Mahurangi Matters_Issue 453_24 April 2023

Council signals new approach to managing foreshore

A new approach to the provision of infrastructure along Auckland’s foreshore will see a move away from building hard coastal defence structures such as the one washed away at Snells Beach earlier this year.

The beach access stairs opposite Sunburst Avenue, along with a 115m long section of timber seawall, were extensively damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle. Fill was washed out from behind the wall and sections of the concrete footpath were undermined and collapsed.

As part of initial remedial works, broken sections of the seawall, the concrete footpath and other storm debris are being removed by Auckland Council.

The reserve and beach are being made safe for reopening by reshaping the coastal edge of the reserve to enable access from the grassed reserve to the beach, removing exposed timber piles and re-establishing beach access steps at the southern end of the site.

Where it was damaged, the footpath is being relaid along a more landward alignment to restore pedestrian access along the reserve.

The current remediation work, costing $60,000, is an interim solution to allow the reserve to be reopened. Resilient land and coasts general manager Paul Klinac says that when the seawall was initially built, it reclaimed part of the beach and extended the reserve onto the beach, making it vulnerable to storm damage.

“Adjacent sections of the wall that are located further landward were not damaged in the cyclone,” he says. “The current resource consent for the wall expires next year and, as part of renewing it, Council will re-evaluate the effects, appropriateness and design of the structure, and consider alternative options.”

Klinac says the failure of the seawall provides an opportunity to relocate infrastructure, including the footpath, to a more appropriate alignment that is not as reliant on hard coastal defence structures.

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Parts of the Snells Beach foreshore will be returned a more natural alignment as part of council’s changed approach to coastal management.

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Council signals new approach to managing foreshore

“It is also an opportunity to improve the recreational and amenity values of the adjacent beach space,” he says.

“An alternative and improved coastal management option is likely to incorporate a more landward wall that retains the grassy reserve embankment, but takes advantage of a wider beach space to naturally accommodate wave energy, while still providing protection to the footpath during extreme events.”

Responding to criticism that the Algies Bay seawall withstood the storm better than the Snells wall, Klinac says Snells Beach is relatively free of hard coastal protection works, with reserve space and sandy recreational beach available over all tide conditions.

“This provides it with a character that is distinct from Algies Bay, which is dominated by hard coastal defences, including timber, rock and concrete seawalls, both private and council-owned.

“It is our intention to retain the more natural character of Snells Beach.”

Council expects to finish the interim remediation works next week, depending on weather conditions. The alternative longer-term option is being fast-tracked through the coastal assets renewals work programme and residents will be consulted on the plan later in the year.

Meanwhile, Local Government NZ president Stuart Crosby says it is time for the government to show leadership when it comes to adaption and managed retreat so local councils can adapt it to their community’s need.

“Climate change is not a problem for the future,” he says. “The country has been dealing with the effects of climate change for the better part of a decade.

“The Climate Adaption Act will play a critical role in how we future-proof our towns and cities, so it’s frustrating that it has lagged so far behind in the reform process. It shouldn’t take a deadly cyclone for the government to take action.”

Crosby says communities already in at-risk areas need far greater certainty around the likes of compensation, and councils need the levers to act on climate risks.

Adaptation plans

“It’s one thing to say that immediate measures will help us ‘build back better’ every time disaster strikes. But putting climate change front and centre of our planning system is actually the key to keeping communities safe in the long-term. “For a number of reasons, we haven’t seen that yet. Instead, councils find themselves staring down the barrel of reforms [the Resource Management Act, the Natural and Built Environments Bill and the Spatial Planning Bill] that will leave them with far less power to shape where we live, with inadequate tools to fund action.”

Auckland Council is developing a series of Shoreline Adaptation Plans (SAP) to cover the entire 3200km of Auckland’s coast by mid-2025. The plans consider the impacts of coastal hazards and climate change on council-owned land and assets over the next 100 years. They align with the Ministry for the Environment’s best practice guidance to establish ‘dynamic adaptive policy pathways’ and are being developed in collaboration with iwi, and community and stakeholder engagement. The plans consider four overarching strategies of ‘no active intervention’, ‘limited intervention’, ‘hold the line’ and ‘managed retreat’ over three time horizons of short (1-20 years), medium (20-60 years) and long-term (60-100 years). The development of SAP for the area from Martins Bay to Silverdale will be undertaken early next year.

NZ Post seeks new Wellsford agent after shock shop closure

Fears that Wellsford has lost retail post services for good after the sudden closure of the shop at 199 Rodney Street on April 12 are being allayed by NZ Post.

Head of retail operations Andrew McKenzie said last week it was actively looking for another agency to provide postal services and sales, after the relationship with its current operator ended suddenly “due to unforeseen circumstances”.

“NZ Post Shop Wellsford will no longer operate postal and bill paying services there, but we are already having positive conversations with other potential

businesses in the community,” he said. “We are currently looking to partner with another agency as quickly as possible to bring post and bill pay services back to Wellsford and apologise for any inconvenience this has caused our customers.”

The first most Wellsford people knew about the closure was the posting of a ‘Closure of Postal Services’ notice on the shop window on Wednesday, April 12. It advised that, while PO boxes were staying where they were “until further notice”, the nearest postal, courier and bill pay services were now at the Warkworth Paper

Plus post shop or the NZ Post Centre at Kaiwaka Food Mart.

The closure was followed a flurry of frustrated and angry posts from Wellsford area residents on community social media pages, many of whom viewed the closure as another nail in the local retail coffin. However, NZ Post insists it is looking to set up a new agency in Wellsford as soon as possible, with PO boxes remaining at the old site in the meantime and the public post box outside the shop continuing to be cleared daily.

Info: NZ Post on 0800 501501

Fire chief Kevin Lawton (standing) and deputy chief

Nick Torkington say the arrival of the new appliance has injected a new level of enthusiasm at the station.

Inset, One of the benefits of the new appliance is that it has significantly more locker room for gear.

Leigh volunteers

celebrate new fire rig

The long-awaited arrival of fire truck 941 in Leigh will be marked with an open day at the station on Saturday, April 29.

The new $400,000 Type 1 diesel appliance makes good a promise made to the station by Fire & Emergency a decade ago.

“It’s been a bit of a wait, but we’re just really pleased its finally here,” chief fire officer Kevin Lawton says. “It will give us a professional image and is a lot safer and more comfortable for the crews.”

Deputy chief Nick Torkington added that the new truck also has significantly more storage space for hoses and safety gear, portable pumps, first responder units and chainsaws, plus it can carry 2000 litres of water.

The brigade currently has 22 volunteer firefighters including three women, which is higher than the national average. The volunteers are aged from their late teens to early 70s and represent a variety of occupations, from tradies and farmers to landscapers and people who work at the marine laboratory at Goat Island.

“The station was renovated about five years ago, which lifted morale and the arrival of this new truck will, again, bring a new level of enthusiasm,” Lawton says. “It feels like a

bit of a reward for the job the volunteers do and that our contribution is appreciated.”

Due to its relative isolation from an ambulance station, Leigh is a first response station with 16 of its team trained by St John. Lawton says about 60 per cent of its callouts are medical.

“If an ambulance is available to respond from Warkworth, it takes about 25 minutes to get to here, but often the ambulances have to come from much further afield so it’s pretty important that we have the medical training to respond.”

Last year, the brigade attended 111 incidents, but this year they have already recorded 65 callouts, mainly due to the weather events at the start of the year.

“We were full-on for about 12 hours during the storms, dealing mainly with fallen trees and downed power lines, as well as helping where houses had lost their roofs.”

When the phones and internet went down, Lawton and Torkington manned the station all night so people could knock on the door if they needed help.

“We’ve been working hard on upgrading our equipment and can thank the community for its support in this regard. Money donated locally has helped us buy

Open Day

The Leigh Volunteer Fire Brigade will celebrate the arrival of its new truck with an open day on April 29. The day will feature demonstrations of the station’s breathing apparatus and line rescue gear, and visitors will have the opportunity to have a go at CPR. The kitchen fire demonstration unit will also be on site and there will be a sausage sizzle. It will also be an opportunity for anyone who might be interested in joining the team to have a chat about what’s involved in being a volunteer firefighter. The open day will run from 10am to 2pm.

things like the CPR mannequins. Our next goal is to get an all-terrain mule stretcher. It’s a rig with only one wheel, which makes it easier to transport people along tracks and up stairs.”

Assistant Commander Katie Pocock says that in recent times, the Leigh Volunteer Fire Brigade has been responding to more calls and the Leigh community have been relying on it more.

“The Leigh brigade has a long history of supporting their community and it has been an absolute privilege to watch them receive this exciting new resource. I know that the brigade and community will benefit from this investment,” she says.

From Snells Beach café to Montessori classroom?

The former Bayside Bistro in Snells Beach could become a Montessori primary school if the Ministry of Education and Auckland Council give their consent.

Nikau School has acquired the beach front restaurant at the bottom of Kokihi Lane, following its closure as a café restaurant in December, and wants to provide Montessori and outdoor education for up to 20 five to nine year olds. School founder Joy Leigh has been working to set up an independent school

Kaipara fee rise

Fees and charges across Kaipara are set to rise by 7.2 per cent from July 1. This covers everything from dog registrations to venue hire and building consent fees. Kaipara District Council is asking the community for feedback on the proposed charges before May 12. The full schedule of fees and charges with the proposed increases can be read on the council website kaipara. govt.nz

Storm response thanks

Rodney Local Board members have taken a moment to thank Auckland Emergency Management for their work following the recent flood and cyclone events. Speaking at the beginning of their monthly meeting on April 19, chair Brent Bailey said everyone on the board wanted to acknowledge the “extremely valuable and greatly appreciated” efforts of all involved. “While we all have experiences to review and feedback to provide, this in no way diminishes our respect for the effort and service contributed by Auckland Emergency Management leadership and staff,” he said.

Country trek for Minister

Not surprisingly, roading and infrastructure issues dominated discussions when Auckland Minister Michael Wood visited Tapora on April 14 to see the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle and to meet with affected locals.. The meeting was organised by MP Marja Lubeck and included representatives from Ahuroa and Kaipara Hills. Lubeck felt the talks had been positive and she was hopeful of some good outcomes as a result.

Library celebrates

The Wellsford Memorial Library will celebrate its first decade with a fun day on July 1. The day will mark the building’s opening on June 14, 2013, as well as the central role the library plays in the district.

for more than a year, largely as a result of the changes and challenges in education brought about by the covid pandemic.

The news that a school could replace the former bistro has been met with disappointment by some local residents, with several opining on local social media pages that it is either the wrong place for a school or should remain as one of the few beach front cafes in the region. However, others say it is an ideal spot for

primary aged children to learn. Leigh said last week she was reserving comment until the school was granted consents, a process which could take up to 10 weeks.

Bayside first opened as a restaurant in March 2019 but closed a year later just as covid started to hit. It was taken over in February 2021 by Susan and Desmond Vize, owners of Warkworth’s Chocolate Brown, and stayed open until their business went into voluntary administration in December.

Bad blood spills over into landfill hearing

DOME VALLEY LANDFILL Judge Jeff Smith said he was concerned by Hohneck’s latest evidence asserting that only the settlement trust could speak for Ngāti Manuhiri, as it countered the rights of all members of all tribes to speak for themselves, as well as a suggestion that Omaha Marae could only give evidence on matters directly affecting the marae itself.

Warnings against airing dirty laundry, mud-slinging and finger-pointing were all voiced in the Environment Court recently, when the feuding chairs of Ngati Manuhiri Settlement Trust (NMST) and Omaha Marae were cross-examined on their cultural evidence.

Judge Jeff Smith urged both parties to try to settle their differences, if only to deal not only with the current landfill hearing, but the equally contentious upcoming Pakiri sand mining appeals.

The court heard that new evidence submitted by NMST chair Mook Hohneck and marae chair Annie Baines showed obvious differences in opinion and allegations between the two, which prompted several lawyers to question whether such “he said, she said” testimony was useful or relevant to the appeals case. Before judges and commissioners could comment, Hohneck’s lawyer Jason Pou said he needed to respond.

“My friends take issue with the matters raised in response by Mr Hohneck, but the point is if you don’t want stones thrown at you, you shouldn’t throw stones in the first place,” Pou said. He cited examples of Ngāti Whātua claiming that Ngāti Manuhiri had breached tikanga (customary practice) and Fight the Tip “casting aspersions” on how the settlement trust exercised its authority, roles and responsibilities.

“Those matters will be responded to,” he said. “They can’t just throw things out in the wind and expect Ngāti Manuhiri not to respond.”

“To suggest that they are disenfranchised to the point where they can’t speak about anything apart from the marae is a huge step,” he said. “I’m not aware of any case that supports that position.”

After lengthy debate on those issues between Pou and Smith, the judge said that although the court recognised there was an apparent distinction between the NMST and the marae, the political issues within Ngāti Manuhiri were not helpful.

“The common view is it’s not going to be helpful to air dirty laundry,” he said.

“We’re reluctant to get into mud-slinging. We think it’s most unfortunate that the parties decided to descend into that in the first place. But it is what it is.

“We’re focusing on the relationship of the parties with the areas in question and that’s not only the landfill site, but the surrounding catchment.

“We note there’s further discussion of differences between them and allegations made disputed by other parties,” he added.

“That dispute is not relevant to this hearing.”

Smith later had cause to upbraid Pou for the line his cross-examination of Baines was taking, when he questioned her over an earlier defamation case won by Hohneck against her.

Trust chair defends supporting tip

DOME VALLEY LANDFILL

The chair of Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust (NMST) told the Environment Court he was disappointed by the way the trust had been treated since it decided to switch support to Waste Management NZ (WM).

“I’m just wondering where this is taking us,” the judge said. “None of this has anything to do with the case. All we are doing is spinning our wheels unnecessarily.

“We’ve seen both sides of this and neither side is pretty, and I would have thought both parties would rather move on. If you really want to go on, I’m not going to stop you, but I’ve got to say when you point at somebody else, there’s always three fingers pointing back at you.”

Smith added that while there was no doubt that there had been a breakdown in the relationship between the marae trust and NMST, and that needed to be fixed, the court was not the place for that.

“I think in this case we’d do better to stick to our knitting than get involved in marae politics.”

He suggested to Baines that it was time for her and Hohneck to try at least to get on to business-like terms, since Ngāti Manuhuri was facing a number of big issues and, as the hapu’s only marae, it was important that the ahi kā (people of Pakiri) and the settlement trustees were in connection.

Landfill support causes relationship rift

DOME VALLEY LANDFILL do know that you all don’t know with 100% certainty that this proposed site will not cause or create any issues for our environment, particularly downstream and into the Kaipara.”

Only the rejection of Ngāti Manuhiri’s recent agreement to support plans for a new regional landfill in the Dome could fully restore previously good relations between them and Ngāti Whātua.

That was the view expressed by Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei cultural expert and language and history advocate Joe Pihema when he gave his cultural evidence in the Environment Court this month.

He said that while he accepted that Ngāti Manuhiri had full mana whenua, or authority, over the landfill site itself, and he didn’t have a bad relationship with settlement trust chair Mook Hohneck, there was a dark cloud hanging over Ngāti Whātua over the issue, especially since the trust decided to support the tip.

“There are deep concerns about the downstream and negative effects of any leaching, breaching and all the rest of it,” he said. “I’m not a scientist, but I

Pihema said any “leach or breach” would not only cause an environmental catastrophe but threaten the Hoteo, Kaipara Harbour and the ability of people to feed themselves.

He said it was also seriously affecting the whanaungatanga (kinship) between Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Whātua.

“Whanaungatanga goes up and goes down, it’s fluid. It’s all dependent on the behaviours of the parties involved. It can go so low it’s hard to recapture a sense of camaraderie, friendship and familial ties,” he said. “At the moment, the whanaungatanga with Manuhiri, I’m not overly positive or clear as to where it’s heading.”

Pihema said what any iwi or hapu did was up to them, but hopefully they would take into consideration the broader effects of any decisions made.

“I don’t think Manuhiri have taken into consideration the broader impacts of this cloud that now hangs over Ngāti Whātua,” he said. “I think the only way we can restore a sense of really good whanaungatanga with Ngāti Manuhiri leadership is if Manuhiri rejected the arrangement with Waste Management and we were able to start again on some kind of joint waste minimisation strategy.”

He said there were some decisions made by Manuhiri that caused him to wonder where their whanaungatanga was heading. “They’ve got their objectives and they have their own agenda, and no doubt it’s for their people. I have mine and we have ours for the betterment of our people. Sometimes they clash, we get it,” he said. “But this is one of those situations where it would be very hard to look Mook and others in the eye with a genuine warm feeling in my heart. So, let’s just say it would be tough, but it’s not too late – if Manuhiri rejected the Waste Management proposal and we were able to start again.”

Mook Hohneck said there had been a willingness by everyone to come to the trust’s door and sit with them when they were opposing the landfill, which had shifted to an unwillingness when they had a “difference of opinion”.

Under cross-examination, Hohneck said the change of ownership at WM had led to a different approach by the company and he acknowledged that had WM not put more on the table than just consent conditions, Ngati Manuhiri would not have reversed its position from opposition to support.

He said it was not something done lightly and was all about getting whenua back.

“Before we came to any agreement, we put a lot of hours into discussions, contemplating in our own hui and our own tikanga to come to this position,” he said.

“Getting our whenua back – because we were robbed by everyone between the wars and now – that’s what drives Ngāti Manuhiri. So if land becomes available and all things being equal and we’re happy with the parameters and conditions, then that’s up for consideration.

“We’ve considered it and that’s our decision.”

He said he was aware of the responsibility of looking after the landfill land and its taonga species in 30 years’ time and was confident the trust could carry it out.

Referring to criticism by Omaha Marae trustees, Hohneck said “they should keep quiet and listen to those who our people support to speak for them, or at least respect the decisions that are made”.

Omaha Marae chair Annie Baines said she was shocked to hear how the NMST regarded the marae.

“We are Ngāti Manuhiri. To be a registered member of Ngāti Manuhiri, you must descend from that marae. It’s hurtful to think that we’re maybe just a number (to them) – definitely we are not. We have a voice, we have a voice and we are allowed that voice,” she said.

Baines added that NMST had done nothing to engage with them on the landfill or their decision to support it.

Annie Baines

Warkworth council service centre on chopping block

The remoteness of Auckland Council from its rural residents and ratepayers will be amplified when it closes its service centres in Warkworth and Orewa later this year.

The Warkworth centre, in Baxter Street, employs three long-serving staff who are unsure about their future at this stage.

Auckland Council says a consultation process with staff at the six service centres earmarked for closure is currently being undertaken, with a final decision on the proposal to be made next month.

Digital and customer services general manager Jon Andrews says the decision to close the centres is based on the fact that more and more people are using council’s online services, which means less in-person demand at many of the existing service centres.

“To respond to the changing needs and create a more sustainable model of service delivery, a work programme was undertaken in 2020 which saw 18 of our 24 service centres across Auckland successfully integrated into community hubs at Auckland libraries,” Andrews says. “This move supported council’s drive to enable connected communities, where people can come together in one place to interact, socialise and access all the services they need including free wifi and computer access.”

Andrews says Warkworth will continue to have access to the same services it receives through the service centre, but the location of those services will shift from a standalone service centre to a community hub within a library.

“The annual budget 2023/24 consultation document detailed further integration of service centres as part of council’s cost reductions to mitigate budget challenges.

“Council is now proposing to integrate Ōrewa, Warkworth, Bledisloe House, Waiheke, Henderson, and Manukau service centres into respective community hubs, to be located within the local library.”

Early last month, the Rodney Local Board opened an office in Elizabeth Street after a refit costing $1.5 million. Later, during a visit to Warkworth, Mayor Wayne Brown criticised the move, asking why the board had not instead refitted the councilowned property in Baxter Street rather than moving to a building where it will be paying a commercial rental.

Andrews says council will be assessing the interior changes at the Baxter Street site that will be required to ensure the customer experience is well managed with the additional services being delivered in the libraries.

However, he did not respond to questions about Warkworth Library’s ability to absorb the work currently done by the service centre or whether or not the town would get a new “fit-for-purpose” library that does not leak.

“Our aim with integrating more of our services is to improve the convenience for our customers and deliver cost savings. This also allows for greater flexibility in the way we deploy resources to serve the needs of Aucklanders.”

See We Say, page 6

The Auckland Council service centre in Warkworth handles a myriad of tasks, from dog registrations and property rate payments to regional park bookings and pest trap distribution. It is kept particularly busy with Hop card tops ups. Librarians will soon be expected to handle these tasks.

YouSay

Toxic landfill

There is something very wrong with what is happening in the Dome Valley. Not just because Waste Management want to use it as a dump site, but also because of what our government allows to be imported and dumped in our landfills.

There is no question that Auckland needs somewhere to dump its waste and I am certain that there are better places than on the bank of one of the longest rivers, feeding into one of the largest, most pristine harbours in the world. But scant regard appears to be shown for the thousands of tonnes of toxic waste that is being imported from the Pacific and stored in our landfill. Specifically, and by volume, most appears to be slag and by products of nickel mining from Noumea, in particular. I am very reliably told that this is permanently toxic. It can be neutralised by very high heat incineration and intensive “scrubbing”, but this is not going to happen when it is buried in the ground.

At some point it is going to be released and it will make its way downstream. Waste Management may well be doing the best job possible with the technology that is available and will create a good and secure landfill, but I do not believe we should be burying vast quantities of imported highly toxic waste.

This is not a function of Auckland Council but of the NZ Government.

I ask our MPs, “What can be done and why is this waste not being directed back to the economies that benefit from the nickel and other material being mined?”

The benefit to NZ for burying this is short-term, and being siphoned offshore by Waste Management. The long-term cost is going to be borne by our children and grandchildren.

Stop burying imported toxic waste and do whatever is required to ensure that this is

WeSay

never, never disposed of anywhere near a runoff to any of our harbours!

Steven Garner, Warkworth

This letter was referred to Waste Management NZ for comment, but a spokesperson said the company was not commenting to the media while the Auckland regional landfill proposal was before the Environment Court.

Bus occupancy

Correspondent Neil Anderson (MM Apr 10) believes that buses are good for the environment. They are, provided they are fully occupied. Unfortunately, each bus I see on the local circuit carries only one or two passengers. The CO2 output per passenger-kilometre is horrendous. But that is not all. The energy need to produce the bus is three times that of a passenger car, which is already sitting in the garage anyway. Probably the Rodney Local Board got it right. The notion “bus good, car bad” is somewhat simplistic.

K H Peter Kammler, Matakana

Keep off the grass

I chuckled over your ‘Early bird gets the win’ (MM April 10). “Two birds on the head are NOT going to lead to one in the bush” reminded me of a story told to me many years ago by my daughter when she was undertaking her nursing training at Middlemore Hospital.

A young woman was admitted to the hospital with appendicitis – she was a punk and her spiked hair was dyed green. When she was being prepped for the operation it was found that the hair on her head was not the only hair dyed green. She had written in felt pen on her lower abdomen, “Keep off the grass!” After the operation, when she had woken sufficiently from the anaesthetic, she lifted up the blanket to see what had gone on. She saw there, also written in felt pen, “Sorry, had to mow the lawn”.

Maureen Young,Warkworth

Turn the page

The time for Auckland Council to seriously look at investing in a purpose-built library in Warkworth is long overdue. Yes, we are all very aware of how tight budgets are and that council is on an austerity drive, but it does plan to spend $2.791 billion on capital investment in its next financial year, including $17 million on libraries. For a fraction of this pie, a start could be made on planning a fit-for-purpose modern library that will meet the needs of a town set to swell from 5000 to 22,000 over the next 20 years. Warkworth desperately needs a library that caters for people of all ages – from toddlers to totterers. The current library in Baxter Street, with views of the river and bush, and a carpark building across the road, is the ideal site but the present building is long past its use-by date. It is far too small to accommodate the plethora of programmes run in Warkworth, it lacks proper staff facilities and there is inadequate storage space, plus it leaks. The town needs a community hub that includes large and small meeting, display and workshop spaces, quiet places for research and study, a local history and archives section, spaces dedicated to children and teens, a council service and information hub, and café. It should also accommodate the information centre, as this would give visitors better access to

Rodney Local Board member Geoff Upson was gone, but not forgotten when the April meeting was adjourned briefly for a ‘comfort break’ last week. Colleagues who returned to the table before him quickly deployed a sign the Kumeu member had brought along to illustrate his feelings on new speed restriction proposals, just in case anyone forgot who should be sitting there.

information, including on weekends when the current centre is closed. A modern library could also accommodate external service-based organisations such as the Justices of the Peace, Citizens Advice and the Budget Service, which will all have to find new homes anyway when council closes the service centre next door.

Libraries have been around for centuries, but they have evolved to be much more than just a depository for books. Modern libraries have embraced digital resources and thanks to the creativity and energy of our local librarians, Warkworth runs a range of programmes that also celebrate our community’s diversity. As places for lifelong learning, libraries say a lot about what a community values. They are not luxuries, but one of the most essential centres in any town that cares about its cultural life. We spend so much time asking council to fill our potholes – but what about the places that fill our brains. What we have in the town now is totally inadequate.

The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.

Albert Einstein

Letters can be sent to editor@localmatters.co.nz or 17 Neville Street, Warkworth 0910

Getting the house in order

My first six months in office have been extraordinary, unrelenting and, at times, utterly devastating. While we continue to support those communities hardest hit by Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary floods, I am more determined than ever to deliver on my five priorities:

1 Fix Auckland’s infrastructure

2 Stop wasting money

3 Take back control of council organisations

4 Get Auckland moving

5 Make the most of our harbour and environment

Fixing Auckland’s infrastructure doesn’t begin with large scale investment in new projects. We need to do a better job of managing the infrastructure assets we already own and getting more out of the existing transport system, before starting on the next mega-project.

First, we need to repair roads in flooddamaged areas, rural as well as urban, across our region. I am aware that road closures are an ongoing source of frustration for local residents, and Auckland Transport (AT) has assured me that progress is being made:

• In Puhoi, work starts on Ahuroa Road in mid-May to be completed by September, while Krippner Road will take another six months

• In Tahekeroa, the new main road and embankment should be open by late-July

• In Makarau, remedial works have started on Komokoriki Road, which should re-open by early-May

Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting Warkworth’s old Masonic Hall with Councillor Greg Sayers. Over the course of seven hours, we met with 22 community groups and discussed a broad range of local issues, including poorly maintained roads. I have called for AT to maintain and lay unsealed roads in a better manner than what they have been doing – putting expensive loose metal on a road, only to see most of it go down the drain. Unsealed roads need to be graded better, and more often. Loose metal and clay should be collected from the sides of the road and rolled, binding it together, with a higher crown at the centreline.

Storm-damaged seawalls are another area of concern for local residents. Auckland’s aging infrastructure is falling into disrepair, and it’s obvious that we must be better prepared for severe weather events. Therefore, I have proposed an additional $20 million a year for storm response, with improved prevention and mitigation.

That said, it’s a waste of time trying to reverse the natural geological process in some areas. Solid seawalls perform poorly in the long-term; eventually, they all fail. Depending on the environment, a gabion wall, made of stacked stones tied together with wire, would be a better solution. Where private property is being protected, the responsibility increasingly lies with the property owner. It is unrealistic to keep building on cliffs and coastlines, with its obvious risks, and expecting Auckland ratepayers to pick up the bill.

Town centre traffic review

Warkworth’s town centre has been prioritised by Auckland Transport (AT) for safety improvements.

AT representatives are currently working with key representatives to produce a design that will eventually go out for public consultation.

A Warkworth Liaison Group meeting this month was told that AT was suggesting that the two quasi-crossings – outside Paper Plus and the ANZ Bank – will become raised pedestrian crossings, and the speed limit through some parts of the

town will be dropped to 30kph.

A one-way traffic system through the town had not been specifically raised, but AT was open to listening to all suggestions.

An AT spokesperson says all options will be considered, but the scope will be specifically aimed at improving safety.

“This co-design process takes a bit longer than the normal design process, but it is important to hear from locals that know their local roads.”

Funding and time frames have yet to be confirmed.

Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland wayne.brown@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Still no sign of SH16 slips being fixed in foreseeable future

The continuing saga of persistent slumps and bumps on a stretch of SH16 at Makarau doesn’t look set for a happy ending anytime soon.

For years now, drivers have been forced to decrease their speed and take evasive action to avoid two severe dips on the hill going down from Basil Orr Road to Omeru Scenic Reserve.

There have been numerous vehicles damaged after hitting the bumps at speed and several crashes in the area, including a fatal accident last November.

Local resident Steven Law has been trying to get someone in authority to take responsibility for permanently fixing the slips, contacting everyone from government ministers and agencies to contractors and police.

Over the years, he has witnessed countless accidents and had to put up with constant thumping and vibration every time a truck goes over the two damaged sections.

Most recently, he voiced his frustrations and concerns at last month’s Rodney Local Board meeting, after a more concerted effort to fix the issue last year was undermined overnight by the Auckland Anniversary floods.

“The companies doing the works are given a little plaster to put on a big wound,” he said.

“A slip has developed approximately 140 metres wide across my total property and into my neighbour’s.

“When it goes – not if, but when – SH16 will be taken out and hopefully there will not be any injuries or deaths.

“Will it take a fatal to get it fixed, as the current 30kph speed limit is not working.”

Law is not the only one to have been campaigning on the issue. This stretch of road is where roads campaigner Geoff Upson first painted penises on the road in 2019 to draw attention to the problem.

Upson, now a local board member

“There are serious underground issues there,” he said. “I spoke to one guy there who said the actual slip is 14 metres down. There’s no point fixing the surface until you address what’s underneath.”

Upson said it needed to be treated

like major slips in the Coromandel or Brynderwyns, or the road surface would simply keep dropping.

A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said the Omeru under-slip was in the middle of a large, deep-seated landslip that the agency had been aware for some time and had been consistently monitoring. Contractors were due on-site last week, levelling the site again.

“While there was an investment made to fix it last year, contributing factors including ground material and recent weather events meant the repair prematurely failed,” they said.

“Waka Kotahi is currently investigating options to address the wider SH16 network resilience needs as part of a national resilience programme.”

The road surface has been patched numerous times in both spots. Photo, Geoff Upson.

for Kumeu, says speed limits, traffic management and constant patching will never solve the problem.

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Fears Snells subdivision court appeal could set precedent

Snells Beach residents living near land where developers want to rip out rural paddocks and build a 24-lot subdivision are continuing their fight against the scheme.

Neighbours surrounding the potential site at 124 Mahurangi East Road have erected roadside signs, started a petition and set up a ‘Just Say No’ website, and they are urging others to support them, as they say it could set a dangerous precedent if allowed.

Remuera-based Silver Hill Ltd’s resource consent application was turned down in December by a panel of independent commissioners, who agreed with Auckland Council’s planner that effects on the environment and neighbours would be unacceptable. However, in Feburary an

appeal against that decision was lodged in the Environment Court.

The original application was categorised as non-complying because it flew in the face of the land’s current residential – large lot zoning, which would allow just four new homes on the 1.6 hectare block instead of the 24 being applied for. Nearly 30 local residents made submissions opposing the proposal at the time.

Melody Nightingale lives in Lett Road, which runs along the back of the land. She says it is frustrating that the developers are persisting with their plans, despite council and commissioners agreeing that the subdivision was inappropriate for the tree-lined paddocks.

“This is not just about 124 Mahu East

Road, though. These developers are trying to set a precedent here,” she says. “If this is allowed, what’s to stop them making similar applications for any other residential – large lot zones?

“If they can sidestep the zoning rules and the Auckland Unitary Plan, they stand to make a healthy profit at the expense of the local community, the environment and taxpayers, who foot the bill for this abuse of the Resource Management Act.”

There are blocks of residential large lot land in several places in Mahurangi, including Algies Bay, Point Wells, Snells Beach and most of Sandspit. The land is usually on the edge of a settlement and surrounded by land zoned as rural coastal or countryside living.

Nightingale says Auckland Council and the applicants need reminding of what the Auckland Unitary plan is there for “to protect us from reckless development like this”.

“Developers have no right to abuse the system, wasting thousands upon thousands of taxpayers’ dollars, trying their luck and bulldozing through the processes designed to protect our environment and communities,” she says. “Enough is enough.”

The group of neighbours will present a petition to council before a pre-court hearing mediation session scheduled for May 2, asking officers to stand strong in their refusal of the proposal.

Info: https://sites.google.com/ view/124manurangieastroad/home

The plans are being opposed by residents, who don’t want to see the tree-lined paddocks and rustic farm buildings replaced with another new housing development.

Christine Rose christine.rose25@gmail.com

The beauty and the beast

This year’s storm and cyclone disasters have ramped up ecological anxiety for many of us worried about the state of the finite, fragile blue and green planet Earth. You don’t have to be directly affected to be impacted. The stress is extra for those who are still unable to access their homes and have had to leave precious pets and belongings behind in the wake of the storms.

Technology reaches new heights – literally, while the wonders and limits of nature seem more profound. Space X strings lights across the heavens providing internet access to the most remote places, while aurora Australis drapes red, yellow and green for many to see. Bioluminescence on beaches looks like living magic, but microplastics and forever chemicals are found in the smallest of lives, including our own. I’ve sat in my kayak over summer (what summer? you might ask), afloat in peaceful places like the Marlborough Sounds and the Mahurangi Harbour, crying amidst the beauty, at the existential limits of biodiversity and climate. I am overwhelmed by the wonder and richness of nature, as well as by the reality of its destruction at the hands of (some) humans.

That ecological anxiety has a name –solastalgia. It’s melancholia or homesickness caused by separation from a loved home, even while you’re still there. It’s that feeling of loss from change to places and times you know and love.

The ‘great acceleration’ is the term for the massive, dramatic expansion of human technological advancement and

environmental damage that’s occurred since the mid-twentieth century. In a few generations, humans have ‘conquered’ the far reaches of the earth and sea, reducing teeming species to a few fragments. Wildlife is now only an estimated 4.2% of the world’s biomass – the rest is humans and farmed animals. Scientists say the world has never seen change at the scale and rate of the great acceleration, and never will again – Earth just can’t sustain it. Every year, Earth Overshoot Day shows how many resources each country uses beyond the planet’s carrying capacity. For New Zealand, this year it’s April 19. After that we are living beyond our means. Technology got us into this mess but can technology save us? Some people pin their hopes on techno-fixes, from methane inhibitors to prevent climate change emissions from cow burps to space colonies. But we don’t have much time, tech fixes are magic bullets which are no substitute for stopping the damage now. Some people pray to God to save us from ourselves. Some say the rapid recent rise of artificial intelligence could be our saviour. Some say, de-growth and vegan anarchism (home and community gardens) are the key to a smaller human footprint. We can’t use the same system that caused this mess to get us out of it. But there’s no blueprint for the future. It’s up to us to imagine and devise. So when I am in my kayak, I’ll try to imagine a better future pathway, to appreciate the beauty, and not to cry.

Increased effort to boost Gulf mussel numbers in local waters

The latest stage in an ongoing project to restore and replenish severely depleted mussel/ kūtai beds throughout the Hauraki Gulf is being pursued by reef restoration trust Revive Our Gulf (ROG).

Working in collaboration with Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust and Ngāti

Whātua Orakei, ROG has already deployed 370 tonnes of kūtai in two experimental projects around the Gulf, including a major drop of 150 tonnes in the waters off Mahurangi Harbour over Matariki last year.

The mussel reef restoration group has now teamed up with Kelly Tarlton’s Marine Wildlife Trust and the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Auckland to learn more about baby mussels and why they’re not settling in significant numbers in local waters.

ROG executive director Katina Conomos says it remains a scientific mystery why kūtai numbers haven’t come back naturally after being almost wiped out last century, despite all the mussel farms dotted around the Gulf, but says it could have something to do with the very young mussels, known as spat.

“We know there are mussel spat in the Hauraki Gulf, but it seems that generally, they won’t settle in significant numbers and if they don’t settle down and start a community, there are no mussel reefs,” she says. “Understanding their reluctance to put

down roots, and grow into kutai, is a vital part of the restoration puzzle.”

Conomos says seaweed is one of the surfaces spat latch onto, so over the next few months researchers will try to find out if there’s a particular type of seaweed that might entice spat to start new communities on the ocean floor.

“We have iwi and scientists, conservationists and volunteers working hard to try and figure out how we can do this at scale,” she says. “What’s obvious is that we need to enable nature to get in behind our efforts, to bring back the mauri, the essence of this magical stretch of water.

“If we find out the sort of home they prefer, then we can build them a place to stay, taking us one step closer to re-musseling Tīkapa Moana.”

Tens of thousands of  spat have brought in for the research, via chilly-bin, from a commercial hatchery in Nelson to the Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium in Auckland. Mussel reefs once covered more than 600 square kilometres of the Hauraki Gulf seabed, but were destroyed by a boom-andbust commercial dredging industry. The reefs never came back after their demise, partly due to sediment flowing off the land and into the gulf.

“Right now, the bottom of the Gulf in large parts is a sludgy, gloopy mess of mud and sediment,” Conomos says. “Ask any diver.”

Watercare sinking test bores at Wayby

Building work is due to start shortly on the construction of three new bores to monitor groundwater south of Wellsford. Watercare is sinking the new test bores at varying depths near its groundwater production bore at 411 Wayby Valley Road.

Watercare senior resource consent planner

Paul Futter said drilling work was due to start by the end of April or early May, with monitoring and aquifer testing set to continue until the end of June.

The project is part of a $1 billion plan to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure for the northern parts of Auckland over the next 10 years.

“We are currently testing the new

groundwater source. This work involves drilling three different observation bores along Wayby Valley Road,” Futter said. “The observation bores will be used to monitor potential impacts.”

He said the testing was to ensure there was enough water to meet the growing demands of the Wellsford community for the next 50 years, providing essential data on the condition of the aquifer. It would also be used to verify that the production bore is developed properly and producing an acceptable yield to be used as a water source in future.

The construction and drilling works are due to take place between 7.30am and 6pm on weekdays and they are not expected to impact local residents’ water or wastewater.

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Three bores will be sunk in coming weeks.

Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust and Revive Our Gulf carried out major mussel drops in local waters last year. Now research is being carried out to try to re-establish reef settlements.

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Fake news, fact checking and peer review

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Reuters.com is a mainstream media organisation which operates its own factchecking on headline matters. A recent claim that dinosaurs did not exist and that fossils were replicas made of chicken bones was fact-checked with three world experts who all confirmed the claim was false. Climatefeedback.org is an accessible worldwide network of experts and scientists sorting fact from fiction in climate change media coverage. Its goal is to help readers know which news to trust. It has recently analysed and rejected a statement by The Epoch News (Joe Rogan) which suggested that human factors in climate change were not proven, and that climate change is happening anyway. The site presented decisive data showing the sharp divergent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels during the industrial revolution

(after 1850), published by the US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA).

Peer review

A second question is how do science and scientists decide if a particular claim or data is true or false? The answer lies in the process of peer review. There is a saying in science that “data is golden” and opinion without data has no value. Opinions on social media without sound data must be dismissed by readers. Fifty years ago, a respected scientist reported a new form of water with quite different properties formed in tiny glass capillaries, which was quickly referred to in the media as “polywater”. This report generated global paranoia that this polywater could convert all water in the planet into polywater and so threaten all life on Earth. The capillary polywater data was then re-investigated by a distinguished chemist from Princeton University using a new laser-based analytical method which could explore microscopic capillary samples. This laser method revealed that the surprising properties of the water in the fine capillaries were due to glass surface contaminants and not due to a new and different form of water. This controversy inspired a famous novel Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut about Ice 9, which was polywater by a different name.

The basic facts of climate change have been derived from massive bodies of detailed data reported by some of the most respected agencies and universities in the world, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Authority, the journals Nature and Science, leading universities, the BBC and the Guardian.

Emeritus Professor Ralph Cooney ONZM, FRSNZ r.cooney@auckland.ac.nz

Warkworth

Meeting to build community resilience in Matakana

A meeting to help Matakana area residents become more resilient and self-sufficient when natural disasters strike will be held at the Community Hall next month.

Matakana Community Group (MCG) chair Rachel Demler says recent storms and extreme weather have highlighted the need for a local support network.

“We can’t rely on help coming in to us from outside when all the roads are closed, or council coming to clear rivers and drains when they have the whole of Auckland to worry about,” she says.

“We have to become more resilient and be able to help ourselves and each other, so this meeting is to help get us going on that pathway.”

Demler says while floods and slips are still front of mind, it’s not just storms that make rural communities vulnerable.

“It wasn’t that long ago that we had a drought and we were all running out of water. That will happen again in future and we need to be ready for it, not least because council has said there won’t be any more emergency water tankers after they bailed us out last time.”

Several speakers will attend the meeting

to talk on different aspects of emergency response and the lessons they learned from recent flood and storm events. These include former MCG and current Rodney Local Board member Ivan Wagstaff and Warkworth Community Resilience coordinator Sue Robertson, who were instrumental in helping hundreds of people stranded during the Auckland Anniversary floods, Friends of Awa Matakanakana vice-chair Martin Evans and Matakana Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Jeremy Gibbons.

As well as a debrief on recent and less recent events that have affected Matakana and the wider area, the meeting will address lessons that can be learnt and plans made, by individuals and groups, to respond effectively in the future.

“We would love to see as many people as possible come along and share their knowledge and ideas,” Demler says. “There are lots of people with the talents or trades who could help in a crisis, but we need to set up some kind of network or hub so people know how to reach out if necessary – even when communications are down.”

The meeting will be held at the Matakana Hall on Monday, May 8 at 7pm. It will also include the MCG’s annual meeting.

Board scraps second transport hub

Rodney Local Board has cancelled its plans to build a $6.5 million community transport hub at Huapai Domain after budget blowouts pushed the estimated costs up to well over $7 million.

Board chair Brent Bailey said the transport targeted rate project had been a cause of frustration since investigations started, with the hub’s location, size and design changing frequently.

“The number of carparks has got smaller and smaller and smaller and the budget has changed,” he said at the board’s April 19 meeting. “It’s been here, and there, and then over there – it’s a constantly moving feast.”

Bailey said the siting issues had been compounded by the fact that Auckland Transport’s Rapid Transport Corridor was now planned to go right through the chosen spot, plus the reserve land would need to be re-designated as a transport asset, adding unforeseen leasing and maintenance costs.

The meeting heard that investigation and design works had already cost $450,000, but there would be just over $6 million left in the Kumeu subdivision targeted rate coffers if the project was halted. Members voted to cancel the project and reallocate the funds to providing footpaths.

Community groups win trapping funds

Two local community groups have won a funding boost in the latest round of pest control grants from Predator Free NZ. Mahurangi East Residents & Ratepayers Association (MERRA) and Puhoi Landcare Group are two of 13 organisations now able to expand their community trapping efforts after receiving a slice of the $50,000 pest-fighting pot. MERRA has been trapping possums in the Snells Beach area for 30 years, effectively eliminating all female animals, as well as targeting rabbits, rodents and mustelids on DOC and council land. With the funding from Pest Free NZ, MERRA plans to expand their coverage to backyards and will train residents on effective trapping. Puhoi Landcare will also be expanding their trap network and involving more residents in pest control. Their funding means they will be able to supply rat and possum traps, combined with personal advice and follow-up support, to 50 new households. By working together with Whitebait Connection and The Forest Bridge Trust, the group aims to protect eggs and juvenile inanga, the smallest whitebait species.

Upcoming fundraiser

A BoostedSport campaign will be held later this year to fundraise for both the multi-sport and the bike and skate park projects. This crowdfunding campaign involves setting a target and encouraging people to donate to reach that target. Board interim treasurer Nicola Jones says you can have seed donors (ones who start you off with a set amount) or match funders (those who match the funding up to a certain value) and then ones who just donate what they can. “It might be a good way to get the community behind this project,” she says. Anyone who would like to assist with the project or donate some funding can get in touch with Jones via mahusport@gmail.com or mahubikeandskate@gmail.com

Multi-sport project calls for support

The team behind the proposed multi-sport centre at the Warkworth Showgrounds is asking a few locals to roll up their sleeves and get involved to help get the project over the line.

The design for the centre, which has been in the pipeline for nearly a decade, has gone through a recent iteration, which means it has to reapply for both landowner’s consent and resource consent from Auckland Council.

However, Mahurangi Sport and Recreation Board chair Graham Buchs and president Mark Illingworth say the reconfiguration has been worth the delay.

“We now have a design that focuses squarely on the sports elements of the complex,” they say. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking to a lot of sports clubs and the design changes reflect their feedback.

“We want to build a facility that will meet the needs of this community for many years to come.”

A major change in the new design is that a functions area has been deleted and will be looked at again in Phase Two, and possibly at a different location in the park.

Buchs says the biggest challenge the project faces at the moment is recruiting willing volunteers for a number of sub-committees. In particular, they are looking for people with governance and fundraising expertise, and they also need a treasurer.

“We have good board level support except for a treasurer, but we know once this project evolves, we will need people on the ground to make it happen,” Buchs says. Governance is a priority and the board is looking for someone with the expertise and experience to lead a governance and fundraising sub-committee.

Young parents are being asked to give the idea of volunteering some thought.

“It is the toddlers of today who will be the beneficiaries, so it would be awesome to

get some support from young families,” Illingworth says. He says that although the district’s population is growing, the number of people prepared to put their hand up to help is dwindling.

In particular, we are looking for people with governance and fundraising expertise, and we also need a treasurer. Graham Buchs

The multi-sport centre will include four full sized basketball courts and a purposebuilt gymnasium. It will cater for the key sports of netball, basketball, pickleball, badminton, Futsal, indoor hockey, gymnastics and bouldering, as well as many other codes.

“It will be an amazing facility for the town,” Illingworth says.

The estimated cost to build is $12 million,

of which Auckland Council has already agreed to contribute $2,250,000. It will be up to the board to raise around $10 million. Current board members are president Mark Illingworth, chair Graham Buchs, secretary Karlie Stanbra, interim treasurer Nicola Jones, and Koen McGee, Jo Morrison, Cameron Gray, Sean Mitchell, Gerard van Tilborg and John Hunt (Harbour Basketball chief executive).

The board will hold its annual general meeting at the Bayleys office, corner Mill Lane and Queen Street, on Monday, June 12, starting at 7.30pm. All welcome. Enquiries and info: email mahusport@ gmail.com or phone Graham Buchs on 027 840 7592.

It is just grass now, but Mahurangi Sport and Recreation Board president Mark Illingworth (left) and chair Graham Buchs are confident that the multi-sport complex will one day stand on this spot.

The proposed multi-sport building

Bowler hits one hundred

While normally it’s cricketers who notch up a century, former Warkworth lawn bowler May Evans hit 100 herself on April 10 – 100 years, that is.

Bowls Warkworth marked the occasion with a special lunch in May’s honour, and two other life members were among the guests – Les Hatfull, who was celebrating his 97th birthday, and Jack Knowles, who is also 97. Now living in the Waikato with her daughter Trish Good, May was still playing bowls up until she was 96, making her possibly the oldest competitive bowler in NZ at that time.

She played bowls at Warkworth for more than 30 years where she was, at one time or another, treasurer, coach, winter coach and match committee convenor.

She had a formidable record on the greens, winning in club singles, pairs, triples and fours, as well as many centre level tournaments. In 2006, May, Eileen Trotter and Joy Harper-Keeley won the Bowls North Harbour Champ of Champ triples. At the birthday celebration, Joy paid tribute to May’s generosity in sharing her bowling skills and recalled a particularly wet tournament on

May Evans made a special trip from the Waikato to attend the celebration in her honour at Warkworth Bowls.

Norfolk Island where they beat the Norfolk Island Commonwealth team.

May thanked the speakers for their memories and the club for the lunch, the flowers and the birthday cake.

2023 TERM 2 - WARKWORTH PROGRAMME

#Nurture is this term’s theme and we have a range of activities/workshops on offer. We look forward to seeing you soon! Make sure you like us on Facebookwomenscentrerodney and Instagram womenscentre_rodney and check out our posts for all the latest news and happenings.

UNLESS ADVISED, ALL COURSE/WORKSHOPS ARE AT HELD THE WOMEN’S CENTRE Deeper Experience of Art Therapy

Monday 15 May - 19 June, 10am - 12.30pm

$30 people receiving a benefit. $70 waged. Deepen your experience of Art Therapy by learning a layering technique that will help you to process and integrate feelings, thoughts and emotions. You will come away with one unique work of art. You don’t need to have any art experience to attend this 5-week course. Facilitator: Heidi Downey

WOW Move Up Programme

Tuesdays from 9 May - 27 June, 9.30am - 12.30pm

$30 people receiving a benefit, $60 waged Discover your unique worth and strengths and how to use them and explore ways to make the changes you want that will last. We will help you develop a realistic plan – a way forward to keep building a better life for you and your family. Have fun and celebrate with other women in a supportive group setting.

Facilitators: Jo Nicholson and Bridget Farmiloe

Young Mum’s Educational Programme

Thursdays from 27 April

10am - 12.30pm FREE

For mothers up to 24 yrs. Make friends and explore strategies for raising healthy, happy children. Some childminding & morning tea provided. Facilitator: Sarah Woolford

Women’s Circles

Tuesdays from 2 May - 27 June

Wellbeing Circle 6pm-7pm drop in - KOHA Sharing practices to support wellbeing during times of stress

Song Circle 7:30pm - 8:30pm - FREE Sharing simple circle songs to support and uplift. No musical talent necessary

SuperGrans - Kaitiaki MentoringThe Sharing of Generational Knowledge

Info and Volunteers Mentor Sessions

Tuesdays 2 May, 16 May, 6 June, 20 June, 1.30pm-2.30pm FREE

SuperGrans Rodney is a free service supporting women to develop life skills through one-onone mentoring and workshops. Mentors walk alongside, supporting them to develop a range of different skills including cooking healthy meals on a budget, gardening, growing food, CV writing, applying for jobs, budgeting, sewing and more. If you are interested in becoming a mentor or want to know more about the service come along to one of our info sessions.

Sustainable Life Skill Sessions

Every 2nd Wednesday from 10 May, 10am-12.30pm FREE

COOKING: Would you like to try some new healthy, low budget meals in hands-on small ratio groups?

All ingredients provided and is shared together and some taken home.

10 May Feijoas 3 ways – stewed, crumble, chutney with Deirdre.

24 May Q&A - Rachael Wilson (Dietitian, Family nutritionist & parenting coach)

7 June Soup for the Soul with Glenda.

21 June TBC

Thursday Evening Seminars,

3rd Thursday each month, 5.30pm-7pm FREE

18 May Romina Shahram – Webster

Thriving through Art & Creativity Series: Crafty Conversations

Fridays from 28 April, 10am - 12pm FREE

Crafty Conversations is a peer support group where you can unleash your creative side while enjoying the company of others. Whatever your craft is, this is an opportunity to meet in a safe environment and connect with others to enhance wellbeing. Focus this term on supporting our Winter Warmer Campaign Host: Jo Nicholson (and special guests) Clay Workshop

Saturday 27 May, 10am - 2.30pm at Kowhai Arts Centre $70

A one-day workshop at artist’s studio. The class will start with an introduction to clay, making pinch pots, joining them. Followed by creating, decorating and texturing another sculpture using your new skills. Make something beautiful to take home. Facilitator: Emma Zhang

Harakeke/ Flax Weaving workshop

Saturday 20 May, 10am - 2pm at Shoesmith Hall $65

Learn basic flax weaving skills from an experienced local weaver and create a waikawa basket. Students are also introduced to the customs (tikanga) around working with flax. Facilitator: Britta Conrad

Women’s Naturopath, Herbalist & Massage

Tuesdays from 2 May, 10am - 2pm $20 per 15 min. Bookings essential

Facilitator: Tania Burrows

Holistic Pulsing Massage

Mondays from 5 May $65 per hour. Bookings essential

Practitioner: Heidi Downey FREE* and Subsidised

Counselling for Women

Six sessions available. Please call the Centre to discuss an appointment. (* free for women with dependents under 18) Phone 09 425 7261.

Drop In Mon-Fri – 9.30am - 2.30pm

We know there are unique challenges for everyone and we are here to help you navigate them. The Centre is open 9.30-2.30pm and you are welcome to drop in for a chat, coffee, or to just take a moment in a safe space.

Volunteers

We are keen for volunteers to help us at the centre.

AA Group Meetings

Every Wednesday, 7.30 pm FREE Women’s AA Meeting - Held every week at the Women’s Centre. We welcome you. No booking required. Facilitator: Janene

FREE Legal Clinic

9.30 am– 10.30 am every third Friday. Bookings essential. 28 April, 12 May, 9 June, 30 June Phone and in person appointments are available. Call or book via our website.

Hope motivates swimmers

Members of the Leigh ocean swimmers turned out in force to support the Due Drop Hope Challenge team when it came through the district earlier this month. The swimmers did a four kilometre swim from Matheson Bay to Ti Point in support, where they rendezvoused with the team at the wharf. Mike King, Rick Wells and Ian Jones then swam to the Omaha Surf Club, where the challenge continued to Auckland on bikes. The team is due in Wellington around Wednesday this week. It was organised to raise awareness of the struggles young people face accessing counselling, despite a $1.5 billion investment by the current government. To support their efforts, go to: https://www.gumbootfriday.org. nz/hope-challenge

Malcolm – Guardianship Matters.

15 June Tania Burrows – Naturopath & Herbalist

– Wintering Well

Contact

FREE Cervical Screening

17 May. Call or register via our website.

09 425 7261 or 0800 2DROPIN (0800 237 674)

info@womenscentrerodney.org.nz

Life members, from left, Les Hatfull, May Evans and Jack Knowles.

Helping

At The Food Tree, we’re committed to empowering our children to thrive in today’s world. With rising rates of eating disorders, mental health issues, and body image concerns among our youth, it’s crucial to equip ourselves with the necessary tools to support our children. Our practical, evidence-based workshops provide the strategies you need to support your child’s mental health, nutrition, and body image.

Our nurturing environment offers a safe and supportive space to explore these important topics. As parents, we have the power to shape the future and build a brighter tomorrow for our children. Let’s learn how to parent differently and equip our children with the skills they need. Join us for our upcoming workshop series, including Raising Conscious and Happy Children, Mealtime Magic and The Body Image Workshop

By attending our workshops, you’ll learn how to support your child with positive coping strategies for anxiety and depression, develop skills for emotional regulation, build resilience, raise adventurous eaters, and nurture your child’s body confidence and autonomy. You’ll also learn meal-planning skills and provide meals that the whole family will enjoy.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to become a more informed and effective parent.

Get your tickets today at www.thefoodtree.co

Health Building resilience

The word ‘resilience’ can be a loaded word. It is often misused to mean toughen up or put on a brave face. This harmful attitude of ‘man up and get over it’ needs to be redefined. When we talk about building resilience in children, it’s not about preparing them for a harsh world. Rather, it’s reminding them that life isn’t perfect, it’s messy and hard and we are perfectly imperfect. However, we also have the ability to learn skills and develop a different mindset that builds our capacity to cope with whatever life throws at us. When I think about the lessons on resilience and mental fitness that I want to impart to our children, I think of:

• Accepting imperfection: We are not designed to be perfect and that’s okay. Vulnerability can be a source of strength, and owning our flaws and mistakes takes courage.

• Be yourself, and that is enough: Whether loud or quiet, assertive or subdued, introvert or extrovert, or a little of each, you get to choose what’s right for you at any given moment.

• Coping with life’s challenges: Life can be overwhelming and messy, and it’s normal to feel frustrated and upset sometimes. All emotions are valid, and we can learn to sit with and process them, express our feelings and navigate challenging emotions such as sadness, grief and anger.

• Mistakes are part of growth: Making mistakes is a natural part of learning, and we don’t need to get it right the first time. Our minds are hardwired to focus on the negative and critical, but we can

In brief

Grants invitation

rewire our brains by practicing gratitude and building a positive mindset. Often our biggest mistakes or mess-ups are the best opportunities for learning and growth.

• Practising self-care: Taking care of ourselves isn’t selfish. We are our child’s greatest role models. Parents need to model what self-care looks like in action. It’s not just about massages and bubble baths. Sometimes it looks like setting boundaries, having difficult conversations or prioritising rest over the to-do list.

• Developing competence and autonomy: Children are capable of more than we often realise, and developing their confidence requires us to step back and give them opportunities. This can be done by offering age-appropriate challenges such as making a cup of tea, climbing a tree or helping in the kitchen, without pushing them beyond their capabilities.

• Feeling a sense of belonging and love: Knowing that we belong and are loved can help us feel supported and connected. This can come from extended family, friendship groups or team sports where children learn that they have a support crew and that they are surrounded by those who love them. Ultimately, building resilience is about developing skills and coping strategies that help us navigate life’s challenges. It’s not about achieving a state of constant happiness or peace, but rather about building the capacity to handle difficult moments and appreciate the good ones.

Community organisations in Kaipara are invited to apply for a community grant. The grants are intended to support events, services or activities that benefit the community, as well as operational costs or capital costs. Previous recipients have covered a range of interests from sports, libraries, halls and heritage to performance, arts and environment. Grants range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. Applications close on Monday, May 1 at 4.30pm. Application forms can be accessed on the Kaipara District Council website. Info: grants@kaipara.govt.nz

Point Wells security

There will be an update on security cameras in Point Wells when the Point Wells Community and Ratepayers Association holds its annual meeting at the Point Wells Hall on Sunday, April 30. Other items on the agenda include pest control, harbour safety and environmental topics, hall renovations, traffic calming and civil defence. The meeting starts at 4pm. All welcome.

Rachael Wilson, The Food Tree rachael@thefoodtree.co

Cuisine

Lauraine Jacobs www.laurainejacobs.co.nz/blog/

Local heroes and kedgeree

We have a lot to celebrate in our local food scene. With so many of the growers and food producers in this beautiful and bountiful region just north of Auckland, it is unsurprising to see the results of the recent Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards. Local food heroes demonstrated their commitment to excellence, innovation and sustainability by being awarded gold, silver or bronze medals in this showcase of what our country does best.

Every Saturday, several of them can be seen at the Matakana Farmers Market with their delicious award-winning foods.

One such local hero is Michael Isbey, who with his wife Sophie Randrup, owns Matakana Smokehouse. They won Gold for their cold smoked salmon, which is carefully sliced by hand after being seasoned and smoked in their smokehouse, on the corner of Matakana and Sharp Roads. Recently, they opened a small retail outlet on that site, where they stock a complete range of their products, including tasty smoked fish, sourced fresh from nearby Leigh Fisheries. I love to warm that fish up, whether it’s the warehou (which also won Gold), gemfish, salmon, kahawai, tuna and more, and eat it with warm with fresh bread and plenty of butter or mayo. I used the gold medal-winning warehou in the kedgeree recipe below. Also in stock in that little shop is a variety of very fresh fish, exactly what the Matakana district has been missing, and some of the other lovely local produce like Salty River Farm herbs, vegetables and their now famous bags of mixed salad leaves, which also won a gold

medal in 2022. The shelves are stacked with gourmet essentials too like special pastas, cheeses, sauces and much more.

The awards are an annual event, where around 300 entries from all over the country are assessed and judged by panels of food experts; chefs, food writers, industry specialists, who taste everything blind so no favourites can be singled out. Other winners of medals this year from the district include an exceptional four gold medals for David and Janelle Herrick’s Foundry Chocolate, two golds for Momojo Real Kefir, which is made by Scott Butland and Torben Sorenson in Puhoi, and two of the Perfectly Imperfect Pizza kits, the meat and the vegetarian.

As long as the Farmers Market has been there, the local Matakana olive cooperative has had a stand, and consistency and care saw a gold awarded for their extra virgin olive oil this year. Pickles, sauces and jams could be regarded as a staple of any pantry and we’re fortunate to have some excellent craftspeople making the most of produce in the region. Look out for Jimmy’s Food smoked sweet chilli sauce that won bronze, while a gold medal was awarded to Sharon McNabb’s Get Pickled plum and lemon jam. Sharon can be found with her delicious range of pickles, jams and chutneys in the Matakana Market by the old dairy company building on Saturday mornings.

I was inspired to use local ingredients for this savoury fragrant kedgeree. It’s delicious with everything sourced locally except the rice, curry powder and the salt!

Kedgeree

1 large cup rice (I prefer basmati for its fragrance and lengthy grains, but jasmine rice would be fine)

4 tbsp extra virgin olive

1 large onion or fennel bulb, finely chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 fresh eggs

1 lemon, zest and juice

400g hot smoked warehou, gemfish or salmon (Matakana Smokehouse) flaked into neat

Cook the rice first. Wash it well under a running water then tip into a saucepan with 2 cups cold water and half a teaspoon of salt. Bring the rice to a swift boil, turn the temperature to low and cover the pan with a lid. Continue cooking for 10 minutes then take the pan off the heat, leaving the lid on.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a deep frying pan and add the onion or fennel and the ginger with the curry powder and cook over a low heat until it is golden and beginning to crisp up.

Boil the eggs for 7 minutes and immediately plunge into cold water to stop them cooking.

Grate the lemon zest and add the zest and juice, with the cooked rice, to the onion mixture in the pan. Toss

Brick Bay is a land of plenty

From our flourishing vegetable garden, we produce an array of garden greens, herbs and edible flowers Our fruit trees are adorned with peaches, plums, citrus, pecans and macadamias and our lamb comes straight from our farm Combining these truly local ingredients with those from nearby artisan producers, our passionate chefs create inspired seasonal dishes of contemporary New Zealand cuisine

To book a table call 09 425 4690. Open every day. 17 Arabella Lane, Snells Beach.

to Matakana Fabric fiesta set to return

Miles of material and tonnes of textiles will be up for grabs next month, when the Fabric Rescue community group holds its annual market for unwanted fabrics at Matakana Hall. The group is currently on the lookout for donations of any good quality fabric that is no longer being used, as well as wool, sewing or knitting patterns, and notions or haberdashery – sewing supplies such as buttons, needles, thread, elastic, ribbons, zips and so on.

This will be the third Fabric Rescue sale and organisers say it gives people the chance to have a good clear out and donate any materials they’re not using, even if it’s only to make room for new supplies.

There is always something for everyone, whether they’re looking for fabric for craft, fashion, upholstery or upcycling, with everything from leather and lace to satin and sacking, and from tiny scraps and remnants up to full size bolts of cloth. Items are not individually priced as such – instead, customers are asked to give a cash or Eftpos donation.

There will also be community upcycled craft items for sale. As well as unwanted material, Fabric Rescue is also looking for volunteers to help in the lead up to the sale and on the day itself. One of the organisers, Julie Tuck, says there’s always lot to do, from sorting fabric and other donations to setting up the sale and baking for the market team.

“Our mission is to keep fabric and textiles circulating and out of landfill and, in doing so, raise money for amazing local sewing and upcycling projects,” she says.

“We take good condition fabrics, notions, wool and craft materials and help them find new homes with creatives who can give them a new life.

“If anyone would like to get involved, please let us know. It’s always a great day but there is a lot to do on and before the big day.”

Tuck says it’s also a great chance for people to connect with others in the community who enjoy sewing, knitting, upcycling and creative crafts.

The Fabric Rescue Market will take place on Sunday, May 28 from 10am to 2pm. Anyone wanting to donate material, know more or volunteer should contact Julie Tuck on 027 570 8151 or fabricrescuemk@gmail.com

Pink Ribbon brunch

A Pink Ribbon brunch will be held at the Warkworth Town Hall on Thursday May 18, from 10am to 1pm. The programme will include a speaker, raffle and quiz, as well as a prize for best dressed, alcoholfree cocktails and delicious food. Tickets are $20 and are available from the Town Hall office. Info: aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Breakfasts raise vital funds

Broadcaster and Breast Cancer Foundation

NZ Ambassador Lorna

Riley is encouraging New Zealanders to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast next month to support Kiwis affected by breast cancer.

After going through breast cancer for a second time last year, Riley says Pink Ribbon Breakfast is a cause that is close to her heart.

“Through my shock diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and beyond, the foundation has been there alongside me with support, advice and wonderful resources,” she says.

The charity doesn’t receive any government funding, so hosting a Pink Ribbon Breakfast is an important fundraising event. Money raised is used for education, research and patient support.

“It’s also a great time to remind women to check their breasts and when they last had a mammogram. Early detection is everything when it comes to this insidious disease, as I well know. So get to know your normal, book that mammogram if it’s overdue, and get your friends and whānau to do the same.”

Around 3500 Kiwi are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and it is the leading cause of death for NZ women under 65.

For more information and to register to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast, visit www.pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz

Principal Sponsor

Warkworth-Wellsford, Puhoi Axemens Club, Menz Shed, Springboard, Kapa Haka & Pacifika Groups, TransCon, Topuni Timber, InSite, New World Warkworth, STR Automotive, Warehouse Stationery, Paper Plus, Warkworth Butchery, Warkworth Community Shop, Charlies Gelato, 8 Wired, The Tahi, Warkworth Menswear, Bin Inn, Stargate Forest Retreat, Flora Flowers, Intimate Apparel, Katie Boyle Real Estate, The Photo Store, Matakana Cinemas, Gold Coin, Warkworth Pony Club, Micro Med, Airlyte Garden Mulch

Warkworth Museum, Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade, The Vintage Car Club

Making a material difference – Fabric Rescue takes unwanted textiles and saves them from landfill.

& Animal Bedding, Brick Bay Equine, all our volunteers and our

fabulous

committee

– many thanks!

The Warkworth A&P Society wish to thank all the sponsors and volunteers for making this years Warkworth A&P Lifestyle Show a huge success. It was a fantastic day and it could not have happened without the help of those involved.

Lorna Riley

A new commission by New Zealand composer Alex Taylor will feature on the programme when Les Voisins takes the stage at the Warkworth Town Hall this Saturday, April 29, at 4pm.

The trio of Justine Cormack (violin), James Bush (cello) and Simon Martyn-Ellis (theorbo, guitar) will present a lively French themed programme, from the Baroque era to the jazzy swing of the 1930s.

Les Voisins, translated means neighbours, which reflects the shared history of Cormack and Bush, who grew up next door to each other in Christchurch. They have remained close friends throughout their diverse careers – Cormack promoting New Zealand music through her performances with NZTrio, and Bush pursuing the freedom and energy of Baroque performance practice with many

of Europe’s top groups. While performing, they met Australian lutenist and guitarist Simon Martyn-Ellis, a sought-after theorbo player, and the trio was born.

Their carefully crafted programme begins in the world of French Baroque. The repertoire moves through to the vibrant colours of Ravel’s impressionism, before jumping into the irresistible swing of guitarist Django Reinhardt and the grandfather of jazz violin Stéphane Grappelli, with a tribute to the Hot Club de France.

A coming together of worlds, neighbours, and friends, Les Voisins’ vitality and impeccable artistry are a rare treat for the audience. The concert is presented by Warkworth Music in association with Chamber Music NZ. It starts at 4pm. Tickets $35, $10 for tertiary students and school children free.

Cats set to dazzle Warkworth audiences

Local youth performers from Glass Ceiling Arts Collection’s inclusive Youth Theatre programme will take over the Warkworth Town Hall from Friday to Sunday, May 12 to 14.

The company will present the young actors edition of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats.

Based on the Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, by T. S. Elliot, the production is set to wow audiences with incredible costumes and make-up, and a top notch set constructed by students on the design course at Yoobee South Seas

Film and TV school.

The production that features participants with and without disabilities has been rehearsing since February, and features a cast of more than 30 young cats from in and around Warkworth.

Champions for accessibility, Glass Ceiling Arts Collective is striving to remove financial barriers for audiences by providing low cost tickets and 20 ‘pay what you can’ tickets for each show. To find out more or to buy tickets visit www. glassceilingartscollective.com

One of the world’s favourite musicals will take the stage in Warkworth in May.

Concert for flood victims

A Variety Concert will be held at the Warkworth Town Hall next month to raise money for flood victims in the local area.

The event is being organised jointly by Warkworth Lions, Warkworth Rotary and the Warkworth Town Hall.

Lions member Peter Henderson says the devastation caused by the weather events at the start of the year is still affecting people’s lives.

Marines confirm Warkworth date

Big band lovers are in for a treat this weekend when the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band plays a one-hour concert at the Warkworth Museum, in Parry Kauri Park.

The band is in New Zealand to bring “the aloha spirit” from their home base in Kaneohe Hawaii to Aotearoa.

During World War II, about 5000 US service members were in Warkworth and created connections in the area that continue to this day.

The band is comprised of 45 marines, under the direction of CWO4 Andres Navarro. All band members are fully trained riflemen, as well as professional musicians. A spokesperson says the tour is aimed at entertaining and educating audiences as

they represent United States values of honour, courage and commitment through the balance of musical excellence.

Museum manager Victoria Joule says the museum is expecting a contemporary band that plays rock, country and popular music, as well as adding in some jazz and swing numbers.

“There will be something for everyone in the show,” she says.

The concert will be free and entry to the museum on the day will be discounted.

The band will play under the sheltered area alongside the museum so visitors are encouraged to bring along a picnic, a chair or blanket to enjoy the music.

The concert will be held on Saturday, April 29, starting at 11.30am.

Here come the Marines

The money will be distributed through Lions and Rotary networks.

The evening’s programme is still being arranged, but it will include several musical items, a magic show and a skit by the Warkworth Theatre Company.

Henderson says that given that this is also the day that King Charles III will be crowned, he is expecting a royal touch to the evening.

“Much has been heard of the devastation in the Hawkes Bay but, closer to home, people have had their homes and businesses red stickered, and are sleeping wherever they can until this is resolved.

“Every cent raised by the concert will go to helping these people, whether they live in Muriwai or Ruawai.”

Quiz night invitation

Rodney Local Board member Guy Wishart will give a short talk on the extent of the flooding out west and Warkworth’s town crier will also be present.

The concert will be held at the town hall on Saturday May 6, starting at 6pm. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $5 for children, and are available from Mahurangi Matters and the Warkworth Town Hall.

The sandpit area on the junior campus at the Warkworth Primary School will be given a renovation with funds raised by a Quiz Night being held on Friday, May 19. Organisers are inviting locals to put a team together and enjoy a fun night out. The evening will be held at the Warkworth Bowls Club, Mill Lane. Alan Melroy, from CrackUp Quiz, will be the MC and as well as the quiz, there will be entertainment, food, drinks and live auctions. “It will be a great opportunity for parents, caregivers and community members to come together for a fun-filled night out while supporting a great cause,” an organiser says. “We are also seeking the donation of auction items.” Auction items can be left at the senior office during school hours, while vouchers and questions can be emailed directly to pta@warkworth.school.nz. Tickets can be purchased from the school. They can be bought individually for $40 or a table of six costs $220. Doors will open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

The concert at the Warkworth Museum will be a rare opportunity to hear a band of the calibre of the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band. Photo, US Marine Corps Sgt. Ashley Cook.

The seven-piece jazz band Trad Revival is just one of the acts lined up for the Warkworth Variety Concert.

Wine

James Graham, Matakana Winegrowers james@takatuwine.co.nz

The summer of our discontent

No one really saw Auckland’s summer of 2023 coming. After winter and spring had both been at record, or near record, levels of rainfall, a little respite was generally hoped for. But given that our 2019 through to 2022 summers had all been largely hot and dry, when water tankers ran 24 hours a day, and our local vineyards flourished – a wet winter, and even spring didn’t feel out of place.

Any respite obviously proved to be wishful thinking, however – the impact of around 1000mm of summer rain in our region impacting through not only the sheer volume of rainfall, but the time grapevine canopies spent continuously wet. Disease pressure (particularly powdery and downy mildew) was extremely high on the grapevine foliage as a consequence. This, in turn, put considerable pressure on vineyards to maintain protective spray programmes in very unfavourable, and in some cases impossible, conditions when vineyard soils were too wet for spray equipment to enter at crucial times.

If that wasn’t enough, some of the region’s more coastal vineyards were additionally impacted when the massive winds of Cyclone Gabrielle whipped sea spray from the storm’s surf across the land, causing salt burn to the canopies of vineyards in their path. This effectively shut down the vines photosynthetic engines just as ripening was entering full swing.

Yet, for all these challenges, several local vineyards have still managed to bring some, if not all, of their grapes to harvest. The relatively benign and settled weather

Wedding finery on show

Harbour Hospice will be the beneficiary of a wedding dress parade being held at Whangaparaoa College on May 20. The event will celebrate wedding fashion and the unique personality that local brides and their families put into making the day special. More than 30 dresses will be showcased during the afternoon, representing the decades from the 1950s to present day. Organisers are promising an afternoon of glamour and panache on the catwalk. Tickets are $39. Doors open at 2pm, with the show starting at 3pm. Info: https://harbourhospice.org.nz/

of our autumn allowing those vineyards who, through good management and good luck, survived the summer onslaught to achieve some hard-earned reward for their considerable work through the year. These Matakana wines from 2023 will be limited in number and predominantly earlier ripening white varieties or rosé wines. The settled autumn has allowed these grapes to be harvested in surprisingly good condition and will make attractive wines, representative of what has been a challenging season, but also of the tenacity of those who have battled to make them a reality.

2023 will be a bitter pill to swallow for those Matakana vineyards who haven’t been able to produce any wine. These struggles are shared across other wine regions in Auckland and the wider North Island, where many others also experienced enormous challenges –none more so than the vineyards destroyed by flooding in parts of the Hawkes Bay. Collectively, our hearts bleed for those who have truly lost all, a salutary reminder that while this growing season has been tough, we are fortunate to be able to bounce back immediately next year.

And bounce back we will – buoyed partly by the recent shift out of the La Nina Pacific weather pattern back towards the El Nino pattern, which tends to bring us colder winters and more settled drier summers, but primarily by the passion that drives all grape growers and winemakers to create something that can be shared and enjoyed widely, reflective of its unique place and of the people who have crafted it.

new ground feature

AT pushes ahead with new roading network designations

A route protection strategy for future transport networks in Warkworth has been approved by the board of Auckland Transport.

As well, it has released an initial $5.6 million for route protection, subject to Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency Board approval of the Warkworth Detailed Business Case and a funding contribution from them.

An estimated 19 full properties and part of a further 217 properties will be needed for the recommended network.

The project is being coordinated by the Supporting Growth Alliance, which estimates it will cost $38 million for early property purchases (property hardship risk), which means there will be a funding shortfall of close to $32 million, although developers are expected to contribute one-third of the total network cost. It says this shortfall is being addressed.

The new network includes the long-awaited western link road, which will link State Highway 1 near McKinney Road to the Matakana link road on SH1; a Matakana Road to Sandspit Road link; and a wider western link road, which will traverse the development to the south of Warkworth, in the vicinity of Valerie Close.

At a Warkworth Liaison Group meeting this month, concerns were raised about both the inner western link and the Sandspit link.

One Mahurangi co-chair Dave Stott said the proposed western link road route would cut-off some industrial zoned land from the existing industrial area, and made no sense. He also had concerns about the chosen route for the Sandspit link road, but said the Supporting Growth Alliance was showing little interest in taking on board community concerns.

Meanwhile, Notices of Requirements (NoRs), which will protect land designated for the new roading network, were expected to be lodged with Auckland Council this month with public notification of the NoRs in August. Hearings and appeals were expected to be resolved by the end of next year.

The Warkworth Detailed Business Case assumes that the central parts of the new network will be delivered over the next 10 years, the south-west completed by 2033-2038, and north-east by 2038-43.

The AT board was told that delaying or not proceeding with route protection was not recommended, given the pressure for greenfield growth in Warkworth, the risk of build-out and the potential for long-term cost increase risk for AT when these projects were delivered in the future. “Not implementing the network would result in reliance

on private vehicle travel, increased delays and queues on the existing SH1, Matakana Road and Sandspit Road corridors, reduced network resilience and negative outcomes for safety, urban form and active travel,” the report said.

It also stated that passenger rail to Auckland as a long list option was considered in the early investigations, through use of the existing North Auckland Line (NAL) or a rail spur to Warkworth. This option was ruled out due to long journey times and high capital and operating costs.

“The recommended network does not preclude passenger rail in the future, which could be accessed by park and ride or bus services.”

The Supporting Growth report said modelling identified

there would be a nine per cent reduction in Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKTs) in 2048 as a result of the Strategic Transport Network compared to the baseline network, and an emissions reduction of 1296 tonnes per year over 60 years compared to the baseline.

“Long-term resilience has also been a focus of the business case processes. The design accommodates 1-in-100 year flooding, and flood modelling has been assessed at 2.1 degrees warming and 16 per cent increase in rainfall events based on guidance from council.”

The recommended strategic transport network was developed in collaboration with AT, Waka Kotahi, Auckland Council and mana whenua and builds on previous business cases undertaken to develop the network over the past five years.

Key outcomes of recommended network (2048+)

Education steps up growth plan

The site for a new primary school has been secured in Woodcocks Road, Warkworth, with negotiations for a second site further south of the town well underway.

The Ministry of Education leader (north) Isabel Evans says consultation on the proposed new school will be undertaken with the boards of all state and state integrated schools whose rolls might be affected. This is likely to start this year.

“An establishment board will be appointed, and one of the establishment board’s primary tasks will be to develop a vision for the school,” Evans says.

She says that based on anticipated population growth in the Warkworth area over the next few decades, the initial build is anticipated to be for 400 student places and learning support specialist provision will be included.

“The establishment board will assist in the design of and planning for the school, appoint the principal and other senior management staff and decide on the name of the new school.

“As part of the consultation process, we will be seeking nominations from members of the community to be members of the establishment board.”

A construction start date or opening date could not be confirmed.

Concern about the site for the new school was raised at a Warkworth Liaison Group meeting this month. It was described as inappropriate to put it on such a busy road and not in closer proximity to the residential areas it is being built to serve.

The two new primary schools are in response to planned growth in Warkworth, which will also see expansion at Mahurangi College.

Late last year, the college was in the design stage for an eight-classroom, twostorey block, to be built on the existing football field, behind the gymnasiums and swimming pool and next to the bus bay. The new building is expected to open sometime next year and will accommodate Years 7 and 8 classrooms.

Farming events returns in June

Fieldays, the southern hemisphere’s largest agricultural event, is set to return to its traditional winter dates from June 14-17 and tickets are on sale now.

This year marks the 55th year for this iconic New Zealand event, bringing town and country together to celebrate and champion innovation, education and globalisation.

Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation said he was thrilled to welcome everyone back to Fieldays in June.

“After the challenges of the past few years and more recently the adverse weather events, we are looking forward to bringing everyone together to reconnect and regroup,” he said.

“From the first Fieldays in 1968 held at Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton, there has been a lot of change and growth over the years.”

Visitors to Fieldays 2023 can expect to

see over 1000 exhibitors showcasing the latest in agricultural farming equipment, technology, innovation and agri-services. While there are still some programming and exhibitor announcements to come, the must see Fieldays Hubs will once again feature strongly as will the crowd favourites – the tractor pull, and excavator and fencing competitions.

All visitors will again be in to win an Isuzu D-Max ute.

Entries for the coveted Fieldays Innovation Awards are still open and close on Thursday May 4. Like previous years, the entrants will be part of the popular Fieldays Innovations Hub showcasing the best innovators in the sector.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online via the Fieldays website, or at the gate during the event. For more information head to www.fieldays.co.nz.

The site for the proposed primary school in Woodcocks Road is believed to be just along from the Summerset Retirement Village.

Entries for the innovation awards at Fieldays close at 1pm on May 4. Info: fieldays.co.nz/ innovation

Wood looking good for new Warehouse and Leeming stores

Contractors, tradies and suppliers had a sneak peek inside the new Warehouse and Noel Leeming stores off Woodcocks Road in Warkworth recently, when developer Glen Inger hosted an open afternoon on April 13. Inger, who was one of the founders of The Warehouse and is still a shareholder, was keen to show off the eco-friendly innovations and methods used in the first stage of his Kowhai Falls shopping centre, which is due to open its doors on May 22. At first glance and from the outside, the 6500-square metre building looks much like any other big box store build, but this particular development is a long way from The Warehouse’s old ‘red shed’ format.

Inger, working with Scott Watson from Naylor Love, was determined to keep the project’s carbon footprint low and energy efficiency high to make it one of the most efficient retail buildings in New Zealand.

The biggest point of difference between Kowhai Falls and a traditional build is the use of engineered wood such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) instead of steel for the structure. The LVL wood used comes from NZ pines planted 25 years ago, significantly reducing the construction’s carbon footprint.

“I love timber,” Inger said. “It is more expensive, but it’s quicker to put up – you just clip it all together.”

Using LVL is not without its challenges, though, as project manager Bevan Morrison admitted.

“Wood’s nice to work with, but it behaves differently to steel,” he said.

For a start, the polished concrete floor had to be poured before the frame could go up and the roof go on. Then there was the problem of heavy rain falling on the laminated struts before they could be sealed and roofed over, resulting in the wood swelling and much of it having to be pulled down and reconstructed to adjust the amount of ‘give’ in the joint.

Because the wooden frame is heavier than its

steel equivalent, around twice as many metal support columns are needed to support it, though Inger is confident that in the next stage of the shopping centre, he can get that number down, as they work with the new system and get to know what can work.

The walls and roof are made with Metalcraft PIR insulated panels that, together with 650mm of insulation under the slab floor, will help to make the building at least 30 per cent more energy efficient than any other branch of The Warehouse.

“It’s basically a big chilly bin in there,” Inger said.

continued next page

The Noel Leeming branch will be three times the size of its old Queen Street store.

There’s more to this big box store than meets the eye.

from previous page

The insulated panels are also much quicker to install than standard walls and roofing materials, taking just days instead of weeks to put up.

Inger has brought in hi-tech air-conditioning units from Europe that automatically open and close a system of dampers to maximise use of cool or warm air outside to optimise temperature and airflow.

There are banks of solar panels to power the building and a live display of how much solar energy is being generated vs power consumed will be displayed in real time on a screen in the foyer for shoppers to see. Light will be supplied by the latest low

energy LED lamps, which were found to be cheaper and more efficient than using natural light panels in the ceiling.

Outside, the large carpark has been laid with concrete, since hotmix not only shows signs of wear and tear more quickly, but now has to be imported from China. Inger has also changed the standard 90 degree spaces to angled parking, which he said will be much easier for shoppers to negotiate, whether driving or pushing a trolley. There are also no kerbs to minimise trip hazards.

“It’s all pretty exciting,” he said. “This is a long-time investment, not a short-term situation.

“We tried to use as many local contractors as we can – builders, plasterers, painters, and so on – and we’ve tried to assist them to gear up so they can get what we want done.”

Inger said the design of the next stage of Kowhai Falls was almost complete and he was looking to continue the LVL build theme there.

“That will go up from the bottom end of this building right up to Woodcocks, with shops like Number 1 Shoes or Hannahs, large retailers like that, then the next stage will be up on a raised platform, with small retailers, a cafe and and outside area,” he said.

The store features a highly polished Wharehine concrete floor.

Glen Inger pushed for the build to be as energy efficient as possible.

Project manager Bevan Morrison shows where an LVL roof strut joins an upright. Though still a way from completion, there is some Warehouse stock on display already.

The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery is due to open on May 22.

Drainage problems

aired at rural panel meeting

By Laura

Rural advocates say they have been left to manage stormwater drains on their own and were fed up by Auckland Council’s inaction.

At the Rural Advisory Panel on April 14, members expressed frustration over maintenance for rural stormwater drains being abandoned by council.

Healthy Waters safe septic programme lead Elizabeth Johnson said they were rapidly developing a flood response programme with some focus on rural areas. One area being looked at was building rural community resilience.

“We know rural communities are pretty resilient. If a storm drain is blocked we know you guys will just muck in and do it,” Johnson said.

The comment did not sit well with panel member Leanne Roberts who said it was not a fair expectation on rural communities.

Member Trish Fordyce said it was an offence to do work such as clearing storm drains on rural roads without consent.

“In the forestry industry, we have to have a maintenance plan for our roads and we are required to check them after a storm event,” Fordyce said. “We don’t see that requirement from Auckland Transport.”

Wellsford panel member Steve Levet said he saw the fear from farmers whose drains on council roads were blocked. “On our farm, my brother was too scared to clean the drain out. The whole time [they were clearing the drain], we were shit scared that the council was going to come out,” Levet said.

“A lot of the problems that have happened in rural Rodney are from a lack of maintenance. If you wait for the council to come along and clean them, it just won’t happen.”

Pukekohe member Keith Vallabh said before council amalgamated there was regular maintenance on the road network.

“We have not seen anything cleaned since we have been a part of the greater Auckland council,” Vallabh said. “I do know that when I went around the district, where things had blown out was where there was a lack of maintenance.”

Member Linda Potauaine said she had taken an Auckland Transport (AT) staff member to where a drain was meant to be, but was now overgrown.

“The AT person said that there was no drain there,” Potauaine said, who later proved to the AT staff member that a drain was meant to be there.

Chair Andy Baker said he was working as an AT board member to get some improvements for rural roads. He acknowledged planning had not been “the flashest on council’s side”.

Call for long-term view on food production

By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism

Auckland Council has been urged to limit urban sprawl to protect agricultural production on the city’s fringes. Under the government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development, Auckland Council is required to review its Future Development Strategy.

At a council Rural Advisory Panel meeting on April 14, council staff asked for feedback on the strategy, sparking calls for council to be brave and prioritise food security in Auckland.

Pukekohe member Keith Vallabh said Auckland was a big city to feed and it was becoming increasingly difficult to grow food in other regions with new law changes.

“There are only certain areas in which you can grow food,” Vallabh said.

Member Geoff Smith said if council wanted to continue see food produced locally then it would need a nuanced strategy for the future development of Auckland.

“It will take a brave council to take a longer view rather than if they want to be elected next time round,” Smith said.

He said council needed to make the decision and get on with it as urban sprawl into rural areas was limiting the option to produce food locally and the city was rapidly “passing the point of no return”.

Member Andrew McKenzie said if New Zealand wanted to get serious about food security, the government needed to “back off our farms”.

“It is becoming harder and harder to produce food,” he said. “The next generation is going to think we are mad; we work all the time.

“The government is just nailing our arse to the wall and it is going to be very hard to make a living.”

Public consultation on the strategy, including the section on rural Auckland, is expected to start in June.

funded through NZ On Air.

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

OneMahurangi

Murray Chapman, Manager https://onemahurangi.co.nz

An invitation to a recession

What happens when you are invited to a recession and you decline the invite?

A couple of days ago I made the mistake of watching the news on TV and apart from the sports coverage, the rest of the bulletin left me feeling quite depressed and down for the rest of the evening. I have always believed that in a lot of cases we talk ourselves into a recession. Our mind starts telling us that things are going to get tough, so we hold onto our money and slow down on paying our bills. This then makes it harder for our suppliers, so they start to hold onto their funds, and they slow down on paying their monthly bills, which then go from 30 days to 60 days and even 90 days. Eventually the supply and flow of money slowly dwindles and grinds to a halt.

Due to the flow of money slowing, businesses will consequently cut advertising and promotions and even cut back on sales staff. The very staff that help bring the business in. To me it has always seemed a backwards way to go about it. However, we are very lucky here in the Mahurangi area. Even over the winter we will have tourists and tourist buses stopping in Warkworth. The really positive

thing about the tourist buses is that they are now stopping in our town for an hour, more than the 10-minute comfort stop they have had in the past.

This means that during the hour the tourists are here, our retail stores and cafés have that extra opportunity to capture the tourist dollar. I must admit I love hearing different accents and seeing different people wandering about town. It adds real interest and vibrancy to the streets.

We are also extremely fortunate to be in an area of real growth. For businesses involved in the construction industry there are massive opportunities here for years to come. And the good news is there is no sign that the construction and development of new areas are going to ease up. Areas that were meant to be live-zoned in a decade are now being considered for live-zones within the next couple of years!

As a species it is often the case that we find it easier to hold onto the negative rather than the positive. I think for us living here in paradise it’s time we went against the trend and focused on how lucky we are instead. Plan for a prosperous future. Let’s turn down that gloomy invitation and continue to shop, support and love local!

Industrial sector confidence steady

Ongoing tenant demand for industrial property has kept vacancy rates at historically low levels in Auckland, despite higher interest rates, a cooling economy and increased development activity. Auckland’s industrial vacancy rate was recorded at 1.9% by Colliers Research in its latest February 2023 survey, virtually unchanged from the August 2022 figure of 1.8%. Vacancy across the region’s major industrial precincts has been below 2.5% since February 2015. Meanwhile, industrial property investors have become more cautious about the market in recent months due to rapidly rising interest rates and forecasts of an economic recession. As a result, sales volumes have declined from the elevated levels seen in 2020 and 2021.

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“Totally Dependable”

Fire bylaw expires

By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded

through NZ On Air.

Auckland Council has decided its bylaw on indoor domestic fires has become obsolete and therefore, won’t be renewed when it expires next year.

The bylaw was introduced in 2017 to address issues such as public nuisance caused by indoor fire smoke, prohibited fuels and suitable design of indoor fireplaces.

Wet wood, painted wood, fuel with a high sulphur content and green waste that could cause an increase in smoke production were all banned under the bylaw. Last term, policy advisor Chelsea Majoor said prohibited fuels regulations under the bylaw were impossible to enforce as compliance staff would need to be invited into Aucklanders homes.

Majoor says the bylaws impact is negligible. “The bylaw is not needed to address public nuisance – this is because the Auckland Unitary Plan is used instead and it has more effective enforcement powers,” Majoor said.

For a property owner to install a solid fuel heating system like a fireplace they need building consent. In order to get consent, the appliance must comply with design standards under the Resource Management Act’s National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NESAQ).

Since September 2005, the NESAQ has prohibited discharge of particles to air from a woodburner on a property of less than two hectares and any older installations must discharge less than 1.5 gram of particles for each kilogram of dry wood burnt. Open fires, pellet burners, multifuel burners, wood-burning cooking stoves and coal-burning heaters are missed under the NESAQ, which is where the bylaw was used to cover the gap.

The Air Quality Bylaw for Indoor Domestic Fires 2017 will expire on May 25 next year.

Arvida assessing its options for senior living site

One of New Zealand’s leading retirement village operators, Arvida Group, is the company behind the recent purchase of the large block of land just north of Warkworth known as Paddisons Farm.

Arvida already owns and runs 35 senior living communities housing 6750 residents throughout New Zealand, including its nearest village, the Peninsula Club at Stanmore Bay, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

General manager of development Jonathan Ash says now they’ve bought the 55 hectare roadside site just south of Warkworth Golf Club, work will begin on deciding exactly how it will be divided and developed.

“The purchased land is a very large area and at this stage we’re working through the best retirement community location and a range of options for the land,” he says.

Ash says wherever it is sited, the retirement village will include a mix of independent living and a range of care options, plus

communal areas for residents to enjoy. Whatever final development mix is decided upon, Arvida will need to work around planning constraints. At present, around 45% of the land is designated as Future Urban, with the rest zoned Mixed Rural. A private plan change would be needed to unlock the land for significant residential development, whether for a retirement village or otherwise, something that Ash says Arvida is currently investigating. “There are some planning constraints,” he says. “We are still working through the master planning to give us clarity on the best consenting pathway.”

Arvida chief executive Jeremy Nicoll says the land’s proximity to main roads and the motorway, as well as popular east coast destinations, makes it the perfect location for an Arvida community.

“It’s exciting to be adding to our 35 communities and sharing our mission of improving the lives of New Zealanders by

transforming the ageing experience,” he says. “We look forward to the planning of a new modern and vibrant retirement community that will enable us to bring our ‘Arvida Attitude of Living Well’ to Warkworth.”

Once initial development plans are finalised, Arvida envisages that construction is likely to begin in 2026.

Meanwhile, 14.75 hectares of development land across the road from Paddisons Farm was due to have been sold by April 12. However, Bayleys Warkworth commercial agent Chris Blair would not comment on whether it had sold or not as Mahurangi Matters went to press.

The land either side of the top of Te Honohono ki Tai Matakana link road was previously owned by the Membery family for more than 80 years. It is live-zoned for mixed urban residential housing, which could permit up to three dwellings per lot.

The Peninsula Club at Stanmore Bay is currently the closest Arvida property to Warkworth.

Two blocks of land opposite the Arvida site were due to be sold by April 12.

WARKWORTH’S DODGY MATRON

By Bryan Jackson

In late 1924, Nurse Nora Bennett left her position as matron at Warkworth Cottage Hospital and was replaced by Victorian-born Margaret Brodie, aged 34. Brodie had recently arrived in Auckland and was interviewed for the position by a representative of the Auckland Hospital Board.

Brodie provided her original nursing certificates and gave the name of her colleague Dr Brown as a referee. Contact was made with Dr Brown, who happened to be in Auckland at the time, who highly recommended Brodie for the position. She was duly appointed and began work at Warkworth in October.

However, within a month she fled, leaving a trail of fraud, false pretences and theft in her wake, not to mention a charge that she used morphine prescribed for patients for herself. The police issued a warrant for her arrest on November 26, stating that she was using a number of aliases.

After leaving Warkworth, Brodie travelled to Wellington and Hawkes Bay, where she worked using the name of Nurse Bennett, her predecessor at Warkworth. Brodie was arrested at Takapau in Hawkes Bay in December and appeared in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court. She pleaded not guilty to two charges of fraud, involving goods valued at £54 1s 9d, using two cheques to the value of £8, attempting to obtain goods valued at £16 9s 8d, having obtained a frock valued at £12 12s by false pretences and the theft of £3 12s. Warkworth businessmen, draper Benjamin Hamilton and grocer Alfred Hopewell, stated that Brodie had given them two cheques that bounced. Mrs Hamilton claimed that

Brodie had gone to Smith and Caughey in Auckland where she bought a frock worth £12 12s and charged it to her account. The theft of £3 12s was from a patient. Defence counsel claimed that Brodie did not know what she was doing at the time as she was full of morphia. Brodie stated in court that she had been addicted to morphia for some considerable time. She was found guilty on seven charges and was later sentenced to three months imprisonment and if she was not deported by that time, then she would serve a full three year term.

The NZ Truth of 10 January 1925 stated: “Margaret Beatrice Brodie is a larcenist, thief, pretender, forger and imposter, a gaol-bird of the first feather and over and above an almost unclaimable drug fiend.”

Upon her release from jail in April, Brodie was deported to Australia. If only the Auckland Hospital Board interviewer had checked her background, he would have discovered that between 1916 and 1923, Brodie had appeared in courts in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney seven times, and had been imprisoned for a total of 45 months and bound over to the Salvation Army for six months. This finding would certainly have precluded Brodie from becoming matron of the Warkworth Cottage Hospital.

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Common diseases in sheep

Sheep make an excellent choice of animal for the lifestyler with their tidy grazing habits, small feet that cause little pugging, and charming lambs come spring. But, being a prey animal, it can be tricky spotting a sick sheep. It can seem like the flock is perfectly healthy and then, the next day you wake to a dead sheep. There are a couple of diseases we commonly see during the late summer/autumn period which are worth highlighting: Facial eczema: This is a fungus that grows at the base of grass and causes liver toxicity to ruminants when ingested in sufficient quantities. Being a fungus, it thrives in warmth and humidity, and the number of spores can climb exponentially over a couple of days of ideal conditions. The fungal spores are taken in as sheep graze, causing liver damage and a reaction somewhat akin to sunburn. A sheep suffering from facial eczema will often have a crusty, weepy nose and eyes, and swollen, hanging ears with crusty margins. They will separate from the flock, hang their head and seek shade. Prevention is the best treatment – zinc boluses can be administered to sheep, which act to ‘mop up’ the damaging action of the spores and protect the liver. The boluses take some skill (and a decent set of yards) to administer, but will give several weeks of protection. Secondly, reduce the number of spores taken in by avoiding overgrazing

the paddock too long so sheep are forced to nibble the grass right down. Also, know that kikuyu grass is less hospitable to fungal spores so try timing grazing of these paddocks for when conditions favour spore growth.

Barbers pole: Also known as Haemonchus, this is a worm infection of sheep that results in excessive blood loss (anaemia). The egg and larvae stage of the worm lifecycle take place on the pasture rather than in the sheep and, like fungus, favour warm and humid conditions. Forcing sheep to graze paddocks right down will increase the uptake of worm larvae so the worm burden that a sheep carries can become quite high over the autumn period. The adult worm attaches itself to the stomach wall and consumes blood, causing damage in the process. In sheep, of which younger, smaller sheep are more susceptible, the predominant symptom is slowness and weakness, caused by the anaemia. A telltale sign is very pale or white conjunctiva (the inside of the eyelids), as opposed to a healthy pink colour. Occasionally you can see scouring (loose faeces), but don’t rely on this as a symptom alone. The treatment for Barbers pole is timely drenching (most drench products will kill Haemonchus), and grazing practices that aim to reduce the number of worm eggs on the pasture over time.

Tree schemes explained

Beef + Lamb NZ will hold a workshop at the Kaiwaka Sports Complex on May 1 focused on generating a return on integrating trees on farms. It will be an interactive workshop talking about the different ways of integrating trees into a farm system and developing an understanding of the emissions trading scheme (ETS). Specifically, it will cover:

• An overview of climate change and policy issues

• The Zero Carbon Bill and Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)

• The ETS definition of forest land, how to register and the opportunities and trade-offs.

• On-farm carbon sequestration – the role of trees and soil

• Carbon units – how they work and

example calculations

• Greenhouse gas emissions in the context of New Zealand farming

• Funding options

• Which tree species – exotic and indigenous – where and why

• Riparian planting and shelter belts

• Understanding a farm’s natural capital and the opportunities available to build resilience for your farming business.

A B+LNZ spokesperson says farmers will leave the four-hour workshop with a clear idea of which options they wish to explore further. It will be of particular interest to hill or high-country farmers with marginal land.

The workshop starts at 10am and registration is essential as spaces are limited. To register, go to: https://events. beeflambnz.com/home

Bowls season winds up

By Ian Bradnam

The end of the season proved a busy few weeks at the Leigh Bowling Club. The final night of business house bowls on April 14 ended in a draw. Fading light prevented the final match from being finished, so the two top teams – KP Farms and King Tide Tattoo – were declared joint winners.

On the following day, April 15, 12 teams competed in the triples Life Members tournament. Congratulations to the winning team of Stuart MacDonald, Neil Cruden and Staun Popham.

The final event for the season was the fours Invitational Tournament held last Saturday, April 22.

Meanwhile, the Kitty Hawke Club, which travels to various clubs to play tournaments to raise money for local charities, visited Leigh recently and we raised $1000 which was donated to the Leigh Fire Brigade. We thought this was appropriate due to the excellent work they have been doing during the summer’s weather events.

Farmers feed workshop

On March 4, Steve Mantle and Mike Beretta took out the Drawn Pairs tournament.

The 2x4x2 pairs tournament was won by a visiting team from the Point Chevalier Bowling Club. This is an interesting variation on the game where the first two players bowl two bowls each, the second players in each team bowl four bowls, and then the first two players play their last two bowls.

The Handicap pairs was won by Matt Lennan and first year bowler, Symon Morrice.

The club’s annual meeting will be held at the clubrooms on June 11, at 2pm. It will be followed by prizegiving and a farewell to bar manager Karin Richfield. Karin has done a magnificent job for a number of years, with the help of husband Don.

The greens will now remain dormant for a couple of months in preparation for next season.

It has been a difficult season for greenkeeper Lance Michele, but he has once again done a magnificent job.

The club welcomes visitors to the club either for a rollup or a drink at the bar.

A workshop on feed budgeting will be held at the Whangaripo Valley Hall, 1272 Whangaripo Valley Road, on Thursday May 4, from 10am to 2pm. The workshop will explore the principles and opportunities for setting up successful winter rotations on both sheep and beef farms, and efficient beef systems. Industry experts will discuss topics such as what is feed budgeting and how to understand feed demand and feed supply. Participants will come away from the day with a clear picture of how you will implement a successful winter rotation within a farm system and hear from other farmers about how they set themselves up for a successful winter. The workshop is free and lunch will be provided. Register at https://events.beeflambnz.com/

Ponyclub

The Wellsford District Pony Club will hold its annual general meeting at the Junction Restaurant on Wednesday May 17, starting at 7pm. All welcome and encouraged to attend.

Matakanatennis

The Matakana Tennis Club, on Matakana Valley Road, has changed its social tennis night from Thursday to Wednesday, still starting at 6pm. All welcome.

Juniortennis

The Warkworth Tennis & Squash Club will run the Hot Shots tennis programme on Monday nights during Term 2. Players will be grouped by age (5-8 years, 8-10 years, 9-12 years, and 12yrs plus). Sessions are limited to six players; cost is $162 for nine sessions. Bookings: aceem.helloclub.com

WarkworthHockeywintersocialcompetition

Winter competition on Thursdays, starting May 4. Registrations close April 28. Comp will either be 7’s /9’s/11’s depending on numbers. Umpires get paid. Register your team or individual to our email, warkworthhockey@gmail.com. Please get in touch with any information or questions at https://sites.google.com/site/warkworthsocialhockey

Indoorbowls

Snells Beach Indoor Bowls meet at the Mahurangi East Community Centre, Hamatana Rd, on Mondays at 12.30pm, beginners welcome. Info: Pam 425 6405

The winners from the Life Members men’s triples tournament were, from left, Stu MacDonald, Neil Cruden and Staun Popham.

The winners of the drawn pairs club match were Steve Mantel and Mike Beretta, pictured with club president Matthieu Lennan.

“We’ve

021 0677 211 | info@northernroofing.co.nz

Classifieds

Have you been affected by someone's drinking?

Al-Anon Family Groups can help.

We welcome you to the Warkworth Family Recovery group confidential meeting. We meet at 56 View Road Warkworth, Midwife’s Office every Wednesday from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. This meeting can also be attended on Zoom. Please contact warkworthafg@gmail.com for more details or visit Al-anon.org.nz

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Mahurangi Matters can be picked up from the following businesses:

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Sudoku the numbers game

Nurse Upton and the Maheno

Although Florence Winifred Upton, born in 1876, probably had an uncomplicated childhood growing up in the small Kaipara Harbour community at Whakapirau, World War I soon changed all that. After finishing school, she trained as a registered nurse and when the war broke out two years later, she successfully applied to be one of 14 nurses to serve on the Maheno. As news of the devastating number of soldiers wounded at Gallipoli reached New Zealand, the public was horrified and a public campaign raised money for the conversion of two passenger steam ships into modern hospital ships. The Maheno and the Marama were New Zealand’s first official hospital ships.

Upton left New Zealand on the Maheno’s second charter in January 1916. She was part of a medical contingent comprising seven doctors, 14 nurses (the only women on board) and around 65 orderlies. The Maheno had nursing capacity for 600 wounded soldiers, but in action they often carried 1600 patients.

The Battle of the Somme broke out two days before the Maheno was due in Southampton. The ship was diverted into the mined English Channel to collect the first contingent of wounded from the battlefield. While Winifred was on the

Maheno, it made 14 dangerous crossings of the channel, transporting more than 14,000 men from the front line.

Life on the ship was not easy or pleasant. Each voyage was over-capacity, cramped, unsanitary and dangerous. Many of personnel became ill due to the conditions on board. The wounded came straight from the fighting and were covered in mud, blood, gore and vermin, which spread to the personnel on board. The injuries the wounded suffered were horrific and a putrid stench pervaded the ship from the severe wounds, intensified by the overcrowding and confined space.

The working conditions were difficult and the medical staff worked hard. After four months, there were enough wounded Kiwi soldiers in England to fill a ship, and the Maheno set sail for home.

After her war service, Upton returned to nursing at the Whangarei Hospital. She later became matron at Kawakawa’s Bay of Islands Hospital and this remarkable woman retired around 1933.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The Kauri Museum is seeking volunteers to assist with the running of the museum. If you are interested in joining the team, working in any department, please phone Marion Walsh on 021 823 944 or email marion.walsh@kaurimuseum,com

$Members of the public farewell the hospital ship Maheno as she leaves Wellington’s docks for war service in Europe. The scene was captured by war artist Walter Armiger Bowring. National Collection of War Art, Archives New Zealand. Reference: AAAC 898 NCWA Q387.

Charlie van der Graaf, Kauri Museum Volunteer www.kaurimuseum.com

Underwater hockey player rises to national heights

Mahurangi College deputy head girl

Charlotte O’Connor, 17, has won a place in the New Zealand women’s underwater hockey squad, which will compete at the World Championships in Australia in July.

New Zealand will be defending the title it won at the championships in Quebec, Canada in 2018.

As the youngest member on the squad, O’Connor says she is looking forward to consolidating her place in the side.

The selection process started with trials last August. Over successive camps, numbers were whittled down to the final team of 12, plus two non-travelling reserves, which was announced at the start of this month. While normally a goalie in the school team, O’Connor will play on the wing in the NZ side.

The elite women’s team is coached by underwater hockey veteran Rebecca Brosnan.

Most of the players are either from Wellington or Auckland, and are in their late 20s or early 30s.

O’Connor says training with the NZ squad offers more room for improvement.

“It’s easy to get into the habit of playing in set ways,” she says. “Our coach challenges us to think of other formations, bring better precision tactics to our game and to strategise. It keeps the game interesting.”

O’Connor started playing underwater hockey in 2018 after watching her brother Ryan competing.

“I love it. Playing seemed to come naturally; it seemed to draw on the skills I’d learned from other sports like netball. Underwater hockey is also a small community of players, so it’s a bit like being part of a big family.”

O’Connor has two more training camps before leaving for Australia. She says her preparation also involves a lot of fitness

training out of the pool, including strength training three times a week.

“Height is an asset in the game, but the really good players are the ones who can surface and dive quickly to be as effective as possible under the water.”

Underwater hockey involves teams of six, pushing a puck to a sunken goal at the end of the pool, “a bit like ice hockey but under water”. Each player is armed with a stick, as well as fins, mask, gloves, mouthguard and snorkel.

NZ will be up against teams from Australia, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia, but O’Connor thinks Great Britain will be their toughest rival. They finished second behind NZ at the last world championships.

The World Championships will be held at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, from July 18 to 30.

Charlotte O’Connor will be the youngest member on NZ’s elite women’s underwater hockey team that competes on the Gold Coast.

24 Advanced care planning, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

27 Auditions for Warkworth Theatre production, The Ghost Train, Warkworth Town Hall, 7-9pm

27 Gibbs Farm Tour, fundraiser for Restore Rodney East, 10am-2pm. General admission $85. Info & tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gibbs-farm-restorerodney-east-fundraiser-tickets-602062534247

28 Tea & Talk: 100 Years of Warkworth’s Temperance Hotel, Warkworth Museum, 10am. All welcome; $5 entry. Bookings essential: Warkworthmuseum@ xtra.co.nz

28&29 Garage sale, Warkworth Methodist Church, cnr Hexham and Church Hill, 9am1.30pm

29 30th annual Lifeguard Longboard Nationals, Mangawhai Heads, from 8am. Must be a qualified lifeguard to take part.

29 Auditions for Warkworth Theatre production, The Ghost Train, Warkworth Town Hall, 10am-12pm

29 The Marine Corps Forces Band of the Pacific free concert, Warkworth Museum, 11.30-12.30pm (see story p22)

29 Les Voisins presented by Warkworth Music in partnership with Chamber Music New Zealand, Warkworth Town Hall, 4-6pm (see story p21)

30 Puhoi Village Market, Riverside Park, 9am-1pm. Live music, stalls, treasures, food and the Community Table produce and plants. To book a $20 stall space, phone Jenny on 020 4020 6154

30 Point Wells annual general meeting, Point Wells Hall, 4pm (see brief p18)

May

1 Beef+Lamb NZ workshop on trees on farms, Kaiwaka (see story p32)

3 Warkworth Liaison Group meeting, downstairs meeting room at Warkworth RSA, Mill Lane, 7pm

6 Matakana Wellness Hub Connections Day, Matakana small hall, from 1pm. Meet your local therapists and try some free mini sessions

6 Variety Concert, Warkworth Town Hall, 6pm. Flood fundraiser organised by Warkworth Rotary and Warkworth Lions (see story p22)

8 Enduring Power of Attorney/Residential care transition, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

8 Matakana Community Meeting, Matakana Hall, 7pm – what does community resilience look like? All welcome (see story p15)

11 Warkworth Hockey Club agm, ITSS Engineering, 24 Morrison Dv, 6pm. All welcome

12 Warkworth Bowls auction, 6- 8pm. Items to be auctioned include a 24-speed road bike in near-new condition, an 8-speed ladies road bike also hardly used and an Ozito weedeater used only once, along with several small lots for the silent auction. Tickets $10, which covers the band and nibbles. Available by contacting John Hurdley on 021 994 968

12-14 Cats, Warkworth Town Hall, presented by Glass Ceiling Arts Collection (see story p21)

15 Low Vision Support Group, Summerset Falls Village, Warkworth, 1.30pm. All welcome. Info: enquiries@mcdonaldadams.

co.nz

18 Pink Ribbon brunch, Warkworth Town Hall, 10am-1pm (see story p20)

19 Quiz Night, fundraiser for Warkworth Primary School junior campus (see story p22)

20 Wedding Dresses through the Decades, Whangaparaoa College, 3pm. Fundraiser for harbour Hospice (see brief p23)

20 Wedding Dresses through the Decades, Whangaparaoa College auditorium, 3pm (see story p23)

21 Puhoi Sports Club annual general meeting, 2pm

22 Support for Seniors, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

IF

WANT

Warkworth Town Hall has been a centre of community life for Warkworth, Kaipara and the Matakana Coast for over 100years. The recently renovated hall and facilities are available for everyone in the Mahurangi community to hire. In the entranceway to the Warkworth Hall stands an octagonal memorial to the members of our local community who fought in the Great Wars. It lists the towns and villages in our community whose men and women 'signed up', were all farewelled and some welcomed home - at Warkworth Town Hall. 100 years on, the residents and families of these same communities have contributed to the restoration of this important local building, through their rates and donations.

Saturday 27th May, 10am-2pm next to Warkworth Butchery

Some freedivers like pool training with fins, without fins or just laying still and holding their breath. Others like diving deep. Depths of 20, 30 and even 50-metres on a single breath are well within the abilities of an amateur freediver. No tanks or expensive equipment required.

Max, Auckland Freedivers

Phil Clayton is one of NZ’s top freedivers. With one breath, he can swim 200-metres (four lengths of an Olympic sized swimming pool) with fins and three lengths without.

Discovering secrets of the deep

in one breath

A group of keen freediving enthusiasts has set up a club in Warkworth that meets weekly at the Mahurangi College pool.

Freediving, for the uninitiated, involves diving underwater while holding your breath, rather than using a breathing apparatus such as a scuba tank.

As a sport, competitions are run over three broad disciplines – depth, distance and time.

Warkworth club instructor and Auckland Freediving founding member Paul Clayton, of Leigh, says that 20 years ago, freediving had a high-risk reputation mainly due to the deep dives done with weights and airbags.

“As an athletic sport, we don’t sanction that almost ‘stunt-style’ of diving,” Clayton says.

“Freediving is all about safety, learning how to hold your breath and how to look after others. The buddy system when diving is a really important part of what we teach.”

Clayton says people new to freediving start with a onemonth induction in a very controlled environment. The course involves some theory, but specifically how to be a good “buddy” – how to look for signs that someone might be in trouble and what to do in the unlikely case that something does goes wrong.

This is followed by two months under the supervision of experienced divers. The new divers are guided through a programme which helps them increase their limits and learn efficient diving techniques. It involves both psychology and physiology.

“It is a sport for both men and women, aged from late teens upwards, and a person’s fitness isn’t as crucial as it is in some other sports,” Clayton says.

“We still have some very competitive divers who are in their 60s. People freedive for many reasons – for some it’s about fitness, others like to compete and some just do it because it’s enjoyable. When you dive you leave the daily stresses in your life behind –there’s a real sense of freedom and relaxation.”

Clayton, who has been freediving for nearly 20 years, started diving in the UK, where he held several national records for no-fins diving. He says he found the physical and mental challenge of pushing himself to do more than he thought he was capable of became addictive.

“I’m a living example that you don’t have to have a huge lung capacity to be a good freediver. It’s more about learning to be efficient and calm in the water.” For more information about freediving and the Warkworth club, which trains on Tuesday nights from 6pm to 7pm, go to: https://aucklandfreediving.co.nz/