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Fuel boost for community patrol

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SAUSAGE SIZZLE

SAUSAGE SIZZLE

Gull Fuel NZ and Gull Matakana have come to the aid of the Rodney North Community Patrol, donating $1000 worth of fuel vouchers.

Gull Matakana owner Gay Smith says her business has been broken into on several occasions, so she welcomes the patrol’s presence in the community.

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“Anything we can do to deter potential break-ins and burglaries is to be encouraged,” she says. “The patrol is a real asset in our community.”

The patrol, which covers Warkworth, the Mahurangi Peninsula, Puhoi, Wellsford, Matakana, Omaha and Point Wells, is keen to recruit new members to assist with its Friday and Saturday patrols.

The group currently has 18 patrollers, but co-leader Sue Foakes says ideally, they need around 24.

Patrollers are only required to have a clean police record and a current driver’s licence, as training is provided.

Patrols are four hours long, but patrollers also assist police outside these hours when required and help at community events such as the Kowhai Festival.

While most of the patrollers are aged from 40 to 80 years, Foakes says there is no age limit.

“We would welcome younger members who can commit to a four-hour patrol once a month.

“We act as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the police and the high visibility of the car is all about keeping our communities safe.”

Foakes says the patrol is very grateful for Gull’s support, as fuel is one of its main costs.

To find out more, contact Sue on 021 1104 230

Call for Kowhai Festival volunteers

Planning is underway to stage Warkworth’s premier event, the annual Kowhai Festival, in October … but volunteers are needed to make it happen.

Like so many other events over the covid years, the festival has been on ice since the 50th anniversary celebration in 2019. In the intervening three years, many festival committee members have moved on to other priorities.

Dave Parker, who has been involved with the event since its inception, hopes the town will rally and new people will step forward to help.

“The festival is a celebration that brings a lot of joy to the town and district,” Parker says. “It’s inclusive and it is the very essence of a ‘community’ event because it needs the involvement of everyone – organisers and community groups, market stallholders, entertainers, food and wine providers, and so on.”

Parker says a committed team of 10 is all that is needed to manage the event. Additional volunteers can then be recruited for the day itself.

“The primary skill we’re looking for is enthusiasm, but it would also be good to get people on the committee who have administrative and management skills.”

Tasks that need to be ticked off include:

• Drafting the day’s programme

• Liaison with Auckland Council for consents

• Coordination of community groups and volunteers

• Market stall coordination

• Promotion

• Entertainment

• Traffic management and transport

• Food and wine/beer festival

• Sponsorship

Parker said if someone stepped up to take on just one of these tasks, then the rest would fall into place.

The tentative date for The Huge Day Out, which sees the centre of Warkworth turned into a bustling market and entertainment hub, has been set down for election day, October 14.

For more information, contact Dave on 027 484 9935.

Phone/fax:

Phone/fax:

Email: admin@mahurangivision.co.nz

Phone/fax:

Email: admin@mahurangivision.co.nz

Email: admin@mahurangivision.co.nz

Email: admin@mahurangivision.co.nz

Visit: planning and maintenance practices, along with budgetary focus on anything but the basics - such as stormwater management - all too often. Lessons have clearly not been learned from the August 2021 flooding, despite warnings delivered by many of us since then. There will be time enough for all that soon. But today I say again, to everyone who has displayed such incredible community spirit and bravery in these tough times: while we can never fully repay you, please know that you have the admiration, respect and heartfelt thanks of a grateful community.

You are our heroes.

In particular we think of the volunteers and staff of Muriwai Fire Station and affected friends and family following the tragedy in Muriwai, grappling with loss beyond imagination.

In my visits to as many flood-ravaged areas as possible these past few weeks, I’ve seen many others stepping up as well. I want to thank the many community groups and locals who have worked tirelessly before, during and after the floods to organise help for their fellow Kiwi in need.

In the coming weeks I will have plenty to say about systemic shortcomings that will have cost many of you dearly. These include

Tamahunga Trappers prepare for sensitive kiwi release

Another milestone in work to restore the forests cloaking Tamahunga will be reached when 10 North Island brown kiwi are reintroduced on the mountain next month. Over the next three years, 40 kiwi will be moved back into the protected forest and monitored to track their breeding and survival.

Tamahunga is a significant local landmark, with its forests protecting the upper catchments of the Pakiri, Omaha, Matakana and Hoteo Rivers. The forests are a mixture of public and iwi reserves, and protected private land.

Tamahunga Trappers chair David Wilson says that after 12 years of predator control and an expanding network of support from neighbours and the community, many once rare birds are now commonplace and breeding well.

“Birds, bats, native frogs, insects and plants are thriving,” Wilson says.

“While the richness of species supports the overall health of the forest, some birds, like kiwi, aren’t able to return without a little help, as they have been absent from the forest and surrounding area for about 50 years.”

The nearest mainland kiwi population is in the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary.

The first group of kiwi will be caught on Motuora Island and moved to their new home in late March, with additional releases of birds in subsequent summers, providing monitoring results are positive.

The work to enable the safe transfer of kiwi is being undertaken by the Tamahunga Trappers, with the support of Ngāti Manuhiri, The Forest Bridge Trust, Department of Conservation and Save the Kiwi Foundation.

Birds will be released by a team of experienced kiwi handlers.

Although predator control of mustelids (weasels, stoats and ferrets) and feral cats reduces some of the main threats young kiwi face, dogs also pose a significant threat.

Wilson says that in protected forests, kiwi can live to more than 50 years, but in Northland forests, the average life expectancy is only 13 years, with 60% of known kiwi deaths caused by dogs.

“Because kiwi can’t fly, they don’t have strong muscles to protect their chest, which will crush easily in a dog’s mouth. While dogs are prohibited from entering the main forests of Tamahunga, neighbours owning dogs in the wider area are also being contacted about keeping any dogs on their property under control, well trained and getting dogs trained to avoid a kiwi if they do come across one.”

The translocation was scheduled for a year ago but was cancelled at the last minute after Ngati Manuhiri raised concerns about the safety of the birds.

A kiwi aversion training session for dogs will be held at the Warkworth Showgrounds on Saturday, March 4.

To find out more about the Tamahunga Trappers and their conservation work, or to sign your dog/s up for kiwi aversion training, visit www.tamahungatrappers.org.nz or contact tamahungatrappers@hotmail.co.nz

Kaipara clips berm service

Kaipara residents will have to mow their own roadside berms in future.

In a cost-cutting measure, Kaipara District Council has decided to discontinue the mowing service.

“We were one of the last councils in New Zealand collecting rates to mow residential berms,” Mayor Craig Jepson says. “We’ve cut it from our service contract to save ratepayers money. Council contractors will continue to mow our public reserves.”

Although the service change came into effect when the mowing contract was renewed in November last year, some berms have not been mown and the grass has grown too long to be safely mown using a domestic lawnmower. For those properties,

Council contractors have scheduled a oneoff tidy up.

“After we’ve tidied up these berms we’re asking residents to maintain them. “We’re also hoping people will look out for family or neighbours and give them a helping hand if they are struggling to manage their berms.”

If berms are un-kept, Council will mow them up to four times a year to prevent them from becoming a fire hazard. Council may continue to mow residential berms that are larger than 400 square metres, or on a steep slope. Where this applies, residents can apply to Council to have their berms assessed for Council mowing.

Info: kaipara.govt.nz/berm-maintenance

Sellars Law

Sellars Law has confirmed its commitment to the Mahurangi area with the opening of a head office in Warkworth.

The firm has had a strong presence in Wellsford and Helensville since Edward (Ted) Sellars founded the practice in the early 1930s.

Managing partner Bruce Wyber says the new office in Neville Street will provide a modern base for an expanding legal firm that has been serving the Auckland, Rodney and Kaipara region for more than 90 years.

Bruce’s experience is complemented by two partners, Sam Bradford, who grew up in Pakiri and continues to have a strong affinity with the area, and Sophie Waller, who heads up the Helensville office.

“The Warkworth location means that we are now able to work more closely with local accountants, surveyors and real estate agents,” Bruce says. “We already have a strong relationship with many of these local professionals, built over a long period of time. The outcome will be a better and more efficient service for our clients.”

Bruce took over the Wellsford-based family business from Ted’s son Gary in 1998. He then expanded to Helensville and in 2018 acquired the Wellsford legal practice of David Rolfe, which had a strong connection with Corboy Wilson Rolfe & Co.

Sam and Sophie have both been with Sellars Law for around 10 years. Sam is a general practice lawyer with a focus on commercial matters such as the sale and purchase of businesses, leasing and rural matters, while Sophie specialises in property subdivisions. Completing the team is Warkworth solicitor Heugh Kelly, who has worked as a consultant with Sellars Law for a number of years.

With the support of their valued wider team based across other offices in Helensville, Wellsford and Mangawhai, Sellars Law offers a wide range of services, including residential, commercial and rural conveyancing; wills, trusts and estate administration; commercial matters, refinancing, subdivision, transferable title rights and property relationship matters.

Central Landscape Supplies

The new owner of Central Landscapes in Warkworth has swapped a long career in civil construction for a new path in landscape supplies.

Rob Elliott has taken over from Julian and Marg Barnard, who set up Central Landscapes in Morrison Drive, Warkworth nine years ago.

Rob previously ran his own drainage and earthmoving company, operating between Tuakau and Kaiwaka.

“I’ve been a long-time customer of Central Landscapes and I had often thought I would like to buy a yard,” he says.

“The Central Landscapes group sells some excellent products such as quality garden mix, topsoil and mulches, not to mention a great range of organic certified composts and fertilisers, and wooden sleepers and ponga logs are popular for garden projects.

“In this wet, rainy season, I’m keeping good supplies of GAP metals, drainage products and plenty of driveway mix on hand and I’m using my long years in drainage work to offer advice where people need to make their properties more resilient.”

Rob says he won’t be rushing in to make any big changes until he has had time to get some feedback from customers.

“The previous owners have put a lot of hard work into setting up a really good operation, so my job will be to build on that. I’ll be listening to customers because, at the end of the day, we are here to meet their needs.”

Rob says he has already noticed that the business is good at helping customers work out the right quantities they need for their jobs.

“There’s nothing worse than starting a job and finding out that you’ve underestimated what’s needed. This often happens when people are compacting materials, where you really need to allow another 30 per cent or more.”

Rob says he is not envisaging having a lot of time off while he settles into the new seven day a week business, but when he does, he likes to run and is a keen motorcycle trialist.

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