jar lids, ring pull caps, wire from sparkling drinks, metal screw top caps, aluminium lids, wine lids and food tin lids are accepted. (Coffee cup lids, coffee pods, glass or any dirty lids are not accepted.) Metal lids are sent to New Zealand-based metal recyclers, while plastic lids are processed and sent to Australia to be turned into things like wheelie bins, flower pots and more.
Curtains: Ecomatters collects clean second-hand curtains, which are given to families in need via Habitat for Humanity. Lined curtains really help to keep people warmer and healthier. Blinds, rails or mouldy curtains are not accepted
Disposable razors and stainless steel blades: Terracycle’s Razor Recycling Programme takes all brands of disposable blades and razors, rigid plastic packaging, and flexible plastic bag packaging. They also accept stainless razor blades used in safety razors. New safety razors and refill blades can be purchased at the EcoMatters Store.
Ecostore bottles: EcoMatters is an official collection point for the Ecostore Plastic Return Programme, including the 5L and 20L containers.
Inflatable pool toys: glitter-free, clean and mould-free inflatable pool toys are collected by I Used To Be, an initiative that repurposes inflatable pool toys into bright and fun water-resistant bags and accessories.
Colgate toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes: Colgatebranded toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, toothpaste caps, floss containers and their plastic outer packaging materials can be recycled through Terracycle’s Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme.
Solid toothpaste jars and bottles: Bring your clean, empty and delabelled Solid toothpaste jars and bottles and they’ll be sent back to Solid to be sterilised and re-used. Ask for a
jar return card – once you’ve returned 12 jars in total, you’ll get a free toothpaste to say thank you.
Food grade silicone: The Silicone Send Back project is ideal for items that are damaged or no longer usable.
Mobile phones: For every phone recycled with Re:Mobile, money is donated to Sustainable Coastlines, an awardwinning charity working to look after our waterways and coastlines.
All of these items are free to drop off. Other items can also be recycled through EcoMatters but at a small cost. These include household Fluorescent or LED light bulbs ($2 each), ink cartridges ($3 each) and other electronic items. (See https://www.ecomatters.org.nz/zero-waste/e-waste/.)
EcoMatters drop off locations are the EcoMatters Resource Recovery Depot, Unit I, 22 Moselle Ave, Henderson (Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am-2pm) and the EcoMatters Store, 1 Olympic Place, New Lynn (Wednesdays to Sundays, 10am-2pm).
Curtains, inflatable pool toys, and Solid toothpaste jars and bottles can only be dropped off at the EcoMatters Store, not the Resource Recovery Depot. Both locations are closed on public holidays.
Changes at BirdCare Aotearoa
For many years, BirdCare has served as a trusted hospital and rehabilitation centre for all wild birds. However, with increasing pressures on funding (and native biodiversity), the organisation is prioritising native and endemic species.
BirdCare will now only accept native and endemic wild birds for treatment, with a nursery-exception for orphaned non-native songbird chicks. Visit https:// birdcareaotearoa.org.nz/ for a full list of the birds that they will accept – from albatross to wrybills. If in doubt, contact the Departmentt of Conservation hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468), or your local vet.
PRESLAND and CO LTD
Keeping it Local
Dark Spots and Uneven Skin
Skin pigmentation is the colour of your skin, determined by a natural substance called melanin. Everyone has melanin, which affects whether your skin is light, dark, or somewhere in between.
Sometimes, the skin produces too much or too little melanin, causing uneven skin tone. This can happen due to:
• Sun exposure – triggers excess melanin, leading to dark spots.
• Hormones – changes like pregnancy can affect skin colour.
• Injury or irritation – cuts, burns, or acne can leave dark marks.
• Ageing – over time, brown spots (often called “age spots”) may appear.
We all dream of radiant, even-toned, and flawless skin. To achieve this, you need a great skin management system, and consistency is key.
As a treatment specialist, Sothys has developed an advanced Pigmentation Management line, offering an effective solution for dark spots, uneven skin tone, and dullness. These products can be used in summer, so you don’t have to wait for winter to treat pigmentation with peels or light therapy.
The range includes five home-care products and an advanced in-salon facial treatment, suitable for all skin types. Enriched with AHAs, Vitamin C, niacinamide, ferulic
A gift for everyone
acid, and organic white nettle extract, in combination with a customised Ridoki targeted massage to stimulate skin regeneration and optimal ingredient penetration.
Tonic in Tītīrangi Village offers the Sothys Pigmentation Management system, which includes both the face and hands, with a recommended course of three weekly treatments.
For the month of March, receive a 10% discount off repeat treatments when done as a course and receive a further 10% discount off your home care when purchasing two or more products from the new range.
For more information, have a chat in-store or phone 817 9937 for more details.
Morrisons Funerals has added a special touch to its offerings: a Harley Davidson sidecar hearse joined the fleet last year. This stunning white pearl Heritage Softail is not just for motorcycle enthusiasts but anyone wanting to add a slightly unique element to their “final journey”. It looks stunning and sounds even better! To find out more contact Morrisons on 09 886 0098.
Tītīrangi Village has had its ups and downs over the years. Once a busy little Village with its own hardware shop, butchery, pharmacy, clothing boutique, florist, hair salons, supermarket, post office, banks and more, it now seems to be full of cafés, wine bars, take-aways, and real estate agents.
Only the florist, pharmacy and hair salons remain. A new supermarket has taken the place of the previous one. And there is a new beauty salon and spa where once there was a doctors’ surgery.
Gecko in the Village is also still operating, even though the building around it is undergoing major renovations. This special gift shop, next to where the post office once was, still offers a huge range of gifts, cards and unique clothing and accessories. It truly has something for everyone. Pop in and have a browse. You’re sure to find something to share with that special friend.
“I was a bit startled waking up with a piglet ...”
Yeah gidday. Lizard here. How good is a hot, steamy summer? Awesome.
My wife Shaz has taken a part-time job at the library. Shaz is the only one of the Lizard clan that was allowed to finish school. I guess she could be described as the brains of the operation.
For example, Junior just hopped into the kitchen asking, “Where’s my other gumboot, Mum?” I think he was behind the door when the brains were handed out. Yesterday, when he kicked off his gumboots, one of them had landed on the verandah roof.
Shaz said, “The whole caboodle of Lizards’ progress through life is always hampered by their tremendous sense of their own ignorance. A disability which affects all too few people.”
Junior said, “Found it. Has anyone seen my other sock?”
Shaz said there was some leftover stew in the pot on the stove for lunch, she’d be home around four and could we please check on the cat.
Not sure I’ve mentioned we have a cat? It’s an unapproachable cunning pile of fur, that for as long as anyone can remember, has just been around.
The dog, Plumbless Walker, either by want, or like us, out of sheer terror, allows the cat to sleep with him in his kennel.
We first became aware that we even had a cat when Junior
Spotlight on pekapeka
Pest Free Waitākere Ranges’ special species spotlight falls on the pekapeka (long tailed bat) in March.
As urban development expands, the pekapeka (long-tailed bat), faces growing threats. Local conservation group, Predator Free Waitākere/Swanson, is calling on residents and developers to help protect this Nationally Critical species.
“Large-scale land clearing has removed mature trees with hollows, essential roosting sites for these bats,” says spokesperson, Fiona Sayer. “Habitat fragmentation makes it harder for bats to find shelter and safe flight paths. Artificial lighting disrupts their nocturnal feeding habits. The loss of wetlands, grasslands and native bush means fewer insects, reducing their food supply and predators like cats, rats and stoats thrive in developed areas. (We know of one cat that killed 107 pekapeka in just one week.)”
Protecting mature trees, controlling and trapping predators, keeping your cat inside at night and turning off all outside lights can all help the pekapeka survive. Visit pfwra.org.nz to find out more.
and me were throwing a stick between us in the hope that Plumbless would fetch it, or at least, stand up and show a bit of interest in something other than chewing his paw.
Out of the hebe bush flew a cat, caught the stick in its mouth, quite a big stick I might add, and vanished. Even Plumbless looked impressed. When Mopey Jesus heard about this act of mid-air magic he named the cat Hopu, Māori for catch.
He said, “I reckon Hopu might have been left behind when Brian the Magnificent and all those house trucks left Baron Green and must have made her way round the coast to yours Lizard. She’s a clever thing.”
Boy is she what!
Get this. The other day, Hopu appeared to be a fuzzy puddle of blue-grey fur on the lawn. The rooster made the fatal mistake of going over to have a drink and died mid doodledoo.
We’d actually been trying to get rid of the rooster for a while. What a racket. Especially as I’ve been going to bed much earlier lately, since Shaz has a job. Sometimes I’m in bed around 10.30am. So, I’m not going to miss the rooster. Another time, I went outside to check on the tomato plants and to my surprise, Hopu was sitting on the fence with her mouth wide open, balancing a piece of cheese-on-toast on her nose. I guess that explains why we haven’t got any mice around the place anymore.
And last week, on a very blustery night, there was a heavy plonk on the bed. Shaz turned on the bedside lamp. To her amazement, there was a baby kunekune piglet staring at her. Hopu was sitting on the windowsill licking her paw and purring.
“Do something Lizard,” she said.
As you can imagine, I was a bit startled waking up with a piglet on the end of our bed. I started scratching my head but stopped because of the noise. I grabbed the little piglet and walked outside being closely followed by Hopu making low throaty growling sounds. Every time I went to put it down, Hopu would arch her back, puff up her tail and hiss. I then realised that the cat wanted me to put the piglet in the kennel. Now poor old Plumbless is forced into the far corner of his kennel while spooning a kunekune piglet and listening to the loud purring of a cat.
As Shaz had asked me to do this morning before going to her library job, I went out to check on the cat. We’ve never actually fed it. Next to the dog bowl was a dead eel and six kumara. We don’t have a creek or a pond for that matter, so buggered if I know where the eel came from. Come to think of it, we don’t even have a veggie garden!
Well, enjoy these balmy nights. It’s a good year for white wine, so I’m told.
If anyone is missing a flannel shirt or a wooden beanie you are welcome to come and fetch it off the cat. They’re in the kennel. My advice? Wear gloves. Later, Lizard.
FIND A HOME YOU’LL LOVE
AND UNLOCK A $15,000* BUCKET LIST ADVENTURE ON US!
Purchase an occupation right to an independent apartment by 31 March 2025, and we'll give you a $15,000 House of Travel Gift Card*.
*Participating villages only, terms and conditions apply
Murray Halberg Village is nestled on the edge of Mt Roskill, between Hillsborough and Blockhouse Bay with stunning views out to lush bush and the Manukau Harbour.
We have two and three bedroom apartments available now, priced from $680,000.
All offer spacious open plan living, with contemporary kitchens and bathrooms and your own private patio or balcony.
Join a thriving community with a village centre that includes a heated indoor pool and spa, gym, hair salon, movie theatre and cafe. The onsite care centre offers rest home, hospital and specialist dementia care.
Call Lucy or Rochelle on 627 2727 for more details or visit rymanhealthcare.co.nz
