Mahurangi Matters_Issue 228_19 June 2013 by Localmatters

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19 June 2013

Inside this issue

Students star in ‘mystery’ musical

Smoking & alcohol ban

Mahurangi College students (back, from left) Becky Moon, Sam Stevenson, Daniel Collings, and (front) Elspeth Free, Jessie Wrigglesworth and Nicholas Lee prepare for their big night. See story page 3.

Council cracks down in public places

page 3

New rules for Matakana Auckland Council approves Plan Change 64

page 6

Volunteer Week We salute those who give a helping hand

pages 18 to 21

Warning over double-digit rates hikes The likelihood of double-digit rates increases for many Rodney residents over the next three years looks set to become an issue in this year’s local body elections. At least one of the candidates for the of the Mahurangi East Residents and increased by at least 46 percent. Rodney Local Board is concerned that Ratepayers Association, is unimpressed While Auckland Council has tried to many residents do not seem to realise that his own rates have already increased manage the transition as best it can, how big the hikes will be. by 30 percent since amalgamation. it is unable to show what additional Dr Bruce Scoggins, who is chairman By next year, he expects them to have continued page 2

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page 39

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services it has provided for the extra money, he says. There are two main reasons for the rate hikes so far: a gradual decrease in business rates which is being passed on to residents, and a move to base rates on capital value rather than land value. From next year, several more factors will come into play: the end of a 10 percent cap on rate increases, and a recalculation of property values. Those whose rural properties are rezoned urban as part of the new rural urban boundary for Warkworth will also face a 10 percent increase. Dr Scoggins believes most properties worth more than $500,000 are likely to see big increases. “We can show you properties in Scotts Landing whose capital valuation today is less than it was seven years ago, and yet their rates have doubled.” He believes rural residents, in particular, have got the raw end of the deal, especially as their pleas for basic infrastructure such as sealed roads and improved water supply have been given little weight. He has been lobbying for a lower differential for rural ratepayers, on the basis that the law requires rates to be “fair and equitable”. The issue of rates increases is believed to be a major factor behind the National Government’s drive to Westinghouse Electric Ovens

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reform local government. At a meeting attended by around 130 people in Wellsford last month, Environment Minister Amy Adams slammed local government processes. She said she was “constantly disappointed” by the low turnout at council elections and suggested residents be more active in finding representatives “who can stand and get in there and fight for you”. “If you don’t think the leadership is right, you need to think long and hard … about who you are voting on to them,” she told the meeting. Nominations for this year’s local body elections don’t close until the middle of August, but there are already indications there are likely to be changes on the Rodney Local Board. Both chairman Bob Howard and deputy chairman Steve Garner have confirmed they will be standing again. However, New Zealand First MP Tracey Martin is standing down. Around 20 people attended an information meeting for potential candidates in Orewa recently. Dr Scoggins has already announced that he will be putting his name forward. “My view would be that we need strong local leadership if we’re going to get some of these issues resolved for our community.” Mitsubishi Frigeration

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Council cracks down on smoking and drinking Smoking and drinking could soon be banned in some of Mahurangi’s most popular public areas. Efforts by the Rodney Local Board WH ARF and the police to impose a liquor STREET ban in central Warkworth have been successful, and could be in place BA XTER within weeks. STREET The board has also backed a push by Auckland Council to introduce a voluntary ban on smoking in public places and at public events from September this year. The Warkworth liquor ban will be imposed from 6pm to 6am, seven WAR days a week, in Lucy Moore Memorial KW ORT Park, in Baxter St, in Queen St from HS T Neville St to Wharf St, in Wharf St, in the riverside reserve from Lucy Moore Memorial Park to Wharf St, and at the Baxter St carpark. It was approved by Auckland Council’s regulatory and bylaws committee last January this year, including just four month, proposes that all playgrounds, week and will come into effect once for being drunk in public, and Council skate parks, sports fields, parks and signs are erected and the public is has acknowledged that much of the reserves should be smoke-free from evidence of anti-social behaviour is September this year. Local board given at least two weeks’ warning. From December 18, police will be anecdotal. However, police believe the members wanted to include beaches as able to impose instant fines of $250 ban will be a useful tool in preventing well, but Council has decided to leave such incidents. beaches until 2018. for liquor ban breaches. Attempts by Council to impose a The policy has been derided in some The move comes despite doubts from voluntary ban on smoking in public quarters, because Council is not yet some Council staff that Warkworth could prove more controversial. proposing to make it a bylaw. It has has a serious problem with anti-social behaviour, and despite concerns that It is already illegal to smoke in acknowledged it cannot afford the a ban will simply shift any problems workplaces. But there was heated cost of making sure people comply, to other locations. Some residents debate among Rodney Local Board and therefore no fines will be issued. have also expressed concerns that a members this month about whether However, several local board members ban could prevent the public from attempts to extend the ban to public are still opposed to the policy. Tracey places and public events was going too Martin described it as a “dumb enjoying evening picnics in the park. idea” that would become a “bloody Police data shows there were far. 68 offences recorded in central The draft policy, which is due to be minefield”. Cigarettes were not illegal Warkworth between July last year and approved by a Council committee next she said. “It is Prohibition — just a

Students star in ‘mystery’ musical It features a genie, and a lamp. And a guy called Aladdin. So you can probably guess the title of Mahurangi College’s senior production for 2013. However, copyright laws mean the school is not allowed to mention its name, as US-based media giant Disney has already sold the production rights to the musical version of the timeless tale in this part of the world. The issue has caused huge controversy

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in some countries where school productions have been shut down for breaching the rules, but the Mahurangi College performers are simply getting on with the show, ready for opening night on June 29. Wendy Sutherland, who has been overseeing the college’s productions since 2002, is directing again this year. She is also organising the lighting, producing, and making all the

The area covered by the Warkworth liquor ban.

different substance.” James Colville said he was concerned that although the ban was voluntary for now, it was likely to become compulsory. Both voted against the policy, along with Brenda Steele. Although some board members expressed concern the ban might upset tourists, others said smokers had no right to impose secondhand smoke on other people. What do you think? Is a voluntary ban on smoking in public places a good idea? To see the Rodney Local Board’s presentation on the liquor ban, see www.localmatters.co.nz

from page 1 costumes. The turbans have proven especially tricky, and a flying fish flew out of control during rehearsals. But a generous donation of costume jewellery has definitely added a certain sparkle to the spectacle. “I haven’t had a lot of sleep in the last few weeks,” Wendy admits. “But they’re a fabulous group of kids to work with.” Others helping to put the show

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together include associate producer Jane Newby, musical director Lyn Dashper, and technical director Scott Dirven. About 70 students are involved. The leads include Nicholas Lee, who plays Aladdin, and Jessie Wrigglesworth, who plays Jasmine. Tickets cost $10 for students and senior citizens, $20 for adults, and $50 for families, and are available from the school.

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OFF THE RECORD Positive potholes Puhoi Forum members frustrated at the lack of action on a traffic management plan for the town have come up with their own cost-effective ideas to help curb speeding through the village. As well as speed bumps and painted panels on the tarmac, suggestions included digging a few potholes in the road, and requiring bikers to walk their bikes out of town.

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FEEDBACK

Letters can be sent to editor@localmatters.co.nz or PO Box 701, Warkworth

Tamahunga Trappers I would like to acknowledge the Tamahunga Trappers and the work they do. I explored Tamahunga quite a lot in the 1990s, and as it was then home to hundreds of goats, pigs and other pest animals. It was a very sorry sight. The undergrowth consisted of about four unpalatable species and little else. Now, due to the efforts of the Trappers, the bush is recovering at a remarkable rate and the undergrowth is a head-high mix of many species of plants. On a recent visit I found that the perching asteliads were flowering and fruiting well. That is a sight that is rarely seen where possums are present. Kohekohe trees were festooned with sprays of white flowers; these, too, are

a favourite food for possums. Used, as I am, to our silent forests, I was pleased to hear the almost constant swish of pigeon wings, the calls of many tui, a “squawk” from a kaka, and the sight of grey warblers. More birds mean greater seed dispersal, and with rat numbers being knocked back, the seeds are surviving to germinate. My reward for climbing in wet and slippery conditions was to add a new plant to the already large species list for the mountain. This was a minute, lacy little fern called Asplenium hookerianum. Although it grows quite commonly further south, it is sparse in Northland. If readers are interested to check out this fern, go to www. NZPCN.org.nz and type in the Latin name, then double click on the little picture to see more.

Thank you Tamahunga Trappers, your work is appreciated. Maureen Young, Warkworth For more on the Tamahunga Trappers, see p23 – Editor

Correction June Turner’s letter in the June 5 issue of Mahurangi Matters should have read: “There were no funds for road sealing, but funds for the new library in Wellsford.” We welcome your letters but letters under 300 words are preferred. We reserve the right to abridge them as necessary. Unabridged versions can be read under Opinion at www.localmatters.co.nz

Who says property developers don’t have a sense of humour? The company behind a new subdivision at Riverhead is called Scrooge & Marley Ltd. And its accountants are called Pretty Accounting Ltd.

Thanks a lot, Paula What does Social Development Minister Paula Bennett know, that we don’t? During her visit to the Warkworth Bowls Club this month, she delivered Rodney MP Mark Mitchell a very backhanded compliment. “You have to be a bit weird to be an MP, ” she told her audience. “And Mark is definitely weird.”

Back at ya As it happened, Mark Mitchell got his own back by referring to Paula Bennett’s controversial decision to make contraception freely available to beneficiaries. “They did a cartoon of me as a Nazi!” the Minister exclaimed. “That’s not fair on Nazis, really,” Mark grinned.

Six roading projects get the green light in Rodney The Rodney Local Board has finalised how it will spend its $370,000 budget for roading and footpaths this year. Projects it has decided to support are: yy a mountable kerb adjacent to 336 Muriwai. These missed out on funding. Mahurangi East Rd, Snells Beach However, the board has asked Auckland yy a pedestrian bridge at Puhoi, opposite Transport to consider the project at ($10,000); the corner of Puhoi Rd and Krippner yy a footpath from Puhoi Library to Ridge Rd in its budget for next year. Rd in Puhoi Village ($90,000); Krippner Rd ($31,000); and Road sealing has proved to be a yy edge restraint at selected locations in contentious issue and in its agreement and around Point Wells to address yy a small strip of footpath in Parakai with the Governing Body this year, the (approx $10,000). safety concerns ($50,000); Other projects considered by the board board has again argued that the funding yy kerbing, channelling and a footpath included sediment control and other formula needs to be reconsidered. opposite 95 Mahurangi East Rd in work from 114 Ridge Rd to Scott’s Rodney received only a small slice of the Snells Beach, joining the existing Landing, a footpath 200m along $10 million set aside for local boards. footpath with Arabella Lane Waitoki Rd from Kahikatea Flat Rd, “It is important that the specific ($135,000); and extending a footpath in Oaia Rd in circumstances of Rodney, with our

significant land mass and extensive coastline, are carefully considered and that rural and island boards are not disadvantaged by funding being determined on a population basis,” it says. It has also described the allocation of an extra $1 million in next year’s budget for road sealing as “an important win” for the board. The board says it will “continue to advocate” for income from tree harvesting at Ti Point to be allocated to local projects.

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 5 Social Development Minister Paula Bennett was at ease with the microphone at Warkworth Bowls.

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Laughter the best medicine for Minister in Warkworth If Social Development Minister Paula Bennett ever gives up her day job, she might have a promising career as a stand-up comic, judging by her performance in Warkworth this month. The self-proclaimed “Westie”, mature crowd that Chipmunks might responsible for about one-third of all be a good place for “Winston and his Government spending, rattled her mates” to let off some steam. way through an off-the-cuff speech at In response to questions from the the Warkworth Bowls Club that was audience, she agreed that the Adoption peppered with wisecracks and self- Act was “really antiquated”, but said it deprecating anecdotes. was unlikely to get a quick fix. And The Minister, who was recovering she defended the Government’s Food from several days in bed with the flu, for Schools programme, while at the joked that she had taken so much same time admitting it was “pretty pseudoephedrine that she would hard to disagree” with people who probably fail one of her own drug believed that it was “nowhere near the tests. And she even chuckled that answer” to solving child poverty. she was “quite liking” being high on She also confessed to once demanding chemicals. officials cancel welfare payments for She soon had the audience of about a woman accused of kidnapping a 100 people lapping up every word, as minor, despite not having the legal she took the mickey out of Greens co- power to do so. Bennett proudly noted leader “Wussell Norman”, and told a that was about to change, as part of a rollicking yarn about being cornered major overhaul of the welfare system in the supermarket. She also explained that comes into effect next month. why she had a phobia about children’s Among other things, the new laws indoor playgrounds (it’s all to do with mean benefits can be cut under germs) – although she possibly struck certain circumstances. “Now the law a bum note when she suggested to the is catching up with me,” she grinned.

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Mixed feelings on new rules for Matakana Auckland Council has approved a district plan change for Matakana, but the reaction so far has been mixed. The decision, known as Plan Change 64, is intended to implement the Matakana Village sustainable development plan, which the former Rodney District Council adopted in 2006, and includes a number of zone changes. It also introduces a set of urban design guidelines, which all new buildings will have to comply with. Most submitters approached by Mahurangi Matters said they needed more time to digest the 37-page document. There was concern by some that that design guidelines were not part of the statutory document, while others felt their submissions had largely been ignored. “If we’re serious about retaining the village character, then a more prescriptive approach would have been better,” one person said. “But I’m pleased to see Matakana Village fence heights limited to 1.2 metres.” Another submitter felt the change was too late, yards, impervious surfaces, vehicle crossings, In their report, independent commissioners said the because of the number of subdivisions already structures in front yards, landscaping, secluded open small-scale nature of retail activities in Matakana consented. “In many ways, the ‘horse has bolted’, space, solar orientation, cul-de-sacs and street trees. were vitally important to the amenity values of the particularly in regards to transport and traffic issues.” Land zoned residential medium intensity (Township town centre and it was appropriate to add specific The plan change introduces new objectives, policies Policy Area) provides for a slightly lower intensity of objectives, policies and rules. and rules specific to Matakana. It also introduces residential living of 800m2. In a parallel process, Council proposes to extend two new scheduled activities – one relating to While some submissions expressed a strong desire the pressure wastewater collection area to cover the flooding and inundation, and the other to buildings, to protect the village character from inappropriate land currently zoned as medium intensity residential landscaping and subdivision on some Leigh Road development, others – particularly in the commercial activity area. sites. areas – thought the rules were too rigid and would For the full decision and maps, see www.localmatters. co.nz Development controls relate to building height, prevent personal style and character.

Matakana Country Park owner disappointed with decision The owner of Matakana Country Park is considering heading to the Environment Court, following a decision by independent commissioners not to allow commercial subdivision at the site. John Baker, who started developing the 20ha former farm in 2003, is threatening to sell the site if he doesn’t get his way. “Subdivision is crucial to the viability of the park,” he says. “If I don’t get it, I’ll put it on the market and go fishing, and the area will lose about $8 million in investment.” On May 29, commissioners agreed to a plan change for the park, which means the existing weekly farmer’s market, art and craft shops, restaurant, café, church and children’s playground all become permitted

activities. It also allows a vintage car and farm implements museum, community garden, and visitor accommodation for up to 50 guests, with a conference facility. Their report says approving the change as a scheduled activity will allow the park to develop in a comprehensive manner, rather than in an ad-hoc fashion. But John had also hoped to subdivide off nine to 10 commercial lots, including the church land, which would be given to the Presbyterian Church. His master plan includes a swimming pool, childcare centre and vet clinic, and he wants to put in more holiday accommodation, which he says is badly needed if Matakana wants to continue to attract major entertainment events. He believes a well-attended public meeting

last year demonstrated strong community support. “Going back to Council and possibly the Environment Court is just a lot of wasted energy that could have been put into developing plans. If we’d had the go-ahead, some of these facilities could have been up and running in a year.” Buildings currently occupy 1.1 percent of the site, and the extra plans would have added another 1.4 percent. He says he already has investors interested, but they want the certainty of title. “If I have to go to the Environment Court, that’s another $150,000 to $200,000 in legal costs which could have been spent in Matakana . . . It’s like saying you can build a dam, but you can’t put any water in it.”

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Upgrade confirmed for Warkworth Primary

The future layout of Warkworth Primary is under the microscope, following a decision by the Ministry of Education to upgrade the junior school. Unlike most primary schools, school on a new site. Warkworth is split into two, with the “The Ministry concluded that if junior and senior schools separated they were to spend a reasonable by Hill St. The unique arrangement sum rebuilding the junior school, means there is some duplication of they wanted to look at the school in services on each side of the road — a its entirety, to see whether there’s a situation that has long been considered more cost-effective means of futureless than ideal. proofing the school.” Board chairman Chris Murphy says Mr Murphy is reluctant to speculate funding for the maintenance of the on what the implications could be for junior buildings comes out of the the various options until the study is school’s annual budget and it was completed. But he is delighted that the becoming clear that “good money was Ministry has agreed to the upgrade. being thrown after bad”. He says the situation has sparked a “We’ll consult with the school feasibility study that will examine community and form a view, then four options, including rebuilding go to the Ministry with our preferred the junior school on the existing site, option if more than one option is building a new junior school on the available to the school.” junior site, building a new school The feasibility study is likely to be on the senior site or building a new completed in the next few weeks.

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 9

Few changes for local high school boards of trustees

Local speechmakers Bryce Robertson and Briar Gimblett.

Students speak out on leadership A youth perspective on leadership has won Mahurangi College Year 13 student Briar Gimblett a place in the national finals of the Lions Clubs International Young Speechmaker Contest. The Lions Club of Kowhai Coast hosted the area me about how my grandfather, who passed away five final in Warkworth on June 9. weeks ago, was the founding president of the Lions Briar presented a five-minute speech entitled “If Club in Rotorua. My grandmother was also very you aspire to leadership, take off your coat”, which involved in Lions. It just seemed appropriate that I was competing in a Lions competition.” started with a karanga or ‘call’ for attention. “It’s normally heard on marae and signals to the Other contestants included Bryce Robertson, from audience that you want their attention,” Briar says. Rodney College, who spoke on the topic “The “In my case, I wanted them to look into themselves Money Mentality”. and consider their potential as leaders.” Judges were incoming Lions District Governor Briar entered the contest fresh from the regional finals Christine Ford, Warkworth Toastmasters president Murray Chapman and Rodney MP Mark Mitchell. of the Nga Manu Korero Competition in Auckland. “I was nervous beforehand but then Dad talked to The national finals will be held in Auckland in August.

It will be business as usual at Mahurangi College following Board of Trustees elections, completed last month, which saw all sitting members returned for another three-year term. From a field of 11 candidates, Jo Hathaway, Bede Haughey, Stuart Henderson, Tracey Martin and Steven Garner were re-elected. Staff representative will be Nyree Norrington and student representative is Caitlyn Walker. The board will meet on July 1 to elect officers. Of the 1853 parents and caregivers eligible to take part in the election, 411 voted, which equated to a 22 percent turnout. Three new members have been elected to the board at Otamatea High School. They are Shane Campbell, Libby Jones and Wayne Linton, with Ross Millar and Llew Smart both being re-elected. Klasina Sewell was elected the staff representative. A total of 10 candidates put their names forward. Of the 589 vote papers distributed, 214 were returned, equating to a 36 percent turnout. Returning officer Eileen Parsons says this compares to a 60 percent turnout for the primary school election. A meeting will be held this week to elect officers and the first full board meeting will be held on July 1. There was little change at Rodney College, with sitting members Gay and Richard Pride, Dell Thrasyvoulou, Clare Hayward and Michelle Nahi all re-elected from a field of six candidates. Of the 538 parents eligible to vote, 27 percent participated.

10 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

Viewpoint with Steve Garner, Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council

Council has it right on compact city

The Unitary Plan pre-draft consultation appears to have overall been a successful informal informational foray into what is a complex and divisive and ultimately extremely significant framework for Auckland – yes, including rural Auckland. The banter between the planners and the myriad affected parties who have differing positions is as interesting as it is diverse. The real test, however, is going to be the discussion between Auckland Council and Central Government. Who is going to pull the final punch? I believe that Auckland Council has the underlying values right: a compact city. I think most rationally thinking people will agree that to constrain the sprawl in some way is responsible and appropriate, especially given the current size of Auckland. Will this ever truly be a compact city? Maybe we should be a “more compact city”? There is still a chasm between the services that are provided to our urban cousins compared to those provided into our rural communities. In most rural areas, transport is an obvious one, as is equity in Rodney versus the “rest” of Auckland in economic development, arts, libraries, and in some places basics like water and wastewater. Rodney residents and ratepayers require attention and improved services if we are to feel that we are being treated equally. I have said it before and re-iterate it again and again but as an area we are absolutely spoilt by the quantity and quality of the people from our communities who get out and “do” in our area. Lions and Rotary, Residents and Ratepayers, Mahurangi, Snells, Matakana, Whangateau, Warkworth, Puhoi and Leigh — to name a few — are managed and run by dedicated, passionate, capable and energetic people doing what they can to improve the places we live. Keep it up and thank you again. I have to say that despite there being times when the frustration levels have been off the register, overall we are doing pretty well. There have been some significant “wins” for the Rodney Local Board. The Warkworth Town Hall upgrade now has a budget, the Warkworth Showgrounds project has definition around funding including netball, hockey and a new centre. In the west, the Helensville wastewater upgrades are being completed and there is traction on the establishment of the SH16 business improvement district (BID). We have also had an Alcohol Control Area confirmed for Warkworth. These are just a few things we have managed to achieve. But there is a long way to go.

Mice on the move at Omaha A mouse migration is causing havoc at Omaha with the pesky critters breeding in people’s beds. Insite Security general manager Chris home at the southern end of the beach Martin says the long hot summer saw and found it virtually “live” with mice. mouse numbers go through the roof, “The owners hadn’t been up for a few but now the weather has turned, their months. When I opened the door half nests are filling up with water and they’re a dozen mice jumped through my feet. heading inside for food and warmth. I almost leapt through the roof.” “It’s particularly bad in the beachfront Mr Martin says the vermin attacked properties,” Mr Martin says. anything that wasn’t sealed or in a tin “They camp in the dunes in the nice and had bred in the property’s beds weather and once it starts raining they leaving permanent “pregnancy stains”. move into a $2m bach to get through All the furniture had to be replaced the winter.” and the owners received an insurance The unwelcome visitors come to Mr payout of $30,000. Martin’s attention when there are “It was a particularly horrid example. enough of them to set an alarm off. The carpet had to be pulled up and “We’ll send a patrol out and find mice washed. There was mouse poo and droppings and other evidence they’ve wee everywhere.” taken up residence.” Mr Martin recommends homeowners He says the rodents target any type use a commercial poison that makes of accessible food, chewing through mice go outside to seek water. plastic and cellophane – and have even “If you use a trap and you’re not been found eating soap. there for a few weeks, the mouse can The security manager says he visited a deteriorate and smell.”

Homeless man upsets Omaha residents Omaha residents are being asked to supply details of their sections to enable a blanket trespass order to be issued against a local homeless man. Insite Security general manager Chris Martin says the heavily tattooed man has been camping uninvited on empty sections near the surf club, and helping himself to outdoor taps and showers. Mr Martin says he kicked the man off three properties but he simply moves on to another one. There was little the Police could do without the authority of the property owners, but since Mr Martin mentioned the problem in his last newsletter, a number of residents have supplied him with the details of their sections. “They’re all included in one trespass notice with the lot and DP number. If he tries to take up residence again we can get him arrested.” Mr Martin is hoping the Police would then be able to get the man any help he might need.

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 11

Free smoke alarms for Wellsford

The Jane Gifford is spending a month in Auckland.

Jane Gifford goes sailing in Auckland By Stuart Birnie

Warkworth’s historic scow, the Jane Gifford, has disappeared from the Mahurangi River, but locals need not worry – she will soon be back. She is currently in Auckland, on loan to the Voyager passenger sailing since her restoration. It was successful, with Voyager crew enjoying sailing a National Maritime Museum. Voyager’s scow, the Ted Ashby, which is similar different, somewhat more powerful, scow in typically to Jane Gifford, is out of the water for her annual smooth winter wind and some wonderful sunshine. maintenance. So Jane Gifford is standing in for her, There will be regular sailings every day except and undertaking the sailings that Ted Ashby would Mondays until July 5. Jane Gifford will be returning to Warkworth on the weekend of July 6 and 7, and normally provide. On June 11, after some familiarisation sessions for will be gearing up for some special sailings later in Voyager volunteer crew and masters the previous the year. day, Jane Gifford undertook her first commercial Info: maritimemuseum.co.nz or janegifford.org.nz.

Wellsford residents are being urged to take advantage of a free community initiative that could save their lives. The Wellsford Lions have teamed up with the New Zealand Fire Service to offer free smoke alarms to local households. The deal entitles each home to one free alarm, as well as a voucher giving them 25 percent off any further alarms they buy from The Warehouse. Lions members and the Fire Service will install the alarms for free, and the Fire Service will do a fire safety check at the same time. Farmlands in Wellsford is also sponsoring the scheme, by offering free batteries for those who need them. Wellsford Lions president Stu Anderson says he got the idea for the initiative after he became aware of a national push by the Fire Service to get more alarms into people’s homes. “The problem is, the old alarms will go off when you burn the toast, and people take the batteries out and never put them back in,” he says. “Or they just leave the batteries to go flat.” The new alarms have much more sophisticated technology, and are more likely to detect a serious fire, he says. They also have batteries with a 10-year life. Flyers advertising the scheme have been put in local letterboxes, and the Lions will be promoting the scheme at the official opening of the Wellsford Library on June 22. On June 23, they will also be door-knocking local properties. Around 250 alarms will initially be available, but it is likely more will added later in the year, to enable different areas to be targeted at different times, says Mr Anderson. “We’re hoping to eventually get around to other areas like Tapora, and Te Hana and so on.”

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The daily chores of a colonial mother By Jenni McGlashan, head of Warkworth Museum’s textile department

During a recent tour of the Warkworth Museum’s textile department, I was reminded how drastically fashion has changed over the past century. The items that triggered this were two boys’ dresses, one dated 1886 and the other 1910. Both garments were for 3-year-old boys or younger, and both have a matching cape. The 1910 garments have signs that the dress has been lengthened from the waist as the child grew, with further provision for further lengthening. The fact that a boy of 3 wore a dress is remarkable enough compared to today’s children, but this garment is white. That is not all — it is hand-embroidered eyelet embroidery, now known as broderie anglaise. To make this material would have meant buying cotton cloth, maybe stencilling a pattern onto the cloth, outlining the design in fine thread, lighting the lamp and beginning to embroider, remembering that the yards of fabric required for this small garment would need to be completed within a year. The work on this garment would have been fitted around all the other household chores. For meals, the vegetables This 100-year-old garment, with matching would probably have come cape, would have taken many months to make. from a home vegetable garden, so the ground would have needed tilling, the seed sowing and then cultivating, hoping for a good harvest. The vegetables would need to be prepared, enough wood gathered to fuel the fire, then the fire would need to be lit and perpetually stoked until the oven was up to temperature. On wash day, the copper would have been lit early in the morning to provide hot water. The white clothes and household linen would have been boiled and plunged until clean, taken out of the steaming cauldron to the first rinse tub, through a mangle into the second rinse tub, back through the mangle and eventually hung out on a long line to dry. Then the coloured garments would have needed to go through the same process, followed by the dirty work clothes. At the end of the day this weekly wash would have been gathered, folded, and dampened ready for ironing with a pressing iron heated on the stove. There was a baby in the house and probably other children, all of whom would have needed attention, as well as the house cow that would have needed milking and the hens feeding. The butter churning could probably have waited for the morrow, when the cream had settled on the top of the milk pan ready for skimming. Now imagine that the family is fed and tucked up in their feather beds, and the dishes washed with hot water heated by the wood range. There might have been plumbed water in this colonial cottage, but more likely a basin of water on the kitchen table would have improvised for a sink. Eventually it would be time to relax for this colonial mother, homemaker, washerwoman, dairy maid, needlewoman, wife and companion. Except there would still be work to be done. After essential darning and mending, she may have picked up her embroidery and this is where we started. All this for a child’s garment that is now a prized 100-year-old treasure in the care of Warkworth Museum’s textile department.

Richard Prosser

Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 13

Rodney Local Board is ‘thrilled’ with progress Nearly three years after being amalgamated into Auckland Council, the Rodney Local Board believes it is making a difference. In its list of priorities for the coming toilets including the toilets at the year, board chairman Bob Howard Mahurangi West Reserve, construct says he is “thrilled” at what the board several walkways, erect new training has achieved, including securing lights at Shoesmith Reserve, renew money for the first stage of the coastal seawalls (including Algies Warkworth Town Hall upgrade, and Bay), build a new playground in managing to increase the amount of Matakana, and continue to develop the Warkworth Showgrounds. money allocated for road sealing. The board’s other priorities over the next For business, it intends to support year include additional community arts attempts to set up Business facilities, retaining sporting facilities Improvement Districts, enhance town in Waimauku, the retention of land in gateways, partner with secondary Mill Rd in Helensville, and persuading schools to offer nightclasses for Council to allow the income from tree non-native speakers of English, and harvesting at Ti Point to be allocated to support youth employment and training schemes. local projects. It will also continue to advocate for The board has allocated $19.4 million new reserves, according to its annual for operating expenditure over the next year, up from $16.8 million the agreement with the Governing Body. previous year. It will spend another “This includes continuing to advocate $5.3 million on capital works, down for historic commitments to acquire from $9.7 million the previous year. future reserves that are shown as Its single biggest project by far will ‘indicative reserves’ in the current be the Warkworth Town Hall, for district plan or as approved through which $1.4 million has been set aside. subdivision,” it says. “Unfortunately, in The board says it will “continue to many instances reserves acquisition in advocate for the remainder of the Rodney has been given a lower priority funding required to complete the basic than other areas across Auckland.” upgrade in 2014/2015. We will then The main initiative for local libraries will need to partner with the community be enhancing their services and resources to realise the full vision for the hall.” for non-native speakers of English, as Board members indicated at their well as deciding what to do with the old meeting this month that it could be at Wellsford Library building. least 18 months before the hall is likely For parks, the board plans to upgrade to be reopened to the public.

Volunteers plant 800 trees At least 50 volunteers turned out to plant more than 800 seedlings at Parry Kauri Park in Warkworth on June 9. Organisers were thrilled with the turnout, which included volunteers from the Orewa and Warkworth Girl Guides and Rangers, the Warkworth Scouts and Cubs, members of the Forest & Bird Society, and the Kauri and Native Bushman’s Association. Association chairman Ray Jensen says he was “absolutely gobsmacked” at the turnout, which was probably helped by the good weather. Auckland Council provided around 300 manuka seedlings, and Mr Jensen provided the rest himself, from seedlings he has been growing on his own property for the past two years. His own seedlings are mostly kauri and kahikatea, with a sprinkling of other natives. “We do it as a memorial to the old bushmen who had the commonsense

to buy the land for a reserve.” The park is gradually being turned back into bush, after originally being cleared for farming. It is being planted and sprayed in stages, to ensure it thrives. Recent spraying has also helped to keep gorse in the area under control, says Mr Jensen. “Hopefully we might get back there this year before the winter ends and plant it.” Meanwhile, around 30 staff and customers of Honda New Zealand attended a planting day at a private property in Kaipara on June 14. The 24ha ex-dairy farm at Araparera is owned by Thomas and Mahrukh Stazyk, who are on a mission to restore the farmland back to native bush and then apply for a QEII covenant to protect the land from future re-development. More than 70,000 trees have been planted on the property since 2008, and Honda’s TreeFund has funded at least 3000 of these.

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The Frenchman and the fantails By Sue Crawshay

Tawharanui open sanctuary is host to a large number of students completing research as part of Master’s or doctorate programmes. This often includes students from overseas and we currently have Christophe Amiot from France investigating the impact urbanisation has on fantails. Christophe is doing his research with the Human Wildlife Interaction Research Group at Massey University. The fantail (piwakawaka) is a familiar sight in urban gardens and in the bush, with its tail fanned flitting about chasing small insects, following and coming quite close to people to capture insects disturbed by their movements. Fantails are prolific and early breeders. Juvenile males can start breeding between 2- and 9 months old. Fantails breed in the early spring through to mid-summer, building a tiny nest which is securely attached to the outer branches of small trees and shrubs. The nest is made up of moss, bark fragments, and rootlets wound together with spider silk and lined with hair. The nest often has trailing bits of roots hanging at its base. The male and female birds are virtually identical. A fantail pair may raise three to four broods of three or four eggs in a season. Eggs are incubated for about 14 days by both adults, and the chicks fledge at about 13 days. Both adults will feed the young, but as soon as the female starts building the next nest, the male takes over the role of feeding the A fantail nests at Tawharanui. previous brood. Much of the fantail’s natural habitat has been lost, with housing, farming and industry taking over former bushland. Some native species have adapted to this changed environment and learned to tolerate competition from exotic species, increased noise levels, pollution, and disturbance by humans, but others have disappeared from the urban environment, unable to withstand the fragmentation of the natural environment and predation. In the process of his research, Christophe has found that few studies have been done on the adaptation of native species to the urban environment. His plan is to study fantails from backyards to bush, to understand their capacity to adapt to the urban environment. He will specifically look at their foraging and reproductive strategies. Christophe anticipates that this will help the conservation of native biodiversity in New Zealand, in urban habitats. Join us at Tawharanui for a planting day on July 7. Meet at the woolshed at 9am and enjoy a barbecue after the planting. Info: Tossi.org.nz

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Harnessing the power of the sun’s energy Warkworth architect Graeme North is spear-heading a group of locals determined to show that sustainable energy pays. The group have banded together to purchase solar power panels in bulk, and hope to make significant savings in the long run. Mr North paid $10,200 for a 3kw 12-panel system. He has just received his first power bill and it’s in credit. If he doesn’t use all the power his panels produce, it goes back into the national grid. He admits it is early days. He doesn’t expect he’ll get a credit every month and believes it will take time for the bill to balance out. “We were looking at appropriate technology in Warkworth with an emphasis on solar power,” Mr North says. “Fellow member David Crabb and I organised a few meetings and formed a branch of the Australian Appropriate Technology Association.” The group encourages technology that is suited to time, place, culture and environment. Six others came on board and Auckland-based alternative power provider What Power Crisis did them a deal on the panels. Mr North, 62, says the cost of photovoltaic cell systems is 1 percent of what it was in the 1970s. “The price has dropped a lot in the last two years. It’s partly because of reduced demand in Europe and America because of the financial crisis. Most systems are made in China and there’s an oversupply.” He says cost has combined with efficiency gains to deliver a “sweet spot”. The panels have been installed in homes at Warkworth, Matakana, Snells Beach and Ahuroa. Mr North believes more people would purchase them if they could be assured what rate they’d get for power that was put back into the grid. “It’s up to individual power companies as to what Warkworth architect Graeme North says it’s better investing in solar power panels than in Mighty River Power. feed-in tariff they choose. There’s no long-term Auckland and will be called Yes In My Front Yard The architect says the built environment is probably contracts or fixed rates. We think the Government or Yimfy for short. “It’ll be a hub for research where the biggest gobbler of resources on the planet and should look into it.” things can be demonstrated and education can take “turning that around isn’t easy”. He is convinced his expenditure has been worth it, place,” Mr North says. Encouraging people to build small and provide and says: “It’s better than putting your money in the for themselves helps, but many are put off because “It’s about building local resilience using local bank or investing in Mighty River Power.” materials. We want to build stuff that works of a lack of knowledge and “vast” barriers around Mr North received a Winston Churchill Fellowship building consents, he says. in 2010 and visited “appropriate building technology well using materials that people might not think are materials – like bamboo. The trick is to use Mr North has worked on hundreds of natural centres” around the world with the view to setting advanced building sites so they’re durable and meet buildings throughout New Zealand during his 40up one in New Zealand. the building code.” year career and says the Yimfy centre will highlight a He and a group of experts are planning a centre to showcase different building techniques using He explains the centre’s name was changed from mix of old and new. materials such as natural stone, earth, straw bale and ‘backyard’ to ‘front yard’ because it involves “When I started putting earth buildings together, technology people are happy to have nearby. natural timbers. architects said they didn’t know what I was doing. They It is to be based on empty land in front of the “It works for you and uses minimum resources for said ‘we haven’t seen details like that for years’. I said: Earthsong eco-neighbourhood at Ranui in West maximum return and minimal environmental damage.” ‘They work. They always have and they always will’.”

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16 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

SummerSet FallS – new releaSe

This Saturday come along to Summerset Falls and see the wonderful life we enjoy. Our beautiful new Village Centre is open and we will be presenting the plans of the next villas to be built. This is your first opportunity to see these new plans, and secure a licence to occupy one of these lovely homes in our attractive modern retirement village. For more information call Steven Garner on 09 425 1202. You’ll find our village at 31 Mansel Drive, Warkworth.

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Open Day Saturday 22 June, 11am – 3pm New release of villas View the plans

Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 17

FAMILY HEALTH & BEAUTY n

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Understanding bullying by girls By Terry Healey, family support worker and youth counsellor

Both girls and boys are capable of overt (physical and verbal) and covert (social and relational) bullying. But due to various factors, covert bullying occurs more commonly among girls. The old stereotype that describes girls as shallow, catty and incapable of getting on with each other dishonours the ability of adolescent girls to learn, grow and adapt in socially challenging environments. In fact the stereotypes assigned to girls increase the likelihood that covert bullying will be used. A girl wanting to protect her reputation as a “nice girl” may be inhibited in her ability to express feelings or resolve conflict openly. Instead she may launch secret attacks on the other, inflicting emotional pain, and damage to the other’s reputation, friendships or social status. Girls rely on relationships with others to feel okay. The weapons used against them by other girls include spreading rumours, isolation from the group, silent treatment, and cyber-bullying. Covert bullying is more deadly in that it can be anonymous, so the victim has no way of knowing where the damage is coming from, or why it is happening. The anonymity also makes the bullying less visible to supervising parents and teachers. The motive for the bullying may be for entertainment, to enhance the status of the bullying girl, to punish the victim for some perceived slight, or violation of the group’s social code. A perpetrator who holds a lot of social power may influence others to join with her. The other girls may do this out of fear that they will be bullied themselves. Bullying in schools has been a growing concern in the past couple of decades. Research has shown that where bullying is not effectively addressed there is a marked detrimental effect on the social and academic outcomes for students. Field, Colbert, Crothers and Hughes, in their 2009 book Understanding Girl Bullying, review several programmes that have been used successfully in the United States and Canada. They state: “Setting up supportive home and school environments, that promote healthy emotional, social and cognitive adjustment, is the best way to decrease distress and psychopathology in children and adolescents.” As parents, we can listen to our kids’ concerns, which will teach them to speak out assertively. We can model non-bullying relationships in the home, and practise open problem-solving and conflict resolution. We can talk to our kids about our experiences so that they learn from us. Most of all, we let our kids know that they matter, that they are okay as they are, and they do not have to put up with bullying.

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Health scholarship Health professionals with an interest in the rural sector have until July 1 to apply for this year’s Rural Women NZ & Access Homehealth scholarship. The $3000 scholarship is intended to help a health professional with their studies. “Given our rural focus, we are particularly keen to support someone who has an interest in providing health or disability services in rural communities,” says Rural Women New Zealand National President, Liz Evans. Preference will be given to applicants who are studying at postgraduate level. Last year the scholarship went to a rural practice nurse from Murupara, for postgraduate study in Women’s Health through Otago University. Info: www.ruralwomen.org.nz (bursaries tab) or www.access.org.nz.

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18 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

FEATURE

Helping hands

Passionate about fundraising

Stephen Leslie mows lawns most days of the week but if he’s pushing a lawnmower on a Wednesday, someone had better buy it. Stephen volunteers at Hospice’s weekly garage sale and is passionate about raising funds. “No-one wants to need hospice services but if you do and there isn’t enough money, we’re there to fundraise,” Stephen says. He started volunteering for Warkworth Wellsford Hospice last year to help with the heavy lifting involved in collecting and delivering furniture that people donate to, or buy from, Hospice’s Wednesday garage sales. Having worked himself into a financial position where he could afford to take time off to volunteer, he rearranged his lawn-mowing run so he could be at Hospice House every Wednesday. His sister-in-law was being treated for breast cancer at the time and the family was hoping for a cure. Miffy’s death in September was a devastating blow, but the tragedy further strengthened Stephen’s commitment to Hospice. “After seeing the relief and comfort that Hospice was able to give my brother’s wife, my feet are now cemented in the Hospice environment,” he says. His involvement has rubbed off on others, too. His lawnmowing clients often give him donations for Hospice and one of his friends will be joining the garage sale team – after he changes his feeding-out days on the farm.

Stephen Leslie (right) is a passionate fundraiser for Hospice. He is with fellow volunteer Andrew Schedewy loading up the Hospice van during the weekly garage sale.

In addition to the satisfaction of helping Hospice maintain all its services free of charge, Stephen loves the camaraderie of the Hospice team. “It sometimes reminds me of that old TV programme, Are You Being Served?” he says. “It’s comical, serious, dedication and good honest people.”

Almost three decades of helping others Edna Wreaks has spent nearly 30 years volunteering at the Matakana Op Shop and says: “You can’t beat the satisfaction of adding the money up at the end of the week.” The 78-year-old is one of 20 local women who work for free, sorting and selling. The Op Shop offers a mix of bargains and rare items. Edna Wreaks It is owned by the Warkworth Anglican parish and gives around $24,000 to local groups every year. Mrs Wreaks says she was living on a Matakana sheep and beef farm and her children were getting older when she decided to join the Women’s Guild. “Someone said: ‘Why not start an Op Shop?’, so we did.” The store is located in the old Matakana post office on Matakana Valley Road. “Members of the public donated all sorts of things,” Mrs Wreaks says. “Clothes, tools, ornaments — you name it, we had it. We only had one room, so clothes had to be taken home, washed and sorted.” Mrs Wreaks says it has always been agreed that money made in the Op Shop is distributed to local charities as much as possible. This year funding has gone to local fire brigades, Warkworth Wellsford Hospice, Kawau Search and Rescue, Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Police Blue Light, and many others.

Where would we be without the Lions? Members of Warkworth Lions dedicate considerable time and effort to projects that improve and beautify our region. For example: • • • • • • •

Members fundraised and built the children’s playground on the Mahurangi Riverbank. Contributed to the Warkworth Wharf project. Are involved in the construction of a walkway from Kowhai View to the cement works. Helped prepare the Warkworth Birthing Centre for painting. Provide long-term support for Camp Bentzon on Kawau Island. Organise the annual Take a Kid Fishing initiative. Sponsor the Young Speechmaker contestant from Mahurangi College.

Members also fundraise and support numerous other worthy causes such as the Heart Foundation and Parkinson’s NZ. But it’s not all work and no play – there are regular social activities and a monthly dinner meeting with entertaining guest speakers.

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 19

Helping hands Plenty of volunteering opportunities in Mahurangi

Numerous groups in Mahurangi would not be able to exist without volunteers. yy Warkworth RSA needs volunteers to drive members to and from Auckland for medical appointments, and to help with its information service, which explains things like pensions and veteran benefits. RSA manager Robbie Blair says the RSA’s Women’s section is a great fundraising vehicle for community projects and if women are interested in visiting the elderly or going on social trips, they should contact support officer Joss Myers on 425 5191. yy Warkworth St John Ambulance needs volunteers to help cover events and help staff the ambulance at night with a paramedic. During annual St John Week from June 24 to 28 the station will be selling raffle tickets in Warkworth all week. There’ll also be a collection stand outside New World supermarket. The station is having an open day on June 29 from 10am to midday. yy Coastguard Kawau relies on the generosity of the local community to train as crew and for the maintenance of its vessel based at Sandspit. “Although most of our volunteer time is spent on the water or with the boat-related activities,

Coastguard Kawau volunteers are responsible for maintaining a vessel at Sandspit.

we also do a few land-based profilebuilding projects throughout the year to remind people we are here and we are local,” president Roger Davies says. yy Warkworth Wellsford Hospice has volunteers that support sick people and give caregivers a break. People are also required to work in the hospice’s two shops. The garage sale team sort items every Tuesday for the garage sale on Wednesday morning. Tuesday

mornings are also when the ragcutting team get together. They cut up unwanted clothing and sell it to local businesses. During the week, teams pick up donations and do deliveries, clean equipment and answer the phone. Others work around special events, organising rosters, selling tickets and serving food. yy Wellsford Citizens Advice Bureau has 22 volunteers, who offer advice on topics such as education,

employment, business, finance, health and housing. Volunteers take part in an extensive training programme – the next one starts on July 7 and takes four days. yy Warkworth Rotarians volunteer their time to help with global projects such as the eradication of polio. At the local level they work on projects such as replacing a roof on a hospital in Vanuatu and helping raise funds for Hospice. The group also helps charities such as Adults in Motion and the local Scouts. “Warkworth Rotary is always looking for like-minded people in the community who would like to contribute,” vice president Nick Hadley says. “You don’t even have to be a member in the traditional sense — just turn up to specific projects when you can help.” yy Warkworth Lions membership officer David Little says volunteers help complete many projects that would otherwise not be possible due to a scarcity of funds. “Recent projects include support for Springboard at Snells Beach, the local Scouts and of course the ongoing construction of the walkway to the Cement Works.” The Lions are planning a working weekend at Camp Bentzon and a Young Ambassadors contest.

The Rotary Club of Warkworth & District Inc is proud to have provided

50 Years of Service to the Community “People like you and me achieving extraordinary things”

ROTARY FIGHTS TO ERADICATE POLIO The Beginning of The End

It was 1979 when Rotary first made efforts to eradicate Polio on a widespread scale. Providing humanitarian grant funding and handson support from everyday Club members, the community service organisation committed to a five-year effort in partnership with the government of the Philippines to immunise about six million children against polio. Buoyed by the success of this initiative, several years later Rotary International would begin an initiative with the aim of eradicating polio worldwide. “When Rotary International launched PolioPlus in 1985, more than 125 countries were still polio endemic, and at least a thousand children were paralysed every day” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a worldwide Rotary Convention in 2009. In 1985 there were over 350,000 cases of polio worldwide and the prognosis for many sufferers was a term of illness plagued by muscle weakness, breathing difficulties, fatigue, pain or even paralysis.

Since then, Rotary has been responsible for the immunisation of over 2 billion children worldwide. With Rotary’s work providing the catalyst for the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, Rotary’s work alongside UNICEF, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has led a campaign providing a total of more than 10 billion doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) worldwide. As a consequence of these efforts, annual diagnosed cases of polio have declined by over 99.9%, with just 291 cases recorded in 2012 and only three countries remaining polio endemic - Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. These are staggering numbers, especially when contemplating the alternate prospect for many lives – confinement to crutches, leg braces, wheelchairs and negative pressure respirators (“iron lungs”), all of which have been hallmarks of different kinds of severe polio infection.

To learn more call the PR team Peter Johns 0274 807 451 or Joy Paxton 422-2290

20 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

Helping hands Volunteers ensure regional park flourishes Around 170 volunteers turned up to Tawharanui Regional Park on Queen’s Birthday weekend to plant almost 100,000 shrubs and trees. The greenery was sourced from the park’s onsite nursery and included manuka, kanuka, flax, coprosma, cabbage trees and kahikatea. Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society (Tossi) chairman Steve Palmer says his group has around 300 members, 50 of whom are regular volunteers. Others just like to lend a hand. Apart from maintaining the nursery and planting, their jobs involve predator-fence checking, weed eradication, trap line monitoring and helping with seabird recovery. Volunteers recently installed a sound system and nesting boxes to attract petrels at the end of the peninsula. Mr Palmer says many helpers have camped at Tawharanui, enjoyed the experience and wanted to give something back to the park. “Then there’s the more green-blooded conservationists who want to create something for future generations.” He says volunteers are made up of roughly 50 percent locals and 50 percent Aucklanders. “Some bach owners come out for a weekend and are members. Others

Celia Mannion a regular volunteer plants a coprosma while cabbage trees wait to go in the ground nearby. PHOTO/ALISON STANES

help to counteract city life. They clearly see it as an attraction of Auckland.” Mr Palmer says volunteers are crucial and add value to the park. “If it weren’t for them we’d only be planting between 3-5,000 plants a year. At the moment we’re planting 20,000.” Volunteers contribute around $50,000 each year towards things like trees, boardwalks and bird translocations. Longtime volunteer and founding

Tossi committee member Alison Stanes has been helping since 1998 when it was rumoured pine trees would be planted and a trail bike path constructed. “There was only one woman on the committee and I thought there should be more.” The Remuera resident used to lead tramping parties to the park and helped plant trees with rangers. She is the official Tossi photographer, designs display banners, and is

responsible for the sanctuary information hut and the photos in the new bird hide beside the lagoon. “Over the years I have had delightful rewards while out working on the park: white head chicks busy feeding fluffy chicks snuggled up together, the surprise of encountering new broods of pateke ducklings, holding kiwi while transmitters were changed, seeing brand new NZ dotterel chicks freshly hatched, still cosy in the nest before they set off to feed for themselves. “Once I took a break from spraying pampas and ended up swimming with dolphins, and when out with a team grubbing thistles some years ago we spent the day rescuing an orca.” Ms Stanes ran the exhibition known as “Art in the Woolshed” – which showcased art works with an environmental twist – in 2004, 2006 and 2012, and spends around 200 hours at the park each year. Her reasons for participating are clear: “It’s the satisfaction I’m doing something worthwhile for the planet.” *Tossi volunteer day is held on the first Sunday of every month. A committee member hosts each gathering. Meet at the woolshed at 9.15am. A BBQ lunch is held and a range of jobs are available.

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 21

Helping hands Organisations need to change with the times More people than ever are putting up their hand to volunteer, but community groups need to play catch-up, the general manager of Volunteering Auckland says. Cheryll Martin says the number of people willing to help has tripled in the last three years, although finding suitable volunteering opportunities is becoming more difficult. “Community groups think the stereotypical volunteer is retired and will do something long term but lots are looking for short-term flexibility and project-based work that they can see will make a difference.” She says groups need to look at who is coming forward and what it is that will attract them. “Jobs are changing from envelopestuffing and bucket-shaking, and over half those coming forward are in their early 20s. They want to make a difference and they’re thinking globally. They’re thinking: ‘If I do this it will have a ripple effect’.” Ms Martin says Volunteering Auckland is seeing more corporate businesses engaging in the community doing one-day projects, and more students looking for opportunities to hone their skills. She says with funding squeezes, it’s

The Albertland Heritage Centre holds a treasure trove of family histories, diaries, manuscripts and photographic collections relating to the Albertland Special Settlement of the 1860’s. Staffed solely by a dedicated band of volunteers, and given that the adjacent new library is now open, the Heritage Centre seeks more visitor hosts and research assistants when opening hours are extended. If you have a couple of hours a week to assist contact the Heritage Centre Phone 423 8181 or email museum@albertland.co.nz

Albertland & District Museum

Volunteering Auckland general manager Cheryll Martin says more people are seeking short-term, project-based work.

getting harder to attract money. “We’re having to rely on volunteers more and more, unfortunately. Since the recession, the philanthropic dollar has nosedived.” Volunteering Auckland is starting a project with Hibiscus/Bays and Rodney Local Board that will look at what’s happening with volunteering, what’s needed and how to support it. “We’re putting together a training project for that that looks at how to find volunteers and how to keep them engaged and mobilised.”

Volunteer week celebrates people Volunteers across NZ will be in the limelight during National Volunteer Week from June 16 to 22. Vanisa Dhiru, chief executive of Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ), says volunteers are the backbone of our society. “National Volunteer Week is an amazing opportunity to celebrate everything volunteers contribute to NZ. Volunteers make our communities tick.” The theme for National Volunteer Week is “He Tangata! He Tangata! He Tangata!” which means “it is people, it is people, it is people”. The phrase refers to a Maori proverb asking what is the most important thing in the world. “Every volunteer has a great story,” says Vanisa. “National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate these people. It signifies a true celebration of the volunteerism in our communities and projects people gift their time to.”

Phone 423 8181 or email museum@albertland.co.nz

To all our wonderful, dedicated

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shop staff + goods sorters + garage sale teams + event helpers + family supporters + maintenance man + caterers + tradespeople + complimentary therapists + fundraisers + community groups + life story writers + office workers + rag cutters + lawn mower + gardeners + craftspeople + advisory board + bakers + project team

We couldn’t do it without you

THANK YOU! from Warkworth Wellsford Hospice National Volunteer Week 16-22 June

Coastguard Kawau needs More PeoPLe... CaMaraderIe Coastguard Kawau is the local unit based at Sandspit. We are a group of more than 30, spread over three crews (operating on

a rotating basis) and on-shore support people. Our team includes men, women, all ages and interests so we have a great network of people with great skills and experience, and participation in our social get-togethers is encouraged! CoMMItMent There is a requirement to learn the ropes the Coastguard way with training given in all manner of nautical-related matters, including navigation, boat handling and medical training. Training occurs naturally on all callouts, with emphasis on specifics every third Sunday out on the water, and regular in-house training. Alongside this, individuals are offered evening courses at their own pace to get through the modules. Summer has a greater number of callouts, with our average annual callout rate being about once a week. Help with annual fundraising in lottery ticket selling is expected during the summer months. If you’re fit and healthy, keen to be associated with volunteer work on the water, why not make a no-obligation call to Roger Davies on 027 488 0533 and find out if this could be your next calling?

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22 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

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Call a Farmer A Wellsford family have put 25 years’ experience in the dairy industry to good use by setting up an on-call farming business. Shane and Angelina Beets saw a gap in the market and decided “we can fill that as we know how hard it is to find good casual staff ”. Call a Farmer covers the area from South Rodney to the Brynderwyns and offers help with jobs like relief milking, tail trimming, fencing, spreading and spraying. Shane says the business’ point of difference is managing multiple jobs so farmers get to deal with one person. If an employee doesn’t show up or has had an accident, the Beets will fill in. “If someone gets up at 5am and their man isn’t there, we’ll endeavour to get there as soon as we can,” Shane says. “However long it takes is based on distance.” The family uses 4wd quads, trail and ute sprayers, two-wheelers and myriad small tools. Angelina says they will help out lifestylers right through to larger farms. “When it comes to things like spreading fertiliser, big trucks are often doing big jobs and the little guys are

The Beets family (from left Nick, Shane, Angelina and Mikayla) are available on call at short notice.

told to wait,” Shane says. “We can get in with a quad and spreader straight away and deal to it.” After transitioning from farm to farm as sharemilkers, the couple and their children Nick and Mikayla settled at the old Albertland church on Mangawhai Road eight years ago. Shane has previously worked for the Agriculture Industry Training Organisation and can help workers brush up on skills. They can do administration such as MINDA data entry, best on-farm practice records and farm policy manuals. Call a Farmer has regular specials on its website.

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From rear left: Representatives from Ahuroa School, Warkworth Primary, Kaipara Flats School, Tauhoa School, Matakana School, Pakiri School, Mahurangi Christian School, Tomarata School, Wellsford School and Leigh School with New World’s manager of business administration Anne Marie Giles (far left) and New World HR manager Chris Downs (far right).

Schools get a slice of pie

Warkworth New World is serving up $12,500 to local schools as part of its Pies for Schools programme. The scheme was started in June pie for their chosen school. last year and is the brainchild of Every time they spend $25 at Warkworth supermarket owner Robin Brooke. New World they’ll receive one Fly Buys A morning tea was recently held with point. Bonus points can also be collected representatives from schools, where on selected products in store. the money was handed out. A total of To start earning Fly Buys points for $12,000 was distributed, with around their nominated school, customers 50 percent of schools showing up to need to complete the Pies for Schools collect their share. It is the third cut form, which can be collected from the of a $50,000 fund – one more cut is supermarket or school offices. due this year. Schools say they plan to spend the The idea is customers use their money on computers, iPads, graphic Fly Buys while shopping and novels, shading for a swimming pool, nominate a school. The more points gym equipment and a low sensory collected, the larger the piece of the classroom for special needs students.

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 23

ruralrodney

Tamahunga Trappers grow from small beginnings

Tamahunga Trappers started in 2009 as a small group of people who wanted to improve the biodiversity of the Tamahunga forest, with a particular focus on bird life. Since then the group has expanded in both the lines, trap maintenance, funding support, website number of people involved and the amount of forest development and maintenance, data collection and being trapped. After a successful bid to the Auckland collation, and bird monitoring. Council for funding to develop a Restoration Plan, The trappers go through a lot of eggs so donations of the group was incorporated last December. fresh eggs would also be gratefully accepted. The Tamahunga Trappers meet about every second Dr Kevin Parker is currently developing a five-year month and there are currently about 20 people plan with a 10-year vision for the group and it is hoped involved, from a wide range of backgrounds. The that this will be ready by the end of next month. similarity is that they are all people interested For more information about the group or to in conservation who are keen to participate in a accompany a trapper to the Tamahunga summit, worthwhile project. They include local landowners, contact Sue Cameron on 027 271 4250 or srandsg@ iwi, university students, regular recreational users maxnet.co.nz. of the track, DOC staff and other conservationists working in their own time. One young member Catch statistics was prompted to join after enjoying a trip up the mountain with a founding member of the group. Year 2010 2011 2012 As well as actively trapping predators in the forest, the group undertakes bird monitoring, helps raise No. Traps 54 75 102 awareness of the values of the forest by installing Rat 65 82 96 information signs and seats, and advocates for ongoing protection and improvement of the forest. Stoat 12 23 31 Several species of rare plants are found on the mountain, including one considered to be endemic. Weasel 2 1 4 Bellbirds are re-establishing and Hochstetter frogs thrive in many streams and seeps. Ferret 0 0 1 Primary school student Josh Clarkson-Manley is one There are currently six trap lines comprising a total of the youngest members of the Tamahunga Trappers. Cat 2 2 1 of 102 traps, with new lines currently being cut. Traps are checked fortnightly and rebaited monthly identification, before being assigned a line. Hedgehog 7 6 6 with eggs. While no experience is required, all new However, if clearing traps is not your cup of tea trappers accompany an experienced trapper to learn there are a range of other jobs such as vegetation Other 2 0 4 the basics of trapping, including safety and pest clearing, track-marking, developing new trap

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24 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

Wine with Ben Dugdale mardale@clear.net.nz Chairman, Matakana Winegrowers Association

Rotary wine auction raises $20,000

On June 2, more than 140 good people of the Rodney district gathered at Ascension Wine Estate for a dinner and a Charity Wine Auction. There was a fantastic silent art auction as well, with wonderful pieces, particularly from local artists, featuring prominently. The guests of honour were Sir George Fistonich and Lady Gail Fistonich of Villa Maria, New Zealand’s largest Kiwi-owned wine business. Sir George spoke on the history of Villa Maria and the current wine industry strengths and opportunities. It was heartening to listen to someone who had overcome significant financial tribulations, who went on make significant domestic and international contributions to the nation’s brand story and economy. Then, over the course of the evening, various lots of local wine were auctioned. Mostly they were half-case lots (six bottles) and some were cellared stock and/or very rare examples. This increased the bidding beyond what these wines would have originally retailed for. I bid on various items, and considered myself extremely lucky to win one lot (a magnum and an aged red) which you just can’t find anywhere. I was appropriately stunned by the generosity of the participating wineries as they had donated the stock and, in some cases, delved deep into their own personal cellars. Some producers unflinchingly donated wine for the tables – again many thanks for this kindness. The money raised netted approximately $20,000, which will be used in the local community for various activities. This is a great result and from the Matakana Winegrowers’ viewpoint, we hope it will become a significant annual occurrence on the promotional calendar. We would like to see this grow and develop into a must-attend event, and as such there is talk of having a barrel auction. This is where a 225l barrel is auctioned (equivalent to approximately 300 bottles) and usually won by a syndicate who receive personalised bottles, which they can either cellar for their own pleasure, use to promote their own activities, or who knows? They may even start themselves on a pathway to make and sell their own wine. I wish to profusely thank all those members of Rotary who worked incredibly hard to make this happen. The auction went very smoothly and the event was an excellent example of the community working together for a common goal. Lastly, my special thanks to Darryl and Bridget Soljan of Ascension Wine Estate for their commitment to the evening. They even donated a guitar signed by all of the Hollies; they have our lasting thanks for their generosity. I am certain next year’s event will sell out even faster than this year, so keep an eye out, and be sure to get your ticket early.

ruralrodney

Blood, sweat and shears

A learner machine shearing course was held at Don Petrie’s shed at Whangaripo this month, to give trainees a general understanding of woolshed operations, from hazards and terminology to the roles and responsibilities of each team member.

Top: Dave Taylor, of Silverdale, made the job look easy. Right: Courtney Flower, of Tangiteroria, takes her turn on the boards.

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Mahurangi oysters thriving

Three years ago, Mahurangi oyster farmers Lisa and Andrew Hay were wondering if their business would ever recover from a virus that decimated their production. But with harvesting beginning for a new season, the couple’s business, Mahurangi Oysters, is back in full swing and is celebrating its successful transformation from a small exporter to a significant local supplier. “At its absolute worst, we were down to about 30 percent of our normal stock,” says Lisa. “But things have improved significantly. We worked a lot smarter and a lot wiser during what would otherwise have been quite difficult times.” Their farm, at Scotts Landing, is back producing about 50,000 dozen Pacific oysters, which it now sells all over the North Island, and occasionally in the South Island. Aucklanders will find its products at Al Brown’s Depot restaurant, and also at La Cigale market in Parnell. And it has also been getting plenty of media coverage. “The local market has been dynamite — it’s just taken off,” says Lisa. For anyone who wants to learn more about oysters, Mahurangi Oysters holds shucking classes for a minimum of six people. “Just call us up and we’ll organise it,” says Lisa. Pacific oysters are at their very best right now. “They’re plump and they’re Andrew Hay is an expert at shucking ripe and they’re ready to go.” oysters.

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Winter has finally arrived and with the cold and wet weather comes the unpleasant rodent visits to the attic and other accessible dry spaces in your house. Rat bait sales are up at this time of the year and so are the cases of accidental poisonings in our household pets. Rats are very smart animals and to prevent them from making the connection between eating the bait and dying from it, the onset of the poisoning is delayed and almost symptomless at the beginning. Rat poisons work on the blood-clotting mechanism of mammals. They suppress the clotting to a point where even the slightest bump on the body leads to massive bleeding into muscle tissues, body cavities or organs. Open cuts will continue to bleed, much like people suffering from haemophilia. We all know that bleeding is not associated with pain, so when the symptoms of dizziness and dehydration due to blood loss finally set in, the poisoning is well underway. The mucus membranes of our pets go pale, their eyes start to look porcelain white and the animals appear to be sluggish, with an increased heart rate. The effects of the poison can be reversed without any lasting ill health if the animal is seen in time to make an accurate diagnosis. This usually involves the taking of blood from your pet to assess the clotting time as well as a blood workup to evaluate other parameters such as the total number of red blood cells etc. The treatment following diagnosis will consist of daily dosing the animal with vitamin K for a number of weeks. The blood will be retested again a few days after medication has stopped. This is necessary to ascertain whether all the effects of the poison are gone and are not likely to come back. Very severe cases of rat poisoning may require a blood transfusion to improve the chances of a positive outcome. Most vets will not have stored blood, so time will be needed to organise and collect from donors. While the outcome of treatment is most often positive, it can not be guaranteed. The only things that are certain are long treatment periods and a comprehensive laboratory work-up, and not insignificant costs. Obviously, it is much better to focus on prevention, which means ensuring your pet doesn’t get access to the bait in the first place. Keep bait stored in a lock-up and lay it out of reach of your pets by using special bait stations or by nailing or wiring the bait in place. This also prevents the rats from moving the bait and stashing it somewhere else for future provisions. Use small amounts of bait in each location and check daily. Good luck.

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Gardening with Wendy Schick

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Prune now for summer blooms

Six months from now, roses will be charming us with their beauty and fragrance. They’ll be all the more intoxicating if we pamper them a little over the next few months. To keep established rose bushes vigorous and healthy, now is the time to prune them, all except old-fashioned roses that flower only once a year in early summer. These roses should be pruned immediately after flowering (if at all) to give new flowering wood time to grow. Don’t stress — you can’t kill a rose by pruning it. As a guide, remove one-third of the growth off the bush, get rid of any diseased wood and spindly shoots. Prune just above a strong bud, preferably one pointing outwards. Standard roses should be pruned to about 25cm above the main stem and bush roses can be cut back about two-thirds, leaving three or four buds on each branch. On climbers, leave five to six strong canes. Immediately after pruning, spray both the roses and the soil with lime sulphur, which helps to get rid of lingering pests and diseases before the new spring growth period. Fertilise the plants with sheep pellets, top up the mulch, and you’re done. Spray again with Yates Champ DP and Yates Conqueror Oil as a final clean-up. Winter is an ideal time to plant new roses. Mix compost and fertiliser into the soil at planting time. For each rose bush, dig a generous planting hole and mix through a bucketful of compost or garden mix plus Burnet’s slow-release rose fertiliser. Trim new bush roses at planting time. These have often been trimmed mechanically. Cut each branch near the top, just above a bud. Apply mulch around newly planted roses to help retain moisture and prevent weed growth. Sit back and wait for them to grace you with their beautiful flowers. It’s garlic time. As a general rule of thumb, plant on the shortest day (June 21), and harvest on the longest day (December 21). Garlic is very easy to grow and doesn’t take up a lot of space — just choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil rich in compost, adding a handful of lime per square metre. Separate the garlic bulbs, discarding any damaged ones, plant 2.5cm deep and about 10cm apart. Elephant garlic is planted about 30cm apart. Shallots have a much sweeter and subtler flavour than onions. Because of their small size, they are fabulous added whole to casseroles, with Mediterranean-style vegetables and just delicious thrown in with roast chicken or beef. They take on a golden glaze and just melt in your mouth. Plant shallots in the same conditions as garlic, only this time leave their tops level with the soil surface. Harvest in summer. Asparagus beds need a little attention now that the foliage has died down, so cut the remaining fern back. Mix two parts dolomite lime to one part superphosphate and one part blood and bone, and scatter generously over the bed. Apply a thick layer of compost or mulch. This, along with the fertiliser, will greatly improve the quality of your asparagus crop in spring. We are holding our annual fruit tree pruning class on July 6. For anyone who would like to learn how to prune fruit trees or just brush up on what they already know this class is invaluable.

Rural crime survey reveals concerns Drink driving and speeding are key areas of concern for rural people, according to an online rural crime survey conducted by Rural Women NZ. Seventy percent of the Rural Women NZ rural crime survey respondents also said that theft of fuel was a problem, while just over half saw theft of vehicles or of items from a vehicle as an issue. For full survey results go to: www.ruralwomen.org.nz

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28 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

FEATURE

Puhoi celebrates 150 years Bohemian celebration’s changing face Pioneers of Puhoi village remembered For 85 years, Fred Rauner has never missed the annual June celebration which marks the arrival of Bohemian settlers in Puhoi. This month won’t be any different, but he regrets that there are fewer familiar faces with each passing year. “So many of my old friends and family won’t be there,” he says. “There was a time when everyone in Puhoi had Bohemian ancestry and we all knew one another, but those days have gone.” Fred grew up on a nearly 1000-acre farm at Tahekeroa, by the northern railway line, where he was part of a large extended family. His father was one of 16 children and many of his fondest memories are of the times he spent “working like a man” with his uncles. “Uncle John had a team of 16 to 18 bullocks, each with their own name and personality, and when I was 19, I helped him pull out the kahikatea that was used to build the Kaipara Flats saleyard. He paid me with a plug of Havelock Dark tobacco – I’d taken up pipe smoking when I was about 17 or 18. “When I started school, I couldn’t speak English. Like many other Puhoi families, only Bohemian was spoken at home. It was also a very Catholic community. I was the youngest of six children and every night we’d line up around the table to say the Rosary.” Fred says Puhoi was a great place to grow up and there were plenty of characters around. Alf Rauner, Jimmy Tidford the bootmaker, Martin Rauner the blacksmith, Peter Wenzlick and Joey Paul to name just a few. “Joey was a great horseman – when he got drunk he’d show people how quiet his horses were by crawling through their legs.” Music has been part of Fred’s life for as long as he can remember, learning to

Fred Rauner has been making music all his life. He is pictured with an Austrian accordion, purchased 20 years ago.

play by ear by watching his father on the push button accordion. He also plays the violin and Scottish bagpipes. His great grandfather, Joseph Paul, is credited with bringing the first dudelsack (German bagpipe) to Puhoi in 1863. The family was well represented in the popular The Hohner Boys band, which played at dances between Kaitaia and Gisborne in the 1950s. After selling the Tahekeroa property, Fred and his wife Glenis, and their four children, moved to Orewa where he

Ian Bateman Mobile 0275 999 077

worked for Rodney District Council’s parks and reserves for 21 years. Of his five siblings, only he and his sister Olive, who will be 92 in August, survive. There will be a special luncheon at the Puhoi Town Hall, honouring seniors of the district and Puhoi musicians, on June 28. To hear Fred play, see a video with this story at www.localmatters.co.nz

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Free phone 0800 784 641

“They came from the heart of Europe to the land of the Southern Cross.” – Mrs K Mooney, Puhoi centennial booklet 1963 Celebrations marking Puhoi’s 150th year of European settlement will wind up at the end of this month with anniversary luncheons and dinners, church services, book displays, book launches and a pioneering-themed farmer’s market. The village has been celebrating the arrival of Bohemian settlers on June 29, 1863, in myriad ways since the start of the year. The programme has included the annual Puhoi Woodchopping event, a river landing re-enactment and official wharf opening. One of the organising committee members, Bernadette Straka, says many of the remaining events, planned for June 28 to 30, are already sold out. “We’ve got descendents coming from all over NZ, as well as Canada, England and Australia,” she says. “Among the more notable guests will be historian Dame Claudia Orange, who is herself a Bohemian descendent.” Bernadette says as well as the official anniversary events, a number of families, including the Schollum and Straka families, have held reunions this year. A joint commemorative tree planting will be incorporated into Landcare’s community riverbank planting on June 23. Meet at the Puhoi Domain at 10am.

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 29

Puhoi celebrates 150 years

Beer to go Visitors to Puhoi over the 150th anniversary weekend will be able to take home a special souvenir in the form of some locally brewed beer. Puhoi Hotel has released a limited edition of a special Bohemian Pilsner Beer, in 330ml brown bottles. It is brewed and bottled for Waiwera Organic Winery by Deep Creek Brewery using hops from New Zealand and the Czech Republic.

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Library volunteers, from left, Mary Shackleton, Sandra Beagley and Annie Glancey.

Pages of history on show One of NZ’s smallest libraries is putting on a big show to celebrate Puhoi’s 150th year of settlement. The independent Puhoi Town Library has compiled a display entitled “Journey Through 150 Years of Books”. President Ruth Cunliffe, who has been running the library for the past seven years, says items have been selected based on the book 1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die. “We start in the 1860s and feature ‘the best of the decade’ as well as Puhoi history and information on NZ and world events,” she says. “People may be surprised at how many old publications they recognise, such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864), Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (1865) and War & Peace (1869). The most recent items include the children’s books written by Puhoi Library volunteer Lynette Anderson.” The library is on the banks of the Puhoi River and has around 4000 items available for loan. It relies solely on donated books and volunteer support, and membership is restricted to residents in the immediate

area. Books that aren’t added to the collection are sold to help pay the power bill. The library building started as the office for the Puhoi Roads Board and was converted to a library in 1923 when the board shifted to Orewa. Mr A Schollum was the first librarian and the early collection included 300 volumes donated by Reverend D V Silk. The great Puhoi flood of 1924 all but washed the building away and only 50 volumes of Rev Silk’s collection survived. The contents of the safe, which had acted as a community safety deposit box, were also destroyed, wiping out many of the historical records of the village. Over the next 50 years, the building was used sporadically as a post centre, craft centre and even a morgue. It reopened as a library in 1976. In 1992, the US movie Tommyknockers was filmed in Puhoi with the library starring as the Christian Science Reading Room. The library collection was damaged again in the 2001 flood but today it is well stocked and well-supported. The special 150th book display is on show until June 30.

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30 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

The Puhoi Fire Brigade would like To congraTulaTe Puhoi on iTs 150Th celeBraTion.

Puhoi celebrates 150 years

As a volunteer brigade we appreciate the support from our local community and look forward to the construction of our new Fire Station as a new community asset. s e rV i n g o u r c o m m u n i T y

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The Puhoi School bell will ring out again in Puhoi this month after a 90-year silence. Pictured at the handover are Ina Shaw and Kelvin Schedewy.

School bell sounds again A small piece of Bohemian history will return to Puhoi to mark the 150th year of settlement this month. The Puhoi Historical Society has been given the former state school bell, which has been in the care of Warkworth resident Ina Shaw for nearly 80 years. “The school was built in 1884 and the cast bell hung in the entrance porch,” she says. “Some said it was a ship’s bell.” The state school closed when the convent school opened in 1923. The building was sold to Ina’s father, Jack Walden, and shifted to Matakana where Mr Walden used the kauri

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timber to build his house, at the back of the Matakana garage, in the mid1930s. Ina took the bell with her when she married and moved to Matamata, returning to Warkworth in 1980. The bell has since hung at the entrance of her B&B in View Road. “The 150th seemed like an appropriate time to return it to its original home.” It will be set up temporarily at the landing stone, beside the Puhoi Town Hall, on June 30, where it will be rung for the first time by Puhoi identity Kelvin Schedewy. The museum is yet to decide where the bell will be permanently housed.

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localentertainment

‘Cake pops’ to feature at Women’s Expo Ngadia Jones is far too modest to suggest it, but if there’s ever a competition for Mahurangi’s Hottest Home Baker, she would definitely be a contender. The Wellsford mother and relief teacher has Ngadia Jones perfected the art of making “cake pops” — sweet likes to come treats on a stick that look just like lollipops but are up with her actually chocolate-dipped cake. own designs Wildly popular blogger Bakerella (aka Angie Dudley) for her clever creations. started the craze, and Ngadia picked up her own tips by attending a course at Auckland kitchen shop Millie’s. Ever since, her homemade creations have been in big demand from friends and family. Her designs so far include a Rugby World Cup theme, strawberries, funky monsters for kids, golf balls, and various chocolate confections for weddings and birthdays. Christmas-themed orders are also popular — and one lady even wanted penguins. “I like to come up with my own designs and decorations — the possibilities are endless,” she says. Cake pops are generally made from leftover cake rolled into a ball, placed on a stick, then dipped in coloured chocolate. For big orders, she’ll bake a cake, then break it up. For those who have not yet tried one of her cake pops, there will be a chance to do so on June 22. Ngadia has agreed to donate 50 of her creations to the Wellsford Women’s Expo, which is being held as a fundraiser for Tomarata School. More than 30 stalls have been confirmed for the expo, in the Wellsford Community Centre from 7pm-10pm. Other door prizes include sets of false eyelashes that normally retail for $80 each. The eyelashes are expected to be popular with Rodney College girls for their school ball next month, and the first 20 girls through the door will be given a certificate, allowing them to buy the lashes at a significant discount. A beautician and a hairdresser will also be doing a demonstration on the night, doing a makeover for two college girls for the upcoming ball. PTA president Ingrid McCracken is delighted with the response to the expo. “I’m really looking forward to it, and I’m hoping it will be something that Wellsford women can really look forward to too.” There will be a $5 entry fee, and raffles and other activities on the night. Info: Ingrid McCracken or Anna Primbs at Tomarata School.

32 | Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013

localentertainment

Exhibition takes rare peek at Wellsford’s history

Wellsford’s Heritage Centre has put together an exhibition of treasures to celebrate the opening of the town’s new library. In keeping with the library theme, the centre’s main gallery is displaying books, maps, diaries, notebooks and family bibles. Archivist Lyn Johnston explains one of the oldest book is a 1707 publication Athenian Sport: Or, Two Thousand Paradoxes Merrily Argued, to Amuse and Divert the Age. This is particularly fascinating (and difficult to read) because the letter ‘s’ is printed as an ‘f ’. Joseph Isherwood Buckton, a Tauhoa settler, has his birth (28 January 1832) recorded in the very fragile Buckton bible. Buckton births, deaths and marriages are listed from 1752. In pioneer days, most households had their own medical encyclopedia, doctors being very few and far between. Some of these were enormous; the one on display weighs 4 kilograms. A recent grant from National Services Te The Buckton Family bible is believed to have been printed during the 1700s. Paerangi, Te Papa Tongarewa has enabled the museum to begin cataloguing the including letters from the scheme’s was promoted as a ‘Promised Land’ among the first Albertlanders and their letters from New Zealand to their enormous Brookes collection of archives officials; William Rawson Brame, without class or religious restrictions. Henry Barton, NZ Emigration While papers were being sorted it was parents are very descriptive accounts relating to the Albertland emigration scheme. Edwin Stanley Brookes Snr was Board and Shaw Savill. Perhaps most discovered that Mr Brookes also sent of early life here. Edwin illustrated the Nottingham agent for the scheme interesting are letters from ordinary emigrants to Canterbury on assisted his letters with beautiful pen sketches, and when he came to NZ he brought all people like miners, farm labourers passages. Two of these, James Boot some of which will be on display. the papers with him. and blacksmiths. Advertising and William Brassington, became Due to the fragile nature of many of the centre’s items, the exhibition will A selection from these archives is inspired them to enquire about prominent Christchurch citizens. being shown in the Marsh Gallery, becoming emigrants. New Zealand The three eldest Brookes sons were only be open for a month.

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June 24 to June 30 is St John Annual Appeal Week. St John staff and volunteers will be out with collection buckets or the public can call 0800 ST JOHN (0800 785 646), or donate online at www.stjohnappeal. org.nz or at any ASB branch. In Warkworth, raffles are being sold in the township and there will be a collection outside Warkworth New World. Steaming with the Tides 50 minute trips on the Mahurangi River For Dates,Times & Prices, see the website or ph Stuart; 0275 573 725

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Mahurangimatters 19 June 2013 | 33

localentertainment

Movie quiz at Mangawhai

Sue Arthur and Neil Willman demonstrate the fine art of cheesemaking.

Cheesemaking classes a hit A recent cheesemaking class in Wellsford was so popular, people had to be turned away. But the good news for those who missed out is that more classes are planned in August. “We were overwhelmed by people couple are based in the Waikato. wishing to attend,” says Geraldine The audience were shown how to Taylor, Forest Reserve branch president make and serve halloumi, speedy of Rural Women. “With numbers mozzarella, yoghurt and marscapone limited to 45, some were disappointed.” using a packet of long-life cream from The demonstration was organised the supermarket and a starter product. by Rural Women, the New Zealand Then there were tastings of a range of Cheese School Limited, Ransom Over the Moon cheeses matched with Wines and the Over the Moon Dairy wine served by Marion Ransom of Company and helped raise funds for Ransom Wines. Neil also shared tips from a lifetime of cheese-making. cancer charity CanTeen. “It was fun, we learnt lots and it was a A second cheese-making class has been great way to socialise with local people organised by the Kourawhero branch of and fundraise for CanTeen at the same Rural Women in Warkworth on August 6. It will be held at Bowls Warkworth time,” says Geraldine. The classes were conducted by Neil from 7pm to 9pm. Another class is Willman from the New Zealand planned for Wellsford on August 31. Cheese School and his partner Sue Info: Judith McInnes 425-8224 or Arthur, of Over the Moon. The Lorraine Hatfull 425-8627.

The Zonta Club is hoping to bring a little bit of Hollywood to Mangawhai this month, with a movie-themed trivia night. Its annual fundraiser will be held on June 27, with the theme “Movie Madness”. As usual, there will be a special cocktail for the evening – this year it is the “Garbo Guzzler”. The club is encouraging teams of six to book tickets. However, it is keen to stress the evening is not just aimed at movie buffs. It is promising plenty of prizes “for just about anything”, including Best Dressed Team – and even for coming last. There will also be spot prizes, team prizes, raffle prizes, and heads ‘n tails prizes, so the chances of coming home empty-handed are slim. The funds raised will go to the Zonta Hayley Aldworth Club of Mangawhai’s Spirit of New She won the Amokura Award, which is Zealand scholarship, which is awarded given to the trainee whose community annually to a senior girl selected from spirit and consideration to others the area’s high schools, who shows contributed significantly to the success of the voyage. Hayley was joined at potential leadership. So far, the club has sponsored three the meeting by another young local local girls, the latest being Hayley woman, Ella Stowerk from Waipu, Aldworth from Rodney College. who is a youth ambassador for Unicef. Hayley inspired a recent club meeting The club’s mission is to “support with her enthusiasm and plans formed women worldwide through service during her voyage around the Bay of and advocacy”. Islands over the summer on the Spirit Info: To book a table of six, ph Jude of New Zealand, a 45m sailing ship on 431 5765. Or to attend a local used for training programmes for meeting as a guest, call Sue Poynter on 027 555 6636. young people.

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