Mahurangi Matters_Issue 474_4 March 2024

Council rate rises

Ratepayers in Auckland face significant increases from July 1 if proposals in a budget consultation document, which is currently out for public feedback, are adopted.

Householders face hefty Auckland Knockout from Nikhil

Auckland’s Long Term Plan (2024-2034) covers everything from transport, drinking water and stormwater to parks and community, city and local development, environmental management and economic development. It also suggests establishing an Auckland Future Fund to create a more diverse set of investments that can be used to manage future challenges such as global pandemics, extreme weather and environmental challenges.

For ratepayers, it will mean a general rate increase of between 5.5% (do-less-payless) and 14% (pay-more-get-more), or a central option of 7.5%, which would add $271 to the average annual rates bill.

But the big increase will be in water charges, which are recommended to rise by nearly 26 percent – adding a further $348 to the average household bill annually.

This is on top of three city-wide targeted rate charges for natural environment, water quality and climate action, and the Rodney Local Board transport targeted rate.

Watercare is also proposing to increase infrastructure growth charges (development contributions) by 25.8 percent.

Watercare’s board of directors chair Margaret Devlin says the board had to balance the vital need to invest in new water and wastewater infrastructure – ensuring safe and reliable water and wastewater services for Auckland – with

council’s directives to maintain a debt-torevenue ratio of 340 percent and to ensure that growth funds growth.

“We know many Aucklanders are struggling with the cost of living, and we understand the news of this projected price rise will not be welcome,” Devlin says.

“We want to reassure them that central and local government are working together to achieve a financially sustainable water model, and we understand their initial conversations have been positive.”

Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers says funds raised will help deliver hundreds of projects for Auckland.

“This includes completing the Snells Beach wastewater treatment plant and the transfer pipeline, and a major upgrade to the Wellsford wastewater treatment plant,” Chambers says. “We have already reviewed our infrastructure programme and identified projects that we can safely defer in the short term.

“However, to ensure we keep providing reliable services now and into the future, it’s still vital to invest $1.257 billion in the coming year, which equates to a daily spend of around $3.44 million.”

Chambers says Watercare is on target to achieve around $14 million in operational efficiencies this year, which will be replicated next year.

The draft Long Term Plan’s central proposal includes a $13.4 billion investment by Auckland Transport to make public transport faster, more reliable and easier to use. It also includes strengthening

A Year 8 student achieved a record-breaking cricket innings for Mahurangi College on February 24, scoring an impressive 233 runs from 130 balls. Nikhil McClintock was playing in his third match for the college Colts team, which is otherwise made up of Year 9 and 10 players, against Rutherford College in Te Atatu. Acting PE head Anthony Koers said McClintock’s outstanding innings included 32 fours and six sixes, and tripled his previous highest score. “To our knowledge, it is the highest score ever posted by a Mahurangi College student,” he said. McClintock was eventually caught out by Safran Chowdhury, but not before scoring a 319-run partnership with Jackson Adams, who batted 61 not out. Mahurangi Colts scored 349 for two off 40 overs, beating Rutherford Boys’ by 265 runs.

Householders

face hefty rate rises

Auckland

Have your say

• In person: A hearing style event will be held at the Rodney Local Board office, Elizabeth Street Warkworth, on Tuesday, March 19, from 4pm to 6pm. This is an opportunity to ask questions or leave feedback. Registrations essential. Email: rodneylocalboard@ aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

• Online: visit akhaveyoursay.nz/ ourplan for all the information,

upcoming webinars and consultation documents

• Phone: 09 301 0101

AK HAVE YOUR SAY

• Social media: Auckland Council’s social media pages

• Community: visit your local library, council service location or local board office.

Waste plan also out for feedback

A move to fortnightly household rubbish collections and targeting high levels of construction and demolition waste are among key proposals in Auckland Council’s new draft Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP), now open for feedback.

Although council still aspires to Zero Waste by 2040, total waste is still forecast to rise and new targets have been set for 2030 – to reduce total waste by 30 percent, kerbside waste by 29 percent and council’s own waste by 50 percent.

Challenges faced by council include limited data on exactly what waste is going where, with most landfills privately owned and operated, and a lack of tools to deal with commercial waste, which makes up 80 percent of the total sent to landfill.

“While kerbside services are an effective way for households to recycle, a lot of material is still going to landfill,” a spokesperson said. “For example, only around 13 percent of plastics (including industrial, commercial and household products) are recovered for recycling in Auckland.”

Council says there is a need to focus on

rethinking how products are designed and options to reuse, repair or re-purpose them, as well as on organic, plastic, packaging and textile waste.

In addition to the main WMMP, council is also looking for feedback from Kawau Islanders for its new draft Hauraki Gulf Islands Waste Plan 2024, which hopes to address the distinct challenges of dealing with waste from island communities.

AK HAVE YOUR SAY

All the plans and associated documents, including council’s 2023 waste assessment, are available online at https://akhaveyoursay. aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/ waste-management-and-minimisationplan-2024-2030

They can also be viewed, and feedback lodged, at Warkworth Library, and an online information webinar will be held on March 19 between 5.30pm and 7pm. Public feedback closes on March 28.

Auckland Council staff have apologised for the insensitive tone and language used in invoices that were sent to dairy farmers last year.

Discharge monitoring charges for dairy farmers were delayed because of a council mistake.

The Rural Advisory Panel was told that although each letter contained an explanation for the delay, and an apology for this, it still demanded immediate payment. An invoice for the two-year period could be up to $1000.

Environmental monitoring manager Robert Laulala accepted that it was unreasonable to expect immediate payment for such an unexpected bill. The letter could have included the possibility of specific arrangements for this circumstance.

Panel member and Franklin Local Board chair Alan Cole said farmers were raising the issue with him.

“There doesn’t seem to be any way to dispute an invoice. A lot of them understand the invoices, but are perplexed by the amount,” Cole said.

Cole said the timing of invoices was also a problem because they were sent around calving season.

“When they are under the pump, farmers tend to chuck things on the pile and don’t come back to it,” Cole said.

Panel member Glenn Wilcox said council employed bad tikanga and needed to apologise face-to-face.

“I think it’s time for someone to put on some gumboots, get out there and apologise,” Wilcox said.

PRICTOR ROAD

Pedestrian x-ing change

Auckland Transport (AT) is moving away from an approach favouring raised pedestrian crossings in every case, and estimates that as a result the number of raised crossings will be reduced by around 30 percent, compared to projects now in the pipeline. AT’s board was told last week that the adjustment was not a step back from efforts to improve safety, but would deliver improvements at a lower cost to ratepayers, and in a way that better met local needs. AT said it had also found ways to reduce the expense of raised crossings, by using pre-cast units. They cost 10 percent less than the current raised crossings – and also cut traffic management costs, since the units can be installed in one night, rather than over several weeks. Mayor Wayne Brown has been scathing of AT’s approach, characterising the installation of pricey raised crossings, when sometimes all that was needed was a repaint, as ludicrous.

Fire history celebrated

... and showing where the panels would go.

Mega-solar site to impact more than 60 homes

More than 60 households will be blighted if a planned 260 hectare mega-solar farm south west of Wellsford gets the go-ahead, Rodney Local Board heard last month.

Residents’ spokesperson Brett Montefiore, whose 10 hectare lifestyle block borders the proposed site, told members the 180,000 raised solar panels would fill an area three times the size of the township and be clearly visible by anyone driving into Wellsford from the south.

“The site is visible from SH1, SH16, Prictor Road, Davies Road and Clague Road, making it highly visible when entering and leaving the Wellsford township,” he said. “Many of the affected properties face south west, directly over the site.

“Is this location ideal for a solar power station, given its position at the edge of the Wellsford urban zone?” he asked. “The terrain’s rolling to hilly nature makes it impossible to mitigate for the visual impact of so many solar panels.”

He said the site, which sits between SH16, Wayby Station Road and Prictor Road, was made up of prime and elite soils more appropriate for food production and farming, and said the rural landscape and natural terrain should be preserved.

“The hilly land features steep gullies that would require significant modification, levelling and extensive earthworks,” Montefiore said.

He added that local residents were worried that the necessary earthworks and land re-contouring needed for the solar panels and power plant infrastructure would also result in prolonged periods of noise and dust pollution, “potentially lasting months, or even years”.

Board members heard that there had already been instances of property values dropping by at least 20 percent and sales falling through.

The proposal was also causing serious concerns over the potential loss of native

A hub of planning excellence

bush and wildlife, damage to waterways and the site’s propensity to flood.

Montefiore said the November announcement by Energy Farms Ltd to build a huge solar farm had come as a shock to the town and people were still adjusting to the news.

“We’ve only just found out ourselves and want to raise awareness with you of what’s taking place,” he told board members.

“We’ve nothing against solar – it’s the right power source, just not the right location.”

He said such a site should be on flat land, where planting could make it less visible, such as a solar farm he had visited in Kaitaia, and he urged the board to oppose any resource consent application.

Energy Farms Ltd said in November it hoped to lodge a resource consent application with Auckland Council that month (MM, Nov 20), though nothing had been received by council as we went to press last week.

One-and-a-half centuries of firefighting in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will be celebrated at a major event taking place in Auckland next month. The public is invited to join firefighters past and present on Sunday March 17 at a free open day at The Cloud on Queens Wharf to mark the 150th anniversary of the Auckland Fire Brigade. Auckland’s first official fire brigade was established in 1874 and consisted of a fire chief and a small team of dedicated volunteers who dragged their few hoses, hose reels and ladders to attend fires in the inner city and a few fringe suburbs. Today, Fire and Emergency NZ serves and protects a population of more than 1.3 million Aucklanders using the latest fire trucks, equipment and technology with paid and volunteer staff. The open day will include equipment displays and demonstrations.

Marae rents waived

An anomaly that saw the Te Hana Te Ao Marama cultural centre and marae potentially charged at least $9000 in commercial rent every year has been corrected by Rodney Local Board. The February meeting heard that Te Hana Community Development Charitable Trust had applied to vary its lease terms, which had been set by the old Rodney District Council in 2004 and stated that the trust should pay $9000 plus GST every year from 2009 to 2014 and the current market rent after that. However, members heard that council staff had never actually invoiced the trust, the rental terms were disproportionate to the revenue brought in by its tourist operations and that all other marae across Auckland were leased at a peppercorn rent, and voted to remove the commercial rent terms.

Images from Brett Montefiore’s local board presentation showing where the proposed solar farm would be sited.

View from near SH1 ...

Call for ban on ‘dangerous and destructive’ set nets

Community groups are seeking local board support for a complete ban on set nets in the Whangateau Harbour and estuary system, saying the practice not only strips fish stocks, but is downright dangerous.

Referring to several recent instances of unlawful net setting, local resident Elizabeth Foster told February’s Rodney Local Board meeting the community was outraged by hidden and unattended nets posing a danger to swimmers and wildlife.

Speaking on behalf of the Whangateau HarbourCare Group and Whangateau Residents and Ratepayers, she said nets were often set illegally from bank to bank across the Omaha River, a popular swimming spot, putting children and others at risk.

“Some of the buoys on the net are submerged and there is no identification on any part of the equipment,” Foster said.

“There can be no justification for this lazy, greedy, unsustainable environmentally destructive and downright dangerous practice, which encourages illegal netting, contrary to all existing rules.”

She added that locals reporting or approaching set netters had little or no effect.

“The majority of offenders, if approached, are visitors to the area and claim no knowledge of the rules.

“Monitoring of illegal netting is left to the local community, as the Harbourmaster is seldom available. This puts community members at risk of confrontation.”

She said the harbour system was an important breeding ground for many fish species, but it was under unsustainable pressure from an increase in population and over-fishing.

“This is compounded by the continual taking of undersized snapper by visitors

from outside the area, which appears impossible to police,” Foster said.

“Set netting is indiscriminate and wasteful, and is unnecessary in an area where other forms of fishing are permitted.”

She cited the example of one long-term resident, who said a move to ban set netting was long overdue.

“They wrote, ‘As someone who has reported illegal set nets in the harbour on many occasions, 0800 POACH(ER) is next to useless. On the last long weekend when I observed an illegal net across the estuary, I called the number and the officers were in Thames’,” she told the meeting.

Foster asked board members to support a ban on set netting at Whangateau.

“A ban on set nets with adequate signage would make enforcement of the rules much easier and would discourage visitors leaving nets between tides for their own

Whangateau is no place for set nets, which are up to 60 metres long and have a small mesh, local board members heard.

convenience. There is no benefit to the wider community from this activity.”

She said after the meeting she would be pursuing the matter with local board members for the Warkworth subdivision, Tim Holdgate, Michelle Carmichael and Ivan Wagstaff. They were approached for comment, but had not replied as Mahurangi Matters went to print.

Set netting is allowed if it follows the Fisheries (Kaimoana Customary Fishing) Regulations 1998; if set nets are marked, more than 60m apart and less than 60m in length; if there is a maximum of one net and one bait net per vessel; if no person has or uses more than one set net; if the net is not staked; and if no bait is used.

The Omaha community was successful in getting a partial set net ban put in place 10 years ago. No set nets are allowed there up to 200 metres off the beach from Labour Day weekend to Easter every year.

Youth trust

A charitable

devoted to assisting youth in the Warkworth district is hoping to attract new sponsors so it can

Over the past 32 years, the Kowhai Coast Youth Trust has made hundreds of mainly small donations to enable young people to take opportunities, which they and their families may not have otherwise been able to afford.

This has mainly been in the areas of education, health, culture and sport, and has covered things such as tuition and training, technology, much-needed dental treatments and, in one case, the trust collaborated with other organisations to buy an insulin pump for a young student whose classroom time was being constantly interrupted by her need to do blood tests. The trust works closely with Homebuilders and most of the grants are distributed confidentially.

Trust chair Ken Bogue says applications for assistance have increased by 140 percent in the last 11 months, demonstrating that there is a real need in the space that the trust operates.

for support

“We may be small, but we do make a big difference to the families we help,” he says. “Being local means we can also often make decisions quickly, unlike bigger organisations, which often require recipients to jump through a lot of hoops.”

But now it’s the trust that needs the community’s help.

Established in 1991 with an initial donation, the trust has been “topped up” through the generosity of service clubs and one philanthropic family.

Bogue says the idea was that the trust would only spend the interest from the invested funds, but low interest rates have meant there has been less and less to distribute.

“We have been dipping into our ‘seed’ money and, had it not been for the generosity of a local family eight years ago, we would not have been able to carry on,” Bogue says.

“Prior to this last financial year, the average number of grants we were making per year was around 10. This financial year to date, we have processed 24 grants.”

If anyone would like to make a donation, more information is available at https://kcyt.org.nz

Flawed processes

I cannot let the Dome Valley landfill scenario pass without providing a voice of reason.

When Waste Management NZ (WM) commenced the Dome process they were owned by Beijing Capital Group. Therefore, the landfill was Beijing/Chinese Government owned and driven. In 2018, WM was given Overseas Investment Office approval to buy the land, stating a decline would adversely impact China’s investments in NZ.

The Auckland Council process started with the Department of Conservation opposing it strongly. The opposition driven by Michelle Carmichael has been very strong. Outstanding in fact.

But the NZ courts have been wishy washy on the consent outcome.

The obvious choice of an energy from waste (EfW) solution was not aired well and gained no traction, particularly when we are talking about 1.6m tonnes of Auckland waste per annum.

The facts are that Beijing Capital Group sold WM in 2022 to Igneo Infrastructure Partners (IIP) of Sydney. IIP is owned by First Sentier Investors (FSI), which is owned by Mitsubishi. Igneo is a sister company of Enfinium UK, one of the largest EfW processers in the UK. Enfinium has four operational EfW plants in the UK, consuming 2.3 million tonnes of waste annually and generating 265MW, with two more plants under construction. So, what does all this mean in today’s terms?

1. The original OIO land consent was flawed. Beijing have long departed.

2. No other country in the world would fill in a pristine valley with leaching toxins

3. Trucking 1.6m tonnes using diesel on marginal roads is preposterous

4. EfW is alive and well in all countries, but dismissed in a cursory manner in NZ

5. NZ/Auckland is critically short of power from EfW

6. NZ has enough infrastructure issues affecting “clean green NZ” without this nonsense.

Anyone looking back in 30 years time will be appalled at this process allowing a pristine valley to be initially bought by the government of China to fill with NZ waste. How could anyone let this happen? Absurd!

The solution is to withdraw the flawed OIC Dome land consent, initiate a EfW scope, ask WM to quote as they are already in the business, explain two other external quotes are being sought so as to be “arm’s length commercial”. Job done!

Don Sollitt, Kaipara Flats

Recycling challenge

I just wanted to make a comment on the dual articles in the Mahurangi Matters (Feb 19), regarding the recycling of plastic: “Re-valuing non-recyclable plastic” under the Science banner on page 16, and “New recycling rules” on page 17.

As a rebuttal to both these articles, I would like to refer you to an article on the Plastic Soup Foundation website entitled Recycling Myth at  https://www. plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plasticproblem/bogus-solutions/recycling-myth/

Youth showcase their skills

The Warkworth based group Adults in Motion (AIM) will hold a market at the Methodist Hall in Hexham Street on March 18, from 10am to 1.30pm.

The market will showcase a range of Aroha Te Ao products including painted woodwork, wax wraps, gifting paper, gift cards, planter boxes with plants, hair accessories and artwork by Cassie, all crafted and handmade by AIM participants.

As well, community members will have stalls exhibiting hand-crafted jewellery, kawakawa balms, homemade jams, cakes and sweet treats, and much more. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be served for $2. AIM provides vocational opportunities for young adults with intellectual disabilities,

encouraging them to participate in the wider community.

Programme manager Vasti Liebenberg says this year has got off to a busy start with a number of outings, including a beach day at Matheson Bay, a shopping trip to Costco, a visit to Warkworth Museum and walk through the Parry Kauri Park, and a picnic at the Warkworth Wharf.

Their contention, in a nutshell, is that plastic recycling just doesn’t happen and probably never will. A personal comment. Back in the 1990s, I worked for a US multinational company in New Zealand. Their mantra way back then was ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ – in that order. Recycling is the proverbial ambulance at the bottom of the cliff – not the saviour of the planet.

Ray Eder, Warkworth

Logical solution Bureaucracy fudging again puts remedial work on the worst intersection in NZ on hold (MM, Feb 19), justification by Auckland Council being the termination of the temporary fuel tax imposed upon road users.

Surely this council and the fantastic few members of the Rodney Local Board can now focus the “temporary”, but tacitly permanent, Rodney targeted transport rate on this project. There is surely no higher transport project priority for this “temporary” levy than remedy of the worst intersection in NZ.

But don’t hold your breath, folks. Bureaucracy in motion in the ‘not so super’ city has a way of impeding the most logical of actions.

John Griffin, Sandspit

What is Rebus?

I am the President of Warkworth Men’s Rebus Club (formerly Probus), a friendship and fellowship club for older retired men. Many of our members have served with Lions and Rotary and similar clubs. Our aim is to provide a venue for social interaction between active older members of the community.

We don’t fundraise – many have done their fair share of that – the only commitment we ask is that you attend our meetings. We meet on the third Monday of every month at Shoesmith Hall, where we have a speaker or two to talk about a wide range of topics.

We usually have a club speaker from among our members who will give a short talk and we set aside time to enjoy tea, coffee and biscuits and a chance to talk to interesting people. We also have a monthly coffee morning where we meet at a different local café for a chat. Coffee mornings are always well attended. In addition, I am planning other activities that will be suitable for our 60-plus age group. Our next meeting will be March 18 at 10am.

For further information about the wider society of Rebus Incorporated NZ, see www.rebus.nz

All visitors are welcome – come and join us. Stephen Beckett, Warkworth

Liebenberg says yoga sessions will start soon at the Masonic Hall on Wednesdays from 1pm, when anyone is welcome to join in for $10 a session.

The group will also hold BBQ hotdog fundraisers, outside The Generosity Corner, on March 5 and April 2.

Info: www.adultsinmotionnz.com

Matakana Valley Road repairs

Work to repair a series of serious slips on Matakana Valley Road was due to get start this month, and will cause traffic disruptions for the next 10 months. A total of 10 slips will be addressed, and work includes constructing retaining wall to reinforce and prevent further slips occurring, stormwater improvements and resurfacing. Auckland Transport advises that there will be a mix of traffic management including speed restrictions, Stop/Go and temporary traffic management.

Viewpoint

Rural voice needed

When running for election, Wayne Brown promised to “Fix Auckland”. That promise included reining-in the overspending of Auckland Council controlled organisations like Watercare and Auckland Transport, as well as cutting back the council’s top heavy bureaucracy.

Mayor Brown has been in the job for over a year and has had enough time to pinpoint how the spending of the Council Group should be reprioritised, including cutting costs. He has produced a new 10 Year Budget for Auckland, which suggests how the $6 billion of revenue collected from Aucklanders should be spent on council projects and services for the next 10 years. It sets the direction of Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, Watercare and the other CCOs for the next decade. The future of the Ports of Auckland, North Harbour Stadium, shareholdings in the Auckland Airport and rate increase options are also included.

If you are keen to see your rates spent on a particular project or service for your community then, now is your chance to put it to the Mayor. The 10 Year Budget is open for public feedback until March 28.  There will be a significant number of the senior bureaucracy cut from Auckland Council under his proposal. These are the people on the highest wages. This is part of general cost savings the Mayor desires. Using this saved money, the Mayor would like to triple the Unsealed Road Improvement Programme (sealing gravel roads) for rural ratepayers. This is an increase from $40 million to $124 million for the 10-year

period. The Mayor is championing this, however, as with everything in the budget, it will have to go to the vote of the 20 Councillors and the Mayor. (see story p9) Of the 21 votes available, there will need to be 11 votes to pass such an increase.

Therefore, it is crucial to get feedback to all the 21 vote-makers if you support the unsealed roads being better maintained and sealed, or not. You can do this by completing the 10 Year budget feedback form available from the library, or online at akhaveyoursay.nz/ourplan

Because the new coalition government has repealed the fuel tax used for funding transport projects, the Hill Street intersection rebuild project, due to start this year, has been paused. Every transport project across Auckland will now have to be reprioritised. You may wish to have your say why the Hill Street intersection improvements should not be potentially permanently dropped. Especially since Warkworth will increase in population to over 30,000 people.

There may be other roading, transport, civic, social, environmental, economic or cultural projects you believe your community needs ratepayer money spent on. What is your opinion on the need-tohaves versus the nice-to-haves? Please take the time to make your voice heard.

Every submission will be read by the Mayor and myself, the other councillors, and bodies like the Board of Directors at Auckland Transport, who ultimately decide what local transport projects will be funded for the next decade.

Rural road budget needs support

By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public

Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

Rodney councillor Greg Sayers is rallying rural voices to support the road renewals budget in Auckland Council’s long term plan.

At council’s Rural Advisory Panel on February 9, the plan and how it impacts rural Auckland was discussed.

One of the big ticket items for rural Auckland is the $124 million to be spent on the Unsealed Road Improvement Programme over 10 years.

Sayers has been a vocal advocate for road renewals and maintenance, particularly

following last year’s floods that showed the vulnerability of the rural roading network.

He feared that the voices of urban Aucklanders might outweigh rural voices when consultation opened on February 28.

“The risk to the programme is it goes out to all Aucklanders; the risk is other Aucklanders might say they would rather that $124 million be spent elsewhere,” Sayers said.

He said the budget would be used for road widening, strengthening and lifting the roads to a standard where they could be sealed.

Sayers asked the panel to stress the importance of the budget among their communities.

& Hand Towels Kids Duvets

Kawau pest eradication proposal finding common ground

Auckland Council’s proposed project to rid Kawau Island of rats, stoats, possums and wallabies has been modified, following community consultation.

Since the proposal was initially presented last summer, alterations prompted by feedback have been made, pest eradication project lead Lisa Tolich told a Rodney Local Board workshop on February 28. Council is now looking at two stand-alone, consecutive projects.

The first would focus on eradicating wallabies and possums (“browsers”) over a period of around 24 months, carried out through hunting in the case of wallabies, and a combination of hunting and bait stations to target possums.

Provided the necessary funding was obtained, this project could get underway in about a year’s time. Council said the benefits for native bush regeneration would be quickly evident.

A subsequent project would focus on rats (as well as stoats, if their presence on Kawau was confirmed), and would not likely start before the winter of 2026. The rodents would be killed using a combination of ground-based and aerial broadcasting of bait, and the use of bait stations stocked with the toxin brodifacoum.

“The benefits of the second project would be demonstrated through longer-term biodiversity monitoring of ecosystems and individual species,” council said in a report to the board.

While consultation found that the goal of a pest-free Kawau enjoyed broad support, elements of council’s original proposal attracted some community pushback (MM, September 11, 2023).

There were objections to eradicating wallabies at all, concerns that brodifacoum could harm non-target species, and opposition to non-islanders seeking access to private properties to monitor and maintain rodent traps.

Tolich said deferring the timeline for the

second project would allow additional time to work with the community on the “more controversial” rodent eradication element, to build relationships and trust, and to work with individual residents on unique requirements relating to their properties.

Council had not shut the door to suggestions – also arising during the consultation process – that a captive population of wallabies be allowed to remain on Kawau, she said.

Should that happen, any such facility would be on public conservation land, would require the involvement of “a group of motivated individuals”, and would entail conditions such as the wallabies being desexed and microchipped.

Tolich said council was supportive of a new community-based initiative, the Kawau

Community Conservation Trust (KCCT), which aimed to focus on eliminating rats (MM, February 19).

She noted that the KCCT plan aimed to control rat numbers, not eradicate them altogether, but “it could be a stepping stone towards that”.

Board member Michelle Carmichael asked about the potential use of the 1993 Biosecurity Act to compel resisting landowners to allow access to their properties, one of the more controversial issues to arise in the original proposal.

“That is a fallback option, and the absolutely last option that you’d ever want to use,” Tolich said.

In a bid to deepen community involvement and buy-in, council is proposing the

establishment of a community forum and a six-person steering committee. The six seats on the steering committee would be occupied by a representative of the new community forum, the chairs of two existing community groups – Kawau Island Residents and Ratepayers Association (KIRRA) and the Pohutukawa Trust – and representatives of council, Department of Conservation and Ngāti Manuhiri. Finances for the project remained a challenge, council said. In addition to funding from Predator Free 2050 and in-kind support from DOC, council was exploring funding from the Crown and non-government entities. Funds for the wallaby and possum project would need to be in place before the eradication started in financial year 2024/2025, it added.

Specialist in: Land development General property Wills & trusts Business Elder law

John has been a local solicitor and identity for nearly 40 years. He has overseen the legal aspects of many land developments within every council district north of Auckland. He has had many dealings with all of the councils and continues to do so.

He values relationships with clients which can require a special insight into the future needs of growing families. Out of all these relationships comes vital information that he utilises to assist clients on their way.

Dominique is a qualified legal executive and has worked off and on with John for many years and she is now full time in the Warkworth office, except Tuesdays. Dominique can be contacted by calling my Warkworth office, 09 973 3665.

Goatley’s missing link

Businesses and regular motorists on Goatley Road in Warkworth were puzzled by a recent resealing project that extended the length of the 2.2km road, but stopped 100-metres short of the State Highway 1 intersection. The $520,000 project included metalling work, stabilising, chip sealing, widening, drainage culvert upgrades/improvements, safety improvements, slip repairs and more work to achieve road width where possible. An Auckland Transport (AT) spokesperson said that traffic management planning between AT and Waka Kotahi (which manages the highway), which took “a bit longer for approval”, was responsible for the missing seal. “The first 100 metres and driveways are programmed to be sealed by the end of next week, but this is weather dependent.” Rodney Marine owner Murray Rowe described the procedure as a “mind-boggling” waste of money. “You’d never run your business this way,” he commented.

Petition launched to save rural unsealed road improvements

Rodney Councillor Greg Sayers is urging people to sign a petition in a bid to ensure $124.6 million earmarked for local unsealed roads over the next 10 years is not thrown out by Auckland Council . He said while Mayor Wayne Brown was backing the funding for rural roads, it was by no means guaranteed to be approved by councillors as part of the 10-year budget package, especially since the government’s decision to axe the Regional Fuel Tax.

“Ending the Regional Fuel Tax means Auckland Transport (AT) has to go back to the drawing board and reprioritise all project funding, including the sealing of gravel roads,” he said.

“Securing the funding will require the Mayor and 20 councillors to approve the allocation of $124.6 million for the Unsealed Road Improvement Programme, and there are many city-based transport projects that urban councillors want funded for their areas.”

Sayers said he decided to set up a petition as it was an easy way to raise awareness of the issue and would exert pressure on the Mayor and AT to act.

“This petition will amplify the voice of ratepayers, and it is easier for people to complete than having to find and then fill out Council’s official feedback forms,” he said.

Sayers said Brown was the first mayor since the Supercity was formed to actively champion the maintenance and sealing of rural unsealed roads, which was a huge advantage. However, people still needed to make their feelings known.

“If a large number of people do sign the petition, then that gives him ammunition and additional incentive to coerce the other councillors and AT that this is a very good way to spend rural ratepayers’ money – and it is overdue, with a backlog of roads requiring sealing.”

Sayers said the online petition only took three minutes to complete and would be open until March 28, the closing date

for feedback on all aspects of the 10-year budget, when he would present it to the Mayor and AT. He urged people to sign it themselves and share it with family and friends.

Meanwhile, AT presented an update to Rodney Local Board last month on how and where the Unsealed Road Improvement Programme would be rolled out over the next three years, subject to funding.

AT road corridor asset manager Peter Scott told a board workshop that nearly $25.7 million out of the 10-year total would be spent from 2024 to 2027, with just $6.24 million in the first year.

Wellsford member Colin Smith asked why the money couldn’t be “front-loaded”, with more money spent sooner, but Scott said urban projects such as the city rail link and electric ferries were taking priority.

“It’s purely driven by commitment on the capital works programme,” he said. “That’s a decision at a higher level.”

Scott also faced questioning over why Govan Wilson Road, a no-through road between Matakana and Whangaripo, was relatively high on AT’s priority list and expensive.

Scott explained that it had been a priority historically, was very narrow and was bordered by ecologically sensitive areas. He added that there was a complex national classification system and regional ratings systems that was used to determine each road’s priority for improvements or sealing.

Currently there are around 800km of unsealed roads across Auckland, with around 628 km, or 80 percent of them, in the Rodney area.

Greg Sayer’s petition can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XLFMS7T

AT’s road sealing programme is here: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/streetmaintenance/road-sealing/

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Jeanette Grimmer

Jeanette Grimmer was born in Warkworth near the end of World War II and still lives on the family farm, just north of Goatley Road, which was bought by her great grandparents in the 1850s. After graduating with an MA in English Literature she taught at Epsom Girls Grammar for four years, before working at child welfare in Pukekohe. At this point, her life took a big turn when she rediscovered her faith and went to Bible College. Unsure of her work future, she applied to the missionary organisation Middle East Christian Outreach, and so began her life’s work in Egypt and marriage to an Egyptian from a Muslim background. She talked to Allan Barber about her life and work …

lk

Ispent 26 years of my life in Egypt in two roughly equal spells, each of 13 years with a gap in between. This seems fitting given that my father was based in Cairo with the New Zealand Army when I was born. My life has been full of turning points, which have led me to choose what may appear to be unusual careers and destinations. On reflection, these were all the right choices for me and gave me a rich experience of living in another culture.

I was born at Warkworth’s Cottage Hospital in 1944 and brought up on the family farm off State Highway 1, just north of the new motorway interchange. My parents were descended from two of the area’s founding families – John and Rebecca Grimmer came to Warkworth in 1855 from the UK, via Australia and Wellington, while John and Janet Morrison arrived on the Jane Gifford in 1842. The Grimmers settled on the farm which I now live on with my younger brother Andrew and his wife Judy, while the Morrisons’ son Edward planted Red Bluff orchard in Hepburn Creek Road, before his son John, my maternal grandfather, established Glen Kowhai orchard in Hamilton Road.

During the war, my uncle Trevor ran the farm, my father having been conscripted and sent to Egypt. On his return in 1946, he had diabetes and lost one eye, but was able to support his family on the farm with 26 cows until his death at the age of 52. My parents had four children, three of whom still live in Warkworth. We all did well academically and I applied for a studentship in post-primary teaching, completing a BA in French and English, followed by an MA in English Literature. After completing post-primary teacher training in Mount Eden, I taught at Epsom Girls Grammar for four years to repay the studentship before my first big turning point – I applied to study at Victoria University for a Diploma in Social Work and was accepted as a private student among those from government agencies, completing the two year course in 1972.

My first job as a social worker was at Pukekohe Child Welfare. On a training placement in Palmerston North, I had met the former New Zealand cricketer Bryan Yuile, a social worker. In February 1973, a letter from him directed me to some verses in the Bible, helping me to rediscover my faith, which I had ignored for 10 years.

This gave my life a new meaning and friends urged me to go to Bible College in Henderson. Seeking direction for the future, I became convinced I was to work with Arab people so I applied to the Middle East Christian Outreach (MECO), which was headquartered in Cyprus, and was accepted on my 33rd birthday. I went to Jordan to study Arabic for two years, but after four terms I joined two other MECO women in Assiut, south of Cairo. We helped establish the Evangelical Church, an English language school. The ban on learning English, imposed by President Nasser, had only just been relaxed. Later, I worked in Cairo as a language study supervisor helping other missionaries with Arabic. This required me to travel to Jordan, Lebanon and the Gulf states, as well as different places within Egypt. For a year I lived in an apartment near Cairo’s main railway station with five blind women, two of whom I escorted to their school classes several streets away.

I returned home in 1990 to spend some time with my mother. My return to Egypt was delayed by the first Iraq War, but eventually I went back to Assiut. There I met Ehab Abdel Masih, an ex-Muslim who attended the First Evangelical Church. We were attracted to each other and got engaged. However, we could not spend much time together, this being culturally inappropriate. I have to admit my co-workers were very concerned and MECO told me I would have to resign if I persisted in marrying Ehab, but as my brother Paul told a friend, I can be very stubborn.

We married in Cyprus in September 1992 and shortly afterwards moved to New Zealand, living initially on the farm, before moving to Mount Albert, as I had part-time work with East City Community Education in East Tamaki. People were very welcoming both in Auckland and Warkworth, but Ehab’s limited English meant we had to communicate in Arabic. Ehab travelled to Egypt two days before my mother’s funeral in April 1993, eventually returning in 1994 when he began studying at Capernwray Bible College. However, our cultural differences meant we failed to agree on many things, exacerbated by Ehab’s being out of his depth in New Zealand, and we divorced in 1995.

I remained in New Zealand for two years, teaching parttime and giving private tutorials, when I received a letter

from Dr Mouneer, head doctor at the Harpur Memorial Hospital, asking me to help oversee the Egyptian English teachers at the Episcopal Private School in Menouf. It was for one year, which became 10. I opened the Menouf branch of the American University in Cairo, where I taught adults English and computer lessons, effectively doing two jobs. Dr Mouneer and his wife became close friends and I often stayed in their guest room in Cairo when he was the Anglican Bishop of Egypt.

I then went to Alexandria to teach advanced English at the Alexandria School of Theology, enabling students to study theology through Sydney’s Moore Theological College. It was time to return home, but just before I left, I visited international prisoners at Kanater Prison because Warkworth resident Lloyd Freeth wanted me to take over running his donor organisation called True Freedom Outreach on my return. For six years I received and passed on donations sent for the Kanater prison visiting ministry. Also from 2011 to 2014, I spent one month a year in a team of English teachers training students at the Myanmar Evangelical School of Theology, a ministry organised by Peter Armstrong.

I have many fond memories of my time in Egypt: the generous hospitality of Christian and Muslim families, the food, including stuffed cabbage, mangoes and fresh dates, and attending summer conferences for youth was the highlight of my earlier life there. Overall, I developed loving friendships with many Egyptians and I was most proud of being able to pass on leadership of the Menouf branch of the American University in Cairo to a very capable Egyptian lady named Rina. She organised a farewell for me, which was attended by many Muslim friends, even though it took place during Ramadan. Since my return in 2010, I have been active in the local Scrabble Club and the Warkworth Bridge Club. I also sang with the Kowhai Singers until bridge lessons clashed with practice evenings. Until this year I used to play the organ on alternate Sundays at the Presbyterian Church, and I remain on the church’s global missions team. I visit Bethany Hill at Whangateau regularly for a short service with songs, as well as Summerset Village on some Wednesdays. I am also on the Ladies Committee at Wellsford Golf Club and a member of the U3A book club, so my days are still pretty full.

Jeanette Grimmer on Mt Sinai.

Broken bridge ‘an accident waiting to happen’

Calls are being made for a West Coast Road bridge to be repaired fully before a serious accident occurs.

The single-lane wooden bridge just north of Parker Road at Makarau should be sealed with bitumen, but for more than a year has had exposed planks and screws, and several large holes in the surface.

According to local motorists, it is uneven and bumpy at best, dangerously slippery when wet and “a death trap” for motorcyclists.

Makarau resident Steven Law has been reporting the problems to Auckland Transport (AT) for several months, but says little has been done, despite assurances that the problems would be fixed.

“The only thing that was done was two attempts to put Coldmix in a hole,” he said. “No planks have been replaced and no nails or screws replaced. I am surprised that a heavy metal mesh was not put down to protect both bridge and vehicles.”

Rodney Local Board member Geoff Upson has also been drawing attention to the state of the bridge for the last two years.

“This bridge is on a corner, so vehicles have sideways momentum when entering the bridge when traveling east,” he said.

“My opinion is that it’s extremely dangerous having exposed timber, due to how slippery wet wood is.”

Both Upson and Law were told by AT that design and investigation work for the bridge had been completed by the end of last year and construction was due to begin last month, although nothing had been started by last Wednesday, February 28.

However, an AT spokesperson told Mahurangi Matters that while the design had been finished, construction would only “likely happen before the end of the financial year”.

Upson commented that, as the Auckland Council financial year ran from July to June, AT had apparently given themselves an extra four months to get the job done.

A second wooden bridge, just a kilometre north of the one at Parker Road, also recently lost large chunks of wood at one end and on the bridge itself, but these have been patch repaired with bitumen.

Show blossoms in new time slot

It was the dahlias that stole the limelight at the annual Warkworth Garden Club Flower Show at the Town Hall on February 23.

Normally held in November, this is the first time the show has been held in February. The move was prompted by the idea of capturing a greater array of flowers.

Club vice president Vicky Heiplik and show convenor Annette Sharp agreed that it had been a “wonderful success”.

“While we didn’t have nearly as many roses, the real heroes were the dahlias, hibiscus, perennials and, of course, all the edibles –fruit, vegetables and herbs,” they said. “It was a fabulous day, which was so well supported by the community, as well as club members. Judges Christine Pearce, from Thames, and Ann Saunders, from Auckland, said they were impressed with the show.

“There were some truly beautiful blooms and it was great to see produce displayed and the involvement of schools,” they said.

The Cruikshank Cup for most points I Section A Roses was won by Lynne Crump, who also took home the Perpetual Challenge Rose Bowl. Other winners were: Champion of Champion (roses) and the Campbell D’Arcy Cup for most points in general flowers and foliage –Sally Greenwood; Section B dahlias – Richard Fisher; most points fruit & vegetables –Gloria Wilmot; President’s Cup – Krista Fletcher; and

Sesquicentennial

for

the

Cup

Best in Show – Jenifer Hart.

Judges Ann Saunders (left) and Christine Pearce were impressed with the show.

Lynne Crump with the silverware.

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Look up to the mountain

There’s a whakatauki (proverb) that means ‘Seek the treasure that you value most dearly, if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.’ – Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei. The saying is about aiming high for what’s valuable. It’s also about perseverance and persistence, and not letting obstacles get in the way of your goals.

I had cause to think about persistence, endurance and keeping my eyes on a lofty goal, as I spent a few days tramping the Pouakai Circuit on Taranaki Maunga. He’s a lofty mountain alright. In mythology, he is an ancient Māori warrior. In geology, he is a 120,000-year-old stratovolcano and New Zealand’s most perfect snow cone. His bulk dominates the land on his own ring plain dais, and he pierces the sky. Taranaki Maunga has been legally recognised as a person in his own right whose name is Te Kāhui Tupua. We spent months anticipating the walk. The planning was a fun part of the journey. We prepared by walking for miles carrying fully laden packs with dumbbells for extra weight. We read reviews, pored over maps, watched the weather closely. But nature has its own plans. Covid took out two of our party, and almost claimed a third. But for us survivors, the first two days at least, were fine. The track from the visitor centre leaves at 978m above sea level. Mt Ruapehu, Ngāuruahoe and Tongariro could be seen in the distance across the Central Plateau. We hiked higher up the dramatically named Razorback ridge. The track wound around the spurs of Taranaki that seem to anchor the cone to the plain. The path was like a rock garden lined with lovely snow berries, alpine daisies and little

nodding flowers. Mosses and lichen coated every surface of earth and trees, among the rocks and stones, and lining the path. New Zealand’s smallest bird, the rifleman, clung onto tree trunks for dear life.

We trudged below towering columnar basalt cliffs, crossed huge slips defying gravity, and boulder-strewn riverbeds. We cooked and (tried to) sleep communally at the hut with 30 snoring and sneezing strangers. Cloud came low and shrouded us and then disappeared like a will-o’the-wisp. We crossed the golden 300ha Ahukawakawa mountain swamp, climbed the flanks of the Pouakai range and across its ridge. Taranaki wore a korowai and a cap of clouds. It took the climb of five vertical ladders to reach the top of Henry Peak that laid the world out before and behind us. And from there it was another five hours of goblin forest and wire bridges, ferns, orchids, mossy rivers and tree roots and steps to the end of the track and another two kilometres up the road to the van. We had a perfect experience and our goal was achieved. Going back and revisiting that lofty mountain is a new goal.

Maunga Taranaki’s distinctive peak.

Olive Indo-Nepali Eatery

Anew restaurant at The Grange in Warkworth is offering diners an opportunity to taste both authentic Indian and Nepalese cuisine.

Olive Indo-Nepali Eatery is the third Olive restaurant opened by chef Resham Bashnet – the other two are in Massey and New Lynn.

Joining him in the Warkworth venture is manager Krishna Kafle who, until just a year ago, was working in hospitality in his native Nepal.

Olive is licensed and BYO. It has seating both inside and outside, as well as a takeaway and delivery service. Many diners will be unfamiliar with some of the dishes on the menu, so Kafle

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encourages people to ask him or wait staff for more information. He says dishes can be as mild or spicy as a diner desires. He particularly recommends the momo, a steamed dumpling made to an authentic Nepalese recipe. Most dishes offer vegetarian, chicken, lamb, goat and seafood options, as well as a range of gluten free, dairy free and vegan dishes.

Kafle says another “must try” is the set Nepali Dinner for two.

Bashnet says he and the team are looking forward to getting know customers in the wider Warkworth area.

“We like everyone to leave the restaurant satisfied with their meals, so if anyone has any special requests, they only need to ask.”

Owner Resham Bashnet and manager Krishna Kafle.

Chinese Medicine for Your Health

The Waipu Easter Carnival will be held at Caledonian Park on Saturday, March 30, despite the closure of State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyn Hills.

Carnival coordinator Dee Field says that while closure in the lead up isn’t ideal, organisers are grateful that the road will be open for the Easter weekend.

“This is the major fundraiser for Waipu Primary School and it’s an awesome event for the community and visitors,” Field says.

Now in its 16th year, the carnival programme includes an array of entertainment, food stalls and sideshows. Proceeds will go towards improving resources and expanding opportunities for children in the school. Previous carnivals have funded a structured literacy programme, new chairs and a stage for the hall, scooter tracks, plus a whole range of smaller projects around the school. Organisers say there has been a real focus this year on creating a fun village vibe, with lots of space for the community to meet and enjoy free entertainment, delicious food and tractor rides, along with games

and the ever-popular White Elephant stall.

“This year will feature more activities for older kids such as a dunk tank, climbing wall and surfboard challenge,” Field says. She says it is not too late for local businesses to promote their brand through sponsorship and she would welcome hearing from any locals who might like to volunteer to help out for a few hours on Easter weekend.

“The carnival crew promise it will be a fun way to meet new people and get involved in the community.

“Waipu Easter Carnival is one of the last events on the summer calendar and we are really aiming to capture the essence of summer holidays and relaxed family fun. It’s shaping up to be a great day at the Caledonian Park.”

The carnival will run from 9am to 2pm, and entry is by koha. There is plenty of parking but organisers say, “sorry, no dogs allowed”. For volunteer or sponsorship enquiries, go to: waipucarnival@gmail.com

Info: www.waipucarnival.com or by searching on Facebook.

Waipu Primary School will benefit from the funds raised during the carnival.

Ngāti Manuhiri

Native fish conservation

Collaborating closely with Te Papa Atawhai, the Department of Conservation, our kaitiaki have engaged in a skill-enhancement project focused on spotlighting and safeguarding taonga species, particularly freshwater native fish, in the Hōteo catchment. As Māori, our profound connection to the land and water has always underscored our responsibilities as kaitiaki. Our rohe boasts a diverse array of freshwater environments and holds immense cultural significance for Ngāti Manuhiri. In light of this context, our partnership with Te Papa Atawhai becomes more crucial.

Spotlight spotfishing is a swift survey method tailored to streams, diverging from traditional methods by targeting nocturnally active fish such as the kōkopu species that thrive in pool and run habitats, along with a number of other species that prefer riffle habitats. A notable advantage of spotlight spotfishing lies in its efficacy in detecting species that prove elusive using daytime fishing methods. Deployed by two or more fish surveyors along designated stream sections, the method ensures a reach length typically ranging from 100 to 200 metres, covering a diverse sequence of

pool, run and riffle habitats.

Our partnership with Te Papa Atawhai underscores the importance of collaboration between indigenous communities and governmental conservation agencies, illustrating the potential for joint efforts towards a common goal. As we advance, the knowledge acquired will not only benefit our local initiatives, but will also shape broader conservation strategies, inspiring similar partnerships throughout New Zealand.

This endeavour clearly embodies the principles of kaitiakitanga as we actively fulfil our role as kaitiaki of te taiao. By aligning with Te Papa Atawhai, we are not merely preserving our cultural heritage, but also forging an enduring legacy of environmental protection.

The integration of spotlight spotfishing into our conservation practices aims to collect comprehensive data on taonga species, facilitating the development of effective protection and management strategies. This method not only boosts our capacity to detect rare species, but also underscores our unwavering commitment to harmonising environmental conservation with the preservation of cultural heritage within our rohe.

Thirteen residents of Buckleton Beach on Tāwharanui got together on February 24 for a conservation working bee. They tackled pest weeds such as ginger, pampas grass, Japanese honeysuckle and climbing asparagus in their bid to help the native plants thrive. The working bee was supported by Northland Waste, who generously supplied a skip for

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Safe swimming area, awesome snorkelling, kayak and paddleboarding, fantastic walks, pedal bikes, children play area and picnic spots.

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Pets Vets Corner

Pet of the Month

& Buddy

While some dogs may be seasoned pros at gnawing on raw bones, Buddy, our adventurous four-legged friend, decided to test his luck with a daring snack of chicken bones during a romp on the farm. Little did he know, his impromptu feast would soon turn into a bone-chilling ordeal. As time passed, the bones stubbornly refused to budge from Buddy’s belly, causing him considerable discomfort and worry. Thankfully, in a stroke of luck, Buddy’s quick-thinking family whisked him off to Warkworth Vets, where he underwent a lifesaving surgery to remove the troublesome bones. After a bit of rest and plenty of TLC, Buddy bounced back to his usual spirited self, ready to embark on more adventures.

Vets: Jon Makin BVSc, Danny Cash BVSc and Associates

WARKWORTH VETS

VETERINARY HOSPITAL COAST 2 COAST VETS

Phone 09 425 8244 (Warkworth)

09 423 7048 (Wellsford)

24 hour 7 day a week emergency cover

Now open 8 am until 2pm Saturdays

Ringi Brown, Trustee, Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust www.ngatimanuhiri.iwi.nz

Sweetappreciation with chocolatebrown

Congratulations to Lional Woodall who is this week’s recipient of a gift box of chocolates from Chocolate Brown. Lional was nominated by Warkworth Football Club committee member Jacob Paul who wrote …

“

Nick Atkinson and Finn Scholes.

Send your nominations to editor@localmatters.co.nz ”

Know someone who deserves a big “thank you” for their community spirit? Tell us and they will receive acknowledgement in Mahurangi Matters and an amazing hamper from Chocolate Brown, 6 Mill Lane, Warkworth. Send your nominations to editor@ localmatters.co.nz (subject line: Sweet Appreciation) or post to: Sweet Appreciation, Mahurangi Matters, 17 Neville Street, Warkworth. Kindly refrain from nominating members of your own family.

Cafe, Gifts, Chocolaterie

Ph 422 2677

6 Mill Lane, Warkworth

The jazz trio Love Square will perform at the Leigh Sawmill Café on March 24 and although regular Sawmill patrons may not be familiar with the name, they will recognise the musicians.

On tenor sax will be Nick Atkinson, of Hopetoun Brown fame, who have played at the Sawmill many times over the years, along with Finn Scholes on electric piano and drummer Alistair Deverick.

Scholes has been playing trumpet and jazz keyboard professionally round Auckland and overseas for the past 10 years, and is the leader of the well-known Auckland-based band Carnivorous Plant Society. Deverick is also a member of the Carnivorous Plant Society, as well as being a composer and musical director.

Atkinson says that with the Guinness boys back at the helm of the Sawmill, it feels like the beginning of a new era of groundbreaking sounds.

Warkworth

WARKWORTH

SNELLS BEACH

WE

Snells

Unit 2, 347

425 5055

“Finn has a new Nord 6 electric piano from which he coaxes a planetary whirlwind of sound and Alistair has refined his inventive and passionate beat making it into a high art-form,” Atkinson says. “It’s a great privilege to play and improvise with Finn and Al. They’re like hot air in your balloon and it feels like you can clear any obstacle when they ignite their burners.

“We’ve got baritone saxophones, drummers playing trombones, bags full of percussion, trumpets and heaven knows what else as we navigate a spiralling line across the world, taking in Jamaica, Ethiopia and the highlands of the Bolivian Andes.”

The Love Square show is on Sunday, March 24, starting at 4.30pm. It is a familyfriendly gig with kids 13 and under free. “It feels so good to be coming back to our favourite place to play. The venue is like the fourth member of the band!”

Surgery

Surgery

• Wide

•

• Snells Beach is open Monday to Friday 8am-5pm

• Low Cost access for enrolled patients under 14 free, young people $13, adults $19.50 (ACC costs differ).

• Pharmacy, Labtest, Physio on site.

Cool Sunday afternoon jazz

Homebuilders

Is work/life balance an illusion?

What is meant by work/life balance? Doesn’t it just mean how do we juggle everything life throws at us, to the best of our abilities? In simple terms, work/life balance symbolises a harmonious balance between work and home, between earning a wage and being with family and friends. But how do we do that in a fast-paced, chaotic world and in a culture that admires busyness, while also looking after our own physical and mental health?

If we look at the well-used Triple 8 rule, we see the idea that to have a work/life balance we should divide our time into eights: eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep and eight hours for everything else. If only life were that simple! To me, the Triple 8 rule is in itself off balance. How can we cram “everything else” into the eight spare hours? The Triple 8 rule might work as a loose framework for obtaining work/life balance, but it may be more helpful if we flip our thinking and see that it’s not about work and life competing with each other but work being a part of life. It is actually about integrating work into life. We all need to earn a wage and help provide for ourselves or/and our family so maybe if we follow some of these points, we might be able to harmonise work and life in some ways. Prioritise: This is about dealing with the most urgent things first as this will reduce your overall stress and stop procrastination creeping in.

Manage your time and set boundaries: Schedule and allocate time to different tasks. This involves saying no to things that are not your responsibility. Remember, it’s okay to say no.

Disconnect from work: Do not check your emails, do not reply to texts and do not answer work calls outside work hours. Do put an out-of-office message on and reply when you are back on the clock.

Schedule downtime: Within your time management allocate ‘me’ time, and protect it, it is yours and you deserve it. It is okay to do nothing or treat yourself, no matter how small it is, or maybe just have a quiet coffee or a short walk in nature.

Ask for help: Bosses and other staff will continue to ask for more from you if they don’t know you are struggling. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help.

The 2017 World Happiness Report boils its research findings down to say work/life balance is a strong predictor of people’s happiness and that job satisfaction plays a major role in that. So, it’s also important to ask yourself what you are getting from your job and remember a sense of satisfaction is often driven by a sense of purpose. And, if we are spending one-third of our life at work, we need to check in with ourselves, find a sense of purpose, protect our time with family and friends, and integrate work into life, rather than allowing work to become so big that it is our life.

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It’s been a wonderful year developing children’s full potential in the Warkworth community. Thank you for welcoming us into your neighbourhood with open arms, and for the privilege of nurturing a love of play and lifelong learning in your children.

HYPERPOLARISED

IN MEDICINE QUANTUM MEDICINE FOR A QUANTUM BODY!

Mirjana Arlov, Senior Consultant

09 422 2096 | 021 981 089 mirjana.arlov@gmail.com www.bioptron.com

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Police

Contacting police

We continue to hear about crime or suspicious activity third-hand. We want to remind the community, please contact police immediately on 111 if something is happening now. Whether it be someone’s safety at risk, or you are witness to a crime happening, please contact us immediately.

By calling, you may prevent the crime from happening. To report something after it has occurred, you can contact us via our non-emergency line 105.

On several occasions this month my team have been fielding calls on their cell phones after hours, where people should be calling 111. It is great that our community is so connected to our local police, but the quickest response you will get in an emergency is by dialling 111. Fraud prevention

In Warkworth, as well as nationally, we have seen an increased trend in people reporting phone scams, where computers and phones have been accessed from overseas and money stolen. This is highly distressing for those involved. Our best method of fighting this crime is preventing it from happening in the first place. Red flags include calls, emails or text messages out of the blue, asking you to take urgent action, being asked for personal information or passwords, and being asked

to provide remote access to a phone or device. If you are unsure, hang up and call your service provider on a verified phone number directly.

If you need to, speak to a family member or trusted friend, and seek advice or assistance from them in contacting the service provider. Your service provider will never rush you into doing something and will always be happy for you to call on a verified number. I also want to encourage family and friends to have discussions around keeping safe online and on phones with our more vulnerable members of our community.

Joining the frontline

As we all know, our wider community continues to grow by the week and our police team here has grown to meet the population growth. I want to encourage those in our community to consider a career in the New Zealand Police. It is a fantastic and varied career where no two days are the same. When police officers are recruited from and stationed in their own communities, they best reflect the community they serve. Anyone who is interested should visit www. newcops.govt.nz, or pop in and have a chat to us at the Warkworth police station. We’re open Monday to Friday, from 8am to 4pm.

Dairy farms disappear

By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

More than a quarter of dairy farms in Auckland have shut down over the last five years, according to Auckland Council staff. At a meeting of council’s Rural Advisory Panel on February 9, environmental monitoring manager Robert Laulala said that the number of dairy farms in Auckland had shrunk from about 300 five years ago to about 210 now.

Walking weekend cancelled

“It is a dying industry in the Auckland region. A lot of these farms are being converted for other activities such as subdivisions,” Laulala said. There was surprise around the panel table at the figure.

Member Linda Potauaine said Auckland would be worse for wear if the number of dairy farms continued to shrink.

“We are in big trouble in New Zealand if dairy is dying because we will all starve to death,” Potauaine said.

This year’s Mangawhai Walking Weekend, scheduled for March 23 and 24, has been cancelled. Organisers Trish Whyte and Belinda Vernon said they were sorry to let people down, but due to “a range of unforeseen circumstances” the weekend could no longer go ahead. However, they said they planned to be back next year with a mix of new walks and old favourites. Last year’s walking weekend raised $5000 for the Mangawhai Tracks Charitable Trust path building and maintenance programme.

Sergeant Daniel McDermott,

Thieves target civil defence

Callous thieves broke into the Mahurangi West Civil Defence Group headquarters last month and stole essential emergency response equipment.

Group coordinator Fran Ashton says that while the financial toll is bad enough, it is also the thought that should an emergency strike tomorrow, the group is no longer equipped to respond as effectively and efficiently as it might have done.

The thieves jemmied open the back door of the portacom centre, which stands in the grounds of the Mahurangi West Hall, sometime between the afternoon of February 13 and the morning of February 15.

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She says the group has been operating from the portacom for about 14 months.

They had equipped the centre gradually through fundraising and grants, with the support of the Rodney Local Board and Auckland Council.

“It’s just devastating, and feels like a huge step backwards” Ashton says. “We will have to replace the equipment, as well as spend money on security, and funding is not easy to come by.”

The break-in follows the theft late last year of a newly-purchased defibrillator at nearby Jamieson Bay.

Central’s Tips

March 2024

The fruit and vegetable garden

• Time to plant or sow brassicas – cauliflowers, broccoli, and cabbage are traditional and there are several varieties to choose from. Stay vigilant around the caterpillar and snail control

• Keep regular water over the feijoa, tamarillo trees and the passionfruit vine – delicious fruit are ripening for autumn

• Later summer is a good time to grow bok choy, pak choy and spinach, but keep it watered and pick it regularly or it will go to seed quickly

• Continue to feed citrus trees as fruit develops. Trees in sheltered, covered areas may develop brown waxy scale along the branches and backs of leaves. Flick these off or with a heavy infestation spray with Aquaticus ‘Glow’

• Sow crops of rocket, parsley or coriander – they germinate easily in this weather and are reliable winter stalwarts for flavouring dishes

• Stonefruit and early apples and pears can be harvested. Pears are best stored in a dry place for a week or two, then they are ready to eat

The ornamental garden

• Conditioning soils with compost helps replenish it because plants have used nutrients over summer. Dig compost through the top 5cm of soil

• Later this month trim hedges, and evergreens to give shape and structure to the garden. It’s a good idea to fertilise them as you go

• Traditionally garden centres have great grades of NZ shrubs and grasses available now. Select some of our more colourful foliage and grasses that will complement autumn tree colour garden

• Weedy lawn? Spray with a selective weedkiller or dig out the weeds. Fill the bare patches with Premium Lawn Soil then sow grass seed

• Deadhead dahlias, daisies and heleniums for a long-lasting display of flowers that can extend to early winter

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Three generators were stolen, including one that had just been purchased and was still in its box. The largest generator, a 6500 watt unit, was capable of fully powering the hall, which is the area’s evacuation centre. A padlocked cabinet was forced open and headlamps, two large rechargeable lights, hand-held radios, torches, a tow rope used to pull tree stumps off the road and a first aid cabinet were among other items stolen.

P a i n m a n a g e m e n t d i g e s t i v e i s s u e s , a u t o i m m u n e , i n s o m n i a , a n x i e t y

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Ashton agrees that the thefts had repercussions for the community and could be life threatening.

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Police forensic teams have attended and enquiries into the burglary remain ongoing.  Warkworth Sgt Dan McDermott says the equipment stolen is vital to isolated, rural communities who rely on these resources in times of natural disasters.

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“It is hugely disappointing that those helping our community in times of need are being targeted in such a manner,” he says. Anyone with information is asked to call

• Salvias come in to their own from late summer: this is a huge plant family from bedding salvias to neat bushes of around 60cm through to the thumping Salvia Mexicana

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Fran Ashton says the theft of vital emergency response equipment from Mahurangi West is a major setback for the volunteer civil defence group.

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Calendar Girls

supports hospice

The story of the calendar that spawned hundreds of imitations will be brought to life on stage in Warkworth next month.

And while cast members of the Warkworth Theatre Group will be getting their kit off as part of the show, they will also be raising much-needed funds for Harbour Hospice.

The story of the Calendar Girls started in a village in Yorkshire in 1998, when Angela Baker’s husband John was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. When he passed away, Angela and her Women’s Institute friends set about creating the now infamous nude calendar as something for Angela to focus on.

Through the sale of their calendars, the group had hoped to raise enough money to buy a new sofa for the hospital where John was treated. But their fundraiser became an international media event and they have now raised millions for the blood cancer charity Blood Cancer UK.

Warkworth show director Richard

Hutchinson says Tim Firth’s play Calendar Girls is a wonderful, poignant story told with great humour.

“Most of us can relate to the loss of a family member or friend through cancer and this is a wonderfully uplifting story that takes us on a journey about how we can grow and celebrate those around us,” Hutchinson says.

“As always, it is great to work with a talented local cast and crew. I am especially pleased that we are joining forces with Harbour Hospice and 10 per cent of all ticket sales will go towards purchasing equipment for Tui House in Warkworth.”

Hospice fundraiser Emily Thomas says hospice is delighted to be the theatre group’s charity of choice.

“The demand for hospice services continues to increase, which is why fundraising events like these are so incredibly vital to the Warkworth

and Wellsford community,” she says.

There will be a gala opening night at the Warkworth Town Hall on April 26, which will be held in conjunction with Harbour Hospice and will include raffles and other fundraising activities.

Then there will be evening performances on various dates from April 27 to May 4, with matinees on April 28 and May 4, starting at 2pm.

Tickets are available from the Mahurangi Matters office, 17 Neville Street, during normal business hours.

Info: www.wwtheatre.co.nz

Wearable arts show takes Matariki theme

The call has gone out to artists, creatives, designers, local businesses, community groups and schools to start work on their entries for this year’s Catwalk Arts spectacular.

The rejuvenated event will be held in the newly opened Mahurangi Hope Church, off Mansel Drive in Warkworth, on Saturday, June 22. The auditorium has capacity seating for 200.

The wearable arts event is a major fundraiser for Harbour Hospice, which has chosen Matariki as this year’s theme.

Hospice spokesperson Karyn Henger says there will be four categories – family, youth, open and pimp my jacket.

Prizes will be awarded to category winners, and there will also be a prize for the best overall Matariki-themed creation.

“We’d love to get as many people involved as possible,” Henger says.

She says judges will be looking for creativity and originality.

“It is an opportunity to think outside the square, to be innovative in the choice of materials and to have fun, whether you enter individually or as a team.”

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Potential entrants are reminded that their creations must be “wearable” and to consider this when coming up with their design. There will be two shows on June 22 – a matinee at 2pm and an evening show at 7pm. Previous Catwalk events have raised around

Royal Mail Run Cruise

$28,000, which was used to support terminally ill patients and their families.

To enter or find out more, email events@harbourhospice.org.nz, or call Lesley Ingham on 027 375 7732, or visit https://harbourhospice.org.nz/our-events/

Water Taxis

Water taxis on the Hauraki Gulf at a time that suits you, 24/7. Our fleet of safe, high speed and comfortable Water Taxis are driven by professional skippers who have years of local experience. We operate a water taxi service and regular shuttle service to Kawau Island.

Royal Mail Run Cruise

Departs Sandspit Daily at 10:30am. Ever wanted to explore an island that has no road access? Want to learn more about the people living there? This is your opportunity, with the Royal Mail Run Cruise!

Mansion House Cruise

Departs Sandspit Daily at 10:30am.

Sir George Grey, the third Governor of NZ purchased Kawau Island in 1862 and began establishing a ‘Garden of Eden’ including transforming the old Copper Mine Manager’s house into an imposing mansion. Wander through the carefully restored Mansion House and admire the many artifacts gleaned from his travels through the Pacific, or marvel at the everyday objects of the Victorian era.

Adults $71 • Children $42 • Seniors $64

Julia Mitchell (left) plays Chris and Rosie Hutchinson plays Annie.

Matariki is the theme of this year’s event.

2024 Concert Series

Sun 7 Apr, 4pm Morton Trio & Friends*

Chamber music with orchestral scope. Dohnányi’s rich and exhilarating Sextet for piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet, and horn is followed by Penderecki’s finest chamber achievement.

Sat 18 May, 4pm Jade String Quartet

– The Beauty of Sound with Birdsong

A programme of sweet Mozart, stunning Schumann plus an exciting new work by NZ composer Janet Jennings based on the birdsong of extinct NZ birds.

Sat 15 Jun, 4pm Andrew Joyce & Jian Liu*

Showcasing music for cello and piano, the virtuosic duo brings a colourful assortment of soundbites followed by a larger Romantic sonata by Brahms.

Sat 3 Aug, 4pm Henry Wong Doe – Great Masterworks

A compelling programme of some of the great masterworks by Haydn, Chopin, Ginastera, and Mussorgsky, as well as a newly commissioned work by a New Zealand composer.

Sat 14 Sept, 4pm St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra – Mozart Larks

Performing their “Mozart Larks” concert, featuring two iconic works for Violin and Orchestra - Mozart’s Concerto No 4 and Vaughan Williams Lark Ascending - with soloist Dr Lara Hall.

Sun 20 Oct, 4pm NZTrio – Triptych 3 – Untamed Hope

Starting with Fanny Mendelssohn’s magnificent ‘Trio in D minor,’ we move to Joan Tower’s ‘Trio Cavany’, followed by a new commission from Kiwi composer Eva Bedggood. We conclude the musical odyssey with Ethel Smyth’s impassioned piano trio.

Sat 9 Nov, 4pm Dan Costa Quartet*

Dan Costa has assembled an all-star band of NZ musicians to showcase his original compositions and Latin influenced jazz piano style. Dan performs with Bill Martin on tenor sax, Umar Zakaria on double bass, and Carl Woodward on drums.

Book Reviews

End of Story By A. J. Finn

Best-selling author of Woman in the Window, A.J. Finn returns with his new mystery, End of Story, with a gripping plot, delicious suspension and an unforgettable story. Sebastian Trapp is going to die in three months. A world-renowned mystery and crime author, his legacy was forever tainted when his first wife and son disappeared mysteriously 20 years ago. Though there was no evidence and no culprit was ever named, his life was changed forever because of the events. Now nearing the end, he invites Nicky Hunter into his home to retell his story and perhaps put the mystery to rest once and for all, though Trapp understands one thing she doesn’t: the past isn’t gone, it’s merely waiting.

A.J. Finn’s writing is full of vivid descriptions which flawlessly set an eerie and exciting atmosphere as the events of the mystery takes place. The characters are both lively and nuanced beings and the clues are so subtle, but make so much sense you’ll wonder how you missed them. Great for mystery fans who love a difficult, layered plot to try to unwind, End of Story has a conclusion you won’t soon be able to forget.

Reviewed by Juniper Elder

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris

By Daisy Wood

This novel took me on quite a journey of hope, heartbreak and what we are willing to sacrifice for our beliefs. It will stick with me for quite some time. A highly enjoyable read that highlighted the terrible injustice of war on civilians, but still left a sense of hope in humanity. We follow two timelines in the same location of a little bookshop in Paris, France. I found myself equally immersed in both.

In 1940, Jacques and Mathilde marry as the news breaks that France is at war with Germany. Soon Mathilde’s ties to the French Resistance get her in trouble and the young couple must part to stay alive. We follow Jacques’ perilous journey through the war, as his humble bookshop becomes so much more for those on the wrong side of the Nazis.

In 2022, American Juliette discovers on a trip to visit her grandmother’s home city of Paris that her husband of 25 years has been less than faithful. With her children grown, Paris feels just the place to discover her French roots and figure out her way forward. When the lease for an empty, former bookshop comes up, it seems like kismet is at play.

Reviewed by Abbey Soffe

The Year of the Locust By Terry Hayes

This isn’t a book about a New Year symbol or a plague of locusts descending on an unsuspecting landscape. Although perhaps it is the latter, but in a scarier form.

In this second novel by Hayes, a former screenwriter and journalist, he uses an eclectic mix of geographical, political and war knowledge to craft a clever and compelling thriller arguably based on a quote from civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King, “What will happen to the man if I don’t get involved.”

Early in the book we meet Ridley Kane, the son of a devout mother who unreservedly admired Dr King. This underpins Kane’s single-minded desire to serve his country and try to prevent a worldwide disaster. His adversary has a large locust tattooed on his back, a terrorist army and massive financial backing. The Locust seems unstoppable, hidden in an inaccessible country, with an inhospitable environment. Can the enemy be found; can they be stopped? Will it be in time? Read all 663 pages and you will find out. A compelling spy story where extreme violence lurks in every corner.

Reviewed by Barbara Leslie

Ticket Prices Members

$30 per concert

Non-members

$40 per concert

Tertiary students

$10 per concert

School-age students Free

Annual Membership - $30

Season Ticket - $205 for all 7 concerts (includes annual membership)

Purchase tickets online at trybooking.com/nz/eventlist/warkworthmusic or warkworthmusic.org.nz

Venue for all concerts – Warkworth Town Hall

*Concerts presented in partnership with Chamber Music New Zealand

Detour via museum

Visitors to Northland are being encouraged to take advantage of the Brynderwyns closure to visit New Zealand’s iconic Kauri Museum. And by doing so, they will be contributing vital funds to the life-saving Northland Rescue Helicopter service. Kauri Museum director Jason Smith says children can tour the museum with a gold coin donation throughout the multi-week Brynderwyn closure, with all money raised being gifted to the helicopter service.

“You can only write about what you’ve experienced, witnessed, understood,” Jenny says.

Stories star eclectic cast of characters

Jenny Purchase has written a debut collection of short stories featuring a wide range of characters and themes, and some of the settings will be well-known to our readers.

Warkworth, Wellsford, Maungaturoto and locations further north make appearances in Transit Lounge: Stories, fittingly, since Jenny spent 15 years living in the area. A former English teacher at Mahurangi College, she also managed the Sandspit Yacht Club for a decade.

She acknowledges that the stories are “very different”.

Her characters are certainly different, too. Among the cast are an Elvis impersonator, a terminally ill former drug dealer, a rugbybesotted detective and a striking refinery worker with a Nazi past.

In one story, a pair of troubled teenage twins carry out a bombing in Wellsford – “a cry for help” – and as police work to track them, a backstory of family brokenness and drug abuse emerges.

Another reaches back in history to the musket wars in the 1820s, when a Pākehā baby found abandoned in a forest is brought up by Māori.

Each story is distinct, although some characters do reappear, with short vignettes right up to 7000 word tales.

“I believe a story shapes itself around the material,” Jenny says. “I also believe that everything you write is, in a way, autobiographical. Even as you create characters, you can only write about what you’ve experienced, witnessed, understood.”

The cover artwork was gifted to her by Christchurch abstract artist Keith Morant, who died in 2022.

Born in Zambia and schooled in South Africa, Jenny moved to New Zealand

Book giveaway

Mahurangi Matters has two signed copies of Transit Lounge: Stories to give away. To go into the draw, email editor@localmatters.co.nz with Transit Lounge Stories in the subject line. Entries close midday on Wednesday March 13.

with a young son and two daughters in the late 1990s after her marriage ended, determined to “get my children away to a safe place, and start over”.

“Living in Warkworth was wonderful because we very quickly became part of the community. It was a great way to start off in this country.”

After stints teaching at the Mahurangi Technical Institute and Mahurangi College, she was recruited as manager, secretary, treasurer and “general dogsbody” at the Sandspit Yacht Club.

Prone to seasickness, she’s not particularly into sailing. Colleagues would tease her that she was hired because they knew she’d be in the office, rather than out on the water.

The part-time job freed her up to write more, leading to a Masters degree in creative writing at AUT and, eventually, her first book.

Now living in Marsden Point with her partner, dog, three pianos, seven guitars and two cats that loathe each other, Jenny is working on further projects, including an anthology on solo parenting featuring 55 pieces of original writing she sourced, solicited and edited, which she hopes to see in print later this year.

Transit Lounge: Stories (Lasavia Publishing) is available at Paper Plus Warkworth and Matakana Village Books, and through online stores including Mighty Ape and goodbookshop.nz

High-rise high jinks from big little circus

Thrills, spills and plenty of lycra are being promised at Matakana Country Park next Sunday, March 10, when The Biggest Little Circus comes to town. A trio of top notch circus artists will perform hair-raising, high-rise aerial acrobatics in an action-packed, high-energy family show that is part of the Auckland Arts Festival. Organisers promise a show full of absurd Kiwi charm, lycra leopard-print leotards and an outrageous finale. “Wild, unpredictable things WILL happen!” they promise. The show starts at 11am, free entry. Info: https://www.aaf.co.nz/event/biggest-little-circus

Continuing to support our farmers through the generations

We offer our clients expertise to help them achieve maximum returns, by providing a range of national and international marketing options

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Contact your local agent today

Robert “Biscuit” McLean 027 590 4829

Jasyn Yearbury 027 655 6551

Grant “Skin” McLean 021 775 848

Andrew Simpson 027 449 1228

Craig Couling 027 292 6828

Shane Wintle 027 666 6243

www.carrfields.co.nz/livestock

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Teeing off for Coastguard

Golf fundraiser to replace ageing rescue boat

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard’s campaign to replace its 15-year-old boat moves up a gear next month, when it hosts a fun golf event to push its fundraising closer to the target needed for a new vessel.

HARBOUR MASTERS GOLF FUNDRAISER

Special event to raise funds for our replacement rescue boat*

GREAT PRIZES TO BE WON!

friends for a social afternoon and play a bit of golf, not super-competitive, and then enjoy a good dinner in the evening. Come along and contribute to the fun.”

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard is promoting the event as “a great opportunity for networking with key clients and contacts or to spoil someone with a leisurely afternoon on the course at Omaha Beach”.

The current boat, the 10.3 metre Naiad “Kawau Rescue”, has carried out thousands of rescues over the past 15 years, sustaining “a fair bit of wear and tear”, with parts of the hull wearing thin, says president Paul Steinkamp.

Replacing it with a similar vessel – “not a super-duper, flash boat” – will cost between $1 and $1.5 million.

“We’ve always been squirreling money away, and have a war chest of around $300,000,” Paul says. “We need to step it up now and do some serious fundraising over the next couple of years.”

The organisation hopes to have the money to order a replacement boat in place by the beginning of 2026.

• Join us on Friday 12th April at Omaha Beach Golf Club

FOUR PLAYER TEAM AMBROSE - 9 HOLES

(Maximum 9 hole handicaps Women 30/Men 22)

• 2.30pm Shotgun Tee O

• Bu et dinner included at 6.15pm with fundraising auction & ra es

TEAM OF 4 PEOPLE $495

INDIVIDUALS $125

A great opportunity for networking with key clients and contacts or to spoil someone with a leisurely afternoon on the course at Omaha Beach

BUY TICKETS ONLINE: kawaucoastguardgolf.lilregie.com

Contact Paul: kawauvolunteers@gmail.com | 027 233 2655

*

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard’s rescue boat, Kawau Rescue has worked tirelessly for the past 15 yearsperforming thousands of missions. To maintain safety and service standards she will soon need to be replaced so her crew can continue Saving Lives at Sea.

Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ kawaucoastguard

Would you like to volunteer?

Contact us on emailkawauvolunteers@gmail.com

Or phone 027 233 2655 and talk to Paul about the Coastguard unit and he will send out some information.

The fundraiser at Omaha Beach Golf Club on Friday, April 12 features a four-player team Ambrose format 9-hole competition, followed by a buffet dinner, fundraising auction and raffles.

“We want people to come along with

Tree talks

It has acquired a selection of donated prizes, and encourages local companies to offer additional ones. It also aims to include a few “prizes that money can’t buy” – for example, a trip out on “Kawau Rescue” for a family of four.

Ideally, it would like to see a successful golf fundraiser become an annual event, marked down on people’s calendars, Paul says.

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard, a registered charity, operates out of Sandspit and covers the area from Bream Tail north of Mangawhai to the south of the Mahurangi River, responding to callouts as far as beyond Aotea Great Barrier and the Mokohinau islands.

Only around 80 tickets for the April 12 event are still available. Contact: Paul on 027 233 2655 or kawauvolunteers@gmail. com

Two workshops on the value of trees on farms are being held at Puhoi and Tomarata this month. Beef + Lamb NZ will host the events at Puhoi Centennial Hall on Monday, March 11 and Tomarata Hall on Tuesday, March 12, with local Te Uru Rākau New Zealand Forest Service representatives leading discussion at both. The Trees Within Farms workshops are designed to broaden understanding of the value of trees on farms, and how to take advantage of carbon market opportunities. Experts will be on hand to explain the Emissions Trading Scheme and give farmers and landowners a clear idea of options relevant to individual properties. Each workshop runs from 10am to 3pm and lunch will be provided.

Info and registration: https://beeflambnz.com/events/blnz-trees-within-farmsopportunities-carbon-workshops-puhoi-and-tomarata

KAWAU

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard is fundraising for a new vessel to replace 15-year old “Kawau Rescue”.

Treatment plant build pumping

The completion of a $123 million wastewater treatment plant at the end of Hamatana Road, at Snells Beach, has been pushed out to the middle of next year.

The new plant is part of the North-East Growth Scheme, a major infrastructure upgrade for the region to improve water quality in the Mahurangi River and cater for growth. Originally, it was expected to come online early this year, but Watercare senior project manager Casper Kruger says it is now looking more like the middle of next year.

“We’re continuing to make good progress with most of the plant structures finished,” Kruger says.

“We’re currently installing process equipment, interconnecting pipework and electrical components for the plant.

“Just before Christmas, the project team completed a huge

milestone in installing the plant’s activated sludge reactor, which handles the sequential removal of nitrates and other harmful contaminants from the wastewater during treatment.

“We are currently completing a water tightness test on the activated sludge reactor and preparing the plant for the new transformers and cable installation in August.”

Work is about to start on the second leg of the Warkworth to Snells Beach pipeline that will connect the Lucy Moore wastewater pump station to the new treatment plant.

Stage one of the project was finished in 2021 and involved laying a 7.5km underground outfall pipeline from the treatment plant site to a discharge point off the coast of Martins Bay.

“Next year, we will focus on completing the site, upgrading the Hamatana access road and bringing the Snells Beach

Wastewater Treatment Plant into service,” Kruger says. The Snells Beach facility will have a three-step wastewater treatment process, including UV disinfection. Once it is operational, the existing Warkworth Wastewater Treatment Plant off Alnwick Street will be decommissioned.

Meanwhile, the Lucy Moore Wastewater Pump Station, which is an integral part of the overall system, is on track to be finished this month.

Watercare senior project manager Dirk Du Plessis says the project team will perform final checks on the pump station and commissioning the equipment to ensure seamless operation.

“We have recently finished planting and landscaping around the pump station’s exterior to help it blend into the park surroundings,” he says.

A view of the treatment works as it starts to take shape. The inlet pump station with raised inlet works is to the right, the chemical delivery area and process building are in the middle of the site, as well as the microbiological reactors.

Watercare project manager Dirk Du Plessis stands inside the Lucy Moore pump station which is on track to be finished this month.

Piper, the tunnel boring machine, was due to start the second leg of tunnelling the Warkworth to Snells Beach wastewater pipeline last Friday.

Regional transport projects under the microscope

Upgrades to Brynderwyns detour routes and stronger transport connections between Northland and Auckland are among priority projects in a draft Northland Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), which closes for public feedback on March 15.

The RLTP is a programme of transport works through which the parties – Northland Regional Council, Kaipara District Council, Far North District Council, Whangārei District Council, NZTA and KiwiRail – jointly bid for funding assistance from central government.

The works in question include state highway and local road maintenance and large and small improvement projects; walking and cycling improvements; investment in road safety promotion and education; and planning and funding for the rail network and coastal shipping.

While inclusion of a project in the RLTP does not guarantee national funding assistance, it does highlight the region’s priorities.

Northland Regional Transport Committee (RTC) chair Cr Joe Carr said the review was to update funding requirements, to achieve a transport system prioritising being resilient, secure and fit for purpose, leading to reduced deaths and serious injuries, lower emissions and increased transport choice.

He said it had a big emphasis on backto-basics road maintenance, including a focus on keeping water from damaging the roads, through measures such as more water tabling and maintenance of roading surfaces.

Top priority projects for the RTC include improvements to State Highway 1 between Te Hana and the Brynderwyns, and upgrades to the main detour routes around the Brynderwyns.

With SH1 at the Brynderwyns closed for repairs since February 26, those detours – an eastern route via Waipu, Cove Road and Mangawhai, and a western route for freight via Paparoa – are currently in

operation (MM, Feb 5).

At a drop-in session in Mangawhai on February 20, regional transport officials said proposed improvements to the detour routes over the next three years would include replacing one-way bridges, incorporating footpaths for cyclists and pedestrians, and removing the hairpin bend on Cove Road, between Langs Beach and Mangawhai Heads. During last year’s Brynderwyns closure, large trucks using the eastern detour were unable to navigate the bend, causing blockages and delays.

NZTA funding of $120 million was being sought for that work, although the regional officials acknowledged that it may not be forthcoming. Bigger decisions regarding alternative SH1 routes bypassing the Brynderwyns were “in the melting pot” and could impact funding decisions, one of the officials said.

“We’re just trying to make sure that if the NZTA wants to have good detour routes to the Brynderwyns, they’ve got to give us money to upgrade those routes. Ratepayers shouldn’t have to be fronting up as much as they’re having to do to have a state highway detour,” he said.

The work that has been underway up to now to make the detours acceptable for use over the next few months has been funded by NZTA, he noted.

The officials heard locals’ views on a range of issues, from alternative ways to deal with potholes and unstable sections of road to frustration about the time taken to improve rail links to Northland, and what some view as traffic management “overkill”.

Some urged councils to look to local contractors to carry out roadworks in the area, saying this would create employment in the community and help stem the post-schooling exodus of young people from Mangawhai.

The draft RLTP and online submission forms are available from the NRC’s website at www.nrc.govt.nz/ transportplan

09

One of the many stop-go roadwork sites in Kaipara district.

An underslip on SH1 on the northern side of the Brynderwyn hills last year.

Northern development takes shape

A further 130 titles in the Warkworth Ridge subdivision are expected to be issued by the end of this month, as builders start to replace earthmovers on the almost 55-hectare site.

Warkworth Ridge, on the northern side of Warkworth Showgrounds, is the most advanced of the three large subdivisions currently underway on the fringes of Warkworth. The others are the Neighbourhood North development (former Stubbs Farm) and Waimanawa in the Valerie Close area. Collectively, when finished, the three developments will boost Warkworth’s population by more than 8000.

Templeton Group is developing Warkworth Ridge and says it has invested more than $200 million in the project to date.

Company founder Nigel McKenna says all

primary infrastructure has been built and certified including water, gas, electricity, fibre and wastewater. Completion is expected by the end of this year.

A number of building companies are currently going through the building consent process and work on the first homes is due to start next month. A total of 188 titles have already been issued and 450 of the 650 lots are sold.

On a drive over the site with Mahurangi Matters, McKenna’s enthusiasm for the development is evident.

“It’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this point,” he said. “It’s a quality development that I feel enormously proud of.”

The development includes around 10 kilometres of walkways and the revegetation

of a kilometre of streams. Sections range in size from 400sqm to 1000sqm, and start at $495,000.

McKenna says 182 building companies and builders have purchased land and design guidelines will ensure buildings are of a high standard, have an attractive street appeal and reflect their rural setting. This has also been extended to the landscaping, which has been undertaken entirely by the developer to ensure a whole-of-development approach.

The design guidelines state that, “the design focus has centred around greenery, spaciousness, provincial living, and capitalising on solar orientation and attractive views”.

Streets lend themselves to walking and cycling, rather than speed, and a convenience store and café will form part

Last year’s weather had an impact on earthworks, but it is now full steam ahead with contractors excavating more than 10,000 cubic metres of dirt a week.

of a community hub.

After contending with the horrendous weather visited on the region last year, McKenna says this year’s summer has provided near-perfect conditions and the bulk of earthworks are due to finish this season.

“When it’s dry, it makes everything so much simpler and faster. Over one eight day period recently, we shifted 32,000 cubic metres of earth. That’s a lot of dirt!”

The two major contractors at this stage have been Warkworth-based Bob Hicks Earthmoving, which has about 60 to 70 pieces of kit on site, and Dempsey Wood, which is doing the civil works.

Wastewater will be tankered from the site until the new wastewater treatment plant at Snells Beach opens around the

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from previous page

middle of next year.

McKenna says it’s an additional cost for the developer, but one that had been foreseen and planned for.

Watercare says temporary holding tanks will be used on site and these will be operated and maintained by Watercare at the developer’s cost. This includes transporting the wastewater to a treatment plant for safe treatment.

The son of a builder, McKenna has been in the development business for more than 30 years. He was involved in the redevelopment of Auckland Viaduct Harbour, was the development manager on the DFS Custom House Galleria and the 40-storey Metropolis building in Auckland, to name just a few. But when it comes to subdivisions, he says he has never lost his enthusiasm for

creating communities.

Although the construction of the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway was the catalyst for giving Warkworth Ridge the green light, McKenna says the town, with its proximity to the beaches, Kawau Island and regional parks, as well as Auckland city, has a lot to recommend it.

“I’ve never doubted Warkworth’s potential. I’m up here two or three times a week and I think this development will have many benefits for the town, providing opportunities to grow the local economy, local schools and employment.”

And that’s not all talk … McKenna has bought himself a piece of land on the hill overlooking the development where he has plans to build his own home … “one of these days”.

Local knowledge to get the job done from start to finish

Warkworth Surveyors Limited are a well-established surveying company based right here in the middle of Warkworth. We are a small, highly skilled team that works with land-owners, property developers and their advisors to provide a full range of consultancy services for urban and rural subdivision developments. We aim to meet your requirements using the latest information and technologies, combined with a friendly, yet professional approach. We have local knowledge and expertise, so know the right people to talk to and work with to get the job done from start to finish.

We also work with architects and builders from the commencement of projects with topographical surveys through to accurately setting out the new buildings or extensions.

We now have a qualified drone pilot on staff enabling us to fly project sites to capture aerial images, true to scale, which can be utilised by our clients for design and marketing purposes. We also offer aerial video capture for marketing purposes.

The first 150-plus titles were issued and registered last October and work on the first homes is expected to start soon. Artist impressions and drone shot, Templeton Group.

No date set for major South Warkworth development hearing

Auckland Council planners are drawing up a report on submissions received on a private plan change application which would pave the way for a large residential development south of Warkworth, ahead of public hearings on the matter.

The application seeks the rezoning of 159 hectares of land near Valerie Close and encompassing upper reaches of the Mahurangi River, through the introduction of two new precincts, Waimanawa and Morrison Heritage Orchard.

The envisaged development would comprise around 1600 residential lots and apartment units, supported by a local retail and business centre and a future public transport interchange.

The applicants are KA Waimanawa Limited – a partnership of Classic Group and the New Zealand Super Fund – and Stepping Towards Far Limited.

Private plan change (PPC) 93 seeks to rezone land on either side of Old State Highway 1 from rural and future urban zones to a mix of residential, business, rural and open space zones. The residential zones sought are for terraced housing and apartments, single houses, mixed housing and large lot residential.

According to council, the plan and precinct provisions generally align with the Warkworth Structure Plan, including providing for the proposed wider western link road.

A submission period on PPC93 closed on November 23, followed by a further submissions period, which ended on February 9.

A council spokesperson said the next step was for a hearing to address the plan change and matters raised in the submissions. A date for the hearing would be set once the planning team had drawn up its report for the hearing commissioners.

A total of 41 submissions were received during the initial notification period. Submitters included Auckland Council,

Auckland Transport, Waka Kotahi NZTA, Watercare, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Education and individuals and companies in the area.

Fourteen submissions requested council to approve the plan change without amendments, while six asked for it to be declined altogether.

Supporters said the proposed development would help with housing and transport needs, and boost business in Warkworth.

“Warkworth is a growing town and needs the amenities that this plan covers,” said one, adding that riverside recreation facilities would make the subdivision a thriving and sought after area for its residents.

Another noted that business in South Warkworth had “declined dramatically” since the Ara Tūhono Puhoi-Warkworth motorway opened.

“Warkworth needs an increase in population to make up for the loss in trade before there are more business closures.”

Backers also pointed to the building of a footpath/cycle path from the precinct to the southern end of town, saying it would be of great benefit for those living in the precinct and working in the industrial area.

Some opponents of the plan cited adverse effects on the natural environment, traffic congestion, and expressed the view that terraced housing was inappropriate for the area.

“No-one except developers and Auckland want so much growth,” said one, while another submitted that “infrastructure around Warkworth is already stretched to its limits as shown by such things as glacial slow internet, frequent power outages, and potholes aplenty. Yet another high density subdivision will cause more infrastructure issues for current residents”.

Submissions called for a range of amendments to the plan change, incorporating environmental and other provisions.

In its 81-point submission, Auckland Transport pushed, for clarity on provisions for walkways and cycleways including a requirement for pedestrian and cycle facilities to be provided along old SH1, from the precinct to the northern end of Wech Drive, a distance of around two kilometres.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) raised concerns about endangered longtailed bats, and submitted that the PPC should require developers to abide by DOC protocols to minimise the risk to occupied bat roosts when trees are felled. DOC also called for precautions to protect bats from noise and light and, asserting that domestic and feral cats are significant predators of long-tailed bats, it said cats should be prohibited in houses located within one kilometre of a bat flight corridor and the DOC-administered Avice Miller reserve.

The Ministry of Education said an additional 1600 homes would increase the demands on the Warkworth school network, and drive the need for a new school in the community in the future.

“The ministry has identified that there is an operational need for a school to be established in the area to support communities, and discussions with landowners on potentially suitable sites for a future school have been advanced,” its submission read.

The ministry supported the PPC on condition that the precinct provisions be amended to explicitly acknowledge and provide for “educational facilities”. Watercare called for the inclusion of a policy clause stating that the development should not progress “ahead of the provision of a functioning water and wastewater network with sufficient capacity to service the proposed development”.

The proposed development lies on rural land north of Valerie Close, as well as on the eastern side of Old State Highway 1.

Existing natural wetlands

Plan

Auckland Transport opens portal into growth planning options

As the region rapidly expands and new subdivisions seem to pop up almost weekly, one of the main concerns regularly voiced by local residents is over infrastructure.

Will there be adequate wastewater provision? Are there enough parks and play areas? And how will our already congested and often poorly maintained roads cope?

While it can’t answer everything, Auckland Transport (AT) is hoping it can at least help to address roading – as well as footpath, cycling and public transport – issues via Future Connect, a new interactive longterm planning tool.

The online mapping portal contains a mass of data from a diverse range of sources to investigate and analyse where problems are that need addressing, via a series of maps identifying traffic patterns, safety issues, and so on.

Although it was first set up in 2021, it’s only now, with its latest update, that AT is “going public” with Future Connect, including presentations to local board members and staff.

AT’s group manager for network, planning and policy, Andrew McGill, told a Rodney Local Board workshop last month that it could be useful when members were deciding where and how to spend their transport targeted rate, for example. He said it mapped the most important network links for all transport modes, or Strategic Networks, and included a transport system analysis, which identified “issues and opportunities” expected over the next 10 years, as well as focus areas that already faced many issues.

“Future Connect collects a lot of data to identify where networks are not performing as they should, and where there are opportunities to improve them,” he said. “So for instance, we have data about where roads are carrying more cars than they were designed for, where the roads are where buses are getting stuck in traffic, and where the roads are with no footpaths for pedestrians, even though there should be lots of people walking down that street.

“So we’re able to spatially analyse those and put them in a hierarchy in terms of importance.”

McGill did admit that there was something of an urban bias in the information currently available and, like many such systems, it was only as good as the data it was based on. However, board chair Brent Bailey said it was still welcome.

“This is an awesome piece of work,” he said. “I’ve been sitting here for a while now and we haven’t seen any evidence that this kind of thing’s been going on.

“We observe the problems, like the lack of

footpaths and crossings and congestion, and feel nobody’s listening. The fact that behind the scenes someone’s been toiling away on this is just marvellous.”

McGill said the various maps on the Future Connect portal aligned with existing plans, such as the regional public transport plan, and helped to inform the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP).

“Within Future Connect, we don’t think about solutions to the problems, we use evidence to find problems and then other people in the organisation pick that up and start thinking about the right solutions to those problems,” he said.

“It will be updated every three years in advance of RLTP to help inform their investment prioritisation programme.” He added that the Future Connect team was constantly trying to expand and incorporate the range of data it could use, such as a current attempt to capture ACC and hospital data on injuries on roads and footpaths. He urged board members to familiarise themselves with the interactive mapping portal so they could let people know about the tool.

Future Connect can be explored at https://at.govt.nz/futureconnect

Springhill airfield owners prepare for take-off

The private airfield at Springhill Farm south of Wellsford is up for sale, two years after its owners bought it from Waste Management NZ (WM).

WM had acquired the 870-metre sealed airstrip, two hangars and a clubroom as part of its purchase of Springhill Farm and Matariki Forest land in 2017, just before it announced its controversial plans to develop a massive new regional landfill there.

However, retired commercial pilot Tim Harrison and wife Carol, who built a sixbedroom home on the farm just south of the runway when the late businessman Richard Izard owned the property, managed to buy the airfield from WM in 2022.

The former British Airways captain has since been running his company, Sports Aircraft NZ, from the site and has kept the runway open for visiting planes, helicopters and fly-in days, but is now looking for a quieter life.

“We’re getting to that stage of life where we want to downsize and not be tied to the land we have,” he said. “We’ve always been very active, but we’re suddenly getting to the stage where it feels like the land owns us, instead of us owning the land.”

He added that while WM had been an “unwelcome neighbour” at first, any

Come fly with me – the Harrisons’ six-bedroom house at Springhill comes with its own runway.

consent now would come with increased environmental demands.

“If it does go ahead, there are going to be a lot of restrictions. They would have to do a lot of work ecologically on the farm, in terms of planting and pest control,” he said. “They would have to plant out all the farm with natives, but of course it’s still all up in the air a bit, if you’ll excuse the pun.”

Harrison said ideally any purchaser would keep Springhill as an open airstrip, available to any pilots wishing to use it. If the property sells, he plans to keep his own plane, if not at Springhill then at Kaipara Flats, where he flew from in the past, and the couple are looking to stay in the Mahurangi area.

“We’ve just set the thing in motion and we’ll see where it takes us. It’s something

we want to do while we’re still in control of our faculties, and not be forced into it,” he said.

The airstrip was originally laid down for top-dressing planes and when Richard Izard bought it more than 40 years ago, he developed it into a full-length aerodrome. When Izard moved to Taupo in 2008, the property was bought by internet and motor racing millionaire Tony Lentino until his death from cancer in 2016.

Springhill Airfield, plus the Harrison family home and gardens, are on the market with Bayleys Warkworth. The property also comes with resource consent to develop a five-lot subdivision and is consented for five commercial flights from the field per day, as well as aircraft assembly, maintenance and storage. Tenders were due to close on Friday, March 1.

Woods

Woods, a New Zealand engineering consultancy employing over 200 staff with a 50-year history, has opened a new office in Warkworth, with a northfacing focus.

Under principal engineer Lawrence Pacey, who brings decades of senior UK experience, it’s the latest addition to the Auckland-based company Woods, which also has offices in Christchurch and specialises in land development, civil and water infrastructure, planning and urban design, and surveying and geospatial services. Its involvement in major Auckland developments includes Milldale, Millwater and Long Bay.

“Woods has vast experience in engineering, surveying, bringing big developments,” he says. “We’re able to draw on all that expertise in Warkworth.”

Pacey came to New Zealand in 2022, after 25 years with British consulting engineers Rodgers Leask, the last 14 of them as

Woods

director. It had offices in six cities, each with populations near or exceeding 500,000.

“The current terrain is very different,” he says, noting that all of Northland has a population of only around 200,000.

While scale differs, “the opportunity to help Woods do well here is exciting: Get more people in, get more work in, contribute to the group – it’s a good challenge”.

After commutes into Auckland from Ōrewa, he now prefers his drive to Warkworth from Mangawhai, where he lives with partner Becky, overlooking the Heads. He enjoys fishing off the beach there and is an active member of Wellsford Golf Club.

Although lifestyle wasn’t specifically what attracted him to immigrate, Lawrence acknowledges how much has changed for him.

“You can’t just jump into the sea every night when you’re living in Nottingham,” he laughs. “Swimming, surfing, tramping, fishing, golfing – perfect!”

Woods team members in Warkworth, from left, Liam Fuller, Lawrence Pacey, David Usmar and Yang Cui. Also based at the office are Donna Green and Colin Dryland.

Riverside sites in Waipu move

Waipu Waterfront Estate, a new riverside development just minutes away from beaches and other local attractions, is selling steadily, with 33 of the 53 sections already gone.

The subdivision at the confluence of the Waipu, Ahuroa and Waihoihoi rivers is complete, landscaping is being finalised, and the issuing of the first titles is expected within the next six to eight weeks, says owner-developer Bryan Storey. People can buy sections and arrange their own builders, or the developers can help if needed, he says. Build partners include Signature Homes, Modern Barn Living and Keith Hay Homes.

The development will be linked to council water and wastewater systems, and fibre will be available.

Storey says he has 40 years of experience across a range of projects, including commercial, industrial, residential and land developments.

He describes Waipu as a perfect place for retirement, but not a backwater. The town centre, a 600-metre walk away along a coastal walking and cycling track, is abuzz with cafes, restaurants, markets and local services, and the community offers a host of sporting and cultural activities, many tied to its rich Scottish heritage.

Beaches at Waipu, Langs and Uretiti are an easy drive away, and the area boasts hiking trails, cycling tracks and golf courses, including the Waipu Golf Club overlooking Bream Bay.

Storey calls it “the Matakana of the north”. Waipu’s population is modest, but growing. The 2018 census recorded 1041 in the urban area and 2715 in the wider Waipu statistical area – which includes Waipu Cove and Langs Beach – an increase since the 2013 census of 4.3 and 5.4 percent respectively. Figures from the 2023 census will be released later this year.

Building workers’ wellbeing

Construction workers are being encouraged to consider their health and wellbeing, and access support if they need it.

Site Safe member businesses are being offered free access to an online wellbeing platform backed by one of New Zealand’s largest independent mental health and social service organisations, Emerge Aotearoa.

Four hundred free one-on-one support sessions are also being offered over the next few months for business owners and their staff to speak confidentially with a business or health professional.

Counsellors, career coaches, psychologists,

human resource specialists, financial advisors and dietitians are among the more than 100 experts available through the platform.

A 2021 Site Safe and Massey University survey found that construction workers experienced a range of work-related stressors that affected their health, with some of the main impacts being burnout and fatigue. While various factors are linked to high workplace stress, the report states that individual job demands are shown to be the strongest.

Info: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=zVDjefnhiMg

More than 15 fallen trees and log jams have been cleared from Matakana and Glen Eden Rivers, all thanks to tenacious volunteers, community spirit and Auckland Council support.

The weather-related issue was discovered in 2020 when locals living near the banks of the rivers told Friends of Awa Matakanakana (FOAM) about the growing number of dams being formed by trees and debris washing downstream.

FOAM’s vice-chair Martin Evans says there are numerous problems and risks associated with leaving log jams in rivers.

“One main issue is log jams cause the rivers to move sideways and erode the riverbanks which, in turn, releases a lot of sediment into the river,” Evans says.

“Some large sections of the river were lost and washed downstream, eventually reaching Sandspit and the sea.

“Log jams can continue to grow and become large debris dams. One was more than eight metres high and about 20 metres wide – catching more slash, trees and debris, which blocked the water flow, causing localised flooding.”

cleared by locals, and we need to be aware we regularly get much larger storm events than those last year.”

Residents and FOAM volunteers advocated for the removal of the log jams and when Restore Rodney East chair Tim Armitage met council’s Storm Recovery Liaison (North), he connected the team with FOAM.

Members of the community and FOAM liaised with council, which allocated budget to help clear out the catchment.

Evans says there is also a risk the dams will burst when they can no longer hold the water that builds up, and the dam becomes unstable.

“Then you get a tsunami-type wave of water and logs that crash through anything downstream, causing significant damage.”

He says the log jams in the Matakana and Glen Eden Rivers continued to build up due to ongoing high rainfall and runoff events that FOAM measures and monitors.

About every two to four years, the Matakana River flow reaches about 40 cubic metres per second (cumecs), which causes the river to overflow.

High flows are not unusual, and several storms have recorded more than three times this figure. In 1938, a flood was reported to be over 600mm above the Leigh Road/ Matakana Valley Road roundabout.

One cubic metre of water equals one thousand litres and weighs one tonne so there are a lot of tonnes coming down the river, at speed.

“The Auckland Anniversary rain and other storms made the land unstable; we all saw the slips, and trees that couldn’t hold on in the subsequent Cyclone Gabrielle winds. Many trees and branches ended up in the river flood plain.

“Log jams have happened before and were

Log jam locations were identified, contractors booked and when fine weather arrived, the job was finished last month.

Many private landowners supported the project by allowing access through their land.

“The difficulty was heavy machinery was needed in some places and FOAM is grateful to landowners who accepted a bit of mess to make the rivers less vulnerable to future flooding and erosion,” Evans says.

Cleared logs were left on private land, out of the flood plains, and some people are making the most of the resource that was hauled out of the river – some of it tōtara. Without community support, the work would not have happened.

Council’s project manager Mark Thomson said it was an extremely challenging job.

“But the stress of all the operational difficulties were overcome by the warmth, knowledge, generosity and hospitality of the local community,” he added.

FOAM is keen to work with partners on developing a strategy for dealing with ongoing log debris in the flood plains, consequential log jams and erosion reduction to safely manage the river catchments.

In the meantime, FOAM is investigating increased riparian planting for damaged riverbanks and hopes people are enjoying being able to paddle up the awa again.

Glen Eden River after a log jam was cleared. Photo Auckland Council.

Fallen trees, logs and debris created dams in Matakana River.

Leap of faith leads to new Hope Church

Six years after buying a one hectare block between Woodcocks and Mansel Roads in Warkworth, Mahurangi Presbyterian Church has moved from Pulham Road and succeeded in an ambitious mission to build a vast new church, sports and community centre.

Tucked away behind The Warehouse and invisible from the road, the sheer size and scale of the renamed Hope Church comes as quite a surprise – this is a 3000 square metre, two storey concrete behemoth of a building with a lot more than space for weekly worship.

As well as a function centre that seats 300, there’s a cavernous entrance hall and stairway, a community sports centre (see separate story), a chapel, café, commercial kitchen, foodbank, playground and conference room, plus countless offices and workspaces upstairs and down. A 450-seat auditorium is planned, but that won’t be opening for a year or

two at least.

And while every attempt has been made to future-proof the new facility – there is scope to add second and mezzanine floors in the function centre and auditorium in future –some spaces are already filling up fast.

A grassed area outside is being sacrificed to extra carparking, since the planned 114 spaces are already packed to bursting every Sunday, and a portable building from the church’s former Pulham Road site has had to be brought in as extra space for the Warkworth Christian Foodlink operation.

“Six years ago, we thought this room would do us, but in the last three years, demand has gone through the roof – we’ve gone from 20 food parcels a month to 200,” senior pastor Nick McLennan explained. The first service was held in the function centre in late January and Mahurangi Hope’s team of trust, community, social and youth workers has since been busy settling into their new space and setting up a range of clubs, groups and activities throughout the centre.

As well as the sports hall, various spaces are available to hire at Mahurangi Hope, including the function centre and conference room.

McLennan said the reaction from the congregation had been really positive, as had that of visitors, many of whom hadn’t known it existed and were “blown away” when they first saw the new building.

He said the $12 million project had been a massive undertaking for the church, but everyone felt it was important to create something for the community as well as their own congregation.

“We didn’t see the point of spending money on something that would only be used on a Sunday – that didn’t make any sense,” he said.

“The whole point is for us to connect with people, which was kind of what Jesus did, so we’re just following in his footsteps.

“When the church started 170 years ago, it was very central to the community – it was the start of the church, but also the library and school. So this is re-taking hold

of our heritage and becoming a place where people can get together,” he added. “We’re still a church, but we want to be a blessing to the community.”

A public open day is planned for the near future.

Info: Visit https://www.hopehq.nz

Executive pastor Roger Mackay, left, and senior pastor Nick McLennan say the community has shown overwhelming generosity to Mahurangi Hope.

Top new sports complex open for hire

Mahurangi Hope is far more than just a church – much of the building is taken up by a huge purpose-built sports centre that’s available for community use and public hire. With an sprung Indonesian hardwood floor, the hall features a full-size international basketball court that’s already being used regularly by Harbour Basketball and Mahurangi Basketball Club, with Harbour Volleyball and Mahurangi Pickleball Club also making early use of the new space. Bookings coordinator Brian Dangerfield says there is scope for many more sports as well, with space and facilities for badminton, futsal, netball and fitness groups, among others.

“Whoever wants to use it, can use it – it’s open to the community,” he says.

The sports complex, which includes changing rooms, showers and banked seating, is open from 7am to 10pm every

Huge commitment from church, contractors and community

The task of organising and overseeing the Mahurangi Hope project fell to a group of church volunteers who put in 5000 hours of their time to make it happen, with local builder and church elder Kevin Pyle as project manager. Executive pastor Roger Mackay said they were grateful to all their contractors, many of whom were local.

Although covid caused some cost and supply problems, many contractors stuck to their quotes or kept increases to a minimum, meaning the budget only increased by five percent, and borrowings were limited to $1.8million. The remainder of the budget came from fundraising, as well as grants from Foundation North, Lottery, Auckland Council Sport & Recreation and the NZ Presbyterian Church.

day except Sundays, and can be hired for $50 an hour including GST.

“Our goal is to encourage youth sports participation in particular, but anyone is welcome,” Dangerfield says.

“We’re the only highball sports complex in the area, outside of the college and schools.”

He says the sports complex is already buzzing with activity, with Harbour Basketball running regular training and league sessions before and after school, as well as courses for coaches and referees.

“The evenings are already pretty busy, but there are still plenty of slots during the day and later in the evening.”

Mahurangi Hope is looking to appoint a building manager in the near future, to set up and look after sports bookings, liaise with sports clubs and manage security.

For more information, or to book a court, email bdangerfieldnz@gmail.com

Gardening

Date

Andrew Steens

Indian summer beckons

It’s been a great summer for the garden – regular rainfall, lots of sun, balmy temperatures and not too much wind. I couldn’t ask for more really, but like all good things, this must come to an end. I always try to stretch the season out with some late sown crops in the hope that we’ll get an Indian summer, where the autumn stays warm and dry. Possibly this is one of those years; fingers crossed!

Aside from wishful thinking, vegetables that really need to be sown or planted out now include leeks, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, radish, beetroot, bok choi, kale, silverbeet, onions, carrots and parsnips. For the latter two, it’s best to direct sow onto the soil just before predicted rain. The rain will help settle the seeds in and provide ideal germination conditions. The other crops will also benefit from this timing, so they can put on maximum leafy growth before the cold sets in.

If you are giving any of your veggie beds a rest over winter, then this is the time to sow greencrops, too, such as mustard, phacelia, lupin, buckwheat or clover. These are turned into the soil at the end of winter to replenish the soil and reduce the amount of soil pests and diseases.

If you are creating an environment for beneficial insects in your vegetable garden or home orchard, then this is an ideal time to plant flowering plants such as calendula, cornflower, alyssum, nigella, larkspur and borage, among others. Honeybees, bumblebees and other pollinators will thrive on the extra pollen and nectar these

Salad greens and herbs that would normally bolt during the summer heat will

appreciate the cooler conditions of autumn. Coriander, celery, parsley, rocket, spinach, hyssop, fennel, dill and lettuce will all do very well now. Speaking of herbs, now is the right time to prune rosemary, bay trees and lavender.

Aside from harvesting, fruit trees need little attention at this time, but before the leaves fall it is a good idea to prune plums and other stone fruit, as this reduces the amount of regrowth next season and the drier conditions of late summer to early autumn reduces the potential spread of diseases such as silverleaf. Citrus and avocados can put on another flush of growth at this time of year, so support this with some extra feeding and mulching.

If you are planning to increase the number of fruit trees in your garden, now is a very good time to plant them, with the warm moist soil providing ideal conditions for root growth before next summer. This applies to ornamental trees and shrubs too, and if you’re not happy about where you’ve previously planted something, now is the time to shift it! Above all, enjoy one of the best seasons in the garden.

History

Bev Ross, Mangawhai Museum www.mangawhai-museum.org.nz

Early settlements

The areas developed by European early settlers at Mangawhai and in the surrounding district include Te Arai, Hakaru, Tara, Molesworth, Oruawharu (North Albertland), Molesworth and Mangawai (spelled without an ‘h’ until 1951). Parishes that converge near the Cemetery Road turnoff are Mangawhai, Te Arai and Oruawharo.

There was never a village created by early settlers in the Oruawharo parish, but there was at Te Arai, Hakaru and Mangawhai.

The Te Arai village complex served a wide area, and residents referred to the cluster of general store, post office, library, blacksmiths sheds, and schools (of which there were at least three, maybe four, sited about the large parish) as ‘The Arai’. A church was built in 1862 where followers of many different denominations enjoyed services on allotted Sundays.

Mangawai was known as ‘The Beach’ in the first years of settlement. This is substantiated by the name of the 1885 Education Department school being named Mangawai Beach School. The port was at the point, near where the Mangawhai Tavern is today, and where the hotel was built in the late 1850s. Large exports of kauri gum, logs and timber were regularly shipped through the port. A post office opened in Insley’s boarding house, in 1860, under the management of Mr Dennison. A substantial wharf was erected in 1880.

Mangawai Beach had stores dotted about the area at different times, but the official place named Mangawai was actually at Hakaru. All old paperwork of companies and officialdom bore the address – Hakaru, Mangawai. This area had the largest

population in the first settlement years due to land being divided up for those who had served in the army and others deserving of land grants. Those folk supported a large general store, post office, hotel, blacksmith, St Michaels Church, a library and hall, and the first Education Department School that opened on Lawrence Road in 1872, named Mangawai School.

Molesworth is an area from the coast and beach and up river, including Moir’s Point. The latter was known as Molesworth suburbs. A town was surveyed in the main Molesworth area originally to cater for army personnel and others that chose to purchase sections that were up for sale in from 1856 to 1859. Molesworth had a shipbuilding yard where many retired army men worked. The planned town never formed at Molesworth, but instead grew at the Beach, forming ‘The Village’.

Tara, known by most inhabitants as ‘The Tara’, was named by the first European purchaser of 3400 plus acres. Thomas Henry cultivated the rich volcanic land by growing potatoes and other crops for export. He did plan to build a castle at Tara, but the insurance company foreclosed on the mortgage and he had to give up the land, although the name Tara remained. There were no stores set up in this area, but John Wharfe opened up a post office in his home, to create an occupation for his daughter, who had lost a leg in an accident some years prior.

Mangawai’s first Education Departmentrun school.

CAR FOR SALE

MITSUBISHI PAJERO 3.2

138,000km, 2008,

Good Condition, Cash Sale. $40,000. Ph 021

VOLUNTEER TREASURER

$ DVD

AERIALS REDDING ELECTRONICS Freeview Installs, Satellite Dish, UHF Aerial. Installation & Repairs. Ph Dave 09 422 7227 or 027 458 5457 Blue Skies Cleaning Window Cleaning, Soft Bio House Wash, Gutter Clean, All Exterior Cleaning, Water Blasting, Roof Treatment, Local Professional service.

SITUATIONS VACANT HOME & MAINTENANCE

Wanted for not for profit organisation. Knowledge of MYOB an advantage but not essential. Time commitment approx 1 – 2 hours per week.

Contact Warkworth/Wellsford Budget Service Inc. admin@wwbudgetservice.co.nz

or 021 423 788

Supported by Mahurangi Matters

$ A SMART REPAIR Service for F&P smartdrive washers, F&P/ Simpson dryers. Prompt service 021 168 7349. DVDS & VIDEOS VIDEOS TRANSFERRED to DVD/hard drive. Phone or txt Tetotara Video 021 777 385

Pat 022-646-5849

BUILDER

Rodney College Sports Coordinator

Ph

CLEANING/ HOUSEWASH/GUTTER CLEANING Local professional service. Ph Pat

Phone 425 8545

www.holyname.org.nz

Holy Mass Timetable:

Sunday: 10.30am

PUHOI

SS. Peter & Paul Church

Sunday: 8.30am

Church Service

Bible study

Most Wednesday evenings, call for schedule.

Pastor David, 021 252 5331

10am Sunday, Wellsford Community Centre, 1 Matheson Road. Friendly, warm fellowship and Bible-based preaching

GERMAN SHEPHERD

Male 2 years old. Can someone give him a kind, loving home. Is not a city dog.

Has grown up on a farm.

For more information, phone 027 280 9276

HOME WANTED FOR PUBLIC NOTICES

KOWHAI FESTIVAL

AGM

Thursday, 14 March 2024, 7pm at the Downstairs meeting Room, Warkworth RSA, 28 Neville Street, Warkworth.

All welcome

Agenda: Acceptance of financial report 2023, Election of Officers: Chair, Deputy Chair & Treasurer

PT WELLS COMMUNITY RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION

12th

The deadline for classified advertising for our March 18 paper is March 13. Send classified advertising enquiries to design@localmatters.co.nz

WORK WANTED $ www.localmatters.co.nz

22 Mansel Drive, Warkworth

Phone 425 8861 www.hopehq.nz

Sunday Services 10.00am

Over 40 years experience. Phone Grant 027 492 7939, grant_gribble@hotmail.com Simply Organized

Sudoku Solution

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including ability with digital technology

Please forward your covering letter, including two current employer referees and CV to eo@rodneycollege.school.nz Applications close 12 March 2024.

Junior footy

Matakana Junior Football Club is looking for teams to enter the ROSA Football League. This is an independent football league played on Saturday in Wellsford. It is a mixed-grade format. Fees are $80 for one child, $140 for two, $190 for three, and $230 for four or more. Teams are coached and managed by parents. Info: www.facebook.com/Matakanajuniorfootballclub

Badminton

Badminton is played every Tuesday night from 7-8.30pm at the Kaiwaka Sports Complex Gym. All ages and abilities welcome. Casual fees are $3 per person, per session. Annual fees are $50 for a single or $80 for a family. Loan rackets and shuttlecocks are free to use.

Netball trials

Rebels Netball Club will host its netball trials at the Wellsford Centennial Park netball courts on Wednesday, March 13, at 6pm and Sunday, March 24, at 2pm. All levels of players are welcome. Ages from Year 9 to adults. Games are played on Friday nights at the same location as trials. Info: www.facebook.com/Rebelspoitarawhiti

Football AGM

The Mangawhai Football Club will hold its AGM at 6.30pm on Wednesday, March 6 at the Mangawhai Boating and Fishing Club. RSVP to mangawhaifc@gmail.com

ANZ netball grant

Applications are open for the ANZ Netball Grant, helping to subsidise netball fees for this season. Team managers – whether that’s a parent, coach or teacher – are invited to apply for a team fee subsidy. You will need to outline how the grant will make a difference to your team and include your netball club or school name, number of players and the total amount required to cover the subs. Applications close at 9.59am on Monday, April 8. Info: www.anzcourtside.co.nz

Pony Club AGM

Busy Leigh bowling greens

The Leigh Bowling Club season this year has been in complete contrast, weatherwise, to last season. The fine weather has meant that we have been able to complete all club events.

The Club Championship Fours were played on February 3 and 4, with Scott Wilson, Steve Mantle, Staun Popham and Danny Fairlie proving too strong in the end.

The First Year Singles Championship had only two entries, so went straight to a final, where Dave Morrison beat Jeff McCollum to take the title. Our Invitational Tournament was played on Saturday, February 17. We were a bit disappointed that we ended up with only 11 teams entered, but it was an excellent day of bowls in hot thirsty weather.

The Leigh Fisheries sponsors the club for this event with lots of fish, which was smoked in our new smokehouse by club stalwart Ron Perry. Some pork and lamb was also smoked for lunch. There were lots of smoked fish and meat raffles, made up by Matakana Butchery, at the after match function. The tournament winners were from Orewa, closely followed by a Leigh team.

Our annual visit from the Kittyhawks

Bowling Club was held on February 19. This club competes against a number of bowling clubs from Thames to Waipu each year. They play a tournament at each venue and run lots of raffles, with the proceeds donated to a local charity. This year, as with last year, this money went to the Leigh Fire Brigade to help support them in the excellent community work they do. The amount donated was $500. A fun day was enjoyed by all, with an excellent lunch prepared by the ladies from Pakiri. The winners of the bowls on the day were Jason Adams, Larry Ferregel and Keith Pickernell.

Business House Bowls finished on Wednesday February 28. This is a huge night at the club with all the business house teams and lots of club members attending for the weekly membership draw.

Coming up on March 9 is the DB Breweries sponsored-Triples Tournament. Everybody is welcome to watch and socialise. The bar is open Wednesday to Saturday from 4pm. We do have bowls available for anyone wishing to have a roll-up.

Enquiries: Phone 021 423144.

Contributed by to Ian Bradnam

Kittyhawks winners, from left, Jason Adams, Larry Ferregel and Keith Pickernell, who are members of the Kittyhawks Bowling Club.

March

5-7 NZ Citroen Rally, Warkworth; public displays and events (Pt Wells reserve on Wednesday, 10am-midday, and Warkworth Wharf on Wednesday and Thursday, from 5.30pm)

6 Mahurangi Friendship Club meeting, Mahurangi East Community Hall, 9.45am. Club for retirees and semi-retirees with guest speakers and day trips. All welcome.

6 Men’s Rebus coffee morning for retirees, Crimson Cafe, Snells Beach, 10.30am. Visitors welcome. Info: Ron 422 3111

6 Warkworth Liaison Group meeting, Warkworth RSA downstairs meeting room, 7.30pm.

9 Kids Market and Car Boot Sale, Horizon School, 9.30am-12pm. Coffee, bouncy castle, Mr Whippy. $10 per car boot or $5 for a kid’s stall. Info: admin@horizon.school.nz

9 Donkey Fun Day, Highfield Reserve, Algies Bay, 11am-1pm. Info: www.facebook.com/donkeyshighfield

9 Warkworth Bowls Club sausage sizzle and membership drive, Mitre 10, 9.30am-2.30pm (or earlier if the sausages run out)

9 Provincial Waterways Challenge, Shoesmith Domain, 8.30am-3pm. Fire brigade teams from Matamata to Northland testing their firefighting skills in a series of specified events. Spectators welcome.

10 The Biggest Little Circus, Matakana Country Park, 11am. Trio of circus performers defying belief and gravity. Part of Auckland Arts Festival. Free. Info: https://www.aaf.co.nz/event/biggest-little-circus (see brief p25)

10 Wellsford Variety Music Club Day, Wellsford Community Centre, 1-4pm. Light afternoon tea. Bring a plate if you wish, $5pp. Performers encouraged. Info: Andrew 422 3424

14 Tea & Talk about the Warkworth and District Library, bringing tradition and innovation, Warkworth Museum, 10am. Speaker Carolyn Cooper, $10pp. Bookings essential. Email: warkworthmuseum@xtra.co.nz

15 Kevin Flynn – Fear of Heights, Warkworth Town Hall, 7.30-9pm. A funny oneman show about an Irish-American kid’s phobias, family life, and the meaning of success. Tickets: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/fear-of-heights-kevin-flynnusa/auckland/warkworth

16 Warkworth A&P Show, Warkworth Showgrounds, all day from 9am. Info: https://www.warkworthshow.co.nz (see ad p25)

16 Undergrand - Auckland Arts Festival, Brick Bay, 10-11.30am. Pop-up portable baby grand piano performance by Kevin Field on Brick Bay beach. Free. Info: https://www.aaf.co.nz/event/undergrand

16 Hoedown, Warkworth Showgrounds, 4.30-10pm. Following the Warkworth A&P show. Tickets $20pp. R18. Info: www.warkworthshow.co.nz

16 Leigh Volunteer Fire Brigade Raft Race, Whangateau Harbour Reserve, noon. $10 per raft, sausage sizzle

16 Car Boot Sale, Forest Reserve Hall, 619 School Road, Tomarata, 10am-1pm

17 Top of the Rock challenge, Kaiwaka. Info: https://www.kaiwakasport.co.nz/

18 Blood Drive, St John Ambulance Station, Maungaturoto. Bookings: https://www.nzblood.co.nz

18 Adults in Motion Market, Methodist Hall Hexham Street Warkworth, 10am1.30pm (see story p6)

18 Warkworth Men’s Rebus general meeting, Shoesmith Hall, 10am. Guest speaker. Retired and missing your mates, or feeling isolated? Visitors welcome. Info: Ron 422 3111

19 Auckland Long Term Plan public discussion, Rodney Local Board office, Elizabeth Street Warkworth, 4-6pm. Raise issues, ask questions. Registration essential. Email: rodneylocalboard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

20&21 Blood Drive, Warkworth Town Hall. Bookings: https://www.nzblood.co.nz

22&23 Otamatea Dog Trial Club annual trial, 104 Marohemo Road, Marohemo

23 Mahurangi East Fire Brigade 25th Anniversary Open Day, 10am-3pm. Wendy house, kitchen fire demo, vehicle display, station tour, sausage sizzle and more! Info: https://www.facebook.com/mahufire

29&30 Rodney Sheep Dog Trial Club annual trial, 324 Old Woodcocks Road, Kaipara Flats

30&Apr 1 Mangawhai Museum Easter Book Fair, 10am-4pm. Books from $3. Plenty of parking

Casual

A casual vacancy has occurred on the school board for an elected parent representative.

The board has decided to fill the vacancy by selection. If 10% or more of eligible voters on the school roll ask the board, within 28 days of this notice first being published (22 February 2024), to hold a by-election to fill the vacancy, then a by-election will be held.

Request for a by-election should be sent to: Tiffany Hubbard, Presiding member (chair) Warkworth School Board, 35 Hill Street, Warkworth or email to office@warkworh.school.nz by: Thursday, 21 March 2024

31 Warkworth Cement Works walking tour, Wilson Road, 3pm. Learn the history of the site and purpose of the remaining visible structures. Suitable for all walking levels. Info: John 021 175 6686

Friends Deegan Thompson and Lachlan Stanbra have a lot in common – they’re both 15, both live at Snells Beach and are both in Year 11 at Mahurangi College. What makes them stand out from the crowd, however, is that they are also both red-hot racing drivers with recent big wins and promising futures ahead of them.

Speedway specialist Thompson won the junior feature race last month at the first Western Springs meeting since floods damaged the circuit last year, while kart racer Stanbra took out the junior club points title for 2023 at KartSport Auckland. Both say they are ready to move on to the next stage of their motorsport journeys, with Thompson set to switch to circuit racing and Stanbra moving into senior karts this year.

Thompson’s Western Springs win last month was the culmination of a speedway career that started when he was just eight years old and

has seen him placed third in the NZ junior title twice. According to dad Matt, he picked a great night to take the feature race flag.

“The crowd was great, they were all up at the fences. They all knew it was a big race – there are normally 12 meetings, but this year we’ve got just two as they’ve still got flood damage,” he said.

“We’ve tried for eight years to win this race and it came down to the second-to-last weekend.”

Thompson’s last junior race in his current car at Western Springs will be on March 16 – after that, he’ll be starting circuit racing in dad’s old Toyota Corolla at tracks such as Hampton Downs and Taupo.

Racing is in Thompson’s blood – Matt was a speedway and circuit racer before him, and they buy, build and maintain the cars together, with the help of sponsors ECM, Good Thunder, Warkworth Motorcycles and Matt’s precision engineering

to practice on when he’s not racing for real.

“I love racing, it’s good fun,” Deegan said. “My dream is to end up driving V8 Supercars.”

That’s another thing he shares with Stanbra, who is already making his presence felt among the adults in 125cc senior karts. At his first Auckland club meet last month, Stanbra finished first in three out of five heats and came second overall in his class.

Last year, he achieved nine race wins, 22 podium placings and 10 fastest laps –impressive by anyone’s standards, but even more so when you consider that he only took up the sport two years ago.

Because he enjoyed indoor karting, Stanbra’s grandfather and parents surprised him by buying him a proper racing kart for his 13th birthday in 2021. He joined

to start racing until 2022.

However, he quickly rose through the ranks to get his Tier 1 licence rating, meaning he could enter any sprint event, including the three-day National Sprint Championships in Blenheim at the end of this month.

Stanbra said that far from being intimidating, racing against adults was in some ways easier than going head-to-head with several dozen adolescent boys.

“Racing seniors is a little bit different because they’re older people, and a bit more careful when they’re passing,” he said.

Stanbra’s grandparents – known as Bopbop and Gangie – remain his most loyal sponsors, having set up his race team, Wahaii Racing, together with Allen’s Autos, Stoney Creek clothing, McMahon Builders and Inkwise printers, where dad Karl works.

Deegan Thompson

Lachlan Stanbra