Hibiscus Matters_Issue 344_3 April 2023

Divisions within the community were highlighted at Julian Batchelor’s Stop Co-Governance meeting in Ōrewa Community Hall on March 18. Those who were there to hear Batchelor speak were physically separated from protestors by a line of police.

Co-governance divisions spark community marae meeting

A Stop Co-Governance meeting held by Julian Batchelor in Ōrewa on Saturday, March 18, highlighted divisions within the community, sparking an angry protest and making it clear that co-governance is a hot topic in election year.

In response, a further meeting has been organised, for Hibiscus Coast residents only,

at Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa community marae on May 6.

Organisers say this meeting, with an independent facilitator, will allow everyone to share their views and learn more about co-governance. It has been organised jointly by Julian Joy of Dairy Flat, who attended Batchelor’s meeting, and marae member

Jake Law who was among the protestors. Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa kaiwhakahaere/ manager, Kereama Nathan, is standing aside from the organisation of the meeting, but offering the marae as a free venue. He was among the most vocal of the protestors and says he got involved because Batchelor’s message attacks him personally

and culturally.

He has since heard from a handful of people who attended the meeting.

“We aimed to disrupt the meeting, and there were consequences for people who wanted to hear the talk, which I completely understand,” Nathan says. “This next meeting

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is an opportunity for me to front up to that, but it’s mainly so that the community can have an informed discussion on co-governance.”

Julian Joy says he got in touch with Nathan because the protest “had no mana”.

Joy says he suggested another meeting be held at the marae, as protocols there would allow for a more respectful discussion.

“There’s a responsibility on us as a community to listen to each other,” Joy says. “We can take a deep breath and use the tikanga at the marae. That means letting people speak, no matter what they are saying. You don’t shout them down. You can walk out if you want to, but we need to get together and talk about it.”

Joy and Nathan agree that the main thing is that the meeting be for this community only.

“There are people genuinely worried about co-governance so here’s an opportunity to sit down and talk about it and share information,” Nathan says. “It’s up to our community to discuss it, what that model could look like, and whether we should go with it.”

He says the marae in Silverdale runs on a cogovernance model.

“We wouldn’t be here without the local board and we understand our mandate, which is based on common respect – and it does work,” he says.

“I believe we can show people a different way of working together. If we have an informed discussion forum, with both sides presented equally, we can make informed decisions on behalf of our community – that’s what the hui is about. It’s up to those who live here to forge the future of our community and decide what co-governance looks like here, on the Coast.”

Co-governance meeting

Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa marae, 2A Blue Gum Avenue, Silverdale (near Wade Hotel), May 6, 9.30am start. Registration required for catering and space purposes. Link to register will be at www.teherengawakaoorewa.co.nz/

Julian Batchelor believes that NZ will become “the Zimbabwe of the South Pacific” under a co-governance model.

Batchelor’s Ōrewa meeting

Batchelor is opposed to sharing power and decision making with Māori in the public sector, as part of the Treaty of Waitangi partnership. His views are extreme and include telling audiences that NZ is at war. Among the groups he opposes are the media, “Māori activist journalists, elite Māori or tribal representatives, education activists and woke Christian churches.” The meeting was attended by around 150 people, most of them aged 60 plus. Hibiscus Matters, and an online Māori TV organisation, were the only media present. Before he began, a large group of protestors including representatives of Ngāti Manuhiri, Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa community marae, Ngāti Whātua and Ngapuhi, joined the meeting and told Batchelor the community didn’t want him there. Police were called, and formed a barrier between protestors and audience. The protestors continued to disrupt the hour-and-a-half-long meeting and Police had to step in to prevent a number of confrontations between individuals from escalating. Batchelor, who often stated he was “not a racist and has Māori friends”, continued with the talk. He showed a number of slides which he said supported his views that co-governance is anti-democratic and leading to a takeover and “tribal rule”. He said Māori language and culture was being “forced on people”. The talk ended with a request that his audience “vote for the party which will outlaw co-governance”. He said Stop Co-governance wanted to stage a peaceful rally in Auckland before the election. He then asked for donations and promoted his booklet which was distributed at the meeting.

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“Protestors were swearing at us and that is not the way to do things,” he says. “Whoever shouts loudest is not always correct.”

Silverdale BID gets majority approval

Silverdale is to get its own Business Improvement District (BID), following a ballot process that concluded last week when voting closed.

Business and project manager for Silverdale Business, Tasha Gummer, says the voting showed majority support for the establishment for a BID and although Gummer says it was close, it met the threshold required by Auckland Council. The actual voting figures will be made public.

BIDS are a partnership between a business association and Council and aim to facilitate improvements and support business growth, funded by a targeted rate on all businesses within a defined area. The other local BID is Destination Ōrewa Beach.

Forming a BID is a strictly regulated process: a successful ballot requires at least 25 percent of all ballot papers to be returned, and of those, a minimum of 51 percent of votes must be in favour of a BID. All businesses within a proposed BID area can vote.

The new BID will encompass Silverdale Village, the industrial area, Silverdale Centre, the businesses at the entrance to Silverdale (including Kings Plant Barn, Snowplanet, The Botanic and Pak ‘n Save) as well as Highgate and Millwater – as per the map pictured.

The Silverdale BID is not officially an entity until it has been approved by the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, which is expected to be at its May 23 meeting.

The targeted rate will not be struck until July 1. Silverdale Business Association chair, Theo

Simeonidis, says that with the BID funding available, the association will vigorously advance and promote the interests of all the Silverdale business precincts. w Backstories www.localmatters.co.nz

February 20, 2023, September 5, 2022, July 1, 2021, November 18, 2020

Ōrewa businesses talk continued town centre crime

Crime affecting retailers in Ōrewa town centre, which Destination Ōrewa Beach says is a daily occurrence, was the topic of a meeting held by the business association on Friday, March 24.

As well as 30 representatives of Ōrewa businesses, Whangaparāoa MP Mark Mitchell, Waitematā North area commander Inspector Matt Laurenson, and members of Community Patrol NZ attended. The idea was to share information and discuss possible solutions. Mitchell told the paper that the retailers’ feedback was taken on board by Police. Increased use of CCTV in the town centre was one possibility raised, he said.

Destination Ōrewa Beach operations manager, Hellen Wilkins says the meeting was called because businesses wanted to be heard about issues they experience every day. She says people stealing from retail stores are clearly not scared of CCTV, staff

Council’s liability for flood damage questioned

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

Auckland Council staff say that queries have been received over council’s liability in recent flood events.

Governance director Phil Wilson mentioned the enquiries about liability at the Governing Body meeting on March 23, when he updated councillors about the recovery from recent flood events.

“People are challenging whether council is liable for costs associated with private property damage that is adjacent to council land,” Wilson said. “We are seeing the start of a process that will probably carry on for quite some time.”

Wilson did not have much information about that aspect available for councillors but said he would be looking to give more in the coming weeks.

Council was approached for clarity on whether it had received any formal legal challenges as yet, but did not respond by the time of publication.

Council is also conducting reassessments for stickered properties.

“There is most certainly a judgement to be made about whether those properties are viable going forward,” Wilson said. He said being able to identify where it was unwise to rebuild properties gave council a good base for discussions with Government and insurers about compensation for those affected.

or consequences, citing a recent attempt to steal a trolley of groceries (valued at $900) from Ōrewa New World.

Mark Mitchell told the meeting that there has been a 39 percent increase retail crime and a 35 percent increase in violent crime since 2017, however police resources have not increased on a parr, adding stress to already limited resources. Inspector Laurenson also detailed why the police presence is chronically stretched.

“Multiple businesses attending the meeting were not aware of these policing figures, and gained a better understanding of why delays in crime attendance, are lengthy,” Wilkins says.

She says there is a very low level of crime reporting in the Ōrewa, with only seven thefts reported in the first three months of this year, despite daily thefts from Ōrewa businesses.

A key priority discussed at the meeting was

to get the levels of reporting to a point that better reflects the actual situation.

Destination Ōrewa Beach is reminding businesses to report things such as theft, damage or unruly behaviour through the Police 105 website which enables photos and video to be attached to reports.

Wilkins says a ‘Bobby on the Beat’ around Ōrewa throughout the day would be an ideal scenario but is complex to achieve.

The Hibiscus Coast Community Patrollers have increased their presence.

Inspector Laurenson says police are not aware of a recent increase in offending in the Ōrewa town centre and have no intelligence to suggest there is significantly more crime being committed in the Ōrewa area over and above what is being reported to Police.

“We investigate all offending that is reported to us and will seek to hold offenders to account,” he says.

Mayor Wayne Brown said he was glad Wilson was “treading carefully” around conversations of managed retreat. “That is definitely tricky. We are taking a financial risk because some people chose to take a physical risk,” Mayor Brown said. Cr Wayne Walker said he was concerned that council was continuing to consent developments in hazardous areas and that it was a risk to council’s reputation. “People see subdivisions and developments around them being consented that they now know aggravate the risk of flooding where they live,” Cr Walker said. “They are really scared. They point the finger at us and say, ‘how can you be allowing this?’” “There is clearly a need for us to look longer term at our planning framework,” Wilson said. “What we look at in the next 12 months in terms of the recovery programme needs to dovetail well into those longer-term decisions.”

This

is the area that will be covered by the new BID. Below, There were businesses both for and against the BID, as indicated by these signs, but the majority of those who voted were in favour.

After the storms –Puhoi’s progress

It’s been two months since the first of three exceptional storms struck Puhoi on January 27, when the river rose quicker and higher than anyone could remember. Massive trees, branches and debris, including sofas, show jumps and picnic tables, were swept down the swollen river, the store, library and sportsfields were swamped and countless slips closed roads. As if that wasn’t enough, there were repeat performances from Cyclone Gabrielle on February 13 and the heavy rains of February 27. Local Matters spoke to some of the people affected to see what’s happened since.

Driving through Puhoi on a warm autumn day, it scarcely seems possible this is the same place that saw floodwater so deep a shipping container floated down the main street.

At the community’s heart, the Puhoi General Store bore the brunt of the floods and lost almost everything, but it was still where everyone gathered the next day. Dozens of local businesses and residents turned up to help owners Nic Lodewyks and Jo Lloyd with the water, mud and stinking mess left behind.

Everything inside needed to be stripped out, from stock, furniture and fittings to the plaster on the walls; even the community postboxes were chock-full of mud.

Eight weeks on, the shop doors are tentatively open again, supplying coffee and a select range of items to locals, visitors and a steady stream of workers from the nearby motorway.

Lodewyks said it was good to see that there

were still people coming through.

“It doesn’t look too bad when the sun’s out and it’s good to get a bit of money going through the till again,” he said.

He said the shop and house had been stripped, cleaned and were now ready to be rebuilt, though like many other people, he was waiting for the go-ahead from insurers.

Lodewyks added that things might have been different without all the help he had received, and he said they were all incredibly grateful to the community. As well as physical assistance, a community Givealittle appeal has raised more than $28,000 for the family.

Over the road at the Puhoi Library, the volunteer committee was still waiting to hear when it could get into the building to clear out the layers of silt and start planning for the future.

The flood water went over the library door and destroyed everything inside except for items on the very top shelf – more than

Auckland Council’s response:

Puhoi Sportsground

Work was due to get underway last week and Council thanked Puhoi for its patience.

“The initial stages of the process will involve rubbish removal and the waterblasting of furniture and the wharves. This will be followed by the removal of silt from the carpark and tennis courts, and the reopening of the toilets, which we expect to be completed in the coming weeks.

“Unfortunately, the under-surface of the playground will need to be fully removed and replaced, which will take a little longer, and the final step of the process will be the

removal of the 60mm of silt that has been deposited on the sportsfields.”

Puhoi River

Council’s Healthy Waters has completed a drone survey of the Puhoi river to check for critical blockages and is preparing a recommendation report.

“Once the report is finalised, we will be able to action the removal of further stream blockages. However, this work will first be assessed and prioritised based on factors including the severity of the blockage, the health and safety risks, and in the context of the hundreds of stream

6000 books, documents and photographs were ruined and sent to the tip.

Committee chair Sandra Beagley said there were locals keen to get in and clear up the mess, but they had been told to wait as it was yellow-stickered.

Puhoi Sports & Community Club president Troy Connolly was also waiting to hear from Auckland Council over what was going to happen with the siltcovered carpark, tennis courts, playground, sportsfield and taped-off public toilets. He said while he understood Council was under a lot of pressure, it was frustrating that nothing had yet happened.

“They say it’s a work in progress, but nobody does anything. We need some action,” he said. “There was a massive crew of council people in here yesterday, but they stood around then went away without doing anything.

“I saw one guy last week and asked if he was here to clean the playground, but he

blockages also identified by surveys across the entire Auckland region.

Council said it did not currently have a timeline and work could take several months.

Council added streams running through private property were the responsibility of landowners and said is wasn’t intending to approach forestry operators to help with clearance.

Puhoi Library

Council said it was unable to say how long it would take for it to be cleared or reopened.

was just there to put the signs up.” The thick layer of silt over everything means the Puhoi markets still can’t be held and the football field is unplayable this season, meaning the club misses out on another season of matches and social gatherings. Many locals are concerned over the amount of debris still blocking the Puhoi River upstream leading to worse than usual flooding. Places that had never flooded until January 27 have already been inundated twice since then.

Ahuroa Road residents Liz and Doug McLaren are having to deal with the extent of river debris first-hand. They had huge quantities of trees, branches and slash pile through the river running alongside their property, carving a swathe of destruction.

“When you look at the river, there are such big jams and such a lot of silt, willows, logs, slash, you name it – until that’s cleared, we’re just going to continue to have floods,” Liz said.

She said a huge number of trunks, stumps and debris from nearby pine harvesting had been washed down a waterfall that drops through native bush at the edge of their property

“It built up and built up and it’s let go, taken out everything in its path, dropped tonnes and tonnes of slash and wiped out the waterfall. Tonnes fell into the river and jammed up 20 to 30 metres from our bridge.”

While Council cleared a major logjam near a bridge linking the McLarens’ home to Ahuroa Road, she is concerned that there are still countless fallen trees, logs and branches still causing blockages all along the river, and suggested it would make sense for Council and forestry companies to pool their resources and work together to clear blockages.

Liz McLaren fears blockages like this will lead to more flooding.

John Watson, Hibiscus & Bays Councillor john.watson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Titanic job ahead

Hot on the heels of three years of Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve started 2023 with devastating floods, a cyclone and an evolving financial crisis. Throw in large scale public transport disruptions and people could be forgiven for thinking it’s all getting a bit too much. All that’s missing is famine and war!

As far as this new council’s financial woes go, it has been handed the mother of all hospital passes from outgoing mayor Phil Goff while he heads off to the diplomatic high life in London as British High Commissioner, appointment courtesy of old friends in government.

In this respect I hope Aucklanders realise the council’s $11.4 billion debt and $300m per annum operating deficit didn’t just appear over the Christmas break. They arise as a consequence of the management of the Super City over the last decade and in particular the last six year tenure of former Mayor Goff.

While it would be easy for the likes of myself, Cr Wayne Walker and others to say “we told you so” that’s scant consolation given the monumental task now required to turn this particular financial Titanic around. For what is now required is a fundamental restructure of the entire organisation, CCOs included – they are simply not sustainable in the current form. Capital expenditure must be markedly reduced and the top heavy managerial bureaucracy rationalised (as opposed to the important front line services the community value).

Yet some still seek to extend the carefree ‘borrow, rate and sell’ modus operandi of the past for a few more years by selling off the last vestiges of what remains of Auckland’s assets – that is airport shares and ports – but once they’ve gone, that’s it. In a little over a decade they’ll have hocked off anything of value that previous councils spent generations building up.

In spite of all this, however, it is not all doom and gloom, especially on the Hibiscus Coast.

A budget for recovery from the floods, which includes improved localised infrastructure and maintenance provision, will proceed as a top priority in anticipation of future events. Additionally we are fortunate that major infrastructure projects like Penlink and the Northern Motorway improvements were secured in advance of the natural disasters. The same goes for significant upgrades around the Coast for parks and community facilities for finances will be tight from hereon in.

Finally, there is an old saying that ‘out of adversity comes opportunity’. Over the next few years Auckland will have the chance to put that to the test.

... what is now required is a fundamental restructure of the entire organisation, CCOs included ...

YourOpinion

Not a knee-jerk

Thank you Roger White for your letter in Hibiscus Matters (HM March 6) which I totally agree with. The amount of wasted taxpayer money (yours and mine) over the so called consultations over what to do to ‘protect’ Ōrewa beach is a complete disaster. And the wasted money would be far better spent on sorting out the reasons for the Puhoi and Dairy Flat flooding issues - to name a few. Auckland Council’s reply from manager Kris Bird of the area operation section makes no sense in stating that rocks would compromise how people use and enjoy our beach. There are other considerations apart from cycleways and more children’s playgrounds which are only targeted to the young and fit and have no regard to the older population (lots of retirement accommodation here). Using rocks is not a knee jerk reaction, it is a system that works and looks natural, costs less and solves the current problem. Also now the debate is whether or not to keep our impressive Norfolk pine trees! To turn our lovely beach into a bland and characterless strip of sand and to get rid of the gorgeous natural aspects – indeed, to not appreciate what we have is a very narrow sighted view and I strongly object to it.

Sue Norwood and Peter Evans, Ōrewa (abridged)

Dunes needed

The sand dunes on Ōrewa Beach have been doing what sand dunes do for a thousand years – then we come along and build houses, carparks, mown lawn and surf clubs on the sand dunes, preventing the sand dunes from doing what sand dunes do. Then the affected owners want the rest of the residents to continually fork out and pay for protection, when any reasonably aware person should be aware of the risks of building on sand dunes, thus destroying the dunes that we so desperately need. The dunes should be restored, to work as nature intended. As a ratepayer, I don’t want to contribute to this never ending situation. I/we should be the ones getting angry at the cost of continually forking out for this absurd situation. Just a thought –how about bulldozing all the houses and letting nature do its job, as it has been for a thousand years.

Geoff Hansen, Hatfields Beach

Dunes reclaimed

Everyone can sympathise with the plight of the Ōrewa residents on the beachfront who want protection from encroaching seas (HM March 20). Their road is obviously something that should be protected. But ratepayers should not pay for homes on Ōrewa beach and other beaches to be kept safe. I don’t know what the often used term ‘managed retreat’ exactly means, but that surely has to be the way forward (or back!). That land, effectively sand dunes, was ‘borrowed’ from nature. And now it is time to give it back.

Martin Wilson, Stanmore Bay

Foreshore retaining

The latest ‘once in a hundred year’ event demonstrated the need to stabilise Ōrewa foreshore and bring the beach back to what it used to be. Other correspondents liken what could be done to other successful restorations/retaining efforts.The beach is the jewel in the crown to Whangaparāoa. One only needs to look at the south end of Milford beach to see that a promenade and sea wall that was erected by manual labour in the 1930s is still is doing the job it was built for. Auckland Council must get on and protect this valuable local asset. As Winston Churchill said “The further one can look back, the further one can see ahead”.

Peter Burn, Gulf Harbour

Thanks for clear up

I would like to say a huge thanks to a local family who took it upon themselves to clear the accessibility ramp at Moana Ave on Ōrewa Beach that had been piled up with shells after the recent storms. I spoke with the man who was filling a huge wheelbarrow, asking how many loads of shells he had cleared so far – the answer was 38. He mentioned that he had seen a woman struggling with her baby in a pram, trying to get the pram up the stairs because the ramp was full of shells. So he decided to tackle the job himself, saying that the Council was most likely “under the pump” due to the latest weather damage in the area. How wonderful to see such community spirit out there, with people who truly care and want to help. When I took my walk on the beach on Friday, I saw the ramp was clear of shells and the sea had once again claimed the shell piles put out there. All in all, a great effort, so thanks.

Nanci Stone, Ōrewa

Ugly intro to Coast

I live in Whangaparāoa, and I frequently come through Silverdale. Is it just me, or is the entry to Silverdale, from the motorway, one of the ugliest introductions to a place ever? A giant carpark (park and ride), with rows and rows of bland white box housing behind, not a single tree and a giant Botanic sign. How did this happen? Did anyone signing off this hideousness, probably in the name of “affordable housing”, consider the eyesore it would quickly become? It’s such a key location for the area. I really despair.

A sign along there says, ‘Welcome to the Hibiscus Coast’. I wouldn’t be surprised if, at that point, many drivers turned around and went back the way they’d come.

Sarah Bradley, Army Bay Editor’s note: East Coast Heights subdivision extends for 26ha (behind the

park and ride) and will eventually have around 500 homes. Here’s a quote from one of the site’s consent applications – “The buildings have been designed in general compliance with the development standards of the Residential – Mixed Housing Urban zone along with the associated Aucklandwide rules. Where infringements do occur to either development standards or Aucklandwide rules the proposal has been designed to minimise and mitigate any potential adverse effects...” In other words, this type of subdivision is what is envisaged by the site’s zoning. The developers are seeking consent for the next couple of stages under the Government’s Covid-19 fast tracked process, so those decisions will be out of Council’s hands (HM March 6) but Council did consent all the other stages.

No permit needed

I refer to the story in Hibiscus Matters’ March 6 edition re the Ōrewa Reserve pine trees. I have lived in Ōrewa for over 86 years and the pines have been there most of that time and are considered iconic. Around 45 years ago, I was a builder and built a house on the waterfront, including a retaining wall (pictured) made of 200ml concrete blocks, put in place by a builder and blocklayer – no engineering, no permit, just common sense. That wall is still there and looks tidy. Before the channel was put in place, to make it safer

for swimmers, the reserve was sand dunes and lupin plants. The beach was dry from end to end. We have lost millions of cubic metres of sand at the northern end of the beach. If the Norfolk pines were removed, and no rock or retaining wall built, with a naturalistic approach with sand dunes and green spaces – that would have been alright if the channel had not been diverted. I would like to see the Norfolk pines left in place to help eliminate the loss of any more beachfront land.

Stuart Flexman, Ōrewa (abridged)

Thanks to the many protestors who sabotaged the Ōrewa meeting on cogovernance on 18 March. In one hour of their extremely noisy and constant yelling, singing and intimidation, they succinctly demonstrated what people can expect from co-governance. One protestor said she believed in freedom of speech, but their behaviour ensured only their voices were able to be heard. Disappointingly, the police also seemed to think one-sided freedom of speech was acceptable too. The official speaker, Julian Bachelor had just started welcoming the audience when protestors streamed into the Council venue, encircling the audience and stormed up the centre aisle, yelling at him. The audience then had to endure the separatists’ racket and intimidation for the entire hour that Mr Batchelor persevered. I have little idea of what he said as I could rarely hear him. I believe anyone controlling public funds or resources must be elected, accountable and challengeable, to ensure a peaceful, prosperous corruption-free country. Bullies having free rein will not deliver the same.

Fiona Mackenzie, Stanmore Bay Kereama Nathan of Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa [one of the protestors] responds (abridged): Tēnā koutou katoa. I also thank the many protestors who sabotaged the anti-co-governance meeting on March 18. To allow Julian Batchelors’ racist and discriminating message against Māori (and the media, and others) to go unopposed would have been a travesty of justice. Further to this, his presentation is fraught with conspiracy theories and blatant misinformation about Māori participation in co-governance, which is the crux of his argument. To blame Māori for the cogovernance model proposed, overlooks the democratic process taken to arrive at this juncture. It absolves the non-Māori that

participated in the process, whilst offering up Māori-in general, as the sacrificial lambs! I reiterate the message I gave Julian Batchelor in person on Saturday: “Your discriminatory, biased presentation on co-governance is not welcome in this community”. My statement was validated by representatives from Ngāti Manuhiri, Ngāti Whātua, Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa Marae, Ngā Tāngata Tiriti and numerous community members of various ethnicities. There were no experienced protestors in our group but rather, local community residents reacting to an event that should never have been allowed in the first place. The week following the meeting, I received several emails from people who were there and objected to the way the protest was conducted. These are all valid opinions that I can appreciate. Not one of them indicated that they supported Julian Batchelors’ message. That leads me to suggest that we are, really, all on the same page.

Road rage rude

On March 5 we lost all power in our car as we were turning out of Pinecrest onto Gulf Harbour Drive. We managed to turn the corner but ended up in the bus stop area where we were stuck for many hot hours waiting for the AA and tow truck. Only one very kind driver stopped and offered assistance and a few hours later a lovely lady asked if we needed water or anything to eat and said she would keep an eye on us. I believe they were husband and wife. So thank you so much for your kindness, it meant a lot to us. For those of you who sped past ,or came extremely close to hitting us, those who offered a finger because we were in your way and for those who swore at us and called us names because we were “parked” in your way and on a bus stop –shame on you, it was disgusting behaviour.

Linda Jones, Red Beach

The Community Patrol is looking for people in our area who are prepared to stand up and do their bit to support a better community.......to be the ‘eyes and ears’ for the Police a few times each month. A shift is only four hours, reporting anything suspicious to help detract, deter or reduce crime in our community.

You would join a team of enthusiastic likeminded residents, who are kitted out and trained to assist in making our patch a better place to live in. We even have the occasional social get together which helps bond that positive team spirit focused on the one outcome...’a better place to live in’.

CTE issue hits home for McClennan family

The potential impact on health of repeated blows to the head in sport has been in the news recently, with confirmation in February that rugby player Justin Jennings was the first New Zealander to be diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) – a form of dementia.

It is a subject of intense personal interest to Hibiscus Coast resident Brian (Bluey) McClennan who, along with his late father Mike, and son Regan, received significant concussions while playing rugby league. In 2019, Bluey’s father Mike, who had dementia, went missing from an Ōrewa rest home and was found deceased in dense bush, a week later.

Bluey says although they will never have scientific proof of it, the family is certain he had CTE.

“He had clots on his brain, which is a sign of CTE,” Bluey says. “Our family knows and feels that the bad concussions he had when he was playing as a fullback were the cause of his dementia.”

Bluey’s son Regan has stopped playing league after some severe concussions.

“It was his call, thinking about the future and having seen with his own eyes the effects,” Bluey says.

Since his father’s death, Bluey has focused on his own health.

“I am looking after myself better now – diet, fitness and cutting out alcohol –because I have to look after my family,” he says. “I had some serious knocks and blacked out a number of times during my playing years. In the early 1980s we got up and kept playing. We know a lot more now – but more research is needed. For example, what kind of head trauma leads to CTE? And what is the impact of things like diet and alcohol on dementia?”

He encourages players of contact sports to consider donating their brains to advance the science. This has to be stated in the donor’s Will, because of the time involved.

The former league player and coach says while he has full faith that contact sports are endeavouring to do as much as they can to adapt the game, following the science is key.

“I disagree with lowering the tackle as an option,” he says. “I have seen more people knocked out going low – such as making head contact with another player’s hip –then high. The more research we can do that will help sports such as rugby union, league, boxing and MMA, the better.”

Bluey is back at Hibiscus Coast Raiders’ trainings this season, liaising with team coaches and the club chair but staying in a background, advisory role.

He says that things such as having an independent doctor on the sidelines to monitor players is easier at higher levels of the game, but that clubs are heading in the right direction with stand downs.

Brian (Bluey) McClennan, left, says he will be keeping a close eye on head knocks during Raiders rugby league games this season. Above, Mike McClennan’s family believe he had CTE from head knocks that he received during his long league career.

“Coaches and managers need to accept responsibility for the health of their players,” he says.

Despite the risks of contact sports, Bluey has no doubt that the advantages outweigh them. He says if he had his time again, knowing about CTE, he would still play league – “every day of the week, and so would my father”.

“Our family is passionate about league and the value of sports in general. As a community we are getting less people playing team sports and they are so beneficial. It’s vital to get younger ones in, as they learn to be part of a team and also part of the community. Everyone deserves to have the information so they can make a decision for themselves about what sport they play.”

Bluey says if he sees any Raiders players getting head knocks that he is concerned about, he will be taking them aside and making them aware of the dangers.

“I will encourage them to do further research themselves, so they can make their own decisions.”

Santa Parade and Surf Sounds separate

Since 2016, the Surf Sounds concert and fireworks have been the evening finale to an afternoon spent watching the Ōrewa Santa Parade pass by. Both events are run by business association Destination Ōrewa Beach – the Surf Sounds in conjunction with Ōrewa Surf Lifesaving Club. With the growth in popularity of Surf Sounds, recently the decision was made to separate it from the Santa Parade in future, and let it be an event in its own right. Destination Ōrewa’s operations manager, Hellen Wilkins, says Surf Sounds was created in 2016 to keep the vibe in Ōrewa going after the Santa Parade ends, but both events are now so big that running them on the same day comes with many complexities. Those include the logistics of road closures and the loss of both events if it rains on the day. In addition, there is a surf carnival on the same date, impacting the surf club’s ability to take part in the parade, provide patrols at beaches outside Ōrewa, provide Santa Parade volunteers and fundraise at Surf Sounds. Having both events on the same day also puts huge demands on the small team at Destination Ōrewa. As a result it has been decided that this year, the Santa Parade will run as usual, on the last weekend in November and there will be rides and food trucks on Ōrewa Reserve from when the parade concludes until early evening to keep the good vibes going. The next Surf Sounds, with bands, food and fireworks, will be on March 30, 2024, “ending our event season with a literal bang,” Wilkins says.

Big news for Lions Big Dig

The presentation of a cheque for $8000 to the HBC Youth Centre on March 22 was a big plus for the centre, but also for the wider community as it came with a special announcement from Ōrewa Lions Club.

The money was the $4000 proceeds of Ōrewa Lions’ 40th Big Dig, held in January, which the Lions doubled from their own funds and by sausage sizzling over summer. The HBC Youth Centre’s Suzanne Booth says it will be used to provide electronics, sports and café equipment upgrades, as well as work on vehicles and the youth centre’s building.

The Big Dig involves 500 or more children digging in the sand for prizes on Ōrewa Beach, with all funds raised going to local

charities and Lions’ community projects. Immediately after the 40th Big Dig, Ōrewa Lions predicted that it would be their last, as it is a huge effort for volunteers to put on, with relatively little money raised (HM January 23).

However, since then there has been a change of heart. Ōrewa Lions project coordinator, Helen Roderick, says when an event has been going for 40 years, it becomes more than just a fundraiser.

“Everyone enjoys it, and although we don’t get a lot of money from it, we have decided to keep it going for the community,” she says. “We think that’s the right thing to do for all involved and look forward to holding the next Big Dig in 2024.”

Dennis Oliver • David Joe • Aimee Parangi

Ōrewa Lions and HBC Youth Centre representatives, from left, Helen Roderick, Sarah Michell, Brian Stevens, Suzanne Booth, Laurie Rands and Daryl Crosby.

Marja Lubeck

Labour List MP based in Kaipara ki Mahurangi

Authorised by Marja Lubeck MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

Mixed views on berm barriers

Barriers put along the edge of a public berm by residents to prevent parking are likely to remain in place, with Auckland Council reluctant to remove them.

Large wooden poles were put on the berm at the end of Wade River Road, near the Weiti Boating Club, last year by residents who are concerned about parking there contributing to subsidence, as well as antisocial behaviour (HM December 12, 2022).

Auckland Council’s area operations manager, Kris Bird, says at this stage Council is not planning on removing the poles.

“The berm is a public space, but the poles are not restricting people from using it, only stopping cars parking on it. There are other areas to park, in and around this area,” Bird says.

However local resident Ken Jerard says the only other public parking is the one with a ‘Park At Your Own Risk’ sign. He says

those parks are often taken up with the vehicles of Weiti Boating Club members.

Jerard has asked Council to mark out parking lines with signs for ‘trailer parking only’.

He says leaving the poles on the berm “opens the door for other people to take the law into their own hands”.

However, Fairhaven Walk resident, Riccie de Brouwer, says the barriers have not spoiled anyone’s enjoyment of the area.

“On the contrary, because there are no longer cars and boat trailers parking there and taking up all the space, people come to picnic and swim, couples to enjoy a sundowner, everyone parks on the big green berm a few metres away and walks over the road to sit in the peaceful space,” she says.

De Brouwer says that although the poles offer some protection to the water’s edge,

there was further erosion as a result of the Anniversary weekend floods and cyclone.

“The underside of the road from the curves down to the club is even more eroded and the upper side had three slips, at times isolating the community on this side,” she says. She says residents plan to approach the

Significance of snapping Stanmore Bay shoreline

It is hoped that the community will get behind an Auckland Council initiative that encourages people to take photos of Stanmore Bay Beach from the same location.

A CoastSnap station, the second in Auckland, was installed on Stanmore Bay reserve last November, between the rock seawall and the public toilets, for this purpose.

The public can download the CoastSnap app and take a photo of the beach with a phone, placed in the cradle provided at the station.

Over time, it is hoped that the images people take, all from the same place and position, will track changes in the coastline due to processes such as storms, rising sea

levels and human activity.

It is a ‘citizen science’ project and on March 20, coastal experts from Resilient Land & Coasts and Research Evaluation and Monitoring teams at Auckland Council ran a drop-in event at the station to inform people and encourage them to take part. This also provided the opportunity to ask questions relating to coastal processes, coastal hazards and climate change impacts. Around 20 people took part, including having a go at using the station.

Council’s senior coastal specialist, Matthew McNeil says questions were raised about why the location was chosen – which is because of high foot traffic and the view of the foreshore where dune restoration has taken place and ongoing coastal

management is anticipated.

Council staff were also asked how the dune planting project at Stanmore Bay Park has been affected by the recent storms. McNeil says the planted dune area erodes during significant storms, providing a buffer to the reserve, after which it recovers over time.

He said the small dune at the eastern end of the beach recovered well, with no significant erosion resulting from the recent summer storm events, “demonstrating the value of a more resilient and sustainable nature-based solution”. Images collected at the station over time will enable changes in the beach profile to be captured, and time lapse imagery to be produced to guide scientific understanding.

Hibiscus & Bays Local Board about these issues and are talking with Auckland Transport about subsidence on Wade River Road.

Weiti Boating Club was approached for comment about the parking situation, but declined.

The plan is for more stations to go up across Auckland in the near future. This initiative is part of the global citizen science initiative project CoastSnap (https:// www.coastsnap.com/)

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Council has opted to leave these poles along the edge of a berm on Wade River Road –they were placed there by residents to prevent parking.

This station enables the community to provide images of how the coastline is changing.

58 Apprentice (7)

60 Long fish (3)

62 Place of worship (10)

63 Organised (8) 64 Roofing material (5) 67 Die (6) 68 Turn around an axis (6) 69 Ladies sit (anag)(9)

74 Leftover (9)

75 Camera adjustment (5)

76 Army commander (7)

81 Predict (8)

82 Children’s game (4-34)

83 Simple song (5)

84 Motorway divisions (5)

85 Have an immediate and successful effect (4,4,1,5)

86 Bread riser (5)

DOWN

Finance

Greg Douglas, greg@douglasconsulting.co.nz

Avoiding the scammers

With the ever-increasing number of scams making the rounds, by text message, email or phone, it is becoming more and more difficult to identify what is legitimate and what is not.

Among them are many sophisticated scams relating to bank accounts and from people posing as the Inland Revenue Department (IRD).

There is always an increase in scammers posing as the IRD around the end of the financial year. There are emails, as well as text messages going around at the moment advising people of unpaid tax and unfiled tax returns and asking people to follow the link to pay the outstanding amount of file their returns. Recently, there has also been a scam relating to the cost-of-living payments advising that you are eligible for this payment.

It is important to be aware of how to identify scams in order to reduce the risk of falling victim to them. The IRD provides a list of ways to identify scams that appear to have come from them. Some of the most important things to remember is that the IRD will never ask for personal details, including bank accounts, to be updated by text message or email. Personal details should only ever be

Penlink toll decision awaited

updated through myIR, or at the IRD offices. Receiving threatening calls, emails or text messages and being pressured for a quick decision is another telltale sign that you could be dealing with a scammer.

Emails claiming to be from the IRD, although appearing to be legitimate, may contain badly worded text. Take a close look at the email address which it has come from – it might at first glance appear to be from the IRD but look for emails that come from addresses like ird.co.nz, ird.qovt.nz or ird.gov. nz. These are minor differences that show it’s a scam, but they can be easily overlooked. Although it is becoming harder to stay ahead of scams, there are a few things we can do to minimise our exposure to this. Never freely give your personal and bank account details to anyone until you are certain that the person or organisation is legitimate. If you are ever unsure of the source of a call, text message or email, call the organisation that it purports to be from to confirm that the correspondence has come from them.

The internet is a great resource to use to verify what scams are circulating as most organisations will post notices of these on their websites. Stay vigilant.

The Government’s decision on whether the O Mahurangi Penlink road from Whangaparāoa to Redvale should be tolled was due to be released “by April”. However, that time frame has been revised –the Minister’s office told Hibiscus Matters on March 24 that the decision was still “about a month away”.

Little Monkeys Coffee

Everything fell into place when Leanne Rogers and her daughter Shannon found a cute coffee cart for sale online.

Leanne was looking for a change from a 36 year career as a nurses’ assistant - something less physically demanding, and after 14 years in hospitality, Shannon wanted to be her own boss and take control – especially of waste. “I hated seeing the amount of single use plastic that is still in the industry and wanted to do better,” she says. The answer was a blue coffee cart called Little Monkeys.

Having lived in Red Beach, Leanne and Shannon knew there was a need for a coffee cart by the beach. They approached the surf club, and found that Little Monkeys’ offerings of coffee, pastries, slices and muffins was a good fit.

The cart has attracted a steady stream of customers since it was positioned alongside the surf club, last December. Little Monkeys also attend local shows, markets and galas. They do most of the baking themselves and choose Ozone coffee for its quality and sustainable values.

Everything is in compostable packaging, with bins provided for the waste. The bins are taken home, and then commercially composted.

The pair say business was challenging due to the summer weather, but they are moving things forward by being proactive – options such as breakfast (bacon and egg) croissants are coming up, for those stopping for morning coffee.

“Having the business means we can be sustainable, flexible, and do what we enjoy,” Leanne and Shannon say.

mark.mitchellmp@parliament.govt.nz

Your new coffee place on the Coast, located outside Red Beach Surf club

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From left, Shannon and Leanne Rogers

Authorised by Mark Mitchell MP, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

All time high with Coast cheerleaders in NZ team

Four local cheerleaders are among those who have been selected to represent the country at the Cheerleading World Championships in Florida next month.

Among them is Katie Haggerty of Stanmore Bay, 21, who has been a cheerleader since she was 14 years old.

She says Team NZ, made up of cheerleaders from all over the country, has gelled well over many hours of training together, five days a week.

Katie says among the strongest teams they will compete against are Jamaica and Chile. The depth of cheerleading talent on the Coast has seen Maddi Smith and Zak Hulena of Red Beach and Paige Jones of Ōrewa also make Team NZ.

Zak is one of seven males in Team NZ. The 20-year-old apprentice builder was a keen basketball player, until he injured a knee. He says it was when he went to support his cheerleading sister at a competition in Hawaii five years ago that his interest in the sport began to take flight.

He joined All Star Infinity Cheerleading in Silverdale, in 2018, mainly for fun and fitness.

Zak says his team mates are the main reason he is still cheerleading.

“I stuck around because of the friendships you make,” he says. “Cheerleading requires a lot of trust, so you get to know the others well. It also teaches you a lot of life lessons –resilience, never giving up, working hard and pushing through when things get tough.”

His love for the sport grew, and although representing NZ was not in his sights originally, he is excited to now have that opportunity, and head to the Worlds.

Although Zak says he initially got a bit of a hard time for cheerleading from some of his mates, others were more positive.

“I told them that when they can do a backflip, they can criticise,” he says.

His role in the NZ team is as a ‘stunter’ – throwing a team mate, the ‘flyer’, above his head and catching their feet in a single hand, with his arm extended.

“You have to be flexible, fit and strong,” he says. “It’s the best sport I’ve come across for that.”

The trip to Florida has to be self-funded for all the athletes. Katie and Zak have raised most of what they need by working.

Katie also has a Givealittle page – https:// givealittle.co.nz/cause/please-help-me-get-tothe-cheerleading-world

The team leaves on April 16, with the World Champs to be held from April 21-24.

Katie Haggerty, centre and above, with Team NZ members Jack Scott, left and Zak Hulena of Red Beach.

Cheerleading teaches you life lessons – resilience, never giving up, working hard and pushing through when things get tough. Zak Hulena

In it for life: still strong on the ball at 70+

Hockey NZ is sending its first ever Masters 70-plus men’s side to a trans-Tasman series next month – and local player Merv Huxford is on the team.

Merv, who is chair of Hibiscus Hockey based on the turf in Millwater, says in NZ, the age range for Masters Hockey used to be 35-65 years. He says by comparison, Australia and Europe have had 75-plus teams for around 10 years.

“I played in a World Masters tournament 30 years ago and saw the Australian and Netherland men’s 70 plus teams in the final,” Merv says. “I was amazed by how they played and hoped to be able to do that one day myself.”

At 73, he is one of the oldest in the NZ Masters 70plus squad. Being selected last month has been a huge motivation for staying fit, but he is also careful not to overtrain.

“As you get older, it takes longer to recover from injuries, and I’m very aware of that. You also train more specifically – you stick with what you’re good at and train smarter. I am doing cross training like swimming, cycling and shuttle runs as well as playing hockey at least once a week, and also coaching,” he says.

The 70s-plus side will compete in the trans-Tasman event early next month in Christchurch.

And Merv already has his eye on the World Masters next year in Cape Town.

He says hockey is a great sport to play throughout your life, as it’s non-contact and you can play in mixed teams with rules that are exactly the same.

“I’ve talked with young players who are just starting out and seeing someone my age still playing is amazing to them. I hope it inspires them to stay in the game.”

Skate fun rolls into town

Skate instructor Brigitte Legendre, who started her first Skatescool at Whangaparāoa School 12 years ago, is coming back to run a class and Roller Disco this month. Now living in Northland, she runs skate events and classes in small communities all around the region.

Brigitte skated as a child in France, and says she loves the sport because it can be done inside or out, and also in a disco format with music and lights.

She says skating is a great way to get around a city because you travel faster than walking, with little effort.

Her skate lesson, and Roller Disco, for both inline and roller skates and all age groups, is at the Stanmore Bay Pool & Leisure Centre on. Friday, April 14, starting 4.30pm. Cost is $10 for a lesson, $10 for the disco and $5 skate hire.

Info: Roller Disco Whangaparāoa https://fb.me/e/Gs3JY6iU

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Brigitte Legendre and her son Trent are bringing their Roller Disco and Skatescool to Stanmore Bay.

At 73, Merv Huxford enjoys competing with hockey players of all ages. Here he is chased down by Charlotte Poynter in the mixed age competition at Millwater.

Croquet newbie takes out title

Ōrewa Croquet Club member Luke Rive, who only took up the sport during Covid-19, recently won a prestigious national trophy.

Luke took up croquet when his wife Pip returned to the game after nearly 30 years. He started during Covid-19 and has not been able to play a lot of croquet due to work and family commitments. In that time, however, his handicap has gone from 18 right down to 2.

To qualify for the NZ Arthur Ross tournament, Luke had to win the Ōrewa club stage, then qualify as the Auckland representative against winners from other Auckland clubs.

The NZ final was held over three days at the Pukekohe Croquet Club on March 1012. Nine of the 10 provinces in NZ were represented and most players were high handicappers meaning Luke had to give many bisques (free turns) away.

Luke is the first player from Ōrewa to win this prestigious trophy and club captain and head coach, Pixie Jones, says the club is very proud of him.

Pixie says because croquet combines strategic thinking with gentle exercise, on a flat surface, it is an ideal game for older people. However, it is also enjoyed by younger ones – the NZ team is mainly made up of men in their teens and early 20s.

New Coastie

Ed Amon edamonnz@gmail.com

Talking to the hand

Life seems to be a series of milestones. Our big brains have trained us to organise our lives in neat chunks. As soon as we are born, our calendars start to fill up with events and activities. Six-week vaccinations, birthdays, day-care registrations, primary school, secondary school, university, 21st, job, 30th, marriage, children, 40th, colonoscopy, 50th, another colonoscopy and so on until our last breath.

that self-help gurus can go suck an egg. I am human and accept the fact that I am a big bag of meat and bones full of contradictions. I’ll slow down or speed up when I want to. The only people I will take advice from on how to live my life are my parents, doctor, and partner.

Essentially, if you have written a book called How to be a Millionaire by 21 or Seven Ways to Slow Down, you can talk to the hand.

Croquet is played at the Ōrewa club every morning, six days a week. New players are given free coaching lessons in association and golf croquet before taking part in club days. Pixie says there is plenty of scope for those interested in competitive play. Info: email secretary.Ōrewacroquet@gmail.com

Record breaking interest in budget

Auckland Council’s Annual Budget 2023/2024 consultation closed with a total of 28,850 online submissions, breaking the previous record of 21,000 for online submissions to the Emergency Budget 2020/2021 during Covid-19 lockdowns. This number is preliminary and doesn’t include feedback received through other channels – overall submissions are expected to almost triple last year’s Annual Budget consultation, which received 11,500 submissions. Council staff are compiling and analysing the feedback and a report will be available late this month. The Governing Body will consider the feedback in workshops during May and June, with the final budget to be adopted on June 29 and come into effect from July 1.

We have divided our time to the smallest unit so our days are filled with “things to do’’ till the last second. As soon as we wake up, we are working towards sleep time. On Monday we dream of Friday. On January 1, we yearn for December 31. We can’t wait to get through many of these milestones. However, even with our constant obsession to get to the next milestone, we resent the passage of time. ‘Oh look at the time, I need more time! It is 12 already? Gosh, it’s April already, where did the time go?’

As I write to a deadline for this column, I can’t wait to finish it and at the same time I hate how quickly this time has arrived. Self-help gurus constantly make us feel bad about how we live our lives. They are a contradictory group of people. Some tell us to slow down and enjoy the moment, and others tell us to have goals, make plans, create a vision board, and strive to achieve these goals as quickly as possible.

I am confused. I do not know whether to slow down or speed up. So, I have decided

As an example, I am going to see my family in Pakistan in April, and I am filling up my calendar and doing as many things as I can so that the time goes faster till my flight. In Pakistan, I will let go. I will let my family plan my time there; I will relax and go with the flow. I will slow down or speed up on my own terms. Maybe that’s the way to do it. Maybe we are too hard on ourselves. Now as I write this, I feel like I have given advice to you on how to live your life. I feel like a self-help guru. Well, I can just go jump in the lake. Who am I to tell you what to do? Read the self-help books if they improve your life. Life is short and we can deal with these life-events as we want to. Damn it! I did it again.

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Luke Rive, of Ōrewa Croquet Club, with his NZ Arthur Ross trophy.

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Basketballers fundraise for dream USA trip

Members of a local basketball team are working hard to raise funds, including undertaking an extensive beach cleanup after the Anniversary Weekend floods. The team, Whanga Coast Ballers, is made up of Year 8 and 9 Whangaparāoa College students – Daniel Winslow, Kaelan Perenara, Max Cockayne, Luca Hutchison, Tane Muaulu-Kelleher, Noah Boyle, Aston Soper, Luca Hutchinson, Luka Foster, Liam Cresswell, Nikora Peihopa and Noa Salvert-Polard.

Every week, they have three hours of oncourt training, plus two hours of endurance work on the beach, led by coaches Mike Castagna and Jacob O’Brien. They play teams well above their age.

Their clean-up of 11 local beaches on March 5 included removing piles of logs – a trailer was needed to haul the rubbish away.

Gaining sponsorship for the clean-up is one of many ways in which the team is raising funds so that they can go to the USA next January for a four-day Golden State Warriors Basketball training academy. Making that possible means raising $340 each, every month, to secure $4000 by the end of the year. The money will go towards airfares, accommodation, food and the four-day basketball academy training camp. Any funds left over will go towards more basketball courts and hoops on the coast. One of their next fundraisers is a ‘layupathon’, in which sponsors donate money to players who have to make a layup for every dollar donated.

Donations to help Whanga Coast Ballers reach their goal can also be made at https:// givealittle.co.nz/cause/basketball-teamtrying-to-get-to-usa-academy

Manly residents turned out in force for a community clean-up of the beach on Saturday, March 18. Around 60 people of all ages, some bringing their tractors, trailers, rakes, buckets, chainsaws and garden bags, came along to remove the debris left by Cyclone Gabrielle. One of the volunteers, Manly resident Debbie Vercoe, says there were so many that the work, which covered the whole beach, was completed in a relatively short time. The five skip bins provided by Whangaparāoa MP Mark Mitchell and the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust were all filled. Debbie says most of the material was wood, including some huge logs, along with general rubbish. “The community thanks everyone who made an effort to be there,” she says. “There was so much energy and passion for the job –everyone worked very hard. It was a fantastic effort and the beach looks so much better.”

April School Holidays at Matakana Village

There's fun for the whole family at Matakana Village these school holidays Featuring a chocolate factory, a cinema, arts & crafts, boutique shopping, gifts, flowers and cuisine for every taste And you can even meet the Easter Bunny at the famous Farmers' Market! www

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Team members with their rubbish collection, which needed a trailer.

Green scene

Jenny Hanwell, Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird j.hanwell@forestandbird.org.nz

Be part of the solution

One thing people often say in discussions about Predator Free 2050 is that humans are the biggest pests. Well, I can’t disagree – we have made a mess of this planet, and of our country.

We have a duty to try and put it right, and to think about the consequences of our actions on the natural world. Seventy-one percent of birds in NZ are endemic (only found here), so if we let them be destroyed by introduced predators, they are gone forever. When visiting local schools, I find that our kids really get it – let’s help them to act.

Everything we do has an impact on nature, and often it is accidental or well meaning. The Acclimatisation Societies of the 1800s thought that they would fill NZ’s seemingly empty ‘Edens’ with “useful and harmless” possums. Today we are trying to remove them before they destroy the forests we have left.

“It’s not the possum’s fault, people brought them here!” I hear people say. I can’t argue with that either, but doing nothing is not an option when possums remove an estimated 21,000 tonnes of vegetation every night, plus any birds’ eggs, chicks and wētā they come across.

Healthy native forests have a vital role to play in mitigating climate change and extreme weather. They are much more effective carbon sinks than plantations or mown grass. However, if we don’t remedy our ancestors’ mistakes, forest health declines,

with trees dying from possum and deer damage that actually begin to emit carbon as they rot. Forests with no understorey vegetation, because seeds have been eaten by rats, don’t soak up water as effectively or hold the soil in place.

Another disastrous consequence is the introduction of hedgehogs, which are protected in the UK and have predators in that ecosystem, which they don’t here. Some people rescue and release them, thinking they are harmless. Auckland Council prohibits this under the Regional Pest Management Plan. What people don’t consider are the consequences of releasing hedgehogs. They can travel great distances, munching hundreds of insects like wētā, and making a meal of the eggs of threatened shorebirds, as we saw last year with dotterels. This is changing however, and more people are learning how to remove hedgehogs humanely.

Our forests want to live, birds want to breed, and if we take the pressure off and control pests, nature will regenerate itself – we see it happening here on the Hibiscus Coast. In recent years, as pest control has increased through the Pest Free Hibiscus Coast project, bird counts show that 18 species of native birds are doing well, with some like tūī and riroriro showing significant increases. Visit www.forestandbird.org.nz/projects/pestfree-hibiscus-coast to find out how you help by trapping in your backyard, or becoming a volunteer.

Library right behind ecothemed holiday events

Things are getting greener at Whangaparāoa Library, which is turning a grey, paved courtyard into a little garden that will also eventually feature a colourful mural.

The library will also focus on all things eco-friendly in the coming Easter holidays.

Children and youth senior librarian Pip Stocking says the bare courtyard was not used by library visitors, and she wanted to turn it into a pleasant place where anyone can sit and read or just chill.

She brought in gardeners Dee and Tamarin Pignéguy, who got the ball rolling at the start of this year, donating plants and potting them up with the help of local home-schooled children. The children also painted brightly coloured footsteps onto the pavers.

The garden now features potted herbs and strawberries and since the transformation, Pip has had the satisfaction of seeing more people of all ages use it.

“I have seen grandparents talk about the plants with the children after library music sessions, and we hope this will be a space for learning as well as relaxation,” Pip says. A bold mural to be painted by local youth is also in the pipeline.

Eco-Easter theme

All Auckland Council libraries have an Eco Warriors theme for the upcoming school holidays, and Whangaparāoa Library is

Flood funds may go local

Members of the community are helping to make the library courtyard an inviting place to read a book.

going the extra step of also holding an Eco Expo on Sunday, April 16. It will include stalls and information, both inside and outside the library, with local community groups involved. Also in the holidays, on the Eco theme there will be activities at the library that include a chance to upcycle an old T-shirt by turning it into a shopping bag, an eco-themed movie and a climate change-based Escape Room Challenge. Info: aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/schoolholidays or call into the library in Main Street, Whangaparāoa, for a chat.

A fundraising gig at Parāoa on Wednesday, March 15 raised more than $4600 for flood relief. Organisers are in the process of confirming the final amount and how to distribute it. A Parāoa spokesperson says the initial thoughts are to support the local area. The funds are being held by Eventfinda until the organisers of the Parāoa gig nominate where they are to be distributed.

Whangaparaoa Methodist Parish Easter Services

THURSDAY APRIL 6 – TENEBRAE 7pm, Red Beach Church

FRIDAY APRIL 7 9.30am, Manly Church

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 9 Dawn Service, 6.30am, Little Manly Beach (weather permitting)

9.30am, Manly Church | 10am Red Beach Church | 11am Waitoki Church

For more information phone 426 5615

Red Beach Methodist Church – 76 Red Beach Rd Manly Methodist Church – Cnr Walbrook and Whangaparaoa Rd | Waitoki Methodist Church – 1101 Kahikatea Flat Rd, Waitoki

Holy Communion will be served at each church

Blast from the past

In the 1980s, Ōrewa was an idyllic sleepy town. Traffic on State Highway 1 flowed along nicely and there were only ever traffic jams on public holidays – except when KFC opened in the southern end of Ōrewa! Green fields surrounded Ōrewa and the ducks were in charge. Everyone knew everyone and community was key. It’s quite incredible how the scenery has changed in such a short period of time. Photo courtesy Matt Barnett

CAB parked in new home

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) in Ōrewa has been looking for new premises ever since their offices, next to Ōrewa Community Hall, were deemed unsafe following a leak through the roof onto the light fittings (HM February 20). With commercial rentals out of the question, and needing to stay in Ōrewa, it has taken a while to find the right spot but, a couple of weeks ago, CAB moved into a space in St Chad’s Anglican Church on the corner of Centreway Rd and Florence Ave. Manager of the branch, Tanya Gouws, says they will be there “for the foreseeable future” until they hear back from Council on the plan for the roof repair. “We are very grateful to St Chad’s for welcoming us so warmly,” Tanya says. CAB’s ‘face to face’ office hours at the new location are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 12.30pm3pm. Or by phone, 0800 367 222, 09 426 5338, Monday to Friday, 9.30am-3pm. Email hibiscuscoast@cab.org.nz CAB Hibiscus Coast are also trialling a ‘Chat to CAB’ initiative on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 12noon at Whangaparāoa Library. Should this service be well supported, it may be extended to other mornings too. Pictured in the new office are, from left, volunteers Isaac Beaver and Vicki Ayson with Tanya Gouws.

Hibiscus Coast Catholic Parish Easter Schedule

Holy Thursday – 6 April: Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7.30pm, St Francis

Good Friday – 7 April: Stations of the Cross, 10am, St Francis

Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, 3pm, St John’s

Holy Saturday – 8 April: Easter Vigil Mass, 7pm, St John’s

Easter Sunday – 9 April: Easter Mass, 8.30am, St Francis | 10.30am, St John’s

St John’s, 180 Centreway Rd, Orewa | St Francis, 8 Motutapu Ave, Manly

BOOK HEAVEN

Whangaparāoa Methodist

Pre-Loved Books and puzzles

Monday-Saturday: 10am-4pm 76 Red Beach Rd, Red Beach | phone 426 5615

Susanne Wilson FB: Hibiscus Coast History

Business Whangaparāoa has had its plan to create a walking and cycling trail around the peninsula, complete with art installations, approved by the local board. Artists impression of one proposed sculpture.

Trail showcases peninsula

A walking and cycling trail, from Gulf Harbour to Stanmore Bay, designed to showcase Whangaparāoa Peninsula, is being developed by Business Whangaparāoa.

The 14km pathway will be mapped and uses existing pathways and roads and, in some places, the beach.

The association now has Hibiscus & Bays Local Board approval to place new signs and art installations on the route, as well as checkpoints where people can scan QR codes to link to the Business

Arts cuts defended

Whangaparāoa website and augmented reality (AR) adventures.

The business association will be responsible for maintaining the art installations and new signs.

Business Whangaparāoa business activator, Sarah Carr, says three artworks by local artists have been chosen, and funding to commission those is currently being sought. They also need approval for one site, which is on Auckland Transport land.

w June 13, 2022

With proposed funding cuts for arts and culture causing angst among community groups, Mayor Wayne Brown has pointed a way forward, saying a better integrated and sustainable approach to funding arts and culture is needed. In a press release on March 27, the Mayor said he has heard submissions from community groups as part of Auckland Council’s public consultation on the Annual Budget 2023/24. “There is no doubt that arts and culture contribute to Auckland’s economic and social cohesion, as well as promoting greater resilience within our communities,” Mayor Brown said. “I appreciate that community groups reliant on council funding need greater certainty, and for that to happen we must all work to achieve financial sustainability.” Currently there are multiple funding streams, spread across council, council-controlled organisations, and local boards. The Mayor said proposed reductions to these funding streams were among the only viable opportunities, beyond greater operational efficiencies, to achieve the cost savings needed. “We must be clear on what matters most to all Aucklanders, rather than immediately defaulting to further rates hikes or more borrowing.” He said arts and culture cannot be the sole responsibility of Council. “The question we should be asking is, how can we all work together to support arts and culture in ways that are more sustainable,” Mayor Brown said. Public consultation on the Annual Budget 2023/24 closed on March 28.

Health

Tania Adams, Pharmacist tania.adams@unichemmanly.co.nz

Tummy troubles

Have you ever wondered whether the stomach bloating, pain, indigestion, diarrhoea, heartburn, nausea or any other stomach problems you have, could be from a particular food you have eaten?

Food intolerance is when your tummy is sensitive to certain foods, often because your digestive system has a hard time breaking down that particular food. To clarify however, where a food intolerance can be extremely inconvenient, a food allergy, on the other hand, is the body mistakenly believing the food is an allergen causing an immune response which many times can lead to a life threatening reaction. Experts aren’t really sure why some people develop food intolerances. The best way to find out if you are intolerant to a certain food, is to complete an elimination diet. The low FODMAP diet developed by Monash University in Australia is one of several types of elimination protocols. You can find out more information about this diet by visiting www.monashfodmap.com

For the most part, treatment of a food intolerance involves eliminating the food that is causing the problem and managing symptoms. If you have diarrhoea, you can use loperamide to help stop your loose motions. Hyoscine tablets are available as a restricted medicine (can only be sold by a pharmacist) and are used for relieving stomach pain caused by abdominal cramps. Bloating can be treated by using Mintec which contains

peppermint oil. If you have heartburn or indigestion caused by a food, try an antacid or a gel-forming sodium alginate. Since it is thought that food intolerances may stem from the body not being able to break down certain foods, for some it is helpful to add a digestive enzyme. Digestive enzymes may help with problems such as acid reflux, gas, bloating and diarrhoea. Digestive enzymes range from broad spectrum types covering many intolerances to specific enzymes  that help only certain intolerances. For example, lactase enzymes help people with dairy intolerances. Check with your pharmacist which might be suitable for you.

Jason Ng Dr Lillian Hsu

Keeping your gut healthy is helpful. Probiotics add the good bacteria back into your digestive system. It is thought that putting these good bacteria back can help prevent new intolerances and it keeps your stomach certainly a lot happier. Unfortunately, the symptoms of food intolerance are very similar to the symptoms of more serious conditions. Therefore, if you have any of these symptoms, check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

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Ella Wang

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... treatment of a food intolerance involves eliminating the food that is causing the problem and managing symptoms.

Meet The People – young musicians going places

A rock band made up of students aged 13 to 15 is making a name for itself around the Coast, playing gigs at some large licensed venues, even though they are not old enough to drink themselves. The six musicians – Ivy Cutfield and Tui Whatling on vocals, guitarists Liam Aalders and Jake McKenzie, bassist Jess Quayle and drummer Caleb Gardner – began playing together last year in Whangaparāoa College’s rock band before forming their own group called The People They have played at a number of collegerun events, and at Whangaparāoa School gala, but it was when they were offered a one-and-a-half hour gig at Parāoa Brewing

Golf fundraiser

Co. that they began to practice in every spare moment.

Lead guitarist Liam Aalders says as well as practising at school during lunch, they would play 5-6 hours every second weekend together.

Liam says the first Parāoa gig got them more work, including private functions. Parāoa was obviously impressed, as The People were invited back to perform there again. Recently the band was called on for quite a long set at Whangaparāoa School gala, where they drew a good audience and had plenty of cash thrown in their guitar case. The People’s next public gig will be at Parāoa Brewing Co. in Whangaparāoa on May 13.

Whangaparāoa Rotary Club’s Charity Golf Tournament, held at the Whangaparāoa Golf Club on March 24, was a huge success, raising more than $12,000. A total of 16 teams enjoyed a fine day of golf, followed by refreshments and prizegiving in the clubhouse. Tournament organiser, Den Healey, says this was the sixth charity tournament he has organised for the Rotary Club and they get better results every year. The money is going towards Structured Literacy Programmes at Gulf Harbour, Stanmore Bay and Whangaparāoa Primary schools.

The People – from left, Jake McKenzie, Liam Aalders, Caleb Gardner on drums, Ivy Cutfield, Tui Whatling, and Jess Quayle. Photo, Patrick Brennan, Aviate NZ

Cycling event a keeper for Ōrewa

Around 375 cyclists took part in the inaugural Ōrewa Bike Cruise, held on March 25 on the Te Ara Tahuna cycle and walkway and surrounds.

It featured a relaxed family friendly ride on an 11.5km, starting and ending in Western Reserve. Dressing up for the occasion was encouraged.

Three pit stops along the way provided refreshments, music and entertainment. Riders enjoyed a sausage sizzle at Maygrove Lake among flowering waterlilies and weeping willows. The pit stop at Milllwater Parkway had free ice cream, and there were bags of lollies and scroggin at Pohutukawa Reserve in Red Beach. Clowns, Ukulele Union and the Harcourts mascot Homie the Gnomie entertained the riders as they passed the pit stops.

It was definitely not a race with all participants taking it at their own pace –the first rider was back at Western Reserve in just 35 minutes (courtesy of an e-bike) and the last returned after 2.5 meandering,

enjoyable hours.

The event was organised by Destination Ōrewa Beach. Its operations manager, Hellen Wilkins, says overall it was a great

Basketball builds from bottom up

Good numbers in Hibiscus Coast Basketball Club’s Junior Jammerz and interclub sessions are encouraging for the growth of the sport locally.

Junior Jammerz is for players aged U7 and U9 – promoted as “designed for little hands and big hearts”.

The programme, held at the Stanmore Bay Pool & Leisure Centre on Sundays, is designed so the young players can always have a ball in their hands, having fun as they develop and build their confidence and skills.

Junior Jammerz head coach, David Goldfinch, says currently there are around

60-70 taking part in two sessions, but numbers are expected to grow in terms 2 and 3, to around 100.

“They bring their friends to play, and family enjoy socialising on the sidelines, grabbing a coffee or going to the gym.”

Director of basketball, Dan Bungard, says since last year there has been a focus on grass roots level basketball like interclub and Junior Jammerz and there has been a fantastic response.

“It is helping us grow the club, by growing and widening the base of players,” he says. While there are still more boys than girls

event and will be repeated.

“As always with something new, there will be things adjusted or added to make next year’s event even better,” she says.

NZ cricketer Martin Guptill, just back from playing in Australia’s Big Bash for the Melbourne Renegades, was the honoured guest at Hibiscus Coast Cricket’s junior prizegiving held at Silverdale School hall on Sunday, March 26. He handed out trophies, signed bats and talked with the young cricketers.

Junior players get basketballs in their hands from day one.

taking up the sport, the club has a Girls Academy and encourages girls to play.

A total of 90 young Coast Basketball players are heading to Tauranga over Easter

for a rep tournament.

The club has options for basketball players of all levels of ability. Info: www. hibiscuscoast.basketball/

Bike collector Dion Coleman went old school, wearing woollen trousers, a dress shirt, and waistcoat for the ride. He rode a NZ-made bike, dating from around 1901, complete with original leather seat and suspension. Four-year-old Greyson Grant came dressed as Harry Potter, compete with a broomstick on his bike.

Fun and games welcomed at school galas

Pavlovas were mushed into teachers’ faces, Principals were dunked and children raced around, playing games, eating treats and purchasing toys. Yes, it was Gala time again.

The organisers of Whangaparāoa School’s gala, on Saturday, March 18, thanked the weather gods for a fine day, which helped to bring in big crowds.

Among the most popular activities was watching Manly firefighters demonstrate what to do when a cooking pot catches fire, as well as a chance to duck down and crawl out of a dark space as you might have to in a household fire.

There were queues for food and games, and also for the chance to dunk a teacher.

Pie face – where the winner got to mush a cream-covered pavlova into a teacher’s face – was held for the first time. There were a lot of entries for this, and the winners enthusiasm for the task was high. Principal Kevin Cronin had just dried off from being dunked before Pie Face began.

The gala raised around $37,000 – a sum that gala project managers Alannah Elliot and Debbie Pincott were thrilled with. “The school community and staff have done us proud yet again with their generosity and determination to make it an enjoyable event. We cannot thank everyone involved enough for their energy and sacrifices that made this day possible,” they said.

Red Beach Twilight Gala on Friday, March 17, also featured a crowd of children and adults having fun as rain came and went. The 45 Kids Inspirational Stalls were a highlight, and included art and crafts, jewellery, sweet treats, toys and games made by the children themselves. There was also live entertainment and a wide range of food to suit the dinnertime twilight event. The numbers are still being crunched to determine how much was raised.

Clockwise from top left, Cory Brown enjoyed ‘pie facing’

deputy principal Gemma Pratomo. The cake stall, included special bakes that were raffled. Manly fire fighters’ kitchen fire demonstration and new escape tunnel. The principal dunk is always a crowd pleaser.

Classifieds

DVDS & VIDEOS

VIDEOS TRANSFERRED to DVD/hard drive. Ph/txt Te Totara Video 021 777 385.

HOME & MAINTENANCE

ALARMS SECURITY AND FIRE, MONITORING, CCTV, servicing & installation, all brands 027 553 3032 www.tdssecurity.co.nz

CARPET LAYING, CARPET RE-STRETCH, VINYL LAYING, CARPET REPAIRS

Over 30 years’ experience. Contact Dexter 027 4956 436

PUMP DOCTOR

WATER PUMP & FILTER SERVICES. New installs for all your water pump requirements. Ph 0274 430 654.

ARKLES BAY PAINTERS/DECORATORS In the area for the area. Shane 021 0813 8481.

CARPET CLEANING, repairs and installation. Dwayne 0274 997 929.

HANDYMAN, RENOVATION SERVICES. Call John 027 441 9603.

APPLIANCE REPAIRS SERVICES

A SMART REPAIR Service for F&P smartdrive washers, F&P/Simpson dryers. Prompt service ph 021 168 7349.

FURNITURE REMOVALS

exp Owner Operator 30 years. Single Items to Flat/House lots. Silverdale Based. Ph Gavin 0274 973 867

PROFESSIONAL MASSAGE

Based in little Manly. Massage for relaxation and wellbeing using essential oils. Targeted deep tissue & stress relief massage. Can do reflexology as well. 26 years exp. Ph. 0204 116 7992.

RECORDING STUDIO Vocals to backing tracks, original projects, vocal training & vocal PA hire. Ph Skimp 021 115 5233.

HAIRDRESSING

CAN’T

COMMUNITY

TO THE KIND LADY who recently paid my grocery bill at New World Ōrewa: Thank you, I have since donated the equivalent to St Johns.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

60’s UP MOVEMENT, HIBISCUS COAST. Meeting 3rd Wednesday of every month, 10am, RSA, Viponds Road, Whangaparāoa. Outings 1st Wednesday of month. Ph Gloria 027 386 2339. All welcome.

A CLUB FOR RETIRED PEOPLEWhangaparāoa Combined Friendship Club meets 4th Wednesday of month, 10am, Manly Bridge Club, Edith Hopper Park. Guest speakers, bus trips, lunches, movies. Ph Jeanne Maxwell 027 284 0172 or 426 8675.

REBUS CLUB OF HIBISCUS COAST Club for retired men, meets the first Tuesday of every month, 9.30am, at Manly Bridge Club, Edith Hopper Park, Ladies Mile, speakers and outings. Ph Steve 09 558 8454. www.rebus-hibiscuscoast.co.nz

REBUS CLUB OF GULF HARBOUR

Meets 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Gulf Harbour Yacht Club, 9.30am-12pm, both Ladies and Gentlemen. Door prizes and guest speakers. $5 entry info www. rebusgulfharbour Jane 021 246 6461.

REBUS CLUB ŌREWA Retired or semiretired people. Guest speakers. Second Tuesday of each month, 10am-noon, at St John Evangelist Church Hall, 180 Centreway Rd, Ōrewa. For more information, contact Norma Parker 09 427 5216 or normaparker01@gmail.com

ROTARY SATELLITE CLUB Ōrewa/ Millwater meet 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 7pm, The Wade Tavern, Silverdale.

What’s on ...

8 NZ heavyweight title boxing match, Long vs Leutele, Parāoa Brewing Co, Stanmore Bay, 5pm. Tickets from Eventfinda. Door sales $60, Corporate tables available.

8 Ōrewa Beach sandcastle competition, registration from 12.30pm. Building from 1pm to 3pm, with prizegiving at 3.30pm. Free to enter and open to everyone from novices to experienced sculptors. Or just come along to look at the creations. A $500 prize for the experienced team and $250 for novice team.

12 Sharon Blow, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Rd, Whangaparāoa, 7pm-9pm. Free entry

12 Hazards of Human Spaceflight to Mars talk, with Dr Chris Benton, Whangaparāoa Library, 10.30am-11.30am. Free of charge, but bookings essential as numbers limited. Book at http://bit.ly/428kuLj, see library front desk, or contact Chloe, ph 021 189 1890.

14 Shirley Bassey Tribute by Barbie Davidson, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Rd, Whangaparāoa, 7pm-10.30pm. Entry $5 for non-RSA members, free for RSA members.

14 Skate lesson and Roller Disco, Stanmore Bay Pool & Leisure Centre, Stanmore Bay, starting 4.30pm. Cost is $10 for a lesson, $10 for the disco and $5 skate hire. (see story p16)

14 Foot soak workshop, Whangaparāoa Library, 10am-11am. How to make a foot soak with simple ingredients and no waste. Recipes to create simple beauty products at home. Book https://bit.ly/3TiSpN6

15 Boulevard Arts Fiesta, Ōrewa Boulevard, 11am-6pm. Full day of market stalls, creativity and art, food trucks, entertainment, rides and more.

15 Heartbeat, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Rd, Whangaparāoa, 7pm-10.30pm. Entry $5 for non-RSA members, free for RSA members.

15 Gutter Kitties Bingo and Quiz Night fundraiser, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Maximum 8 per table, $15 per ticket. Raffles, auction and prizes. Info: fundraising@gutterkitties.co.nz

16 Andrew Crozier, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Rd, Whangaparāoa, 4pm-7pm. Free entry.

16 EcoFête, Otanerua Reserve, 19-21 Otanerua Rd, Hatfields Beach, 10am12pm. Part of the EcoFest.org.nz programme. Guided nature walks, learn about ecological restoration, predator control, pest plant management and home composting, and meet local conservation heroes, including Hector the conservation dog. Info: https://fb.me/e/UucOOAeA

16 Eco Expo, Whangaparāoa Library, Main Street, Whangaparāoa, 10.30am-1.30pm. Part of Eco Festival Month. Stalls and information inside and outside the library. All welcome – for more info, visit the library. (see story p20)

18 Make your own T Shirt Bags, Whangaparāoa Library, Main Street, Whangaparāoa, 10.30am. BYO t-shirt and be shown how to upcycle it into a shopping bag.

22 Laughs in the ‘Burbs’, Ōrewa Community Centre, 368 Ōrewa, 7.30pm10.30pm. Top comedy line up, headlined by David Correos. Tickets from Eventfinda.

22 Gerry Lee, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Rd, Whangaparāoa, 7pm-10.30pm. $5 for non-RSA members.

22 Food Truck Collective comes to Manly Park, Laurence St, Manly, 5pm9pm. Street food, music and entertainment, craft beer pop-up bar.

22 Earth Day Eco-friendly Electronic Party, Parāoa Brewing Co., Whangaparāoa, 8pm. Electronica. Tickets from Eventfinda.

23 Gulf Harbour Yacht Club Boat Bits & Car Boot all-sorts sale, Gulf Harbour Marina, 9am. Bring ‘n’ Buy, sell your unwanted belongings, $10 p/car boot. Info/bookings, ph 424 2118 or email admin@ghyc.co.nz

6 Co-governance public meeting, Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa marae, 2A Blue Gum Ave, Silverdale (near Wade Hotel), 9.30am start. Registration essential www.teherengawakaoorewa.co.nz/ (see story p1)

6 White Chapel Jak Endless Summer Tour, Parāoa Brewing Co.,719A Whangaparāoa Road, 7pm–11pm. Tickets from Eventfinda.

6 Keavin Greaves Family Trio, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Rd, Whangaparāoa,7pm-10.30pm. Pre-sales $12 (non-RSA members), $10 (RSA members). Door sales $15.

To list events, email: online@localmatters.co.nz See

Get Ready for Winter

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Fun for Sheilas at Pretty Tough challenge

Women got to flex their muscles and think their way out of problems at the inaugural Pretty Tough Sheila Challenge, hosted by Hibiscus Coast Raiders on Saturday, March 18.

Co-organiser, Jo Gleeson, says she and Sheree Jennings put the event together to give back to the many women who support

the club, by having a little fun.

Six teams of four women took up the challenge, facing 10 activities such as removing a car tyre and re-fitting it in a set time, reversing a trailer through a course in the fastest time, building a kitset Wendy house, hammering nails, kicking a field

goal and shooting a BB gun at a target. A ‘mystery event’ was added that involved eating a dry Weetbix, washing it down with a beer and running around a cone to tag the next team member.

Jo says the events challenged participants to do things they would not do in everyday life.

“They loved it, and so did the spectators,” Jo says. “It was so much fun and we got a lot of suggestions to make the next one bigger and better.”

She says they hope to run it again and indications are they could get twice as many participants next time.

Clockwise from top left, Alana Hartley of the Bench Warmers team. Holding a full paint tin for as long as possible is GCs team member, Sophia Clayton. Dani Halliday from the Cunning Stunts team shoots a BB gun at a target. The Walking Wounded team starts the kitset assembly. Each team put forward a man to be glammed up with makeup. This is Kenny Halliday. Photos, Roger Reid