Hibiscus Matters_Issue 350_26 June 2023

Exhibition reveals extraordinary world of Lisa and Co

The topsy turvy and at times chaotic life of Lisa Palmer is something that, at the age of 56, she is well used to, having lived with multiple personality disorder (now called disassociated identity disorder, DID) since she was 14.

Bright, talented, and with a lively sense of humour, Lisa has seven children, 19 grandchildren and a loving husband, Jim. She also has 12 alters (distinct, alternate identities she experiences).

Lisa is a survivor, too, having escaped an abusive relationship and many other experiences that left her bruised. The causes of DID are complex, but the Mental Health Foundation says there is agreement that chronic ongoing trauma in childhood is the leading contributor.

“The first time I was aware of serious disassociating, I woke up in high school in Whangarei and wondered why the teacher was calling me Lisa,” Lisa says.

“Others thought I was quirky, and no one knew what was really going on, so I just carried on with my life. I always had a sense of humour about it.”

Another way that Lisa describes it, is ‘Groundhog Day’. She wakes up and everything is new. Big chunks of time are missing, creating surprise when she notices things such as a different hairstyle when she looks in the mirror.

“I don’t carry emotional baggage from one day to the next, and if there is, I switch out. I have used humour and got so good at winging my way through life, because if I didn’t I’d be a mess.”

Her 12 alters are all named, and all very different. They include a child, a teenager and one male.

Lisa says her children have gone through counselling and say they couldn’t rely on her when it came to running the household.

“They became very independent and selfsufficient,” she says.

There are lighter moments too – one afternoon when some of the alters felt like having a drink, Jim came home to find party debris and Lisa in the middle of it, unsure what happened.

Recently, she found herself painting, and says that one of the alters decided there would be an exhibition. Each alter made 3-5 works.

Estuary Arts Centre manager Kim Boyd says she was excited to meet Lisa, and her therapist, Ōrewa clinical psychologist Helga McIlrath.

“Lisa and Co are being so brave putting themselves out there to share their art and their DID,” Kim says. “In order for society to understand mental health conditions we need to engage with people who live with those conditions. This exhibition puts

Lisa Palmer says the artworks helped make her 12 alters – her other distinct alternate identities – visible.

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Each of Lisa’s alters made at least three pieces for the exhibition. Here is a sample.

DID in front of us and gives insight into their world.”

Lisa has had several counsellors before, but when all her kids left home and she moved to the Coast four years ago, she began seeing Helga, who specialises in trauma and has been a psychologist for 20 years.

Helga has helped a number of people with DID and says this diagnosis can still be extremely controversial – there are some who don’t believe it exists.

“When I sit with someone and see it happening in front of me and learn how it impacts their life, and their family’s life,

caring is in our nature .

People sometimes ask why we chose to become funeral directors. Our answer is always the samebecause we care about people and about the details. Dil’s. Creating beautiful funerals on the coast.

48 Waiora Rd Stanmore Bay (09) 424 2675 www.dils.co.nz

it is clear,” she says. It can cause chaos because of memory lapses.”

The Mental Health Foundation describes DID as “quite rare”, however Helga says it might be more prevalent than people realise, possibly more common than Schizophrenia, and only slightly less than Bipolar Disorder.

She says it is important to understand that the alters are not different people, but different parts of the same person.

“By the time they come to therapy most have already named them, but I talk about them as parts of the person, not separate

beings,” Helga says.

For Lisa, life carries on as usual, but she says she is getting more clarity since seeing Helga. “We are working together as a team much better and I don’t have so much time missing,” she says. “Helga pointed out that from the exhibition, everyone will know all about me. But I don’t know any other life and I’m not embarrassed by it. The art made it more real for me – it was just so neat to see that all of that, and all super different, came from inside me.”

Lisa and Co – Creative life with DID, is on at Estuary Arts Centre in Ōrewa from July 5-30.

Public bins removed in Council cost cutting measure

Removing a significant number of public rubbish bins is one of Auckland Council’s cost saving proposals –almost 90 bins (30 percent) will be removed from public places on the Hibiscus Coast.

The proposal was put before the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board at its workshop on June 13 where it received a mixed response. Although the local board was asked for feedback, Council is insisting on the changes – its report reminded members that the Governing Body “holds the ultimate decision-making responsibility for the contracts with respect to budget and minimum service levels”.

The proposal will see 30 percent of Auckland’s 10,000 rubbish bins removed. Council staff calculate this could save around $1.5m per annum.

Bins to be removed are chosen for being “in low usage areas, areas with multiple bins, or neighbourhood parks that receive active care and attention from residents”. Locally, the removals are largely from Ōrewa, Silverdale and Stanmore Bay, but all areas are affected.

Local board members were particularly concerned at removal of bins from beside beaches, where they are in high demand, especially in summer.

In response, Auckland Council Programme Manager, Sandra May said that people have

learned to take rubbish home with them from regional parks, where no bins are provided, and that this behavioural change will include other public areas in time.

Council proposes signs to encourage people to take their rubbish and recycling home.

Local board members noted that new habits take time.

“It sounds good,” deputy chair Julia Parfitt said, “but what will actually happen? In regional parks, there is still clearing up – a lot of the rubbish isn’t taken home.”

Board members also mentioned the potential for more litter, and Council’s report noted this too, suggesting that its contract for the collection of ‘loose litter’ would not change and that this could “mitigate the potential adverse effects of reducing bins”.

Chair Gary Brown described it as “a hell of a lot of bins to lose”.

“Sometimes they overflow four or five times a day in busy areas,” he said. “Surely this is a core service that we should not be messing with?”

May replied that if the local board doesn’t want to remove bins, it will need to fund the ongoing service for the larger number of bins itself.

Once the bins have been removed, Council says it will monitor user feedback to assess

Budget ups and down for Coast

While a lot of public attention was paid to issues such as the selling of airport shares when Auckland Council settled on its annual budget on June 9, several local community groups were focused on potential cuts that could affect their continued services.

These included Council’s childcare centres, Kauri Kids (which has a centre in Stanmore Bay); as well as Citizens Advice Bureau, which has a branch in Ōrewa; and the HBC Youth Centre in Ōrewa.

Local councillors Wayne Walker and John Watson were surprised to see the Youth Centre singled out for a cut to its funding in the mayoral proposal for the 2023/2024 budget. Council staff said this was because it is the only regionally funded youth centre. The Councillors moved an amendment to reinstate the funding but were then able to confirm that the centre’s funding is secure for the coming year, as its annual grant of $100,000 goes from 2021 to 2024.

Meanwhile, the future of Stanmore Bay’s Kauri Kids still hangs in the balance. Council is withdrawing from the direct provision of early childhood education services as a regional service, which is estimated to save $1 million. However, individual centres may continue to operate as local services if local boards are able to fund them.

Cr John Watson describes this as a particularly distasteful part of the budget – “an example of this council’s ‘penny wise pound foolish’ culture of profligate spending meets mean spirited cuts to important community services”.

The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board will make a decision about the Stanmore Bay Kauri Kids funding at its July 25 business meeting.

The funding for Auckland’s Citizens Advice Bureaus (CABs) at one stage hung in the balance. But Council opted to retain that funding with several caveats including quarterly performance reports, the need for

All the Council rubbish bins in red will be removed as a cost saving measure. Source, Auckland Council. Inset, Solar powered Big Belly Bins, such as this one in Gulf Harbour, cost around $11,000 each, but save money over time because they alert contractors when they need emptying.

the impact of the proposal and take appropriate measures to address concerns or issues that arise and manage the complaints.

Council staff gave the local board three days to get its feedback in. Deputy chair Julia Parfitt says the board raised issues such as the potential to save money by using smarter technology such as Big Belly solar powered bins, which are expensive but compress rubbish and emit a signal

when full.

At the same time, the local board’s plan to install recycling bins around the community, to reduce waste to landfill, has been removed from its work programme. Council’s advice to the local board was that public recycling bins are not effective as people put general rubbish in them. This means the contents must all go to landfill –a problem that affects around 85 percent of the recycling put in public recycling bins.

CABs to seek funding from Government with the aim of having 50 percent of their funding from Government for the 2024/2025 financial year.

Cr Watson says local positives from the budget include the construction of the northern seawall at Ōrewa Beach and a comprehensive upgrade of the Ōrewa Library involving the renewal of roof, interior and fit out, which were two of the main projects programmed for 2023/24.

There are also a number of significant replacements and repairs to coastal infrastructure damaged during the storms at the start of the year to be either fixed or scoped for work in the future. The local board also has cause for relief – the proposal to cut funding by $12m across all local boards, was reduced to $4m. The final budget has to be agreed to at Auckland Council’s meeting this week, on June 29.

Local community facilities with reason to be anxious about Council’s annual budget included the HBC Youth Centre, Citizens Advice Bureau and Kauri Kids.

Local transport projects prioritised by local board

Turning Bakehouse Lane in Ōrewa into a one-way road and providing improvements for pedestrians on parts of Whangaparāoa Road and Hibiscus Coast Highway are priorities for the local board’s transport capital fund.

The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board has around $2.8m to spend on local transport projects – this is the total amount for the board’s three-year term.

The first stage in allocating this money is when the local board puts forward some suggested projects.

Auckland Transport (AT) then comes back with costings so that members can make final decisions on which projects they want to action, to work within the budget. AT brought rough costings for the suggested ‘long list’ of projects to the board’s June 13 workshop.

The report presented to members stated that, at this stage, rough cost estimates only would be provided (rather than full feasibility studies) due to “a direction to all CCOs to be more fiscally responsible”.

“Full investigation is only possible on shortlisted projects,” the report said.

On the Coast, the projects removed from

the long list included creating a right turn ban from Moana Avenue onto the Hibiscus Coast Highway – as AT has a project to signalise this intersection.

A suggested raised zebra crossing across Laurence Street between Manly Park and the sailing club also didn’t make the cut, with local board members pointing out that there are already seven speed bumps in Laurence Street.

Shortlisted transport projects

Local board members were keen on all the following local projects (as well as some in the Bays subdivision) going forward for more detailed costings. The final decisions as to what projects are actioned will be made at a business meeting.

• Raised zebra crossing, driver sign and new footpaths at the Hibiscus Coast Highway, Whangaparāoa Rd and Millwater Parkway intersection – at a rough cost of $1.3m. On the southwest corner of the intersection, there is no footpath at the traffic island to connect to the Whangaparāoa Rd slip lane. The project would provide this, a pedestrianfriendly crossing treatment on the slip lane (shorten the crossing distance) and

also a new footpath that connects to the existing footpath that stops outside 57 Hibiscus Coast Highway. A footpath between Titan Place and the existing footpath is also included in this project.

• Bakehouse Lane, Ōrewa – one way (northbound) treatment. Rough cost $450,000. Bakehouse Lane is narrow for two-way traffic and pedestrian use, and the local board see this as a safety

issue. Suggested changes required would be building out the kerb at both of the intersections, making it tighter to physically restrict the traffic, realigning the parking, marking changes and new signage. Stormwater upgrades might be required.

• Pedestrian refuge island on Whangaparāoa Road near the Manly Fire station to increase safety for people crossing. Cost estimate $150,000.

Crime prevention money allocated in equal shares

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

Local boards in Auckland will get an equal share of crime prevention funding, after Mayor Wayne Brown rejected a recommendation from staff to allocate it according to need, using crime data. A total of $2 million was given to Council by the Ministry of Social Development to invest in community safety initiatives. The Regulatory and Safety committee voted on May 30, to allocate $1 million to local boards, and $1 million through council affiliated Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

This option was put forward in a resolution by Mayor Wayne Brown – it went against council staff’s advice that $1 million should be put into a contestable grant and $1 million to local boards with the use of crime data to decide the distribution of funding.

Originally staff suggested distributing 75 percent of the $1 million go to local boards based on based on crime data each area and 25 percent split evenly across all 21 local boards.

But the Mayor was reluctant to use crime data to distribute the funding amongst local boards, suggesting that the difference in crime in some areas could be put down to which BIDS have spent money on crime prevention.

Committee chair, Cr Josephine Bartley, encouraged the Mayor to use the crime data as it was staff’s preferred option and the seconder of Brown’s motion, Cr Ken Turner, also appeared reluctant to exclude the data. Data between February 2019 and January 2023 across Auckland’s wards shows that Waitematā had significantly higher rates, with more than 50,000 victimisations over that period.

However, the Mayor’s resolution was

Crime figure data for local board areas shows that the Coast is well down the list. Data sourced from NZ Police. Chart, courtesy Auckland Council.

passed and Cr Bartley said while the $2 million would not make much difference to addressing crime, it was at least a drop in the bucket.

The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board supported the idea of allowing local boards to allocate the money in their areas for crime prevention initiatives.

The Mayor suggested the difference in crime could be put down to which BIDs had spent money on prevention.

The local board wants AT to make Bakehouse Lane in Ōrewa a one-way road.

Jake Law, Hibiscus & Bays Local Board jake.law@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

More money in local board pot

Not long after I was elected to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, I requested an assessment of our stormwater infrastructure in the Hibiscus Coast area, as I understood our system to be underequipped to handle the impacts of a storm or flooding event. I was worried that any significant climate related event might impact our communities, and what followed were the unprecedented Auckland Anniversary weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. These emergencies revealed the need for active planning and communication regarding a localised civil defence response, as well as the need for a dramatically increased investment in our local storm water system.

I am pleased to share that the local board has started the investigation and planned implementation of official local civil defence shelters. This is being organised with the Whangaparāoa Community Response Group, so that when the next weather event arrives, our community knows where they can go for help and shelter.

The Mayor has announced a $20 million annual storm response fund, and we will be actively advocating for a share of that fund, and for Auckland Council to invest in notable improvements to our storm water infrastructure. Communities like Red Beach and Stanmore Bay are at considerable risk of continued inundation if council refuses to act.

I am incredibly pleased that the local board has supported a significant upgrade to our

Ōrewa Library. This will add another upper level and increase the floor space and usable areas of our fantastic library and improve the services on offer.

Significant repair works are currently being carried out on the northern end of Ōrewa Beach, to replace stairs and restore the geography – this work is expected to be finished next month.

The Auckland Council annual budget meeting on Friday, June 9 produced a budget with a much smaller reduction in local board funding than we had previously been told to prepare for – resulting in a welcome bump to our annual budget. This is great news and will allow us more options to support the many community groups and organisations that rely on contestable grant funding.

Our local board will now have more funding available to support the many excellent environmental groups that operate in our area – such as Pest Free Hibiscus Coast. You may have read in Hibiscus Matters (HM June 12) that Pest Free Hibiscus Coast have recently conducted a feasibility study, to see if pest elimination is possible along the Hibiscus Coast, and this study produced exciting results. We are already seeing more native birds such as the tui, grey warbler, kereru, and (my favourite) the kingfisher increasing in populations locally. If you want to add a trap to your backyard to keep native birds safe and thriving, please get in touch with Pest Free Hibiscus Coast.

Eggs or cheese?

Should you buy eggs, or cheese – which to choose when the budget won’t stretch to both at today’s prices?

(By the way, it defies logic that 1kg of NZ cheese can cost $18 in a dairy producing country.)

Those supermarket choices are hard to make, especially when times are tight and in the same way, Auckland Council had to prioritise within a limited budget for the coming year. How much to put up rates, how much would need to be borrowed, and how much of an asset like the shares in Auckland airport should be sold, were all questions that were finally thrashed out over the Council table in a two-day marathon meeting.

In total, coming up with a budget for 2023/24 involved 29 workshops and more than 90 hours of formal discussion.

Two budgets were proposed as alternatives to what Mayor Wayne Brown had put forward, and they were voted on. Neither got the majority needed.

The councillors had to work together, and while many compromises were made on what their various constituents wanted, agreement on a budget was eventually reached.

It’s the first time that I can remember in all my years as Hibiscus Matters’ editor that such a lot of stress, public concern and media interest was taken over a one-year budget.

The final 2023/24 budget is to be agreed on this week and some of the potential local impacts are looked at on page 3 of this paper.

As with any compromise, not everyone will be happy. Any rates rises will be felt, along with any cuts to community services.

And now the attention turns to the Long Term Plan (10 year budget). If a one-year budget can be this difficult, let’s brace ourselves for what lies ahead.

Terry Moore, Editor

The love of books

I would like to reply to Andrew Westaway’s letter (HM. June 12) regarding his experience with Ōrewa College’s library, and present my view as an Ōrewa college student. I believe that one of the safest places in the school is the library. It is accepting to all and has helped create my growing passion for reading.

I was invited by a librarian to join a competition called Readers Cup, which is when you read a selection of six books and then go to a quiz night to answer six questions of each. This has only pushed me further into the depths of my passion for books. I have read classics – albeit not many – and have discovered that I personally prefer to read modern books more, as they are more relevant to the times and I feel I can learn something from them. The classics are certainly favourable books, and I do enjoy reading of the past, but I want to read more of the present and future. I aspire to become a writer, and dream that one day one of my books will become a classic.

I appreciate, as many others will, your donation to the school’s library. I look forward to checking them out.

When I read your letter my impression was that it was quite presumptuous that you connected that simple action to the opinion that students of Ōrewa College do not read at a high level. Although this is only my opinion, and I am only 14.

Eva Miseriaux, Stanmore Bay

Spray concerns

I notice your article (HM May 29) regarding weed killing drones does not mention the spray Glyphosate. And what of spray drift?

Ian Harrison, Hatfields Beach

Auckland Council’s Senior Ranger Open Sanctuary, Matt Maitland responds: “The herbicide used was haloxyfop which is grass-specific to target the pampas. There is some spray drift resulting from using drones for aerial applications, but they do allow for a closer proximity to target areas than helicopters do. Any drift falling on non-grasses will not harm those plants.”

Police lip service?

I read with interest the recent article regarding the public meeting about Law and Order on the Hibiscus Coast. After attending this meeting, it was clear that lip service was being paid. There was mention of Whangaparāoa Police Station not manned due to no staff, yet their front carpark would say otherwise. If you are going to use this excuse, at least have the staff park off site. Crime is on the increase; youths are blatantly shoplifting and disrespecting store staff. Many managers are no longer reporting the theft due to no action taken by Police. Our youth know all this. Come on Police, you can do better. Time for some accountability and take back the lead!

Robert Clarke, Red Beach Editor’s note: Police advised the paper last week that the Whangaparāoa Station is fully staffed which includes a front counter service between the hours of 8am and 4pm.

Thorny issue of cats

How timely was Margaret Western’s letter in today’s edition of Hibiscus Matters (HM June 12)? Disappointing again today, to see a neighbourhood cat on our lawn, killing and making off with a small bird. A regular occurrence, sad to say, and the same cat has been emboldened by the absence of our bird friendly dog recently dying of old age. The pest free article on page 24 this same week tells the great success story of potential possum elimination on the Whangaparāoa peninsula. Well done all concerned. The problem of cats killing local birds is however a thorny issue. Any ideas readers?

Keith Wilkinson, Manly

Toilet access

A few residents asked Hibiscus Matters to look into the policy around toilet use at the Auckland Council owned Stanmore Bay Pool & Leisure Centre. Some were concerned that anyone who identifies as female can use the female toilets and changing rooms there, which they considered could be unsafe. Auckland Council’s customer and community services director, Dr Claudia Whyss, responded: “We recognise the importance of having facilities that are accessible to people of all gender identities. While Auckland Council does not have a policy on this, each facility is managed by the council in accordance with guidance from the Human Rights Commission. Many of our public facilities provide unisex or accessible toilets and private cubicles within changing rooms to ensure everyone can feel safe and comfortable. Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre has accessible toilets and private cubicles on the poolside. As per the Human Rights Commission guidelines, where gender neutral bathrooms are available, transgender people are not required to use them. People have the right to use a bathroom that matches their gender and that they feel most comfortable in. It is important that our public facilities are accessible and safe for all members of the community. Our teams conduct regular inspections of toilet and changing room facilities to ensure that building compliance, privacy and security are maintained for all users. Where any incidents of sexual harassment or misconduct occur in our facilities or leisure centres, we refer these matters to the Police. We are not aware of any such incidents involving transgender people in our facilities.”

Thought I should share this pic of Whangaparāoa Road, Gulf Harbour, taken on June 8. Auckland Transport put up a 50kph sign where you are slowing down to 10kph to negotiate the roundabout, and then decide that you may speed up to 60kph! Pieter Theron, Gulf Harbour

Young netballers playing at Hibiscus Coast Netball Centre in Manly were treated to a visit by Northern Mystics defender (and Whangaparāoa local) Mikaela Sokolich-Beatson on Wednesday, June 14. She brought along the ANZ Premiership trophy won by the Mystics in convincing style early this month. Many photos were taken with the trophy and the chance taken for a chat with the local netball star that so many look up to. Mikaela said that this season with the Mystics has been a lot of fun, and the win capped off a great season. Pictured with Mikaela, from left, are Ōrewa Beach School netballers Freya Gibbons, Sophie Bowater and Isabel Hampton.

Sociology expert at Rebus

This month’s meeting of the Rebus Club of Hibiscus Coast welcomed speaker Emeritus Professor Paul Spoonley from Massey University, pictured. His talk was entitled “The rise and rise of hate speech/politics locally – and the influence of US MAGA and QAnon politics on our online worlds”. Professor Spoonley is well-known as a commentator on population and social issues, and is now working with community groups, including the NZ Police, to address these concerns. The Rebus Club of Hibiscus Coast meets monthly and has a varied range of activities for members, partners and invited friends. Info: email Paul Robinson hibiscusrebus@gmail.com

The Hibiscus Matters team at Drag Bingo with Anita Wigl'it and Cr Greg Sayers. The Drag Queens will be back!

The Chatty Barber

The popularity of barbers is on the rise, with customers enjoying a sociable experience along with their regular haircut.

Cutting and clipper skills are key and barber Sheree Schedewy loves that part of her work.

The qualified hairdresser first took a job as a barber while doing her OE in England when she was in her 20s.

“I learned from three old Englishmen, who knew barbering inside out,” she says. “I had always wanted to do it, and I found my happy place, cutting hair all day long.”

Recently, Sheree set up her own business, The Chatty Barber, in Cammish Lane, Ōrewa.

“People tell me I talk too much – that’s where the name comes in,” she says. Now that Sheree’s three children are in college, she felt it was a good time to

commit to having her own business.

The fun began with turning an old, tired office space into an inviting and pleasant barber shop. She brought in a range of products from NishMan and set about making the space her own.

But what makes the barber shop really sing, she says, is the clients.

“We have a laugh in here,” Sheree says.

“Everyone, including families is welcome. I have all ages, but everyone gets comfortable and chats as they enjoy a haircut. With regular clients, I know their cats’ names, and they know a lot about me – it’s very social.”

Sheree has always wanted her own barber shop and says the new adventure has given her even more enthusiasm for her work.

“I am enjoying it so much with this new adventure. I have achieved something I’m proud of.”

Positive focus on youth violence

A lot of talk on social media about youth crime have led to the formation of a facebook group called Hibiscus Coast Community – Against Youth Violence.

Gulf Harbour resident Ali Butler started the group two months ago because she has two young children and wanted to be part of something positive to counter what she saw online about youth.

“Youth crime is a big issue, not just on the Coast or around NZ, but internationally,” Ali says.

Currently the page has nearly 700 members.

One of the first things the group did was attend a public forum on crime hosted by Whangaparāoa MP Mark Mitchell (HM May 15). Police, local board members and local organisations such as Coast Youth Community Trust and the community patrol attended.

Ali says it opened a good conversation, with everyone encouraged to report incidents to Police.

“It highlighted that there has been a massive public uproar about the violence,” she says.

Further meetings were held, including linking with Sara Mason of the HBC Youth Hauora Network, and local schools. Sara says when young people are struggling,

it can be a very complex issue with no quick fixes.

“The perception among some in the community is that young people can be trouble – so we need to break down that barrier,” she says. “One way is to showcase youth in a positive way and give them a voice.”

Ali agrees – “We need to include the kids and educate the general public that while there are some troubled ones who need support through the right channels, in general it’s about bringing the community together – youth and adults,” Ali says. She says local businesses are also stepping forward and talking with police about creating safe spaces.

Ali says when she started the facebook page, she expected there may be some vigilante-type comments but nothing like that came up.

“We are not part of the justice system –we just want to support structures that are already there, like community groups that work with youth. It will be important to keep organisations like the Hibiscus Coast Youth Centre going – it has a year more funding, but what then?”

To join the Facebook page, look for Hibiscus Coast Community – Against Youth Violence.

New Place, Same Face

Sheree Schedewy

Health

Dr Peter Hall peter.hall@wh.thedoctors.co.nz

The life within

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is not a name that rolls off the tongue, but he is famous for being the inventor of the microscope and the first person to see bacteria. In fact, he discovered them in vast profusion in scrapings from his own teeth.

Nowadays, we are a bit more comfortable with the idea that we have millions of microorganisms living on us, and in us, but it is only recently that we have begun to understand the role that they play in health and disease.

In the last 20 years there has been an absolute explosion of research and information about what is called ‘the human biome’ or ‘normal flora’. The sheer scale, variety and significance of this work can’t be overstated. There are 10 times more microbial cells in our body than human cells, mostly in our gut, and they are busy doing things which are highly important for our digestion, metabolism, immunity and mood. This applies from birth, with babies born vaginally having a different flora from those who exit through the sunroof. In addition, breastmilk contains substances which infants can’t digest but which feed “good” bacteria in the gut. This may be part of the reason why breastfed babies are less prone to allergies, eczema and asthma.

Aspects of our modern lifestyle, especially diet, stress and antibiotics, have adversely affected our biome. Hunter-gatherer communities have a very different balance of bacteria in their gut than we do in urbanised societies and the key difference is fibre intake. When enough fibre is available to the large bowel,

“good” bacteria dominate. These produce substances which reduce inflammation in the body and have other benefits.

On the other hand, if fibre intake is low, different varieties of bacteria take over, including some which can eat the mucus lining the bowel. This affects the immune and digestive functions of the gut, in effect breaking down the fence that separates outside from inside our bodies. The pathway to arterial disease and some cancers may be triggered by metabolites produced by these gut bacteria as well.

The human biome is increasingly conceptualised as an ecosystem, just like a rain forest or a coral reef. It can be damaged, changed or enhanced depending on human cultural factors. Species can even become extinct in the transition to a Western lifestyle. There is medical consensus that it is beneficial for most people to increase fibre intake, though it is worth doing some research about the different types of fibres and how to get the right balance.

Also, it pays to reduce highly processed food and to restore “good” bacteria by eating live culture foods. Examples of these are yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, miso, tempeh, kimchi and some cheeses. Not all of these are familiar to the Kiwi palate, so consuming enough of them can be a challenge. This makes it tempting to just buy some probiotics over the counter, but our knowledge of which ones are helpful, in what amounts and for which individuals is still very limited.

MINIBUS DRIVER REQUIRED

The acquisition of a 20 seat minibus has provided exciting new opportunities for our We need a driver who can not only drive when called upon but who can also easily fit into our team and culture. You must have a clean and current P endorsement license and have experience with public relations and passenger transport. Pick-ups and drop-offs will initially be in the Rodney region, later expanding into other North Island locations. A wheel chair ramp and mover is provided to on-board wheel chair bound passengers. This is a part-time role with 15 hours per week guaranteed. Working hours will vary from week to week, and may include weekend and evening drives and will involve waiting time. You will be responsible for complete on-road vehicle maintenance and regulatory compliance and will also be proficient with a smart phone and PC programs linked to our management information system. This is not a taxi service.

If you wish to know more about the role and how to apply

Please contact Mike on 027 564 7779

Why

New speed limit plan for schools and rural roads

Speed limits around all local schools and colleges will be reduced to 30kph – at least at drop-off and pick-up times – if a new draft speed management plan for Auckland gets the go-ahead after public consultation next month.

Katoa, Ka Ora, which means ‘all will survive’, focuses on implementing safe speed limits around more than 350 Auckland schools, but it will also mean speed reductions on many more rural roads in the Rodney area if approved.

Rodney Local Board has long advocated for speed limit parity between urban and rural schools, so welcomed the proposal to implement variable limits that would bring all roads outside schools down to 30kph at key times.

Deputy chair Louise Johnston, whose ward includes Dairy Flat Primary School on Dairy Flat Highway, has spearheaded calls to quash higher speed limits outside some rural schools and bring them into line with the rest of Auckland.

“We urgently need to roll out safe speeds outside of our rural schools,” she said. “We can’t have different standards between urban and rural schools. These are our most vulnerable road users and it is our job to protect children.

“Regardless of the reason for a vehicle crash, the speed limit will determine the outcome. This is just physics and you can’t argue with science.”

The Katoa, Ka Ora three-year speed management plan aims to meet Waka Kotahi’s requirement for safe and appropriate speeds outside all schools by December 2027, though the draft proposals are still subject to public consultation in July and confirmed funding.

If adopted, the plan will also see speeds on many rural Rodney roads that are currently 100kph reduced to 80, 60, 40 or even 30kph. These proposals are in response to local board or community requests, or are designed to “even out” areas where there are currently frequent changes in the speed limit. They will also be applied to roads that “already look and feel like a slower speed”, that have lots of walkers and cyclists, and on roads used as ratruns, Auckland Transport (AT) said.

AT road safety engineering manager Michael Brown said Katora, Ka Ora was the latest in a series of speed plans and changes and it would complement speed limit changes that have already been made elsewhere in the district. Although costs will not be finalised until after public consultation and will depend on the

number of electronic signs, raised speed tables, other signage, and so on required, he said implementation of the plan could cost between $40 million and $70 million over three years.

“The previous speed management plan had a benefit-cost ratio of 9.4 – for every $1 invested, there was $9.40 given back to Aucklanders in terms of socio-economic savings,” Brown said.

AT will apply for co-funding of 51 percent from Waka Kotahi and 49 percent will be funded by Auckland Council.

AT has already set safe speed limits for more than 3000 roads, or almost 40 percent of Auckland’s road network.

“The evidence is clear that safe speeds save lives. Data from the first phase of speed limit changes in Auckland showed a 30 percent reduction in deaths and a 20 percent reduction in serious injuries in the 24 months after safer speeds were introduced in June, 2020. In comparison, across Auckland roads where speed limits were unchanged, road deaths increased by 9 percent in the same period.”

Katoa, Ka Ora – Auckland’s draft speed management plan for 2024-27 will go out for public consultation in late July. Info: 63-draft-auckland-speed-managementplan-2024-2027.pdf (at.govt.nz)

Suggested changes

The draft speed limits implementation plan includes the following roads, in part or in full, for proposed speed cuts:

• Millwater Parkway between The Settlement and 75m south of Stella Maris Lane. From 50kph to 30/50kph variable at school start and finish times. Implementation Year 3. • Longmore Lane, Millwater, full length. From 50 kph to30/50kph variable at school start and finish times. Implementation Year 3. • Whangaparāoa Road, between 80m northeast of Gulf Harbour Drive and Mariner Drive – currently 60kph. Proposed – 50kph permanent. Implementation Year 1. The majority of Whangaparāoa Road is 50kph, and the proposed change will make the speed limit on this section consistent with the rest. • Nukumea Primary School safe school zone, east of Auckland Northern Motorway, Ōrewa. Currently 50kph. Proposed 30kph permanent. Implementation Year 3 (or when required to align with development and school opening). • Stella Maris Catholic Primary safe school zone, Silverdale, south of Millwater Parkway. Currently 50kph. Proposed 30kph permanent. Implementation Year 2 (or when required to align with engineering works in town centre). Bounded by Millwater Parkway to the north, Hibiscus Coast Highway to the southeast, and edge of the town centre area to the west. Some minor lanes assessed as 10kph but would likely need additional engineering treatments to be credible as shared zones.

Louise Johnston

Angling couple reel in top sustainability awards

A lifetime of promoting and raising awareness of the sustainability of New Zealand’s oceans and fisheries has snagged Hibiscus Coast couple Scott and Sue Tindale two top Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) awards.

At a 2023 Seafood Sustainability Awards ceremony in Parliament on June 6, the Tindales won both the Ocean Guardian Award and the overall Supreme Sustainability Award for their dedication to environmental education, conservation and research. A panel of independent judges selected the winners.

The pair are the founding directors of the Tindale Marine Research Charitable Trust. They are also both internationally renowned anglers, together accounting for hundreds of International Game Fish Association world records.

The Ocean Guardian Award, presented by National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), recognised the Tindales for having “spent a lifetime encouraging the public to take notice of their impact on the ocean environment.”

The Supreme Sustainability Award honoured them “for their ongoing contribution to educating the public and raising awareness about the sustainability of our oceans and fisheries.”

Announcing the winners, Fisheries New Zealand deputy director-general Dan Bolger said the Tindales were not only internationally renowned anglers themselves but had also “worked tirelessly

to increase public participation and interest in the health of our oceans.”

They developed a programme that has tagged thousands of fish and provides valuable information used for monitoring stocks.

Sue says the couple were humbled to realise “how much respect everyone out there has for both us and the work we do in our charitable trust.”

“We were both very surprised at winning the Ocean Guardian Award, and then when [Bolger] started to read out his speech to announce the Supreme Sustainability Award winners we both had our mouths open in shock.”

“We were totally caught off guard when we realised that he was talking about us, and that we were about to receive the top award of the night,” she says.

“Scott was speechless for the first time ever. We acknowledge all of the efforts by our supporters and members who jointly share in these awards.”

The Tindale Marine Research Charitable Trust helps to provide crucial information about New Zealand fish species to scientists here and abroad. It has also helped the Department of Conservation to locate and satellite tag endangered Great White sharks in the Kaipara Harbour.

The couple were also finalists in two categories at the inaugural Seafood Sustainability Awards, in 2020.

Info: https://tindaleresearch.org.nz/about/

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Scott and Sue Tindale at the awards with Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking (left).

Roswell calling for Manly filmmaker

Manly-based independent filmmaker David Blyth is heading for Roswell, New Mexico, where his “alien abduction musical mashup” movie inspired by Covid-19 lockdowns is set to have its world premiere on July 1.

Filmed in several parts of Auckland, including Manly Beach, Night Freaks tells the story of two ordinary New Zealanders isolating during the pandemic lockdown who meet each other after being abducted by aliens and taken to their mothership. The cast of the film, which mixes live action and cardboard animation, includes Yvette Parsons, Jemma Pollock and musician Andrew McLennan. Blyth wrote, directed and produced, and wrote lyrics for 10 original songs.

The movie will screen at the Roswell Daily Record Film Festival, an event focused on UFOs and related subjects. The Record is the paper whose 1947 story about an alleged UFO crash triggered “flying saucer” debates that continue to this day.

Going to Roswell is a “bucket list” dream for Blyth – and not just because his film will air there. Alongside the film festival is a weekend UFO Festival, featuring prominent Ufology personalities.

Blyth thinks he’s “going to fit right in” in that environment, which he adds will also provide “the perfect audience” for the film. Night Freaks was made during the pandemic and the crew was not left unaffected –both by the virus itself and by internal differences over vaccinations. There were light moments, however.

Blyth recalls cast members sporting alien masks attracting double takes and laughter on Manly Beach, the “very friendly” community he is happy to call home.

“It’s not so much boy-meets-girl,” he explains of the movie. “It’s more a story

of people going down the rabbit hole who share a certain belief, and develop a friendship, and the way we’ve seen that happen over the pandemic.”

He hopes the film leaves viewers with a sense of positive hope and connection. But he also describes it as “experimental” and acknowledges it’s “not everyone’s cup of tea”.

Blyth’s past work includes horror films Death Warmed Up (1984) and Ghost Bride (2013). By contrast, he also has a deep interest in documenting the legacy of war veterans. His Paradise Soldiers, dealing with Cook Islanders who fought alongside Kiwis in wars since World War I, has aired on national television on ANZAC Day several times since 2020.

Commenting on the wide range of his work, he says, “If I can use the analogy of eggs, I’m a free-range filmmaker, who has worked both inside and outside the caged capitalist consumer system.”

Info: https://night-freaks.com/

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David Blyth’s “alien musical” film is screened in Roswell, New Mexico, an area famous for reported alien activity, next month.

Film director David Blyth.

feature. building.construction

Brakes applied to growth

Growth in parts of Silverdale, Dairy Flat and Wainui will be shunted back at least a decade if Auckland Council adopts a draft Future Development Strategy, which is out for public feedback until July 4.

Dairy Flat representative on the Rodney Local Board, Louise Johnson, is encouraging residents to make submissions on the far-reaching proposals, which revisit the timeframes for live zoning large tracts of greenfield land.

Locally, Council wants to delay development in many areas, including Silverdale, Ōrewa and Dairy Flat, until critical infrastructure can be provided. In the case of Dairy Flat, the proposal is to push out urbanisation until 2050 and review the Future Urban zoning. It has also marked some future urban zoned land for further investigation due to infrastructure constraints, emissions reduction and natural hazards considerations.

Auckland Plan strategy and research general manager Jacques Victor says this doesn’t mean that these areas cannot be developed in the future, but there needs to be a better understanding of the impacts on people and property.

For Hatfields Beach, the strategy proposes removing greenfield land previously earmarked for future urban development

where housing would be exposed to significant natural hazards.

“Future urban (greenfield) land is an important part of the council’s overall strategy for Auckland’s growth and making sure people have housing choices available,” Victor says.

With half a million more people expected to live in Auckland by 2058, council says its plan is to make sure homes, jobs and infrastructure are built in the right places, at the right time, while also building resilience to climate change and protecting the environment.

Proposals include focusing growth in existing urban areas rather than growing more at the edges of the city, focusing development near local centres, avoiding further growth in areas which are exposed to significant risk of environmental hazards, and prioritising nature-based infrastructure that responds to the impacts of climate change.

One way that developers have got around the future urban zone timeframes, outlined in the Auckland Unitary Plan, has been through private plan changes. However, future private plan changes will face tougher rules if the draft strategy is adopted. Victor says while council has limited options to address these plan changes, the strategy proposes that priority areas for investment should be strictly followed. Once confirmed through

council’s next 10-year Budget 2024-34, funded programmes should be adhered to.

“Changes to the Auckland Unitary Plan will be made to strengthen the statutory decision-making framework for private plan changes in future urban areas.”

Planning, Environment and Parks Committee, Councillor Richard Hills says the strategy looks at the big issues around growth that affect quality of life – issues such as where people choose to live and work,

Natural hazards, climate change and other issues have caused Council to rethink development of greenfield land in Hatfields Beach, as well as delaying development in other areas of the Hibiscus Coast.

how they move around the city, resilience to natural hazards and growing in a way that both reduces emissions and adapts to climate change, to benefit future generations.

“We want to hear from Aucklanders on whether they think we have got this right.”

People can make a submission online through the Auckland Council website at: akhaveyoursay.nz/futureauckland, until July 4. The strategy can be read with this story online at www.localmatters.co.nz

There is plenty of activity at the worksite for the construction of O Mahurangi-Penlink, including the Wēiti Bridge and Duck Creek Bridge in Stillwater. As well as providing access, the work allows for the abutments to be built in this location too.

Preparations underway for Wēiti Bridge

Initial work is well underway on the western side of the Wēiti River. This work will provide access to allow Waka Kotahi contractors to build the temporary staging that is needed to build the Wēiti River bridge, on the Stillwater side.

Construction of the temporary staging will begin in August and will take approximately six months to complete.

Although the 243m long platform is temporary, it is a significant build and Waka Kotahi estimates it will be there for around three-and-a-half years.

It involves shifting 20,000 cubic metres of soil. The platform will have 64 piles, each with a 762mm diameter. The maximum pile depth will be 17m in the middle of the Weiti River.

A 280 tonne crane will be used to carry out work for the platform.

Waka Kotahi says the bridge itself will be

the first of its kind built in New Zealand. It is called an ‘extradosed’ bridge, described as a hybrid between the more traditional box girder and cable-stayed bridge designs. The box girder element means it can carry a range of services and utilities, such as power and water, to Whangaparāoa Peninsula. There’s also space for a future sewer main.

The cables allow for a longer bridge span which reduces the number of piers needed to support the bridge and thus reduces the impact on the river below.

The span arrangement enables the piers to be clear of the navigable waterway and is more respectful of ecological and cultural site constraints.

The reduced number of piers and removal of the centre pier allows clearer views and passage through the navigation channel. Improved construction methodologies,

including a reduction in temporary staging, helps to minimise greenhouse gas emissions.

A lowered entrance to the crossing fits better with the landscape, enabling 235 metres to be trimmed off the overall crossing and reducing the amount of steel and concrete required.

A reduction in the amount of concrete required significantly reduces construction emissions.

Other winter works on O Mahurangi

Penlink sites include access tracks and site access points, ground improvements and tree felling. Test pits have been dug on sections of Ara Wēiti and Whangaparāoa Roads as part of geotechnical investigations. The pits allow geotechnical experts to assess the ground for the upcoming road works and see if it’s suitable. The information gathered ensures the infrastructure is built safely and effectively.

A mahi toi (artwork) for the AraTūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway project was unveiled at a dawn ceremony last week. It forms part of a series of artworks along the road, which reflect the history and values of mana whenua in the area. The two elements are a four-metre carved pou whenua and a stainless steel pouākai giant extinct eagle. The po whenua was designed and crafted by Wyvern Rosieur (Ngāti Manuhiri), while the pouākai is the work of Nathan Hull. The artwork is a tribute to Reipae – Tohitohi o Reipae Dome Valley takes its name from the Tainui ancestress Reipae. Reipae and Reitū (her sister) travelled on the back of a large pouākai and rested in the area on their way to Whangarei. The smaller carving at the foot of the pou reflects the lives lost on the old stretch of road. “Reipae is here to protect and guide the spirits of those who have passed away, and to comfort their loved ones,” Wyvern says. The artists who worked under Wyvern were Uenuku Hawira (Ngāti Amaru), Hokimai-Anahera and Rerekapua Rosieur (Ngāti Manuhiri) and John Antonovich (Ngāti Manuhiri).

Ribbon cut on ‘holiday highway’

The journey from concept to completion was long and arduous for the Ara Tuhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway, but that was put to one side when the $877 million road was officially opened by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Friday June 16.

Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency is promising that the new 18.5km motorway will deliver improved safety, reliability and resilience for motorists, tourism and freight. It is also expected to cut five to seven minutes off a trip from Warkworth to Auckland. Although it was finished years behind schedule and more than $170 million over budget, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is an impressive stretch of road which includes seven new bridges, and a 7km culvert pipe system. Some of the cuts are up to 70 metres deep, and nearly 10 million cubic metres of earth has been moved. This is one of the largest volumes of earth to be moved on an NZ roading project to date.

To minimise the impact on the local ecology, several mitigation measures were implemented, including constructing fauna underpasses and fencing to protect native wildlife, replanting trees, and erosion control. The work took more than eight million work hours and at peak construction, more than 800 workers were on site.

A divided motorway with a central median barrier, improved road surfacing and better geometry is expected to reduce crashes by 20 to 30 percent, based on forecast traffic volumes in 2051.

Discussion about the motorway extension from Pūhoi to Wellsford started back in 2010.

It was strongly backed by the public, as well as Northland leaders, including the then Far North mayor Wayne Brown, who

said the extension was absolutely essential to the future growth of the north. The project’s resource consenting process was fast-tracked through a Governmentappointed Board of Inquiry rather than following the Environment Court hearing process. About 50 properties were progressively subsumed when the route was designated.

The first sod was turned in December 2016 when it was estimated that it would take five years to finish and cost $709.5 million. Both the pandemic and, more recently, weather disruptions caused delays and added significant costs.

The Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway is the first stage of the Ara Tūhono project. The second stage will be the 20km Warkworth to Te Hana leg, which was initially due to start in 2016 at a cost of $670 million. No start for this section has been announced.

In August last year, the government declined a Waka Kotahi request to toll the road, reflecting strong local opposition.

This month the ribbon was cut and traffic flowed on the new motorway.

Storm damaged areas get emergency fix

Two months’ worth of repair work is underway on Ōrewa Beach.

Auckland Council is undertaking the emergency response work to shore up areas damaged by erosion during recent severe weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle.

At the same time, it has been revealed that a new project is planned to address the condition of the seawall at the northern end of Ōrewa Beach (from Kohu Street northward).

Council’s programme manager, Sandra

May, says the work currently underway is to address access as well as health and safety concerns across several sections of the beach from Remembrance Reserve, Kinloch Reserve, along Marine Parade and Arundel Reserve.

It began last month, and is expected to be completed towards the end of next month depending on the weather.

The estimated total cost for the work is $180,000.

It includes restacking and bringing in more rock to protect existing assets, such as

public reserves. Damaged beach access stairs are being removed and two sets of stairs, at Kinloch Reserve and Arundel Reserve, will be replaced.

The work also covers the removal of an undermined picnic set, repair to the boat ramp at Puriri Avenue, and the replacement of a damaged boat ramp at Arundel Reserve. May says that stream protection work in Kinlock Reserve, including planting and remedial work, has been designed to tie in with the future seawall that is to be built

from Kohu Street to Marine View. However, she says these works are outside the scope area for the seawall.

“However, a new project is being created on the Regional Coastal Renewal Works Programme to address the condition of the existing seawall along the northern end of Ōrewa Beach in the future,” May says. “This project will extend from Kohu Street northward and address some of the areas in addition to the emergency response work.” She says the exact scope and timeline of this work are yet to be confirmed.

A

new

project is planned on Ōrewa Beach from Kohu Street northward.

The replacement of stairs, and protecting reserves from further erosion with rock is key to emergency work that’s underway on Ōrewa Beach.

Local solution to slip control

The amount of slips being stabilised around the North Island by Dairy Flat company Erosion Control has increased 10-fold with this year’s weather events. As the name suggests, the company specialises in stabilisation of the land – whether that be permanent (on new subdivisions or alongside motorways) or temporarily shoring up slips on private or public land.

One way they do this is by applying a combination of grass seed and recycled newspaper (including old copies of Hibiscus Matters) supplied by Ōrewa Lions Club, as well as a product called Flexterra. The company’s Auckland operations manager, Troy de Jonge, says small slips have always been part of Erosion Control’s work, but they’ve been dealing with larger ones, and a lot more of them, since Cyclone Gabrielle. He says once a digger has done as much as possible to clear a slip, the grass mix sprayed on by Erosion Control quickly gets to

work. The roots filter the water, preventing it building up behind the slip and pushing the soil forward to potentially slip again. This holds things in place until a more permanent solution can be engineered.

Locally, a lot of the slips the company assists with have been on private property in Stillwater and Whangaparāoa Peninsula. The focus recently has been on the areas worst affected by the heavy rain, such as Coromandel and Piha, where slips were preventing access.

“There we are stabilising over engineering works that have already been completed,” de Jonge says.

An important result of Erosion Control’s work, he says, is reducing dirty water runoff into waterways.

“For example, we have done a lot of stabilisation in new subdivisions like Millwater and Milldale. It ensures that any runoff is clean, which has a big impact on silt build up in our rivers and ocean.”

A local slip gets an application of Hydroseed combined with recycled newspaper supplied by Ōrewa Lions Club, then a second application of PGG Wrightson Flexterra.

Warm homes a focus of new building regulations

Changes that Government is making to the building code will impact builders of new homes in the pocket, but will also improve energy efficiency for warmer drier homes.

The changes to the H1 Energy Efficiency standards set new requirements for the thermal performance of windows and doors – where a large amount of heat is lost – as well as wall, underfloor and roof insulation. A company riding the changes with confidence is Silverdale’s Windowmakers.

Sales and project manager, Paul Keen, says the moves could be considered “a bit of a catch up” – the new standards are still well

below those of some other countries with similar climates, including Ireland, he says. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment proposed the changes in consultation with the industry.

It has meant significant re-development of products, and architects having to incorporate the new standards into every home they design.

The standards for aluminium joinery are measured by thermal resistance (an R value). Until the first changes came in, last month, that R value was 0.26 – achieved with standard double glazing and nonthermally broken frames. In November last year, that standard rose to 0.37 and from November 2 this year, it will rise again to 0.46 – an overall 76 percent increase. This means aluminium window frames will need to be thermally broken – this creates a barrier between the frame and the home. As well as double glazing, low Emissivity glass (or Low E-glass) will need to be used. All new residential builds will need to meet

the new standards, which will increase costs. Any structural changes to existing homes that need resource consent will also have to comply.

Keen says with 35-50 percent of heat lost through windows and doors, this was an area that needed to be addressed in New Zealand and will result in healthier homes. He says some current home builders his company is working with are upgrading to meet the November standards anyway and that the industry is publicising the changes to increase awareness.

Info: search H1 Energy Efficiency at www. building.govt.nz/

All new residential builds will need to meet the new standards, which will increase costs

Windowmakers’ Paul Keen says the new compliance standards for warm dry homes are long overdue. Inset, New regulations aim to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows and doors.

End of an era for Auckland Council Ōrewa building

A building complex in Ōrewa, complete with a Council chamber that has seen many debates and community presentations over the years, is to become a business park.

Council owned artwork, furniture and signs are being moved out and public services (such as rate paying and information) are relocating to Ōrewa Library and will be available there starting on July 1 (HM May 15).

Ōrewa Service Centre, at 50 Centreway Road, was the headquarters of the former Rodney District Council, which spent more than $20 million on an extension just prior to the formation of Auckland Council.

The 1.9ha site, zoned Mixed Use, was sold by Council to Sustainable Property Investments in 2020. Council has since been leasing space in there but that expires next month. Although definite dates are as yet unknown, Council is expecting to fully vacate the premises by the end of August.

The council chambers have been the main meeting place for the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board since the formation of the super city. When the sale of the building

was originally mooted, in 2018, the local board sought assurances that it would have another purpose built alternative for its public meetings. Council staff have suggested that there will be meeting space in Ōrewa Library when that is rebuilt, and in the meantime the local board is expected to move to another site – potentially its East Coast Bays site in Browns Bay – for all meetings. The exact date for that is as yet unknown – even to the local board itself.

Once it shifts, it may have to remain at that base until the end of next year, which is when the reconstruction of Ōrewa Library, which includes a new mezzanine floor, is expected to be complete (HM April 17).

Meanwhile, 50 Centreway Road is being advertised online as Nexus Business Park. Bayleys commercial real estate agent Alex Perigo says details of how that could look are still being worked on.

Online marketing describes the site as ready to accommodate “diverse business needs”.

“Nexus Ōrewa aims to be a thriving community hub…with abundant space and an open approach to development,” it says.

This building has been the base for the local Council since Rodney District Council days but that is expected to end in August.

Neighbourhood gets new park

Auckland Council is in the process of transforming a small reserve at 86 Harvest Ave in Ōrewa, into a neighbourhood park and play area. There is a total budget of $800,000 already approved for developing the park and given the pace of growth in the area, Council considers the work a high priority to meet local recreational needs.

The reserve is just under 3000sqm, and what will be included in the space has involved a process of public consultation. This has informed the design, including locating the playground with issues such as neighbours overlooking it, and noise, taken into account.

The concept plan was presented to the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board at its workshop on June 13, where it met a warm reception.

Parks and Community Facilities programme manager Sandra May, who presented the concept plan, said is it naturally “quite a boggy site” that has an overland flow path through it. However, she told members that the park

has been designed with that in mind. Another issue raised was how colourful the playground equipment should be. The theme is ‘nature’ and much of the equipment selected is in natural materials.

Two local board members – chair Gary Brown and Jake Law – suggested that bright colours are enjoyed by children and would be good in what can be very neutralcoloured new developments.

However, May said the equipment was chosen as a result of feedback from the children themselves, as well as adults.

“While children did prefer bright colours, the equipment they preferred was in natural tones,” she said.

A desire for more shade trees was also raised by members, rather than the shade sail suggested in the concept design. The plan will go to a local board business meeting for approval in July or August. The project is expected to take around a year to complete.

w Backstories www.localmatters.co.nz

HM June 27 and October 17, 2022

The playground will have a range of play equipment, seating, planting and open space.

The concept plan for the neighbourhood park in Harvest Ave.

New Coastie

Ed Amon edamonnz@gmail.com

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I am going to have a baby this summer. The news did not come as a shock because we planned it. The shock came when I saw the first scan of the tiny wiggly worm growing in my wife’s belly. There was a sudden current of joy. However, the joy could not be shared with the world because societal convention dictated that I wait until a healthy fourteenweek scan. That seven-week wait was a very anxious time because there is a greater chance of miscarriage. It was also an anxious time because I had my mother on my back for the last couple of years about giving her a grandchild. Since our wedding, every time I talked to her, she would interrogate me like the prominent New Zealand journalist, John Campbell, about my “progress”. Thankfully, the fourteen-week scan got an excellent pass mark. It was time to inform people about the arrival of a new human being in my family. My mother was as joyous as John Campbell whenever the Hurricanes win at Super Rugby. A poor goat in Pakistan got the short end of the stick because my parents sacrificed it as a custom and distributed the meat to people who cannot afford to eat meat. My baby, only fourteen weeks in the belly, was already, indirectly, not a vegetarian. Poor goat. Thank goodness John Campbell does not sacrifice a goat whenever the Hurricanes win.

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‘Hope in the face of loss’: Hospice honours long-term volunteers

Harbour Hospice last week honoured longstanding volunteers and staff for their service, as the charity celebrates a milestone anniversary.

Of a total of 125 volunteers and 25 staff members across Harbour Hospice awarded for service ranging from five to 35 years, 30 of them serving the Hibiscus Coast community were recognised at an event in Red Beach.

Among them was Carol Bell of Army Bay, whose 25 years of volunteering has included working in Harbour Hospice shops, baking cakes, and giving new life to donated dry flowers by creating bouquets to be sold.

“It’s nice to help people and it makes you feel good,” the 72-year-old said of her work, adding that it also keeps her busy – “and the more busy you are the more energy you get.”

Topping the list for long service was Jan Adams, honoured for 30 years of

volunteering ranging from fundraising events to creating quilts for patients.

Glennis Farrell and Doreen Bunker, both working in Harbour Hospice shops, received 25-year badges.

she said. “And the years just clock up. It’s not like I’m trying to attain the years – they clock up because you enjoy what you’re doing, and it’s meaningful.”

The dress show was inspired by reminiscences shared by patients over Yvonne’s years as a volunteer life story writer. Typically, Yvonne will sit with a patient for about an hour at a time, allowing them to tell their stories, which often tend to be about their youth.

“You’re given a privilege to enter into someone’s history,” she says. “It’s really lovely.”

opportunity to show our volunteers just how much we appreciate them, as well as thank them for their dedication, hard work and loyalty,” said chief executive Jan Nichols.

“Without the dedicated support of our volunteers – whether they were there at the start or joined us last year – we are incredibly grateful to them all,” she said. “Without our volunteers we couldn’t provide the community with the palliative care that we do.”

Recognised for 15 years’ service was Yvonne Payne of Stanmore Bay, who recently organized a show featuring original wedding dresses from the 1950s through to the present, raising $15,500 for Harbour Hospice.

“I do what I do for hospice because I like everything about it, the reason behind it,”

This year’s awards come as Harbour Hospice marks its 40th birthday. Over the decades it has grown from a one-car, one-nurse operation to one with more than 230 staff supported by more than 1200 volunteers. Last year those volunteers enabled the provision of free care for 1239 patients and their families.

“Our long-service awards give us an

During the awards ceremony, Jan read out excerpts of a letter from a woman whose family was touched by Harbour Hospice staff and volunteers.

“Your work is so important for those dealing with the end of life crisis,” the writer concluded. “But just as importantly it affirms values that are often hidden in society – giving heart in times of sadness, and hope in the face of loss.”

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From left, Yvonne Payne has been volunteering for Harbour Hospice for 15 years. Carol Bell, a volunteer for 25 years, with some of her floral creations. Harbour Hospice also honoured long-serving staff members, including spiritual carer Vincent Maire, seen here receiving his 15-year award from community nurse team leader Jarna Standen.

25 years of volunteering

A volunteer who has assisted North Shore Riding for the Disabled (RDA) for 25 years was thanked for her long service at the group’s annual meeting last month.

Colleen Masters of Whangaparāoa started with RDA at Woolly Bear Farm in Albany in early 1998 and moved on to its current premises in Stillwater when the group relocated in 2000.

She says it all started with a coincidental meeting at a Christmas street barbecue, and a conversation with a neighbour who was already a volunteer at North Shore RDA. Colleen freely admits to having no experience with horses at that time (apart from having once fallen off one) and certainly no knowledge of children with special needs or a disability.

Starting as a side walker and then leader, Colleen has handled every possible volunteer job the group has to offer. For many years she was a day leader, has served on the committee and associated

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Charitable Trust Board for lengthy periods. Committee member Tim Lofts says even now, in her 80’s, she continues to be at the group each week, managing our Day Boards.

“Her good humour and energy are truly infectious,” he says.

Colleen says her work at RDA has been very rewarding.

“I have met so many wonderful people, and value the friendships of many. The additional experience and fellowship I have gained is invaluable. It truly has been a wonderful journey.”

Not only was her achievement recognised by North Shore RDA, she was also runnerup in the National Volunteer of the Year, awarded at last month’s New Zealand RDA National Conference.

That milestone behind her, Colleen is carrying on her weekly volunteering at RDA. Tim says he joked that RDA will have to come up with an even better award when she hits 30 years’ service!

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Pop in after 3pm (except Mondays) & get a free members’ entry pass for the day: Hibiscus Coast RSA | 43 Vipond Road | http://hbcrsa.org.nz

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Long serving RDA volunteer Colleen Masters with her award, flanked by Tim Lofts, North Shore RDA president, left, and Dave Grey, an original trustee of the North Shore RDA Charitable Trust.

Fundraising one step at a time

Ōrewa’s Danielle Watson has chosen a World Vision fundraising challenge that involves getting out of her comfort zone and spending hours on a treadmill as well as walking outside. The 20-year-old’s goal is to walk 400km in 40 days.

“World Vision challenges people to take 40 hours or 40 days and try and understand what life must be like for those less fortunate than ourselves,” she says. “As someone who is out of breath at the top of a flight of stairs, and parks as close as possible to any store to avoid walking, I thought this would be a suitably big challenge for me,” she says.

As Danielle is currently off work because of concussion, she is using a treadmill to do

most of the walking. Once she has walked for a few weeks on that, she aims to walk around Ōrewa.

“I am determined to finish the 40 days because it is such a good cause – if you are going to push yourself to do something hard I believe that doing it for a cause is the best motivation both for myself, and people following my journey.”

She started her walk on Monday, June 12 and will finish on Friday, July 21.

Danielle will be tracking her progress on social media using the hashtag #400kin40Days

Donations can be made to her fundraising page: https://my.worldvision.org.nz/d/ss/ F6HvuO/danielle-maree-watson

Students prepare care parcels

Students from Red Beach’s Kingsway School spent Saturday, June 17 putting together 200 care packages for the Auckland City Mission as part of this year’s World Vision 40 Hour Challenge.

Year 13 student Connor Thompson had the idea of getting 40 students packing hygiene care packages to raise funds.

The idea was supported by the school and Connor’s fellow students who rallied to help. The packages were delivered to the Auckland City Mission the following day, and the school raised more than $5000 for World Vision.

Connor says he is very proud and thankful to his peers for giving up their time to help. The World Vision 40 Hour Challenge is NZ’s biggest youth fundraising event and this year the focus is on bringing clean water to children such as those in Malawi, where every day, 11 children under the age

Connor Thompson with some of the packages destined for the Auckland City Mission.

of five die from diseases related to dirty water.

Danielle Watson is hitting the treadmill to reach her 40 day fundraising goal.

Lauraine Jacobs

www.laurainejacobs.co.nz/blog/

Simple seasonal dinners

We’re always in a hurry to get dinner out on the table for hungry appetites. Weekday meals seem to be the problem, as along with others, I always seem to enjoy cooking slightly more thoughtful and complicated food on the weekend. That’s the time to make intricate soups, slow cooked casseroles and layered pasta dishes that need intricate preparation. But fast food for those busy worknights shouldn’t be just grab-and-gobble type food, which can become a real habit. Too often great flavours are lost in the rush to get dinner ready. Our pantries and refrigerators are often filled with odd bottles and jars of sauces and condiments that can elevate a simple stir fry or a steamed dinner with a jolt of extra flavour. Like most people, I have soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, black-bean sauce, sweet chilli sauce and numerous packets of spices and dried herbs just sitting there waiting to jazz up my food. Those sauces and ingredients, when added during the cooking process, add far more flavour than simply tossing a little over the finished pates at serving time. Good old Thai sweet chilli sauce is probably the most overused sauce ever sold in the supermarket. It only takes an extra minute or two to sizzle a little ginger, garlic and some spice with a good splash of oil in the pan before adding vegetables or meat and fish. What a difference that will make to lift the dish. The other products that sit on the shelves that are really useful are ready prepared pestos – jars of intensively flavoured nut based sauces that can so easily be stirred through near the end of cooking time for a real wallop of flavour.

I confess that onions don’t sit well with me, but my husband adores anything in the allium family. So I have started making sweet and sour onions by the jarful, and a real dollop of that on top of his dinner makes him (and me) happy.

I have loads of broccoli in the garden to gather each night. It has been a family favourite vegetable, even to the point we he had a cat, Mozart, who lived with us for 20 years and the only time he ever jumped on the kitchen bench was to steal broccoli, either raw or cooked! The trick to serving broccoli is to cook it so it’s tender but still a bright green colour. I like to steam it, even for a stir-fry like this week’s recipe, and then add it merely to reheat very quickly before serving. The other pantry staple often overlooked are packets of rice stick noodles, with a lovely soft texture that’s really appealing. They are also inexpensive. Try them, they’re so easy to use but you could also use any other dried noodles on hand.

into strips

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets

2 small carrots, peeled and cut into thin diagonals

2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil

2 bundles rice stick noodles

6cm piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks

For the onions:

2 red onions

4 tbsp honey

1 tsp whole allspice

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 cup red wine or cider vinegar

For a garnish: Mint or parsley leaves

Make the onions first or well ahead of time by slicing them thinly. Put the vinegar in a pan with the honey, allspice and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the sliced onions and simmer for 3 minutes. Allow to cool. Store in a jar.

To marinate the beef, put the sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic together in a bowl and add the beef until you’re ready to cook it. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 3 minutes until it softens but remains bright green. Keep aside. Put the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok and toss in the carrots over high heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, scoop them out and keep aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the rice noodles, cooking them for 4 minutes, strain, toss an extra tablespoon sesame oil through them and keep the warm. Add a little extra oil to the pan the carrots were cooked in (if needed) and return the pan to high heat. Add the ginger and some extra garlic and sizzle for a minute before adding the beef and tossing vigorously until it browns. Add any marinade, with the broccoli and carrots to reheat quickly. Finally add the cooked noodles with about ¼ cup boiling water to keep it all moist, and toss well. Serve on heated plates, garnished with some sweet and sour onions and a few mint sprigs. Serves 2, but can be doubled.

Taste of Brick Bay

Taste of Brick Bay

Ginger beef and broccoli on rice noodles

4 slices thin cut beef (schnitzel cut) sliced

Home games of two halves for Raiders

Both games at Hibiscus Coast Raiders’ Stanmore Bay grounds on Saturday, June 10 saw the home side come out on top. Raiders’ Reserves and Premier teams both played the Manurewa Marlins, with the Reserves earning a decisive 40-26 victory, and the Premiers holding out a tenacious and resilient opposition for a 28-16 win. The following weekend, the home games were a different story, when the Premiers and Reserves took on the top of the table Otara Scorpions. At times the Premiers came close after coming back strongly in the second half, but the final score was 22-16 to Otara. The Reserves’ unbeaten run came to an end when the injury depleted side went down 50 -26 to Otara. Raiders were still in the contest, with the score 2022 at half time. But a barrage of skill and power from Otara saw them pull away for a convincing win.

Loss puts Coast men on back foot

A top of the table clash between Hibiscus Coast men’s football team and East Coast Bays on June 10 set things up for a must-win match for the home side on June 24. On June 10 the visitors were two up within 27 minutes and a second goal followed in the 36th minute, scored by Nicolai Berry. The score remained 2-0 at the break and the home side were struggling against a quick and lethal East Coast Bays attack. The second half started with a flurry of goals, one for each side. First Dylan Stansfield scored for East Coast and then a minute later Adam Dickinson added one for the home team. At the half way stage in the competition, this put East Coast Bays on top and moved Hibiscus Coast back to fourth place in the standings. This result means a must-win clash at home for Hibiscus Coast on June 24 (after this paper went to print). There are only a few points between the top four sides but Hibiscus Coast needs to beat second placed Tauranga on June 24 or they will be far off the pace.

Clockwise from above, Mike Williams in the game v Otara, Epoki Teu takes Marlins on. Raiders’ Reserves Taine TeKiri spectacular try vs Marlins. Photos, Roger Reid

Clockwise from above left, Captains meet before the game – Nathan Canton (Coast) and East Coast Bays’ Lewis Caunter. With the ball Ethan Usher. Julian Stevenson.

Photos, Carla Newman, Jermacsz

Celebration of the voice

The joy of singing is what brings the NZ Male Choir and the Hibiscus Coast Singers together for an afternoon of music in Ōrewa next month.

The two choirs – around 80 singers in total – will perform both separately and together, presenting music from modern shows to opera, from African American spirituals to Guys & Dolls, from Lerner & Loewe to Beethoven.

The NZ Male Choir has more than 50 members who come from all parts of the country. Conducted by Hawkes Bay’s Joe Christensen, the choir sings a range of music including classical, folk, waiata, gospel, operatic, popular, jazz, and contemporary. It has entertained audiences both nationally and internationally for the past 23 years including a number of tours throughout Europe, Australia, and Canada.

Christensen, who has been with the choir for almost seven years, says he is looking forward to the Ōrewa show himself.

“I have really enjoyed the challenge of working with the men and melding the four voice parts to produce a quality sound,” he says. “They have been rehearsing hard for this concert. Added to this, we will have Fiona McCabe from Hastings as our accompanist, who brings a dynamism to her playing which in turn lifts the choir.”

The Hibiscus Coast Singers, a four-part mixed voice choir, led by director of music Robyn Allen Goudge, and accompanied by Michael Bell, will perform a water-themed repertoire, including arrangements by John Rutter.

The highlight of the concert will be the combined choirs’ performance of The Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and featuring soprano soloist Sue Elliot.

This will be the Hibiscus Coast Singers’ first concert since December 2021, and they are excited at the prospect of performing in front of a live audience again.

The New Zealand Male Choir and the Hibiscus Coast Singers will perform at the Ōrewa Arts & Events Centre, 80 Riverside Road, Ōrewa, on Saturday, July 8, at 2.30pm. Tickets from iTICKET or coastsingers@gmail.com and also at the door. Adults: $30; Seniors/Students $25; Children under 12 free.

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PUBLIC NOTICE

DELIVERERS URGENTLY WANTED TO DELIVER HIBISCUS MATTERS

To: Stanmore Bay • Matakatia Milldale• Red Beach

Hibiscus Matters is a fortnightly paper, pays good rates. ph Rosemary 021 0300 263 or email name, contact details & age to: hmdelivery@localmatters.co.nz

What’s on ...

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

7-July 2 Ukraine: A War Diary of Lives exhibition and fundraiser, Estuary Arts Centre, Western Reserve, Ōrewa. Photos, art, stories, plus an art auction, workshop and Ukranian cuisine.

28 Protect Yourself from Scammers, Whangaparāoa Library, 10.30am. Learn how to protect yourself from online scammers. Join librarian and IT expert Phil, as he explains various online scams and how to keep yourself safe from them. RSVP: WhangaparāoaLibraryEvents@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

28 Mark Taipari, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Stanmore Bay, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Free entry.

29 Ōrewa Library presents Four seasons of Health and Wellness by LeeAnne, 11am-12.30pm. Celebrating holistic Māori health. Booking is essential as spaces are limited – call into the library to find out more.

29–July 2 Pūhoi 160th celebrations, includes a lunch, dance and church service. Info and tickets puhoibohemianmuseum@gmail.com or ph 027 211 0316.

30 Food Truck Friday, Drifter Coffee, 3 George Lowe Place, Ōrewa, 6pm-9pm. Tasty food, drink and good times to be shared. Bring the whole family.

30 The Sons play Paraoa Brewing Co, 719A Whangaparāoa Road, Whangaparāoa, 8.30pm-11.30pm. Free event.

1 Community planting day, Maygrove Esplanade Reserve, Ōrewa, starts 10am. Access the park via the walkway between 53-57 Maygrove Drive. Bring/wear: gardening gloves, water bottle, rain coat, sunblock, sturdy shoes/boots and a spade if you have one. Info: email: deborah@restorehb. org.nz or call 028 414 2505, https://fb.me/e/3B6CHpsTp

1 Kevin Greaves, James Ray and Nick Jones, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 7pm-10.30pm. Tickets $15pp at the bar and on Eventfinda.

3-30 Matariki exhibition in conjunction with the Auckland Matariki Festival, Estuary Arts Centre, Western Reserve, Ōrewa.

5 Steve Coppard, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 6:30pm. Free entry.

5-30 Lisa and Co Creative Life with DID exhibition, Estuary Arts Centre, Western Reserve, Ōrewa. (see story p1)

7 Twilight mid-winter Christmas market, Ōrewa Square, 4pm-8pm. Market stalls, live music and more.

8 NZ Male Choir and Hibiscus Coast Singers, Ōrewa Arts & Events Centre, 2.30pm. (see story & ad p29)

9 Andrew Crozier, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 4pm-7pm. Free entry.

12 Tony Blomfield, Hibiscus Coast RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 6:30pm-8.30pm. Free entry.

14 Matariki celebration, Ōrewa Beach (in front of surf club), 6am. Led by Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa Marae. Celebrate the rising of Matariki star cluster and start of the Māori new year. Reflection and remembrance, including honouring loved ones who have passed and sharing mātauranga Māori. Wear warm clothes and bring rain gear and a seat if you wish. Sausage sizzle, hot drinks, and soup provided. For catering purposes, register at https://bit.ly/3NacGSo

15 Dolly & Kenny plus hoedown with Toucan, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 7pm-10pm. Entry $15, tickets at the bar and on Eventfinda.

16 Community Planting day at Shakespear Open Sanctuary, starts 10am. Park at Army Bay carpark and follow signs. Register at Eventbrite.

16 Sandy, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 4pm-7pm. Entry free.

19 Maritime adventurer Mike Pignéguy presents a talk about sailing in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, Whangaparāoa Library, Main Street, Whangaparāoa 10.30am. First in a series of talks. RSVP essential to WhangaparaoaLibraryEvents@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

19 Sharón Blow, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 6:30pm-8.30pm. Free entry.

22 Wonderland Glow Show, Centrestage Theatre, Ōrewa, 10am and 11.30am. Giant glow in the dark puppetry. Tickets from the box office, phone 09 426 7282 (Tuesday to Friday 10am till 2pm) or email manager@ centrestagetheatre.co.nz

22 Auckland Arm Wrestling Champs, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 9am-6pm.

22 Steve Coppard, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 7pm-10.30pm. Free entry.

23 Ben Deverell, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, 43A Vipond Road, Whangaparāoa, 4pm-7pm. Free entry.

Pharmacy Talk

with Tania Adams

FREE Pharmacy Services

MINOR HEALTH CONDITIONS

This winter, Unichem Manly Pharmacy (and some other selected pharmacies) has been chosen by Te Whatu Ora to provide a free Minor Health Conditions Service to our Coastie community.

Minor health conditions are those that can be managed with advice, self-care and in some cases, medicines provided by our pharmacists. Proper management of minor health conditions can prevent more serious conditions from developing or prevent further costly treatment.

What does this free service include? Our pharmacists can give you trusted advice to manage your condition. If recommended, they can provide free treatment options including medicine. If your condition needs further support, they can help you navigate the health system by recommending the best place for you to go for your condition.

Who is eligible? Those eligible for the service are all children aged under 14 years, community service card holders and all Māori and Pacific people. The service runs over winter, from now until Saturday 30 September while our health system is a little stretched.

The following minor health conditions are included in this service: Acute diarrhoea

• Dehydration

• Eye inflammation and infection

• Scabies

• Head lice

• Pain and fever

• Eczema/Dermatitis

• Minor skin infections

• SORE THROAT CONSULTATION SERVICE*

You can have a FREE sore throat consultation at Unichem Manly Pharmacy. Did you know that 8 out of 10 sore throats in adults are because of a virus that can’t be treated with antibiotics?

It’s important to know whether your sore throat is caused by a virus or by a bacteria because that will determine what kind of treatment you need. If you have a sore throat caused by a bacteria, you may need antibiotics and medicines to help you with symptoms such as pain and/or fever. Whereas if your sore throat is caused by a virus, treatment will be limited to treating your symptoms.

Unfortunately, overuse of antibiotics is contributing to a rapid rise in antibiotic resistance. The more we use antibiotics, the more opportunities we give the bacteria to adapt and fight back against them. If overuse of antibiotics continues, they’ll be less effective in treating diseases in the future when we really need them.

So how do you know if you have a sore throat caused by a bacterial infection or a viral infection? To help this problem, Unichem Manly Pharmacy is providing a quick, free consultation service for people with sore throats, including a strep throat test* This is great news if you aren’t sure if your sore throat is bacterial or viral and whether you might need to visit your doctor for antibiotics.

Pharmacist at Unichem Manly

Helping hands for little bush reserve

Many Hibiscus Coast residents may have never heard of Otanerau Reserve – a small, “but large enough to get lost in” patch of native bush in Hatfield’s Beach. Auckland Council designated it a Significant Ecological Area, with its diverse native plant species and birdlife that includes grey warblers, kereru and ruru (morepork).

The reserve is bordered by Otanerua stream on one side, and when this flooded on Auckland Anniversary weekend, a large

amount of debris was washed up into the bush.

The community planting day there, on June 18, therefore focused on the riparian margin with 20 trays of native carex grasses planted to stabilise the bank and provide habitat. Attention was also paid to the street side entrance to the reserve, replacing plants that had been lost to wet feet.

The planting was organised by Restore Hibiscus & Bays. Its ecological restoration

advisor, Deborah Colson, says since work began in the reserve, in late 2021, large amounts of weed species including climbing asparagus, monkey apple and ginger, has been removed. Pest Free Hibiscus Coast is also trapping possums and rats there.

Volunteer planter Colin Christie, and his wife Tori, have been helping at the reserve since the start. He says each time, they get some rubbish out and some goodness back in.

Although it’s not a large reserve, he says it is still significant for the Coast.

“When you join all these little spots up, you make pathways for wildlife,” he says. A group of Hatfields Beach locals are caring for the reserve with weeding and maintenance work carried out on a Sunday, and also weekly on Thursdays. To find out more, or join their merry band (even if you’d rather bake muffins for the crew than plant yourself), email deborah@restorehb.org.nz

Volunteer planters, from left, Alee Smallman, Caitlin and Nicola Bond and Jill Green. From top, Planting grasses by the stream are Kelly Paddison, left and her neighbour Chrissy Henley, right, assisted by Deborah Colson, Restore Hibiscus & Bays ecological restoration advisor. Colin Christie says there is a real community feel to the work done at the reserve by locals.