Christmas came early for Aston and Ruby Burt from Snells Beach last month, when they were guests of honour on this tractor sleigh float in Auckland’s annual Farmers Santa Parade. Not only were they riding up front, they were also responsible for the float’s design, which the magical elves at LEGO NZ transformed into a life-size sleigh, after the siblings won a competition to create a special Kiwi Christmas-themed vehicle for Santa. They also got to star in a new storybook – read the full story on page 23.
Respite for builders as cash rate drops
Many Warkworth builders would have breathed a sigh of relief when the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by another 50 basis points to 4.25 per cent on November 27. In response the major banks, including ASB, BNZ, ANZ and Kiwibank, once again dropped their interest rates making it
a little easier for people to borrow money –good news for the building industry, which has been in a slump for more than 18 months. The seasonally adjusted volume of building work in New Zealand was $7.8 billion in the September 2024 quarter, down 3.2 percent compared with the June 2024 quarter, according to figures released
... built by Warkworth Construction
by Stats NZ on December 5.
“Quarterly residential building activity reached its lowest level in four years, in seasonally adjusted terms,” Stats NZ’s Michael Heslop says.
Warkworth Construction owner Kyle Brown, who has been a local builder for more than 30 years, says the downturn is
because clients have been unable to get finance due to high interest rates.
“It’s definitely put a dampener on the new builds. I saw this happening 18 to 24 months out. A lot of people with existing properties are just doing minor renovations. That’s generally what happens
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in this market. Everyone just sits on their hands and navigates their way through it until interest rates drop.”
Brown says he hopes for further cuts to the OCR and interest rates.
“It’s just so hard for people to borrow money. Until we get some confidence back we won’t see any benefit on the new build side of things. It’ll be this time next year before we see anything out of the drops.”
As a direct result of the decline in new builds, Brown has had to lay off half his staff, from 12 to six employees. He’s also pivoted his business and now offers modular home designs that are assembled on-site using prefabricated panels
“We’d be doing three to four new builds a year, and that was really consistent for the last 10 to 15 years. And now because the new builds aren’t there, we’re doing smaller jobs and renovations,” Brown says.
“As a result of the last interest rate drops (in October after the OCR was cut), it’s slightly started to pick up with inquiries again, so we’ve still got a few new builds on. It’ll be the middle of next year before you see any sort of growth in the construction industry.”
Overall Brown says the present downturn in the building industry is worse than during the Global Financial Crisis in 2009.The downturn has rippled out to suppliers as well.
Placemakers branch manager Paul Kerr says they supply a lot of local builders and that there has been a decline in sales across the board for the last 18 months or so.
“It’s across all of construction. It starts with the builders and then goes out to the suppliers, electricians, plumbers, everyone,” he says.
Have suppliers seen the end of the downturn?
“I think there’s still a little bit to go. It’s going to be next year before things start
to get better. There’s been a little bit of an uptick, it’s getting a little busier, but that could just be because it’s Christmas.”
GJ Gardner Homes Rodney East general manager Brad King says the building industry has retracted over the past two years, largely due to the cost of capital.
“You’ll continue to see the market return as lending rates ease. Additionally, as house prices lift, confidence is being restored in real estate, and buyers who have been holding off or delaying decisions are advancing,” he says.
“Over the past few months, the Reserve Bank has been doing its part. Today’s (November 27) 50 basis-point drop, the third adjustment down in as many periods, has certainly boosted our inquiry.
“We continue to see strong leading indicators that suggest 2025 will be a better year for our business.”
The RBNZ has now cut the OCR by 125 basis points since August, dropping it down from its post-covid peak of 5.5 per cent, where it sat for over a year (June 2023 to August 2024). It says if economic conditions continue to evolve as projected, the committee expects to be able to lower the OCR further early next year.
“Economic growth is expected to recover during 2025, as lower interest rates encourage investment and other spending.”
Rodney could face further rate increases
By Laura Kvigstad,
Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Rodney property owners could see their rates increase beyond the planned 5.8 per cent, after Auckland Council cited a $10 million budget gap and mounting financial pressures.
At the governing body meeting on November 28, chief financial officer Ross Tucker said that rates increases could exceed the Long Term Plan’s (LTP) proposed 5.8 per cent rates increase for the next financial year.
Tucker said preliminary work for the council’s annual plan had identified a $10 million budget gap and it was still unclear how some financial pressures would impact the annual plan.
“We have got some challenges to work through. We might need to adjust some services, some [capital expenditure] and the last cab off the rank, as always, is do we need to adjust rates,” Tucker said.
At a previous council meeting, council’s recovery office signalled that buyouts for storm-affected properties had been underestimated.
“It is going to mean more property buyouts, we have already seen that. That means potentially moving money from some of the longer term infrastructure [projects] into buying properties now. This means more money going out earlier, which means higher interest costs. There will be impacts on the annual budget.”
Tucker cautioned against suggestions for small rates increases for things like events
funding or transport projects.
“If you add up a bunch of small increases, it could add up to a number where we are suddenly heading towards a double-digit rate increase.”
Councillor Julie Fairey said she wanted to understand the costs tied to the buyouts.
“We are likely to have increased maintenance of these sites purely because there are more of them and also because it will take more time to clear more sites,” Fairey said.
Chief executive officer Phil Wilson said council would be receiving an update at a later meeting this year, but a fuller answer would be coming in February.
“We are on a February timeline to report back on how we are going to treat the residual land post the buyouts,” Wilson said.
“[Answers] might come in two parts.”
Warkworth Construction owner Kyle Brown hopes the OCR and interest rates continue to drop.
Red-tape licence renewal nightmare for South African store
A change in the interpretation of alcohol laws has led to a Wellsford business enduring an arduous two-year process trying to get its long-standing, unopposed off-licence renewed.
Biltong Plus has been selling a wide range of South African snacks, food, drinks, gifts and crafts since 2015, including a small selection of wines, beers and spirits. Its off-licence was originally granted on condition that only South African drinks could be sold, and it has been renewed on that basis ever since.
However, when director Marisa Bosman applied to renew it in 2022, she was told after a visit by regional public health service compliance officer Sebastian Mikolos that Biltong Plus was not actually eligible for the “complementary sales” licence she held. Mikolos told an Auckland District Licensing Committee hearing in Warkworth on September 28 that this was because such a licence depended on the bulk of sales not coming from food, whereas most of Bosman’s sales did come from food, principally biltong, the South African air-dried meat from which the shop takes its name.
Alcohol licensing inspector Gordon Auld agreed, telling independent commissioners Gavin Campbell, John Robinson and FaAfuhia Fia that previous licences had been “improvidently granted”.
“It is conceded that the issuance of the current licence for the premises to sell alcohol while operating as a ‘specialty retail shop’ was an error,” he said.
“The prior grant of an off-licence does not justify renewing the same licence when it is clear that the premises are not eligible, and the renewal would be contrary to the [Sale and Supply of Alcohol] Act.”
Bosnan told the hearing nothing had changed in her business since it started,
Bridge beams take flight
Warkworth residents woke to a helicopter whirring overhead last Thursday. This was Skywork Helicopters airlifting 16 Glulam beams from Warkworth Showgrounds to the Kowhai Park Reserve walkway construction site. Carrying two beams per trip, the helicopter took around 30 minutes to complete the job. The beams will form part of the 80-metre long timber bridge, which will link Kowhai Park to the Warkworth Showgrounds. The long-awaited bridge will traverse a steep gully and cater for pedestrians and cyclists. (MM, Nov 28).
except for officers’ definition of how it fitted into the alcohol sales legislative structure.
“I’m quite saddened by the fact that a new interpretation can cause this much trouble for a business that’s had a good clean record,” she said.
“I feel like I’m being red-taped out of my licence and that’s quite disheartening.”
She said she’d run Biltong Plus for eight years and worked with her father in similar licensed businesses before that.
“Our neighbours love us, the economy loves us, our community loves us. It’s been really sad that this has made such a big difference to a small business that’s really trying to do its best and has upheld the law in every way possible.”
The panel heard that there had been no
public objections and police had not opposed the renewal.
However, Bosman said she was almost resigned to having the application turned down, not least because a licence for her uncle’s similar business, The South African Shop in Rosedale, was declined on the same grounds last year.
She added that because of this, she had made a new application in September for a full liquor store off-licence, and had worked closely with the alcohol licensing and public health inspectors throughout the process.
“We’ve come to a good arrangement and got a good set of requirements that we all agree on to get a full off-licence that gets us around the interpretation of food, because with a full off-licence, food is not a concern,” she said. “I’m doing a new one
because of the old one, though to me, it’s very much the same thing.”
Bosman added, however, that the new application had led to “a malicious spread of misinformation” accusing Biltong Plus of applying to be a brand new bottle shop in Wellsford, and it had subsequently received 130 public objections.
“It’s not a new bottle shop, it’s just the same as it’s always been,” she said. “I feel like I have really done my bit in trying to work with the system. This is not something I’ve done wrong, it’s a change of circumstances.”
The panel was told that a hearing into the new application had yet to be scheduled, before chair Campbell adjourned the November 28 hearing for a written decision, which is expected in the New Year.
Biltong Plus had no issues with its off-licence until two years ago.
Watercare flips over wastewater capacity for Warkworth South
Watercare has again changed its position over the Warkworth South Waimanawa development, saying it now believes there could be sufficient head room in its water supply and wastewater treatment networks to service the proposed 1600 homes.
The CCO had been hedging over whether there would be sufficient capacity both before and during a hearing into a private plan change (PC93) application to rezone 159 hectares of land north of Valerie Close. That uncertainty prompted applicants KA Waimanawa Limited Partnership and Stepping Towards Far Ltd to come up with proposals for their own private supply systems, which Watercare then opposed. It also led to Auckland Council planner David Wren recommending that the application be turned down, due to his concerns over adequate water and wastewater infrastructure.
However, after a hearing adjournment of nearly four weeks, Watercare came back to commissioners with a changed perspective last week, causing Wren to change his recommendation to one of support.
“Watercare has been reassessing whether there is any available head room in the bulk water supply and wastewater networks to enable PC93 to be connected to the public network ahead of the timing indicated in Watercare’s evidence in chief,” counsel Matthew Allen said.
“The outcome of this work is that Watercare now considers that the PC93 area can be connected to the public networks earlier than previously indicated.”
Allan said the change in position was due to Watercare looking at the proposal through the lens of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development, which requires decision makers to be responsive to out of sequence proposals that provide significant development capacity.
“Out of sequence development is still a concern for Watercare, that hasn’t gone away,” he said. “There are a lot of moving
parts here, and there’s an element of first come, first served, we can’t pre-allocate a fixed amount of capacity to a particular developer.”
When questioned by commissioners on exactly how many dwellings the extra head room would cover, Watercare could not be specific.
“It depends in part on the pace of development around Warkworth and Snells. We can’t be precise … it’s not something we can draw a sharp line around,” Allan said.
The panel heard that Watercare would continue to oppose any proposal to rely solely on a permanent private system to service such a large area of land, although might consider it if a temporary interim network were needed.
The applicants’ barrister, Bill Loutit, said while Watercare’s announcement over head room was welcome, he was still disappointed
it had taken so long to get to this point.
“We’re disappointed with the lack of specificity. They’ve had a long time to do this, we had sought this information and we continued to seek this information, because you expect to see some form of demand, household numbers, what capacity there is, for ease of calculation that would give us all some comfort,” he said.
“I started by telling you that we have at least two options, one was fully private, and one was temporarily private. All I can say now is we have another option which might be the public system.”
He added that whether systems were private or public didn’t matter in the context of private plan change provisions – it only mattered that any development could be serviced, not how it would be done.
Commissioners adjourned the hearing for further written submissions and to make their decision.
Park ‘too small’
While the issues of water and wastewater dominated the resumed PC hearing last week, concerns over parkland provision in PC93 were also raised.
Auckland Council consultant parks planner Gerard McCarten said a proposed suburb/sports park was hemmed in and would likely be too small, plus there were no smaller neighbourhood parks shown on the plan.
“My concern is that PC93 does not provide the reassurance that necessary open space will be likely be delivered. Instead, it indicates an under-provision is likely,” he said.
“The proposed location for a suburb/sports park is constrained on all sides by other structural elements of the plan change and will likely not be large enough, because there isn’t any flexibility.”
He added that the indicative space for a sports park was 71,500 m2 smaller than council’s open space provision policy deemed necessary, and the need for that did not appear to be properly appreciated by the applicants.
Kawau pest project funded
The New Zealand Nature Fund (NZNF) has supported an Auckland Council programme designed to eradicate invasive species on Kawau Island.
The programme, called Pest free Kawau Island /Te Hōtaka kia Riha kore ki Kawau, begins with a project that aims to eradicate browsing pests that damage native flora and fauna on Kawau, specifically wallabies and possums.
Councillor Richard Hills, who is chair of the planning, environment and parks committee, says enabling the public to donate to the project through the NZNF is a crucial step towards realising the vision of a pest-free Kawau Island.
“The support from the NZNF underscores our commitment to protecting Auckland’s natural heritage and enhancing the resilience of our ecosystems.”
NZNF has set a fundraising target of $2 million for the project, with local landowners kick-starting the fund by generously contributing over $500,000 to date.
NZNF’s Denis Marshall says, “This project underlines what can be achieved and sets a high bar for private donations from a local community, for conservation initiatives.
“It is a fantastic demonstration of how communities and organisations can work together to achieve ambitious environmental goals.”
The council’s project lead, Lisa Tolich, says a project of this scale demands a collaborative approach.
That’s why council has partnered with the Pohutukawa Trust, Manuhiri Kaitiaki Charitable Trust, Predator Free 2050 Limited and the Department of
Conservation (DoC) as well the Kawau community.
Manuhiri Kaitiaki Charitable Trust’s Ayla Walker says they are committed to preserving and enhancing the natural environment in the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana.
“When we work together as partners to protect and enhance biodiversity, we are working together to create a better future for tamariki, mokopuna and generations to come,” Walker says.
Predator Free 2050 landscape director Brett Butland says at 2058 hectares, Kawau Island could be poised to become one of New Zealand’s largest inhabited pest-free islands.
“We are proud to be an anchor funder and supporting this large, complex landscape scale project, which will contribute to a growing national and international body of knowledge around predator and pest eradications,” Butland says.
Following the confirmation of the successful eradication of wallabies and possums, which is expected to take two years, the next stage of the programme, if approved, will focus on removing invasive predator species such as rodents and stoats. Discussions will continue with the Kawau community.
The NZ Nature Fund was established in 2000 to raise funds from donors for projects that halt the decline of endangered species, protect, and restore New Zealand’s wild places.
In the past 12 months, NZNF has raised over $1.8 million from private donors for more than 14 conservation projects.
at
Elizabeth Street in Warkworth. There’s parking on-site.
TANIA GOVAN | ROSS LYNCH | ANNA TIERNAN
Kawau trees stripped bare by browsing pests.
At last – Wellsford footbridge finally finished and open
After years of lobbying by residents, retailers and local board members, the long-awaited pathway and footbridge linking Wellsford’s Rodney Street and Centennial Park Road opened for use last Friday morning, December 6.
The crew from contractor Wharehine Construction, based just across the road from the new bridge, took down the barriers and gave the site a final tidy up almost 10 months after the combined build started.
Project manager Sam Downing said the bridge itself had been finished for a while, but a late change to the northern approach to replace a sharp turn with a smoother curve had delayed the opening. Around 20 people from Wharehine worked
on the project, which was largely funded by Rodney Local Board’s transport targeted rate, plus a contribution from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).
Downing said the biggest challenge had been bringing in and installing the 76-tonne concrete beam from Tauranga to the bridge site in June, an operation that required two cranes and an overnight road closure.
The new path means people can now walk easily from Wellsford town centre to businesses, a preschool and Centennial Park without having to cross busy State Highway 1 to go over the railway.
The eastern footpath previously stopped at the driveway of 68 Rodney Street, meaning that anyone wanting to get to Centennial Park Road on foot had to cross State
Highway 1, negotiate both Davies Road entrances and the railway bridge, then cross SH1 again.
Rodney Local Board first committed funding from its transport targeted rate to the project four years ago, but it was subject to repeated delays, first by the need to negotiate with NZTA, as the path runs along SH1, and with KiwiRail, which is responsible for the railway line the bridge crosses, but also over funding, design changes and site access.
The delays also led to the budget for the path blowing out from $1.4 million in 2021 to $4.1 million when the project started.
Downing said while the build period had almost doubled from the initial four month
estimate, they had come in under budget – Auckland Transport said in October the final cost was expected to be $3.9 million. As well as laying the new concrete path and installing the footbridge and handrails, Wharehine has planted around 17 specimen trees along the route and on the bridge approaches.
First across the new footbridge when it opened last week was Rodney Local Board member Colin Smith, whose long-running campaign to get it built included wielding a chainsaw to clear vegetation in 2019 in a bid to create a path alongside the railway line. He said last week it was great to see the path finally in place and Wharehine had done a great job in getting a much-needed asset for the Wellsford community.
Wharehine project manager Sam Downing, left, with construction team members, Rodney Local Board member Colin Smith and Support Your Local Wellsford’s Melissa Wallace after the barriers came down.
Plans to cut rural post services criticised
Time is running out to provide feedback on government plans that could see rural postal deliveries cut from five days a week to just three and the number of post shops down from 880 to 500.
The proposals are among a raft of planned changes to NZ Post’s mail service that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has been consulting on, the deadline for which is 5pm on Tuesday, December 10.
The plans, which would also allow NZ Post to deliver to new rural communal collection points instead of mailboxes, have come under fire from Rural Women New Zealand, which it says will disproportionately impact people living in rural areas.
Chief executive Marie Fitzpatrick said NZ Post was abandoning the quality of its service and putting commercial viability ahead of the need for rural communities to access basic postal services.
“These proposals will disproportionately impact rural communities, as well as the elderly and those with health issues and disabilities, who will be forced to wait longer and travel greater distances to do
basic things like clear their mailboxes and send a letter or parcel,” she said.
“These communities often suffer from poor digital connectivity, which makes it difficult to do administrative tasks online.
“Our rural communities play a vital role in New Zealand’s economy and deserve better – especially from a state-owned enterprise, which should include a large element of social responsibility.”
Fitzpatrick added that NZ Post also needed to be upfront about which post outlets it was planning to close, and that the proposals needed to be scaled back.
“The consultation document says rural communities will not be disproportionately affected, but there is no detail on where services will be cut,” she said.
“We are also concerned the consultation is being run online only, with no face-toface community engagement and a short consultation window. This has made it difficult for rural people to have their say.”
Info and feedback form: https://www.mbie. govt.nz/have-your-say/seeking-feedbackon-moving-towards-a-financiallysustainable-mail-service
Fairer funding needed fast
By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
The fairer funding model to address Auckland’s growing infrastructure inequity needs be rolled out as soon as possible, Rodney Local Board (RLB) said at Auckland Council’s budget committee workshop on November 27.
Board chair Brent Bailey said at present, when people built things out of sequence it created issues around infrastructure, public transport, and where the secondary schools were, and there were no consequences.
“We have got to penalise out of sequence growth,” Bailey said.
He told councillors that the unsealed road improvement programme, which was entirely funded through Council, was “crucial” for the local board.
“I know that creates a problem of ‘where’s the money going to come from’,” Bailey
said before pointing to central government for passing costs on to the council.
“The council is broke. We need to change some stuff and I am open to any idea that will improve our ability to make the most of the limited funds we have available.”
Councillor Greg Sayers asked if Bailey had any ideas on how Council could address the issue of rejected plan changes being overturned in court.
“If somebody puts in a private plan change and it’s rejected by Council, they can go to the Environment Court and it seems frequently that objections from Watercare or Council are overturned by those commissioners,” Sayers said.
Bailey said reiterated that out-of-sequence development should be avoided but did not have a an answer to Sayers’ question.
“When we do out-of-sequence development it comes at some cost to the amenity of residents.”
Scott a’Beckett 021 027 95745
Scott a’Beckett 021 027 95745 cott@dynamicpipeworks.co.nz www.dynamicpipeworks.co.nz
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Out of control
Attending the November Rodney Local Board business meeting, I witnessed a classic, if trivial, demonstration of why the structure of Auckland Council, imposed on the unwilling citizens of Rodney since 2010, just doesn’t work well.
The board made a decision regarding the rent to be charged for a lease of the former wharf manager’s dwelling at Sandspit. The recommended council rent was $1300 a year, which seems exceedingly cheap for renting a 100sqm building on 400sqm of land that the council has to maintain and is spending $120,000 on refurbishing (plus $5000p.a. maintenance fee).
This revenue does not accrue to the board. It is not under board control, so the board can’t spend it. It goes into the council’s coffers, so the board has no incentive to require the tenant to pay anything. The board reduced the rent to $1. (Three members abstained, so remember next elections that they get paid to represent nothing).
This is a classic case of spending other people’s money. For all council land and buildings in Rodney, which are leased or rented, the board sets the rates below market rates, the tenant gains, members earn locals’ praise, and the council loses. We all know if board members had to fund the $1300 p.a. from their own pockets we would have seen a different outcome. If the board kept the income and could spend it – on say a grant to Springboard to mentor a young student, or a sports scholarship for a young person – we would have seen a different community outcome.
Giving away other people’s revenue because you can’t generate, keep and spend it yourself is just one of the perverse incentives in the council’s decision-making process. Local boards need to budget for, and get to spend, all income from private use of assets in their area, so they value it responsibly.
The board gets an Asset Based Services (ABS) budget allocation to look after local assets, so it has no incentive to spend that frugally either. We get gold-plated renewals leased or rented at peppercorn rates. In the end, ratepayers pay for all that!
See story page 3
are a commercial entity with plenty of money, not struggling community groups like pony clubs (who also get $1 rents). Notwithstanding the merits of their use of the space, MKCT can afford to pay rents like everyone else.
While Wayne Brown is struggling to earn and save council money to keep rates down, incentivising local boards to reduce the council’s income is a basic system flaw that can only be fixed by giving Rodney the local autonomy and responsibility it seeks and needs.
William Foster, Northern Action Group chair Bowls bells clarification
I have just seen the article about the WW Primary School and the petition regarding music vs the bell in your latest issue (MM, Nov 18).
In it, reference is made to 16 members of the Warkworth Bowling Club signing this petition to bring back the bell. I do not know why the club has been singled out in all this as we occasionally receive petitions and club members are free to sign them or not. Our club does not take a position on any of them unless they directly affect us.
In no way does Bowls Warkworth have an opinion on whether there should be music or a bell for the school breaks, and I would appreciate it if you could clarify this in your next issue.
John Hurdley, Bowls Warkworth Park road seal
When will the council look at sealing Ngarewa Drive, off Mahuranghi West Road? It is a short stretch of road down to our beautiful regional park at Sullivans Rd.
There have been many near misses as many people coming up to visit from Auckland are not experienced at driving on loose metal. It’s a regional park for goodness sake! Pete Grooby, Warkworth
Fiordland winner
Congratulations to Trish O’Callaghan, of Wellsford, who is the lucky winner of a cruise for two in Fiordland. Trish will take up the prize next month with a five-day cruise through Dusky Sound. “I’m super excited,” she said. “Twenty years ago I helped with some Otago University research on bottlenose dolphins in Fiordland, but we never got to land. I’m really looking forward to exploring the park on the ground.” Local Matters thanks sponsors Heritage Expeditions www.heritage-expeditions.com
Thank you to all the generous readers who have been piling presents under the Mahurangi Matters Christmas tree, at 17 Neville Street, Warkworth. The appeal is a joint initiative of Mahurangi Matters, Homebuilders, Women’s Centre Rodney and Warkworth Christian Foodlink. The Women’s Centre has already collected one car-load of gifts, which volunteers are distributing to very grateful parents. Many of these families would have had to forego Christmas without your support.
Centre manager Jo Nicholson says the need this year is greater than ever. “We’re seeing people who have never asked for help before,” she says. “You can tell many small business owners are doing it tough.”
Yes, the tenant in this case is the Manuhiri Kaitiaki Charitable Trust (MKCT) so that is relevant to the lease decision, but they
We will continue to accept gifts and food up until December 13, weekdays between 9am to 4.30pm. Local vouchers that support local businesses are particularly welcome, as well as family games, sports equipment that encourages outdoor activities, toys but preferably not toys that require batteries, arts and crafts supplies, and personal products such as soaps and perfume. Festive food, as well as basic supplies, is also appreciated.
Women’s Centre manager Jo Nicholson and volunteer Matilde Readett were overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness that donors have put into the presents left under the tree.
Viewpoint
Michelle Carmichael, Rodney Local Board michelle.carmichael@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Refresh those minds … it’s summer
As we head into summer and venture around our region and beyond, stop and look around at everyone enjoying our public spaces, and admire our breathtaking natural areas. Soak up the atmosphere as we socialise with each other at the beach, talk to a stranger in line while waiting for an ice cream, watch our children play together on the playground or at an out-and-about event. Will any of us at that moment remember the politically motivated influences at play? Read on to find out some activities coming your way to help clear your mind of that. Since being a local board member, I have seen the positive influence treaty responsibilities and related policies have on our governance decisions. My view is Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) is something to be treasured and protected as it uplifts the requirements for many aspects of governance. This plays out in our council community and environmental commitments, which are provided for us all to use and enjoy. Read any report we are given to inform our decisions regarding investment in our community facilities, assets and services, and it will include an outline of how our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi are met by the investment, which will benefit Māori and the wider community. And benefit us all. For example, when you visit your local beaches, think about why some are highly developed and some are not. Think
about what provides that environmental protection or the restoration work being done in our region. Much of this is elevated in priority by objectives supported by treaty policy. This is not a ‘them and us’ situation, this is an ‘us in an ongoing agreement that benefits us all’ situation.
Having got that off my chest, and related to coming events, I want to introduce some activities going on in our area and in the rest of Rodney right now, during summer, and through to April. Part of our board objectives include making better use of public spaces and providing activities for youth, children, families and whanau. So, the Out and About team has received funding from us to deliver activities in Rodney, and not just in our most populated places, because we know that historically these kinds of activities have been a long car or bus ride away. Activities such as circus in the park, ako hoe waka, pop-up obstacle course, bubble soccer, Hungerball, stand-up paddleboarding, kite flying and more. Go to the Out and About website and facebook page to see what is coming your way.
Enjoy, and know that we as the board wish you a safe and most fun holiday and summer season.
For further details and information on the Out and About activities visit https://www. aucklandleisure.co.nz/out-about-auckland/ or facebook https://www.facebook.com/ outandaboutakl/
Park access issues raised
By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Concerns have been raised about the lack of wheelchair access at many of Auckland’s parks. Disability Connect chair Colleen Brown showed a picture of a playground that had no connecting path to the sidewalk as part of her presentation to Auckland Council’s community committee on November 26.
“To be able to walk to your community local park is wonderful but you can’t get from the pathway to the actual park if you have got a child in a wheelchair,” Brown said at the meeting. I know it can’t be done overnight but even having a budget for over the next three to five years for accessibility features [would be progress].”
Brown said she was on the council’s disability advisory panel for years and raised the issue of an accessibility audit at the time.
“A lot of funding has been paused by the government so families are really struggling for breaks with their children and from their children,” she said.
“For a lot of people in the disability community things are very, very tough.”
Disability advisory panel co-chair Barry de Geest was present at the meeting and said the council was making progress.
“Obviously some of the previous comments have paid off because [the council] has just done an audit of all the parks and pathways in Auckland and they are going to bring out a map that will show all the pathways that people can go on,” de Geest said.
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Expressway pop-up events hit the road
As initial geotechnical work continues, the project team behind the Ara Tūhono – Warkworth to Te Hana motorway is visiting community markets and events over the summer to share progress and hear feedback from locals.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says the pop-up events will provide updates on the entire Northland Corridor Roads of National Significance programme from Warkworth to Whangarei, and are designed to reach the maximum number of people across north Auckland and Northland.
NZTA is currently undertaking geotechnical investigation on the Warkworth to Te Hana section, with more than 500 metres of borehole drilling already completed. The work includes using helicopters to move machinery in to hard-to-access areas of Matariki Forest in the Dome Valley. Ecologists and archaeologists have also joined the team to
assess sites for possible heritage discoveries.
The name Ara Tūhono was gifted to the project by treaty partners Hōkai Nuku and means ‘a connecting pathway’. Hōkai Nuku is the authorised voice of four iwi and hapū mana whenua – Ngāti Manuhiri, Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Rango of Kaipara and Ngāti Whātua – whose rohe are affected by the new road.
NZTA has worked with Hōkai Nuku since 2010, when the partnership was formed to collaborate on the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth stage and they will continue to provide cultural and environmental advice for Warkworth to Te Hana.
The Northland Corridor Summer Roadshow will be at the old dairy factory market in Matakana on Saturday, December 14 between 9am and 2pm, the Mangawhai Tavern market on January 11 from 8.30am to 1pm, and Waipu street market from 9am to 2pm on January 26.
The NZTA team will also be at the Paparoa
A&P Show on February 1.
NZTA says it is looking at holding more information sessions in Wellsford and Warkworth in future as design progresses, and it will be doing targeted engagement in these areas in the new year.
“We are also sharing all of the information via our newsletters, which people can subscribe to, or visit our website to access.”
There is also a video flyover of Tūhono – Warkworth to Te Hana showing the proposed route for the corridor and how it could look.
Anyone who can’t make the summer roadshow dates and would like to talk to someone about Ara Tūhono or plans for Te Hana north to Whangarei can email northlandproject@nzta.govt.nz Flyover video: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lbOOG5YBnvQ Info: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/ northland-corridor/
In brief
Christmas lights
People wishing to see some of the best local Christmas light displays now have a new resource to help find them. A new Facebook page called ‘Warkworth area Christmas light displays 2024’ has been set up by Warkworth woman Faye Peel for people to post about the finest festive illuminations. These range from individual properties, such as homes in Oliver and Ngahau Streets, plus Ariel Place in Snells Beach, to Northwood Close, where virtually every house is lit up from 8pm nightly until Christmas. Info: Warkworth area Christmas light displays 2024 on Facebook.
Late night sip and shop
There’s a chance to enjoy some late night Christmas shopping and local wines as well on Friday, December 13, when Matakana Village shops will stay open to coincide with Vineyards in the Village. Local winemakers will be selling their wines by the glass and bottle from 4pm, Italian in the Village wood-fired pizzas will be cooking and there will be live music, too. Shops will stay open until 7pm and the wine will be flowing for an hour after that. Local winemakers will then be running Vineyards in the Village at the market every Friday evening until March, from 4pm to 8pm.
Ready to sleigh them
Children will have the opportunity to tell Santa and Mrs Claus what they would like for Christmas when the man of the moment visits The Photo Store in Warkworth on December 18, 20, 21 and 23. The Photo Store is offering to take a photo, and print it, for a gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to the Child Cancer Foundation. Santa will be outside the store on the above dates, from 10am to 1pm.
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The roadshow made a pit stop at Mangawhai last month.
Kaye Jackson Vale
legend’, ‘an icon’ and ‘irreplaceable’ were a few of the hundreds of heartfelt tributes paid to one of New Zealand’s most accomplished and respected squash players, coaches and administrators, Kaye Jackson, of Snells Beach, who died
Kaye was a cornerstone of the squash community at a national, regional and local level, not least in Mahurangi, where she was one of the driving forces behind the Warkworth Rackets tennis and squash club, which she joined after moving to
She was a consummate multi-tasker, taking on the role not only of club president from 2014 to 2020, but also as coach, club captain, bar manager and tournament organiser. She was also a prime mover in getting Warkworth’s third squash court
Born in Essendon, Melbourne in 1946, Kaye was the youngest of Bertram and Nellie Hosking’s five children.
19 December 1946 - 19 November 2024
She enjoyed playing tennis from a young age but it was only when she came to New Zealand on a working holiday in 1966 that she was introduced to squash. After playing and winning her first tournament at Royal Oak, she was hooked and played competitively for the rest of her life, as well as working in the sport in a number of roles, including manager, statistician, development officer and referee.
Kaye served on many committees and won countless tournaments, trophies and awards, such as 16 NZ, two Australian and two World Masters, several Sport Auckland awards, a Squash NZ merit award, life membership of Squash Auckland and a place on the World Squash Roll of Honour. She was known throughout the squash world and further afield for her dedication, enthusiasm and, perhaps most of all, a wicked sense of humour, something which her family said she maintained until the end.
They said Kaye loved to have a good time and was always ready to laugh, and although she ate healthily and never drank or smoked, she did have a sweet tooth, often hiding little stashes of chocolate and lollies around the house.
She loved travelling, whether it was for squash, with family or by herself, and adventures included Africa, Bali, Canada, Fiji, Japan, the UK and the United States, though sometimes she may have been a little over-adventurous, with a couple of near-misses while white water rafting in Africa and long-distance biking in
the South Island.
Kaye was happiest when surrounded by family and was always very active in her children and eight grandchildren’s lives, from picking them up after school to watching them play sport, take part in drama, or just popping in to see them.
Somehow she also found the time to volunteer, from doing meals on wheels when she was younger to knitting and crocheting many clothes and blankets for charity.
Kaye was always fit, athletic and busy. As well as the almost constant squash and tennis, she did pilates, weight training and walking, all of which she carried on with until she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer eight weeks before her death.
Competitive to the end – she was apparently very happy that she won her final game of squash, just seven weeks before she died – Kaye also remained down to earth and pragmatic, telling her family she had done everything she wanted to do in her life.
As she said in a Squash Auckland questionnaire two years ago, when asked what she had wanted to be as a child, “I don’t think I had any great aspirations other than having a good life ... And I have had a happy life.”
Kaye leaves four children, Brandon, Wade, Narelle and Roxanne, their partners George, Evie, Iain and Matt, and grandchildren Isla, Gage, Joia, Sabina, Axel, Gus, Eli and Ruby. A memorial service was due to be held at Warkworth Rackets on Sunday, December 8.
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Nailed it: Warkworth tradie apprentices graduate
There’s a new pipeline of Warkworth carpenters and joiners after six apprentices graduated with their Building Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) qualifications at the Warkworth Town Hall on November 27.
A business division of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, BCITO is the country’s leading building and construction apprenticeship provider.
BCITO director Greg Durkin says it was great to have new people getting a qualification in their chosen trade, surrounded by friends, family and the community at their graduation ceremony. The evening culminated in a haka to the graduates from their BCITO training advisors.
“The building and construction sector
is always in need of qualified tradies. We need a strong pipeline of people entering the industry,” Durkin says.
“Tradespeople take pride in pointing out the very real difference they’re making to their communities, a legacy that can be
seen for years to come.
“To make construction careers attractive to as many people as possible, BCITO supports employers with a wide range of business resources, and financial support to build business capability.”
New Zealand Certificate in Carpentry Trevor
; trained by
Construction
He says BCITO has been around for more than 34 years and successfully trained more than 55,000 trade qualified professionals.
“A career in the trade is a fantastic career option for those who’d rather build a desk than work at one.”
More initiatives for Less Waste recycling at Snells Beach
Recycled timber sales, a tool library and bulk compost could soon be available at the Less Waste community recycling centre near Snells Beach.
Mahurangi Wastebusters Trust chair
Simon Barclay said Less Waste was now able to go into 700 red-stickered houses around Auckland and take away unwanted but reusable timber.
“We’ve bought a de-nailer, as building companies can go in and have first dibs at what they want and what they don’t want are a lot of the big bits of wood with masses of nails in them,” he told a Matakana Community Group meeting last month.
The plan is to set up a dedicated timber yard area at the Lawrie Road site over the next few months to sell the reclaimed wood.
Barclay said the new venture would not only keep perfectly good construction timber out of landfill, it would be a lot cheaper than new wood for builders and DIY-ers, and it should create a healthy income stream for Less Waste.
“We’ve got a sinking lid grant from Auckland Council and we have to make ourselves financially viable in the next three years,” he said.
“If we get the wood right, we could do that. There’s a massive demand from builders to get rid of all this stuff, as well as from people to buy it.”
He added that a tool library was also being established, simply because so many tools were brought in that were still perfectly usable after minimal repairs or maintenance. It is hoped that will be open in the next few weeks.
Less Waste is also trialling an expansion of its existing compost-making activities by utilising unused skip and hook bins, although general manager Mark Gane stressed this was still very much at the experimental stage.
“We already sell compost in the shop in 20-litre bags,” he said. “If this new method works, we’ll be able to add bulk sales.”
He added that once a timber yard could be established, that would also free up extra
Info: https://www.mahurangiwastebusters. co.nz/
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Building the future: from left, BCITO graduates Myla Gabagat, Ben Pugh, Trevor Gielen, Jenna Swadling, Sam Bayer and Jack Campbell.
Gielen
Arthurs
Limited • Sam Bayer; trained by Donald Bayer Builders Limited • Jack Campbell; trained by Hicks Construction Ltd • Ben Pugh; trained by Mahurangi Construction Ltd
New Zealand Certificate in Joinery Myla Luneta Gabagat; trained by Fieldcraft Ltd • Jenna Swadling; trained by NZA Apprenticeships North
Less Waste is hoping to set up a dedicated timber yard at Lawrie Road.
space at the Less Waste shop and be more efficient by reducing double handling.
Sailor’s
100th
It was all hands on deck for Ivan Emirali’s 100th birthday party at the Warkworth RSA as friends and family travelled from around the country to celebrate the milestone with the navy veteran.
Emirali, who served as a radar operator on the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) warship HMNZS Gambia during World War Two, said it was honestly hard to believe he was 100.
“We think of 100 as a mighty age, but it’s not. I feel quite normal. I try to live an active life, you know, walking every day and do all my own housework. I don’t feel as if I’m 100 years old,” he said at the RSA. His life in Algies Bay over the past 30 years or so is a far cry from his time on the Gambia, which was anchored in Tokyo Bay in 1945 when Japan surrendered unconditionally on board the US battleship USS Missouri.
“We were there at the end of the war as part of the British Pacific Fleet when the Japanese signed their surrender,” he said.
Emirali’s nephew, retired senior Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) commander and former Chief of Air Force Peter Stockwell said his uncle had been an inspiration for him throughout his life.
“Our connections through the military, me being in the air force, him being in the navy, was always a source of discussion for us. And I think probably created more of a bond for us than perhaps it otherwise might have been,” he said “His son Terry and I were best mates, besides being cousins of course, we grew up together.”
During his speech to guests at the RSA Stockwell said, “What we can take out of Ivan’s life is a great example of how to live our own lives,” which was met with a warm round of applause.
Emirali’s neighbour Alan Hewetson, who lives directly across the road from him in Algies Bay, also said Ivan was inspirational.
“The guy was active until around two years ago, driving a car and walking up and down Snells Beach, which is over 2km each way. He was playing golf until he was 95. He’s still articulate and has a good memory.”
Hewetson said Emirali didn’t really drink anymore, although he poured him a glass of red wine for his birthday and “he was happy about that”.
Emirali’s granddaughter Blaire said she was
very proud of her grandfather and that he had so many people who loved him.
“When I was much younger, he would always have music playing, and we would always have a little dance party after dinner. He used to lead me around – it’s one of my best memories of him.
“He said he was always gonna make it to 99 and then get shot by a jealous husband. That was his plan,” she said jokingly.
During the lunch, Warkworth RSA president Chris Jackson presented a certificate to Emirali congratulating him on his hundredth, which had been signed by ex-All Black captain Sir Wayne
and showed his navy service number, RNZN 7118.
His birthday cake was decorated with a mini HMNZS Gambia made out of icing, and flanked by letters from King Charles and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Warkworth A&P readies for 2025 event
Although next year’s Warkworth A&P Lifestyle Show is still three months away, preparations are already well underway.
The show will be held on March 15 with Wellsford-based construction company
Wharehine Construction once again confirmed as the principal sponsor.
Other major sponsors who have reaffirmed their support for the show include Auckland Council, Mason Contractors, Mason Containers, Absolute Scaffolding, Northland Waste and Carters Tyre Service.
Warkworth A&P chair Carl King says the show relies on its sponsors and volunteers to keep running year after year.
“There are many ways to get involved,” he says. “We are always keen to recruit new
members on our committee, and a whole team of volunteers is needed on Show Day to help set up. We also have people who participate in the working bees that maintain the grounds.”
Recently, members of Men’s Shed Warkworth, which is based at the showgrounds, manned paintbrushes and rollers to give the A&P office a new coat of paint.
“Without the help of the Men’s Shed, and other local supporters, the event wouldn’t be as successful as it is today. Their contribution ranges from setting up the grounds to maintenance such as rebuilding decks and installing handrails.”
King says the Warkworth Agricultural and Pastoral Society, founded in 1867, brings
the community together to celebrate farming, animals and rural heritage. The programme has expanded over the years to include a wide variety of entertainment, from wood chopping and shearing to mounted games and indoor exhibitions.
“For visitors, it’s a chance to experience authentic New Zealand culture, from its farming roots to its modern-day agricultural practices. The show is also a fantastic way to mingle with locals, explore food stalls, and check out tractors, motorbikes, and much more.”
Anyone interested in becoming part of this cherished tradition can find more information at www.warkworthshow.co.nz
Ivan Emirali holds his RSA certificate with friends and family in the background.
Shelford,
Ivan cuts his 100th birthday cake while his nephew Peter Stockwell looks on.
The HMNZS Gambia saw a lot of action in the Pacific during World War Two.
Members of Men’s Shed Warkworth dodged the rain to give the Warkworth A&P office a much-needed facelift. A number of improvements have been made at the grounds over winter including new pens in the cattle and miniature horse exhibition area.
Police
Senior Constable Katie Hawkins,
Giving kids time pays off
It finally feels like summer. I can still remember the thrill of walking out of school knowing there were two months of glorious blue skies, beach days and freedom ahead.
I can’t help but feel that the reason those long-ago childhood summers are so memorable is because my friends and I made our own entertainment.
There was no TikTok to watch, Instagram to update or Twitter to check. No online games were played. There was no ‘online’ for that matter. For my friends and I it was all about making your own fun.
The classic mistake was to announce that I was bored. A lengthy list of ‘helpful jobs’ I could do would immediately be produced by my parents who had clearly not heard that child labour was illegal.
In hindsight those jobs were in fact a training programme for a pretty useful set of life skills. I could give classes in toilet cleaning – thanks Mum!
Perhaps most importantly, looking back all I can really remember was that my busy mother made time for me. I realise now that we really only have our own kids for a tiny period of their lives. Before we know it, the ungrateful little beasts have gone off and made independent lives of their own. Actually, there is really only a very small opportunity to truly influence the adult your child will become. I know I’m sailing dangerously close to parenting advice (something I swore I’d never give in this
column) but the longer I do Police Youth Aid work, the more convinced I become that the children of involved parents have fewer problems of the kind likely to involve the police.
I’m not advocating for helicopter parenting, I’m saying that parents who know who their kids hang with, and what they get up to, have far fewer unpleasant surprises thrown at them.
I mean, trust your child, but just check that your trust is warranted. If your young teen tells you that they’re spending the weekend at a mate’s place, then phone the parent living there and say thanks for letting them stay. It’s really just a discreet confirmation to check that your kid will be with who they say and where they say.
Make sure your child knows your expectations. There is clear evidence that having a set of clear boundaries for a child seems to result in an adult that knows what society will tolerate. And my final bit of nonparenting advice (because remember I don’t give that) is this: I know that by this time of year everyone is worn out, but do your very best to give your little darlings some attention this summer. After all, they say that the best thing we can spend on our children is time. This is my final column for the wonderful Mahurangi Matters. Thank you for your feedback over the last year. Sergeant Mark Stallworthy is returning to us after his secondment in the big smoke.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Youth market in Warkworth
A Christmas event designed to appeal to teenagers is being held in Warkworth this Friday, December 13.
The Rodney Youth Market will be open at Shoesmith Hall from 5pm to 8pm and will feature live music, a DJ, street art, stalls, artwork and free food and drink.
Local teens will be selling a range of secondhand goods, candles, crafts, baking, art and jewellery, and there will be the chance to have a go at various street art techniques on a live graffiti wall. There will also be a sausage sizzle, free
pizza, plus coffee and juice carts, and an exhibition of youth art.
Youth development coordinator Priscilla McClintock said the family event was designed to provide a platform for young creators to showcase their talents and earn some extra cash for the holidays.
A free bus is being provided for anyone who might need a lift, leaving from Kaiwaka Sports Complex at 4.30pm and Wellsford Station at 4.45pm, and returning from Shoesmith Hall at 8.10pm. Anyone who needs transport from anywhere else can email info@rodneyyouth.co.nz
Visit us on Facebook for daily notices at www.facebook.com/Mahurangimatters/
MOTORHOMES
Successful fundraiser means more support for young people
Springboard’s annual fundraising dinner took place at Sheepworld in Dome Valley on November 9, and once again capped off the Fund a Brighter Future campaign, which overall raised $220,000.
As in previous years, the pledges at the dinner included dollar-for-dollar matched funding up to $100,000 from Springboard’s two biggest supporters, Kennards Hire and Northwood Developments Limited.
Springboard general manager Dan Gray says they want to honour the total.
“It was the community wrapping around our mahi and young people like a korowai (woven cloak worn by a Māori chief).
“The meaning of that is we can keep transitioning kids through into employment, we can keep mentoring kids,” he says.
Gray says the matched funding from their key stakeholders Kennards Hire and Northwood Developments Limited “was massive and we honour and respect that”.
“We’re thankful for their contribution because of what it does in our community.”
Gray says the dinner was a great night of
fundraising and felt like a family coming together.
“This year a few of our supporters, who have been supporters for a long period of time, decided to pull a table together, advocating for what’s going on at Springboard, saying, ‘come to this thing we passionately believe in’.
“We also had people who were there for the very first time.”
Springboard founder Gary Diprose spoke at the dinner about the history as well as the future of the organisation.
However, the highlight of the evening for many was when the young Springboard speakers took the stage.
“We had two of our students share moving stories of their journey with Springboard and how Springboard had supported them in their life and where they’re at now,” Gray says.
“We’re a group of people that passionately believe in change, but they’re the ones that are brave and we’re just getting in behind them. They’re the authors of their futures.”
Springboard student Georgia Parore shares her story, supported by a friend.
Springboard founder Gary Diprose connecting the community to the history and the future of Springboard.
Fundraiser guests mingle before the dinner.
Top award for Ātiu Creek
Ātiu Creek Regional Park near Tapora is one of eight Auckland Council parks to have been awarded the prestigious international Green Flag Award this year.
The 843-hectare park sits on the Okahukura Peninsula and is one of Auckland’s largest regional parks, and its largest working farm.
Judges noted that facilities were wellmaintained, with rangers who were willing to help. More than a third of Ātiu Creek is covered by mature and regenerating native forest, and it features many tracks for walking, biking and horse riding. There is also a community-run plant nursery, and bookable accommodation.
Ātiu Creek Regional Park was officially
opened in 2008, after being gifted by Pierre and Jackie Chatelanat so that the public could always access the harbour-side land Council parks committee chair Councillor Ken Turner said 23 Auckland sites had been recognised since the awards scheme was introduced in New Zealand in 2012.
The Green Flag Award scheme was started in the UK in 1997 and has since spread to more than 25 countries including NZ, where it is managed by Recreation Aotearoa.
The scheme rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, and sets the benchmark standard for the sustainable management of recreational outdoor spaces around the world.
Hospice garden tour rakes in $52k
The first Harbour Hospice Homes & Gardens Tour since 2018 was a monumental success, according to organisers, raising well over $52,000 on Sunday, November 10.
At least 50 staff and volunteers and 500 attendees took part in a ticketed tour of 14 homes and gardens in and around Point Wells, as well as a community hub at the Point Wells Hall.
Harbour Hospice community and events fundraiser Emily Thomas said the feedback from those attending was very positive, with many saying on how welcome they felt. She said more than 500 cups of tea and 450 scones were consumed, a Christmas cake stall sold out, dozens of plants were bought, and a barbecue from Warkworth Butchery was a big hit, too.
“The EFTPOS machine never stopped at Hospice’s Warkworth shop stalls and people loved the silent auction,” she added.
Fundraising manager Amber West said she was “absolutely blown away” by the terrific result and support shown.
“I’d like to say a very big thank you to the incredibly generous home and garden owners who opened their homes for hospice,” she said. “I’d also like to thank our principal sponsor, Barfoot & Thompson Warkworth, all the volunteers who helped in the planning and on the day, those who kindly donated items to sell or for auction, and those who attended.”
The $52,445 raised will be used for hospice patient and family services in the Warkworth and Wellsford areas.
The 843-hectare park overlooks the Kaipara Harbour.
Point Wells Hall was packed with bargain hunters throughout the day.
Board funds free summer fun
Bubble soccer, circus skills and learning how to paddle a waka are among a wide range of family friendly activities being offered free of charge at parks, domains and beaches across Rodney this summer.
The events are part of Out and About Auckland and are being funded by Rodney Local Board, which has allocated $50,000 to encourage people to get out and about, have fun and be physically active in local open spaces.
Chair Brent Bailey said the programme was good for families and would help to build social connections.
“The local board is proud to fund the programme for the first time, after many requests from the Rodney community for free events that encourage play, active recreation and sport in parks and public spaces,” he said.
Venues include Wellsford, Warkworth, Algies Bay, Snells Beach and Mathesons Bay and there are activities to suit most ages, abilities and tastes.
On the water, there are kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and waka paddling sessions, while in parks there’s the chance to bounce around in bubble soccer, improve skating skills at skateboarding clinics or have a go at Hungerball, a multi-goal inflatable arena where players endeavour to keep a football in play while defending and attacking simultaneously.
There’s also a circus skills session at Wellsford’s Centennial Park next Sunday, December 15 and an all-day Festival of Play at Warkworth Showgrounds next month, with outdoor games of all kinds and lots of dress-up costumes. Info and updates: https://tinyurl.com/out-and-aboutauckland or https://www.facebook.com/OutandAboutAKL/
Hungerball
13
Circus in the Park Sun, Dec 15 Centennial Park, Wellsford 2pm
Ako Hoe (learn to paddle a) Waka Sun, Jan 5 Algies Bay boat ramp 11am
Ako Hoe (learn to paddle a) Waka Mon, Jan 6 Old Cement Works, Warkworth 12pm
Kayaking Thu, Jan 9 Snells Beach boat ramp 1.30pm
Wild Streets Festival of Play Sun, Jan 19 Warkworth Showgrounds 10am Kayaking
Getting in the summer spirit at Te Hana
The arrival of summer is being celebrated in Te Hana this month with a special, free family fun day at Te Hana Te Ao Marama Maori cultural centre.
The Hine Raumati Whanau Day takes its name from a Maori spirit that personifies summer and will be held on Saturday, December 14 from 10am to 2pm.
As well as stalls selling a range of gift items and food, there will be children’s rides, bouncy castles, hangi, a free sausage sizzle and ice cream.
In addition, there will be free health checks and immunisations for children and seniors provided by one
of the event’s main organisers, Te Hā Oranga, the iwi organisation that provides health and wellbeing services to everyone in the Ngāti Whātua rohe.
All are welcome and anyone attending is encouraged to bring along a brand new toy or non-perishable kai to put under the Christmas tree for local foodbanks and families in need.
Other organisations backing the whanau day include Te Hana Community Development Charitable Trust, HealthEd NZ, Plunket, Well Child Tamariki Ora and Time to Screen.
WE
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 from $19.50.
• Pharmacy, Labtest, Physio on site.
• Flu and Covid -19 vaccinations available.
A previous whanau day held at Kaiwaka.
Homebuilders
Understanding self-worth
Our sense of self-worth is shaped largely by our early relationships and experiences. As children, we rely on those closest to us for validation, love and emotional support. When these connections are marred by unresolved trauma, neglect, or emotional unavailability, it can create deep wounds that affect how we see ourselves and how we relate to others.
For many of us, these early experiences lead to the development of limiting beliefs – like “I’m not good enough” or “I’m unlovable.” These beliefs are not always conscious, but they influence the way we interact with the world. If someone in our childhood, whether a parent or caregiver, withheld love or used punishment to control our behavior, we might internalise the idea that parts of ourselves are unworthy of love. These parts, which may include our vulnerability, mistakes, or emotional needs, become hidden or suppressed out of fear of rejection.
As we grow older, these unconscious beliefs can cause us to carry shame and insecurity in our relationships. We may feel like we have to constantly hide certain aspects of ourselves to avoid being unloved or rejected. The fear of revealing our true selves can lead to feelings of inadequacy and the belief that no one could ever truly love us if they saw the “real” us – flaws and all.
But healing is possible. It begins with recognising that our worth is not defined by past experiences or the conditional love we may have received. By confronting and releasing the limiting beliefs we’ve
been carrying, we can build a stronger, healthier sense of self-worth. This is key to developing deeper, more secure connections with ourselves and others.
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The team at Kowhai Coast Dental wishes our community a happy & safe festive season Eat, drink, be merry and remember to brush your teeth! Visit us at kowhaicoastdental.co.nz for our Christmas hours and to book your appointment online or call 09 425 0346
We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
Kowhai House (Entrance via 7 Alnwick Street, Warkworth) above the Kowhai Medical Surgery. Plenty of parking. Easy lift access. reception@kowhaicoastdental.co.nz Call 09 425 0346 or online www.kowhaicoastdental.co.nz to book an appointment
Dr. Ghassan Hamid
PROFESSIONAL CARE FOR YOUR TEETH
• Crowns and bridges
• On-site CEREC
• CAD/CAM System
• Orthodontics (visiting Specialist)
• Oral Health therapists
• Oral surgery (including impacted wisdom teeth)
• Implants/Root canal therapy
• Intravenous sedation
• Cosmetic dentistry
• Hygiene/Periodontal (gum) treatment
• Free dental treatments for year 9 to age 18
• ACC/WINZ provider OPEN 8am to 5pm
TOSSI
Lyn Hamilton-Hunter www.tossi.org.nz
A shout-out to seabirds
When you think about birds at Tāwharanui what immediately springs to mind? Kiwi or takahē? Tūturiwhatu, NZ dotterel, torea, or oystercatcher? Kaka, korimako, or bellbird?
However, there is also successful seabird breeding going on around the peninsula, helped along by some very dedicated volunteers and rangers.
Ko te Pātaka kia o Tīkapa Moana (the Hauraki Gulf), which Tāwharanui extends into, is an area of international significance for seabird diversity. Out of the 370 species in the world, 70 breed, forage or visit this little corner of the world and five of them only breed in Hauraki, and nowhere else in the world.
There are now nine species of seabirds breeding at Tāwharanui and we have people monitoring them regularly, others cover trap lines for predator control, and nest boxes and shelters get built.
The ōi/grey-faced petrel returned to the park to breed after predators were removed. Seabird sound speakers and nest boxes were installed, and numbers have dramatically increased around the headland. And the latest news is that there are 18 chicks hatched this year
Pakahā/fluttering shearwater have had similar success with sound and nest boxes. Also sightings of chicks have now been reported
Kuaka/diving petrel feed here and breed in small numbers
There has been confirmation of a pair of titi/Cook’s petrel raising a chick for the past four years – the only known mainland pair of the species as they only really breed
on Hauturu Little Barrier.
Koroā/little blue penguin nest all around the coast and again chicks have been sighted this year
Karoro/black back gulls and tarapunga/ red billed gulls have been seen nesting at Anchor Bay, and tara/white-fronted terns all nest on cliffs and rock stacks. And finally, kāruhiuhi/pied shags are back nesting again after a long absence
There are also lots of regular visitors to the waters around Tāwharanui such as whitefaced storm petrels, Bullers shearwaters, Australasian gannets, little shags and Caspian terns. And just recently two eagleeyed TOSSI volunteers were out kayaking around the coast and spotted the very first gannet nest with a chick.
As with all our native species, they must overcome many threats to survive. On land they are impacted by mammal predators such as rats, stoats, dogs, cats and human activity. At sea their feeding is impacted by fishing, climate change, pollution and sedimentation. At least at Tāwharanui, and other places like it, some sanctuary can be found to give them a fighting chance. For a comprehensive look at threats to our seabirds, check out https://www. nzseabirdtrust.com
Don’t forget if you want to help out or become a member contact – news@tossi.co.nz
& Operated
Snells pair star in city Santa Parade
Two Snells Beach siblings scored the ultimate Christmas treat last month when they got to star on their very own float in the annual Farmers Santa Parade in Auckland.
Ruby Burt, aged 8, and her 11-year-old brother Aston were both winners in a transTasman LEGO competition to redesign Santa’s sleigh for delivering presents during a Down Under summer.
Ruby came up with a practical tractor sleigh that she said was inspired by living at Snells Beach and seeing lots of tractors being used by boaties.
“You always see a tractor pulling a boat in summer and I thought it was a good place for Santa to put Kiwiana things, like jandals, hokey pokey ice cream, a fishing rod and, of course, a rugby ball,” she said.
LEGO NZ agreed, and recreated her winning design as a life-size LEGO Santa sleigh for the parade through the city on Sunday, November 24.
Aston said he couldn’t believe they both got to take part in the parade on their very own float.
“It was so much fun, I was so excited,” he said. “My favourite part was riding in the sleigh. I still can’t believe our sleigh came to life and we got to ride in it.”
Ruby agreed, saying the parade was amazing.
“My favourite part was waving to everyone and seeing my friends’ faces in the crowd,” she said. “I will always remember it.”
Aston’s design for a koru-shaped Santa sleigh didn’t miss out either, as that design,
together with Ruby’s tractor, were both featured as the only NZ inclusions in a Santa’s Summer Sleigh storybook by awardwinning Australian children’s author and illustrator Sophie Beer.
LEGO NZ and Australia commissioned the book to showcase all the winning sleigh designs from across Aotearoa and Australia, and featured all the young designers as characters.
Sophie Beer joined Ruby and Aston on the parade float, then did a live reading of Santa’s Summer Sleigh to children visiting Santa’s After Party in Aotea Square, together with broadcaster Waimirirangi Lee-Reiri, who read out the book in te reo Māori.
Ruby and Aston were given a copy of their special book and said it was exciting to see
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themselves as characters.
“I saw it for the first time on Sunday and it was better than I could have imagined,” Aston said, and his sister agreed.
“It feels really special to see my name and picture in a book, especially my sleigh being a cartoon picture,” Ruby said. “It’s my new favourite book.”
Aston and Ruby have donated a limitededition signed copy of the book to their school library at Snells Beach School, so that lots more people can enjoy it.
Santa’s Summer Sleigh is available as a free digital e-book on the LEGO website at https://www.lego.com/en-au/localnews/news/2024/november/anz-holidaycampaign-summer-sleigh and as an audiobook in both English and te reo Māori.
Ruby and Aston Burt starred in their very own sleigh, which was recreated by LEGO NZ right down to the fishing rod and hokey pokey ice cream in the trailer.
Ruby’s Santa tractor sleigh design, inspired by Snells Beach boat owners.
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Mill Lane icon celebrates years in business 30
Warkworth furniture store BedsRus and La-Z-Boy Warkworth celebrated a milestone on December 9, clocking up 30 years in business making the owners, Ruth and Kevin Porter, the longest-serving retailers in Warkworth.
Ruth puts the business’ longevity down to stocking a wide range of New Zealand Sleepyhead beds and La-Z-Boy recliners and sofas, customer service and competitive prices. “Mill Lane looked quite different when we bought the shop from Marie Brown in 1994,” Ruth says. “There was a motel across the road and an old lady with a huge garden lived in a house beside the bowling club [where the Woolworths carpark now stands]. Gregory Ford dealership was on one side of us just below Wilmot Motors, and Guthrie Bowron and Ross Lynch’s vet clinic were on the other. Guthrie Bowron is the only store still here, although it has had several owners over the years.”
The couple’s two children – Mark and Angela – were seven and five when the couple moved from Auckland to Warkworth. Angela is now herself a mother of two and has been managing the store for the past two years. For the past 10 years, Kevin has worked as a St John paramedic, now based in Wellsford.
Ruth says that securing the BedsRus franchise 19 years ago and then the LaZ-Boy licence 14 years ago made a big difference to the store’s success.
“When we started, we were part of the North South buying group. We’d meet twice a year and it was a bit like a trade show, where all the NZ manufacturers could display their goods. But as the local manufacturers closed down, or went overseas, the group petered out.
“Being part of a national franchise like BedsRus meant we had help with promotion and marketing, and we were
part of a chain that people recognised.”
Ruth says although the retail options in Warkworth are splintering into different neighbourhoods, she hopes there will always be a place for the central business district and destination stores like hers.
“We’ve got a strong, loyal customer base and have enjoyed wide support from the community with a lot of return shoppers, and delivery is easily arranged between Orewa and Mangawhai. We can match city prices so that people aren’t paying more to shop local, and we pride ourselves on our customer service.”
Ruth says the store has run “pretty smoothly” over the past three decades although a flood, caused by a corroded internal gutter, two years ago cost them dearly.
“We also brought a cat back from a delivery to a house in Snells Beach once. No one
Sustainable Natural Pet Food straight from the
What began as father-daughter bonding has grown into a unique, locally-based pet food business. Wilson Hobbs and his daughter Katherine had spent countless hours exploring the Rodney region, conducting pest control on farm blocks, and processing possums into nutritious meals for family pets. These experiences instilled a deep love for the outdoors and a shared passion to create nutritious and sustainable pet food. Today, their passion has evolved into Bush to Bowl, a product by Matakana Possum Co., offering premium raw pet food straight from the bush to your pet’s bowl.
Based in the Matakana area, Bush to Bowl is a hands-on operation consisting of a 3 man crew, who collectively hold over 80 years of hunting experience. As registered hunters and MPI approved meat inspectors, they ensure quality control at every stage - from humane harvesting and processing to packaging and delivery. Their approach supports pest control efforts while reducing waste. In August 2024 alone, they had processed over 12,000 possums, highlighting their significant contribution to New Zealand’s ecosystem.
In addition to possums, they have expanded to
include Wild Venison, Goat, Rabbit, Hare, Beef, Lamb and Chicken, all processed in their MPIregistered and inspected facility to ensure prodigious quality.
Wilson’s rural upbringing and passion for the bush and ocean have shaped his belief in sustainable living. He seizes opportunities to teach his kids Katherine and Marky practical skills that connect them to the land. Whether it’s showing how different animals live and operate to cooking a snag out in the bush, Wilson believes that there is a right and wrong way of doing things, their work not only protects native flora and fauna but also transforms pests into a valuable resource for pets whilst showing the next generation what a “humane necessity” looks like. Bush to Bowl’s, natural pet food promotes overall health and well being. Available at Matakana Butcher and Tuck In Pet Foods, or delivered directly to your door, these products bring unmatched quality to your pet’s diet.
Contact us on 021 426 046 to place a home delivery | admin@matakanapossum.com
realised it was in the truck until we opened up the following day.”
Ruth says there has been enormous improvement in the comfort of modern furniture, especially beds. Chairs are not just to sit on anymore – they can be heated, tilted, leg rests extended at the push of a button, and some even have a massage function.
“We have SleepMap, a state-of-the-art, bed matching system, featuring 10,000 sensors which displays a real-time pressure map of the body. This allows staff to identify areas where a person might need extra support, or added comfort, and helps identify their perfect bed solution.
“One thing we weren’t sorry to say goodbye to was the waterbed. We were often called on to dismantle them and my husband always said it was the worse job he could think of!”
Manager Angela Chellew has been testing beds for most of her life.
Not all furniture fashions stand the test of time.
Ruth Porter has handed over the management of the store to daughter Angela Chellew, who was only slightly older than her daughter Josie when Ruth and Kevin bought the store.
Tinsel lights up Wellsford
Children, on floats and among the spectators, were the focus of another great Santa Parade in Wellsford last month.
The overcast weather did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of both the crowd and participants, with the parade welcoming in the festive season.
The parade is organised by business group Wellsford Plus. Chief elf Rachel Ravenscroft said although a lot of planning and organisation went in to putting on the parade, it was very satisfying on the day to see so many happy faces.
“An amazing amount of work went in to the floats so all credit to the people involved in putting them together,” Rachel said. “It would be nice to see more businesses involved, so we will keep this in mind
for next year.”
Tauhoa School’s “Yee Haw” themed float won both the children’s section and best overall. Hammer Hardware won the business section and Wellsford Fire Brigade, which turned out in force, won the community section.
Judges Libby Clews, Shirley McGahan and Moh Charan were thanked for their support.
Wellsford Plus also thanked sponsors Wharehine Construction, Rodney Local Board, Hammer Hardware, Computers Plus and Craigie Contracting Handyman Services; and Wellsford Lions (crowd marshalls), Port Albert Soccer Club (sausage sizzle) Northland Waste, Rob Lennon (PA system) and others.
Tauhoa School’s winning Yee Haw float.
Coming together for Christmas festivities at Snells Beach
It’s all happening in Snells Beach this Christmas, with several community get-togethers and celebrations to mark the festive season and summer holidays.
First up is a huge combined family picnic on Friday, December 13 at the playground reserve at the bottom of Snells Beach Road.
Pohutukawa Picnic will have food trucks, stalls and a bar for the grown-ups, plus plenty of games and entertainment for everyone. There will be carol singalongs, a DJ playing festive favourites, and upand-coming young Whangarei band Blind Eyes will be rocking the evening with their original reggae, soul and indie funk music.
The picnic is organised by local singer Lou Perkins and a group of friends known as the Kawau Bay Action Group (KBAG), who first got together to organise a successful community night at the former Warehouse store in August last year.
They followed that with the first Pohutukawa Picnic last December and are now hoping to make the family wind-down to summer an annual event.
KBAG says it is working closely with the Snells Beach Residents & Ratepayers Association, the Algies Bay Residents and Ratepayers Associations and other local groups and individuals to deliver events for the community.
This year’s Pohutukawa Picnic will start at 4pm and run through to 9pm, with a very special guest in red due to arrive around 5pm, in an amphibious-wheeled boat instead of the usual sleigh, together with Warkworth town crier Dave Parker and the Mahurangi East Volunteer Fire Brigade.
The picnic will also coincide with a free Hungerball session being run
at the reserve from 3pm by Out and About Auckland, funded by Rodney Local Board (see story p20).
The true meaning of Christmas will be remembered and celebrated on December 24, when Snells Beach Baptist Church holds its annual Christmas Eve Carol Service at 7.30pm.
Pastor Chris Clark will be joined by renowned organist John Wells, who lives locally at Algies Bay, for an evening of traditional readings and music in the church at 396 Mahurangi East Road.
Then, on the day itself, the annual free Mahurangi Community Christmas Lunch will once again be held on the playground reserve at the bottom of Snells Beach Road from 12 noon.
in 2018 has grown to an annual lunch that attracts dozens of families and individuals each year.
If anyone is able to offer donations of either food or gifts for all ages this year, it would be hugely appreciated, Moana says.
“We are needing some gifts this year, as the Christmas Shoebox Project has run out of boxes due to high demand, but I know we have an amazing community who will help,” she says.
“Presents don’t necessarily need to be wrapped, but if people are able to, please add gender and ages. We are collecting for children and adults.”
Food donations would also be appreciated, such as ham, cold meats, leg of lamb, salads, pizza toppings or desserts.
Organiser Moana Hehepoto and her team of volunteers will be welcoming anyone wanting some Christmas company and festive fun, with a huge buffet lunch plus gifts, games and activities for all ages.
“Bring chairs, mats, togs and a big Christmas Day smile,” she says.
Moana says it’s the generosity and support of the local community that has made the event such a success – what started as a one-off breakfast in the community centre
Moana says she couldn’t run the lunch without the support of local people and businesses.
“I’d like to thank all the people in our community who donate, cook, support, help with setup and pack-downs in order for this to happen, and our local businesses Warkworth Butchery, Pak’nSave, Woolworths, RSA, Snells Beach Liquorland, The Warehouse, Warkworth Community Shop, Snells Beach Market, Snells Beach 4 Square, Warkworth Library, True South Seafood, The Kingsway Trust, Teresa More at the Christmas Shoebox Project, Mahurangi Vision, Savans Bakery, Springboard and our local police. Hopefully I haven’t missed anyone out!”
Gifts can be dropped off at Snells Beach Community Market at Snells Beach School on December15, as well as Snells Beach 4 Square and Warkworth Library. For food drop-offs, contact Moana on 0210 246 1732.
Santa’s
Blind Eyes will play the picnic.
Picnic organisers Kawau Bay Action Group.
Weather forced last year’s lunch inside.
There will be plenty of beach-side fun at the picnic and lunch.
Community market returns
The Snells Beach Community Market is back by popular demand – as a pop-up for the festive season.
Organised at the 11th hour, the previously unscheduled market will be Christmasthemed and held inside the hall at Snells Beach School on December 15.
Market founder Amanda Cosseboom says she was humming and hawing about whether to add one more market after finishing up for the year at the end November.
“The stallholders asked if we were going to do one for Christmas, that’s the reason I did it. They’ve been with me from the beginning, and I wanted them to know I appreciated their support,” she says.
“Because it wasn’t easy starting a market. With the cost of living it was the worst time, people were struggling financially, hence the price of the tables. It’s $5 for a kid’s stall and $10 for adults, and I’ll try
had this massive community hall and only about eight tables, just in a corner. So we tried to spread them out in the middle. It’s definitely been a learning curve.”
Now they are averaging around 22 stalls per market, with something for everyone.
“We’ve got earrings and jewellery, arts and crafts, knitting and sewing, plants, dolls clothes and potholders, felt gnomes and woodwork, a sausage sizzle, a coffee cart, we’ve got local artists selling their paintings and much more,” she says.
All stall fees go directly back into the community helping support local charities, events and causes.
Recently the money raised from fees has been donated to the Keas, Stroke Foundation NZ, Snells Beach Kindergarten, Warkworth Men’s Shed and Mahurangi East Volunteer Fire Brigade.
“It’s a modest amount of money but it can
The Snells Community Market in full swing.
Farmers marketcelebration
Maybe it was the Christmas vibe or the prospect of summer holidays on the horizon, but the Matakana Farmers Market was in full swing on November 23 when it celebrated its 20th anniversary. Started by Richard and Christine Didsbury, and supported by permaculture champions Joe Polaischer and Trish Allen, of Rainbow Valley Farm, the market has grown from its original 20 stallholders to 50 today. However, the ethos of ‘locally grown and environmentally responsible’ has been maintained. Speakers on the day included Christine Didsbury and market enthusiast Lauraine Jacobs, with Trish Allen sending a message from Japan. Marketing manager Tom Klockseth says the market will host a number of special events over summer including wine, food and entertainment every Friday evening, organised by Matakana Winegrowers. “The market on December 21 will have a special Christmas vibe, with Santa in attendance and face painting for koha.”
John has been a local solicitor and identity for nearly 40 years. He has overseen the legal aspects of many land developments within every council district north of Auckland. He has had many dealings with all of the councils and continues to do so.
He values relationships with clients which can require a special insight into the future needs of growing families. Out of all these relationships comes vital information that he utilises to assist clients on their way.
Dominique is a qualified legal executive and has worked off and on with John for many years and she is now full time in the Warkworth office, except Tuesdays. Dominique can be contacted by calling my Warkworth office, 09 973 3665.
We will be closed over the Christmas/New Year holidays from 4pm, Friday 20 December 2024 and reopen 8.30am, Thursday 16 January 2025
For emergencies Ph 021 475 630
Tree...t yourself to fresh
Volunteer emergency services are again selling Christmas trees to raise much-needed funds. Here’s what you need to know:
Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade
Trees on sale behind the fire station until sold out.
Weekdays noon to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-6pm.
Trees from $45. For special orders (large trees up to around three metres tall) call Gaye Flewellyn on 027 459 9613.
Tree stands $45. Festoon lights: domestic $50, heavy duty $65. Christmas tree wrapping $5. Bay Christmas tree additives $2.50.
Hato Hone St John Ambulance Wellsford Sold at Wellsford Hammer Hardware until Christmas Eve.
Trees available during the store’s opening hours: weekdays 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 4pm, Sunday 9am to 2pm.
Standard trees $55. Large trees (three metres plus) $125. Tree stands $45.
Wellsford Hammer Hardware owner Mitch Martin says all money from the Christmas
Christmas tree tips
Make a fresh cut of at least one to two inches from the bottom of the trunk before placing it in the water.
Water regularly.
Initial watering: place the tree in water immediately after making the fresh cut
Daily maintenance: refill the stand with clean water daily. A tree can absorb up to a gallon of water
Use the right stand: choose a stand that holds at least a litre of water, and keep the
Thanks to the Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade
tree sales goes to St John so come on down and show your support.
Hato Hone St John Ambulance Mangawhai Trees on sale at the station until sold out. Weekdays 3pm to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 1pm.
Standard tree $55. Pick-up only. Stands $40. Festoon lights: small $50, large $60.
Organiser David Prescott says the money goes towards the wellbeing of the volunteers who have to deal with some serious callouts – it might be a barbeque where they can talk and offer each other support. It also helps pay for different training events held offsite. Mangawhai Engineering and Marine was thanked for supplying a storage container for the trees.
Kaiwaka Cheese Shop is selling Christmas trees on behalf of Hato Hone St John Ambulance until sold out, 9am to 5pm, seven days a week at the store. Standard trees $45.
water topped up at all times. Avoid letting the water level drop below the base of the trunk, as this can cause the cut to seal and stop absorbing water
Avoid keeping your tree in a hot room or in a sunny spot.
Optional additives: while plain water will suffice, some people add tree preservatives or homemade solutions like sugar, aspirin and Epsom salts. Dissolve before adding to the water.
Christmas Services
Sales from Christmas trees will help fund St John and volunteer fire brigades.
Human
sculptures adorn riverbank
Warkworth joined a global art installation last week when a sculpture court set up on the wharf, beside the Mahurangi River. The event was organised by Rodney Inclusive Communities Inc (RICI) to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3. The aim of the international event is to raise awareness of the need to treat people with disabilities with dignity and respect, and give them opportunities to reach their full potential. The theme this year was ‘amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future’. It emphasised the importance of people with disabilities participating in decision-making processes that affect their lives. The human sculpture courts started in 2015 with two sites, New York and Hobart, and has since spread around the world. The Warkworth Wharf installation was part of a week-long series of art events organised by RICI to focus on diversity and accessibility issues in Rodney. Info: www.ricinz.com
Bridge maintenance finished
The footbridge in Matheson Bay has had a tidy up ahead of Christmas. Auckland Council spent just over $28,000 on general maintenance and painting work last month, which included replacing corroded stainless steel fixings and repairing damaged or failing timber. A spokesperson says the bridge has been painted in a modern iron-sand colour to refresh and improve longevity. The work was done as part of the Rodney external repaint programme. Council says the work was scheduled to make the most of the fine weather and prior to the main holiday season to minimise disruption. There are other renewal works for the reserve scheduled for after the busy summer period, which include renewing the playground area and the seawall. The footbridge was due to reopen late last week.
Horizon turns on the colour
Horizon School held its first ever colour run and it was a vibrant, messy, and fun success! A colour run is a fun, untimed race where participants are covered in coloured powder as they pass through stations along the course. Both students and staff at the school participated in the event, which raised just over $4000 for the school. The Mahurangi East Volunteer Fire Brigade was thanked for its surprise visit to cool everyone off and add to the excitement. Kelly Walker and senior students and teachers were also thanked for setting up and running the event.
SHEEPWORLD
Come and enjoy the Sheepworld Farm and Show, feed your favourite animals and take an Alpaca for a walk, or grab a coffee at our newly renovated café.
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Your visit to Sheepworld empowers young people to attain qualifications, secure employment and work through challenges they face. www.sheepworldfarm.co.nz
Looking for the perfect day out these school holidays? Come and enjoy our farm park where you can hand feed our friendly sheep, alpacas, piglets, goats, bunnies and lambs. Or watch our world famous shearing show where kids can learn about wool and enjoy a live demonstration. For a limited time, all kids visiting during the school holidays will receive a FREE FEEDBAG.
And don’t forget our café is open seven days from 9am to 3pm, offering delicious cabinet treats and all-day-breakfast
menu. The kids can burn off energy at the playground while you relax with a coffee and take in the countryside or check-out our well stocked retail shop, featuring unique New Zealand made products including possum Merino clothing, sheepskins, and Kiwiana gifts – perfect for souvenirs or early stocking fillers.
With plenty of free parking and located just 4 km North of Warkworth, Sheepworld is your local spot for a family day out this spring!
324 State Highway 1 | 09 425 7444 | Visit www.sheepworldfarm.co.nz to see attractions and show times.
Book online now at
Island author charts new course in latest book
Next to negotiating the notorious Cape Horn or circumnavigating the world in an engine-free sailboat, you’d think writing your memoir would be relatively smooth sailing.
However, Kawau Island author Lin Pardey says writing her latest book, ‘Passages: Cape Horn and Beyond’, was one the toughest challenges she’s faced, as it’s a deeply personal account of her last years with late husband Larry Pardey, who had Parkinson’s.
“It was a hard one to write. Normally sailing books take me five or six months, but this one was very emotional. I spent over two and a half years on it.”
Pardey was encouraged to write her memoir by David Haigh, who is her present partner, a retired university professor and also a sailor.
“He said, ‘Lin you’ve got to tell the whole story, don’t hide anything.’ Being candid and vulnerable made it very difficult, but it also helped me say farewell to Larry and the life we shared. He would’ve wanted me to move on,” she says.
Originally from the United States, Pardey met Larry Pardey, a Canadian, in California in 1965, and over the subsequent years the couple sailed over 200,000 nautical miles as a two-person crew.
“It’s a long time we spent together, especially being so closely connected with just the two of us on the water. People always found it interesting that we could live together 24/7 on a 24-foot sailboat.”
Dedicated to Larry, ‘Passages: Cape Horn and Beyond’ has just been released by Paradise Cay Publications, is the seventh in her cruising narrative series, and 13th book of her career.
“My previous books were based fully on the sailing adventures. But in this one, it’s a true memoir. It’s about watching your hero fade.”
Pardey says her story could help a lot of people, particularly those looking at transitions in their lives, but the book’s also got some of her best sailing writing.
“I wrote about the adventures and triumphs we had together, who we were as sailors, and why we ended up having a home in New Zealand – why that long-term retreat was so important as we continued our voyaging life,” she says.
In the book Pardey talks about her voyage to New Zealand in 1985 with Larry –how the pair anchored at North Cove, decided to stay and ended up purchasing a rundown cottage and jetty on the island.
“If you saw the house that we built for ourselves on Kawau, you’d laugh because it’s only 600 square feet.”
It may be a modest home, but it embodies Lin and Larry Pardey’s famous phrase, “Go small, go simple, but go now.”
Available at Post Shop Warkworth, Matakana Village Books, Boat Books (22 Westhaven Drive, Auckland) and online.
Book giveaway
For a chance to win a copy of ‘Passages: Cape Horn and Beyond’, email your name and number to editor@localmatters.co.nz by Wednesday, December 18.
Pardey nicknamed her two yachts (pictured here moored on her Kawau jetty) ‘Then’ and ‘Now’, after her life before and after Larry’s passing.
Pardey’s late husband Larry Pardey in his element.
Pardey loving life before attempting to round Cape Horn in an engine-free sailboat.
History
Bev Ross, Mangawhai Museum www.mangawhai-museum.org.nz
Pioneer spirit lives on
Staff, volunteers and the community came together to celebrate Mangawhai Museum’s 10th anniversary on December 6. The initial preparation of land and the building in Molesworth Drive was done with an enormous amount of volunteer labour, which has been a hallmark of Mangawhai and the museum from its very early days. While the contribution made by volunteers is not documented, it was on such a scale that there most certainly would not be a museum today had early Mangawhai residents not given their time and expertise toward the idea. Many of those volunteers were descendants of the European settlers. They came with the same mettle as those who had arrived at a bush-covered land where they had to use both physical and mental fortitude to survive
On arrival at Auckland, our ancestors had survived three months on a sailing ship and were ready to settle their allocated land, newly surveyed in the mid-north of NZ. Some sailed up the coast into the Mangawhai Harbour, while others came via Helensville, toward the west coast. After disembarking, they walked through bush and scrub, swamps and creeks in order to find their allotments. Allocations had been made, but there were no guides available to show them how to find the land, other than on maps. Newcomers simply had to go looking for surveyors pegs and markings.
The men in the family were required to carry all the belongings, while mothers tended to the children often carrying the little ones. Nothing was easy.
One well known arrival, Elizabeth Sarah, refused to get off the boat when she saw the challenges that lay ahead. But the wise old captain said to her husband, “take the calves off, and the cow will follow!” It worked, and she became a well-known community benefactor throughout the district. Elizabeth and husband Nicholas owned the Cornish Arms hotel at Hakaru and oral history tells us that she put the first road in from Mangawhai to Waipu with horse and shovel. Although she was not formally educated and signed her name with a cross, she opened a school in her local hall.
The settlers had to learn how to live from the bush and sea, and how to rely on their neighbours who, in turn, relied on them. The chance to look back on these stories is what makes the Mangawhai Museum so special.
A book has been created celebrating the museum’s own history. Although modern equipment was used to build the museum, volunteer labour played a huge role in making the project a reality, as it was in the early settler days. The book is a pictorial record of how the building was formed and shows how the internal displays are in memory of those who strived to form the magnificent community that we now have.
The museum’s current exhibition 10 Years/10 Photographs runs until February 23.
The museum also has two late-night shopping opportunities left this month, on December 14 and 21.
Terrific tractors attract a crowd
Not even grey skies and the onset of rain could dampen the enthusiasm of several hundred people who flocked to Snells Beach for the first Tractorama since 2013 on Saturday, November 30.
More than 40 tractors of every shape, size and vintage chugged onto the sand and parked up under the pohutukawas between Ariki Drive and Snells Beach Road, creating a colourful display that brightened everyone’s spirits.
From beautifully restored classics and modern-day giants to boat-towing runabouts and rusty old workhorses, there was something to interest the many visitors of all ages.
The Algies Bay contingent arrived in some style, travelling in convoy complete with police escort, while one of several amphibious craft taking part created an entertaining diversion by getting stuck in a sand hole on its way ashore. Fortunately, there happened to be several dozen suitable vehicles nearby to help tow him out, and any number of onlookers ready with advice.
Up on the coastal walkway reserve, there
were a number of stalls and trade stands, including Kawau Volunteer Coastguard with an old-for-new lifejacket exchange and Snells Beach School selling food and drink.
As the rain intensified, various beach activities were brought forward, including a giant tractor towing several smaller ones in its wake, a massive smoking Massey dragging a barge ‘sleigh’ bearing a Christmas Grinch, and a grand parade
finale featuring all the participants. One of the organisers, Penny Webster, said afterwards she was amazed at how many people had come along to enjoy the spectacle despite the less-than-perfect weather. She added that there may be another Tractorama in the not-too-distant future, possibly in February 2026. The event raised more than $3000 for Kawau Volunteer Coastguard and Mahurangi East Volunteer Fire Brigade.
May the holiday season and happy memories bring you special moments
Book Reviews
An Island to Oneself, by Tom Neale
This is the author’s true story about the time he spent living alone on a small Pacific island, and was first published in 1966. It was popular among yachties, adventurers and those who enjoy an incredible survival journey. Roll on to 2024 and it has been republished with a 30-page update, so we now know how the rest of Neale’s life panned out.
This kiwi bloke kept meticulous diaries and used these as a basis for this inspiring yarn. He was in his 50s when he first realised his dream to live in isolation and by his own wits. Neale was blessed with practical skills and was able to survive using available food, stores, his own garden and chooks, and the occasional item that washed up on the beach. Although he liked people, he never felt lonely. He just didn’t like “the rat race”.
Suvarov, 515 miles north of Rarotonga, was in the 1950s off the beaten track and rarely visited, and had no outside communication. Tom is generous with describing his life, including why this lifestyle was his preference, and the inevitable challenges both physical and emotional. One major challenge on his arrival was disposing of five wild pigs without a gun or dogs. Another was ensuring his living quarters and food sources would survive storms and hurricanes.
Well written, the story moves along at an easy pace with unexpected revelations in the epilogue. Overall, highly recommended.
Reviewed by Barbara Leslie
The Lighthouse Secret, by Carmel Harrington
In 1950s Ballycotton, Cork, life as a lighthouse keeper’s wife could be a tumultuous one. The keepers work a three-week roster with only a week on the mainland in between, so it falls to the women to have each other’s backs.
There is Kathleen married to the principal keeper, feeling alone in her marriage when a smooth talking American makes her the object of his attentions. Her eldest daughter Beth, is torn between travelling the world and marrying her first love, lighthouse keeper Ted. Ellen is struggling to secure her children’s security in the aftermath of tragedy, and newlywed Mary, desperately in love with her husband, but with a past full of secrets. The sisterly bonds formed between these women are fiercely strong. Then on one fateful day, an oath of secrecy is sworn which they vow to take to their graves. But someone knows what happened that summer in 1951, and it seems they’re not happy keeping silent. In modern day Maine, 35-year-old Mollie is at a crossroads in life. Her marriage is under strain with fertility struggles, so she heads to the comfort of family on the windswept shores of Cork. It should have been a place of solace, but an anonymous letter changes the whole course of her holiday; “Family secrets never stay buried”. Of the four keepers’ wives, only Nana Beth remains, but will she break her vow? This heart-warming family drama, turns into a page-turning mystery.
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Gardening
Andrew Steens
Gardens in Christmas colours
The Christmas holiday season is almost upon us and although I’m relatively cynical about the whole event, I can’t help but get a little carried away, mainly for the joy it brings to other people. For a gardener, what better way to enhance the festive spirit than with beautiful plants that bloom during Christmas time?
The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is perhaps the most iconic Christmas plant. Known for its striking red and green foliage, this plant is native to Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs long before it became associated with Christmas. It actually flowers in winter, so in the Southern Hemisphere it must be tricked into flowering by altering the day length using blackout curtains in the greenhouses. If planted outside, it will revert to winter flowering – not such a bad thing, as it forms a very flamboyant flowering shrub in our zone.
On the other hand, amaryllis (Hippeastrum), which is also a favourite Christmas indoor plant in the Northern Hemisphere, thanks to its dramatic blooms, is actually forced to flower out of season there. In our region, Hippeastrum are happily flowering outdoors from early November through to the end of January without any trickery involved. With most varieties being shades of white, pink and red, these are perfect for the Kiwi festive season.
Of course, nothing is more evocative of a Kiwi Christmas than our stunning pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa). Often though, the flowering is nearly finished by Christmas Day, so just in case, try making a pohutakawa cordial from the flower stamens. This delicious and vibrant
red cordial is a real treat with soda water, champagne or anything else bubbly on Christmas Day! Just google it, for instructions on how to make it.
For an Aussie tinge, the bottlebrush (Callistemon spp.) is a fantastic choice. This tough Australian shrub features vivid red, lemon, pink, burgundy or even white brush-like flowers that bloom around Christmas time and yes, as a relative of our pohutukawa and you can make cordial from these flowers too!
Gardenia flowers are a fragrant treat during our Christmas season. Pick the waxylooking, creamy-white flowers and pop them into a bud vase to flood your indoor spaces with its intoxicating scent, or enjoy the scent outdoors during balmy evenings on the patio. This evergreen shrub thrives in our climate, is ideal as a low hedge, potted plant or specimen in the garden and comes in a range of sizes and forms. Hydrangeas are another plant that flowers prolifically during the Christmas season. Stunning as a background plant in the garden with their large, mophead blooms that come in shades of pink, blue and white. Hydrangeas are also great cut flowers for spectacular Christmas arrangements. For a touch of tropical, I love my heliconia schiedeana, which flower prolifically with bright red and yellow bird of paradise type spikes. These last for months in the garden, or a week or two as a cut flower inside. The stems are so long that, if needed, the flower arrangement can be more than 1.5 metres high, big enough for the most spectacular Christmas arrangements.
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The deadline for classified advertising for our December 20 paper is December 17. Send classified advertising enquiries to design@localmatters.co.nz
Have you been affected by someone's drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help.
We welcome you to the Warkworth Family Recovery group confidential meeting. We meet at Vineyard Church Hall, 5 Pulham Road, Warkworth, every Wednesday from 7pm to 8pm. This meeting can also be attended on Zoom.
Please contact warkworthafg@gmail.com for more details or visit Al-anon.org.nz
Supported by Mahurangi Matters
We help protect, preserve, promote our heritage
We aim to:
• Protect and conserve heritage and cultural values in the Mahurangi Area.
• Educate the public about the area’s heritage significance and promote Tapuwae (Footsteps of our ancestors).
• Collaborate with heritage organisations and government agencies to raise awareness and understanding.
Find out more at heritagemahurangi.co.nz
Warkworth, at the Library
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The school year is winding to a close, with camps, activity days and prizegivings. It’s a lovely time of the year, full of fun and adventure; students have done themselves proud this year and can be pleased with everything they have achieved.
Recent highlights include our Junior Colts Cricket Team who have won the Junior Open Boys Auckland final, recording wins over many of the bigger boys’ schools and our Te Korowai students running a very successful Christmas market. Our STEAM students showcased the values of ‘gratitude’ in a variety of ways, including making toys and treating school staff to a wonderful morning tea, which went down a treat.
The Science Department took the whole of Year 10 to Waipu Caves and Piroa Falls to learn about their formations, which they thoroughly enjoyed.
Our Year 8 students have been celebrating their year this week with their end-of-year camp in the beautiful Karangahake Gorge. This is a long-standing Mahurangi tradition, enjoyed by generations of students over many years. Activities this year have included kayaking, high-ropes and swimming. Thankfully the weather has been wonderful, with hot days and warm nights, making camping pleasant for students, teachers and parent helpers.
And so we turn to Summer, and time spent with family and friends. In her poem ‘Nativity’ kiwi writer Joy Cowley captures the reappearance of Christmas in a way that can resonate with us all, irrespective of our beliefs:
“Look now! It is happening again!....
And here again is the star, that white flame of truth blazing the way for us through a desert of tired ways….
And now the magi within us gathers up gifts of gold and myrrh, while that other part of ourselves, the impulsive, reckless shepherd, runs helter skelter with arms outstretched to embrace the wonder of it all.”
I suspect we all feel at times like the reckless shepherd, running all over the place, trying our best to juggle our lives. We all deserve a good break. Enjoy summer, switch-off, take some time to reflect and reconnect, and for those visiting friends and relatives, travel safely. Our thanks to the entire community for your support of everything we do.
Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia ki ngā iwi me ngā hapū katoa
Tony Giles
Auction Mahurangi Rugby Club is auctioning a premier team jersey on Thursday, December 12. Come along to the club for a night of touch rugby, followed by the auction at 7pm. If you are interested but cannot make the auction, please contact Charmaine on 021 963 103.
Fishing comp The annual Salty Dog Social Club Fishing Competition and Family Fun Day will be held on Saturday, February 1. For more information and to get an entry form, contact Jez on 027 410 5154 or email officetsdsc@yahoo.com with the subject line Salty Dog Fishing Comp 2025. The family fun day, including a bouncy castle, games, lucky dips & more, will be held from 4-6pm at The Salty Dog. The fishing competition prizegiving will be held from 6pm. All welcome.
Pool closed The Mahurangi College pool is closed until further notice. For updates visit https://www.sporty.co.nz/kowhaiswim/Home
Colour run Save the date! Wellsford Plus Inc is hosting the Wellsford Colour Run on Saturday, February 15 to raise money for a new ute for the Wellsford Fire Brigade. There will be three race options, the 5km walk, 5km run, or 10km run. Registrations will open soon. Keep an eye on the Wellsford Plus Facebook page for details.
Court hire Tennis Courts are available for casual hire outside of club days at Mahurangi East Tennis Club between 7am and 8pm. There is a fee of $20 per court per hour. Visit https://www.mahutennis.co.nz/events to book and pay online.
Old4New Coastguard’s Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade initiative will be at the Mangawhai Boating and Fishing Club from 1-5pm on Saturday, December 21. Old4New enables people to trade in old, damaged, or ill-fitting lifejackets for new, fit-for-purpose, discounted Hutchwilco lifejackets. Info: https://old4new.coastguard.nz/
Sports grants Rebel Sport Grants applications are open now. Non-professional (amateur) and non-profit sports clubs or organisations can apply for up to $10,000 to put toward expenses which are required to play sport and help enable more people to participate in grassroots sport. Info: https://www.rebelsport.co.nz/grants/
List sports news FREE by emailing online@localmatters.co.nz
11 Wellsford Community Gardens Christmas Concert, 72 School Road, 1.30pm. Performance by Wellsford Primary School student gardeners and musician mentor Andrew McLennan. Garden tour, sausage sizzle, etc. All welcome.
11 Blue Christmas Service, St Leonard’s Church Matakana, 7pm.
13 Christmas Party with Going Bananas, Warkworth RSA, 6.30-9.30pm. Free.
13 Tea & Talk: History of Ranulph Dacre and the Dacre Cottage by Felicity Goodyear-Smith, Warkworth Museum, 10am. $10pp entry. Booking essential. Email warkworthmuseum@xtra.co.nz
13 Christmas Youth Market, Shoesmith Hall, 5-8pm. DJ, stalls, food, art exhibition & more (see story p17)
13 Santa’s Pohutukawa Picnic, Snells Beach Reserve, 4-9pm. Carol singalongs, food trucks, live music, kids games & more. BYO picnic. (see story p28)
14 Wellsford Variety Music Club Big Bash Concert, Wellsford Community Centre, 6-10pm. Performances and live music. Light supper provided or bring something to share. $10pp or $20 for two adults and two children. Info: Andrew 422 3424.
14 Carols @ Matakana, St Leonard’s Church, 6pm. Mr Whippy, bouncy castle, coffee & more.
14 Hine Raumati Whanau Day, Te Ao Marama Maori Cultural Centre, Te Hana, 10am-2pm. Stalls, kai, rides, bouncy castles, sausage sizzle, ice cream. Also health checks and immunisations. Free, all welcome. (see story p20)
15 Mangawhai Santa Parade, leaving from Sellers Reserve and ending at Mangawhai Activity Zone, 1pm.
15 Christmas Pop-Up Market, Snells Beach School Hall, 10am-3pm.
18, 20-21 & 23 Santa and Mrs Claus in Warkworth, The Photo Store, 10am-1pm. Gold coin donation. All proceeds to Child Cancer Foundation (see brief p11)
18-20 Nikau Summer School, Nikau School, 70 Kokihi Lane Snells Beach, 9am2.30pm. Kids school holiday programme. $85pp per day. Info & bookings: office@nikau.school.nz
25 Mahurangi Community Christmas Lunch, Sunrise Boulevard, Snells Beach, 12 noon. Free food, drink, gifts and activities. Bring chairs, mats and togs. Info/ donations: contact Moana on 0210 246 1732 (see story p28)
31-2 The Great Summer Art Exhibition, 270 Mahurangi East Road (next to Four Square Snells Beach), 10am-4pm. A Mahurangi East Tennis Club Fundraiser.
January
1 Warkworth Rodeo
6-24 Nikau Summer School, Nikau School, 70 Kokihi Lane Snells Beach, 9am-2.30pm. Kids’ school holiday programme. $85pp per day. Info & bookings: office@nikau. school.nz
11 Puhoi Woodchopping, 9am-5.30pm
12 Music In Parks, Sunburst Reserve Snells Beach, 1-4pm. Organised by Auckland Council. Featuring BB and The Bullets, NOISE PLAY, Chet & Mel.
26 Tapora Family Fun Day, Birds Beach Domain, 11.30am-2.30pm. Fundraiser for Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust. Games, races, water slide, sausage sizzle, raffles, colouring competition and much more. All welcome.
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Kaipara cricket competing for the triple crown
This season the Kaipara Flats Cricket Club (KFCC) premiers are looking to go one better than last year by not only successfully defending their one-day and two-day titles, but by also winning the T20 tournament. The team has the will to win it all and, importantly, it has momentum.
“We’ve been dominant for the last few years, and won two out of the three Northland competitions in 2023. We lost the T20 final on the last ball of the over. So we were so close to winning all three comps,” Club captain Liam Jones says.
“We’re trying to continue our dominance this summer, and want to win all three formats.”
So far the prems are hitting it out of the park.
In the one-day competition, or Lion Red Cup, KFCC went undefeated through the round robin and pummelled Kamo Cricket Club in the semi-final at Bourne Dean Reserve in Kaipara Flats on November 24. Jones says the game against Kamo wasn’t even close.
“It was a pretty dominant performance from Kaipara in the semi. We bowled Kamo out for 93 and chased down the total in 23 overs, winning by five wickets.
They got a bit of a dealing to,” he says. Jones and his teammate Luke Beaven were the pick of the bowlers with 4/31 and 2/17 respectively, while batsman James Marshall top scored with a handy knock of 39 not out.
The Lion Red Cup final between KFCC and City Cricket Club was played yesterday at Cobham Oval in Whangārei (please visit localmatters.co.nz for the result).
Jones says the same Kaipara players compete across all three formats – the Northland one-day, two-day and T20 competitions.
“Our success over the past few years is because the club has had a core group of young players coming through grades and staying together. The team culture is great and we want people wanting to play on Saturday with their free time.
“The Kaipara way is playing tough and fighting hard but having fun with your mates, which is really important. That’s what it’s all about,” he says.
KFCC also has a new coach, Jason Onslow from Northern Districts Cricket, who works with high performance players, fosters young talent and develops pathways for junior cricketers.
“He’s brought structure to the team and been great at mixing the old heads with the new youth players coming through. It’s really a good combination and exciting times for the club,” Jones says.
Kaipara’s success has carried through to the provincial level with six players from the prems team in the Northland Cricket men’s squad presently.
There’s also “four or five boys from the club in the Northland Cricket under 16s”.
Jones says the youth players provide good momentum at the club.
“It’s pretty impressive. We’re representing Rodney, and putting Rodney cricket on the map.”
Kaipara Flats Cricket Club key dates
January 11: Northland T20 final at Cobham Oval in Whangārei.
The Oxford Trust two-day competition
January 18: KFCC v Kamo at Bourne Dean Reserve.
February 1: KFCC v Tikipunga at Bourne Dean Reserve.
February 15: KFCC v City at Bourne Dean Reserve.
March 1: Maungakaramea v KFCC at Maungakaramea Domain.
March 15: Onerahi v KFCC at Kensington Park.
February 8: KFCC reunion. Watch the KFCC premiers take on Tikipunga, followed by dinner and guest speakers. For more details email: kaiparaflatscricket@yahoo.co.nz
Please note the change in the
and
Liam Jones on a hatrick against Onerahi.
One team to rule them all: Kaipara Flats Cricket Club first XI.
