Mahurangi Matters_Issue 462_28 August 2023

Seawall owners see red at board meeting

Landowners who built private seawalls on the Point Wells foreshore reserve without consent have voiced heated objections to Auckland Council suggestions that the structures be removed.

At a Rodney Local Board meeting on August 16, residents of two of the three properties, together with lawyers, coastal engineers, consultants and planners, made lengthy presentations. Board members were due to decide whether they should retrospectively grant or decline approval for the walls, as landowners of the reserve. Council staff recommended that the approval be declined, and that the seawalls be removed and replaced with planting, something which enraged applicant Paul Dale, a barrister who owns one of the homes.

He denounced the local board process, which allows just 10 minutes for deputations, and threatened to take the matter to judicial proceedings in the High Court, if necessary.

“I’m not sure you understand precisely what’s involved for us in this matter,” he said. “If we were to sell our property, one

of the first questions would be ‘is this land flood-prone?’ Do you think anybody is going to buy that property, which is worth north of $10 million?

“We don’t have any right of audience, the ability to challenge or advise, no right of appeal, we’re simply expected to accept what you say without any remedy.”

Dale claimed his wall wasn’t on reserve land (though council’s report shows otherwise) and, therefore, it wasn’t in the board’s jurisdiction. He said he and his wife had cleaned the area up from the “shambles” it was before.

“We have got serious problems with the environment. Do you think it’s going to be better or worse to take the sea wall down, 12 years on?

“We’ve done nothing to delineate it as our land; we’ve even put chairs out. That will all go if you decline our application. It’s counterproductive, unfair and ultimately absurd.”

Meeting chair Brent Bailey reminded Dale

continued page 2

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One of three Point Wells properties with a seawall built more than a decade ago, but without resource consent or landowner approval.

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Seawall owners see red at board meeting

that he was not at a hearing, but a local board business meeting.

“It’s not a resource consent, it’s landowner approval. I understand if things don’t go the way you want, it’s your right to pursue it further,” he said.

Also unimpressed with board procedure was Aiden Cameron, lawyer for Warwick Mortimer, who owns a neighbouring property.

He said, like Dale, he was at the meeting under protest and said he had only received the agenda three days previously – a timeframe that was “manifestly inadequate”.

Cameron insisted that his client’s wall had not been built to protect private land.

“It’s to protect the land and the reserve,” he said.

“This process has been ongoing since 2014. It’s now affecting the lives and livelihoods of those involved. They can’t sell their property while this is alive. They stand to be adversely affected by an unfair process.”

Local board member Michelle Carmichael asked the barristers why resource consent hadn’t been sought before building the seawalls in the first place, which they both dismissed as not part of, or irrelevant to, the current applications.

After lengthy discussion of the merits and effects of granting or declining landowner approval, including whether the walls would discourage people from walking on the foreshore reserve, members voted to defer a decision and seek further advice from staff on possible options.

Auckland Council’s head of property and

Seawalls - some background

According to the council report on the retrospective landowner approval applications, three seawalls were built in the Point Wells Foreshore Reserve without landowner approval or resource consent, in front of 252, 284 and 250A and B Point Wells Road.

Staff said the owners of 252 and 284 Point Wells Road had applied for landowner approval and resource consent for their seawalls, while the owners of 250A and B had only applied for resource consent.

Council’s compliance team issued abatement notices to all owners in 2021 in relation to “unlawful construction of coastal structures”.

Point Wells Foreshore Reserve runs along the eastern coast of Point Wells, from

commercial business, Kim O’Neill, said after the meeting that if the seawalls were located on the applicants’ own land, then just retrospective resource consents would be required. However, because the seawalls were on a council-owned esplanade reserve, applicants needed both resource consents and landowner permission from council.

the boat ramp and reserve almost to the Omaha causeway crossing. Access is only possible in part from the beach/seaward side at low tide.

The reserve is a conservation zone open space in the Auckland Unitary Plan, forms part of the Whangateau Harbour Significant Ecological Area and forms part of a proposed greenway around the harbour. Council staff claimed the unconsented seawalls were not built to a properly engineered design standard and would not prevent flood inundation, whereas restoring the coastal edge to a more naturalised state would enhance natural character, landscape and ecological values, with a low risk of causing a significant increase in coastal erosion.

The unconsented seawalls front three neighbouring properties on the harbour between Point Wells village and the Omaha causeway.

The foreshore reserve runs right along almost to the causeway, but parts of it can only be accessed at low tide.

Court moves to marae to hear Pakiri plead its case, again

The Environment Court relocated to Omaha Marae for two days last week to hear from Pakiri landowners and residents whose families have been trying to stop companies from taking the area’s distinctive ‘glistening white sands’ for generations. This was the third time in recent years that local whanau had had to stand up and explain their deep-seated connection to the land and coast left to them by their ancestors, and the effects that 80 years of sand mining had on them and the beach. Speaker after speaker, some of them in tears, pleaded with Judges Aidan Warren and Jeff Smith, with Commissioners Kevin Prime and Shona Myers and special advisor Russell Howie, to stop the dredging before there was no sand left.

Omaha Marae chair Annie Baines told the court that to allow McCallum Brothers (MBL) to continue mining offshore, and believe that 80 years of dredging had had little or no effect on Pakiri Beach, was naive.

“After two council hearings, mediation, the conferencing, and four-plus weeks of hearings, finally it’s our turn to speak,” she said. “We’ve never changed our stance on the mining, yet here we are again.

“They’ve had 80 years of dredging and they want another 20, and they want us to believe that the removal so far of has only had minor effects, that monitoring will be better, there’ll be lots of new processes in place to make

sure the consent is adhered to, new drone monitoring, cultural liaison group meetings … we have heard it all before.

“Maybe you should give us 20 years,” she added. “Twenty years of peace.”

Kaumatua Jake Tahitahi explained the responsibility Maori landowners and whanau had to care for the coast for future generations, and how the effects of sand mining affected the way they felt, behaved and even ate, as the dunes had shrunk and stocks of kai moana dwindled to nothing over the years.

Nineteen-year-old Grace Gossage Myers spoke passionately on behalf of the next generation, saying it was excruciating to have to go through the legislative consent process for a third time.

“I am utterly disappointed to see this company continue to hold on to their greed, exploiting our unrenewable resource, constrained in their narrow view that seems to triumph the pain of an entire community,” she said.

“Living on the shore of Pakiri Beach, I’ve been an eye-witness to the effects and implications the sand mining has had on the environment and people. The practice is outdated, unacceptable and it’s time for change.

“We want it to stop. We don’t want to have to keep fighting this. I’ve heard you talk a lot about how you can keep it going but help the tangata whenua, work with us, but

for us it’s really a matter of just stopping it. I’m sorry, but feeling like working with MBL, there’s such a dense history and inter-generational pain, we just want peace and we want it to stop.”

Veronica Bouchier spoke for many when she said whether the consent was for inshore, mid-shore or offshore made little difference, since everything to do with the sand and the sea was interconnected and could not be compartmentalised; drawn boundaries were simply a legislative mechanism. She saw a commitment by MBL to establish a Mātauranga Māori (Maori knowledge) consultative panel as a conflict of interest and principles.

“You have to be listening and willing to take that further for us than anyone is at the moment. That’s when you feel valued or heard,” she said. “Having a panel there with no teeth, coming up with ideas and things that nobody likes … everybody just wants to give us money – that’s not Mātauranga Māori, it’s not te ao Maori.”

Judge Warren asked her if one party was unhappy, should that be the end of the road for those seeking consent.

Bouchier said it was more than simply being unhappy and that it was far from only Pakiri whanau opposing the application – there were well over a dozen groups and organisations, including Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, the Department of Conservation, Forest

& Bird, the Environmental Defence Society, Te Arai residents’ groups, Kaipara District Council, the Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society and the NZ Fairy Tern Charitable Trust.

“All I hear is ‘this will keep going and you have to catch up and you have to adapt, what do you want to see?’, and we say we don’t want to see anything, and that’s (apparently) not an option.”

Judge Smith asked several witnesses what was special about Pakiri Beach, when erosion and dwindling seafood stocks were common to many east coast beaches, and suggested money being offered by MBL might help to restore the beach and help save the critically endangered tara iti, or fairy tern.

“We’re trying to see if there’s any way we can use this process to save the tara iti, but if we stop it, will things get worse or better?” he asked Baines.

“Well, let’s find out,” she replied. The case continues.

Judge Jeff Smith

Master carver Wyvern Rosieur spoke about the significance of the carvings around the marae during the powhiri to welcome the court.

The court spent two days at Omaha Marae. From left, special advisor Russell Howie, Commissioner Kevin Prime, Judge Jeff Smith, Judge Aidan Warren and Commissioner Shona Myers.

Judge Aidan Warren

Russell Howie

Tree project paused after protests

A controversial tree planting project for Snells Beach has been put on hold, following opposition from local residents (MM, Aug 14).

Auckland Council wants to plant more than 100 pohutukawa and titoki trees on berms along Tamariki Drive, Ariki Drive, Snells Beach Road and Dalton Road this spring.

Rodney Local Board member Michelle Carmichael told the August board meeting that there were huge concerns from residents, who were worried about potential issues with underground services, overhead lines, view restriction and trailer parking near boat ramps.

Council works programme lead Angie Bennett said although they had hoped to have consulted with individual property

Church fails to sell

owners, the process would have taken so long that no work would end up being carried out. However, she said that because of the controversy, planting would be put on hold in Snells, plus Point Wells and Omaha Beach as well, until further discussion had taken place.

In spite of that reassurance, there were concerns that the message might not have got through to all council work teams.

Last week a Snells Beach resident spotted contractors planting a liquid amber tree on a boat trailer park. The matter was being pursued Rodney Local Board and council as Mahurangi Matters went to press, but it appeared the trees were being planted not by council, but by Auckland Transport, again with no consultation with residents.

Business park hits market

The Warkworth Business Park, just north of the township on the old State Highway 1, is on the market.

The park comprises a 42-hectare landholding zoned business-light industry, currently held in five titles and with resource consent for a 93-lot subdivision with finished lot sizes ranging from 1400sqm to one hectare.

Bayleys in the North agent Chris Blair describes the business park as a “once-in-ageneration” opportunity to develop stateof-the-art industrial real estate with scale, including warehousing, office, bulk retail and micro-industry premises. He says it is targeted at a specific segment of the development market given the capital-intensive staged delivery required of such a site.

“Well-capitalised development entities

with experience in large-scale industrial projects will recognise the potential and scope that could be unlocked,” he says.

“It is anticipated that this development will meet the current and future demands for industrial space of the Auckland region and the fast-growing Warkworth catchment on the back of significant residential expansion and streamlined roading connectivity.

“There’s a dire shortage of industrial-zoned development land in Warkworth and the greater Auckland area with few other options with scale to be found.”

The Puhoi-Warkworth highway goes right to the property’s door and the landholding also has direct road access and frontage to the new Te Honohono Ki Tai Road.

The land is being sold via an Expressions of Interest campaign, closing on Wednesday September 27 at 5pm.

The historic Mahurangi Presbyterian Church in Warkworth remains on the market, having failed to sell when it came up for auction on August 10.

The church, together with the Wilson Memorial Hall, Church House, a commercial kitchen and a range of outbuildings, was put up for sale as the church and its community trust is moving to new, much larger premises off Woodcocks Road.

Bayleys’ director of commercial, industrial and development land, Chris Blair, said the 3000 square metre site did attract bids from multiple buyers during the auction, but failed to reach its reserve.

“It was passed in and we are working with buyers to sell the property,” he said.

The church was built in 1876 and sits across two titles at the junction of Bertram Street and Pulham Road. Blair said it offered a diverse range of opportunities to

prospective buyers, from continued use as a church or community facility to housing development.

The property includes a Category B Heritage Overlay, which could allow the discretionary removal or alteration of church improvements.

Until last year, the church site was zoned single house residential, but under the new medium density residential standards, up to three houses of up to three storeys could be permitted per title.

Info: https://www.bayleys.co.nz/listings/ commercial/auckland/rodney/1-and-5pulham-road-warkworth-1270740

Webster Malcolm Law - Local legal experts

Les Miller & Jackie Woolerton - Webster Malcolm Law

After years of planning, the Warkworth Business Park is now on the market.

Mixed response to Sunday trading in Warkworth

A united approach to opening on Sundays was just one of the issues discussed when Warkworth business owners met at The Bridgehouse on August 16.

The meeting was called to try to identify how businesses, and retailers in particular, could act collectively to inject some life back into Warkworth’s town centre, in the hope of making it a destination. It was noted that businesses that had already survived the disruptions caused by the pandemic and this year’s weather events, were now facing less foot traffic since the opening of the motorway extension.

One Mahurangi Business Association manager Murray Chapman tried to dispel some of the pessimism by saying that it might not just be the motorway making things quiet.

“It is possibly also the cost of living, petrol at over $3 a litre, food and interest costs going up, plus it is the middle of winter,” he said. “All these factors combine to make people think twice before coming into town.”

Both Warkworth Menswear owner Matt Henderson and Hunting and Fishing owner Colin Barlow supported Sunday trading because they said the town needed to be open when people were around.

“I started opening on Sundays leading up to Christmas and then just carried on,” Henderson said. “Initially, I opened the shop myself from 10am-2pm, but now it’s profitable enough to pay staff to do a Sunday shift.

“Some weeks I make more during four hours on a Sunday than I do on two days opening normal business hours during the week.” Barlow said he was prepared to open his books to anyone who wanted proof that Sunday trading was worthwhile. It was pointed out that the weekend traffic jams, that had once kept locals away from Warkworth on weekends, were a thing of the past.

“More Aucklanders are also visiting because they don’t have to worry about getting stuck

in traffic to get here,” Henderson said. “But there’s not enough in town to keep them here or make them want to come back.”

Barlow said that for Sunday trading to be successful, it needed a more united front. There was a lot of discussion about the lack of hospitality outlets opening on a Sunday and how a good breakfast and coffee were a big part of a Sunday outing.

“Hospitality is the lynchpin for the town and retailers rely on it,” Henderson said. However, Pete & Mary’s Café owner Susan Hemus said that while she was very supportive of town businesses working together, she and her brother, who owned the café together, had made the conscious decision not to open on Sundays for family reasons.

“We also think it’s important that our staff has that day off,” she said.

Some people felt that the real issue was increasing trade during normal trading hours, Monday to Saturday. They wanted more effort put into marketing the town and giving it a sense of place, including better signage. The idea of a town map was widely supported and town markets were also discussed.

Paper Plus owner Prashant Darji said there needed to be more things for people to do around Warkworth.

“If people come for breakfast at 7.30am and the shops open at 10am, then what are they going to do in between?” he asked. “There needs to be a greater mix of businesses here.”

Chapman agreed that the town needed an identity, but said One Mahurangi did not have the resources to take that on.

“We would need a grant to fund the development of a proper plan,” he said.

“One Mahurangi currently runs on the smell of an oily rag.”

There was general agreement that working together would produce the best results and another meeting will be held at the Bridgehouse on October 4, starting at 5.15pm. All welcome.

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The future of the town centre was discussed at length at a meeting held at The Bridgehouse.

Climate prediction

Thank you Ian Civil for sharing this news article, which he says was sent to him by a friend in the US. “Amazing that people in Warkworth were all over climate change and predicting what has come to pass 111 years ago.”

Poor show

Recently we saw on the TV news an emotional school principal claiming that “we are killing our babies” by allowing them to vape. I am upset each time I see a prominent red and white roadside sign saying, Dairy, Vape Shop, in Warkworth. Is this sign outside the dairy on Glenmore

Maintenance dredging underway

Motorists are being asked to avoid the Warkworth Wharf area at the moment as Auckland Council is currently removing about 1600m3 of silt and debris from the riverbed. Auckland Council manager area operations Geoffrey Pitman says the silt has accumulated next to and under the wharf from severe weather events earlier in the year. “If the silt isn’t removed, vessels will have difficulty berthing at the wharf, the floating pontoons may become unsafe, and the wharf structure could become damaged,” he says. “This work is expected to take two weeks with the material disposed of at an appropriate site. “The work area has been fenced off and we appreciate the public patience while this critical work is being undertaken by a local contractor.”

Drive? No, it is down the road and around the corner on Woodcocks Road, opposite Mahurangi College’s sports field, advertising their wares to our young and vulnerable.

Dog implicated in kiwi death

A dog may have been responsible for fatally injuring a juvenile kiwi found at Omaha Beach earlier this month.

A source associated with the bird said the bird’s injuries were consistent with a dog attack. They said an examination revealed that the kiwi was paralysed from the neck down and too badly injured to recover, so the decision was made to euthanise the bird late last week.

The kiwi is believed to have fallen onto rocks at the southern end of the beach where it was found by a beach walker. It was cold and lethargic when found, but still alive and transported to Auckland Zoo. Meanwhile, dog owners in the Whangateau area are being put on kiwi alert.

The Tamahunga Trappers telemetry team has picked up a signal from a transmitter of one of the kiwi, a male, released to Tamahunga in that area.

Dog owners are being asked follow three simple steps to help protect the kiwi – keep dogs in sight or tied up at home, keep dogs on leads when out and about, and keep dogs inside at night.

The Tamahunga Trappers telemetry team has been keeping a very close watch on this kiwi, in between keeping tabs on the others that have stayed on Tamahunga, to see where he has settled.

A spokesperson for the group says they don’t want to have to catch the kiwi too

often, but because he looks to have settled in an area where they know there are a number of dogs nearby, they are organising a team to catch him and return him to the Tamahunga forest.

“Dogs are one of the biggest threats to kiwi. Kiwi have a very strong smell that is enticing to all dogs and a dog will invariably attack or at least investigate a kiwi. Because kiwi don’t fly, they don’t have a breast bone or strong chest muscles and are easily killed by a dog being aggressive or even just inquisitive.

“Keeping dogs under control is essential to keep the kiwi safe. Dogs can also have kiwi aversion training (KAT) to make them shy away from the smell of kiwi. However, KAT isn’t a perfect tool. It works best on working dogs (farm and hunting dogs) and all dogs need to have a refresher every six to 12 months.”

The Tamahunga Trappers is organising a training day in October. If people would like to sign up to have their dogs trained they can contact tamahungatrappers@hotmail.co.nz

Photo, Tamahunga Trappers.

Maureen Young, Warkworth

Viewpoint

Marja Lubeck, Rodney-based MP marja.lubeck@parliament.govt.nz

Goodbye, and thank you

I am sitting down for the last time to write a column as your locally based Labour list MP. On August 15, I rose in Parliament to give my valedictory speech. As I said then, it has been an honour and a privilege to serve the people and communities of Rodney and, after the rezoning, Kaipara Ki Mahurangi, over the past six years. I’ve served two terms as MP, which I am told is about the average time for an MP. But there was nothing average about the last six years. A lot happened between 2017 and 2023. It was a privilege to serve in the Labour team during some incredibly tough times our nation went through. And I am forever grateful for how then PM Jacinda Ardern led New Zealand’s response to the March 15 mosque shootings, covid and other challenges. Together as a society and with very special leadership, so many lives were saved during the worst pandemic in a century, where other countries could not. But despite the challenges, these were also six years where lots of progress was made. I am proud to have been part of a team that from day one started to tackle those longterm challenges – strengthening workers’ rights, massively building our apprentices workforce, increasing the minimum wage and addressing gender-based pay discrimination. From making abortion a health issue and giving women choice, building more houses than any government since the 70s, to taking action on climate change, and everything in between. And now, in a Chris Hipkins led Government, our team continues the mahi, focused on building back better.

When the Prime Minister opened the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway earlier this year, I know we were all pleased that my advocacy meant that we weren’t to be double tolled as the original plan had been. I am proud

to have supported the Matakana link road and the Matakana Trail Trust. In my time, I have endeavoured to support and be involved with as many community groups as possible, from scouts to the A&P shows, Wellsford Plus, Mahurangi Wastebusters, The Men’s Shed, and everything in between. Being involved in grass roots communities and bringing your voices to Wellington is an integral function of being an MP and a role I immensely enjoyed. I know, as I leave Parliament, that we will all celebrate that with a Labour government we won’t be paying GST on fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, and that in a further boost for young families, a Labour government will commit to four weeks paid partner’s parental leave. And there’s more to come.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in my work over the last six years. I have always been welcomed in each of our communities; your warmth motivated me to do my very best and I leave with the values I entered Parliament with and I still hold dear. In particular, relentless optimism and compassion for people.

Meet the candidate meetings

Candidates contesting the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate will take part in a number of meetings next month. The Landowners & Contractors Association and Wellsford Plus will host a Candidates Meeting at the Wellsford Memorial RSA in Olympus Road on Wednesday, September 6, starting at 7pm. Then a week later, One Mahurangi Business Association will host a public debate at the Warkworth Town Hall on September 13, starting at 6pm, where time will be set aside for a Q&A session. All welcome and doors open at 5.30pm. A Meet the Candidates meeting will also be held in the Makarau Hall on September 21, starting at 7pm. Confirmed candidates attending include Chris Penk (National), Guy Wishart (Labour), Brent Bailey (Act) and Zephyr Brown (Greens).

Failure to ban bottom trawling a missed opportunity

Environmental groups are disappointed the government has not banned bottom trawling completely in the Hauraki Gulf, despite intense lobbying to stop the practice.

Members of the Hauraki Gulf Alliance, a diverse group of organisations including LegaSea, Forest & Bird, WWF-NZ and Greenpeace, said the decision to allow ‘trawl corridors’ in the marine park went against public opinion and scientific evidence that showed it destroyed marine ecosystems. Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ellie Hooper said the government had missed a massive opportunity. “Bottom trawling is the most destructive fishing method there is, bulldozing the seafloor and indiscriminately destroying marine ecosystems,” she said.

“To give the Hauraki Gulf – Tīkapa Moana a chance to recover and thrive, bottom trawling has got to stop completely in all areas of the Gulf, and to do that we need bold action from the government, not more concessions to the fishing industry.”

Forest & Bird chief executive Nicoka Toki said when the government consulted on where exactly the proposed Hauraki Gulf bottom trawl areas would be, possibly next month, it was vital that the public sent a clear message that it needed to end. The government protection measures for the gulf locally include extending the Cape Rodney –Okakari Point Marine Reserve (Goat Island) to the north, making Kawau Bay and two areas west of Hauturu Little Barrier and around the Mokohinau Islands seafloor protection areas, and introducing three high protection areas, where only tangata whenua fishing is allowed, between Mahurangi West and Kawau, north of Hauturu Little Barrier and around/west of the Mokohinau.

State of gulf still grim,

but some cause for optimism

After 180 years of over-fishing, pollution and sedimentation, the Hauraki Gulf may be on the road to recovery, according to the seventh State of Our Gulf report, released on August 11.

“We may be finally starting to turn a corner,” forum co-chairs Nicola MacDonald and Toby Adams said optimistically in the report’s foreword.

“The gulf is, for the first time in over 100 years, scallop dredge-free. Other forms of sea floor-impact fishing are reducing. Riparian planting of waterways leading into the gulf is proceeding at pace. Billions are being invested in stopping sewage and stormwater outflows. And we are on the cusp of seeing long overdue new marine and seafloor protection areas.”

However, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking made the sobering observation that the health of the gulf had continued to decline, despite it being a marine park for 23 years. The report’s author, Shane Kelly, also stated that the bad still outweighed the good.

Speaking at the launch, Brooking acknowledged that the gulf was important ecologically, culturally and economically, and noted that its natural capital had recently been estimated at $100 billion.

The State of Our Gulf report is released every three years by the Hauraki Gulf Forum to track human impact on the gulf and the success, or otherwise, of measures to protect it. Its release last week came just two days after the government announced two significant developments – the Hauraki Gulf/Tikapa Moana Marine Protection Bill, and the Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan.

The Moana Protection Bill creates 19 new marine protection areas and triples the amount of marine protection in the gulf, from about six per cent to 18 per cent. It is expected to be introduced into the House before Parliament rises for the election.

Brooking said the Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan was the country’s first for a specific area, and the first to take an ecosystems-based approach.

“It also over-turns the presumptions that bottom-trawling can occur. Instead of allowing this fishing practice to be used everywhere except in specified areas, it will be banned everywhere except in very specific and limited places, called trawl corridors,” she said.

The exact size and location of these trawl corridors will be subject to public consultation next month, but have already been roundly criticised by conservation groups who believe the government has given in to powerful fishing industry interests.

“Banning trawling and Danish seining completely, as recommended by the Sea Change group, was considered as part of the work to develop the Revitalising the Gulf recommendations,” Brooking said.

“There were concerns, however, that that this would simply see those practices move to other areas outside the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, especially Northland and the Bay of Plenty. That fishing would be displaced.

“The Revitalising the Gulf report considered it better to base decisions on where trawling should be allowed on scientific evidence.”

Report author Kelly said there were exciting changes on the horizon, but they had taken a frustratingly long time to come to fruition.

“Sedimentation, marine heat waves, the invasive seaweed caulerpa , and the environmental effects on scallops, kelp and urchins are really negative stories for the gulf,” he said. He said Watercare’s central interceptor project would significantly reduce wastewater overflows in central Auckland and fish stock assessments could create positive change for the gulf, but tangible benefits would take time. He acknowledged the effort that communities and tangata whenua played because “they are leading the way”. Earlier this year, ultra marathon swimmer Jono Ridler swam from Karaka Bay on Great Barrier Island to Campbells Bay on the North Shore to raise awareness for the state of the gulf.

“I have seen first hand the devastation that has been brought about by unsustainable practices. I have seen the sediment in the water and I have breathed it in. I have seen the kina wiping out kelp around our islands and I have seen the decrease in fish life,” Ridler said.

“In swimming for more than 33 hours and close to 100 kilometres across the Hauraki Gulf, I did not see any recognisable marine life.”

He said collective action was the way forward. The State of report Our Gulf can be found here: https://gulfjournal.org.nz/state-of-the-gulf/

What’s happened since 2020

– highlights and lowlights from the report

Report conclusion “The risks of inaction to the Hauraki Gulf are now too great. We must act quickly, and at scale, to reduce the harm we are causing from our activities on land and at sea, and to provide the resilience needed to weather coming storms.”

Fishing The total reported commercial fish catch over the three-year period was around 21,000 tonnes, with tawatawa (blue mackerel) and tāmure (snapper) still the two main species. There was a notable (69 per cent) increase in commercial landings of whai repo (eagle ray).

Fish stock sustainability Knowledge about fish stocks has improved, but gaps remain.

Stocks of some fish species need rebuilding.

Tāmure and tarakihi stocks were estimated to be below fisheries management targets.

Three of the top 20 species caught commercially were non-quota species (mirror dory, eagle ray, porcupine fish) so sustainable catch limits have not been set.

Crayfish The kōura (crayfish) population has been substantially reduced. They are now regarded as functionally extinct in heavily fished areas and kina barrens are expanding rapidly. Rāhui are being used Waiheke and Aotea to prevent the harvest of kōura and other kai moana.

Scallops The entire Coromandel and Northland fisheries were closed in April last year, except for two small areas around Te Hauturu-o-Toi and Colville Channel, which were subsequently closed in December. In March, the Coromandel fishery was closed indefinitely.

Cockles Increases in harvestable tuangi have occurred further south, where yearround harvesting bans are in place, but not at Whangateau, despite a 12-year harvesting ban.

Mass mortalities Mass mortalities of fish, shellfish and seabirds are likely to become increasingly common due to the impacts of climate change. In the last three years, mass mortalities of sponges have occurred due to prolonged marine heatwaves.

Coastal urban and ocean sprawl Decisions on consents for sand mining off Pakiri Beach are being appealed. Over 3000

building consents for new residential buildings within 200m of the coast were issued in Auckland over the past three years.

Suitability of water for swimming Between 2019 and 2022, 25% of Auckland beaches were predicted to be unsafe to swim due to potential health risks for more than 10% of the time, and 4% of beaches were predicted to be unsafe to swim for more than 20% of the time.

Island biodiversity Auckland Council, Ngati Manuhiri and partners launched an initiative to eradicate rats, stoats, possums and wallabies from Kawau Island.

Seabirds Some 18 per cent of breeding seabirds in the Marine Park are threatened, and 67 per cent are at risk. Inshore feeders such as shags, penguins and gulls appear to be particularly impacted in recent years, while seabirds that feed in offshore waters appear to be improving.

Shorebirds Four shorebirds that live in the Marine Park have improved in conservation status in 2021 - ngutu pare (wrybill), huahou (lesser knot), pohowera (banded dotterel) and tōrea pango (variable oystercatcher)], while none have decreased in status.

Marine non-indigenous species Some 11 new non-indigenous species have arrived in the Marine Park over the past three years, including invasive seaweed caulerpa. Regional councils are working towards a shared Clean Hull Plan, to help manage the spread of marine pests around northern NZ. RMS Niagara This ship sank in 1940 halfway between the Mokohinau and Hen and Chickens Islands. The wreck is gradually deteriorating and oil leaks continue to be observed. Many people fear a major catastrophe could occur and continue to lobby Maritime NZ to extract the oil before that happens.

Full report: https://gulfjournal.org.nz/stateof-the-gulf/

For more information text “WWA” to 875 or visit warkworthridge.co.nz

Waiwera Thermal Resort demolished

The owners of the iconic Waiwera Thermal Resort are demolishing the derelict buildings on site, in the hope that a clean site will make it more attractive to a potential investor.

The resort has been closed since 2018 and all attempts by landowners Urban Partners to sell, lease or setup a partnership arrangement have so far failed.

Chief executive Greig Staples says that the demolition process is bittersweet as it represents the end of an era, but also the beginning of Waiwera’s revitalisation. He says the 1.7 hectare resort has long been a place of fond memories and nostalgia for many Kiwis.

“The prospect of a much-needed upgrade in 2018 initially brought excitement, but when the operators went into liquidation, the resort was in an unviable state,” he says.

“Since then, it has been an ongoing struggle to secure the site against vandalism, which has degraded the property further.

“It is now at the point where the existing structures offer no value to a buyer and it will be a positive for the wider community to remove what is left of the buildings.”

When the property was marketed last year, Urban Partners said it was looking for parties that were interested in “partnering, developing or purchasing” the property.

Earlier this year, a company spokesperson said a potential sale was going through due diligence, but now the company says the property will be back on the market in spring.

Colliers’ Blair Peterken says the decision to present a cleared site paves the way for an exciting spring marketing campaign that will appeal to a wider range of buyers.

“Historically celebrated for the therapeutic properties of its waters, Waiwera was the birthplace of New Zealand’s first spa, alongside a grand hotel, bath houses, and later, the thermal resort we all know today,” Peterken said.

“It is recognised as a regional tourist attraction by the Auckland Unitary Plan and has zoning allowing for business, residential developments, health and wellness, tourism, hospitality and visitor accommodation.”

Right, Demolition has started on the Waiwera Thermal Resort, which has become an eyesore since it closed five years ago.

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THE GARDENS APARTMENTS

YOUR NEW LIFESTYLE AWAITS YOU AT KENSINGTON PARK!

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Regardless of your age or lifestyle, The Gardens Apartments cater to every discerning buyer. Secure entry through elegant lobbies, single-level living via elevator access from the basement garages to your private, elevated home. Open plan and light filled with floor to ceiling windows and stacker doors to generous outdoor living spaces.

Premium specification with luxury touches including Miele kitchen appliances, Grohe European tapware, composite benchtops, StoneCast basins, carpets, oak flooring, fully tiled showers and more.

As a resident, you will have access to an array of community amenities designed to enrich your lifestyle. Take advantage of the heated indoor swimming pool, fully-equipped gym, and sauna. Immerse yourself in the extensive gardens, complete with scenic walking tracks through native bush, or stroll to the golden sands of Orewa Beach.

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local folk

Liz Morrow

Liz Morrow bought her property which was then just a paddock overlooking the Mahurangi Harbour at Buckletons Beach over 40 years ago and moved to the area to live permanently in 2005. She has spent the last 18 years developing the land and creating Omaio, which means place of peace, quiet and tranquillity. Seven years ago it was named a Garden of International Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust and is open to the public by appointment. Liz talked to Allan Barber about her life and career in gardening.

Igrew up in the King Country on the family sheep and beef farm called Koropupu, at the end of a winding one lane driveway, west of Te Kuiti. The farm is still owned and farmed by my brother John Wildman and I go down to visit fairly frequently. We were the ultimate DIY family, as we had to be on an isolated farm in those days. From the age of eight I remember baking scones and making pikelets, raising calves and pet lambs, feeding the chooks, milking the house cow, mustering sheep, working as a rousie and fleeco in the woolshed, and helping mum in the garden. Although there was a great deal of hard work, I have wonderful memories of my childhood growing up with wonderful parents and my brother. We used to go eeling and collecting puha from the Mangawhitikau River, which ran through the farm, with the local Maori who also hunted in the bush and worked on the farm. In between these essential chores, I attended Pakeho School with my brother and 10 other children. We used to get to school either in a converted ambulance or I would ride my horse, Blaze. Competing and winning prizes at the local show in town was a particular highlight. When I was 13, I went to board at St Cuthbert’s in Auckland, returning at the end of each term by the 2.15 rail car to Te Kuiti. My mother was a wonderful provider and a passionate gardener who studied the Duncan & Davies catalogue very carefully every season to decide what she wanted to plant. One of my jobs was to

rake the manure from under the woolshed to spread round the new season’s plant purchases and my introduction to roses was the Banksia, which grew over the long-drop some way from the house.

This idyllic childhood gave me a deep understanding of nature, animals and gardens, although I have never had any formal training in horticulture, which has been my life’s passion.

After St Cuthbert’s I went to business college, then back home to live on the farm, working for the Mayor of Te Kuiti so I could save up enough money to go on my OE. Like most Kiwis, I headed to London where I spent 18 months working for Contiki Travel as John Anderson’s PA and I also took advantage of my time in England to visit a number of gardens.

After returning to New Zealand in the early 1970s, I married sharebroker Rod Morrow and we lived in Riddell Road, Glendowie, where I developed the garden which, with more than 300 roses, featured in the Auckland Trinity Gardens Festival and was the venue for a number of public open days to raise funds on behalf of several charities. We had two children, a son John, who now works in Auckland as a financial analyst and a daughter Jane, who has two children and lives in Wanaka, running her own massage business. She is trained in plant medicine.

In 1980, we bought Omaio which was a paddock and, in short order, we had laid the drive, put up fences to keep the stock out of areas of revegetation and built the

original log cabin which has since been extended. The timber came from the Matakana Timberyard. The following year we put in the tennis court, which has been the venue for the Buckletons Allcomers Tennis Tournament for the last 38 years, with the winners’ trophies made of native timbers from the property.

During the 1980s and 1990s I was very involved in bringing up the children. I served on the St Cuthbert’s board for eight years and was the convenor of the school’s 75th Jubilee Gala in 1989 where we raised $210,000 in one day which, according to the NZ Herald, was a national record. I also spent 10 years as the first manager of Eden Gardens in Epsom, which was previously run by a small committee and, at the time, had the largest collection of camellias in Australasia. After that I took on the role of exhibitor manager of the Ellerslie Flower Show for two years. I was a foundation trustee of the New Zealand Garden Trust and a few years ago I was made a Fellow of the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture for services to horticulture.

In 2005 I decided to escape from Auckland and live permanently at Omaio. I spent seven months laying the garden out, marking out the whole area with hoses and sticks to get the boundaries absolutely correct, and then to make sure the connection of all the different sections and the pedestrian flows were right. I have never found it necessary to change those boundaries since day one. I felt it was very important to achieve a soft,

rounded flowing shape that reflects the waves and contours of the coast. I started the planting programme in July 2006 and my son John developed all the garden and native bush trails in 2007, which are a major feature of the experience at Omaio. He helps me with the heavy jobs when necessary, most recently spending five days with me after Cyclone Gabrielle to clear all the damage and fallen trees. The garden was hit pretty hard by the cyclone, several downed trees and salt spray burning a number of plants, but gardens bounce back quickly and new vistas open up where there were previously bushes and trees. I have help to maintain the garden from Lance Michell who mows the lawns and Stephon Boyle who looks after the heavier work. Ali Skinner helps me with the garden tours and with the garden, while the planting, propagating, clipping, and pruning I do myself and in a dry summer, we are fortunate to have a bore with seven gravity feeds to the garden. I spend hours and hours out there every day, often as late as 8 o’clock in the evening in summer.

For me, gardening is my passion and I find it very therapeutic, so I don’t need to go to the gym or play golf – I get all the exercise I need in the garden and apart from that I play bridge and Mah Jong. I love spending time with my daughter and grandchildren, either in Wanaka or up here. My personal philosophy is that gardens heal us, feed our souls and raise our spirits.

Cam Speedy

Dr Helen Blackie

Hui draws conservation leaders to Kaipara Flats

The conservation of habitats and native species will be the focus of a Forest Bridge Trust public hui at the Ranfurly Hall in Kaipara Flats on September 8 and 9.

The trust’s vision is to create a connected landscape of healthy forest and flourishing indigenous wildlife from the Kaipara Harbour in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. This is being done by supporting individuals and groups in the area with the tools and expertise to reach their conservation goals.

The hui is designed to bring together those working in conservation and members of the public to share knowledge and experience for greater conservation outcomes in the area.

The trust’s community liaison team lead Tris Bondsfield says there is already a huge groundswell of individuals joining in the effort to make conservation gains, from beach rubbish collection and planting days to restoration and predator control efforts. This is happening on both private and public land.

“This hui presents a unique opportunity for members of the public to hear respected speakers in conservation such as Cam Speedy, Dr Helen Blackie and Dr Dean

Meason,” she says.

Speedy is a freelance wildlife biologist based in the central North Island with more than 30 years’ experience working on a range of both native and introduced wildlife.

Blackie is an associate partner of Boffa Miskell, and has had more than 20 years’ experience in conservation and pest management, with a focus on predator ecology. She is currently leading multiple research projects in New Zealand and overseas focussed on innovations in pest control and surveillance, as well as the development of novel technologies to improve conservation management practices.

Meason is a tree ecophysiologist who has worked with a number of different temperate and tropical forest species to provide a mechanistic understanding of forest management. His expertise with eucalypts and coast redwood is well recognised nationally and internationally.

Bondsfield says that with two unfenced kiwi populations now in the rohe, predator control and plant regeneration to save this species is having a welcome impact on other native taonga and locals are already starting to see a change in the native

biodiversity of the area.

Species such as kākā, korimako, kakariki, Hochstetters frogs, matuku hūrepo (bittern) and flocks of kererū are being sighted more regularly.

“The theme for the hui is Building a Legacy and the hope that the 10 keynote speakers will inspire and inform our community on how together we can achieve this goal,” she says.

“This is a chance to hear from our local iwi on the work their own kaitiaki are undertaking, learn about our local kiwi colonies and how we can help them to thrive, wetland restoration and its importance to biodiversity, and new advances in predator control and monitoring.

“There are now less than 10,000 days left for Aotearoa to achieve its landmark Predator Free 2050 goals.

“If anyone would like to know more about this movement to restore our native biodiversity and how they can be a part of it, then they are very welcome to join us for this exciting two-day event.”

To register for the hui, or to know more about the work of the trust does, visit www.theforestbridgetrust.org.nz or email admin@theforestbridgetrust.org.nz

Road repairs

Slip repair work on Mahurangi East Road, between James Street and Arabella Lane was due to start this week (August 28) and is expected to take four months to complete. Auckland Transport says the road will remain open with speed restrictions in place, although there will be times when lanes will be closed and motorists are asked to expect delays. The work involves building a concrete pile retaining wall, drainage works and reinstatement of the road.

Savings target hit

Auckland Council’s revenue, expenditure and value committee has achieved a $5 million savings target it set for the 2023/2024 financial year. The target was achieved from a review of revenue, capital, and operating budgets, staff told the committee on August 22. Chair Maurice Williamson noted the achievement – a target allocated to the committee to help reduce the overall $325 million gap between council’s revenue and operating expenses – but said “the work doesn’t end here”. “This is just the beginning – we will continue to work with council staff to investigate further savings.”

Government is “listening”

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says he’s pleased that the government is “listening and responding to Auckland’s priorities,” after the release this month of its policy statement on transport. Auckland-related investment priorities in the draft plan include enhancement to the State Highway 1 between Warkworth and Whangarei, including the Warkworth to Wellsford stretch. Also included is rapid transit in the city’s northwest, which Brown praised in particular. “I have been saying that this is an obvious priority and needs to take precedence over the mega dream projects proposed. You only need to look at the success of the Northern Busway. If something works well like that, do it more. We don’t need to reinvent things with new pipe dreams.”

Dr Dean Meason

Representation bid renewed

Northern Action Group (NAG) is resurrecting a bid to have the Rodney Local Board electoral subdivision boundaries changed to give rural residents better political representation.

The group wants to contract the current Warkworth and Kumeu board subdivision boundaries to the townships and their surrounding area, and replace Wellsford with one large rural subdivision taking in South Head, Kaukapakapa, Puhoi, Kaipara Flats, Wellsford, Pakiri and even Kawau Island. Rodney’s fourth subdivision, Dairy Flat, would stay much as it is.

NAG says these new boundaries would allow elected members to represent voters’ priorities and interests more fairly, and create communities of common interest, rather than communities of place.

NAG chair Bill Foster says voters living in rural areas receive different services and tend to have different aspirations about how they want council to spend their rates, compared to those living in towns. “For example, rural people mostly only get road and drainage services, while people living in the towns also get footpaths, libraries, public transport and community facilities and activities,” he says.

“This proposal provides a grouping based on the rural/urban classification determined by StatsNZ, rather than the traditional grouping around major population centres,

which biases representation in favour of urban voters.

“The proposed changes more fairly reflect representation of the half of Rodney’s population which is rural, pays half the rates, and gets little in the provision of services from Auckland Council other than roads and drainage.”

NAG, which was formed initially to fight Rodney being absorbed into the Auckland Supercity without a public vote, first tried to instigate these boundary changes two years ago, but council deferred the matter, as it was not legally required to review boundaries until 2024, in time for the 2025 local elections.

During a NAG deputation to Rodney Local Board on August 16, Foster said the bulk of board representation was drawn from small urban populations that formed the majority, and current boundaries meant Maori and Kaipara Harbour land interests had split representation.

He added that Wellsford’s representation of one local board member was nearly 11 per cent under quota.

NAG has drawn up an online poll to gauge the level of public interest in whether council should change the Rodney Local Board member election boundaries for the 2025 elections.

To find out more and take part, visit: www.nag.org.nz/index.html

The fruit and vegetable garden

•

to add the goodies in the vegetable bed for great summer harvest: we love our organic ‘Dave’s’ pelletised fertilisers, Aquaticus soil conditioner (mussel shells) and Revital Grow-all (compost and worm castings)

• Fancy an interesting tomato this season? Seek out heritage tomato seedlings with fabulous names like Mortgage Lifter, Aunt Ruby’s green and Mr Stripey

• Mound soil around potato tops as they grow. Potatoes continue to form up the stem as soil gets added. Keep watered

• Eggplants can go in now – growing them in raised beds helps the bees find their rather insipid flowers. Pollination can be tricky, so planting nasturtiums nearby will bring more bees

• Throw a pack of mesclun mix through the vegetable bed to ensure there are always some salad greens for picking

• Summer herbs that grow well from early spring include parsley, coriander, dill, chervil, oregano and the culinary thymes – lemon, pizza and chicken are popular

• Feed all the fruit producers – pip and stone fruit, citrus, berries etc

The ornamental garden

• Trim topiaries and hedges and feed with Prolawn All Purpose Fertiliser, then add mulch around them. These are investment plants – a structured garden relies on their performance

• Fertilise roses and check for aphids. Squashing them by hand is easy with small colonies, otherwise you may need to spray

• Free plants – Take a look for seedlings around the ‘mother’ plants in the garden – NZ grasses, native trees and shrubs, and perennials such as hellebores produce ‘babies’ that you can transplant now

• Pretty spring-flowering shrubs that mark the new season: plant Californian lilac (ceanothus), Mexican orange blossom (choisyas), lavender, plus there are a host of showy viburnum options

The current and proposed subdivision boundaries for Rodney Local Board.

Springboard carpark gets ‘thank you’ facelift

Springboard, the community organisation working with at-risk youth, received an unexpected boost this month when Fulton Hogan stepped in to pave and paint the potholed gravel carpark at its Sheepworld base, north of Warkworth.

Fulton Hogan described the initiative as a thank you to the support service, after it allowed the roading contractor to use its carpark as a staging area during its work on State Highway 1 at Dome Valley.

“While working on the Dome Valley resurfacing project, Fulton Hogan were blessed with the use of Sheepworld’s car park as a very generous lay down area,” it said in a statement.

“The provision of their carpark was a critical part of being able to deliver our work, even more so when issues arose and we needed to asphalt an additional 2km. Thousands of tonnes of asphalt and seal chip were deposited here throughout the works, while also providing refuge for machinery and vehicles during night shifts.”

“As a thank you, the large car park was rejuvenated with fresh millings after the Dome Valley works were completed,” Fulton Hogan said.

The “issues” referred to by the company relate to an episode in December when newly-laid chipseal peeled off after heavy rainfall, sticking to car tyres. Urgent remedial work was required and Fulton Hogan made compensation payments to owners of damaged vehicles.

“After they had the problem with the tar seal, they obviously had this product that was sitting there,” Springboard founder Gary Diprose said. “And they said, we want to come in and help Springboard.”

It was a real blessing, Diprose said, “because I didn’t know how we were going to upgrade this carpark”.

Going beyond just surfacing the area, Fulton Hogan then painted parking bays as well as a bus stop and pedestrian crossing, he said.

“They really pulled it out for us, made it look professional. It’s given everything a real facelift – that says yes, we’re open for business and wanting to see more people come.”

Springboard bought Sheepworld in 2021, moving there from its previous base in Snells Beach. It continues as a visitor attraction but is also used as a centre for training and

supporting vulnerable young people. In addition to the carpark treatment, Fulton Hogan sent representatives to talk to some of the young people at Springboard about civil engineering and work opportunities, Diprose said.

“It had the effect that hopefully can spark up some ideas for our young people to go down that line.

“Fulton Hogan came in and got right in behind the heart of what we do out here. It’s very humbling, but very exciting at the same time – it’s community, wrapping around the future of our young people.”

Fulton Hogan employees who took part in the talk were Matiu Spring, Colleen Paraten, Nic Norgrove and Jamiee Neha. The company said they “did an outstanding job representing us, talking about starting from the ground and working your way up, paving the way for women in the industry and the Fulton Hogan cadetship programme”. Springboard management praised Matiu for talking about his entire journey and challenging the kids on how they think and Colleen for connecting to the kids and inspiring their girls in particular.

More mentors needed

Springboard is looking for more people in the community to step up as mentors, in a programme that the 21-year-old organisation has been running since 2008. Mentors are trained, supported, and then matched up with one of the young people who have volunteered for the programme. They typically have weekly catchups with their young person, and make a commitment to do so for a year. Some then “graduate”, although many relationships continue beyond that one-year period, according to Springboard founder Gary Diprose, as mentors continue to “speak into the young person’s life”.

“It’s about taking an interest in a young person, who just wants someone making them feel special in their corner. That’s what’s making a massive difference.

“There are broader, complex issues that we’ve all got to [grasp], to help turn these young lives around,” he said. “And these young people can see that it’s not just a few people – there’s a whole armyload of people championing for them.”

People interested in mentoring opportunities can get in touch with Springboard on 09 425 4623 or at mail@ springboard.org.nz

Gary Diprose says Fulton Hogan “really pulled it out for us”.

Fulton Hogan employees at the Sheepworld site. Photo, Tania Balzat

OtiBoaty Doggy Dreamland

Most small businesses start with a skill or a passion, so it is not surprising that the owner of Mahurangi’s newest daycare for dogs has both – Kirstie Wilson is a trained dog handler and dog photographer, and she adores dogs.

OtiBoaty Doggy Dreamland is situated on a rural lifestyle block, just south of Warkworth.

Initially, it is catering for small to medium sized dogs with a maximum daily intake of 10, but Kirstie has big plans to one day provide daycare for larger dogs, a pick up and drop off service and, eventually, to open boarding and kennelling options.

“I want the dogs in my care to receive the same sort of love and attention they would get in their own homes, so I’m going to take it one step at a time,” Kirstie says. “The most important thing for me is that the dogs have fun in a safe and loving environment.”

Kirstie started her working life in administration and customer service, but her love of dogs, particularly pugs, inspired her to think of opening her own business, making and marketing bespoke dog apparel.

“When I started the boutique I wrote a wish list of people I would like to collaborate with.”

At the top of that list was Italian influencer Marzia Kjellberg, who has more than 8.8 million followers worldwide and also happens to love pugs.

“Marzia was inviting collaborations so I applied, never thinking for a minute that a little business in NZ would even get a reply. I could not believe it when she chose the boutique and me to work with, and now her pugs wear some of my handmade apparel.”

Kirstie says she can’t wait to meet more dogs from around the district and provide them with a luxury daycare experience.

OtiBoaty Doggy Dreamland is NOW OPEN!

Luxury daycare with limited enrolment for small-to-medium breeds. We aim to create a more personal experience to ensure all pups safety and fun in a more one-on-one setting. Affordable daily rate and 5 and 10 day bundle deals available, consultations now open for new clients and your first day is FREE!

Pet of the Month

& Oskar

Pets Vets Corner

Oskar was presented with a rather personal problem. He was pretty badly constipated, and not only that, “things” weren’t looking like they usually did back there, beneath the tail. And even worse, his Grandma was pointing this out to the vet, who, as she spoke was donning a tight rubber glove. Oskar’s little eyes bulged as the vet performed an internal examination, but the problem was immediately identified. Oskar has a very large tumour growing on the side of his colon inside his pelvis which was pressing on his bowel and making things a bit tight, and a bit to the side.

Surgery was performed that morning to relieve the little guys discomfort. Fortunately the tumour was a large lipoma or benign fatty lump which are commonly seen in dogs, but in Oscar’s case had developed in a very awkward place. It was removed, and almost immediately after surgery a line of little hard nuggets appeared. Oskar sighed, the vet smiled and all were greatly relieved.

Vets: Jon Makin BVSc, Danny Cash BVSc and Associates

WARKWORTH VETS VETERINARY HOSPITAL COAST 2 COAST VETS

Kirstie Wilson.

Photo, Yellow Lab.

Dotterels emerge from rough breeding season

It was a wild ride for Auckland’s threatened New Zealand dotterel population last breeding season as Mother Nature unleashed some powerful weather events.

Of the 172 pairs monitored by volunteers across 61 locations, including Tawharanui, Omaha spit and Snells Beach, 74 chicks were fledged giving a regional productivity for the season of 0.43 chicks per monitored pair. Only four chicks fledged in the Rodney area last season.

Auckland Council’s senior conservation advisor Ben Paris says this shows that even Auckland’s best breeding areas really didn’t do so well due to the weather events.

He says Cyclone Gabriel and other significant storms over the summer had a major effect on the breeding season.

“Just like with people, the immediate impact that comes after a storm strike is often negative,” he says.

“Birds and other animals are adaptable because they’ve evolved in these dynamic coastal landscapes. The new or changed habitat a tropical storm produces can sometimes be beneficial, but not in this case.

“So, for at least 74 chicks to make it through though, is impressive. While some community groups who manage and monitor New Zealand dotterel sites across the region may feel disappointed, it is important to realise these birds do have ‘bad years’.

“On average, most years Auckland hits the average breeding number showing just how effective our dotterel minders are.”

“This was the highest number of monitored breeding pairs we have had reported for a season and the highest number of locations covered. While the numbers might sound notable, it is the lowest productivity rate recorded in Auckland over the past 10 years.”

Some of the non-beach breeding sites had more success than usual, not having to deal with the effects of storm

Dog rule changes

Dotterel statistics

Tawharanui: 16 pairs, two fledged Snells Beach: Five pairs, no chicks Omaha Spit: 26 pairs, two fledged

surge and inundation from this year’s storm events.

Auckland is a national stronghold for the species with an estimated national population of around 2600 birds. As the population increases, along with added human pressure on beaches, dotterel pairs are continuing to turn up at new sites, particularly non-beach sites, to nest each season. Six chicks fledged from land surrounding the NorthWest Shopping Centre at Westgate, three from the industrial area at Onehunga, and one from the grounds of St Kentigern’s College. Paris says the northern NZ dotterel population has gone from a steady decline to nationally increasing and is a true conservation success story – Auckland dotterel minders have played a significant role in their national recovery.

Dog walking rules will change in Snells Beach to protect nesting dotterel and other shorebirds, starting on Friday, September 1. From that date until March 24, all dogs are banned from the beach anywhere north of the Sunburst Reserve boat ramp. Dogs can still be walked on a lead on the coastal pathway, and are allowed on the beach south of the boat ramp, at least until December 1, when summer rules will prohibit dogs from the southern beach between 10am and 5pm. Info: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks-recreation/Pages/park-details.aspx?Location=2558#dogwalking

Mahurangi student tops life skills camp

Mahurangi College student Ty Stent has picked up a major award at a recent Blue Light Life Skills Programme held at the Burnham Military Camp.

The adventure based programme for 14 to 17 year olds focussed on life skills such as self-development, self-control and teamwork.

Activities at the camp included a high wire course and mountain biking, along with leaderless tasks, drills, teamwork challenges and physical activities.

A highlight was a visit to the International Antarctic Centre where participants got to experience the Antarctic storm room, learn about the first expeditions and modern-day life on Scott Base, and visit the Husky Zone where they got to meet the huskies.

Ty says the toughest part of the five-day camp was the drill. “The marching was tough, because after a while my legs would get sore and tired,” he said. However, this didn’t stop him recommending the camp to others.

“I would say do it, push through, learn your own strengths and ability, and have fun.”

Blue Light South Island coordinator Nicola Paterson, who attended the camp, said Ty was awarded the Overall Merit Award through his consistent progress throughout the camp, his self-discipline and support of others.

Blue Light is a not-for-profit charity that works in partnership with police to create positive connections between young people and police, helping young people find direction, fun, and sense of belonging within their communities, enabling them to develop life skills, leadership skills and find employment opportunities. The life skills programme has been run in partnership with the NZ Defence Force for the past 12 years. For more information about the Blue Light Life Skills camps visit www.bluelight.co.nz

Ty Stent received the overall Merit Award.

The annual NZ dotterel breeding season is about to start and people are asked to stay away from known dotterel breeding sites such as the Omaha spit.

Climate trends heading in wrong direction, says expert

A leading climate scientist has criticised NZ’s lack of investment in roof-top solar, saying it is lagging behind almost every other country in the world.

Professor Kevin Trenberth was a guest speaker at a Warkworth U3A meeting on August 18.

He said the uptake of rooftop solar in Germany, for instance, was about four times per capita the rate of NZ, despite Germany having about 20 per cent less sunshine. Australia, which had been lagging in solar uptake, was also now way ahead of NZ.

“The difference is the way it is being managed,” he said.

“Wind and solar are intermittent energy sources so they need to be coupled to hydro so you can regulate the supply. What’s needed is a national approach to manage solar and wind, in conjunction with hydro power.

“The government should require all the small electricity companies to form a consortium, or it should take back the national energy system, including the lakes that we gave away to private companies in the 1980s.

“There has been no discussion of doing that kind of thing at all.”

Trenberth said there was also an inequity in paying households for power they generated from solar.

“How much does the power company pay you if you generate enough to feed electricity back into the grid – eight cents a kilowatt.

“How much do you pay – 32 per kilowatt. “In most places around the world, it’s onefor-one.

“It’s called net metering – I’m not saying there shouldn’t be a fee for using the grid, but electric companies are actually discouraging solar because they can’t manage it well.

“NZ is not managing the intermittency and the need for different forms of energy well.”

Trenberth said in other countries, old electric car batteries that were no longer

useful for the car were being charged during the day and used for other purposes around the house at night.

The title of Professor Trenberth’s talk was Climate Change is Happening and he presented many slides showing how recent changes in the climate were more widespread and severe than anticipated, that some of the impacts were irreversible, and more investment in resilience was needed.

“We have certainly seen that in NZ in recent times,” he said.

He said the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports also showed that de-carbonisation and adaption efforts must increase dramatically.

He said that while the United States and Europe remained the largest emitters of carbon dioxide, they were showing a decline. He said, more worrying, was that emissions from India and China were growing rapidly.

“China’s CO2 emissions increase in six weeks equates to all of NZ’s emissions for a whole year.

“We should be talking about global heating rather than global warming.”

Northland greenhouse gas emissions drop

Greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 11 out of 16 regions in New Zealand in the year ended December 2022, with Northland accounting for the second-biggest drop. Stats NZ figures released on August 22 showed that emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents in Northland dropped by 540 kilotonnes (13 per cent) between 2021 and 2022, second only to Waikato. Stats NZ attributed the decrease largely to the ending of oil refining activity in the region. The oil refinery at Marsden Point stopped operations in March last year, with the facility transitioning to an import-only terminal. Emissions from agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Northland also dropped, although household emissions rose, by 3.8 per cent. Household emissions come mostly from transport and heating/cooling. Across NZ, they accounted for about 12 per cent of the total emissions in 2022, with the rest coming from industry.

Professor Kevin Trenberth is a prominent climate change researcher who didn’t sugar coat his message when he spoke in Warkworth as a guest of the U3A science and climate group.

From trash to treasure at transfer station store

Cast-off items are being turned into cash for community causes at the Warkworth Re:Sort transfer station in Sandspit Road, thanks to an on-site secondhand shop that opened three months ago.

The Last Resort shop is the brainchild of Northland Waste staff at the resource recovery centre, who couldn’t bear to throw away the many reusable goods brought in for disposal by members of the public.

When it became clear that there was too much to donate to existing charity shops in the area, the team commandeered an old shipping container and set up The Last Resort just across from the large drop-off shed where all items are brought in and sorted.

Transfer station manager Logan Gurney said it was important to all of them that they weren’t competing with local op

shops, so they decided to donate all the proceeds to community good causes. Three charities are chosen each quarter, which are displayed on a whiteboard in the shop, then each customer who buys something chooses which group they’d like their money to go to.

For the first three month period, the shop raised $5000, which was split between the quarter’s top two charities, Hestia Women’s Refuge and Warkworth-based Parent Port. Staff from Hestia called in to The Last Resort on August 15 to receive their share of the money and to have a look around the store, saying the donation was a welcome boost to funds in a time of high demand.

Gurney said the transfer station team was glad to be able to help out local charities, as well as reducing the waste going to landfill. He and colleague Debbie Baker serve customers and keep the shop stocked

in between their sorting duties. They said it never ceased to amaze them what some people threw away – they’ve seen everything from a real stuffed llama to (brand new) sex toys – but stressed that any items for resale needed to be in good condition.

“If you wouldn’t buy it for your own family, you shouldn’t expect anyone else to,” Debbie says.

Items usually in stock include bikes, furniture, clothes, books, homewares, glass and china, sporting goods, tools, bags and shoes.

The Last Resort shop is open from Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm, at Re:Sort Warkworth, 183 Sandspit Road. Any local charities wishing to be considered for ‘community group of the quarter’ should email rob@northlandwaste.co.nz

Auckland Council pushes to take back power

over transport

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

Mayor Wayne Brown has received unanimous support to push for legislative change that would give decision making power over transport to Auckland Council. At a Transport and Infrastructure Committee meeting on August 17, Brown proposed a change to the way decisions for Auckland’s transport systems are made. He wants council and the crown to be given joint decision making over Auckland’s transport plan, council to be granted the lead role for Auckland’s Regional Land Transport Plan, and council to be allowed to make regulatory decisions such as setting parking fines.

The proposal won the unanimous support of committee members.

Auckland Council is unique in that it doesn’t currently have a formal role in approving the strategic direction for transport. The responsibility was transferred to Auckland Transport in 2013, a move which the 2020 Independent CCO Review panel called “wrong in principle and at odds with the intent of Auckland’s local government reforms”.

CCO governance and external partnerships manager Alastair Cameron recommended the best way for the change to take place would be through a local bill.

“The issue with waiting for government to begin the process is that it may never become a priority for them,” he said.

“[There is] a democratic deficit in decision making. Auckland Council is the only unitary authority in New Zealand that doesn’t have elected members – aside from the councillors appointed to the Auckland Transport board – sitting around the regional transport committee.”

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME

WARKWORTH

SNELLS BEACH

WE PROVIDE

Covid and Flu vaccinations available

Surgery at 11 Alnwick Street

Surgery at Unit 2/347 Mahurangi East Road

• Wide range of doctor and nurse led services including accident and medical services, immunisation, minor surgery, vasectomies, immigration, dive and insurance medicals.

• Wide range of visiting specialists.

• Warkworth is open Monday to Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 8am-12 noon.

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

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

• Pharmacy, Labtest, Physio on site.

• Free Covid-19 testing available.

Doctors • Kate Baddock • Stephen Barker • Bruce Sutherland • Amy MacBeth • Clinton Anderson • Andrew Duffin • Jing He • Mette Johannesen • Simon Tricker • Montserrat Figols • Kara Stones • Matt Couchman

From left, Robyn and Claudia from Hestia Women’s Refuge checking out the stock with transfer station manager Logan Gurney.

The Forest Bridge Trust

Nikki Morgan, Marketing and Comms www.theforestbridgetrust.org.nz

Springboard partnership

The Forest Bridge Trust and Springboard New Zealand recently joined forces in an Auckland Council funded project to deliver a pilot programme introducing conservation to Springboard’s secondary school-aged students. Springboard, located at Sheepworld in Warkworth, was founded in 2022 and is an alternative education provider, offering flexible programmes that cater to learners with diverse backgrounds and schedules. Working with Springboard’s general manager, Dan Gray, and tutors

Jason Warahi, Niki Arnold and Ryan

Stanyer, Tris Bondsfield and Matu Booth from The Forest Bridge Trust developed a 10-week programme that explored conservation and restoration.

It started with a short overview of the biodiversity in Aotearoa and the interconnectivity of even the smallest organisms to create a healthy ecosystem.

Dean Baigent-Mercer, from Forest and Bird, gave an engaging presentation on native forests and the damage possums have done. Meanwhile, trust ecologist Virginia Moreno used a timeline map of kiwi in our rohe over the past 100 years to highlight their declining numbers, but went on to explain the opportunity that exists to bring kiwi back to the area by working together to ensure that the birds have safe habitats. The students had some great questions, which allowed Dean to explain more about ecosystems and how taking away one species can affect everything else. Later in the programme, he also offered the students a guided walk through Tāwharanui where he focused on the signs of a healthy forest.

Kiwis have few defences from predators such as stoats, weasels and ferrets. Predation from mustelids has caused a significant

decline in numbers, with only five per cent of chicks born in the wild making it to adulthood. Predator control, through humane trapping, allows us to address that threat.

Chris Jamieson, from Matakana Traps, ran a trap-building workshop and helped students construct three traps. Then, in week five, Alex Wardenaar and Cam Rathe, from The Forest Bridge Trust’s predator control team, helped the students set up a trapline with a Flipping Timmy, a DOC 200 and a rat trap. They discussed the different types of bait used and explained why it’s important to think like an animal and choose carefully where to place a trap.

Sarah Dimitrijevic, from Whitebait Connection – Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, took students out to the streams that surround the campus to explain the importance of monitoring the health of our wetlands and ensuring that our rivers and streams are safe habitats for inanga and freshwater fish.

The programme culminated with a trip to Tiritiri Matangi. Despite a few showers, the students enjoyed seeing first-hand what happens to an ecosystem when predators like rats, possums and mustelids are eliminated. The programme was a learning journey for all involved, and we thank the staff and students of Springboard for their full cooperation and participation. Through guidance, mentoring and workshops, we hope that we have provided insight into local conservation for the students, giving them a better understanding of the work The Forest Bridge Trust does, together with many community organisations, to protect and restore local flora and fauna. A big thank you to Auckland Council for supporting the funding of the programme.

First Aid

Need a refresher?

Has it been more than two

Homebuilders

Jazz Bishop, Family Support Worker www.homebuildersfs.org

The zones of regulation

The ability to identify and communicate our emotions, and respond to them in helpful and healthy ways, is a lifelong skill that can begin in the family home. However, if this isn’t something you are used to, it can feel difficult to find a place to begin. The Zones of Regulation is a simple framework designed to help people, especially children, develop selfawareness and emotional regulation skills. The framework divides emotions into four colour-coded zones: Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red, each representing a different state of emotional activation.

Blue Zone: This zone represents low energy and feelings of sadness, boredom or tiredness. Strategies to move from the Blue Zone to a more regulated state could include taking deep breaths, engaging in relaxing activities or seeking sensory input.

Green Zone: The Green Zone signifies a calm and focused state. It’s the best zone for learning, social interaction and daily activities. Emotions like happiness, contentment and relaxation fit into this zone. Strategies to stay or return to the Green Zone include positive self-talk, engaging in hobbies, and practising mindfulness.

Yellow Zone: The Yellow Zone represents a heightened emotional state, but we still have some control of ourselves. Feelings of frustration, anxiety, or excitement fall within this zone. We may feel a bit wobbly or worked up. When we recognize we are in the Yellow Zone we can use strategies like taking a pause, using sensory tools or try to problem-solve.

Red Zone: The Red Zone signifies an extremely heightened state of emotional intensity and loss of control. This is the ‘toys are out of the cot’ zone. Emotions like anger, feeling overwhelmed and extreme anxiety fit in this zone. The focus here is identifying when we and others are in the Red Zone, so that we can learn and implement effective coping strategies such as deep breathing, taking time away, or seeking support from a trusted person. There are lots of helpful resources and printouts available online. When teaching this tool to children/young people, you could do an activity together and come up with ideas and strategies for each zone that is specific to your whānau.

Modelling the language and coping skills is a great teaching tool. Next time you’re in traffic or feel yourself getting frustrated, name it! This could sound like, “oh boy, I can feel myself entering the yellow zone, I’m just going to take a few deep breaths”. Children learn best through observation. It is also beneficial for children to realise that we have our own emotions as adults and watching us work through them effectively will help them learn to do the same.

Different strategies may suit different family members so try to stay open and curious. For example, ‘let’s take a break and have a snack and see if that helps’. Having the zones in an accessible place like on the fridge makes it easy to reference. For further support regarding emotional awareness and regulation, feel free to call Homebuilders on 09 425 7048 or 0800 100 037 for a chat.

Wool appeal for baby clothes

Over the past seven years, Sandra Haycock has knitted and crocheted hundreds of baby vests, beanies and blankets, which have helped keep premature babies and babies in need warm. Her garments have mainly gone to Middlemore and Waitakere Hospitals, but some have even made their way north to charities in Kaitaia.

But now she is running out of wool and hopes the Mahurangi community may be able to help.

“It doesn’t matter whether its three-ply, double knit or baby wool, any donations of wool will be very welcome,” she says. Wool that is not suitable for babies is used

Sandra Haycock

to make dog coats for Saving Hope and other dog charities.

Asked what motivated her to keep her needles busy, Sandra said the Warkworth community had been good to her, and this was her way of giving back.

Donations of wool can be left at the Mahurangi Matters office, 17 Neville Street, Warkworth, during normal business hours.

Sweetappreciation with chocolatebrown

Congratulations to Nick Noort who is this week’s recipient of a gift box from Chocolate Brown. Nick was nominated by Margaret Wright who wrote …

Since moving here, Nick has consistently helped maintain the walkway on Alnwick Street, from the village through to Jade River. This very busy pathway enables the community, many of whom are mature or young families, to get from the Jade River suburb through to the village in an easy

manner. This year the walkway was ruined by the relentless rain, as well as an inconsiderate individual driving their car back and forth over the path. The walkway was left a muddy mire and dangerous to walk on. Nick organised Warkworth businesses to donate stones and materials to re-lay the path. He also rallied some of the neighbours to assist. Locals can now walk easily to the village without being bogged down in mud. Nick is always willing to help neighbours with chores or tasks they are sometimes unable to do on their own, as well as generally looking out for his neighbours’ wellbeing and welfare.

Dave Fenton and Mason Containers were also thanked for their donations to the walkway improvements.

Send your nominations to editor@localmatters.co.nz

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

Mock general election

Thousands of school students will have the opportunity to have their say in mock elections that will introduce them to the voting process.

Already 609 schools have signed up for Kids Voting – Te Pōti a Ngā Tamariki 2023 - with about 98,000 students expected to take part. The Electoral Commission is encouraging other schools to register for the free, fun and easy programme.

“It’s such a great opportunity for school students of all ages to get a taste of what it’s like to vote in a general election,” Electoral Commission deputy chief executive

Cafe, Gifts, Chocolaterie

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operations Anusha Guler says.

“What we’ve found is that kids benefit from learning about the voting process and get a real thrill out of having their vote counted in a mock election.

“ We also send posters that teachers can put up around their classroom.

“The experience is made as authentic as possible, with kids voting mock papers containing actual parties and candidates from their electorate.”

Schools can sign up for the programme or find out more information at www.kidsvoting.co.nz

t level !

Retail Manager Te Hana

We have a fast paced and rewarding role available selling pre-loved goods at our Te Hana shop. Whilst ensuring a fantastic experience for donors, customers and volunteers, you will be making a real difference in your local community, maximising retail income to raise much needed funds for Harbour Hospice.

Permanent full time role working 8:30am to 4:30pm, days negotiable.

Specialist, on 021 241 5567 or apply online: tt.harbourhospice.org.nz

The rising cost of dying

Whether New Zealanders choose burial or cremation for their departed loved ones, the cost of dying continues to climb.

Funeral Directors Association of NZ (FDANZ) figures show that the national average fee charged by local authorities for burials has risen to $4315 in 2023-2024, up from $3077 in 2016-2017. Although considerably less expensive, council fees for the two main cremation costs – the cremation process itself, and the burial of ashes – have also risen, from an average of $605 and $877 in 2016-2017 to $809 and $1036 respectively in 2023-2024. The costs do vary significantly in different jurisdictions. In Auckland, average council fees for burial in mid-2023 are $6112, while in Whangārei they are $3868. The most expensive part of the country to bury someone in a council cemetery is New Plymouth, where the average is $7207. At the other end of the scale, burials in Taupō cost an average of $1170 in council fees.

FDANZ chief executive Gillian Boyes says the high costs of burials in places like Auckland “really take burial as an option off the table for those of limited means, and yet we know for many of our families burial is a preferred option for cultural or religious reasons.”

The cost difference in Auckland is significant: in contrast to the high charges for burials, which cover the plot and digging fees, Auckland Council says the cost of an adult cremation at one of its facilities is $650.

(Both burials and cremations incur additional fees when held on weekends, public holidays and after hours. The figures exclude costs for the funeral director, flowers, venue, catering, headstone, embalming, and coffin or urn.)

Yet notwithstanding the difference in cost,

the cultural/religious preference cited by Boyes is evidently borne out in figures supplied by Auckland Council cemetery services manager Nikki Nelson. She says

over the past five years, more burials than cremations have been carried out in Auckland facilities – 15,634 burials compared to 10,855 cremations.

Final farewells becoming more personal

Among emerging trends reported by funeral directors, there is an increasing involvement of family members, growing demand for more personalised services, and a greater embrace of digital technology. Families are increasingly wanting to play an active part in the process, for example participating in preparing a loved one’s body for burial, digging a grave, or lowering the body into the ground.

Tailor-made services can involve ways of celebrating the deceased’s hobbies, interests or personalities. This can range from guiding the choice of music played or food served, to encouraging funeral goers to dress in a way that celebrates the loved one’s profession, character – even a favourite sports team.

A service may be given a theme, an appropriate work vehicle – think fire engine, digger or logging truck – could feature in a procession, or the venue could

reflect the loved one’s passions, with a park, forest or beach among the choices requested for memorial services.

“Funeral services are now increasingly more personalised than 20 years ago, with wonderful slide show photographic montages set to music that have meaning to both the family and their loved one,” says Debbie Clark of Jason Morrison Funerals in Warkworth. “Heartfelt individual tributes and musical performances are more common than in the past.”

Often a celebrant spends time with family and is then able to share the person’s life story as part of the service, she says.

“The use of a celebrant to recount the life story of the deceased person after meeting and spending valuable time with the family has definitely increased. They are a vital part of a funeral and provide much more of the essence of a funeral than just being an emcee.”

Although neither Stats NZ nor Internal Affairs keep statistics on cremations versus burials nationwide, FDANZ says that cremations across New Zealand over the past 20 years have outnumbered burials by roughly 2:1.

Whatever choice is made, FDANZ wants the government to boost the Work and Income funeral grant, to enable low-income families to farewell loved ones in a dignified manner. Currently, the maximum grant is $2445.

“The sad reality is that at a time when a very low-income family is hurting and grieving and just wants to remember their loved one, they are going to be faced with the added pain of a big bill,” Boyes says. “The welfare safety net has got a whopping great hole in it when it comes to helping families with the end of life.”

Covid lockdowns and gathering restrictions fuelled an already growing trend of livestreaming funeral services. This option can bring solace to family or friends unable to attend for any reason, especially for those living abroad.

“This aspect of funerals has carried on even after the social distancing requirements were relaxed,” Debbie says. “A large proportion of funerals today are livestreamed and, as such, smaller or boutique funerals as we have in our premises are now quite usual.

“The other change during covid times was the increase in memorial services that evolved due to the restrictions placed on us. The deceased person was cremated, with the ashes held until family could be together to hold a memorial service. Although this trend is still relevant to some families, we are seeing a return to a more usual style of service with community support and presence.”

Anthea McKergow and husband Hugh were strong supporters for the reinstatement of a bridge across a creek between Birdsall and Ashton Roads, at Whangateau. Anthea grew up in Leigh and Omaha flats, and was chair of the Board of Governors at Mahurangi College for 15 years. When she died in 2015, her family arranged for the installation of this seat, made from timber salvaged from the original bridge that once stood on the site, and dedicated it to her memory.

Memorials can take many forms, from grand statuary in a city cemetery to a simple cross on the roadside, but one of the most common – and most thoughtful – is a commemorative seat. Not only does a memorial bench provide a permanent and public reminder of a loved family member, friend or local character, but it also offers a welcome resting place for those left behind, usually in a peaceful spot with a wonderful view.

Mahurangi is blessed with many such seats, along coastal paths and riverbanks, in parks, reserves and community centres. Here, we look at a random selection of special seats spotted around the region.

Maureen Gravatt’s friends and colleagues at Leigh Fisheries dedicated this seat on Leigh Harbour to her after her sudden death some years ago. She was remembered as “an amazing woman with a gentle soul who was very caring and would help anyone”.

Pip’s Corner offers Omaha Beach golfers a rest at the 8th tee, the southernmost point of the course. The bench was placed in memory of Pip Hindmarsh, one of many golfers who preferred to hit two shots to get to the par 3 green, rather than risk losing a ball in the extensive rough that lies under a direct shot.

This familiar and reassuring Kiwi sentiment in memory of Sandy Lawrence is on the coastal path that runs along the length of Snells Beach, one of many placed in memory of people who enjoyed the walk and loved the views out to Kawau and beyond.

Watson Pete Sharp Raoul Robertson

A shift to environmentallyfriendly funeral options

Regardless of what form a funeral takes, calls for more environmentally-friendly options is a trend that many in the funeral industry predict will continue to grow.

Both burials and cremations can have a significant environmental impact. With burials, the slow pace of decomposition and leaching of embalming chemicals into the soil can give rise to concern. Ways to overcome these include foregoing embalming altogether, choosing simpler coffins – including caskets made of wicker, cardboard or fabric – or using shrouds instead of a coffin.

A Law Commission survey of local authorities several years ago found growing public interest in more “natural” burials, with the use of biodegradable caskets or shrouds, no embalming, and a relatively shallow grave to speed up decomposition. Plants can be used instead of headstones, and some cemeteries have special areas set aside for this purpose.

With cremation, a body is burned for up to two hours at temperatures that can reach 800-1000 degrees Celsius. Experts estimate that a single cremation produces an average of 534 pounds of carbon dioxide – roughly a quarter of the amount the average petrolpowered car emits in a year.

In several parts of the world, greener alternatives to cremation are starting to take hold. These include resomation (also called water cremation), in which a combination of water and alkaline reduces a body to a liquid and white bone ash; and cryomation, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the body, with the remains pressed into a powder. Resomation is said to use 30 per cent less energy than cremation and to have a 75 per cent lower carbon output, while cryomation proponents say it releases no emissions whatsoever.

Neither option is legally available in New Zealand yet, although the recent approval of resomation in Britain has buoyed advocates here.

The founder of Christchurch-based Water Cremation Aotearoa, Debbie Richards, said the government recently paused work on overhauling the Burial and Cremation Act 1964, part of which covers body disposal methods.

While water cremation is not recognised in law here yet, she said, “we are moving forward with offering the service in Christchurch in working with the city council to meet all Resource Management Act requirements, as we believe this is what will be required once the process is regulated”.

The foundation’s wig day is an important fundraiser to help families facing cancer treatment for their child.

Wear a wig and help a child

The Child Cancer Foundation is asking Kiwis to don a wig on Wednesday, September 13 to support tamariki with cancer and their families.

At least three children a week are diagnosed with cancer every week. The treatment these children undergo often means they need to brave the world with no hair.

Wig Wednesday is a fun day where people can support these kids by wearing a wig, styling a funky hairdo or shaving their head while raising money for the foundation.

“So far, we have had hundreds of incredible Kiwi schools, workplaces and community groups sign up to get wiggy all over the country,” the foundation’s chief executive Monica Briggs says.

“We are so grateful for their dedication to raising money for these whānau during what has been a difficult year for many Kiwis.”

The impact of Cyclone Gabrielle and the cost-of-living crisis has not only caused an increased need for the foundation’s support services throughout 2023, but it has also affected its ability to raise vital funds to

provide these services.

“We have seen families of all backgrounds pushed into severe stress and hardship this year as a result of their child’s cancer diagnosis.

“This is where New Zealanders’ generosity becomes a real lifeline for these families. Together, we can ensure they are supported through one of the toughest times in their lives.”

The foundation needs to raise over $200,000 in urgent funds this Wig Wednesday to provide emotional, financial and practical support to tamariki with cancer and their whānau.

The organisation doesn’t receive any direct government funding, so relies on the generosity of Kiwis to help these families.

“Every dollar raised for Wig Wednesday makes a difference,” Briggs says.

“Please help us raise vital funds and awareness by wearing a wig this September 13 or making a donation to help Kiwi families impacted by childhood cancer.”

Sign up for Wig Wednesday or donate today at wigwednesday.org.nz

Band of Hope Certificate, 1911, Warkworth Museum. The Presbyterian Church was a stronghold of the temperance organisation Band of Hope, founded in the 1840s. It encouraged young people to sign a pledge to abstain from alcohol. Teetotallers also persuaded the church to use grape juice rather than fortified wine in the sacrament of communion.

Talks reflect on days gone by

Warkworth will host two major heritage information events in the run-up to the Warkworth Heritage Festival in November. On Thursday, September 28, the Warkworth Library has organised a combined museums talk in the Old Masonic Hall, in Baxter Street.

Dianne Morgan, from the Warkworth Museum, will talk about Warkworth’s involvement in the Temperance Movement, its people and places.

Jenny Schollum, from the Puhoi Heritage Museum, will talk about love, peace and protest in Puhoi, and her talk will include topics such as Puhoi’s involvement in World War I, peace celebrations, Puhoi’s triple wedding in 1901, and more recent protests against land development.

Peter Marsh, from the Albertland Heritage Museum, will take the audience on a photographic journey, captured by his grandfather, renowned early New Zealand photographer Harold Marsh, featuring early Albertlanders’ peace and love celebrations.

The talks are free and start at 10.30am. Then on Wednesday, October 4, at the Warkworth Town Hall, three speakers will talk about aspects of Warkworth’s history. Heritage Mahurangi chair Dave Parker will cover the founding of Warkworth from 1853, along with the history of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga buildings and landmarks and their significance to the area.

Lyn Wade, who is a descendant of the prominent Wilson and Morrison families, will talk about the life and times of some of the area’s pioneering families. And finally, Jane Gifford trustee and maritime enthusiast Peter Thompson will share his knowledge of early steamboat activity and his passion for historic vessels on the Mahurangi River. These talks are also free and start at 10.30am.

The Warkworth Heritage Festival will feature a heritage river pageant, a commemoration military street march, walks, a local pioneer’s event and more.

For all your cabinetry requirements call:

fundraising fun Fashion

An eclectic range of fashion will take to the runway at the Warkworth Town Hall on Friday, September 15 as part of a fundraiser for the Warkworth-based Women’s Centre Rodney.

Warkworth Rotary is organising the event, which will feature fashion from Coconut Gallery, Warkworth Menswear and the Kiribati community.

Plus, eight pre-loved designer outfits donated to Coconut Gallery will be sold at the end of proceedings.

Fashion Show organiser Cindy Bakewell says the suits will be offered for sale for $100 each.

“Each buyer will purchase a suit and then, in an act of paying it forward, give the suit back

Father’s Day movie

to the women’s centre for women to wear on a special occasions such as a job interview.”

The menswear range will be modelled by firefighters from the Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Cindy says money raised will go towards buying a stove for the women’s centre cooking classes, and there will be raffles and spot prizes on the night.

Tickets are $25 and are available from Coconut Gallery, in Queen Street; the women’s centre, 10 Morpeth Street; or by direct deposit to Rotary Charitable Trust: 02 0480 0013221 001 (use your surname as the reference).

The show will run from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

The Mangawhai Chess Club is hosting a Father’s Day screening of the award-winning New Zealand film Whale Rider to raise funds to help club members take part in regional and national chess competitions in October. In addition to the film screening, which will be held at the Mangawhai Movies on September 3 starting at 3.30pm, the event will feature a raffle for a grocery hamper including wine, chocolates and vouchers. Whale Rider is the highly acclaimed 2003 film that saw Keisha Castle-Hughes, aged 13, nominated for an Academy Award for best actress.

Cindy Bakewell, left, and Penny Garrick show off some of the items that will be modelled on the catwalk.

In brief

Ahuroa fire fundraiser

The Ahuroa Volunteer Fire Brigade is inviting people to visit Gibbs Farm, on the Kaipara Coast Highway next month, and help raise money for the brigade. The farm, which features huge sculptures of international significance, is private property and only open by appointment. A brigade spokesperson says the farm does not charge an entry fee so all money raised will go to the brigade. “Tickets are limited to 150 people so we advise people not to muck around as we expect them to sell out fast,” she says. The event will be held on Friday, September 15, from 10am to 2pm. Tickets cost $85 per person. They can be purchased here: https://events.humanitix. com/ahuroa-volunteer-fire-brigade-gibbsfarm-day

Comedy central at Snells

Tickets on sale soon for Mahurangi walks

For the 14th year, the enthusiastic volunteers at Warkworth Walks are gearing up to host a packed weekend of trail walks across the Mahurangi region in the spring, with tickets going on sale soon. The group is offering a selection of 11 guided walks over the weekend of November 10 to12, ranging in difficulty from easy to challenging, and in duration from six to eight hours.

On offer are coastal trails, native bush, wildlife and bird life, spectacular views, and more. Among areas featured are Omaha, Leigh, Pakiri, Matakana, Whangaripo, the Tāwharanui Peninsula and Kaipara Harbour.

One of the options includes wine-tasting in the Matakana region and another combines walking with kayaking down the

Puhoi River to Mahurangi Regional Park.

The annual walking weekends began in 2009 and has been held every year since with the exception of covid-hit 2021. Warkworth Walks committee member Luke Williamson says tickets can get snapped up quickly, with some walks sold out within 30 minutes to an hour. There are around 350 tickets available, and Warkworth Walks has 1500 people on its database, “so we usually don’t have too much trouble filling up the walks”.

The more in-demand walks are those that combine the walking with some type of hospitality, as well as those that cross private land whose owners have given permission for access.

“If you can go somewhere where you’re

normally not allowed to go to, that’s really popular.”

Luke says the walks attract a lot of repeat customers. All ages take part, although 55 to 65 tends to be the average. If people want to bring children, “we generally say, if they’re good walkers and you know they can do the distance, then that’s fine”. Most of the walks fall within the $40 to $67 price range, and all include bus transport from Warkworth and lunch. The options involving wine tasting or kayak hire are priced at $116 and $112 respectively, and also both include bus transport and lunch. Numbers are limited, depending on the trail, to between 20 and 36. Tickets go on sale at midday on Sunday, September 3, at: http://www.warkworthwalks.co.nz/home

Some of the nation’s top comedians will strut their stuff at the Salty Dog Inn in Snells Beach this Saturday night, September 2, to raise money for the Snells Beach Kindergarten. This is sixth year the kindy has run its annual Comedy Night, which will again be hosted by Steve Lyons. This year’s line-up includes Ed Amon, Bridget Favies, Josiah Day, Ocean Denham and David Stuart. Organisers says that along with quality laughs, there will be silent auctions, a raffle and spot prizes. Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets cost $25 pp and are available via text: 021 078 7991 or email: snellsbeach.kindyparents@yahoo.com

Blooms in abundance

A flower show will be held at the Mahurangi East Community Centre on Saturday September 2, from 1pm to 3.30 pm. It has been organised by the Snells Beach Garden Circle and flowers and garden produce will be displayed in seven sections – spring bulbs, flowers garden variety, creative, camellias, open, fruit and vegetables, and children. There will also be a plant sale table – shoppers are asked to bring their own bags and it will cash-only sales.

BOOK YOUR CHRISTMAS FUNCTION AT THE SMOKO ROOM

Sawmill Brewery + Smoko Room | 1004 Leigh Rd, Matakana | smokoroom@sawmillbrewery.co.nz

The walks take in some of the area’s most spectacular scenery. Photo, Warkworth Walks

Books

Tracey Lawton

From The Pilot’s Seat by Fletcher McKenzie

This is a collection of 23 stories from New Zealand pilots. There is a wide range of flying and life experiences from training and flying in World War II to deer recovery by helicopter, and the astonishing feat of gliding. Some of the stories are from pilots who are no longer with us, and other stories are from both fathers and their flying offspring. Crashes, near death experiences and the camaraderie that can be found among a group of like-minded people makes for interesting reading. Also interesting and sometimes amusing is the good old Kiwi ‘she’ll be right’ attitude, particularly when dealing with flying sorties into occupied Europe and frequently coming back minus valued members of the squadron, or ferrying your child on the end of a chain from a helicopter to pick up firewood. From The Pilot’s Seat is filled with stories that will enthral any flying enthusiast.

The Waters by Carl Nixon

Nixon’s newest offering is about the Waters family and various narrators give us a momentary glimpse into aspects of their lives. The father, Pat, is at times a charmer and wheeler and dealer, and at other times, an angry drunk. Eldest son Mark is a loner and a successful property developer. Younger son Davey is beautiful and elusive, while daughter Sam is happily married, but trying her best to understand her anorexic daughter. As more stories are told about the family, more aspects of their lives are opened for our viewing. And then there’s the mother who dies when the children are young and her elusive shadow taunting from the edge of their memories. At times I found the story disjointed, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I really enjoyed it. A New Zealand author, Carl Nixon also wrote the excellent Rocking Horse Road and The Tally Stick.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Capturing Heritage in Action: Wilson Cement Works Photography

Competition Celebrating the Past and Present Connection with Warkworth Museum.

CATEGORIES

Cement Works Today (Open category)

Young Persons (Age 11-16)

Young Persons (Age 5 - 10)

CALATHEA STRING QUARTET

Violins, Viola & Cello

A fresh, new string quartet comprised of dynamic musicians from around the world performing works by Mozart, Shostakovich, Dame Gillian Whitehead and Imogen Holst.

ENTRIES OPEN: 11 SEPT 2023

ENTRIES CLOSE: 22 OCT 2023

JUDGING: 29 OCT 2023

For more information: warkworthmuseum@xtra.co.nz | www.warkworthmuseum.co.nz

Kaipara council documents decision sparks language row

A decision by Kaipara District Council to publish two separate versions of its annual plan English and te reo Māori prompted debate during a late July meeting in both. In a presentation to elected members, community member Caren Davis argued in favour of bilingual rather than separate council documents, expressing what she described as concern in the community “about this council’s approach to things Māori”.

The issue emerged at a briefing in early June, when councillors considered the draft annual plan. A memo from staff said the document would be published in an English version, and a separate one “with more of a focus on reo Māori”.

Davis said a single bilingual document –with the two languages sitting alongside each other would be preferable, because many Māori could not read te reo, having lost the language “through no fault of their own”. She said being confronted by documents solely in te reo alienated people in that position and brought a lot of shame, since they were unable to engage with them, and so would resort to reading the English-only version.

“I would encourage one document that is reflective of the partnership of our people rather than a separatist approach,” Davis said. “I’m seeing a real theme in the decisions you are making, and it has me concerned once again that you are not here to represent and listen to all Kaipara residents, nor interested in listening to and consulting

Puhoi planters

properly with your iwi stakeholders – that you may just be interested in hearing from those who think the same as you.”

Mayor Craig Jepson said that as leader of the district, he represented everybody in it, including Māori.

He said he has received feedback that council documents should be made easier to read.

“They are large documents and there is a demand that they be simpler to read,” he said. “And I think that you should embrace this, rather than use it as an opportunity to feel offended.”

“I’m not offended,” Davis responded. “I’m concerned.”

Jepson said the council has been listening, and would continue to consult with iwi on the issue.

The Puhoi community is being asked to spread the word that a planting day will be held in the Puhoi Pioneers Park on Sunday, September 3. Volunteers are invited to connect with like-minded individuals, learn about local conservation efforts and make a tangible difference in their community. The morning starts at 8.30am and planters should make their way along the main River Walkway to find the planting location. Wear sturdy shoes and take along gardening gloves and a spade if you have them. Equipment will be provided for those who don’t. Everyone welcome.

Ngāti Manuhiri

Te Whā o Mahuru

Mahuru is the fourth month of the Māori calendar and marks the coming warmer seasons leading into summer when plants are starting to grow again. In the Gregorian calendar, the first of September marks the beginning of spring whereas it has been Mahuru since Whiro rose on August 28. In the Gregorian calendar, the months are based on gods, goddesses, rulers and numbers and September comes from the Latin name Septem, meaning seven. The oldest known Roman calendar had only 10 months and September was the seventh month. Hepetema is the Māori ingoa (name) for September.

There are two ‘seasons’ in the Māori year – Hine Rāumati and Hine Takurua – the two wāhine of Tamanuiterā (the great Sky Father). So, as Tamanuiterā returns to his ‘summer’ wahine, Hine Rāumati, we feel the shift to the warmer weather. Mahuru is also known as Te Whā o Mahuru, referring to it being the fourth month or Te Ahunga o Uruao, referring to the new generation of whitebait.

Traditionally, Māori would look to the environment for tohu (signs) which would indicate the change of seasons and, depending on the area they resided in, the tohu would be different. The signs included events such as the start of the whitebait season, the blooming of certain flowers or the migratory birds that start arriving to their summer residence.

Tohu o te rangi (signs in the sky): In Mahuru a new star, Te Kakau (Regulus) rises. You can also see the stars Whakāhu Kerekere and Whakāhu Rangi (Castor and Pollux) in the eastern sky.

Tohu o te moana (signs in the ocean): This is the whitebait season so you will see whitebait in our waterways during this period.

Tohu o te whenua (signs in the land): There are several tohu on land – one is the pīpīwharauroa bird (shining cuckoo), which can be heard singing in the trees. Another tohu is the ripening of red berries. Practical activities to do this Mahuru could be:

• Prepare your gardens and tools ready for the month ahead

• Reflect on the past four months and plan ahead

• Reset your space at home, school or work

• If looking to move house or change jobs, weigh up the pros and cons and plan accordingly

Living (or working) by the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) helps our team plan ahead and action accordingly. For instance, there are dates within the month that are better for holding hui (meetings) or for strategic planning and report writing. If you would like more information and resources to help you in your workplace or to learn to live/work by the Maramataka, please feel free to contact our team. Ngā mihi nui

Ringi Brown, Kaumatua www.ngatimanuhiri.iwi.nz

www.kgaww.co.nz

History

Live at the Mangawhai Museum

When the new museum at Mangawhai opened in December 2014, several groups formed including the History Group. That group created an annual event called Live Night, which is designed to be fun, educational and a happy time for both children and adults.

On these nights, volunteers dress in period costume and staff the display units they represent. Children are encouraged to arrive in dress-up as whoever they wish to represent, and adults are also welcome to be a part of the dress-up theme of the night. The evening programme usually includes a musical group in the foyer, who entertain visitors and participants. Unfortunately, the wonderful Jaques Brothers’ Band, who have entertained Mangawhai and districts for the past 60 years, was no longer able to perform for us, even though Bill played the piano for those who wished to dance to music of the 1940s and 50s last year. This year, one of our entertainers was our Canadian manager Tom Long, who is a wonder with the children. He kept them occupied with contests and by drawing their likenesses. Our museum volunteers were splendid in their regalia. Our 58th Regiment soldier in his red jacket stood at attention, as folk wondered at the white cross emblazoned over his front and back. There was a finely clad chap in naval uniform at the Niagara

display, while at the next site were two beautiful ‘flapper’ girls, dressed up to the nines. Inside the holiday tram were two holiday makers, playing cards, while outside at the wharf, there was a very well dressed gentleman waiting for a steamer to pull up and ship him off to Auckland. Also at the wharf, inside the cargo shed, was a gumdigger with his items of work around him. In the aerial display area passengers were dressed up and ready to take off in an early Boeing plane for districts in the north. A school teacher showed interested children how students learned their lessons during the 1900s, while a short distance away a group of ladies practised their tatting and rug-making skills, and a well adorned nurse made certain all of those around her were medically fit and able. The sweet old lady, finely dressed and carrying her great-grandchild baby doll attracted a lot of attention from young visitors who all wanted to have a ‘nurse’ of the wee babe, in its ancient shawl. The policeman and his spouse kept an eye on everyone, making sure that they didn’t overstep the mark, and the Big Dig worker was busy answering many questions about the harbour restoration display. It was an evening of fun for all and happily a success for the museum. Every year is different, and we look forward to whatever next year brings.

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Kaipara does about-turn on voting system

Nineteen years after Kaipara District Council abandoned first-past-the-post (FPP) electoral voting in favour of the single transferable voting system (STV) for local government elections, councillors have voted to reverse course, returning to the FPP formula that is used by most councils in New Zealand.

At a meeting in late July, Mayor Craig Jepson proposed a motion to introduce the FPP system for the next two local government elections, in 2025 and 2028. “I’m an advocate of going back to FPP because when I stood in the previous election I think STV still confuses people,” he said. “They don’t trust it. They don’t trust a system where they can’t work all the votes out themselves, it has to go into a machine to get a result.

“And I think they yearn for simplicity of process.”

FPP is straightforward – the candidate with the most votes wins the position.

STV offers a ranked choice ballot, with voters selecting candidates in order of preference. If the candidate chosen first by a voter has enough votes to be elected, or

falls out of contention, that voter’s support is transferred to the next on their list. Votes cast for candidates other than the leading one are, therefore, not “wasted”, as is the case with FPP.

STV is broadly seen as ensuring a more inclusive and representative outcome, but at the expense of confusing some voters.

In the 2022 local government election, KDC was one of just 15 councils that used STV, including four that did so for the first time. The other 63 councils all used the FPP system. Jepson’s motion was carried, with Councillors Ihapera Paniora and Eryn Wilson-Collins voting against it.

(Read full story online)

Election enrolment checks

Voters who haven’t received an enrolment update pack in the mail need to act now to make sure they are enrolled and ready to vote in the October election.

More than 3.4 million personalised enrolment packs have been sent to voters to check they are correctly enrolled.

The Electoral Commission says that every year, thousands of voters are removed from the electoral roll because they have changed address but haven’t updated their details with the Electoral Commission.

Enrolling, or updating details, can be done online at vote.nz using a New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or

RealMe verified identity. People can also call 0800 36 76 56 to ask for an enrolment form to be sent to them.

Anyone who is correctly enrolled by September 10 will be sent an EasyVote card which will make voting faster.

To be eligible to enrol and vote, you must be 18 or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some time in your life.

Voting starts in New Zealand on Monday, October 2 and closes at 7pm on election day Saturday, October 14.

Noisy

neighbour complaints in Kaipara rise 22 per cent

Kaipara District Council is urging members of the community to be considerate neighbours, after a rise in noise complaints. Between May-June and June-July, complaints to council rose from 46 to 56, according to monitoring and compliance services manager Dean Nuralli. In a “proactive reminder to our communities”, council offered tips to keep noise within acceptable limits, advising people to alert neighbours in advance of plans to have a party or carry out noisy activity; to restrict noisy yard work to reasonable, daylight hours; to comply with resource consent noise restrictions; and to check building and vehicle alarms regularly.

If people disregard noise control officers’ written notices, the equipment responsible for the noise may be confiscated. The process of recovering impounded equipment includes payment of a fee covering the cost of seizure and storage, and an administration cost.

“If noise from your neighbour is impacting you, try talking to them in the first instance,” council suggests. “If that doesn’t work, you can give us a call on 0800 105 890 to make a complaint.”

“We plan to continue to remind our communities during spring and summer,” Nuralli said. “The simple message is, please be considerate of your neighbours.”

The Resource Management Act defines as “excessive” any noise under human control that unreasonably interferes with someone else’s peace, comfort, and convenience. It can include noise from a musical instrument, electrical appliance or machinery, or simply loud people, but excludes aircraft and vehicle noise.

Photo, NZ Electoral Commission

Science

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

Improving prospects for zero carbon 2050

In 2020, I established a U3A Science and Climate Group in Warkworth with the primary intent of clarifying for the local community the scientific facts underpinning climate change. At present, about 80 per cent of Kiwis consider climate change a serious matter, which requires a stronger response from government. Given that climate change is a global, as well as a NZ concern, it is important that we all think global but act local.

The most important question facing the Warkworth Science and Climate group, the local community and indeed all of humanity this century is: Can we limit climate warming to +2C by 2050? A recent review in the Lancet Planetary Health journal has shown that the annual mortality rate due to just one factor –namely, exceptional temperatures caused by climate change – will cause three times the annual death rate than Covid 19. Also, while the Covid 19 mortality rate has now declined, the elevated death rate due to exceptional temperatures will continue to climb until global climate warming is finally reversed.

The following indicators give us a glimpse of the wide-ranging solutions that are being developed to reduce carbon emissions and so achieve zero carbon (ZC) by 2050:

• The populations of some of the highest carbon emitting countries including China and India are projected to decrease by 2100

• Consumer pressure is proving to be a potent driver for change: more than 700 major international companies have already set themselves zero carbon targets

• Investments in renewable technologies over the coming decade in the USA, China, India, EU and others is expected to be in the range US$4-10 trillion

• The electric transportation revolution

Parking charges rise

including cars, trucks, buses, ocean vessels and airliners will be complete by 2050

• Large floating wind farms and photovoltaic farms will become common around the planet

• China, India, USA and Australia have committed funding over the past few months to establish green hydrogen hubs, and the NZ Southern Green Hydrogen Hub (SGH) is expected to be launched later this year

• Innovative technologies are being developed including submerged turbines in coastal currents (Japan), green no-coal steel production (Sweden) and nuclear-powered green hydrogen production (USA)

• Massive numbers of new jobs will be created globally because of the exceptional level of renewables development (above) over the next 10 years

• Natural climate solutions to reverse deforestation have been shown to be capable of contributing 37 per cent of the remediation required to achieve ZC (Nature)

• North Africa, especially Algeria, plus the Middle East have the highest solar and wind potential on the planet and will supply green hydrogen and other renewable energy to the countries of Europe including Germany

• The limitation of critical elements such as lithium and cobalt will be overcome by rapidly expanded extraction projects in Australia, and other countries, where lithium will earn greater export income than coal within four years, according to the Australian Prime Minister. Given this massive rapid shift to renewables, the clear conclusion is that the prospects of zero-carbon 2050 being achieved are certainly improving.

The cost of on-street parking and parking at Auckland Transport-managed parking buildings has increased. On-street parking will cost $1 an hour more from this week (August 28). Hourly charges for parking at all AT-managed carparks will also increase by $1. The revised parking charges are the first region-wide changes to parking charges in over a decade. AT executive general manager service delivery Andrew Allen says these changes bring parking charges more in line with public transport fares, which are reviewed annually. “We have had strong feedback from many Aucklanders that if we are reviewing the cost of our public transport fares each year, we should be doing the same for our parking charges,” Allen says. The extra revenue generated will go towards covering AT’s operating expenses, including the public transport network and road safety programmes.

ADMINISTRATOR-SUPPORT THE PLANNING COLLECTIVE - WARKWORTH

Part time 15 - 25 hours per week

The Planning Collective is a dynamic high functioning planning consultancy that undertakes work throughout New Zealand but primarily in Auckland and Northland. The business has offices in Silverdale and Warkworth. We are looking for an enthusiastic, energetic, motivated, practical person, to tackle all administrative tasks associated with providing support to a growing planning business. This is a permanent part-time role.

The position involves specialist planning administrator support such as assisting with work stream and client project management, plus personal assistant and administrative tasks required to keep the business running smoothly. A strong background in business administration and professional client communications is essential. You will work closely in a small, dedicated team and will be based largely in our Warkworth office. The work environment is highly professional and fast paced. The role is dynamic and varied. You will undertake a range of duties, some complex and others very straight forward. You will have attention to detail and take pride in completing all tasks, big or small, accurately, in a timely manner (we have lots of deadlines to meet) and with care. As our ideal candidate you will have the following skills and attributes:

• You will have 3+ years’ experience in a similar role;

• You will ideally have experience using time recording and accounting software such as xero and Workflowmax;

• You will be team player and ready to pitch in where needed, while maintaining a friendly and professional attitude;

• You will have a high level of computer literacy, competence with the office suite and excel in particular are a must;

• You are exceptionally well organised, able to prioritise tasks and meet competing demands;

• You are reliable, honest and set high standards for yourself;

• Your written and verbal communication skills are positive, professional and mature;

• You are task focused and take personal pride in getting things done on time and in the right way!

If you are a self-starter, work well independently and as part of a team, enjoy variety, dealing with local issues, and making things tick in a robust, professional, and efficient manner this could be your dream role. For more information or send your CV to Burnette O’Connor, burnette@thepc.co.nz, 021-422-346.

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Brazen theft of Dome machinery

Police are asking the public for any information which might help them track down an eight-tonne yellow Yanmar excavator that was stolen from a job site in the Dome around mid-morning on Thursday, August 10. The digger was in a rest area on State Highway 1, just south of the Hoteo Bridge. It is owned by Te Aratika Infrastructure, which is working with Vector on laying new cable from Wellsford to Warkworth. Operations manager Trevor Bracken says the digger was locked and behind gates. “We loaded up the truck with metal and carted it to Goatley Road around mid-morning,” Bracken says. “We were probably only away a couple of hours. Whoever took the machine would have needed a Class 4 truck to take it away, so it was a pretty brazen act in the middle of the day.”

Licensed Auctioneers

The company has been working in the Dome for about 18 months and this is the second major piece of equipment it has lost.

Earlier this year, a 3.5 tonne Yanmar excavator was stolen from their yard, just

south of Falls Bridge, in Warkworth. Bracken says a new eight-tonne digger is worth around $120,000 and its theft has had a big impact on the business.

“It’s slowed the job down, but it’s also pretty disheartening when you are trying to do your best. Whoever took the gear must have been watching us and got to know our routine.”

Police say they are following positive lines of enquiry.

“Given its size, it would be difficult for thieves to sell a digger like this, but not impossible,” a police spokesperson said. “They would likely approach prospective buyers in a secretive manner.”

Anyone who was in the Wayby Station Road area on August 10 and saw anything suspicious, is asked to contact Police on the 105 phone service or online at  https:// www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report. The reference file number is 230811/1333.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Wellsford Saleyards 1909

An eight-tonne digger like the one above was taken in broad daylight earlier this month.

Community marks Puhoi’s 160th celebration

In the midst of the bleak midwinter, Bohemian descendants and friends of Pūhoi enjoyed a weekend of celebrations to commemorate 160 years of settlement in Pūhoi.

Anniversary Day, June 29, began with Mass at Pūhoi’s church of Sts Peter and Paul, followed by a roast meal and dessert in the hall. Over 150 people gathered to catch up with old friends, discover new relatives, partake of the delicious lunch, and talk, talk, talk. There was no need for any other entertainment although we were treated to Mark Berger playing the old remembered tunes.

During the gathering, photos were taken of groups of attendees, including the commemorative cake cutting. When everyone was fully sated, some wanted to continue reminiscing, so adjourned to the hotel as is the tradition on Anniversary Day.

As part of the formal ceremonies, NX2 presented an aerial photo of Pūhoi, with the focal point being the new Arawhiti ki Pūhoi (Pūhoi viaduct), and a piece of the ribbon cut at the opening of the motorway.

On Saturday night, 70s star Shane and the Shazam Band led an evening of rock and roll for about 100 locals and friends from the ‘other Pūhoi’ in the Waikato.

The celebrations continued on Sunday, swelling the congregation at the Thanksgiving Mass and at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Landing Stone. After lunch, traditional music filled the village again and included enthusiastic dancing for more than 30 dancers in traditional costumes. Those assembled enjoyed listening and watching and sometimes joining in.

Raffles and an auction of historical pictures and photos that had

been donated, added to the entertainment.

A huge thanks is due to the many people and generous sponsors who worked so hard to give so much enjoyment to so many, especially the group of younger descendant volunteers who all contributed to making these historical celebrations such a success. Contributed

AT denies intentionally running down ferry services

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

Auckland Transport has denied speculation that it is deliberately running down ferry services in order to discontinue them.

At a Transport and Infrastructure Committee meeting on August 17, AT executives fielded questions on the further troubled waters ahead for Auckland ferry services.

Fullers has decided not to renew its contract for the Bayswater, Birkenhead and Northcote ferry service which expires on October 1. Gulf Harbour and Half Moon Bay off-peak services are also being reduced or removed while new skippers are trained.

AT executive general manager Stacey van

Latta speaking at northern farmers’ dinner

Popular psychologist, author and broadcaster Nigel Latta will be guest speaker at the Beef+Lamb NZ Northern North Island Farmer Council’s annual meeting and dinner next month.

Latta will talk about the apparently constant upheaval in life and business these days and offer up some strategies on how to cope with it all.

“Everyone is struggling with the same issue: what’s next and how shall I respond?” he says.

“The world is constantly turning itself inside out and upside down, and it’s doing that faster and faster and faster. Disruption is the new ‘same old’, so getting ready for it is vitally important.”

der Putten said AT did intend to continue the services to Bayswater, Birkenhead and Northcote, as soon as a new operator could be contracted.

“We don’t want to over promise and under deliver to these communities so we should have a really good indication later next week what we can do,” van der Putten said. She said AT was looking at supplementary services like buses where ferry services were reduced or removed. Cr Richard Hills asked for a “categorical promise” that AT’s intention was to keep ferry services.

“There is an assumption that we are making it bad so the numbers look bad and then we pull them,” he said.

Van der Putten denied that was the case.

“There is no intention to withhold services

to Gulf Harbour or any of these ferry services. Our intention is to get the proper service allocation back to where it needs to be,” she said.

Chair John Watson said Gulf Harbour ferry users had every reason to believe AT was running down the service.

“There was a proposal in four years’ time to actually withdraw that service – it is hard to deny that the services are being run down, that the cancellation rate is chronic,” Watson said.

“For this month, [Gulf Harbour ferry services] are running at over 50 per cent cancellation rate,” he said. “I don’t think anyone in this room, or any person in Auckland Transport, would be catching any form of public transport if it only turned up one out of two times that it was scheduled.”

The Northern North Island Farmer Council covers from Auckland to Cape Reinga and works to ensure Beef+Lamb NZ programmes are relevant and delivered to a high standard. Any levy payers can nominate themselves to be on the council, which also includes a proportion of co-opted councillors, usually rural professionals or economic experts. The annual meeting and dinner will be held at Northland Cricket Association Pavilion, Okara Drive, Whangarei on Tuesday, September 26, from 5pm to 9pm. All farmers and rural professionals are welcome, though registration is essential for catering purposes. Nominations to join the Northern North Island Farmer Council close on September 19.

Info and registration: Email  katrina. stead@beeflambnz.com or visit https:// beeflambnz.com/events/blnz-northernnorth-island-farmer-council-annualmeeting-guest-speaker-nigel-latta

Visit

Jenny Schollum accepted the photo presented by NX2.

Gardening

Andrew Steens

Adding some tropical spice

I’m currently travelling in Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. While it is a bit of a wrench to leave behind the garden and the dogs, time spent in these countries is a real treat for a plantsman, particularly one like me that is besotted with South East Asian herbs and spices. These countries are Spice Central, indeed the Maluku Islands of Indonesia (formerly known as the Moluccas or the Spice Islands) were fought over for centuries by the Portuguese, the English and the Dutch, before becoming a Dutch colony till the end of the World War II, when Indonesia fought for and gained independence. Likewise, the history and cuisine of Cambodia and Vietnam are replete with many fragrant herbs and spices. Fortunately, on my return to New Zealand, I’ll be in time to plant out a whole range of South-East Asian herbs and spices, as being tropical in origin, it’s better to plant these in late spring or early summer once the soil warms sufficiently. Turmeric is one of my staple crops and is easy to start from fresh rhizomes. I use the round mother rhizomes from the last season, but it is easy to grow from the fingers also, which are available in some supermarkets and grocery stores. From my own stock, I plant straight into the ground about 20-25cm apart, but if buying the rhizomes, I would pre-sprout in damp tissue in a container in a warm spot to make sure they are viable. This crop needs a rich soil, with lots of organic matter, lots of nutrients and lots of water (without waterlogging the soil). Plant in full sun and sheltered from cold southerlies. Ginger is another easy crop to grow. Again, either use your own rhizomes from last year, or buy some fresh-looking rhizomes from the supermarket. The cultivation is pretty much the same as turmeric,

but using chunks that are about three to five centimetres long. I use a closer plant spacing for both crops than what is recommended in the tropics, for the simple reason that in NZ our plants are unlikely to get as big. Galangal is another of this group. These plants don’t die down completely over winter like ginger and turmeric, so are simply lifted and divided in late spring. It is harder to find galangal in the supermarket, but sometimes they can be purchased online or in speciality stores and farmers markets. Just be aware that some people try to pass off fake galangal, which is actually Hedychium coronarium or butterfly ginger, as the real thing. Real galangal has relatively thin stems, tough rhizomes and insignificant flowers, while the fake has one to two centimetre thick stems, fleshy rhizomes and showy white, fragrant flowers.

Lemongrass is another must have. Like galangal this will grow year-round, but eventually crowd itself out and run out of nutrients. I lift mine, cut the leaves back, divide into small clumps or individual pieces and replant in late spring or early summer. It likes the same conditions as the aforementioned crops. Just be aware when purchasing or getting plants from friends, that there are two species commonly grown here – Cymbopogon citratus or West Indian lemongrass is the preferred species for culinary use, while the East Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) is the better plant for extracting essential oils and scents from, although both can be used for either purpose. The easiest way to tell them apart is that the West-Indian species never flowers in NZ conditions (and rarely in the tropics) while the East-Indian species flowers readily and also produces seed.

Pakiri Day

The annual Pakiri School Pet Day and Gala will be held at the school on Saturday September 16. The day will include the so-called “world famous” silent auction, raffles, stalls and more. The little rural school will continue the tradition of showing a range of animals from lambs and goats to chickens, rabbits, calves, budgies, fish and horses. The fun gets underway at 10am; everyone welcome.

Marine Quota versus environment

Last week, the news was dominated by fisheries decisions. Many of us are still scratching our heads. The government needs to get serious about restoring the Hauraki Gulf. This starts by removing trawling and dredging, so we can rebuild fish populations.

Science has unequivocally proven the damage that trawling and dredging does to the marine ecosystem. To reinforce this, after decades of dredging, the Coromandel scallop fishery has collapsed and all the businesses reliant on this natural capital are gone. Knowing the long term environmental and economic risks, it’s incredible the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Rachel Brooking, announced the government’s support for the Fisheries Industry Transformation Plan. This plan proposes using taxpayer funding to build bigger boats that can tow heavier bottom trawl gear. The lifespan of fishing vessels is 30 to 40 years. Minister Brooking has effectively locked New Zealand into another lifetime of trawling and dredging. This was a missed opportunity to transition away from bottom trawling into more selective techniques, such as longlining. After all, 84 per cent of Kiwis want trawling removed from places like the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

Then, there was the hotly debated Revitalising the Gulf fisheries plan. After 10 years of discussion, it’s simply a plan to maintain the status quo. Deeply disappointing, given that destructive fishing methods and over-harvest are two of the biggest contributors to the declining health of the Marine Park. The 19 new protected areas resemble a band-aid on a broken arm.

River stories at the museum

High Protection Areas (HPAs) with customary harvest might appease conservationists and respect Treaty rights, but they don’t address depletion issues. Recreational and commercial boats have engines, and these pressures will simply be displaced – people will fish elsewhere.

HPAs are nice in theory but the number of fish harvested will not decrease and the same destructive fishing methods will still be used, just somewhere else. These announcements feel more like a thinly veiled attempt to win votes than actually make a tangible change and restore our coastal fish populations. Why do these decisions continue to happen? It’s simple. Under the Quota Management System, the government gave away the rights to commercially harvest fish, and with that went the control. Now, quota is a private asset held largely by corporations. With that, the owner of the quota has rights. The environment has none.

Trawling and dredging are the most economically viable way to fish and the quota owners’ primary interest is to make money. There is no incentive to change. To protect their property rights, quota owners will continue to aggressively lobby the Minister and Ministry for Primary Industries. With last week’s decisions, it seems fisheries management in this country has been captured by the corporates.

It’s clear – the quota owners have rights, while the marine environment has none. To remedy this, we need to start the discussion about an alternative Quota Management System. One that begins with buying back quota and re-establishing a new regime that prioritises our marine environment before the interests of the private sector.

The next Tea & Talk session at the Warkworth & District Museum on September 15 will explore a collection of stories of the Mahurangi River, inspired by historical black and white photographs selected for the museum’s 2024 calendar. Local history expert Brenda Yoxall will be the speaker at the event, which starts at 10am and will be followed by tea and biscuits. Entry is $5 and bookings are essential via warkworthmuseum@xtra. co.nz The 2024 calendar is now available at the museum, at a cost of $20. Staff warn that they can sell out quickly.

Sam Woolford, LegaSea Project Lead sam@legasea.co.nz

Auckland Transport raises road death safety target

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

Councillors found it difficult to swallow Auckland Transport’s decision to adjust upward the number of road deaths and serious injuries that it seeks to remain below each year.

At a Transport and Infrastructure Committee meeting on August 17, members approved AT’s statement of intent which included setting that number at no more than 640 deaths and serious injuries (DSIs), up from 537 last year.

AT failed to meet its safety target last year, when there were 669 DSI reported on Auckland’s roads.

AT’s executive general manager Stacey van der Putten said the previous figure was unrealistic.

“Knowing that we have funding constraints, it is irresponsible for us to keep on putting up these targets when we knowingly can’t meet them,” she said.

“Regional Land Transport Plan road safety funding has been reduced substantially, $30 million from $74 million, so there are these big changes there.”

Van der Putten said legislative changes around road safety had not materialised, adding to the problem.

Cr Shane Henderson said lifting the DSI figure sent the wrong message to Aucklanders. “We have had too many deaths, particularly of cyclists, particularly of walkers. We have all had them in our wards, we have all had to speak to families that have been affected,” he said.

Henderson decried what he called “horrible political rhetoric” opposing initiatives like speed tables and separated cycle paths that made life safe for Aucklanders.

“We have got to put a stake in the ground

Warkworth motorway a winner

and say we are going to do what we can.”

Cr Angela Dalton said she too could not support raising the figure, and said the situation was not a reflection on AT, but on committee members for not funding AT.

“We must have a look at ourselves and what we choose to invest into our people of Auckland and our priorities,” Dalton said.

Cr Daniel Newman rebuffed the idea that approving the statement of intent amounted to supporting the lifting of the DSI figure.

“I did not see, in the budget that we passed at the end of June, too many amendments to drive up the capex [capital expenditure] budget and the renewals budget for Auckland Transport.”

He said the statement of intent was a result of council’s budget and councillors could try to fix the issue in next year’s budget.

“I bet you anything that it still won’t be enough because this is complex and difficult.”

Cr Andy Baker agreed that the issue was complex. “DSIs go up and down every year without rhyme or reason – it is an impossible science to try and figure out why people are dying on our roads or getting seriously injured,” he said.

“The huge statistic of people not putting on their seat belt – how that can be addressed in a statement of intent? How AT can address that, I don’t know.”

AT’s statement of intent was approved by the committee, with 14 votes in favour and seven against.

The recently-opened Ara Tūhono-Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway has been awarded a silver Greenroads sustainability rating – the highest ever score given out by Greenroads globally.

The US-based Greenroads Project Rating Program is an independent third-party review of the environmental, social and economic performance of transportation infrastructure projects and challenges project teams to go beyond business as usual.

The new motorway, which was developed as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Waka Kotahi and NX2.

It is one of the largest and most complex roading projects undertaken in NZ in the past decade.

Waka Kotahi national manager programmes and standards Vanessa Browne says the outstanding rating is a testament to the

dedication of the extensive team working on the project including mana whenua and Waka Kotahi delivery partners.

Climate resilience was factored into many aspects of the first stage of the project, including a sophisticated storm water and drainage system with culverts that are designed to withstand a 1-in-100-year flooding event.

The storm water system was also integrated with existing natural systems such as ponds and wetlands to follow best practice, and the culverts were specifically designed to maintain natural fish migration routes. Browne says there were also numerous environmental protections including sediment and erosion controls during earthwork operations to protect the Mahurangi and Pūhoi Rivers, including 45km of protective silt fencing and 150 sediment retention ponds.

Bowlers roll up for celebration

The centenary celebrations for Bowls Warkworth are now just a few weeks away. The club has been based in Mill Lane for all of its 100 years and has seen much change in Warkworth during its lifetime. Celebrations will start on Saturday, October 21 with a fours tournament sponsored by Warkworth Oaks. Bowlers will play in two locations – Warkworth and Omaha – in two separate tournaments. Nominations for these tournaments are still being accepted.

At the conclusion of play, all teams will

meet back in Warkworth for a prizegiving, afternoon tea and cutting of the centenary cake.

The Centennial Dinner will be held the following day on Sunday evening and is open to all past and present members, as well as invited guests.

Tickets are available from John Hurdley at winbindnz@gmail.com or phone 021 994 968. Hurdley says seats are fast filling up and space is limited, so past members who would like to attend the dinner are asked to get in touch as soon as possible.

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Teams sign up for junior touch

The Junior Mahu Touch competition is introducing a Years 11 to 13 grade this season, in response to demand.

Registrations for this year’s competition open on October 5, with the competition kicking off on October 12.

Organisers say they expect to have 80 teams entered this season, playing in six grades and representing around 800 players.

“Our goal for the Junior Mahu Touch is to encourage all kids to be active, try hard, get involved, prioritise fun and cultivate a love for the game,” chairperson Alexa McDonald says.

The upcoming season will span 15 weeks, including a break for Christmas from December 14 to February 1.

“We will provide a platform for all kids who are enthusiastic to give it a go, it doesn’t matter if they’ve never played before or if they’ve been at it for a few seasons. For those not yet part of a team, an individual registration form is available and we will

Sponsorship opportunity

try out hardest to put new teams together.” Teams are made up of 10 players, with a minimum of three girls in every team, and games are played at the Mahurangi Rugby grounds on Thursdays.

McDonald says as the club gears up for this year’s competition, they are seeing huge growth in the number of teams wanting to be involved.

“This is a great way to help foster the Mahurangi sense of community and teamwork, and it gives the kids a chance to experience a healthy and fun competition.” She says a crucial element of a successful touch competition is the presence of skilled referees.

“If you’re a senior student in Year 10 or above, or an adult with a passion for the game, we would love to have you to join us as a referee.”

For inquiries, registrations and sponsorship opportunities www.sporty. co.nz/mahutouch or send an email to touchrugby@mahurangirugbyclub.co.nz

Mahu Junior Touch is actively seeking sponsorship from local businesses and individuals who share a passion for community, sportsmanship and youth development. Chairperson Alexa McDonald says sponsors have the opportunity to make a huge impact on players and the season by helping finance the end-of-season prizegiving. “Every child will receive a prize, which will showcase the achievements of our placegetters in each grade,” she says. “With 800 players from all over the Mahurangi region, this is a great showcase opportunity for a business.” Sponsorship also goes towards referee training and uniforms, and the sponsor’s logo will be prominently featured on the field every Thursday. For details, email touchrugby@mahurangirugbyclub.co.nz

Juniortouch Junior touch registrations are open for the 2023/24 season at Mahurangi Rugby Club. The season begins on Thursday, October 12 and runs for 15 weeks. Games are played every Thursday night. 10 players per mixed team with a minimum of three girls per team. No all boys or all girls teams. Grades are sorted by school year level and go as follows: 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-13. $450 early bird fee per team. Register your team here: https://www.sporty.co.nz/mahutouch

Time to get your teams sorted!

Individualjuniortouchregistrations

Individual touch registrations are now open for children who want to play but are not part of a team yet. Fill out the form Mahu Touch will do its best to find your child a team. Please register by Wednesday, September 20. Games are played every Thursday night at Warkworth Showgrounds. The season runs for 15 weeks and begins on Thursday, October 12. Register: https://forms.gle/2qifHyD8S4Rg3hEu5

KaiparaSportsTravelFunding Kaipara District Council is inviting schools and sports clubs to apply for funding from its Rural Travel Fund, an initiative designed to help junior sports teams overcome barriers to travelling to fixtures or training events. Applications close on August 31, and are for primary or secondary school-aged students, for travel during or after school hours, in partnership with a school or club. Applicants must show that the funding will be used either for more students to access current opportunities, or for students who currently participate to access new opportunities. Apply here: https://www.kaipara.govt.nz/ residents/funding-for-Kaipara-communities/funding

Fridaynighttouch Registrations are open for Friday night touch at the Rodney Rams Rugby League Club. The season begins on Friday, October 6 and finishes on Friday, November 24. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/RodneyRamsSportsClub

Refereeswanted Calling all touch referees! Mahurangi Touch is looking for enthusiastic senior referees (year 10 and above) to officiate games and contribute to an enjoyable and fair experience for all participants. Basic knowledge and/or experience playing touch rugby is of huge benefit but not essential. Training and certification provided. To express your interest or learn more about this opportunity please email touchrugby@mahurangirugbyclub.co.nz or fill out the referee interest application form: https://www.sporty.co.nz/mahutouch/referees-1/referees-wanted

2023/2024 Summer Hockey

Come and play social summer Hockey. Get your teams ready and organised for another fun season.

7’s commencing 10th October.

9’s commencing 12th October with a Start of the Season “Fun night” more info released once team registered.

Adult 7 aside will be on Tuesday Evenings 6-9pm

• Ages 12+

• Half field games

• No goalie

Adult 9 aside will be on Thursday Evenings

6-9pm

• Full field games

• Ages 14+

All registrations due by 22nd September

Enter your team at http.//sites.google.com/ site/warkworthsocialhockey/ Umpires NEEDED for both nights!!

This is a paid position. If interested get in touch with us at warkworthhockey@gmail.com

Around 80 teams are expected to take part in this season’s Junior Mahu Touch competition.

ENTERTAINMENT IN THE EARLY DAYS

By Bryan Jackson

Throughout Warkworth’s early days the residents developed a wide range of entertainments for themselves. These included soirees, dances, musicals, galas, flower shows, movie pictures, bazaars, sports, choral singing, bands and activities for children.

After the 1876 Mahurangi Agricultural Show, a dance was held at the Public Hall and The Daily Southern Cross newspaper wrote, ‘The Public Hall was the scene of Terpsichorean festivities and the gathering place of the youth and beauty of Warkworth.’

A soiree was held at the Mahurangi Hall on 10 July 1876 in aid of the Presbyterian building fund. The Observer newspaper often reported on social events in Warkworth without identifying the people reported on as can be seen in the following from 28 May 1887, ‘Why can’t H.M.W. stick to one girl? Because the poor fellow can’t get one to stick to him … Look out Miss K. he is leading you on a string it will soon break, why didn’t he have the first dance at the Oddfellow’s, cut out eh?’

Dances and balls were a common occurrence such as the one put on by the Warkworth ladies on 15 August 1889 in which 300 invitations were sent out. For those who did not wish to dance, card tables were provided. The last waltz finished at 5am. The Masonic Ball in October 1901 was held at the Masonic Hall with Reed’s

band from Auckland providing the music. Dancing finished at daylight. In May 1882, the Rodney Bachelor’s Ball was held at which there was, as The Observer stated, ‘a perfect galaxy of beauty’. A noticeable dress was worn by Mis Warrin and consisted of ‘pale pink sateen, trimmed with cream lace and pale pink flowers’.

The Black Diamond Minstrels, which formed in Warkworth in early 1911 by the conductor of the Warkworth Town Band, Mr Brunette, performed in July 1911. After the performances a dance was held. At times, entertainers came to Warkworth to perform such as a group of Te Kao Native school boys who performed at the Town Hall on 1 January 1914. The programme consisted of glees, recitations, life-saving drills, humorous sketches, poi dances, haka and war dances. The price of admission was 1s 6d for adults and 6d for children.

Another group to perform in May 1925 was the world famous Fisk Jubilee Singers, with the Rodney and Otamatea Times stating that ‘a treat is in store for lovers of clean, honest entertainment’. In 1928, the Warkworth bowling and croquet clubs arranged a night of entertainment which included a series of games run in heats of 10 with the winner taking half the entry money as a prize.

Sports have played a big part in community life over the years with many teams coming to Warkworth to compete against the locals. On 15 December 1888, a cricket match was played on Mr McMurdo’s paddock between teams from Warkworth

and Albertland. However, the Warkworth team only scored 20 runs in the first innings and 30 in the second so were easily defeated by 37 runs. After the match, the teams retired to Mr Harrison’s Temperance Hotel for dinner.

Children have been catered for over the years with school picnics and concerts. At the end of the school year in December 1904, the Warkworth school pupils gave a concert at the Masonic Hall which consisted of songs, maze drills and musical bells. A school concert held in December 1915 at the Warkworth Town Hall raised £15 7s for the benefit of sick and wounded soldiers. A children’s sports and tea party was held at the Sandspit Motor Camp in January , which included sports and a tea party. Highlights for the children were the lolly scramble and the free ration of ice cream. Children were also entertained when the Sole Bros, Circus and Zoo, came to Warkworth in 1938.

It was not surprising that events were organised during World War II. A Patriotic Comforts Committee was set up with the aim to provide rest, entertainment and refreshments for the troops on leave from the various camps around Warkworth. The Oddfellows Hall was set up as a cafeteria and on the opening night in June 1942, 200 cups of tea were served. A major event was the Victory Celebrations to mark the end of the war. A concert was held on 16 October 1945, which included ballet, sketches, singing, mirth and melody for over two hours.

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THE NEW ZEALAND FAIRY TERN CHARITABLE TRUST will be held in the Senior Citizens’ Hall, Fagan Place, Mangawhai Heads, on Sunday 17 September, 2023 at 2pm A formal motion to replace the rule requiring an audit of the Trust’s accounts with a requirement for them to be reviewed will be put to the meeting.

Presentation of the annual reports and election of the committee, will be followed by: Guest speaker, Nikki Hartley, DOC Ranger, who will talk about her work with endangered species in Borneo.

All welcome Enquiries to: info@fairytern.org.nz

Supported by Mahurangi Matters

WARKWORTH SOCIAL HOCKEY

AGM

Friday 15th September, Rugby Club Rooms, 6.30pm. Food supplied. We would love to have some fresh faces and ideas join our small committee. Roles to be filled: President & Secretary All welcome. warkworthhockey@gmail.com

When the circus came to town, the river below the Bridgehouse doubled as a bath. Photos, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Size no barrier for ocean

Snells Beach swimmer Jess Campbell has ticked off one more challenge on her bucket list after completing the Apolima Strait ocean swim, in Samoa, earlier this month.

Despite being stung multiple times by jellyfish, swimming through strong currents and taking a pounding from the sun, Campbell finished her 23.5km swim –the longest organised swim in the Southern Hemisphere – in just over seven hours.

“I finished feeling so much better than I expected to,” the 36-year-old says. “My mouth was sore from so much time in the salt water, but otherwise I felt good enough to swim another four kilometres the next day. “The water was the most amazing shade of blue and I encountered dolphins and turtles, and swam over beautiful reefs. Normally I sing in my head when I swim, but in Samoa the sea was so beautiful, it was almost meditative.”

Campbell was one of four swimmers who took part, accompanied by a support boat and kayaks. Originally from Yorkshire, she is believed to be the first British citizen to have successfully done the crossing. “We were allowed short breaks to refuel while we treaded water, but we weren’t allowed to touch the boats while we did this. I had protein shakes, energy gels and Coke to keep me going.”

She says she chose Samoa because the water is warm. Weighing just 40kgs, cold water swims such as across Cook Strait are out of the question because the risk of hypothermia. “In these recorded challenges, you can only wear normal togs – no wet suits, not even a rash shirt.”

Campbell swims most days at Snells Beach or Martins Bay and is a member of the Leigh Swimmers. For the Samoa swim, she also trained at the pool in Stanmore Bay.

“I’m scared of deep water so I’m proud of myself for doing the crossing and I feel pretty good about the fact that I enjoyed it so much.

swimmer

“People sometimes think that being vegan – I turned vegan 15 years ago – equates to not having energy, so I think the fact that I do triathlons and marathons like this proves this is not the case.”

Campbell has now set her sights on the ironman competitions in Taupo next March, hoping to win a slot for the world championships in her age group. She is also training for the National Open Water Championships, which take place in January.

Water is a constant theme in her life.

She has recently finished her PhD on the habits and behaviour of young snapper, with a research site in the Whangateau Harbour.

She says one of the major findings from her work was the critical importance of seagrass for young snapper.

“It’s a massively productive habitat, helping to protect shorelines, consolidate sediment and capture carbon. And it’s really important for young snapper.

“Subtidal seagrass has disappeared entirely from the Hauraki Gulf, although there are some positive signs that it is returning to some intertidal zones.”

She says restoration projects in Whangarei and Nelson are having some success and may be something to be considered for the gulf in future.

Campbell’s work was funded by NIWA with a grant from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Despite her tiny stature, Jess Campbell completed the challenging Apolima crossing with energy to spare.

29 Daffodil Day Quiz Night, Mangawhai Tavern, 7pm. Quiz night to raise money for Daffodil Day and The Cancer Society. Bookings essential.

Info: John 09 431 4505

2 Snells Beach Garden Circle Spring Flower Show, Mahurangi East Community Centre, 1-3.30pm. Free admission, plant stall, raffles, afternoon teas. Cash only. Enquiries and info: Barbara Carpenter on 027 294 1780 (see brief p30)

2 Comedy Night, Salty Dog Inn, Snells Beach, starting at 7.30pm. This is a fundraiser for the Snells Beach Kindergarten (see brief p30)

2 Wellness Hub Connections Day, Matakana Hall, 11am-2pm. Meet your local health and wellbeing therapists and try free mini sessions. All welcome.

Info: www.wellnesshub.nz

3 Puhoi Pioneers Memorial Park planting day, 9.30am-12.30pm (see brief p32)

3 Whale Rider, Mangawhai Movies, 3.30pm. A fundraiser for the Mangawhai Chess Club (see brief p29)

6 Men’s Rebus Club coffee and chat, Morris and James Pottery, Matakana, 10.30am. Come and join us. Chat and move on, browse the pottery, or stay for lunch. Bring a friend. Info: Ron 422 3111

6 Meet the Candidates meeting, organised by the Landowners & Contractors Association and Wellsford Plus, Wellsford Memorial RSA in Olympus Road, starting at 7pm.

7 Communicating with people with dementia, Wellsford RSA, 11am. Talk by Paddy Sullivan from Age Concern Rodney

8&9 Forest Bridge Trust Conservation Hui, 903 Kaipara Flats Road. Bringing together those working in conservation and members of the public to share knowledge and experience for greater conservation outcomes. Bookings necessary. Info: www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/the-forest-bridge-trust-conservation-huiday-1-tickets-690401307897 (see story p14)

9 Free one-day diabetes (type 2) management course, Totara Park Retirement Village. A one-day course designed specifically for people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Bookings essential: email dsme@comprehensivecare.co.nz or phone 09 448 0019 or 09 415 1091 during normal office hours.

13 Meet the Candidates meeting, organised by One Mahurangi, Warkworth Town Hall, 5.30pm.

15 Rotary Fashion Show, Warkworth Town Hall, 5.30pm (see story p29)

15 Tea & Talk: Stories of the Mahurangi River,  Warkworth Museum, 10-11am. Join us to hear a collection of Mahurangi River stories, inspired by photographs in our 2024 calendar. $5.  Bookings essential. Info: warkworthmuseum@xtra.co.nz

15 Gibbs Farm tour, supporting Ahuroa Volunteer Fire Brigade, 10am-2pm. Tickets $85 (see story p30)

16 Point Wells Village Literary Festival, Point Wells Hall, 9am-7pm. Author presentations (children’s in the morning, adults in the afternoon), book signings, live music, raffles, wine and cheese, etc. Day tickets $50, $25 for music and drinks, from https://www.trybooking.com/nz/events/landing/9636

16 Pakiri School Pet Day & Gala, “world famous” silent auction, raffles, kids activities, games and more. Everyone welcome, 10am start

17 Kowhai Singers present Songs of Love and Loss, Leigh Hall, 4pm (see ad p29)

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

21 Meet the Candidates meeting, Makarau Hall, doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start

23 Kowhai Singers present Songs of Love and Loss, Warkworth Town Hall, 7.30pm (see ad p29)

23 Abba Heaven! tribute show, Wellsford Community Centre, 8-11pm. Wear disco glam from the 70s and 80s, prizes for best dressed. BYO snacks. Tickets $40 for adults, $20 for under 18s. Tickets from Woody’s Winners or www.eventfinda.co.nz

26 Northern North Island Farmer Council AGM, speaker Nigel Latta, Northland Cricket Assn, Whangarei, 5pm. Info and registration: Email katrina-stead@ beeflambnz.co.nz (see story p37)

28 Combined local museums talk, Warkworth Old Masonic Hall, 10.30am-midday. Three speakers from the Warkworth, Puhoi, and Albertland museums will talk about past events in their communities reflecting the themes of love, peace, and protest. Free. All welcome. (see story p28)

29 Omaha Golf/Matakana Fire Brigade fundraiser, Omaha Golf Club. The golf tournament will be a nine hole Ambrose, with a team entry costing $500, which includes a buffet dinner. Info: support@omahagolf.co.nz

Kaipara ki Mahurangi Electorate

Huge response to

Snells community night

Organisers of a community night in the former Warehouse building in Snells Beach on August 11 were hoping a few hundred people might attend. Instead, the inaugural event attracted thousands.

More than 40 information booths, plus basketball, pickleball, skating activities and a bouncy castle, filled the former store to capacity. Outside, police and the Mahurangi East Volunteer Fire Brigade kept children amused with sirens and a display of blue and red flashing lights, food trucks fed the hungry, scouts displayed their skills and youngsters took on a climbing wall.

The idea was to showcase the range of clubs and groups on the Mahurangi East peninsula, and to give the community a sense of connectedness. The stalls promoted everything from sailing and cycle paths to garden clubs and pipe bands. Schools also had a presence.

Main organiser Kathy Toon says the focus was on being positive, inclusive and bringing the community together.

Referring to the closure of stores and cafes, Kathy said Snells Beach was beginning to “feel a bit sad”.

“The Auckland Unitary Plan describes the area as a boutique seaside village and we

agree that the whole of the Kawau Bay area is a really beautiful place.

“Snells was once predominantly a place for holidaymakers, but that’s changed and the infrastructure doesn’t reflect the vibrant, active, fun-loving people that have made Snells Beach their home, from young people to seniors.

“Loads of us travel with our kids up to Mangawhai’s MAZ on the weekends and school holidays and come back thinking, ‘How can we make things like this happen in Snells Beach?’”

Kathy said the team behind the event had been “blown away” by the response to the Friday night event.

“We’ve formed a group called the Kawau Bay Action Group, and will work closely with the Snells Beach Residents & Ratepayers Association and our community to try to deliver what the community wants.”

A questionnaire was circulated on the night to gather information to help both groups find a common vision and themes that are around the neighbourhood. One of the questions was whether or not people would like to see community events held regularly. Although the results were still being collated, Kathy guessed that the answer would be “a resounding yes”.

Right, one of the organisers Kathy Toon.