PONSONBY NEWS - JULY'13

+ PUBLISHED 5 JULY, 2013 Established: OCTOBER 1989 – CELEBRATING 22 YEARS OF PUBLISHING HISTORY!

ponsonbynews.co.nz

JULY 2013

VIVE LA FRANCE: GREY LYNN’S ANTIQUE ‘MAFIA’ - EUROPEAN ANTIQUES, WAYNE WRIGHT ANTIQUES AND BASHFORD ANTIQUES The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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WHAT’S INSIDE THIS MONTH

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P52; Drink well and responsibly at any of our local bars, pictured above is Dida’s Wine Lounge on the corner of Jervois Road and Blake Street.

P32; Vive La France! Bastille Day, 14 July ... make sure you catch the festive activities planned in Ponsonby.

P83; Meet our new astrology columnist, Sheena Shuvani, who works from her booth in Ponsonby Central.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FROM THE EDITOR DAVID HARTNELL: ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW SHALE CHAMBERS: WAITEMATA LOCAL BOARD NIKKI KAYE, AUCKLAND CENTRAL MP K’ROAD BUSINESS ASSOCIATION JACINDA ARDERN: LABOUR LIST MP AUCKLAND JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS U3A PONSONBY VIVE LA FRANCE

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LAURAINE JACOBS: THE SEASONED PALATE EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY A-Z OF LOCAL BARS PONSONBY NEWS READERS ARE EVERYWHERE PIPPA COOM: GREY LYNN 2030 JAY PLATT: WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT FASHION + STYLE ANGELA LASSIG: LETTERS FROM MAUDIE LIVING, THINKING + BEING HELENE RAVLICH: NATURAL BEAUTY

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JOHN APPLETON ON HEALTH SHEENA SHUVANI: STARDUST ASTROLOGY PONSONBY PEOPLE & THEIR PETS FUTURE GENERATION SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY LOOK WHO IS IN THE ZOO STREET NAMES HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS ARTS + CULTURE PONSONBY PINK PAGES COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Michael McClintock

PONSONBY NEWS+ is published monthly, excluding January by ALCHEMY MEDIA LIMITED, 11/386 RICHMOND ROAD, GREY LYNN POSTAL: P.O. BOX 47-282 Ponsonby, Auckland 1144. www.ponsonbynews.co.nz T: 09 378 8553 or 09 361 3356 Editor/Publisher Associate Publisher & Ad Manager Deputy Editor Business Development Manager Operations Manager Contributing Fashion Editor Contributing Editor Contributing Editor Proof Reader Layout Designer Designer

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MARTIN LEACH; M: 021 771 147; E: martinleach@xtra.co.nz or martin@ponsonbynews.co.nz JO BARRETT; M: 021 324 510; E: joannebarrett@xtra.co.nz JAY PLATT; M: 021 771 146; E: jayplatt@xtra.co.nz or jay@ponsonbynews.co.nz INGER KITE; M: 027 267 2775; E: ingerkite@xtra.co.nz GWYNNE DAVENPORT; M: 021 150 4095; E: ponsonbynews@xtra.co.nz JULIE ROULSTON; M: 027 211 7169; E: julie@ponsonbynews.co.nz PRINTED BY DEIRDRE TOHILL; M: 021 261 8439; E: deir42@vodafone.co.nz WEBSTAR, JOHN ELLIOTT; M: 021 879 054; E: johnelliott@ihug.co.nz AUCKLAND. ISSN 1177-3987 RICHARD GRAVENOR ARNA MARTIN; E: arna@cocodesign.co.nz MELISSA PAYNTER; E: melissapaynter@me.com

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LETTERS + EMAILS

Views in Ponsonby News reflect the author’s, and not those of Alchemy Media.

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PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO info@ponsonbynews.co.nz

Ponsonby Road Landmark Felled There is a restored villa at 213 Ponsonby Road which houses Spa Ayurda, also residing on this land was, until 11 June, a superb towering Norfolk Pine. It has been chopped down which was a traumatic event to watch.

This tree was at least 100 years old, if not older and had an interesting history. I was friends with the gentleman Mr Noel Finer who had owned and lived in the villa all his life and he told me many interesting stories of early Ponsonby along with photos of the area including the tree.

In the 1930s at the end of Christmas one year his very young sister had taken the pine tree outside and planted it in the corner of the section where over the years it has flourished and brought pleasure to the neighbourhood.

The height of the tree matched the spire on the Samoan Church at 229a Ponsonby Road, they were a matching pair, one man made, one from nature, the tree was a landmark.

Now we have an empty space in the sky where once stood a truly magnificent tree.

Whoever authorised this has committed a dastardly act of vandalism, they have upset the local community and have shown a lack of concern and respect for the neighourhood that they work in.

To all those people out there with a penchant for further defoliation within the community please think before you cut. NOELENE GILLIES, Ponsonby

Ponsonby bowling club sign - This is terrible I saw this beautiful old sign appear on the Jervois Road side of Ponsonby Bowling Club yesterday, unveiled as construction workers dismantled layers and years of development. This morning, gone in the back of a truck, one can only assume to the tip.

Shame on the construction company building apartments on the Ponsonby Bowling Club site! JO BELL, BY EMAIL

No to Bunnings!

A lone Bunnings advocate!

As a long time Arch Hill and Ponsonby resident, and keen Ponsonby News reader, I looked forward to reading John Elliott’s article on proposed Bunnings Arch Hill (June 2013 edition) with some interest.

I want to add my support to your campaign against the plan to build a Bunnings store in Grey Lynn. The alternative option proposed by Ponsonby News is a much better use of the site. SUE SHOOLBREAD, Freemans Bay

Landmark buildings and their story

I was hoping to hear about the impending arrival of a decent local hardware store, for the first time since moving to the area over 15 years ago.

In Deidre Tohill’s column on the Campbell Free Kindergarten. The final paragraph says “Thanks to Auckland Transport the derelict building has been completely restored”.

Sadly the story lacked any balance whatsoever, and the usual Ponsonby News journalistic quality seemed missing.

I wonder if you could please let your readers know that the restoration was entirely the work of the NZ Transport Agency via the Victoria Park Alliance. Auckland Transport had absolutely nothing to do with it.

There may well be locals that hark back to “Little house on the prairie”. Regardless, I believe the majority of Ponsonby area residents have progressed from travel via horse and traps, cooking over an open fire, toileting in the back yard latrine, and houses without insulation - and look forward to adding modern conveniences via purchases from local hardware stores. I trust John will endeavour to offer some journalistic balance in future articles. ED CATHERWOOD, Arch Hill

I know that the work done to restore the building was a highlight of the Victoria Park Tunnel project for NZTA and the other alliance participants. Right down to sourcing and using horse hair in the plaster used to restore the interior walls. (We even made a video about it!) It would be a pity if this important fact was lost in history. HELEN COOK, Stakeholder Manager, the Well-Connected Alliance

Kraftbomb at The Grey Lynn Community Centre I love the Ponsonby News and peruse it each time it arrives (sometimes at a coffee shop before it even arrives in my letterbox). When it does arrive I read it once and earmark the pages with things of interest to go back to later.

I was most dismayed to turn over the latest edition to page 126 after reading about the Kraftbomb and seeing the photo in the bottom right hand corner of the crockery stall featuring all those plates, cups and saucers with “sort” of humorous wordings. i.e. I can cope with Evil; Crazy Bitch; Vodka, etc (nothing any different than what you see on cards these days) but the featured plate in full view of us all saying “Mother……” is totally offensive to me. Why the photographer thought it would be funny to have that plate centre of attention I do not know! I am quite liberal minded but I think that was in very bad taste. Older people and children look through your magazine! Sorry but I cannot believe you thought that your readers would like to see that…..Have you had similar comments - I would like to know. DENISE SIMPSON, Westmere FROM THE EDITOR: we apologise that you found the photograph in our Kraftbomb coverage offensive. There were adults and children of ALL ages at the Grey Lynn Community Centre that day. All would have seen the offending crockery.

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July 2013

Thanks to Aroha Healing i had the most amazing massage at Aroha Healing in Maidstone Street last month. It was like I was looking down on my body at the end. It was incredible experience. My husband Brett went on Friday and felt so chilled afterwards. Rosana Marks is an amazing woman.

LISA ARCHER, Herne Bay

Thanks Ponsonby News!

I’ve just finished the June issue of your simply splendid magazine. I read every word, cover to cover, which occupied me nicely for nearly three hours. The only way I know what is going on around the ‘hood is via Ponsonby News. And the publishing values you bring to it Martin, are simply superb. Colour, paper quality, the whole box and dice.

Thanks mate and congratulations, GRAHAM BEATTIE, Ponsonby

Thanks from Seventy Six Design I just wanted to say a big thank you for the article about us in the Ponsonby News, we’ve had quite a few people call us and come in after reading it. Thank you so much!

SHAUN & ANGELA, Seventy Six Design PN

17,987 COPIES DISTRIBUTED TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN... ARCH HILL, PONSONBY, COXS BAY, FREEMANS BAY, HERNE BAY, GREY LYNN, ST MARY’S BAY, WEST LYNN AND WESTMERE PLUS SELECTED BUSINESSES IN HIGH STREET, CHANCERY, CBD, KINGSLAND, MT EDEN, NEWMARKET, NEWTON + PARNELL PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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FROM THE EDITOR

We were glad to get 10-minutes with Mayor Len Brown during his ‘Mayor in the Chair’ at the Grey Lynn Community Centre last month. The Mayor indicated he was well briefed regarding the Bunnings’ consent application and the number of submissions, which was way more than the norm. My colleague, John Elliott urged Len Brown to be strong, kia kaha, in ensuring the tenor of the changes made it in to the Plan and even powers of acquisition, where they where necessary to ensure zoning integrity. We mentioned issues with the Bunninngs consent and he noted that there were legacy issues within the planning department, which needed to change. The mayor knows, we as a community are serious and understands the logic of our issues with the Bunnings’ application!

We are now distributing 18,000 copies and despite the economic climate, our business is growing like a run away train - we have an ever increasing advertising base. We are delighted to announce that Inger Kite has joined the team as business development manager. Inger (pictured above), will be well-known to some of you, from when she ran her business, Bravista in Three Lamps.

Every year, since 1790, Bastille Day is celebrated on 14 July and is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Festivities and official ceremonies are held worldwide. Don’t miss seeing Linn Lorkin and French Toast perform at La Cantine - P 38.

This issue, I’d like to welcome some great new columists; former Ponsonby News team member and ex model, Julie Bonner writes monthly with ‘News from Frog Pond Farm’.

Jay and I feed the birds daily in Western Springs, which is why we appreciated our country scribe’s ‘Meet the Chooks’ P 49.

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

photography: Gwynne Davenport

WE’VE HAD A VERY EVENTFUL MONTH. WHILE DELIVERING OUR JUNE ISSUE OVER IN ‘Parn-Hell’ I slipped on the steps of Trelise Cooper’s store and ended up at the bottom, feeling concussed and bleeding. It was my own fault, as I was checking a text, when I slipped and ended up with a fractured elbow, shortly sporting a huge black eye. I carried on with PN deliveries for the next four hours, not realising the damage I’d done to myself.

Then it was off to Ponsonby Whitecross, where they were so kind to me. Thanks team.

A big shout out to Trelise, who emailed to check up on me and she then sent me some gorgeous Jo Malone product to cheer me up. Thankfully, I have a hard working, loving Partner, my soul mate Jay, who supported through this rough patch.

We love to have a drink out. Not every night (Jay reminded me the other day, that in London, the only night we didn’t go out on was a Tuesday!) We hope you enjoy our A-Z of bars in this issue. Please mention us, if you’re buying a drink - P 52.

We’re already tired of this cold weather and so felt like celebrating a mid winter Christmas… Christmas should be cold - snowy, but in January our Christmas food focuses on salads and BBQs. Spoil your loved ones with a small gift. Jay has chosen a range of local gift ideas - P 64.

Before I forget, Sheena Shuvani, the Clairvoyant in Ponsonby Central is also writing a monthly astrology column, starting with Cancer. P 83.

Ross Thorby is a well-known chap. He was behind the original Franklin Road Lights display, which is talked about world-wide. The lights are a youtube sensation, but I digress, dear readers, I hope you’ll have a giggle at Mr Thorby’s first epistle in his ‘Ross Thorby: Sea Fever’! SOME of his stories are NOT for publication! If you are over 18, please tell us, which celebrity you think Mr Thorby most looks like, to go into the draw to win a case of six bottles of Toi Toi’s most agreeable Sauvignan Blanc (closes 20 July 2013). Email: Julie@toitoiwines.co.nz - P 86. (MARTIN LEACH) PN

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DAVID HARTNELL’S: ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW

Francis Hooper Francis Hooper is a charming and delightful man, who’s the creative driving force behind the Kiwi fashion label WORLD. He’s a unique man who’s been a Ponsonby resident for many years.

How was your childhood?

My childhood was wonderfuI. I had the most loving grandmother who brought me up! She was a strong woman and made my life happy, in a Hong Kong that was very racist towards Eurasian when I was young.

Most annoying celeb?

The most annoying celeb in the world today is most probably any Kardashian! Just too too much information!

Who do you think is New Zealand’s best dressed man and woman?

Man: Chef Ray McVinnie! Woman: Pebbles Hooper in a heartbeat!

Ever consider BOTOX? Hell NO! I hate needles and doctors and those bitches that ply this trade are EVIL. How would you like to be remembered?

Hmmmmm, good question! Even to be remembered is something! A dad! A friend! A fashion designer.

Who’s greatest hits/desert island?

Hmmmm, Luther Vandross, SOS band, Dr Dre, Change, MJ, the list goes on!

When was the last time you turned off your cell phone?

When I board an aircraft only then do I turn off the phone, self employed honey!

Something you really disapprove off?

Laziness.

If you won $1 million?

The lotto question huh! I would PARTY! I would holiday!

I would shop! I would pay off debt! I would have choices!

What is your comfort food?

My comfort food is Jaime Macarons! (Christchurch) BEST food in the world! They are even better than Ladurée!

What motivates you?

My motivation has changed I used to just be hungry for success in what I did. NOW I only want to work with people I like and be happy at work, screw all the stress of dealing with people! Middle management is killing the world!

Which performers do you admire today?

I recently saw the NZ Trio, I love what they do! They are crazy talented and lovely! Go see them!

What happens when you die?

When you die you die that’s it, lights out!

Best Movie you’ve ever seen?

STAR WARS! Hands down!

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What is you favourite book?

VOGUE! Your favourite time of day?

Dinner out with a friend.

What are you insecure about?

JESUS! I’m a fashion designer, my ideas are out there, I’m always doubting myself! It’s my job!

Tell us something few people know about you?

I’m very shy! I hate big crowds and formal occasions!

Having to talk to strangers! Jesus shoot me!

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

When you are in love with someone, and they love you right back, to be in that moment.

What is your greatest fear?

Hmmmm, no real fears, life is life and it will do with me as it sees fit.

Who is your favourite hero in fiction?

It’s got to be YODA in ‘Star Wars’.

What is your life motto?

Never follow the crowd.

Any acting aspirations?

In short, HELL NO! Any cliché you really hate?

Kramer! What a load of bullshit!

What is the best thing in your life right now?

The summer that we have just had! Also the fact that I’m travelling loads! Love travel.

What gizmo can you not live without?

My pen / pencil.

What is your greatest weakness and indulgence?

Greatest weakness is laziness, greatest indulgence is shopping!

What website do you read the most?

The internet is not real; I don’t read websites. On the other hand, I love instagram!

Dream guest list at a party?

Nelson Mandela, Benny Castles, Harold Samu, Liz Taylor, Helen Clarke, Denise L’estrange Corbet, catered by Kylie Kwong, held at Hotel Crillon in Paris, why? Why not!

Do you have a party trick?

NO. Your first pet?

A goldfish, no name just a goldfish.

How do you take your coffee?

Dizzengoff Do you travel light or heavy?

I always wish to travel light BUT I always travel heavy!

The best holiday ever?

I’m pretty light on holidays, BUT every time I’ve been in PARIS for work, it feels like a holiday! The city is just so frikkin’ amaze balls! The last time with Pebbles was pretty intense! Also the last time showing our collection in PARIS with Benny was amazing! How much trouble did i get up to! It was all in French.

What is your opinion of today’s man?

Pretty hopeless, we men are simple beasts! Unchanged over the millennium, but bringing it back to fashion: Almost any man looks better in a dark WORLD suit!

Are you a handshake, hug or kiss guy?

Kiss guy - both cheeks, very fashion!

If you could change any law in New Zealand society, what would it be?

It’s just been changed! Marriage for everyone!

Ghosts, angels, vampires?

Ghosts, angels and vampires only exist in fashion!

When was the last time you cried?

Hmmmm, X Factor NZ!

Favourite season?

Easy! WINTER! We can dress up more and wear more things!

www.worldbrand.co.nz (DAVID HARTNELL) PN

Any reccuring dreams?

Hmmmm, lately not so much, too tired, too much fashion.

Comfort food?

Sushi with Pebbles, then some serious shopping at PRADA.

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EXPERT ADVICE ALWAYS ON HAND Home accessories specialists KNOBS ‘n KNOCKERS have seen a huge change in popular styles over the years but one thing never changes - the need for expert advice.

Pakuranga store’s sales consultant Carolyn Hilton is an architectural draftsperson and has been helping clients make often challenging choices for the past 23 years. Grafton Road branch’s sales consultant Sandy Pearson has for the past seven years used her life-long passion for interior design to help her clients make that right decision.

The New Zealand-based company has more than 60,000 stock items, mostly from Italy, France, England and Spain. They import only the best from China, and have an increasing range of custom-made bronze-cast fittings from New Zealand’s top manufacturers.

The door handle is the most important fitting in the house, says TV’s Grand Designs presenter Kevin McLeod, and Carolyn agrees. “We are a destination store, and service is key to our success,” she says. “The chosen door fittings must look good and feel good.”

The staff are all fully trained and able to help clients consider the technical as well as aesthetic features of these important home accessories. “Style and colour are the most challenging decisions, with price usually the third factor”, Carolyn says. Detailing needs to be in keeping with the home’s interior design, whether an ultra modern look, country style or classic decor.

Customers range from top end home owners to first home owners, all those wanting something with style and quality. They may also involve a commercial building, exclusive high rise developments, refurbishments and new offices. Representatives will do site visits to help home owners make the right choice. Brittany Gribben of Auckland City branch and Sandra Wilkinson, based at the Christchurch showroom, work with many home owners to ensure their chosen accessories blend perfectly with their homes.

The range of finishes include timber, brass, ceramic, brushed nickel, satin or polished chrome, stainless steel, leather and now beautiful crystal. Choices for an existing home may be governed by holes in the door and door frames but for new homes the ‘sky’s the limit’. Architecturally-designed homes also present some interesting challenges, especially with some of their stunning front doors, bi-folds and fold-away glass frontages to houses.

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Pakuranga sales consulation Carolyn Hilton loves the range of new crystal handles KNOBS ‘n KNOCKERS also have an extensive wrought iron balustrade range imported from Europe’s largest manufacturer. These modular balustrades enable clients to choose a design for their stairs, as well as their decks, gates and fences - hand painted or waxed to suit their own personal choice.

Other brassware features include weathervanes, cabinet handles and knobs, house numbers, letterbox plates and slots, and doorplates and door knockers.

Also available from KNOBS ‘n KNOCKERS • window hardware for timber frames • bathroom accessories • doorbells, chimes and security fittings

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SHALE CHAMBERS: WAITEMATA LOCAL BOARD REPORT

News from the ‘Hood’ It is wonderful that over 23,000 people took the time to provide feedback on the draft Auckland Unitary Plan. Thank you to our community groups and individuals who took the time to think and tell us how they envisaged the growth and future of their communities, both for themselves and their children.

As an elected member working on the community response to the draft unitary plan my local board colleagues and I have read as many of the submissions from those in Waitemata as possible, and all feedback has been collated and provided to your elected members to consider. We will listen to your community voice. As your local board we will advocate to your councillors, who make the final decisions, for changes to the plan that are necessary to help deliver a compact city that facilitates better transport options and housing choice for our inner city communities. We need a workable plan that respects residential and town centre character and heritage, allows for business and residential growth in our desirable area, has policies that provides for quality design standards, and encourages environmental sustainability. Your local board recognises that greater public input into the decision-making where the new rules are proposed to be exceeded is a vital part of the trade-off.

One of the highlights of the month was the Waitemata 2013 Good Citizens Awards.

Parents, children and friends beamed with pride as their loved ones received acknowledgement for the work they had done, often over decades, for their communities.

The recipients of the awards are the glue that helps hold our communities together with their determination, grit, advocacy, positivism and activism. Part of their good work is holding elected representatives and council officials to account for decisions they make.

They are an integral part of our grassroots democracy.

Cox’s Bay Reserve has a brand new local board funded boardwalk, which the local community came out to help us celebrate the opening of last month. A key priority of the Waitemata Local Board has been to develop a Waitemata Greenways Plan creating new and improved connecting walkways and cycleways in our area. The wider new boardwalk connects Richmond Road to West End Road on a safer shared path through our reserve.

So many volunteers over decades have been working to make this into an ecologically regenerating place whilst at the same time knowing the complex issues Cox’s Creek faces within our underground waste disposal and stormwater system. We are actively working with the CCO Watercare to find solutions over the short and long term. One step at a time moves us forward.

As you read this Ponsonby News column the local board will have opened the new local board sponsored artificial playing turfs on Seddon Fields. Within a very tight timeframe we also acted quickly as a local board to increase parking capacity at Seddon Fields so that parents can deliver their excited children to their soccer games. There is a new local board funded larger car park and bike racks for this very well used public facility.

The Western Springs Association Football Club as a whole has done a momentous job in driving this project for their neighbourhood and sporting code, and it has been our board and council’s pleasure to partner with them to deliver the best outcome for all.

It’s midwinter and a time to acknowledge the changing of the seasons. Matariki is in full swing and with it there is a celebration of traditional arts and crafts with a modern twist.

Matariki makes us focus through the eyes of those indigenous translators of tradition who implore us to keep the balance between earth’s inhabitants and our surroundings.

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photography: Martin Leach

After all it has been 20 years since the people of Waitemata The Waitemata Local Board at the Cox’s Bay last had a chance to have boardwalk opening last month a say when they submitted in the middle of the 1990s to the notified Isthmus District plan of the old Auckland City Council. That’s a generation ago. Our views have changed and the way the world works has changed. Villas and bungalows were seen as ‘old fashioned’ rather than character and heritage. The trains were not well patronised, buses smoky and infrequent, cycles nowhere to be seen on our roads and the car was king. New shopping malls and shiny plastic packaging were ‘progress’ and dowdy town centres where bought goods were put into paper bags, were run down. Yes the world has indeed changed.

Conservation and respect for the environment are strong themes. Community events have sprung up everywhere and there is a full programme that can be found on the Auckland Council website. Happy Matariki! (SHALE CHAMBERS) PN Contact me: shale.chambers@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

FINAL FEEDBACK NUMBERS FOR DRAFT UNITARY PLAN Thousands of Aucklanders have taken the opportunity to have their say on the draft Auckland Unitary Plan.

Around 22,700 pieces of feedback have been received via forms, emails and letters, as well as an additional 6,540 comments and posts gathered from social media and the Shape Auckland website.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says council chose to release the plan as a draft ‘draft’ so Aucklanders could help shape the proposed rules in the plan before it goes out for notification.

“The numbers clearly show our communities have embraced the opportunity to be involved at this early stage. Their views, comments and feedback will all be used to ensure the plan we notify for formal consultation is the best plan possible,” said Penny Hulse.

“Over the coming weeks we will be working through the feedback to identify what topics in the plan need further work and where changes need to be made to ensure that we get the balance right.”

The Auckland Unitary Plan is due to be notified later this year. This is when formal consultation will begin, starting with formal submissions. PN

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DEIRDRE TOHILL: LANDMARK BUILDINGS

NIKI WRIGHT: LEYS INSTITUTE LIBRARY NEWS

Grey Lynn Fire Station

Matariki at Auckland Libraries

ERECTED IN 1889 AS A DUAL PURPOSE building by the Newton Borough Council to include the newly created Volunteer Fire Brigade, the former fire station was Auckland based architect, John Mitchell’s first commission in the colony. He and fellow immigrant Robin Watt formed a partnership and are best remembered for designing the former Bayfield School and many other educational buildings. Watt was also responsible for designing the Ley’s Institute.

Heralded by the rising of the star constellation known as Matariki, the Maori New Year has always been an important time in the Maori calendar for connecting with and giving thanks to the land, sea and sky.

The Newton Borough Council was formed in 1885 to take over parts of local administration from the Newton Highway Board. Mitchell’s brief from the council was a challenge because his design had to work within the constraints of the local body’s modest budget and at the same time satisfy its desire to make a visual impact and to establish itself as a new and separate municipal identity. Initial plans were approved and the building was described as being ‘of neat design, surmounted by a bell tower’. Initial tenders for the construction were rejected as too expensive forcing Mitchell to change the design for practical purposes and reduce the cost by £50 10s. Fresh tenders were called and the lowest price of £343 was accepted. The building was erected within a four month period from May 1889.

Here at the Leys Institute Library we will be holding another of our popular evening storytimes to celebrate Matariki:

The council held its first meeting in the new building in September and Mayor Ambury pronounced it as architecturally second to none in Auckland. Aesthetically it has value for its distinctive form and ornamental qualities, including its tower, bargeboards and decorative brickwork. As a local landmark it contributes significantly to the surrounding area and is important as an unusual example of late-Victorian architecture. Its historic significance is reflected in the growth of local government, and the development of Newton and Grey Lynn Boroughs plus the importance of a local fire service. Present day public esteem for the building was emphasized when in the late 1970s an independent group successfully campaigned for its protection.

Originally the ground floor was occupied by the fire brigade with most of the space taken up by a fire appliance room. The upper floor probably consisted of a town clerk’s office and a council chamber. Access to them was via an external staircase and the bell tower on the southern side gave out the alert when fires broke out. Some 15 years after its formation, the Grey Lynn borough merged with Auckland City and the Auckland Fire Board took over the Borough’s fire stations. The Williamson Avenue premises were no longer used as council offices and sold to the Auckland Fire Board in 1917. Alterations took place including an addition to the eastern end to house a Daimler motor tender and accommodation for five firemen. The bell tower had been removed prior to 1915.

When the Western Districts Fire Station in Ponsonby was completed in 1923, the Grey Lynn Fire Station was closed and the building sold to John Fenton, a waterworks foreman who let the ground floor to the New Zealand Carriage Painting Company. A year later Margaret Teasedale bought the property and added a single-storey to the east for a shop with residential accommodation and a bakehouse. In 1941 the building was sold to a retired farmer, James Roche who converted it into three flats. Auckland architect, Reginald Dewar Morgan purchased the property in 1953 and thankfully, sold it to Landmark Incorporated in January 1973.

Landmark Incorporated, an independent society formed by a group of Auckland town planners, lawyers, architects and engineers, who recognised that large-scale urban development threatened to destroy unlisted heritage buildings was formed in 1972 with the express purpose of purchasing the distinctive Council Chambers and Fire Station.

An extensive refurbishment was undertaken and in 1974 it re-opened as a restaurant.

A replacement tower built in 1985 restored some of the structure’s original design. The building is still used as a café/restaurant and remains valuable to the local community for its striking design as well as being an unusual example of a purpose built dwelling for both a fire station and council chambers. More importantly it’s a visual reminder of the civic pride and innovative architecture that flourished in Auckland during the latter half of the nineteenth century. (DEIRDRE TOHILL) PN

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Matariki is a time to appreciate, understand and teach others about our Maori heritage.

Auckland Libraries has organised an extensive programme of events that provides a variety of opportunities to deepen our knowledge and understanding, including talks about Maori traditional medicine, kapa haka performances and special events for children.

Please check out the Auckland Libraries website for a full list of Matariki events.

Stories by starlight Matariki story time Friday 5 July, 6pm - 7pm MATAURANGA EXHIBITION Don’t miss the Matauranga exhibition at the Central City Library When: Wednesday 12 June until Sunday 20 October Where: Sir George Grey Special Collections, Central City Library, Level 2 Cost: Free An exhibition showcasing taonga Maori from Ta Hori Kerei-Nga Kohinga Taonga Whakahirahira / the Sir George Grey Special Collections.

Auckland Libraries and Auckland Council are proud to present Manatunga: ko nga taonga waihohanga atu ki te arawhiti, an exhibition of rare manuscripts, early published materials, photographs, maps, drawings, newspapers and other objects, many of which have never been on public display before.

The term ‘taonga’ describes anything that has the power to enhance or contribute positively to Maori, including artifacts and heirlooms, as well as more general ideas such as language, spiritual beliefs and natural features such as rivers, trees and wind.

This free exhibition is suitable for the whole family.

July school holidays at the Leys Institute Library - Jive in the jungle Our school holiday programme for the July school holidays has an exciting jungle theme - we have lots of events involving animals, stories, music and crafts.

Tuesday 16 July: 10.30 - 11.30 Little Monkeys story time and mask making Thursday 18 July: Safari hunt - ask at the desk for your safari hunt details - this can be done at any time during the day Friday 19 July:

10.30 - 11.30 Terrible Tiger Tales story time and craft

Tuesday 23 July: 10 - 11 Mask and tails craft session Thursday 25 July: 10 - 11 Jungle puppets craft session Friday 26 July:

10.30 - 11 Jump and jive musical story time - dress up as your favourite animal if you like.

Coming up August is Family History Month. We will be holding a series of seminars at the Leys Institute Library on how to research your family history. Check the August issue of the Ponsonby News or at the library for further details.

There’s so much going on we recommend checking out our Facebook page, Leys Institute Library Ponsonby, where we will be updating you on new events, displays, and goings on around Auckland Libraries. www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz PN (NIKI WRIGHT RLIANZA) LEYS INSTITUTE LIBRARY, 20 St Marys Road T: 09 374 1315 www.facebook.com/LeysInstituteLibraryPonsonby

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LOCAL NEWS FRANCOIS BOTHA LOSES TO JOSEPH PARKER SO OUR BOY LOST HIS BIG FIGHT LAST MONTH. WELL, NOT ACTUALLY “OUR” BOY, BUT Ponsonby News did bond well with the big white buffalo and met his young son Marcel, at Grey Lynn Tavern last month, where he was promoting his fight. And hardly a “boy” either. At 44, Francois is certainly a veteran boxer, with a fight against Mike Tyson as part of his CV. The huge barrel chested scrapper was mild mannered, good humoured, and gently self effacing in person. He chatted, posed for photos, poured a few beers behind the bar, and generally charmed everyone at the Grey Lynn Tavern.

We asked him how long he will continue to fight. He gave us no definitive answer, but hinted his long career in the ring might be nearly over. “I want to promote Marcel (his 23 year old son),” he told us, “maybe with ‘fight for life events’ in Africa.”

Last month’s promotion, by Duco Promotions, may be the first time a father and son have appeared on the same professional card. Marcel won his fight, his first professional bout. Whatever his future we wish Francois well. He seems to have come through all those rounds of boxing virtually physically unscathed.

With the signature scarf around his head, he cuts an impressive figure, one you’d do well to be on the right side of in an argument. But he was nothing if not congenial when meeting locals last month.

A LITTLE FREE LIBRARY MAKES ITS WAY TO PONSONBY

L to R: Marcel Botha, Martin Leach and Francois Botha at Grey Lynn Tavern

Inspired by a free neighbourhood library they saw in Melbourne, two Ponsonby residents have started their own. John and Yvonne Pakenham have constructed a dollhouse-sized box with a sliding door on top of their fence at 190 Richmond Road. The idea is that passers by can take out books and either bring them back or put in one of their own.

Mrs Pakenham, an AUT Japanese teacher, says the library started off for children, but it has now morphed into something for both children and adults.

“We originally put a lot of our own books in there. But now it has a life of its own. I don’t own it.” However the mini community library has not been without problems. At the beginning of May someone came and took all the books except two. The Pakenhams decided to leave it and see what happens. Sure enough, books started appearing again.

“Of course you get the bad and the good, but I think there’s more good than bad out there” says Mrs Pakenham.

Skye Pathare, a local resident, is thrilled with the addition to the neighbourhood. “Oh it’s so neat! Now I don’t even have to go to the library.”

The library the couple saw in Yarraville, Melbourne was one from the Little Free Library community. A world-wide initiative to bring books to people, and pull communities together that started off in the United States. At the beginning of this year, all 50 United States and 40 countries had a Little Free Library.

There are 5000 Little Free Libraries worldwide and an estimated 1000 unregistered ones. There are no registered Little Free Libraries in New Zealand so the Pakenhams could be the first to spark the initiative at home. The Little Free Library mission as stated on its website is to: “Promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.”

The Pakenhams are both motivated to promote healthier communities, says Mrs Pakenham, and they would encourage others to adopt the idea. “Underlying all there’s the issue of sustainability. Many people have books gathering dust at home, it’s nice to pass them on so someone else can get some pleasure from them. We like the idea of the fact it’s recycling in the true sense.” (SARAH HARRIS) PN

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photography: John Elliott

Go well Francois - our little corner of the boxing world will miss you. (JOHN ELLIOTT) PN

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MIKE LEE: LOCAL NEWS

Unitary plan - but is it a unifying plan?

The public have responded to the draft Auckland Unitary Plan with a massive 22,700 submissions. I along with local board chair Shale Chambers look forward to reading them - especially the ones relating to the Waitemata and Gulf Ward.

I must confess there is still a lot about the unitary plan that doesn’t make sense to me.

Probably the biggest puzzle is why the almost frantic rush to get it done as quickly as possible. To justify this some rather extravagant statements have been made by the mayor and council planners. Panic is contagious of course - the council’s more alarmist announcements about the need for ‘pace’ have, along with graphic illustrations of towering high rises in many neighbourhoods, spooked communities across Auckland, inadvertently touching-off a public backlash. We should bear in mind that basically a unitary plan should simply be about the rationalisation and folding together of the seven legacy council district plans and the ARC regional policy statement and regional coastal plan; to sensibly reflect the amalgamation which created the ‘super city’.

But there is more to this of course because the council also wants to use the unitary plan to make big changes, citing the Auckland Plan, to enable much more and much faster development across Auckland. The reason for all this is the claimed one million extra people who will be coming to Auckland by the year 2041.

But why are council planners basing residential development plans on the maximum growth scenario yet council-owned Watercare, whose job it is to provide the water and wastewater services for such developments is still working on a medium growth scenario? While Auckland Transport is already struggling with the present populations the transport infrastructure deficit is raising serious questions of the cost to ratepayers of the high growth scenario.

It’s important to remember the ‘unitary plan’ despite some of the rhetoric around it, is not an ‘everything plan,’ but if the council agencies themselves are not united in their planning, it does raise serious questions. More importantly what happens to Auckland’s environment if we have open slather, maximum growth development without the sanitary and transport infrastructure to support it? To resolve this question the council should wait until the release of the national census figures later this year and then base its projections on the best available data. An even stronger reason for a pause is to give serious consideration to the 22,700 public submissions from the Auckland public. But I see no sign of this at all unfortunately.

While the unitary plan is being sold as being about a ‘compact city’ - that’s really spin.

30 - 40% of future growth is actually targeted for outside the present Metropolitan Urban Limits. The MUL will be replaced by a ‘Rural-Urban Boundary’ and pushed out by some 20,000 hectares, plus more development is to be encouraged around coastal settlements. This, to enable the building of 160,000 new dwellings in the rural greenbelt over the next 30 years which will mean a major lateral expansion of Auckland.

So the unitary plan is not really about a compact city. It will mean a more sprawling city, a more intensified city (there is a difference) - with infill housing sprouting up all through our garden suburbs. And of course as many people fear, a more high-rise city. Developer driven Auckland will be growing every which way. And whatever its stated objectives it’s not really about people and communities either.

Though major changes will be planned we can be sure the deeply-ingrained council culture of non-notified secrecy in which the public are routinely excluded from a say-so in their neighbourhoods, historic character buildings are demolished, views and sunlight blocked, and grotesque developments like a Bunnings complex in historic Arch Hill are recommended by council officers, will carry on. As your ward councillor I have pledged to fight the Bunnings proposal - as has Shale Chambers and the Waitemata Local Board - but unfortunately this is not untypical.

The unitary plan at this stage therefore is looking very much like a lost opportunity - it could have been a wonderful chance for community-based, ground -up, leading-edge planning as has been advocated by Ponsonby residents. A plan which could have taken Auckland well into the 21st century with a whole new paradigm. Not only ‘unitary’ it could have been unifying. (MIKE LEE) PN MIKE LEE, Auckland Councillor for Waitemata and Gulf Ward

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AUCKLAND WATERFRONT: WYNYARD PARK OR THE TANK FARM The Auckland waterfront is a lightning rod for our desire. We all want a bit of it and there is not a lot to go around. I have been involved in responding to various planning processes for the area since 2005 when the A.R.C and Auckland City invited public response to the changing ownership of, and planning for, the area.

The overwhelming need people identified was for public open space. What Waterfront Auckland is delivering instead is another four generations of privatised space - both on land and at sea.

The next public spaces to be built are Daldy Street and Halsey Street ‘linear parks’, otherwise known as ‘roads’. The jewel in the crown of the publicly owned reclaimed land is the Tank Farm. Since 2005 people have argued for more public space on this land. The designated park area has gone from an initial four hectares to seven hectares (approximately). Waterfront Auckland’s latest published vision ‘transforming Auckland’s waterfront’ illustrates the current allowable six blocks of ‘mixed use’ buildings sitting on prime public land (where the tanks with murals painted on them now are).

As with Waitemata Plaza in the Viaduct, placing private living spaces next to public parkland compromises the public use of that park. No congregating, no noise, no fun.

Instead of taking advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a city park for the anticipated over two million residents, the peninsula will be shaded and lifeless.

How about a bird sanctuary, a series of venues in repurposed tanks, informal native plantings similar to regional parks where people get to do what they feel like doing, away from traffic and advertising? The ‘bloody tanks’ can be repurposed as venues as the very popular silos have been.

The iconic buildings are there. The Tate Modern has opened its tank venues recently.

Cairns Botanic Gardens has three tanks as venues for performance and exhibition.

If readers are interested in viewing an alternative design for this crucial area go to Grey Lynn resident Simon Shepheard on the internet and see his work called ‘the Tank’.

The whole of the peninsula (apart from Titans and Vos’s ship yard) is given over to the public. Burgeoning bird populations from the Hauraki Gulf islands can use the area as a lay-by into the city suburbs and the Waitakere ranges. Some tanks are retained and repurposed for performance and exhibitions and sport. Food wagons provide healthy food for park goers and the waters around are venues for non-motorised water activities; paddling, sailing and rowing.

At present the water frontage is being given over to the wealthy with key-pad only access to pontoons at ‘Silo Marina’ in front of Silo Six. The C.C.O set up to control our waterfront is not working to deliver public utility, rather it is alienating our publicly owned reclaimed land for generations to come. Wellington Council negotiated a 70 hectare park on the Miramar peninsula for its’ residents and visitors, Auckland Council needs to do better for us. (CHARLOTTE FISHER) PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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ROB THOMAS: WAITEMATA LOCAL BOARD MEMBER

JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS

The cash cow diet

Nimbyism and the unitary plan

The Auckland Council has been able to grow debt levels as it continues to borrow against its guaranteed income. According to the council’s Draft Long-term Plan for 2012 -2022, it proposes to increase debt as a percentage of total revenue from 175% to 275%.

Simply put, if you had a guaranteed cash cow would you borrow against it to deliver what you want now or take a more cautious approach and save for the future? The Auckland Council must live within its means and have a fixed debt ceiling that balances out the need of our community today and for the next generation.

RED, BLUE, GREEN, INDEPENDENT HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT AFFECTS YOU Being aligned to a central government party should not determine who you vote for in local government elections.

Central government and Auckland local government are in loggerheads over the future of Auckland’s transport. This election we need a strong independent councillor that can work across the political spectrum, working with the next mayor of Auckland and central government to deliver a reliable and appropriate transport plan for Auckland. In fact being an independent is a blessing because you are not predetermined by your decision, you can work with the community and avoid towing the party line.

Waitemata needs a champion who passionately understands that great cities have a vibrant and growing heart. We need a councillor that represents the dynamic and changing face of the Waitemata. As the only independently elected member on the Waitemata Local Board I have proven that you can be influential and effective without hammering colours to a wooden post.

The problem of nimbyism for the implementation of the unitary plan I’m a reasonable person. It’s right to intensify population in Auckland, so we don’t have more urban sprawl. Peak oil, environmental degradation, infrastructure costs, all make intensification a no brainer.

But where is this intensification going to be. It’s being suggested Great North Road, where car yards used to be prevalent, and land is available, would be a good place to put intensive, high rise apartments.

Over my dead body! Not overlooking my Grey Lynn heights villa - my home for 30 years.

A friend said, “well, go live in Eketahuna”. I’m going nowhere. I’ll die when a developer’s bulldozer runs me over. (JOHN ELLIOTT)

MAYOR IN THE CHAIR Our Mayor Len Brown was at his “Mayor in the Chair” for an hour last month at the Grey Lynn Community Centre.

John Elliott, myself and Arch Hill resident, David Batten were with Len Brown for 10 minutes.

The Mayor indicated he was well briefed regarding the Bunnings consent application and the number of submissions, which was way more than the norm. John Elliott urged Mayor Brown to be strong in ensuring the tenor of the changes made it in to the Plan and even powers of acquisition, where they are necessary to ensure zoning integrity.We had to mention issues with this consent and he noted that there were legacy issues withing the planning dept which needed to change. Outcome? He know we are serious and understands the logic of our issues with the Bunnings application! (MARTIN LEACH)

The Waitemata ward has a population of around 72,000 individuals and employs 70 per cent of these residents. This highlights the importance of voting for local board members and councillors that reflect community experience, knowledge, age, ethnicity and diversity of opinion. There are many issues across our inner-city community that include parking, public transport, heritage and character protection, supporting business districts and sewage on beaches.

With current local government voting statistics sitting around just 40 per cent, local residents and community associations need to be adequately informed about the upcoming elections and how their vote can bring about constructive change.

Nominations for local government elections open on Friday 19 July and I will be standing as your strong independent councillor for the Waitemata & Gulf Ward. (ROB THOMAS) WAITEMATA LOCAL BOARD MEMBER www.robthomas.co.nz

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photography: Inger Kite

AUCKLAND COUNCIL WILL BE POSTING OUT THE 2013-2014 RATES BILLS THIS MONTH which will include an average rate increase of 2.9% across the region. For most property owners in our community, myself included, we are likely to be hit with another harrowing 10% cap on our rates bill as we come to the final year of the regional rates equalisation.

However, I was shocked to read in the 2011-2012 Annual Report that the total Auckland Council Group’s debt had gone from $6 billion to $7 billion. So, if you are one of the 514,000 Aucklanders that pay rates we share in the debt of over $14,000 per person.

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NIKKI KAYE: AUCKLAND CENTRAL MP

Supporting Auckland community food initiatives and more funding for local schools One of the best parts of my job is delivering good news to people in the electorate when we get a local win.

Several weeks ago it was nice to call a few local principals to deliver some good news. An issue that I have been a strong advocate on for a long time is more equitable funding for schools that offer special programmes to students. Many schools in our community offer these programmes - including Freemans Bay, Richmond Road School, Newton Central School, Westmere School and Western Springs College. They can include music, Montessori, Maori or Pacific Island immersion and other bi-lingual units. Auckland Central has an outstanding record of offering special programmes particularly that support the take up of languages.

For some time now, schools that offer these programmes have been attracting a number of students from outside the ‘zone’ because of their unique nature. This can put pressure on rolls and create tensions for schools who are trying to accommodate growing rolls and provide enough space for students. This has been particularly difficult for schools like Richmond Road. Due to my strong advocacy prior to becoming Associate Minister of Education, I stepped out of the decision-making process, which was the responsibility of the Minister of Education.

I was delighted when the Hon Hekia Parata recently announced additional roll-growth property funding to ease these pressures, and help schools like Richmond Road plan for future growth in student numbers. This will deliver around $4 million to schools in Auckland and Christchurch, and will be a significant increase for a number of schools in Auckland Central. I want to acknowledge all of the inner city principals for their advocacy, and work, on this issue over the last decade.

This decision will enable us to better support our local special programmes, as well as plan and build for growth in Western Bays schools.

The Government has also recently announced changes to the Food Bill that focus on better supporting community food initiatives. Last year I visited the Grey Lynn Farmers market to discuss the Food Bill and understand people’s issues with it. This feedback has been important in helping ensure changes to the bill will better support the community and more sustainable food initiatives.

Nationally, the Food Bill changes will accommodate around 85,000 food premises, accounting for more than 250,000 jobs, including the many eateries and cafes that make Ponsonby and Auckland city so well known.

Key changes better support community activities, including swapping food in non-commercial exchanges and engaging in fundraising and ‘Kiwiana’ activities such as sausage sizzles and school fairs - that will better support farmers’ markets. There will also be greater transparency of fees charged by local authorities and the addition of a ‘good Samaritan’ clause to better protect businesses that donate food in good faith. I hope that this will strengthen the capacity of local Auckland, and New Zealand wide, food banks to be supplied with food. It can be challenging to draw the line in the appropriate place on how much regulation will ensure safe and suitable food for consumers when dealing with the differences in scale from a community sausage sizzle, to a farmers market through to a national food producer.

Auckland Central has some great local food initiatives happening and it has been nice to visit a number of them in the last month. It is great to be part of a Government that is making decisions that help support local Auckland central schools, and community groups. It’s also great to be able to work with these local groups to help them achieve change and cut red-tape - particularly when it comes to addressing problems affecting Auckland around planning for population growth and change. PN

HON NIKKI KAYE, MP for Auckland Central www.nikkikaye.co.nz

BLISSFUL EXPERIENCE YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS From the moment you step into the haven of Bliss Stone Spa the weight of your day just falls away. Soft ambient lighting, graceful staff and aromatic scents remove you from the chaotic buzz of city life.

Treat yourself to the magical benefits of their Japanese Stone Spa. Although it is called ‘bathing’, there is no water involved in this treatment. A special stone bed made of basalt, which has been heated to a comfortable temperature gently heats your body from the core and evenly spreads the heat throughout your muscles and organs.

It makes for a remarkably comfortable and soothing experience. You gradually sweat out toxins and your body releases stress, resulting in silky hair and smooth skin.

The benefits of this therapy are numerous and include burning calories to control weight, anti-aging and providing pain relief. The experience is totally chemical free and offers a ‘green’ alternative to detoxifying your body. Truly, this is an experience you won’t want to miss.

There are eight beds in their Stone Spa Suite, so why not come over as a couple or with a group of friends. There are great concession offers available with 1½ hours free parking included.

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BLISS STONE SPA, Level 4, Atrium on Elliott, Crowne Plaza Hotel Lobby 128 Albert Street T: 09 368 1698 www.blissreflexology.com PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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26 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

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DEIRDRE TOHILL: LOCAL NEWS

ALBERTON CELEBRATES 150 YEARS

A Well Deserved Gong

ALBERTON, THE NEW Zealand Historic Places Trust property in Mt Albert, is celebrating 150 years since the construction of the original farmhouse part of the building in 1863. The farmhouse was later transformed into the beautiful India-inspired mansion in the 1870s.

EMERITUS PROFESSOR ALBERT WENDT HAS BEEN AWARDED THE ORDER OF NEW Zealand, the highest honour our country bestows for outstanding service to the Crown and people. Twenty is the maximum membership allowed at any given time. He is one of our most acclaimed writers and his influence in the development of New Zealand and Pacific literature has been profound. His academic career includes lecturing at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, a professorship of Pacific Studies at Auckland University, and visiting Professor of Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawai’i.

Presently he is Emeritus Professor of English at Auckland University.

“A number of special events have been planned to celebrate,” says the Manager of Alberton, Rendell McIntosh. These include two ‘Pop up dinners’ on 26 and 27 July, with special themes of Raj Dinner and Motherland Revisited - reflecting family links to India and the United Kingdom.”

A maximum of 50 people can be accommodated in the ballroom for the dinners, which will feature a four course meal and refreshments. “Other special events include two 150th Anniversary Balls on 31 August and 14 September,” says Rendell.

In addition, an exhibition of artwork capturing Alberton over the years will feature in the Auckland Heritage Festival; 5 -13 October. Alberton will also host some special performances, including ‘The Magic Flute’ concert on 1 September with the Starlight String Quartet and friends; a ‘Classical Guitar Concert’ featuring internationally recognised guitarists Bruce Paine and Rex Button on 7 December; and the Twelve Days of Christmas concerts between 17-19 and 21-22 December.

“Albertons annual ‘Tea Parties’ will also be held again in February and March,” he says Alberton is open to visitors Wednesdays to Sundays between 10.30am-4.30pm, and is popular as a venue for special celebrations and meetings. For details on events or hire please contact alberton@historic.org.nz or T: 09 846 7367. For more information: www.historicplaces.org.nz PN

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There have been many other accolades along the way. In 1980 ‘Leaves of the Banyan Tree’ won the New Zealand Wattie Book of the Year. In 1992 ‘Ola’ won the regional Asia -Pacific Commonwealth Writer’s Award, then Wendt received the same award for ‘The Adventures of Vela’ in 2010. He has a CNZM for Services to Literature and in 2012 received New Zealand’s highest literary honour - the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement for Fiction. All this as well as publishing seven novels, four collections of short stories and five collections of poetry. Two of his books have been made into feature films. He has edited a number of important anthologies and continues to play a major role in fostering and promoting Pacific literature. When in Hawai’i he had time to develop his talent as a painter and his first solo exhibition there was a sell-out.

His response to questions about what it means to him, he claims while not into honorifics himself, he is happy to receive this honour because it’s a gift from New Zealand. He feels he owes this acceptance to his immediate and extended family around the world and particularly to the Samoan community, and others that have supported him throughout most of his working life. People tend to forget he first taught students back in the 1960s at Samoa College, some of whom became leaders of the country and the many who migrated here of course. Now he gets to meet their children and their grandchildren as well. Needless to say, they all have got a kick out of seeing a revered one of their own receive this latest award.

The Wendt’s house, tucked away in a sheltered dip in one of Ponsonby’s one way streets, was once the family home of another local award winner, Bryan Williams (CNZM). The rugby legend grew up there. When the real estate agent was trying to sell the house to Albert she said ‘did you know that Michael Savage used to live here and so did some old All Black.’ Well Albert says he’s very proud of the fact that all three of them have lived in this same house. He adds that becoming a member of the Order of New Zealand has been terrific for his family, grandchildren and friends and that it’s his country that has bestowed this honour upon him. (DEIRDRE TOHILL) PN

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JACINDA ARDERN: LABOUR LIST MP AUCKLAND

DEIRDRE TOHILL: LOCAL NEWS

Time to extend paid parental leave

The Imperial Buildings make-over

I GET TO WEAR A FEW HATS IN PARLIAMENT, but by far one of my favourites is my role as Spokesperson for Children. Yes, it’s an excuse to play with face paint (although the rest of the working day can be a problem when you have a butterfly on the side of your face) but it’s also an opportunity to make a difference in the most important months of a child’s life.

No period of time for baby is more important than those first crucial six months. The experts, the evidence, even the World Health Organisation agree - if we get it right then, we are giving our next generation a much better chance at life in lots of ways.

Surely that means that we should be shaping some of our policies around that period?

That’s exactly why Labour is campaigning to extend paid parental leave. Paid parental leave gives families more options about how they manage those early days with their children. Currently in New Zealand, we have 14 weeks paid leave by law and we are now getting left behind by the rest of the world again.

Sue Moroney, our Spokesperson for Women’s Affairs, has drafted legislation to increase paid parental leave to six months (26 weeks) so that families can opt to have more time with their babies at that crucial time. Some parents may choose to go back to paid employment earlier than six months and that might work best for their family. The point of our policy is that parents would not be unduly forced back to paid employment purely on financial grounds. While the Families Commission is advocating for 12 months paid parental leave, we believe that may be a bridge too far for New Zealand just right at the moment in terms of financial cost. Adding another 12 weeks to what we already have, however, is affordable.

We’re expecting a final debate on this bill in the coming months. Currently, it has the support it needs to become law, but only if the Government decides not to veto it on financial grounds. If you support an extension to paid parental leave, you can show your support by visiting www.labour.org.nz/dont-veto-me. We need your help to get this one over the line, and to give a bit more choice back to parents in those early, but preface painting, months of life. PN JACINDA ARDERN, Labour List MP based in Auckland Central www.jacinda.co.nz

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Local architectural firm, Fearon Hay’s Imperial Buildings restoration has won this year’s New Zealand Institute of Architects Medal which is the country’s highest architectural award. The Imperial Buildings also received an Adaptive Reuse Excellence Award from the New Zealand Property Council. The Imperial Buildings were built between 1886 and 1911 and have a category 2 Heritage listing. The collection of three, one formerly known as Everybody’s Building were converted into a single entity by Woolworths in 1960. That same year the buildings were sold to AMP although Woolworths retained a forty year lease and undertook extensive renovations in 1983. The complex is one of the oldest remaining buildings on Queen Street.

Upmarket retailers such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton have long occupied the main frontage but at the rear two forgotten old Picture theatres, the Queen’s and Roxy stayed empty, gathering dust since their closure in 1956. The rest of the commercial space was a rabbit warren of rooms on different levels, largely untenanted. AMP’s various attempts to lease the upper floors and rear spaces had failed. Phillimore Properties Ltd is a group that specialises in bringing old buildings back to life and tenanting them. The company had looked at the Imperial Buildings ten tears previously and Ken Healy, one of Phillimore’s principals observed, “There were pigeons every where, water cascading through the roof and the floors”. When AMP made the whole complex compliant it attracted their attention again, a purchase was made, and $15 million later, the Imperial Buildings are transformed.

Firstly Phillimore created Imperial Lane which joins Fort Lane with Queen Street.

Fortunately the Auckland City Council was interested in making Fort Lane a shared space for pedestrians and cars which suited Fearon Hay very well, allowing then to make the rear of the building accessible to visitors. They opened the skeleton and frame displaying brickwork, ceiling timbers and remnants of the old ornate theatre plasterwork, part of which forms the high ceiling above Everybody’s bistro and bar. This in turn opens onto an internal courtyard where there was once a light well. Next door is an exclusive cocktail bar and nightclub, aptly named Roxy. An array of hospitality outlets now front Fort Lane, no longer a back alley for just trade access. Improved lighting on the building facades create a safer environment and neon art work by David Svensson, yet to be installed, will pinpoint the lane as a distinctive night time destination..

Fearon Hay have done a really great job. They have mixed blackened steel members, semi-translucent glass panes, corrugated metal panels with the original rough brick, exposed concrete and timber which might have been tacky, but they have pulled it off brilliantly, creating a modern structure without losing the old character. Back in 1915 these spaces were the centre for entertainment in Auckland. Now saved from the wrecker’s ball this fantastic restoration has revitalised downtown Auckland, creating an oasis of excitement, Queen Street was once famous for. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS) PN

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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS

PONSONBY U3A: JUNE 2013

THE TAYLOR CENTRE

The record number of members and visitors who attended the June meeting of U3A were treated to stimulating talks from the director of the Centre for Art Studies at Auckland University, Associate Professor Linda Tyler, and U3A founding member Alex Lanning.

Specialist Mental Health Assessment & Treatment One of the Auckland District Health Board’s four Community Mental Health Centres is the Taylor Centre, based in Ponsonby.

The Taylor Centre is staffed by Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and a Support Worker - over 60 staff in all. The responsibility for ensuring timely and appropriate mental health assessment and treatment is increasingly shared with General Practitioners, many of whom are able to provide substantial assessment, treatment and support without the need for specialist referral, or in partnership with the Taylor Centre team.

If referral on to Taylor Centre is required, staff will assess the person’s situation (including any concerns that impact on safety), and plan treatment with them. Treatment may involve medication, therapy and support to maintain engagement in daily activities.

Some will be referred on to other services including counselling. Taylor Centre has multiple relationships with other treatment providers across the community so it can support people to access the most appropriate help.

Supporting a person’s recovery is always the aim. Recovery is described as the ability to live a meaningful life with or without experiencing mental health symptoms, and includes • A very individual journey that is unique to the person • Active participation of the person experiencing the Mental health difficulties.

• Understanding and support of family/whanau, friends, employers etc.

• Having vision of the life they wish to live and re-establishing control of one’s life.

• Having meaning and purpose in life Staff at Taylor Centre are full of praise for the Ponsonby Community, which they say is helpful, supportive and very community oriented, something that helps people experiencing mental health difficulties work more easily towards recovery. Staff urge tolerance and support in the local community for what they are doing. They acknowledge the vital role of family/whanau in supporting people facing mental health problems.

Taylor Centre accepts referrals for adults (18 - 65 years). Younger people requiring specialist mental health assessment and treatment can be referred to Kari Centre (Child/ Youth Mental Health Centre), while older people needing assessment, support and treatment are generally more appropriately referred to Mental Health Services for Older People. Both these Centres are based at Greenlane Clinical Centre.

Privacy of information held at Taylor Centre is of prime importance. No personal details are divulged without client approval except on rare occasions when information is required by statutory organisations.

The Taylor Centre doesn’t advertise. However, it is concerned that people who need to know how to access their service can do so. While contact information is available in the phone book, staff encourage people facing mental health difficulties to discuss their concerns with their GP or other primary health care provider in the first instance.

Staff welcome the campaigns that destigmatise people with mental illness over the last 10 years or so and credit campaigns including ‘Like Minds Like Mine’ for helping the public to be more understanding of those around them facing mental health challenges.

They point out that maintaining good Mental Health is a challenge for us all on a day to day basis and that upwards of one out of five of us will experience a significant mental health problem during our lives.

In addition to the four Adult Community Mental Health Centres, ADHB offers culturally specific mental health treatment to Maori and Pacifica people when this is their choice.

Community Mental Health staff are also able to access specialist cultural support and advice when providing treatment to Asian people.

The Taylor Centre is an important Mental Health resource right in the middle of our community. Their staff tell us that they feel a valued organisation in our midst, but urge us to continue to promote the tolerance and understanding that we all need when life is getting us down.

We at Ponsonby News salute the Taylor Centre for their unselfish and dedicated work on our behalf with people who are experiencing mental health difficulties. We should always remember, there but for the grace of God go I.. (JOHN ELLIOTT) PN

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”I have the best job in the world,” Linda Tyler told us, as she outlined the history of the university’s art collection since its inception in 1966. The aim of the collection is to promote interest in the visual arts by students, staff and visitors to the university. There are over 1500 objects spread over the Grafton, Tamaki and the City campuses. Linda gave an illustrated tour of some of the major works in the collection, including works by Colin McCahon, Frances Hodgkins, Richard Killeen and Pat Hanly. The university Associate Professor Linda Tyler, Director performs a public role as a patron of the Centre for Art Studies, Auckland for the arts and included in the University with U3A member Alex Lanning collection are works by staff, students, alumni and friends of the university, along with gifted works and commissioned works from up and coming contemporary artists. Originally, there was a policy of spending half of a per cent of the capital works budget for new buildings on artworks and these were commissioned directly from the artists themselves and were site specific. Now the art is chosen by a committee, representing different parts of the university, chaired by the Director of the Centre for Art studies.

The 10 minute speaker Alex Lanning was a founding member of Ponsonby U3A and over the years has held most offices in the organisation. He entitled his talk, “How we created assets”. As a young engineer, Alex came to New Zealand in the late 1950s to be involved with the earliest days of construction of the Benmore Power Project. His first task, along with one other, was to build the diversion tunnel for the Waitaki River. He recounted the excitement of “the big day” in August 1960 when the river was put into the culvert - it was literally pushed into the culvert.

As well as two speakers at its monthly meetings, the essential ingredient of U3A is the interest groups, which meet during the month, mostly in members’ homes, or in the case of petanque at the Herne Bay Petanque club. Through these groups some great friendships are made as members share their particular interests. Topics covered include art history, current affairs, classical studies, armchair travellers, gallery visits, green fingers, music appreciation, petanque, and scrabble. A new group, Antiques and Collectibles, had its first meeting this month. In recess for the winter, the Ramblers Group, has interesting day trips planned from spring onwards. The supper club eats out at a restaurant (for a reasonable price) each month and is seen by many as an essential social activity among U3A’s friendly and interesting membership.

Visitors and guests are welcome to the Ponsonby U3A monthly meeting held on the second Friday morning of the month from 9.45am to 12 noon.

Next month’s main speaker is Mr Sik-Wai Tsoi, a retired China trade consultant, whose topic is “5,000 years of Chinese Civilisation”.

U3A member Monika de Man will be the 10 minute speaker.

NEXT MEETING: 9.45am, Friday, 12 July, First Floor, Leys Institute, 20 St Marys Road. ENQUIRIES: Jane Jones, President Ponsonby U3A, T: 09 378 7628.

(PHILIPPA TAIT) PN

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JOHN ELLIOTT: SOAP BOX VIVE LA FRANCE

A CHARMING LITTLE DESTINATION STORE WITH COOL COLLECTIBLES AND ANTIQUITIES Pure Provenance is a gorgeous new addition to the Herne Bay/ Ponsonby shopping precinct. Having recently relocated from Milford, this exquisite intimate store is the brainchild of Jo Sinnett.

Drawing inspiration from creative antique shops found throughout France, Pure Provenance is a refreshing change from the mass market majority.

Jo’s shop and home all showcase her incredible taste for vintage furniture and accessories whilst offering a tactile experience to customers. Once inside, you will find a treasure trove of ideas and shabby chic finds for incorporating that inimitable French style into any interior.

Filled with a diverse inventory of interesting finds, Pure Provenance is an essential destination for those who love rustic French style. Jo is constantly sourcing quality vintage and antique pieces that you will never find in mainstream shops.

Her love and passion for sourcing unique items of the past, and then thoughtfully finding the perfect place to display each new vintage treasure and objects d’art, contributes to the wonderful ambience of the store.

PURE PROVENANCE, 35 Jervois Road T: 09 486 3048 www.pure-provenance.com

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VIVE LA FRANCE NEWS FROM BASHFORD ANTIQUES Six weeks rehabilitation after the removal of an acute gall bladder for Jillian Bashford-Evers on last month’s Queens Birthday has resulted in an enforced rest.

To keep the Bashford Antiques empire running daily entails a range of tasks from buying, selling, financial control, marketing, public relations, valuations, web site management, merchandising the shop, cooking, cleaning, lifting, deliveries, not to mention walking Mr Beaumont twice daily and squeezing in the odd torture session at the gym. Whew! Jillian who normally runs the Bashford Antiques well oiled machine with ease and aplomb is moving with very economical movements.

“My family and friends have been amazing, cooking post gall bladder food such as Jewish chicken noodle soup, (my Jewish father would be proud of me, who incidentally had his gall bladder out at 60 years of age), French traditional chicken boil ups (poule au pot), divine fish served on southland swede and kumara mash with brussel sprouts.

Mr Beaumont has been looked after by my dear friends Doctor Ralph and Doctor Maerushia Scorgie who were responsible for marching me into Auckland hospital in the nick of time.”

Meanwhile, having unpacked two containers since the end of January the team at Bashford are packed to the gunnels with French and Spanish antiques complemented with treasures, artifacts and exotic antiques from Rajasthan not to mention the most exquisite precious jewellery.

Customers can now join Bashford’s Facebook by going to their website and pressing the Facebook icon, this way customers can be kept up to date weekly on events and new acquisitions at Bashford Antiques, in between their direct emails and newsletters.

Jillian loves seeing her customers in between daily rests on her little French day bed in the shop. In spite of the polar blasts, the shop has been surprisingly busy, selling everyday since Jillian’s return from nine days in Auckland Hospital. Absolutely no lifting for Jillian, but customers have been so helpful and supportive, even helping pack and wrap treasures for their homes.

“It has been a wonderful time for reflection, defragmenting the brain, and recharging the body and soul”, she says, my heartfelt thanks to everyone for their continued support.” PN BASHFORD ANTIQUES, 24 Williamson Avenue T: 09 361 5142 www.bashford.co.nz

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VIVE LA FRANCE GREY LYNN’S FRENCH CONNECTION “IT’S A LITTLE CORNER OF FRANCE, RIGHT HERE IN GREY LYNN”, SAYS AUDE SHORTLAND, Associate Director of the Auckland Alliance Française. “We offer language classes at all levels from beginners to advanced, as group or private classes, French for travellers and a wide range of workshops from conversation to pronunciation. All age groups are covered, from toddlers to adults and our varied cultural programme includes films, concerts, exhibitions and celebrations such as the Bastille Day Ball.”

Come and join in the fun at their Open Day 10.30am to 12.30pm Saturday 6 July to be held at the Alliance. There will be free assessments of your level of French, free workshops, a garage sale of French books and DVDs and fun workshops for the children. If you sign up for their classes on Open Day, you’ll also receive a 10% discount on course books and your student card.

And for the school holidays break, check out their children’s holiday programme for ages 5-12 years, with daily or weekly enrolments from 15 to 26 July. PN AUCKLAND ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE, 9A Kirk Street Grey Lynn. For full details of all courses and events call T: 09 376 0009 or go to www.alliance-francaise.co.nz

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VIVE LA FRANCE JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE !

As well as celebrating Bastille Day this month Chantal Landais Hair Studio is celebrating 21 years in business in the “quartier”: sharing a spot on Ponsonby Road for 16 years and then moving on to Jervois Road five years ago.

With changes in all aspects of businesses in the area, gaining real popularity and a reputation for the place to be, the Hair Studio has maintained and strived on delivering professional service in a relaxed and positive environment welcoming a discerning clientele.

Over the many years of trading the salon has always had a European flavour due to Chantal and the people choosing to work alongside her, bringing a different professional experience and that little “je ne sais quoi” making the salon a trusted institution in the area. If you are looking for the latest hair style, with a touch of European sophistication then the team at Chantal Landais will definitely take care of you.

photography: Michael McClintock

Hair, techniques, styling change constantly in the hair and beauty industry and every training session adds new dimension to the skills, but delivering professional advice as well as skilled services in a friendly environment is what this hair studio is all about. They offer Wi-Fi for those busy people who want to maximise their time in the salon. PN CHANTAL LANDAIS HAIR STUDIO, 128 Jervois Road T: 09 376 4402 www.chantalandais.co.nz

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VIVE LA FRANCE WINTER COOKING FRENCH STYLE AT MILLY’S THIS MONTH AT MILLY’S THEY LOOK FORWARD TO FRENCH MONTH WITH EXCITEMENT AND anticipation! Why, because July is the heart of winter and winter cooking. When you visit their stores during July, you will be welcomed with the heady aroma of bœuf bourguignon, coq au vin, the sweetness of tart tatin or crepes, amongst other French favourites.

A new sweet treat is the macaron, a delicate little number to decorate your dessert plate.

Did you know they run classes on making macarons, together with other baking and decorating classes. Check out their website.

They are also very excited as their new shipment of Mauviel French copperware has just arrived. Cooking in copper is simply the best, in particular for sauces or a gentle saute.

With copper on the outer and stainless steel on the inside, it makes for easy care with the best cooking results.

Another famous French cookware name is Le Creuset. For those of us lucky enough to own a Le Creuset casserole, we know the benefit of cooking with cast iron. This is the slow cook, flavour developing style of cooking that has filled homes all over the world for years. It is a lifetime purchase that you will share with your family, through the generations.

You can win a fabulous Red Le Creuset Casserole in July. Simply send in or bring in your favourite French recipe and go in the draw to win this French Icon.

For any information on all their French cookware, come and visit the friendly and knowledgeable staff, because they love to share their passion for cooking with their customers. Vive la France! PN MILLY’S, 273 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 1550 www.millyskitchen.co.nz

THE VITRINE NEW CONTAINER ARRIVAL THIS MONTH THE VITRINE, ANTIQUE AND VINTAGE INDUSTRIAL SHOP IN GREY LYNN, are about to receive their twelfth container full of original, raw European antique and vintage industrial furniture and lighting. Over the past three years, The Vitrine has been a huge supporter of original European designs by directly sourcing from the likes of France, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic. They supply some of Auckland’s top bars, cafes and retail spots with raw beautiful pieces displaying the craftsmanship dating back to late 19th Century.

The Vitrine is located in the backstreets of Grey Lynn, walking down a dingy driveway, you enter into a massive 200sqm warehouse full of Europe’s finest lighting, furniture and decorative vintage pieces.

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Resident Frenchman and owner, Julien Thery is very is proud that every piece he and wife Amanda bring back from Europe is 100% original vintage, not new vintage style reproduction. In the upcoming container, there is a mix of mid-century design, vintage industrial lighting and furniture, plus decorative pieces including a pair of rare 1955 Willy Ghul Loop Chairs and more of the ever popular 1950s Ukrainian Army Stools.

Keep an eye out for the arrival of the new container arrival this month, by looking at their website or contacting Amanda on what@inthevitrine.com to be added to the new container alert email. PN THE VITRINE, 1a Grosvenor Street, T: 09 376 3158 www.inthevitrine.com

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VIVE LA FRANCE MY FAVOURITE FRENCH ANTIQUE “I DO GET ATTACHED TO MY ANTIQUE STOCK AS I ONLY SELECT THOSE PIECES FOR MY antique business that I would happily display in my own home,” says European Antiques owner Meredith Lee. “So it was a hard choice when asked by Ponsonby News to share my favourite French item currently for sale in my showrooms, but it has to be my Louis Vuitton malle de voyage trunk c.1880s.”

With a flat frame covered in waterproof canvas, Louis Vuitton trunks were extremely elegant, functional, and lightweight which made them ideally suited to new means of transport (as they could be easily stacked) and made other previous trunk designs virtually obsolete. The support of the French Empress Eugenie and other monarchs, heads of state, explorers, artists and magnates only helped to make the LV monogram desirable among the elite.

This Louis Vuitton malle de voyage (Trunk) is a Flat top, LV steamer trunk covered in striped waterproof canvas. The striped pattern was made by Vuitton for only a few short years from about 1872-1888. The trunk has a brass lock, walnut slats, wrought iron handles and its original Louis Vuitton label. It is priced for sale at $4500.00.

N.B. There is a fabulous large hard back coffee table style book for those interested in Louis Vuitton which Meredith would thoroughly recommend. It is called Louis Vuitton, the birth of Modern Luxury by Paul-Gerard Pasols. It traces the company history of Louis Vuitton, its founder, in the mid 19th century to current designs and makes for a wonderfully interesting winter read. PN

photography: Michael McClintock

EUROPEAN ANTIQUES & FURNISHINGS, 21 Ariki Street, T: 09 360 9858 M: 027 414 0081 www.europeanantiques.co.nz

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VIVE LA FRANCE

FRANCE - OH LA LA LA CANTINE CELEBRATE WITH A LITTLE ‘FRENCH TOAST’ Why is 14 July, so special to the French?

14 Juillet, as we say is the French national day, we celebrate the revolution, the victory of the street people against the privileges of the monarchy, a few heads fell this day.

How do the French celebrate for this event?

To celebrate we all go out to dance, there is a ball, in every single town and village people from every social class have fun together.

What has La Cantine got planned for the occasion?

At La Cantine we have a revolutionary menu, everybody is dressed up and will sing traditional French songs around a boeuf bourguignon and a glass of pinot.

We’ve heard you have some special entertainment. What can we expect to see and hear?

For this occasion, our resident Thursday night band, the French Toast Trio with Linn Lorkin will be pulling out all the stops. Our guests will have the lyrics to sing with her, ‘La Marseillaise’ (the French national anthem), ‘La vie en rose’ and ‘Je ne regrette rien!’

Discover a land that truly epitomises beauty, culture and style. From gourmet cuisine and the finest wine, to beautiful green valleys and cities buzzing with chic style and world-class attractions, France offers visitors the ultimate in stylish holiday experiences.

From Versailles to Saint Malo, see grand châteaux, explore historic landmarks and relax amid stunning natural beauty. Discover Paris - one of the most famous capitals in the world, known for its familiar landmarks Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe to name a few. Whether it’s your first visit or a follow up this city never fails to please. Its romantic, offers great shopping and divine food and all in a delightful setting on the River Seine.

A leisurely way to see France is on a river cruise, the treasures of the Provence region in France are innumerable, and cruising along the Rhone River is the perfect way to experience them. Taking in the beautiful cities of Lyon and Avignon, not to mention the Beaujolais region where you can visit a family-owned and run winery. Visit the picturesque French village of Grignan where you can visit a local truffle farm for a special insight into these gourmet delicacies, you can meet the farm owners and head out with their highly-trained dogs in search of these elusive treats French culture, history, museums and monuments, exciting nightlife, beautiful provinces, great food and excellent wine are just a few of the many reasons why you should make your next trip France. www.harveyworld.co.nz/ponsonby PN

LA CANTINE DU TORCHON, 265 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 2516 www.lacantine.co.nz

Mikey Newlands and Amanda Rogers

ENTICING OFFERING AT ALLECHANTE PROVES A SELL OUT Allechante, a new pop-up restaurant run by the talented Mikey Newlands and Amanda Rogers has already sold out its first event before the first dish was served.

Mikey Newlands is head chef at Bracu, a finalist in this year’s Metro awards, while Rogers works as part of the front-of-house team at top dining establishment Sidart. Both are excited to be bringing their love of food to Auckland and for Mikey to be able to explore what Newlands cuisine is really all about; finding exciting, modern ways to treat less fashionable produce from the past.

Their five course degustation dinner will be happening at Ponsonby icon Landreth & Co on 8 July. For future events and to follow the Allechante story, see: allechanterestaurant.co.nz PN

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VIVE LA FRANCE DRESSING YOUR TABLE WITH STYLE THE STUDIO OF TABLEWARE SPECIALISES IN EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON THE dining room table within our criteria of: Quality - Design - Selection. In this age of unprecedented choice often quality is lacking with products that have been produced to an attractive price.

Quality: Whether bone china, porcelain or stoneware, informed manufacturers take advantage of the advances in modern technology to ensure that each material gives a superb result. Similarly cutlery, high quality stainless steel or silver plate, can be the most used (and the longest lasting) item you’ll ever purchase. Glass/crystal enhances memorable occasions being celebrated with a special vintage or it may highlight even a drink of water.

The materials are quite diverse but technological advances ensure that each performs to a far higher standard than could previously be imagined.

Design: This is subjective - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Good design is timeless.

It doesn’t scream 70s or 80s (or even 40s). It has a simple beauty that draws you in and it is suited to its purpose. Longevity is the hallmark of good design.

Selection: Variety is the spice of life and with this in mind when purchasing we look to manufacturers who offer a diverse product range with adventurous decoration techniques. Our carefully selected collections provide choice of countless combinations of beautiful tableware that will enhance our clients’ lifestyles. PN THE STUDIO OF TABLEWARE, 5 Harold Street, Mt Eden T: 09 638 8082 www.thestudio.co.nz

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LAURAINE JACOBS: THE SEASONED PALATE

Hip Hip Hooray for Ortolana and Milse Everybody I know who has eaten at Ortolana has been pleased.

Pleased with the lovely setting in the centre of the Britomart Square, pleased with the terrific fresh food, pleased with the wine list and drinks (especially the free sparkling water from the tap) and pleased to find a new friendly place to choose breakfast, lunch or dinner from a sensationally simple but excellent menu.

And well pleased they should be. Owners, Jackie Grant and Scott Brown operate at the cutting edge of food. Of all the places in this city to eat, Ortolana comes closest to the superb fresh food I found in many restaurants on my recent trip to San Francisco. Over there I noted that chefs aren’t mucking about in the kitchen, torturing the hell out of the ingredients and fashioning them into something that resembles a scientific experiment on the plate.

Instead they take time to connect with artisan food producers and small farmers to find very special produce to work with and present as simply as possible. I spotted chefs trundling through the farmers’ market, buying up terrific farm grown seasonal vegetables and fruits for their restaurants, something I’ve rarely seen here.

Grant and Brown have been quietly chipping away at the Auckland hospitality scene, concentrating on opening or revamping fairly casual cafés under their Hip Group brand to offer very good coffee, fabulous fresh food to match and a warm welcome. They have their own gardens out in the west to supply their growing empire with produce, an empire that includes such good places as Richmond Rd Café, Rosehip in Parnell, Takapuna Beach Café, and St Heliers Bistro.

(As an aside, it’s interesting to note the rise and rise of restaurant groups in Auckland.

We had the Nourish Group first (Euro, Jervois Steak House, Fish etc) and then along came the Sky City group of restaurants (The Grill, Depot, and the soon to be opened Masu and Peter Gordon’s Sugar Club.) We also have the Pack Group (The Commons, Everybody’s) and we’ve got all those cafés and restaurants supported by Britomart and the Wynyard Wharf lot. All these almost ‘corporatised’ places make it difficult for small operators to be noticed without shouting their little heads off, sadly.)

interesting and appetising. One of my favourites is her burrata (very creamy mozzarella) with walnuts, golden raisins and new olive oil.

I also love the beetroot lasagnotte with hazelnuts and feta, the market fish crudo and a light-as-air handmade pasta with mushroom, parmesan and topped by a gently cooked egg yolk and lovely microgreens. Most of all I love the way that at the end of the menu there’s a list of the vegetables, herbs and fruit from the Hip group’s farm. Right now that means such interesting stuff as lemon verbena, kohlrabi, savoy cabbage and their own cow’s feta which is creamy and light.

Does all this sound tempting? Too right! But there’s more. Not only does Ortolana set new high standards, the Hip group have an interest in Milse, right next door with frontage on Tyler St. There, talented patissier, Brian Campbell has opened a state-of -the-art dessert store and restaurant with mind-bogglingly beautiful cakes, gateaux, tarts, chocolates and fabulous macarons of every hue and flavour.

If you want a sweet ending to your Ortolana experience, the full menu of treats is offered and the waiter just pops next door to pick it up.

Milse offers exclusive dessert dining in the evenings too and it’s the new thing to eat on Ponsonby Rd and then pop down to Britomart for sweet dreams or even a degustation of desserts. During the day (and through the evening) there’s take-out service from the stunning display.

There’s even a glass-fronted freezer with an absolute knock-out selection of desserts like Baked Alaska and other gelato cakes. But what has really captured my imagination is the frozen gelato sticks; icy gelato covered in delicious chocolate. The vanilla, chocolate and berry jelly may be the best “jelly-tip” in the world.

So what are the drawbacks? None I can think of, although the policy of no bookings can make life difficult. On the upside, you can front up, put your name on the list, disappear to down a few drinks elsewhere in Britomart and they’ll call you on mobile when your table is ready. Very nice. (LAURAINE JACOBS MNZM) www.laurainejacobs.co.nz PN Ortolana, 31 Tyler Street and Milse, 27 Tyler Street, Britomart

Ortolana is also successful as it is such a gorgeous place to be. Half of the restaurant is inside in a well designed comfy room with an open kitchen and there’s a lovely courtyard for outdoor eating, complete with plenty of heaters, a soaring glass ceiling and the thoughtful touch of blankets for anyone feeling a little chilly.

The menu is concise and designed for all day eating. If you go for breakfast you will enjoy the best granola ever made with organic quinoa and nuts and accompanied by fresh pears and a yogurt mousse. There’s also ruby grapefruit with demerara sugar, a surprisingly interesting vanilla bean risotto with tamarillo, and a silky crema fritta with rhubarb and macadamia. And that’s just the fruit and cereal section. There’s also a section of five eggy things, including a comforting mushroom and poached egg with porcini polenta, and a romano cheese, brown onion and herb omelette. Breakfast in the suburbs is not like this!

The real strength of the menu is chef Jo Pearson’s stunningly simple creations. She combines ingredients very thoughtfully and everything on the plate looks light,

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY THE WATERVIEW COFFEE PROJECT It often seems that the best - and most passionate - projects stem from a personal need, and for James Crow that need was good coffee. Good coffee that didn’t require jumping in the car, especially with two under-fives in tow and a ‘to do’ list that would send many of us running for the hills.

James is one half of the company Tommy and James - creators of Nice Blocks and Ponsonby News favourite, Nice Cream - as well as the man behind organic skincare products Pot of Gold and After Ink and now, owner of The Waterview Coffee Project. He and his partner Bonnie also run online organics store Zana Organics, and co-parent two very delicious children, Roman and Zana. To say he’s a busy man would most definitely be putting it mildly, and when the couple started their family and moved to the suburb of Waterview, he found himself spending considerable time doing coffee runs at all times of the day.

“Yes we could have made coffee at home,” he says with a smile, “but we found we were going into Ponsonby and Grey Lynn all of the time to fulfil our needs in the organic stores and the farmer’s market, grabbing coffees all the way. We realised we were leaving our neighbourhood for just about everything, and wanted that to change.”

The catalyst was watching what James now describes as a “bit of an awful TEDTalk that was actually amazing. It was by a man who wanted to resurrect the trams in Denver and so put up a website about it, gaining national respect overnight. Within a year he’d been given $50 million to put his plan into practice - he’d planted a seed and put a pin in the map, and everyone came to it.”

James’ personal “pin in the map” was a statement he put on Facebook late in 2012, on a page he named The Waterview Coffee Project. It outlined what he hoped for the suburb, and read thus: “Right now the suburb of Waterview in Auckland has a beautiful soul - but no heart. It has a school, it has a park (or three!), but it lacks the one essential hub that binds every Auckland community together - a cafe. Or more importantly a place to meet, to talk, and share as a community. We are going to change that.” From the get go, the Waterview Coffee Project (WCP) aimed to bring more than just good coffee to the area (though lord knows it needed it) “but also offer an opportunity to ignite new enterprises in the area and give the community a chance to connect, interact with each other and support local initiative.”

Just a few months on, the café - which is housed in a large shipping container - opened its doors, complete with much loved barista (and Ponsonby local) Corey Finan, who they poached from a business in the nearby suburb of Avondale. James did much of the work on the ‘interior’ himself, working up until just hours before the WCP opened its teal painted doors. The container has just enough room to fit the coffee machine, a small amount of seating and a fridge stocked full of cold drinks and - naturally - Nice Blocks, along with cabinet snacks from Ripe Deli, with the majority of the action taking place on the footpath outside. Their landlord is a local (she lives just doors away) who had space outside a shopfront on Daventry Street that she was happy to lease. James was introduced to her via local laundromat owner Divesh, who had also created a business in the area that he saw a need for and has been a success ever since. “Our landlord still can’t believe she can actually get really great Kokako coffee close to home,” laughs James, “but we hope we’ve brought even more than that to Waterview. We want to be a destination and a social hub, somewhere people from the neighbourhood can actually meet and talk to each other, rather than just passing at the lights.”

So, now that James and Bonnie have moved the family closer to the Tommy and James factory in Ellerslie, are there any plans for setting up a similar initiative out East? “Oh yes,” says James with a smile, “I’ve already put a new pin in the map!” Watch this space!

(HELENE RAVLICH) PN The Waterview Coffee Project, 29 Daventry Street, Waterview. www.facebook.com/TheWaterviewCoffeeProject

42 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY FOUR FOODIE DAYS AT THE FOOD SHOW AUCKLAND New Zealand’s biggest culinary event is almost back - and needless to say, foodies everywhere are relishing its return.

The Food Show Auckland will be held from 1 - 4 August at the ASB Showgrounds and show visitors will be served a veritable buffet of exciting new exhibitors, old favourites and sensational chef demonstrations.

from throughout the Auckland region. Supported by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd (ATEED), ‘Auckland on the Menu’ offers a variety of taste experiences including artisan sour dough bread, gourmet patés, spices and salts, delicious cakes and puddings, honey, an artisan butchery, mustards, oysters, fresh produce, beverages and more, all served with true Auckland hospitality and flair.

This year, the event is on trend with healthy living exhibitors and features, including demonstrations by Dr Libby and Chef Cynthia Louise, the health and wellbeing gurus who’ll be showing Kiwis how to make tantalising recipes using 100% “real” food.

For an intimate experience, learn from the experts in the exclusive Masterclass Theatre; don’t miss your chance to grill culinary masters like Peter Gordon, Julie Le Clerc, Sean Connolly and Nick Honeyman, enjoy tasting plates with wines matched by Tohu wines and a goodie bag to boot!

Get a taste of New Zealand’s star chef line-up, with entertaining demonstrations at the Electrolux Cooking Theatre by culinary experts Simon Gault, Ray McVinnie, Peter Gordon, Sean Connolly, Nici Wickes, Master Chef New Zealand season four winner, Aaron Brunet and more.

Plus, visit the Kenwood Kitchen, the feature that brings you top chefs from Auckland’s best cafés and restaurants. This is your chance to see local culinary stars create dishes to die for.

Whet your appetite and wind your way past more than 200 mouth-watering exhibitors, with everything from gourmet chocolates, sumptuous sea foods and artisan honey to raw juice cleanses, cooking equipment and Soda Stream machines. Thrill your taste buds and take advantage of show-only deals - The Food Show has something to suit every taste!

Visit Auckland on the Menu, which includes a market -style stand showcasing niche and artisan food producers

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Whether it’s eating, drinking, cooking or entertaining that takes your fancy, devour it all at The Food Show Auckland. With four days, top chefs and more than 200 exhibitors - it really takes the food-event cake.

You can also experience The Food Show Auckland without the crowds on Preview Day, Thursday 1 August, 10am to 6pm. Tickets are limited, be quick to ensure you don’t miss out. Visit www.foodshow.co.nz to buy tickets online now! PN

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CELIA HAY: NZ SCHOOL OF FOOD & WINE

Cooking Classes to inspire the Home Cook SINCE MOVING FROM CHRISTCHURCH TO AUCKLAND after the earthquakes and re-establishing the NZ School of Food and Wine in the Viaduct, I have discovered how motivated Aucklanders are to learn more about cooking and increase their repertoire of skills. Founded in 1995, we offer a suite of NZQA approved full-time courses and have been able to take the best of those professional skills and offer them in hands-on classes for the home cook.

Our Cooking 101 is ideal for teenagers going flatting or for people looking for their first job in a café. We start with key knife skills and quickly move on to cooking muffins, scones, dressings, quiche including eggs benedict. The recipe below, roast beetroot, bacon, red onion & goat’s cheese uses the balsamic vinaigrette taught in this class.

The Essentials of Cooking Fine Food at Home runs over eight Tuesday evenings or two weekends. It offers the next level in building cookery techniques such as sautéing, roasting, braising, steaming and grilling while cooking with fish (which you learn to fillet), beef sirloin, chicken (which you learn to bone), lamb (which you braise) along with many other ingredients prepared in interesting ways. The nice thing about attending a cooking course that they often inspire you to try new ingredients or fill in gaps where you have some knowledge but are not quite sure of the correct way to proceed. We find that people get so excited filleting a fish or jointing a chicken for the first time. It always looks so confusing but with good advice and a sharp knife, the task is really not difficult.

When you have done it once, it is not so scary to have a go at doing it and this builds your confidence.

It is easy to forget about vegetables and how they offer such diversity of textures and flavours to any meal.

In the heart of winter, I like to play around with salads that I would use in summer, but heat up some of the ingredients in an oven or even toss them in a fry pan to serve as winter warm salads.

The recipe below uses beetroots that are so often underrated but make delicious salads when partnered with other flavours. This salad is prefect for tossing in a frypan or finishing the beets in a hot oven before tossing though the vinaigrette.

Roast Beetroot, Bacon, Red Onion & Goat’s Cheese with Balsamic dressing Serves 4- 6 1kg beetroot per person 100g streaky bacon 100g goats cheese or feta 1 large red onion Balsamic Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar 4-5 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper

Method Wash the beetroot and remove the stalks but do not peel.

Place the beetroot in a pot and cover with cold water.

Salt. Bring to the boil. Simmer until tender.

Leave to cool. Peel the skins off the beetroot and slice into quarters or smaller wedges. It could be a good idea to use gloves for this process.

Cut the bacon into two centimetre pieces. Fry off in a fry pan until crisp.

Cut the onion in rings and place in a bowl. Add the beetroot mixture. Crumble the cheese on top.

Make the dressing by whisking the vinegar and olive oil together. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine everything together and serve.

To serve as a warm salad 1. Once the beets are sliced, place them on a baking tray and brush with oil. Sprinkle with salt.

2. Bake at 180C until warm and crisp - around 20 minutes.

3. Place in a bowl and complete the salad as above (CELIA HAY)

NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL OF FOOD & WINE, Level 3, 104 Customs Street West www.foodandwine.co.nz Email me: celia@foodandwine.co.nz

44 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY ALOHA TO THE NEW LOOK CHAPEL C’mon, admit it … you’ve thought about it… I mean what self -respecting legend of the Ponsonby scene hasn’t? A little lift here, a quick tuck there … a week in the Islands to let the Botox settle down and “wow, don’t you look fresh!”

And so it came to pass that after nearly eight years of partying, hosting, dining, drinking and watching over its disciples, Chapel Bar & Bistro, Ponsonby’s favourite old haunt, decided to shut its doors for four days at the end of last month for a quick rejuvenating makeover, reopening on Friday the 21st June looking brighter, sassier and more welcoming than ever.

The new look features new fixtures, fittings and furniture, inside and out, with a fresh lick of paint and stunning new wallpaper now making the bar seem lighter and brighter, without losing its traditional cosiness.

Owner Luke Dallow says the refurbishment and re-opening, coming on the year’s shortest day, couldn’t have been timed any better.

“This last summer was so good, that, instead of succumbing meekly to months of cold and wet, we’ve decided to bring it back! The new interior will make it feel like summer all year round, so apart from JK’s boys, we’ll have no talk of winter blues here thank you very much!”

To emphasise the endless summer vibe, Chapel’s legendary Old Mout Cider Sunday Sessions with Thane Kirby and Dave Hull have kicked off again, but this time with a Hawaiian twist and an awesome prize up for grabs.

Every Sunday afternoon until the end of July, Chapel will be going Club Tropicana - complete with crazy island-themed games such as coconut bowls and hula competitions.

All winners will then go in the draw to win a trip of a lifetime for two to Hawaii. The prize will include return flights on Hawaii Airlines and four nights’ accommodation at the Aston Kaanapali Shores Maui, all hosted by the one-and-only, sorry, two-and-only, Luke Dallow and Thane Kirby.

So to give yourself a chance, say aloha to a new sort of Sunday experience, leave your inhibitions at home with your thermals and follow the hula beat down to Chapel any or every Sunday this month. There will be Mai Tais and Hawaiian pizzas available to tempt you too! The prize winner will be drawn at a grand Hawaiian luau on Sunday July 28 … and you’ll have to be there to claim the prize. Still, what else would you rather be doing on a wintery Sunday night in Auckland?

While the new Chapel may make you feel like it’s summer all year round, unfortunately it can’t totally cheat mother nature. So to cater for the change in season, Luke has launched a delicious new winter menu and wine list, combining some old classics with a mix of tasty new additions, to either share or keep to yourself.

At the top of the old classics list are a couple of hearty pies - of the shepherd’s and chicken pot variety … both served with hand-cut chips and smashed peas. For the smaller appetite on a cold day, there’s also the classic pea and ham soup, which comes served with soldiers, just like your mum used to do for you on those cold, cold nights when you were a kid. Season with salt, pepper and a sprig of nostalgia! The winter menu has retained some of the salads launched earlier this year, including the green orzo and warm lamb, and the flu-busting raw energy salad with chicken.

For the social diner, there are plenty of finger licking sharing plates, including sliders, tortillas and the sticky BBQ pork short ribs. The smoked kahawai bruschetta is so good it’s even offered as a main in its own right! And of course no Chapel menu would be complete without the full range of crispy Italian-style pizzas, which are now available as gluten-free on request and for takeaway.

While the décor and menu may have changed, the atmosphere remains uniquely, and splendidly the same. It’s still our favourite pub on the corner, and at the ripe old age of nearly eight, we don’t begrudge you a little tweak here and there. Cheers Chapel! PN CHAPEL BAR & BISTRO, 147 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 4528, www.chapel.co.nz The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY PONSONBY CENTRAL CELEBRATES OPENING OF YOUR LOCAL LARDER The Produce Market - your local larder, is a handpicked selection of retailers who can supply you with all your daily food needs.

Tara Brogan owner of Foxtrot Parlour is opening The Dairy, offering you a Cheese Room, Milk Bar and convenience foods such as Rotisserie Chicken.

Top-Shelf Foods will be joining Ponsonby Central as The Goods Store, offering a selection of olives, dips and all your dry goods needs.

Wine Direct offers one of New Zealand’s widest selections of imported fine wine and beer, and is a welcome addition to the Produce Market.

These new additions complement the existing tenants in the Produce Market, Neat Meat, Little Bread and Butter, Ceres Fruit and Vege, Jimmy the Fish, Eighthirty Coffee and Foxtrot Parlour and as a group they offer you all you need for creating culinary masterpieces at home.

The Produce Market opening weekend is 6 - 7 July and to celebrate there will be a range of activities in the Produce Market on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm - Cooking Demos with Chef Kit Perura demonstrating Sri Lankan cooking, Ponsonby Intermediate will be doing cooking demos and also collecting for CCF, there will be a vast range of tastings and samples on offer.

BMW will also be joining in the hub of Ponsonby Central - The ultimate all-wheel drive sports wagon is coming to Ponsonby Central. BMW’s all-new 3 Series Touring now with xDrive AWD technology will be on display at Ponsonby Central from 5 July offering customers the chance to win this ultimate driving machine for a month.

Further details of the week-ends events will be on the Ponsonby Central Facebook page, come along and celebrate! www.facebook.com/PonsonbyCentral PN

46 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

iVILLAGE SPICES UP VICTORIA PARK MARKET iVillage, is the creation of charismatic mother and son team Dimples and Smeet and is the hottest local Indian kitchen and bar to arrive in the central city this year!

Located in the bricked courtyard and beside the chimney at the newly renovated Victoria Park Market, iVillage brings you food that is quintessentially Indian and original, made with their special home-made spices and masalas. They invite you to explore the ‘Asli’ (real) taste of Indian cuisine as “it was always meant to be;” iVillage raises the bar for Indian cuisine dining.

Even on a cold winter’s day or evening iVillage is total perfection with the colonial exposed brick features and the beautiful beaten copper accessories giving the restaurant a rich warming ambience to match the deliciously spicy flavours of their tantalising food options. If it’s outdoor dining you prefer then there is ample seating in the well tucked in internal bricked courtyard. Their extensive menu comprises mainly Northern Indian cuisine. The free range chicken Tandoori Trio offers wonderful flavours and is an excellent way to start your meal. Then there is the impressive sweet’n’sour Goan fish curry, where the fish is marinated in select spices and vinegar and if you are goat meat lover then the Balti dum goat is one of those magnificent curries that has a real ‘punch.’

And if you have special dietary requirements or something is not quite to your liking all you need to do is ask and they are happy to adapt the menu to suit. iVILLAGE AT VICTORIA, 216 Victoria Street West, Victoria, Park Market T: 09 309 4009 www.ivillageatvictoria.co.nz PN

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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WHAT’S HOT AT SABATO VIVA LA VALRHONA WE HAVE MANY FRENCH PRODUCTS IN STORE, FROM TRADITIONAL GRIOTTE CHERRIES, to quality French walnut and hazelnut oil, to classic creamy Brie and those bastions of French cuisine - snails. But our most remarked upon French product, and a product we are sure you are all familiar with (and if not you must try), is Valrhona chocolate…

Valrhona is the ‘Rolls Royce’ of chocolate, chosen by the world’s finest pastry chefs to produce the highest quality desserts and sweet treats - and it will certainly take your baking and dessert making to the next level.

Just in time for Bastille Day celebrations we have two fantastically delicious new creations from Valrhona - Dulcey and Caramélia - the latter comes in its own bar or as a tempting bag of crunchy pearls.

Dulcey is the world’s first blonde chocolate. This blonde bombshell is creamy, with a velvety and enveloping texture. The first notes are buttery, toasty and not too sweet, with biscuity flavours and a pinch of salt. It is simply divine, and comes in an 85g bar or as a 250g bag of fèves - perfect for cooking with, or just to eat!

Caramélia crunchy pearls - a crunchy toasted puffed cereal ball coated in smooth and luscious Caramélia milk chocolate. These shiny little pearls add a touch of originality and indulgence, and a delicious crunch, to any creation, even if frozen. Ask to taste when you are next instore! PN SABATO Limited, 57 Normanby Road T: 09 630 8751 www.sabato.co.nz

HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE RECIPE THIS EASY, DELICIOUS, VEGE-PACKED RECIPE FOR BRUNCH, A LIGHT LUNCH, OR EVEN dinner is perfect for kids to busy themselves with over the school holidays - that includes big kids, too. And if you’re feeling creative, check out the variations.

Nutrition profile: low kilojoule, low sodium, high fibre, high iron, vegetarian, gluten-free.

Baked omelette - Serves 4 Hands-on time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes 2 spring onions 1 can (420g) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed 3 cups frozen vegetables (corn, cauliflower, peas, broccoli, carrots or a mix of the above), thawed, drained 8 large eggs 200ml trim milk Step 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a shallow, square or round oven dish (about 20cm in diameter) with baking paper. Wash and chop spring onions. Spread spring onions, beans and vegetables on the paper in prepared baking dish.

Step 2. Break eggs into a large bowl. Beat with a fork until egg whites and yolks combine. Add milk and stir.

Step 3. Pour egg mixture over vegetables in baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes until set and golden brown on top.

Variations • Sprinkle sesame seeds or sunflower seeds on top of the omelette before baking.

• If you’re not a fan of spring onions, use a small capsicum instead.

• Not keen on capsicum, either? Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano or rosemary instead.

• No cannellini beans? Butter beans or red kidney beans work just as well. Don’t use baked beans, though, because they will make the omelette mushy.

• If there are some leftover roasted or boiled potatoes from last night, dice them and add them to the vegetable layer.

• Instead of beans, you can use last night’s leftover meat cut in strips (chicken, lamb, beef and pork all work well).

Recipe writer: Yvonne Walus. Styling and food prep: Sarah Swain.

Photography: Melanie Jenkins.

Recipe reprinted from Healthy Food Guide magazine with permission from Healthy Life Media Ltd. July 2013 marks our 100th issue and we’re celebrating! Find more vegetarian, kid-friendly recipes and a whole lot more in the special collector’s issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine, on sale in supermarkets and bookstores for only $5.90 or subscribe at www.healthyfood.co.nz PN

48 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

JULIE BONNER: NEWS FROM FROG POND FARM

Meet the Chooks at Frog Pond Farm To this day I’m not really sure why we did it - our friends were stumped. We packed up our house in Mt Eden and moved to Waimauku - the city dwellers had arrived in the country. That was eight years ago. Our 7.5-acre lifestyle block has been a work in progress since then. We now practice organics (best thing ever) and endeavour where possible to be self-sufficient.

If someone had said to me when I was working in the advertising world in Aussie, that I would be wearing gumboots on a daily basis, wear daggy clothes, no makeup, be growing my own veges and constantly have dirt under my nails, I would have been truly horrified. Isn’t it nice to know that we can be flexible!

Our property boasts a splendid orchard with some exotic trees (I think so), an olive grove, 600 pine trees, vege gardens, native forest, a duck pond with the odd wild duck, two fat sheep, cats, Dan our border collie, 17 chooks and a sensational rooster named Russell Crowe. Busy - you bet!

I love my chooks and thus have a variety of breeds. Plymouth Barred Rock, Orpingtons in an array of colours, Light Sussex and a splendid mix of cross breeds.

Their coop appropriately named ‘chook towers’ is located in a rather large paddock where they free range 24/7.

Being a creature of habit, each morning I remove last night’s chook poo (and there is always plenty of it) from the wood shavings beneath their perches. Each night I pull the net curtain, to keep the little blighters from spending the night luxuriating in their nest boxes - sounds mean, but hey, I don’t like pooey eggs!

Having more than my fair share of chickens it is important to ensure that their house is kept clean and if you are like me (sigh) I wash mine out weekly with hot soapy water with lavender oil. This not only smells great but apparently chicken mites don’t enjoy the odour. Those feathered girls aren’t big on drafts either, so while good ventilation is important, the coop needs to be weather tight. Perches are a must or should I say ‘appreciated’ as the team relish sleeping off the ground. There are suggested perch heights - but I think jumping height is a good start. As for the nest boxes, these need to be kept clean also and as I like to keep my girls comfy while they are laying those prized eggs, the boxes are stuffed with hay.

So I guess it is only fitting that their cuisine should match the accommodation. Most mornings they get food scraps, cooked vege, ripe bananas, which they love and a host of other tasty bits liberally mixed in with their ‘chook chow’ a yummy blend of wheat, corn, molasses and grit. In summer they get an array of salad vege straight from the garden and in winter they enjoy brassica and sorrel leaves.

Grit (shell pieces) need to be accessible too as this helps with their digestion and calcium intake, which they need for egg production. Because I’m into natural brews, my girls get garlic and cider vinegar weekly plus some Agrisea seaweed tonic. Yum. Truth is, each egg probably costs about $15, but who cares, they’re worth it!

Chooks do need good tucker though as their days are busy; foraging for more food, squawking, dust bathing, laying or heaven forbid creating mayhem in my vege gardens if they get a chance.

So, those birds of mine keep me busy and entertained, and when they have stopped moulting and spring is approaching they supply me with the very best eggs and lots of them!

Yes, they are delightful pets and if you want to keep one or two in the city or suburb then check out the Auckland City Council website www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz - search for birds and poultry.

Want to know more about having your own chooks? Google is a great start or I’m more than happy to help! You can contact me via Ponsonsby News or check out my blog. www.frogpondfarm.co.nz PN

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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LIZ WHEADON: WINE, GLORIOUS WINE

Champagne What is champagne? Champagne is sparkling wine made from grapes grown within the region designated by the Appellation Controlee system in France as being Champagne. The history starts back with the first champagne house - Gosset that started around 1500 AD as a still wine producer.

It was not until around 1700 AD when Dom Perignon the cellar master at the Benedictine monastery of Hautvillers in the Champagne district of France began to successfully trap the bubbles that result from a secondary fermentation in the bottle. There are some reports that record Dom Perignon as having invented champagne, he did not in fact invent champagne, but did successfully trap the bubbles in the bottle and keep them there. Over the following centuries production techniques were systematically refined and perfected. Today the reputation of champagne is unrivalled in the bottle, and consumers worldwide now have an insatiable demand for these wines. So much so that demand has outstripped supply and champagne prices are starting to soar. This demand has also seen the boarder for the Champagne region reviewed and expanded in a very controversial decision.

There are many different types of champagne produced and a large number of champagne houses. The following details the styles and my recommendations within each style.

Non Vintage Champagne Often referred to as the house style, a non vintage champagne is made year in and year out from a blend of many vintages. The aim of the blending process is to give a consistent style. The blend as well as being from wines of many vintages can be a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, in proportions that suit that champagne producer’s style. This means that each time you purchase a Non Vintage style of champagne you can be confident in the style that you’ll be drinking.

Vintage Champagne Vintage champagne can only be made from grapes grown in a specific year. Vintage champagne can be a blend of the three varieties, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Unlike Non Vintage champagne, Vintage champagne ages very well and benefits from time in the cellar. Like the port houses in Portugal, the champagne producers review each year and decide whether they will ‘declare’ a vintage year. Even in a declared vintage year for the region, not all producers will make a vintage. Some like the champagne house of Salon have even higher standards and very rarely produce any wine. Vintage champagnes are unique and very special, they give you a little picture of that year, that vineyard and the skill of the producer neatly packed into a bottle. PN (LIZ WHEADON) www.glengarrywines.co.nz

50 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY GREAT FOR GROUPS – THE VILLAGE FEAST AT TASCA Sometimes it’s just easier to leave the decisions to someone else, and when it comes to organising a get-together at a restaurant, what a nice idea to let them take care of the food for the evening.

The concept of the “Village Feast” at Tasca comes from the age old Mediterranean custom of the extended family gathering at a long table, with beautifully prepared food just appearing on the table as if by magic.

Humble, simple dishes full of flavour to be served up at the table by the matriarch /patriarch just like a big family dinner and perfect for a group, anywhere from eight to around 25 people.

As the restaurant itself has been inspired by travels all over the Mediterranean, Spain in particular, co-owner Clare Hindmarsh (long time Ponsonby resident and serial restaurateur (Caravanserai/ Mezze Bar/Casablanca) looked to the same traditions when creating the Village Feast.

Another idea for a big get-together is a Tapas Evening with wave upon wave of tapas coming to the table and best enjoyed with a tasty Spanish red wine - Tasca has a great selection.

Big on ambience and tasty food - small on formalities, each restaurant has taken on its own personality, and both offer a bit of European charm perfect for your family gathering.

TASCA, Nuffield Street T: 09 522 4443, Dominion Road T: 09 630 6345 www.tasca.co.nz PN

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PONSONBY A-Z OF BARS

SALE STREET BREWERY

It’s comforting to know that many of the familiar bars in our neighbourhood are still going strong and there are but a few that have changed owners or renovated. We say, drink well and responsibly while you enjoy yourself.

BARRIO, 44 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 8147 www.barrionz.com A popular local with live session jazz and featuring DJs Bevan Keys, Roger Perry, Uncle Barney and Manuel Bundy. Coopers Pale Ale is on tap. Check out their website or Facebook for session times. Summer hours are Tue-Fri from 4pm, Sat from 6pm, Sun and Mon by arrangement. Winter hours are Wed-Fri from 4pm, Sat from 6pm, Sun, Mon and Tue by arrangement.

BERESFORD SQUARE WINE BAR, 6 Beresford Square, Newton T: 09 368 4281 www.beresfordwinebar.co.nz This is a cosy wine bar on Beresford Square with affordable tasty food to share, beer on tap, a great selection of European and New Zealand wines plus sangria and sherry. It’s the ideal place to go before or after a show in town and is available for functions. Open Mon-Thu 4pm-late, Fri 3pm-late and Sat 5pm-late.

BONITA, 242 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 5670 www.bonitabar.co.nz Bonita is a wine and tapas bar with an excellent wine list and cocktail credentials. Bonita’s relaxed atmosphere is the perfect place for a casual drink or tapas indulgence.

Happy hour runs from 4pm-6pm daily. Open 7 days 4pm-late.

CALUZZI BAR AND CABARET, 461 Karangahape Road. T: 09 357 0778 www.caluzzi.co.nz Legendary Caluzzi Bar and Cabaret offers an unforgettable dining experience with entertainment by New Zealand’s most awarded Drag Artistes. It’s an interactive cabaret show with fabulous food, dazzling

52 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

costumes, DJ and disco and is a great place to have a social get together. Bookings are essential.

CHAPEL BAR & BISTRO, 147 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 4528 www.chapel.co.nz Now a Ponsonby institution, the recently renovated Chapel embodies the spirit of Auckland’s most iconic, and sociable, boulevard. It is the perfect place for drinks with friends after work, for dinner, a snack or a night out. Well worth the visit to sample delicious and very affordable fare such as the crispy Italian style pizzas, and also to check out their recent refurbishment. Open Mon-Wed 3pm-late and Thu-Sun 12pm-late.

CITIZEN PARK, 424 New North Road, Kingsland T: 09 846 4964 The new kid on the block. This is a place to drink, mingle and eat and if the other parts of Auckland put the emphasis on the food then this place puts its focus firmly on the drinking environment. The ambience which creates a socially relaxed stage, and a brilliant outdoor area, inspired by the outdoor parks of New York, is designed to create an enjoyable relaxed space, not a big drinking culture. Open Mon 4pm-1am, Tue-Thu 11.30am-1am, Fri-Sat 11.30am-2am and Sun 11.30am-12am.

COSH BAR, 155 Ponsonby Road T: 09 3601534 M: 021 2244 665 www.cosh.co.nz Cosh is a New York style cocktail lounge bar specialising in after dinner cocktails and cocktail shots. Two function rooms are available for private parties. Visit Facebook for upcoming events and DJ entertainment. Open Tue-Sun 4pm-late.

DIDA’S WINE LOUNGE, 54 Jervois Road Herne Bay T: 09 376 2813 www.didas.co.nz Dida’s offers warm wood and leather with cool tunes and great service; a glass of good wine from the extensive Glengarry portfolio and a plate or two of interesting and well-priced tapas. Open 7 days 11.30am-late.

DIDA’S WINE LOUNGE, 118 Wellesley Street, Victoria Park T: 09 308 8319 www.didas.co.nz Open throughout the day, Euro-styled food, tapas, sandwiches and salads as well as cheese and dried meats can be eaten with any of the wines on offer from either the wine list or from the retail store or cellar with a small service fee. Open Mon-Sun. For hours visit their website.

ELBOW ROOM, 198 Jervois Road T: 09 376 2613 www.elbowroom.co.nz The Elbow Room is a favourite local neighbourhood bar with a discerning wine list, wide range of beers including Peroni, Asahi and Coopers Pale Ale on tap, and an extensive cocktail selection. The bar can be booked for private functions, either exclusively or shared use. Open 7 nights 3.30pm-late.

FAMILY BAR, 270 Karangahape Road T: 09 309 0213 www.familybar.co.nz Family Bar is an open minded venue that is inclusive rather than exclusive. There’s a dance floor and a stage that regularly hosts pageants, sing-a-longs and karaoke and Miss Ribena is the resident Drag Queen.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY A-Z OF BARS FREIDA MARGOLIS, 440 Richmond Road T: 09 378 6625 You’ll find Freida Margolis on the corner of Richmond Road and Hakanoa Street tucked away in 112 years of Grey Lynn history. Ask for a Garage Project Craft Brew or a French Pomegranate Punch…as well as a fine wine, bottled beer and sliders.

FREEMAN & GREY, 43 Ponsonby Road T: 09 378 6496 Freeman & Grey is a great sunny spot in Ponsonby with a laid-back atmosphere, great sharing plates menu and a heap of fun to be had. Opening hours are 12pm Mon-Fri and 11am Sat-Sun. GABLES SPEIGHT’S ALE HOUSE, 248 Jervois Road T: 09 376 4994 www.gablesspeightsalehouse.co.nz The Speight’s range of beer and a gastro-style menu freshly prepared each day can be enjoyed in the sun drenched courtyard, by the cosy fireplace or in a sumptuous booth. They also offer the perfect event venue, whether it’s a dinner party for 10 or a function for 400. Kids dine free on Mondays with a full paying adult.

Quiz night Tue 7pm.

GRAND CENTRAL, 126 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 1260 www.grandcentral.net.nz Ponsonby’s longest serving bar, Grand Central is famous for its live music, late nights and dancing. It’s unpretentious and welcoming with friendly service and the latest license in Ponsonby. A private upstairs function room is available at no charge. Open 7 days 4pm-very late with a 5am license.

IPANEMA FOOD AND ART SOCIETY, 2 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 0655 www.ipanema.co.nz Ipanema is a place to have fun with friends drinking cocktails, eating tapas and listening to live music. They serve Brazilian cuisine with Brazilian art on display for diners to enjoy. A private function room is available. Open Tue-Sun 3pm-late.

LA ZEPPA, 33 Drake Street T: 09 379 8167 www.lazeppa.co.nz One of Auckland’s favourite rooftop bars with impressive views over Victoria Park and to the sky tower. La Zeppa offers delicious hot and cold tapas to enjoy with friends and a glass of wine and is the perfect venue for social functions from two to two hundred.

Bookings are not required. Open 7 days 4pm-late and Friday lunch from 12pm.

LIBERTINE, 37 Drake Street T: 09 929 2790 www.libertine.co.nz Libertine is a warm and welcoming local bar and eatery nestled above Victoria Park Market. With views over the park and a spacious deck, the Libertine is the ideal place to catch up with friends. Inside it’s intimate and cosy and perfect for groups of any size. Libertine takes its cue loosely from the Americas with a fusion of Creole, French, Latin, Cajun and Southern style cuisines. A variety of delicious small and large plates are on offer and with a variety of old and new world wines, an extensive beer list and a petit and thoughtful cocktail list there is something

for all tastes. Open Mon - Thu from 4pm onwards, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday for lunch from midday. For reservations or functions email info@libertine.co.nz LIME BAR, 167 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 7167 Small but perfectly formed, Lime is a quintessential Ponsonby favourite and the perfect spot for a refreshing craft beer, celebratory champagne or a really well made cocktail. It’s an easy vibe featuring their trademark tunes from Sinatra to Springfield and an older, more sophisticated late night crowd letting their hair down.

Open Tue-Sat 5pm-late.

LOCO COCKTAIL LOUNGE, 212 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 0396 www.locolounge.co.nz The newest incarnation at this Ponsonby Road address, Loco bar has a wide range of drinks for the discerning drinker. Open Tue-Sat 5pm-late.

LONGROOM, 114 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 8803 www.longroom.co.nz Longroom offers a fresh, unique alfresco and indoor environment for all dining and drinking occasions. Their menu encourages sharing (any time of the day) from a selection of small plates, salads and platters. Main courses and desserts are available for those wanting a more traditional dining experience. Most popular dishes include chilli salt squid, miso pork belly and 60-day aged rib eye. DJs play during the evening Thursday to Saturday. Open Tue-Sun 11am-late.

GREY LYNN RSC, 1 Francis Street T: 09 376 2909 www.greylynnrsc.org.nz Live music every Friday night and no cover charge.

They have bistro dining, TAB, gaming machines, function room upstairs, big screen TVs for live sport.

Visitors are most welcome.

GREY LYNN TAVERN, 523 Great North Road T: 09 376 6521 The Grey Lynn Tavern is a friendly neighbourhood place to have a drink, dance, sing or watch the game on the big screen. TAB facilities and pokie machines are also available and the bar can be hired for private functions.

Open 7 days 11am-late.

GYPSY TEA ROOM, 455 Richmond Road T: 09 361 6970 www.gypsytearoom.co.nz Gypsy Tea Room has been attracting people from far and wide for the past nine years. There is a smaller private room for up to 30 people, a tasty bar snack menu, thoughtful wine list, beer including Asahi and Coopers Pale Ale on tap and cocktails for the discerning. This is a great place to meet friends old and new. Open 7 days Mon-Thur 4pm-11.30pm, Fri and Sat 3pm-2am and Sun 3pm-11.30pm.

HERNE BAY LOCAL, 170 Jervois Road T: 09 376 5367 www.hernebaylocal.co.nz Warm and relaxed it’s the place where locals can enjoy a range of drinks and meals. Choose from a selection of Asian influenced tapas and platters and a bistro style lunch and dinner menu. Using the best organic meats and fresh produce, they aim to provide a warm and relaxed environment for you, your friends and family.

Open 7 days 11am-late.

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PONSONBY A-Z OF BARS MALT BAR & RESTAURANT, 442 Richmond Road T: 09 360 9537 www.maltbar.co.nz A friendly, neighbourhood bar and restaurant in the heart of West Lynn, Malt serves a variety of delicious lunches, mains, woodfire pizzas and tapas all week plus brunch on the weekend. Check out their website for daily specials like ‘Buy One Get One Free’ mains on Mondays, free quiz night on Tuesday, thirst quenching happy hours and beer o’clock starting at 4pm with $4 beers on Sunday. Open Mon-Fri 11am-late, Sat and Sun 10am-late.

MEA CULPA, 3/175 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 4460 www.meaculpabar.com A bar for the serious cocktail drinker, whether it’s a classic or modern creation using seasonal produce, the drinks menu displays imagination and finesse. Passion and love go into every glass and it’s easy to see why they have won so many awards. Open Tue-Thur 5pm12am, Fri 5pm-2am and Sat 6pm-2am.

but Christmas day. Available to hire for social functions, watch the video on Facebook. Open 7 days 1pm-1am.

REVELRY, 106 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 8663 www.revelry.co.nz A luxurious bohemian-style parlour, with hints of opium den chic, this venue boasts one of the best decks in Ponsonby, a warming double sided fireplace and countless visual stimulations from lanterns to antique furniture. The delicious food menu includes a selection of Asian fusion sharing plates, platters and bar snacks.

An extensive New Zealand and international wine list, classic and original cocktails with seasonal recipes, and craft beers will give you something new to try every visit. Open from early afternoon until late every night of the week. Brunch service is available from Thursday to Sunday.

MONDIAL, 549 Great North Road T: 09 376 6682 www.mondialbar.co.nz Mondial is a very relaxed and lively tapas bar with friendly, efficient service. You can order as many or as few dishes as you want, ranging from prawns, calamari, meatballs, lamb skewers and vegetable platters. They have a great wine list with a mix of international and New Zealand wines plus some great dessert wines. Open Tue-Thu 4pm-late, Fri, Sat and Sun 3pm-late.

NEIGHBOURHOOD BREW BAR, 498 New North Road, Kingsland T: 09 846 3773 www.neighbourhood.co.nz In the heart of Kingsland, Neighbourhood celebrates the craft of beer with the full range of Mac’s. It has a large sun-drenched courtyard with open fires and is a perfect place to enjoy drinks with friends. DJs playing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Open 7 days 11.30am-1am.

PINTXOS, 65A Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby T: 09 360 1260 PINTXOS An authentic Spanish “pintxos” style tapas bar, Pintxos is the spanish word for “sword” or SALE STREET BREWERY, 7 Sale Street T: 09 307 8148 “skewer” and this style of tapas originates from the www.salest.co.nz Basque/San Sebastian region of Spain. They offer a Situated in the heart of the Victoria Quadrant, Sale St. stunning Spanish/New Zealand wine list, huge New is a uniquely Kiwi mega-venue that defines style. Sale Zealand craft beer selection and an ever changing array St. features a bar, a micro-brewery, bistro dining, live of delicious pintxos tapas. Beautiful sunny courtyard , a music stage, The Velvet Room private bar and Auckland’s secluded rear “parlour” and a new “pintxos room” all largest deck and garden bar. Open Mon 3pm-late and available to use and enjoy. Open 7 days and nights.

Tue-Sun 11.30am-late.

PONSONBY FRIENDS LICENSED BAR, 106 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 0800 SLIDERS KITCHEN & BAR, A fully licensed bar with a great selection of beer and 222 Ponsonby Road T: 09 361 3222 wine at reasonable prices. Located at the centre of the A new place to meet on Ponsonby Road. Here you can foodcourt. You can also quench your thirst with freshly enjoy a glass of wine, tap beer, slider burgers and other squeezed fruit or vegetable juice and soft drinks. Open gourmet tapas food. Watch all the big games live on the 10am-10pm 7 days. big screen, and listen to music from the 70s 80s & 90s.

Retro Champagne Wednesdays $15 glass. Open from PONSONBY POOL HALL, 12pm 7 days a week.

106 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 2356 www.ponsonbypoolhall.co.nz SNATCH BAR, 171A Ponsonby Road T: 09 361 6170 This is the longest running pool hall in Auckland, with www.snatchbar.co.nz 15 pool tables and a private snooker lounge featuring Snatch Bar is a retro 1950s lounge bar with delicious Rolling Stones memorabilia. There are over 40 bottled cocktails, a relaxed atmosphere and great music. Enjoy beers to enjoy while you play and they’re open everyday one of their special cocktails in a comfortable leather sofa as you watch the evening unfold on Ponsonby Road.

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Open mic comedy on Wednesday from 8pm and visit their Facebook page for upcoming events and promotions.

Open Tue-Sat 6pm-3am.

SPQR, 150 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 1710 www.spqrnz.co.nz A Ponsonby institution, SPQR has been a prominent fixture along the Ponsonby strip for 20 years. The lively atmosphere and friendly service gives SPQR an authentic, first-rate reputation. The pizza is great for an anytime snack and Veal Marsala is an old favourite. Open 7 days 12pm-late.

THE BIRDCAGE RESTAURANT & BAR, 133 Franklin Road T: 09 280 1690 www.birdcage.co.nz The Birdcage has been returned to her former glory with stained glass windows and original brick walls blended with more modern elements to give it a chic, metropolitan vibe. The north-facing courtyard bar is one of the biggest and sunniest in Auckland, a perfect inner city destination to gather with friends. The food is rustic in style and they are open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week.

THE CAVALIER TAVERN, 68 College Hill T: 09 376 4230 www.thecavalier.co.nz Ray Wilson has been the owner of The Cavalier Tavern for 21 years. Whether you want a bar snack or a three course meal, the restaurant offers a great selection of food. There is a large selection of imported and New Zealand wines and a huge range of tap and bottled beers. Eat inside or outside on the spacious deck. Open Mon-Sat 11am-late & Sun 12pm-late.

THE EAGLE BAR, 259 Karangahape Road T: 09 309 4979 The Eagle Bar is a small eclectic bar. There is outside seating, a chill out lounge, main bar, with a beautiful bar mirror and outside smoking area.

They have the friendliest and finest staff on the street. You can enjoy free music videos with over 10,000 songs and two monitors. If you are there late enough you will see the staff dance on the bar.

They will ensure a good time for you. Open Tues-Sat 4pm-late.

THE FALTERING FULLBACK, 429 New North Road, Kingsland T: 09 845 3071 www.thefullbacknz.co.nz Kingsland’s very own Local Irish Pub. Giving you the best Irish hospitality, with hearty meals and great pints all served with a smile. They offer daily food specials from $10, Karaoke Mon 9pm ($50 Bar Tab), Happy Hours Tues 4-7pm and Thurs 6-9pm, Pub Quiz Wed 8.30pm ($50 Bar Tab), Dart Competition Thu 9pm ($50 Bar Tab), Live Music Fri and Sat 9pm & Live Irish traditional music Sun 6pm.

THE FRANKLIN TAP HOUSE AND EATERY, 98 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 0098 www.thefranklinbar.co.nz This is a stylish and comfortable local pub with a large communal table, intimate booths and an outdoor courtyard for whiling away the afternoon. Open MonThurs 3pm-late, Fri-Sun 12pm-late. The ‘Upstairs Bar’ can host a variety of private functions for up to 100 people. Open Mon-Sun 5pm-late.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY A-Z OF BARS THE GOLDEN DAWN, Corner Ponsonby and Richmond Roads T: 09 376 9929 www.goldendawn.co.nz There is a green door and behind it is this must visit bar with local and imported ‘guest’ beers, cool tunes and super styled service. If you cannot find the green door, they are not there. Open Tue-Thu 4pm-late and Fri-Sun 3pm-late.

THE KINGSLANDER TAVERN, 470 New North Road, Kingsland T: 09 849 5777 www.thekingslander.co.nz The ultimate in sports bars, The Kingslander has seven plasma and three big screens showing sport all day and night. Quiz night Tuesday, salsa Wednesday, jughead Thursday, sports zone Friday, Saturday and Sunday, live music Friday and Saturday. Open 7 days 12pm-late.

THE OAKROOM, 17 Drake Street, Freemans Bay T: 09 300 6313 www.theoakroom.co.nz Situated in Victoria Park Market, one of Auckland’s most historic and treasured landmarks, The Oakroom is a new bar in an old part of town. The Oakroom formerly a stable in the 1800s, has been carefully crafted in order to maintain a contemporary feel and enhance its natural and historic features. They offer an impressive wine list, tasty cocktail list, beer and spirits. Open 7 days from 11am.

to catch live music on certain days of the week. Open Tue-Wed 12pm-12am, Thu-Sat 12pm-2.00am and Sun 12pm-12am.

Whiskey Live celebrates New Zealand music month every year in May, visit their website or Facebook for more information. Open 7 nights 5pm-3am.

THE SPRIG & FERN, 2 Drake Street, Freemans Bay www.sprigandfern.co.nz Previously home to The Drake, this new tavern is set to open mid July. Sprig & Fern opened its first tavern in Nelson in 2007. It now has six taverns in the Nelson Tasman region, a Wellington tavern and are soon to be located at this historic iconic corner site. After work crowds and weekend punters be sure to keep an eye out for the doors to open.

THREE LAMPS BAR & EATERY, 1-3 St Mary’s Road T: 09 376 6092 www.threelamps.co.nz Located inside the old Post Office Building on the vibrant edge of Ponsonby, Three Lamps Bar and Eatery brings together the old and new. Glasses, pitchers and bottles come brimming with international and New Zealand crafted beer and wine. Over 200 craft beers are featured on the ever-changing beer list. Plates, boards and bowls of delicious, fresh food are the order of the day.

THE STATION, 2 Beresford Street, Newton T: 09 300 5040 www.stationbar.co.nz This is a unique character bar situated off Karangahape Road. Plenty of seating available in the main bar area, outside on the deck and a chill-out lounge downstairs.

This is a perfect spot for your parties of 20 to 100 people. They have a long list of DJs with a wide range of styles, and can even arrange for live music or even karaoke DJs for your party! The experienced staff know their drinks and can make a wide range of cocktails to suit everyone’s tastes. Open Thu 4pm-late, Fri 3pm-3am and Sat 9pm-3am.

The main focus of the menu is on sharing with small plates, large sharing plates and platters all on offer.

Vegetarian and gluten-free options available. Open 7 days, 11am-late.

THE PONSONBY SOCIAL CLUB, 152 Ponsonby Road T: 09 361 2320 www.ponsonbysocialclub.co.nz Just like the RSA but without the asparagus rolls or pokies. Live music & DJs throughout the week, check the website for details. Open 7 nights 5pm-late.

THE SURREY HOTEL, 465 Great North Road T: 09 378 9059 www.thesurreyhotel.co.nz This local pub has a cosy atmosphere, friendly service and food available all day. There is a breakfast buffet, brunch, lunch and dinner menu as well as bar snacks and wood-fired pizza. Open 7 days 7am-9.30pm.

THE PORTLAND PUBLIC HOUSE, 463 New North Road, Kingsland M: 021 0240 1093 www.theportlandpublichouse.co.nz This is a laid back and relaxed bar, and with old school couches to sit on you could almost feel at home. There is a real Kiwi D.I.Y feel here with keg stools and wine barrel tables and a Kiwi/Maori inspired menu. Drop in

THE WHISKEY, 210 Ponsonby Road T: 09 361 2666 www.whiskeybars.com This hip bar plays classic rock and offers intimacy and action seven nights a week. There is a huge range of whiskey to suit all palates and wallets plus you can learn to make cocktails at The Whiskey Cocktail College or simply indulge in one made by the friendly bar staff.

TIN SOLDIER, 151 Ponsonby Road T: 09 378 1719 www.thetinsoldier.co.nz Located on the corner of Anglesea Street, Tin Soldier offers a fresh approach to modern dining. A sharing menu is at once contemporary and nostalgic - old savoury and sweet favourites given a very modern twist in both ingredients and presentation. And for those who don’t like to share, there are a variety of larger plates you can at least try to keep all to yourself. The menu is complemented by an extensive selection of New Zealand craft beers along with Dedwood Brewing Co. brews and an extensive international wine list. Open from 3pm on Tues and Wed, and from 11.30am Thur to Sun. URGE, 490 Karangahape Road www.urge.co.nz Urge is New Zealand’s longest running gay men’s bar and since 1997 has aimed to create a safe & fun place to dance, drink and cruise. It’s a no attitude masculine space catering for the bear, rugged, masculine leather crowd and admirers. There are all sorts of theme parties, quiz nights and DJs, visit their website for the latest listings. Open Thur, Fri and Sat 9pm-late and Sun 3pm-7pm. PN

Taimania Sylva & Vivian Kuebler of SLIDERS KITCHEN & BAR The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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PONSONBY NEWS READERS ARE EVERYWHERE 1

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1. “Bula!” says Shawn Pope from Bread and Butter Bakery, who sent us this great photograph of himself on Plantation Island, Fiji.

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2-3. Sakiko Wada was a Ponsonby resident 20 years ago, who now lives on the Shore.

“Ponsonby has always been my town and I often drive through the area to check out what’s new before I arrive, Ponsonby News is my guide for this little pleasure.

4-5. Ponsonby local Viv Burrowes shares the latest Ponsonby News with some of Tokyo’s infamous Harajuku Girls (and one Harajuku boy we think) near the Harajuku train station on a recent trip to Japan. Ponsonby local PJ Burrowes taking time out while visiting Kyoto’s famous Golden Pavilion. While it looks serene, the image doesn’t show the busloads of predominantly local tourists also cramming to get a shot by the fence. Very busy spot.

I’ve just come back from a wine trip to Burgundy France, led by Jean-Christophe of Maison Vauron, the French Wine shop in Newmarket.

6. Tokyo Club director, Mark Smith is pictured kicking back in the shade at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia, after cooking classes with Kethana Dunnet of The Sugar Palm.

Dear readers please keep sending us your holiday snaps reading your favourite magazine, we love getting them! Photos need to be in high resolution (300dpi), so please email them to info@ponsonbynews.co.nz without reducing the size. PN

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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY CIVIC VIDEO’S DELICIOUS ICY NEW VENTURE

Jamie Wadsworth has been a fixture in Grey Lynn working in the family business at Civic Video for the past 13 years. He also owned Subway which he sold six months ago. When deciding to start a new venture, Jamie and his wife Sandi looked at a few options and tried to come up with something that was not only unique but also something that was missing from the Grey Lynn area, before deciding to bring the traditional old fashioned Ice cream parlour back into fashion and open Icy Ice Creamery.

When they started planning they felt it was important to create a fun, safe and trendy place. Icy has a real 60s Diner/Retro feel about it. They also felt it was important to incorporate a local flavour, with things like the huge map of Grey Lynn/Ponsonby on the counter-face to the naming of their Premium Milkshakes (all named after local street names).

Icy Ice Creamery has over 20 ever changing flavours of ice cream and sorbets, everything from tiramisu and swiss chocolate to the old favourites like goody goody gumdrops and orange choc chip.

As well as ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, spiders and smoothies also on offer is a selection of hot desserts that

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

will make your mouth water, all served with your choice of ice cream of course! If you aren’t in the mood for any of these you can always soak up the atmosphere and get Jamie to make you coffee or hot chocolate from Velvet Coffee Roasters. Take it from me, a coffee connoisseur from way back, they make a stunning caffè latte. I went and compared their price with the other coffee shops in Grey Lynn, and I found theirs to be the most competitive and the cheapest - the price that is - certainly not their coffee taste.

photography: Martin Leach

Grey Lynn has a new delicious addition in the old Cameo picture theatre, and if you haven’t discovered it yet you are in for a really colourful tasty retro treat!

They can also host the ultimate kids ice cream party, and are hoping to have live acoustic performances showcasing local talent in the near future.

They have both worked hard on creating a brand that would fit with the overall style they were going with.

The name was supplied by their two-year-old daughter Laney who you will see frequenting the store, “she is our number one product tester”, and then when coming up with shades and styles, as anyone who has created a new brand knows, google, pinterest and Facebook become your best friend (or worst nightmare).

After a few late nights trawling through images of ice cream and ice cream parlours then back and forth to their graphic designer Alpha Studios, the branding, logo and designs were created. Sandi explains, “it was refreshing to know what we wanted and then seeing it evolved, and then finally put into place within the store. We wanted to create a brand that we can in the future extend to other stores in New Zealand and even overseas.”

Jamie said the first question he gets asked, is it a franchise? His answer, “not yet”. The plan has always been to perfect it in Grey Lynn, partner up with some amazing people and companies then move the brand out into the world. In saying that, Jamie and Sandi have already spoken to people interested in being part of the Icy Family, and plan to open a second location. So go in and check our Grey Lynn’s new “hangout” and indulge yourself in one of their tasty treats, or check them out on Facebook. If you’d like to try one of their delicious coffees, take in the coupon in their advertisement, which will give you two coffees for the price of one. PN (DAVID HARTNELL) ICY ICE CREAMERY, 565 Great North Road T: 09 376 3060 www.facebook.com/icyicecreamery

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7. Michelle Kean from Air New Zealand Holidays Ponsonby reading the Ponsonby News in Wrangell, Alaska on board Oceania’s Regatta. The magazine was borrowed by numerous other passengers, she tells us!

8. Dave and Patti Rangi couldn’t resist taking a copy of Ponsonby News back home to Perth WA after attending a friend’s 60th birthday at One2One Cafe Ponsonby.

Even granddaughter Gemma wanted to know what happens in the ‘hood.

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9. Locals Warwick Hutchinson and Gerard Hall enjoying the views of Singapore from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino Resort’s 150mtr long infinity swimming pool.

Located on the 57th floor, over 200 mtrs high, the pool extends across the top of the three hotel towers and is possibly the world’s highest constructed swimming pool.

10. PN readers’ Allan Jenkins and his partner Don McPhail, on holiday in Bangkok.

Allan is a Kiwi, now living in Australia, who has the Ponsonby News ‘Air Mailed’ over every month.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

TRAVEL BREAKS: THE NEW THERAPY!

A SLICE OF FRENCH POLYNESIA

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Cruising is the perfect way to experience the true wonder of French Polynesia and from May 2014, Windstar Cruises will be returning to sail the sparkling lagoons of Tahiti.

The ultimate inspirational destination, Tahiti usually conjures images of palm trees, crystal clear waters and overwater bungalows.

With your cruise starting and finishing in vibrant Papeete, make sure you experience the famous Roulettes - food trucks which fill the market square every evening with wonderful aromas.

An overnight stay in Moorea will give you time to kick back and relax - choose from hiking, seeing dolphins, or simply swimming, snorkelling and kayaking while the Wind Spirit is at anchor.

11. Jay and Ali Postles recently went to the States for a friend’s wedding and couldn’t help but take their Ponsonby News. They tell us it was the first time leaving their Simply Chiropractic business in Grey Lynn’s Surrey Crescent, since they opened. They had a wonderful chiropractor look after the ‘Simply’ clients while they were gone, it went so smoothly they think they will have to plan another trip!

ANY PLACE IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE SEEN READING PONSONBY NEWS! www.ponsonbynews.co.nz

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Take in the sights on the island of Tahaa, with its spectacular coral garden which is perfect for drift snorkelling, or for something a little different, you can even visit a vanilla plantation.

Make the most of overnight stays at Raiatea and Huahine - giving you time to explore the villages, forests and coral reefs, or simply relax and unwind on a perfect beach.

Lastly, take in the iconic beaches of Bora Bora. They’re often named amongst the top 10 most beautiful in the world with varying depths of water painting the sea every shade of blue. Sip on a cocktail while you enjoy the stunning white beaches - cruising French Polynesia promises to be a trip of a lifetime.

To book your French Polynesia cruise holiday, contact New Zealand’s dedicated cruise specialists at CRUISEABOUT PONSONBY on T: 0800 867 667 or visit www.cruiseabout.co.nz PN

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TRAVEL BREAKS: THE NEW THERAPY!

ANTARCTICA

by Kirstine Dawson, World Journeys Let’s be honest, a journey to Antarctica does justify the clichéd tag of “once in a lifetime”. It thoroughly deserves its place on many a bucket list, as no matter how well-travelled you are, it remains the last frontier!

I set off for the Antarctic in February, for an expedition-style cruise out of Ushuaia with about 80 fellow passengers from all corners of the world. Before I go on, don’t be put off by the word ‘expedition’. I am pleased to report that these days you can enjoy the best of both worlds - a true sense of exploration and all the comforts of a modern ship with ensuite cabins, sauna and of a course a bar.

The dreaded Drake Passage lived up to its reputation on the way over, my only welcome distraction being the ability to listen to the onboard lectures from the comfort of my cabin. I lost myself in the stories of the early explorers, whose trials and tribulations far outweighed the mild seasickness I was experiencing. No body part of mine dropped off due to freezing!

Once at the Antarctic Peninsula all was calm, and remained so for the rest of the journey.

Twice a day we’d split up and pile into Zodiac inflatable boats to go ashore - either onto a jetty or sometimes riding right up onto a remote beach. Surprisingly it wasn’t anywhere near as cold as I’d anticipated, being a dry cold. Layers of merino thermals, and keeping the wind out were enough to keep the warmth in.

The wildlife we encountered were completely ambivalent about our presence, you could get up close for photos – but of course aren’t allowed to touch them (a little difficult when delightfully curious penguins decide to clamber all over you!). The vast colonies of Adelie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins were impressive, and the chicks particularly cute in their moulting phase, all ruffled and fluffy. Highly territorial elephant seals and leopard seals the size of our Zodiac were equally impressive but a little less approachable...

The absolute highlight for me was cruising through the Lemaire Channel, aptly nicknamed “iceberg alley”. It was totally surreal, slowly gliding through a sea of icebergs, some towering above you, in a myriad of stunning aquamarine blues. I also loved the history aspect of the region, the explorers, the whaling stations, and the poignant remains of the whalers’ huts.

On our return journey we renamed Drake Passage “Lake Passage” - unbelievably calm!

If you’re contemplating going to the Antarctic, my advice is to book early! Cruising is

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only possible November to March when the temperatures are favourable, so there are limited sailings, and it’s a long wait until the next season!

Antarctic simply can’t be beaten for its remoteness, its other-worldliness, its wildlife and sheer natural beauty. I challenge even the most prolific of travellers to not be impressed by Antarctica. Simply breathtaking, and a reminder of the greatness of nature in its raw state.

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TRAVEL BREAKS: THE NEW THERAPY!

CRUISE TO VIBRANT PORTS AND EXPLORE EXOTIC DESTINATIONS House of Travel Ponsonby owner/operator, Ramona McCambridge, says “We love sailing with Oceania Cruises. From the food to the familial atmosphere to the incredible destinations, we just can’t get enough.”

Cruising is ultimately about exploring your world, and the only challenge is deciding where to visit first. Every port offers an array of cultural delights. Marvel at a masterful painting, learn some traditional dance, shop for handcrafts by local artists, or taste the local specialities.

Because Oceania Cruises itineraries often include overnight stays and later evening departures, you can fully immerse yourself in each new destination. Their cruises bring together an array of diverse and exotic destinations in a collection of brilliantly crafted itineraries.

Oceania’s ships are comfortably mid-size and they can call on a unique blend of destinations. As you travel to the next vibrant port of call, relax on-board the luxurious ships, enjoy some of the enriching activities and savour the finest cuisine at sea, inspired by the renowned Master Chef Jacques Pepin. Best of all, the entire experience is remarkable value, distinguished by uncompromising quality.

A voyage with Oceania Cruises is truly a masterpiece. Order your own Oceania Cruises brochure today in preparation for your next marvellous adventure. PN HOUSE OF TRAVEL PONSONBY, 346 Ponsonby Road, Three Lamps T: 09 360 5760 www.hotponsonby.co.nz

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PIPPA COOM GREY LYNN 2030 NEWS: SUSTAINABILITY AS PONSONBY NEWS HITS OUR MAILBOXES IN JULY THE MATARIKI star cluster is high in the sky and we are half way through a month-long celebration marking the beginning of the new year in Maori culture.

Also known as Pleiades or The Seven Sisters, Matariki coincides with the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.

As a significant part of Matariki is preparation for planting and a time to give thanks it is a good time to check in on what volunteers are up to at our local community gardens.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved.

At the Wilton Street Community Garden the gardeners have put in the winter crops of broad beans, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, beetroots and garlic. To their delight the fruit trees given by the Mt Eden Village People as part of the Fruit Trees for Auckland project last spring have not only survived the hot summer, but have fruit and orange bloom.

With the rains and cooler temperatures the compost is breaking down much slower, but please keep dropping off your organic waste as it is essential to the vitality of the garden. To volunteer at the garden email greylynn2030@gmail.com or pop by on Sunday mornings from 10am.

The Grey Lynn Community Garden is tucked away behind the St Columba church hall.

Growing certainly slows down in these winter months but even so, volunteers at the garden have managed to plant many winter crops.

The garden is communally cared for by a bunch of keen gardening volunteers, made up of both experienced gardeners and those learning the ropes. The GLC Gardens are always looking for new volunteers to help out - there is a small group gardening on Tuesday mornings and another group that works on Saturday mornings. Visit their Facebook page or email GreyLynnCG@groupspaces.com to find out more.

The Ponsonby Brownies started a small edible garden next to the Freemans Bay Community Hall last year. Recently they secured funding from the Waitemata Local Board to expand the garden, and held a community open day and working bee. To find out more about the Freemans Bay Community Garden, email ponsonbybrownies@gmail.com.

Above: L to R: Colinda Rowe, Sarah Guppy, Lynn Green, Suzanne Kendrick, Mike Lee and Pippa Coom of Grey Lynn 2030.

Below: L to R: Hans Heumann of the Grey Lynn Park Festival Trust with Mike Lee.

The original objective of organic growing at Kelmarna Organic Gardens, started over 30 years ago, still holds strong in this tranquil and beautiful green space by Coxs Bay. There are also beehives, grazing cows, chickens and a more recent arrival - Jafa the pony. Visitors are welcome all year round. The secretary of the Kelmarna Trust, Mary Paul, can be contacted at m.paul@massey.ac.nz.

For all of the farmers of the Grey Lynn Farmers Market, Matariki and the winter solstice signifies a period of dormancy, of rebuilding the soil, of rest, and of preparation. Sarah the market manager has recently visited our local growers and reported on the market website www.glfm.co.nz what this time of year means to them. The GLFM newsletter is also a great way to keep up to date with the changing seasons as it provides regular updates on the produce and award winning artisan food available at the market. PN (PIPPA COOM)

LOCAL GOOD CITIZENS AWARDS Well done to all those local individuals and groups acknowledged at the Good Citizen Awards for their outstanding voluntary contributions to the community. Congtrulations to Alex Lanning, Divesh Kumar, Garry Gotlieb, John Elliott, Leyton Chan, Marcel de Witte, Soala Wilson, Art in the Dark, Grey Lynn Cab, Grey Lynn 2030 and Grey Lynn Park Festival Trust.

One resident, 87-year-old Audrey Evans deserves special mention. Until a few years ago when Audrey lost her health a little, she was totally involved in the Ponsonby community.

She is still interested in what goes on, still goes to public meetings and writes letters to the media on local issues.

Audrey moved to Ponsonby in the 1980s, as a widow with two small boys and settled in Ponsonby Terrace. She met Margaret Crozier who was a Community Adviser with the Community Development section of Auckland City Council and asked where she could help. She quickly became the the unpaid manager of the Ponsonby Community Centre and was instrumental in bringing about a range of activities and new uses in response to community needs. PN

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JAY PLATT: WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT...

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Star Wars ‘Darth Vader’ LED Desk lamp $92 @ Askew www.askew.co.nz; Wooden chest with three drawers $139.99 @ Trade Aid www.tradeaid.org.nz; Les Secrets D’Antoine Room Spray $34, Scented Candle $47, Fragrance Sticks $69 and Liquid Soap $34.50 @ Tessuti www.tessuti.co.nz; Jack Russell Candle $59 @ World Beauty www.worldbrand.co.nz; Rechargeable audio speaker ‘Audioabot’ $54 @ askew www.askew.co.nz; Jonathan Adler ‘Peacock’ platter $489 @ Askew www.askew.co.nz; The Green Kitchen ‘Vegetarian recipes for every day’ $50 @ Cook the Books www.cookthebooks.co.nz

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MID WINTER GIFTS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Dr. Hauschka Lemongrass Body Wash, Lemongrass Body Moisturizer and Lemongrass Body Oil all available @ Harvest Wholefoods Grey Lynn and Equipoise Spa www.equipoisespa.co.nz; www.huckleberryfarms.co.nz; Pug Dog book ends $69 @ Republic www.republichome.com; Keiko Mecheri ‘Oliban’ Eau de parfum $269 @ World Beauty www.worldbrand.co.nz; Fornasetti ‘Scent Sphere’ $549 @ World Beauty www.worldbrand.co.nz; ‘Victoria’ floating candle by Driade $190 each @ Indice www.indice.co.nz; Ceramic tiles Circle $209, Rectangle $195 @ Republic www.republichome.com; Ecoya ‘Lemongrass & Ginger and Sweetpea & Ginger Soy candles, available @ Kinghan-Jones, Ponsonby www.kinganjones.co.nz PN STYLING: Jay Platt PHOTOGRAPHY: Danilo Santana David, Fisher Santana.

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FASHION + STYLE: JULIE ROULSTON

Clothing Designed to Fit

TOP TIPS FOR WINTER

Kate Henry started her career in the fashion industry 25 years ago.

The first seven years were spent developing skills as a sample machinist while studying fashion design.

Did you know you can save 15% when you buy your bespoke jewellery duty free from Auckland Ring Company?

After graduating she went to London where for the next nine years she learnt the art of tailoring. Specialising in fine tailoring and evening wear, Kate designed everything from business suits to bridal gowns for a wide range of clients; this formed the base of her successful business in London.

Winter is officially with us and if you have a special occasion coming up - plan ahead and buy your bespoke jewellery from Auckland Ring Company. If you are travelling overseas, you are entitled to 15% duty and tax free (GST) off the New Zealand retail price.

“Coming back to New Zealand in 2006 working as a designer, I was constantly being asked for original and special occasion clothing,” says Kate. And so in 2013 Kate Henry Designs Ltd was formed.

“I am excited to design clothing made with stunning quality fabrics and tailored to fit each individual client. I love to create designs using unusual fabrics, giving each garment that point of difference.”

If you’re not the one travelling overseas your family or friends can collect your Auckland Ring Company purchase from any international airport in New Zealand on departure. Just call in and see them, they’ll take care of the rest!

How the design process works is you go to Kate’s studio and try on her samples, or she will illustrate an outfit for you. Then she will design and source all the fabrics to create the new garments.

Jewellery Service Check - look after your precious jewellery and future generations will not only thank you but have your treasured memories to wear as well. The key is to protect your jewellery from sharp blows, scratches, chemicals, sunlight, heat and cold.

In a week or two you will return for one or two fittings depending on the design. And then it’s just putting the finishing touches to your outfit. The entire process takes between two and six weeks depending on the difficulty of the garments.

If you have any concerns with your jewellery, please call in and see them for a complimentary jewellery service check to ensure the claws and settings are well maintained and securing your diamonds and precious gems. For Ponsonby News readers they will include a complimentary jewellery clean and polish.

So if you just can’t find anything to fit, have a special occasion coming up or just want something a little bit different, call Kate to make an appointment. PN KATE HENRY DESIGNS T: 0800 543 477 or M: 021 678 891 www.katehenrydesigns.com

Auckland Ring Company is proud to maintain the trust and confidence of their customers with a range of services from the dedicated team of goldsmiths in their Ponsonby studio.

With their personal service and own in-house studio and design facilities, they are in a unique position to create bespoke jewellery designed to suit the needs of every occasion.

Visit their Ponsonby store. You’re invited. PN AUCKLAND RING COMPANY, 275 Ponsonby Road, Three Lamps T: 09 376 0275 www.aucklandringcompany.co.nz Creating Fine Jewellery Since 1943™

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ANGELA LASSIG: LETTERS FROM MAUDIE The monthly jottings of a free-spirited Ponsonby dressmaker of the 1920s, as imagined by Angela Lassig.

VERNON STREET, PONSONBY 15 JULY 1925

Dear Gertie I have been giving the house a mid-winter cleanup and enclose five writing sets that I thought might meet your approval. As you are such an avid letter writer and are so very good at keeping in touch with your galaxy of acquaintances, these should come in handy. If any do not suit, please do feel free to pass them on to your sisters.

Can you believe that I had completely forgotten that I had these? My lack of memory of purchasing such beautiful writing paper has made me worry for my wits and query whether I might in fact be prone to hoarding! Oh the horror!

These five sets are but a third of what I found tucked away…and I only remember purchasing half of them!

Apart from my cousin Hilda, who is an artist, I am the only child in the family to exhibit a penchant for stationery and have loved visiting the stationer since I was a wee girl. My mother usually had a tantrum on her hands when it came time to drag me away from the inks (those lovely colours), the paints (such sweet little tins with such delicious smells) and the shelves of coloured papers. Although as of today, I forbid myself from entering any stationers I come across, I know that it will be difficult to resist the urge to examine the window displays. Dangerous, I know, as I’m sure to see there the perfect writing set…the very one I need…the one that is more sweetly scented than any other I have come across or printed on paper finer than any I have ever possessed. You know, the set of such tempting appearance that if I took it home I should start at once to catch up on all the correspondence I’ve been meaning to do for an age! And then I get home and of course am distracted by something or another and the parcel is put away and forgotten about. And then, of course, I can’t find any paper when I do want to write a letter, which warrants an urgent stroll along Ponsonby Road to Brittains [i] or Greens [ii] for something pretty. Well as of today, I have forbidden myself from purchasing any more paper until I have used up these ten boxes! I must say that this violet scented paper smells most authentic. I hope that my letter reaches you with at least a little whiff of the delightful fragrance that I have been treated to as I write.

exclusivity…’just the one dress length mind you’, the lure of ‘a special price just for you Maudie’ and their flattery…’we wouldn’t sell this piece to simply anyone’, inevitably lead me to the point that I am seduced again…and again!

Please excuse the muddy paw prints. They come courtesy of your friend Miss ‘Aggy Panther’ (as my friend Robyn likes to call her) who has just torn in from a romp in the rain, and, after an illicit smooch with Tiger - who is so deeply asleep he didn’t notice!

- leapt up on my desk and walked right across my last paragraph before violently throwing herself down on the page! She does like to make an entrance! As much as I would have liked to stroke the extra velvety winter fur on her tummy, I know better than to indulge myself so. Experience has taught that when she is in this ‘playful’ mood, any liberties are likely to be rewarded with the shredding of anything close, for example, this letter… or my hand! I decided to make myself a cup to tea, only to find her fast asleep on your letter when I returned.

After swiftly whisking the paper from beneath her, as deftly as a magician with a damask cloth laden with a full dinner service, I moved to the sitting room where I now write. It’s cosy and warm here on account of the fire that I lit earlier than usual because of the cold snap we have been experiencing.

Is there snow on the Orongorongos?

Before I go I must tell you about my new Zealandia [iii] black glace kid walking shoes.

They are perfect day shoes; neat and shapely and as comfortable as butter. They were an absolute bargain from Mrs. Houston’s boot shop, [iv] which is right next to Mortensen’s [v] sweet shop in Ponsonby Road (remember their sublime Russian caramels!). There are a couple of pairs left in your size so do send a postcard immediately if you’d like a pair. Mrs. Houston is selling out of this line altogether so do be quick!

Well dearest, I must close now as I need to use up another sheet or two of my cache before I walk to the shops for something for my supper.

Much love, your friend

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Maudie xx [i] Alfred Brittain, Stationer and Fancy Goods dealer, 110 Ponsonby Road [ii] Charles Samuel Green, Stationer, 196-198 Ponsonby Road [iii] Zealandia Boots & Shoes - made by Skelton, Frostick & Co, Ltd, Christchurch [iv] Mrs Mary Houston, boot shop, 19 Ponsonby Road [v] Sorren Jens Mortensen, Confectioner, 17 Ponsonby Road PN

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illustration: Michael McClintock

Having just discovered this little hoard, I’m a little afraid to begin a stock take of my fabrics, which I have on my list to begin tomorrow! I own that I do have a little problem with fabric, of which the drapers of Ponsonby are well aware! They have come to know my preferences in colours, prints and embellishments and I swear that they conspire to ensure there is something placed in their windows each month that they know I simply cannot resist.

In the event that I do not succumb to their attempts to ensnare my attention (which my bank manager insists that I really must try and do) I am often waved in by the ever helpful Madame X or Miss Y who delights in personally showing me something exquisite they have just got in. Their fear-mongering entreats of

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FASHION + STYLE: JULIE ROULSTON

Retail Superstar of the Month JULIA THOMPSON - MANAGER AT ZAMBESI How did you come to be a retail salesperson? love of fashion!

What brought you to Zambesi?

When I was at fashion school I was always inspired by Zambesi. I have a lot of admiration for Liz and Neville.

What do you love about the brand?

Liz has such a great eye and is so clever the way she puts things together.

What makes a standout retail salesperson?

Integrity.

Tell us about a memorable sale you’ve made this year...

I had a bit of a Cinderella moment with a lovely customer who was looking for something to wear to an awards dinner. She tried on an incredible cocktail dress, and our faces both lit up when she came out of the fitting room - she just looked so stunning! It was like the dress was made for her and it felt a little bit magic.

If you could wave your wand and have anyone in the world walk into your store right now, who would it be?

Rick Owens. He is such a clever designer and I would love to meet him.

If you could wave your wand and have anyone in greater Ponsonby walk into your store right now, who would it be?

Viv from the Ponsonby Business Assocation, she has so much style and is heaps of fun to dress.

Where do you enjoy shopping?

Farro.

Name someone you think is a great greater Ponsonby retail salesperson...

Mary from World Beauty, she is a rare gem. PN ZAMBESI, 169 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 7391 www.zambesi.co.nz

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FAIRE LE SKI IN STYLE Startlingly the first Spring 2013 drops will be hitting fashion stores soon, but meantime if you are a winter sports enthusiast you may want to make a style statement on the skifield. Ponsonby News spoke with Jodi Knows Snow (aka Jodi Sweetpants) to get her expert take on ski, snowboard and apres-ski fashion.

“Snowboarding has massively affected ski fashion,” Jodi told us. “Two years ago it was all tight pants and short jackets; now we are seeing baggy pants and big jackets with lots of pockets.”

Jody says tartans of all descriptions abound as does lots of bright colour - fluoro is a bit last year, it’s matching colour that is looking fresh. The ‘apres’ look is sneaking onto the slopes themselves, with lots of big fur-lined hoods to be seen.

Performance and safety are more to the fore than ever before. Whereas a decade ago it was all flash sunglasses on the mountain, goggles are far more popular now, and Jody reports up to 70% of people wearing helmets.

Label-wise, for New Zealand brands Jodi recommends Groovstar and Huffer, with Icebreaker for thermal wear. She also namechecks Burton, Roxy and Marmot. And as for apres-ski? Visualise Diana Rigg as Contessa Teresa “Tracy” di Vicenzo from James Bond ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.’ Layer up elegantly. You may finish with big furry ‘polar bear’ boots. There’s also an opportunity to show off your sense of irony, with reindeer/snowflake/David Bain sweaters having their apres-ski moment. PN

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FASHION + STYLE NATIVE AGENT IS BACK… NOW OPEN IN BROWN STREET! Native Agent, the much loved purveyors of heirloom woollen blankets and cushions and all manner of other beautiful handmade objects, have emerged from their online cocoon and moved in to a sunny brick box in the heart of Ponsonby’s shopping secret: Brown Street.

There are familiar faces behind the counter with long time Native Agent staff members Prem and Ana back on deck. “It was perfect serendipity,” says the lovely owner, artist and designer Rona Ngahuia Osborne, “The week we were ready to open, everyone was suddenly available.”

Not everything is entirely familiar however. There is a fancy coffee machine sitting on the counter, so now you can buy a Native Agent flat white while you soak up the gallery-like atmosphere. “In Kingsland we had an awesome café right next door, but, now thanks to our amazing friends at Allpress Espresso, we’re doing it ourselves.”

Native Agent closed their Kingsland doors about three years ago, when company matriarch Lindsay Mace received a cancer diagnosis. The family business wound back to a strictly online presence while they focused on Lindsay’s health. In May of 2010 she passed away.

“Continuing on without Linz is a huge challenge,” says Rona, “but her wairua (spirit) is right here with us. Ponsonby was her stomping ground. Linz thought of all our customers as her extended whänau, so opening here feels like a bit of a tribute.” PN Open from 8am - 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am - 4pm Saturday NATIVE AGENT, 56b Brown Street Ponsonby, T: 09 378 6324 www.nativeagent.co.nz

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FASHION + STYLE DINNER PARTY GUIDE: FRENCH FASHION ICONS “The French - they do it with such ease, but portray such class!”

So says young fashion and costume designer and stylist Serena Fagence. Ponsonby News invited Serena to share her take on five French fashion icons - if you don’t know them already, pour yourself a glass of vin rouge and prepare to get lost in inimitable French style.

Serge Gainsbourg Singer, composer, poet, artist, actor and director, though deceased in 1991 Gainsbourg is still one of the most important figures in French music. He sang about silk stockings, suspenders and undergarments with such a sense of heartbreak in the ‘Les Dessous Chics’ song! Gainsbourg’s image matched his relaxed confidence, wearing loose buttoned shirts, those black sunglasses and always with a cigarette in hand. He defined French bohemianism and showed the world how it’s done. Gainsbourg fell in love with younger English actress and model Jane Birkin, and the two stayed together for over a decade. During this time together they had daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Charlotte Gainsbourg With such a remarkable pedigree it’s no wonder Charlotte Gainsbourg’s style is influencing designer Nicolas Ghesquiere and that she is now the face of Balenciaga’s ‘L’Essence’. The actress and singer has claimed her careless natural hair and fresh make up look as her own, and matches it with classic styling, occasional sequined piece and a masculine-meets-feminine mix. Charlotte’s gamine physique and cool confidence align with her interesting acting career and successful sounds.

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte sang on Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’, a track from the album ‘Initials BB’ that Gainsbourg dedicated to the ‘60s beauty. Another (controversial) track from the album, ‘Je t’aime... moi non plus’ is a love song written about her. Bardot wore her black catseye eyeliner carelessly and was one the most influential fashion icons of her time. Her style still inspires fashionistas of today - that signature beehive, Bardot neckline and bikini. After retirement from her acting and music career Bardot resided in St Tropez and dedicated her working life to animal rights.

Catherine Deneuve A film actress known for her chic, sexy supplication - always the scene stealer. Yves Saint Laurent was influenced by Deneuve and he worked as the costumier in her successful

Serena Fagence-styled musician Josephine sports a certain je ne sais quoi... film ‘Belle Du Jour’. The looks from this film are still referenced today in many bedroom hairstyles. Later Deneuve was the inspiration and muse for many of YSL’s timeless collections. Her elegant, classy style with a slight mystique captured the eye of fashion photographer David Bailey. Now 69, Deneuve has aged gracefully and remains a fashion muse to this day.

Vanessa Paradis A model, singer and actress, as well as mother to Johnny Depp’s children. Paradis is known for her gap-toothed smile and rocker cool sensibility. She does French bohemian like no other and has modeled for the likes of Chanel and Miu Miu. This 40 year old has her own style that evokes that French coolness and femininity, and she keeps this integrity throughout her music and acting roles. You just want to be like her when you watch her on screen, as well as own her wardrobe of vintage Chanel pieces and eclectic boho pieces.

FASHION EDITOR’S NOTE: Writer Serena has outfitted and styled many a star herself, including Zowie (think ‘pop-tastic body-con microdresses with fins’ as esteemed fashion journalist Patty Huntington put it), Shapeshifter, and Massad, as well as wardrobe roles on Flight of the Conchords’ tour and the Nicki Minaj New Zealand show. PN SERENA FAGENCE FASHION DESIGN AND STYLING, T: 021 0225 2104 www.serenafagence.com

PN

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING JAIMIE BOUTIQUE GOES GLOBAL The lovely ladies at Jaimie Boutique have some big news - they are expanding and going global!

Jaimie and her musician husband Nathan Haines relocated to London in July last year, but spent most of the summer back in New Zealand. Now Jaimie is going to take ‘Jaimie the label’ with her when she joins her husband in London in July. This is very exciting for the team, as they feel they can grow both locally and internationally.

For the last seven years the Jaimie team have enjoyed occupying 270 Ponsonby Road as headquarters for Jaimie and other ‘fantastic, individual, leading’ brands (they’ve been the sole stockists of Vivienne Westwood for Australasia). As of 1 July the team will relocate to 1A Cascade Street in Freemans Bay, opposite Queenies Cafe, where they will be open by appointment only and will no longer operate as a retail outlet.

However, the team is soon to launch a new e-commerce website where Jaimie addicts will still be able to get their fix. The cherry on top is that the new occupier of the former Jaimie space is Katie Lockhart with her Everyday Needs label, who will continue to stock core pieces from the Jaimie collection at 270 Ponsonby Road. ‘So do not fret!’ says Jaimie.

‘We will carry many wonderful memories of our time in the Ponsonby Road space, and of all the wonderful people who have supported us over the years”, Jaimie adds. “There will be many more to come, too!” PN JAIMIE, T: 09 361 4000, www.jaimie.co.nz

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING HISTORIC TREATY BRINGS BOOKS TO BLIND PEOPLE The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) is delighted that negotiators at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have finalised terms on a copyright treaty to expand book access for the people who are blind or have low vision.

RNZFB’s Neil Jarvis agrees. He believes that this treaty will go a long way to ending the book famine which blind, low vision and other print disabled people experience because they are currently not able to access books and other publications in the format of their choice, even when they exist in other countries.

The treaty makes it legal to convert copyrighted material to formats such as Braille books, audio recordings or large-print books without having to gain prior permission from copyright holders in every instance, and to share these with agencies in other countries - something which has been either difficult or impossible up to now because of international copyright restrictions.

“Access to information is at the core of being able to live in today’s society. This treaty will enable people who cannot read standard print to have a better opportunity of receiving the information they need, in the format they need and when they need it.

That makes them more economically active and more able to contribute to civic society.

There’s still a long way to go before the practical benefits of this work their way through, but getting agreement for a treaty was the first essential step on that road. PN

“The treaty will end the outrageous situation whereby, even when all the accessible format agencies put together can’t hope to keep up with demand, they were being forced to duplicate the production of works because they were not allowed to share each other’s materials. So, RNZFB produced Harry Potter books, so did Britain’s Royal National Institute of the Blind and many other organisations. Meanwhile, other books were not being produced because we were all producing the same Harry Potter book!” says Neil Jarvis, Executive Director of Strategic Relations - Accessibility.

This is a great day for blind, low vision and print disabled people.”

Full text of the WIPO treaty can be found here: www.t.co/IbQqTdFWUk

There was initial opposition to the treaty from organisations such as the Motion Picture Association of America. The two factions disputed whether the treaty could affect other types of copyrighted material, including movies or videos.

The issues were settled after “some additional safeguards and some additional information sharing mechanisms” were added to the treaty, according to WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.

Gurry told observers that the treaty had been driven by non-governmental organisations and it was not only a treaty, but a good treaty. He extended “his profound thanks” for what he describes as “a truly historic result.”

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` HOROSCOPES: MISS PEARL NECLIS

What your stars hold this month ♋ Cancer (the Crab): 22 June - 22 July

You may find yourself becoming very irritable this month as your skills are in demand and you don’t seem to be finding the peace you need, you must get rest for you to function well.

♌

Leo (the Lion): 23 July - 21 August Hopefully you may now realise that you needn’t ever get to your boiling point again. Any inner turmoil that you have must be resolved before it goes too far, get your feelings out and up front whenever possible.

♍ Virgo (the Virgin): 22 August - 23 September

PAYING IT FORWARD: DENTIST TONY DEY

♎ Libra (the Scales): 24 September - 23 October

On one day, 50 dentists, 15 hygienists and 100 support staff from Lumino The Dentists dental practices around New Zealand gave away more than $120,000 worth of free dental treatments to hundreds of happy patients - including Lumino Ponsonby’s own Tony Dey.

You seem to be searching for something that you think is missing from your life, the journey that you’re on has brought you so much yet you feel like you have very little. You should really stop searching now and be content if you can with what you have.

It’s no good worrying about what you can’t do as by now you should know that it’s a waste of energy, if you try and live for the moment this should have a positive effect on any outcome in your future.

♏ Scorpio (the Scorpion): 24 October - 22 November

If you’re thinking of pushing away any support that might be coming your way whether it’s emotional or financial, think again, the only possible drawback is that your services may be required at the drop of a hat, decide whether you can handle this proposal before you make your mind up.

♐ Sagittarius (the Archer): 23 November - 22 December

You might not be able to attain the success that you had a few years ago, and your inclination to always aim higher than is expected may be getting you into a bit of grief emotionally. Be content with what you have you never know what’s around the corner.

♑ Capricorn (the Goat): 23 December - 20 January

You are always trying to keep control and you know that you’re not comfortable unless you have your feet planted firmly on the ground, try something outside your comfort zone this month, you’ll be astonished at the transformation in you.

♒ Aquarius (the Water Carrier): 21 January - 19 February

You do seem to have a lot on your plate at the moment and you might feel like your resistance is running very low, however you need to talk less and just get on with it. Your actions will be appreciated more and you will motivate others.

♓ Pisces (the Fish): 20 February - 20 March

You’re being pulled emotionally from every angle this month and you’re not sure how to handle it. You might be having some confidence issues as some home truths have popped up that you’re not happy with.

The inaugural Lumino Day took place on Saturday 25 May 2013, and was the first initiative between KidsCan and Lumino The Dentists, who provided free dental treatments to very worthy adult family members of children at participating KidsCan schools.

Stories from the day include the first patient at Tamatea Dental in Napier, who brought in a chocolate cake to thank Tony, who had flown down from Auckland to help out. Tony is the lead dentist at Lumino’s Ponsonby Dentist dental practice, and he was reportedly a huge hit with the KidsCan patients, at Lumino The Dentists Tamatea. Along with staff from the local practice, Tony provided free treatment for 25 deserving patients to the value of $4000. Tony said: “It was a very humbling experience and our patients were all so grateful. I still can’t believe my first patient rocked up with a chocolate cake to show her gratitude. It was a very rewarding day and we were pleased to be able to provide some help for these KidsCan families.”

Due to the lack of low decile schools in his own area Tony was keen to travel farther afield to work with patients in need, and says that the time between hearing about the initiative and jumping on a plane was pretty quick. “I kind of put my hand up and said I’d help and the next minute tickets to Napier had arrived,” he tells me with a laugh, “I went with my wife (also a dentist) and we just had such a great time.” He says it was a long day and he was incredibly proud of the amount of work they achieved, “especially considering that all of the patients knew they needed care but just hadn’t been able to afford it. They were so motivated but just knew that they didn’t have the money to take care of their teeth at that time. That made them the perfect patients as it made such a difference for them, it wasn’t just pulling out rotten teeth but actually restoring people’s smiles.”

♈ Aries (the Ram): 21 March - 20 April

After a Saturday of back-to-back appointments he and his wife then took some time for themselves on Sunday, when they had lunch at the legendary Black Barn winery and patted themselves on the back for a job well done. “The day was such a raging success that we’ve already started planning Lumino Day 2014, we just cannot wait to get out there again and make a real difference to people’s lives.”

♉ Taurus (the Bull): 21 April - 21 May

He says that New Zealanders in general are pretty poor when it comes to looking after their teeth, and that dips even more in lower socio-economic areas where Tony sees that “oral health is just never given any priority. I travel south to work with a Maori health provider in Gisborne every month and see toddlers with rotten teeth and families who let the situation get to that but then just don’t have the money to fix it.”

Be careful this month about rushing into any situation that you’re not familiar with, your past history should be enough to remind you of what can go wrong. Take things slow and steady and anything that pops up can be dealt with properly.

Worrying about someone or something that is out of your control is a trait in you that is both endearing and complicated, and the only one at the moment you should be worrying about is you. You can often show how much you care by saying very little.

♊

Gemini (the Twins): 22 May - 21 June You feel like as behaving badly as you like this month as long as it’s not at work, you think to yourself. Well take the risk and show your naughty side to your colleagues, something good might come out of being bad. PN

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The solution to the problem is looking after your teeth from a very early age, and that’s as simple as brushing every day, flossing regularly and seeing a dentist when you can.

And if you’ve got the time and the finances to spare, don’t leave things until the situation gets dire - your smile will thank you for it! (HELENE RAVLICH) PN LUMINO, Ponsonby Road (above Santos/Longroom) www.lumino.co.nz/dentist/ponsonby-dentist PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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HELENE RAVLICH: NATURAL BEAUTY

Meet Mary Niumata of HOT HULA fitness IF YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF THE HOT HULA FITNESS PHENOMENON THEN GET A LOAD of these facts: there are over 3,000 trained instructors worldwide, over 1100 monthly group fitness classes taking place across the USA, New Zealand and the UK, and 22 classes taking place every week right here in Aotearoa. That is no mean feat, and a credit to California-based creator Anna-Rita Sloss from California, USA and her local, hip shaking HOT HULA ambassador, passionate local Mary Niumata.

When I speak to Mary she’s in transit in Hong Kong en route to Europe, where she will be enjoying a well-deserved summer holiday and hopefully spreading the HOT HULA love. She is incredibly enthusiastic about what she does, and is committed to exploring the difference it can make to her community. “I went to my first class here in Auckland in November 2010 and I was hooked straight away,” she explains, “I went to the certification training as quickly as I could and started teaching my own classes.”

She says the first thing that hooked her about the classes was the fact that it “brought me back to my culture, my heritage. The first class I went to was totally different and just a lot of fun. The music was incredible with a thumping, beating drum sound that just made me want to move. As a young Samoan, I decided there and then that I had to give back to my community in fitness.”

She says that as a child “I loved to dance, I grew up in the Pacific community of Ponsonby and Grey Lynn and we danced a lot! I was very sporty and active.” She hopes to combine that love of dance with fitness in the New Zealand Pacific community, and says that anyone who comes by a HOT HULA class will achieve so much without even noticing it at first. “They will lose weight and build their endurance for starters, but above all they will have the opportunity to share our culture in a fitness workout... We are not a Halau (cultural dance group) we are a Poly-style workout... how many Poly fitness workouts can you name out there?”

You’ll find classes in Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, New Lynn, Te Atatu, Onehunga, Otahuhu, Hamilton and Gisborne, and all provide a “total body workout” in just 60 minutes. The moves isolate your larger muscle groups, increasing strength and definition to your core with specific emphasis on the abs, glutes, quads and arms. Inspired by the dances of the Pacific Islands, the style of dance incorporates easy to perform dance movements set to the sounds of traditional Polynesian drum beats fused with more than a little reggae, resulting in a modern, hip fitness workout that is guaranteed to get you smiling while you sweat. All ages are welcome and the HOT HULA workout is broken down into segments including warm-up and cool-down so you can do a shorter workout depending on your time and fitness level. Oh and no equipment is required and barefoot works best, how great is that?

Mary says that her immediate plans for HOT HULA fitness are to keep spreading the word and growing the New Zealand contingent of fans as much as she can through enthusiasm, teaching classes and keeping positive for her community. “As soon as I get home I plan to return to resume the Ponsonby-based classes that I teach through the Ponsonby Community Centre,” she says, before adding “remember Spring is just around the corner… why not start now because getting fit is HOT!” (HELENE RAVLICH) PN

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LOCAL REMEDIAL MASSAGE FROM THE HEART ‘There’ll be bluebirds over the while cliffs of Dover, tomorrow just you wait and see’ (Burton & Kent 1941) This sums up the spirit of hope in the music and psyche of the war-torn world of the 1940s. In a time of shattered lives, death camps, love on the run, and jobs for women popular music chronicled the changing times, norms and rules e.g. Cole Porter’s overt reference to sexuality in ‘It’s Too Darn Hot’ 1948. Earlier, the Glen Miller Big Band got people ‘In the Mood’ and onto the dance floor and the USA got the Big Band format into the armed forces.

Music was melody driven and songs were singable, memorable and easily taken from the radio to the family piano.

Romantic ballads, playful lyrics, humorous tales with simple messages that were poetic, patriotic or full of double-entendre contrasted with heart -rending outpourings of hope for the return of loved ones (‘Lilli Marlene’) Reah Monet: Holistique giving a treatment and normalcy (‘Sentimental Journey)’.

Singers were household names and musicals that reflected the times were the source of many popular songs. Swing vied with be-bop as jazz evolved and scat singing jazz vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald introduced the voice as ‘another instrument’.

‘We’ll Meet Again’ (Vera Lynn), ‘ Bless ‘em All’ (Gracie Fields) and ‘White Christmas’ (Bing Crosby) spoke of optimism, patriotism and a yearning for peace as singers soothed jangled nerves. George Formby made them laugh with his ukulele and witty songs while vocal harmony groups like The Andrews Sisters roused the spirits.

Eventually ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ replaced ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’, and chirpy post-war songs emerged (‘Personality’). On Broadway Rodgers & Hammerstein II took violence off the battlefield and into the home with ‘Carousel’ and Irving Berlin reaffirmed the power of entertainment (‘There’s No Bizniz Like Show Bizniz’).

In 1947 Merle Haggard’s ‘Sixteen Tons’ hinted at the on-coming 1950’s rock ’n roll revolution - blues with a beat. Meanwhile the simple folk ballad ‘Galway Bay’ reflected the nostalgia of a world trying to heal. In 1948 the English translation of German waltz ‘Oh My Papa’ indicated a spark of reconciliation between war-torn nations and by 1949 the world was ready to see the war through musicals and movies. ‘South Pacific’ provided a socially safe vehicle for the release of emotions while Frank Sinatra ushered in a new wave of music with the slow dance craze ‘The Huckle Buck’. (REAH MONET)

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LIVING, THINKING + BEING

BOOST IMMUNITY WITH WINTER PRODUCE Eating a variety of winter produce can help the immune system ward off seasonal colds and flu, says 5+ A Day. Antioxidant-rich winter delights like kiwifruit, broccoli and carrots provide healthy doses of nutrients to boost the immune system in the fight against sniffles and sneezes.

5+ A Day nutritionist Bronwen Anderson says that it is easy to achieve by choosing fruit and vegetables that are in season.

“Eating more fruit and vegetables is an easy dietary upgrade to make,” she says. “Fresh produce provides a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and water. It maintains a strong immune system and gives us the right mix of nutrients, in the right amounts.”

Each variety and colour has its own unique nutritional profile, which is why it’s best to choose not only a variety of fruit and vegetables but a range of colours as well.

Picking seasonal produce is good for the budget and a great start to a healthy winter,” she says.

Here are some quick tips on how to make the most of winter’s immune-boosting produce.

Kiwifruit Kiwifruit contains twice the recommended daily intake of vitamin C which is important for immune health. A US

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study found kiwifruit to be the most nutrient dense of 27 of the most popular fruit. Make a quick fruit salad by combining sliced green and gold kiwifruit and mandarin segments for an immunity-boosting treat. To help tenderise meat, peel and puree a kiwifruit and mix into marinade. Or for a fast, healthy breakfast, peel and chop kiwifruit, bananas and apple, sprinkle with orange zest and add a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Tamarillo Tamarillos are a source of vitamin A and an excellent source of vitamin C. Both of these vitamins play an important role in bone growth, immune function and eye sight. Combine a couple of peeled tamarillos to stewed apples - the perfect breakfast fruit or quick dessert when served with custard. For a flavour infusion, add whole peeled tamarillos to a casserole, in the same way you would tomatoes. Or try wedges of red and golden tamarillo with a cheese-board.

Broccoli One cup of broccoli bolsters the immune system with a large dose of vitamin C. One cup also provides B group vitamins and trace minerals that help strengthen immune defences and maintain a healthy nervous system.

Broccoli is also a source of fibre, which aids digestion.

For a quick broccoli pesto puree cooled, steamed broccoli with garlic, toasted pine nuts, a little grated Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Toss with pasta, spoon over chicken or use as a dip or a spread. For a delicious side, toss

steamed broccoli with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds. And for a hearty breakfast sauté chopped garlic and steamed broccoli in olive oil in an ovenproof skillet. Add beaten eggs to cover, sprinkle with grated Gruyère and bake until puffed and set.

Persimmons Like tamarillos, persimmons are high in vitamin C and are a source of vitamin A, providing immunity-boosting benefits. Persimmons are also a source of fibre. For a scrummy dessert, hollow out a persimmon, chop up flesh and mix with brown sugar, chopped walnuts and cinnamon. Place mixture back into the fruit and bake for 35 minutes. Serve with yoghurt on the side. Or for a boost of colour, add thin slices of persimmon to a salad.

Carrots The powerful antioxidants found in carrots may help protect from heart disease, cancer and maintain eye health due to the high levels of beta-carotene (which is converted to vitamin A within the body). Baby carrots make a quick and healthy mid-afternoon snack, or you can top off your lunchtime salad with shaved carrots.

Cooked carrots, sauteed with a touch of olive oil, dried herbs and cracked pepper, make a perfect side to grilled meat.

For more tips and recipes go to www.5aday.co.nz or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/5adayNZ or Fredge_5Aday on Twitter. PN

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JOHN APPLETON: ON HEALTH

Curcumin - Could it be nature’s most powerful anti-inflammatory?

Curcumin first popped up on my radar when I was researching a safe non-toxic alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which have long been known to have potentially life threatening side effects such as gastric bleeding and heart disease. The withdrawal of two high profile anti-inflammatory drugs due to safety concerns illustrates why we need to find safer options.

So what is curcumin? Most of us will be familiar with turmeric, the yellow powder that gives curry its distinctive colour. Curcumin is the most active component in turmeric making up nearly 5% of the total spice.

Turmeric (curcuma longa) is a tropical plant belonging to the ginger family native to southern and southeastern tropical Asia. India produces nearly all of the world’s turmeric and it’s been used for thousands of years as a food additive and a very important tool in Ayurvedic medicine. Hundreds of millions of Asian Indians consume turmeric daily.

four cancers in the U.S. - colon, breast, prostate and lung is as much as 10 times lower in India where significant amounts of turmeric are consumed daily.

The next question is, if curcumin is so effective why haven’t we been told about it? The answer to this has more to do with money than anything else. In an interview with Reuters Professor Aggarwal explained that curcumin is a natural compound and no drug company can reap the financial rewards if it proves to be effective.

This however hasn’t stopped the big players trying to patent it. In the late 90s the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent for Turmeric to the University of Mississippi. The Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial research was shocked to hear of this and the Indian government reacted swiftly with an appeal. The patent was then rejected.

As I delved more and more into the research on turmeric/ curcumin I realised that this is a story that has to be told.

A search of Medline on the internet reveals some 1,000 studies describing the various activities of turmeric/ curcumin. According to a 2005 Wall Street Journal article titled “Common Indian Spice Stirs Hope” research activity into curcumin is exploding.

Let’s look into what some of the research on curcumin is suggesting: Curcumin has been tested successfully against colon cancer where inflammation appears to play a significant role. Curcumin has been found to be a powerful inhibitor of the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is linked with cervical cancer. Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer - University of Texas reported that curcumin may inhibit the spread of multiple myeloma.

So what is it about curcumin that has so many scientists excited? The starting point is inflammation which is known to play a major role in the development of most diseases including: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, pulmonary diseases, neurological disease, auto-immune diseases, arthritis, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

In a very comprehensive document written by Prof Bharat Aggarwal and colleagues they say that when it comes to HER2/neu positive breast cancer curcumin down regulates the activity of epidermal growth factor receptor and expression of HER2/neu. The researchers say “Curcumin depletes the cells of HER2/neu protein.

According to cancer researcher Bharat Aggarwal a professor of cancer medicine, the incidence of the top

It is a little known fact of epidemiology (study of populations) that Asian Indians have age adjusted

Alzheimer’s and other senile dementia rates that are only 25% of ours in the developed world. Research is suggesting that curcumin may one day be used to prevent and treat this insidious disease.

Then there’s arthritis which is an inflammatory condition. Curcumin has shown to be a powerful inhibitor of cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox -2) which is associated with arthritis. Ulcerative colitis which is inflammation of the colon may also be a candidate for treatment with curcumin.

I now have a huge file on curcumin and I have built a website www.curcumin.co.nz devoted solely to this amazing natural substance which has been referred to as a ‘Spice for All Seasons’.

I have been taking curcumin daily for several years but I have not had an opportunity to assess its potential fully myself until recently when I had surgery on a prolapsed lumbar spine disc that I had been ‘nursing’ for a number of years. Following the surgery, together with vitamin C (intravenous and oral) I significantly increased my dose of a unique form of curcumin known as BCM 95 and although I had a few days of discomfort I had no need for any other form of pain relief (not even a paracetamol).

More on this in a future article.

Curcumin has been shown to be non-toxic and very safe even at high doses up to 8,000 mgs per day. Curcumin was first isolated in 1843 - shouldn’t we be taking a closer look? (JOHN APPLETON) PN APPLETON ASSOCIATES, T: 09 489 9362 john@johnappleton.co.nz www.johnappleton.co.nz

TIME FOR MAYOR TO STOP SUPPORTING SKYCITY DEAL AUCKLAND MAYOR LEN BROWN NEEDS TO RETHINK HIS SUPPORT OF THE SKYCITY deal following a resounding vote against it by the Auckland City Council, Green Party gambling spokesperson Denise Roche said last month. A majority of Auckland City councillors voted for a motion put forward by Councillor Cathy Casey that the council doesn’t support a convention centre in return for changes in legislation to increase gambling at SkyCity casino.

“The Auckland City councillors who voted against the SkyCity deal are simply reflecting their voters dislike of this deal,” Ms Roche said today.

“No-one likes this deal apart from SkyCity, Steven Joyce and John Key,” said Ms Roche.

“The SkyCity deal will lead to more social harm from the massive increase in gambling opportunities it allows. This deal is also now being heavily criticised by international organisations such as Transparency International. An interim report from this influential group released recently showed that the SkyCity deal raised concerns about fiscal transparency, accountability, and regulatory issues. The SkyCity deal is bad for Auckland, will lead to more social harm, and is now dragging New Zealand’s reputation as a transparent and corruption free country to conduct business in down the gurgler.

Mayor Brown needs to remember that he represents the people of Auckland,” said Ms Roche. He needs to start listening to what they are saying about the SkyCity deal and pull his support for this deal before his Mayoralty is compromised.” www.transparency.org.nz PN

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photography: Martin Leach

Public opinion has also turned against the Government’s SkyCity convention centre deal.

The latest Herald-DigiPoll survey shows 61.5 per cent of those polled disapprove of the deal while 33.8 per cent approve.

Julian and Sue Maloney celebrate 10-years of their business at The Oakroom, Drake Street.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

HELENE RAVLICH: NATURAL BEAUTY

Where Old School Meets New: Maloney’s Barber Shop “When I was growing up, barbershops were incredibly low end. It was a place where you got a $5 haircut, and it smelled of sadness and Barbasol,” says Morgan Spurlock, the well-coifed, affable director of the documentary Mansome.

“Now there’s been this kind of resurgence of barbershops being a cool place to hang out. They can do much more than the traditional barbershop ever did.”

This perfectly encapsulates the vibe at Victoria Street chop shop Maloney’s, which has been making the cut - and then some - for many loyal customers for 10 years now.

When owner Julian Maloney opened his doors all those years ago after returning to New Zealand from his OE, he says he had very little idea of what running a business actually entailed but knew it was what he wanted to do. “I had worked in a barber shop in Ponsonby in the mid-90s,” he explains, “and when I came back from overseas I noticed that barbers were just coming out of the stigma of being just a place for old men, and getting a whole new type of attention. There is an age gap between the likes of me and the earlier generation of barbers of about 20 years, and then a huge number of younger guys who have popped up recently too, which is great.”

He says some of these younger barbers were trained in traditional salons but wanted to move out of what he calls “chemical work” and just concentrate on cutting, whilst others have been drawn to the nostalgia and tradition of the truly artisan profession. “Barber shops are also in tune with the ‘slow’ lifestyle that has become so much more popular over the last few years,” he says, “when you come in here you have to wait, we don’t take bookings. You have to stop your day, pick up a magazine and just add your name to the board, and more and more guys are attracted to that.” I ask him if any of his customers from 10 years ago are still showing up and putting their names to the aforementioned and he says “absolutely, I’ve even got guys who come in whose hair I started cutting in

1994. Some of them were just kids then and some are grandparents now and bring their grandkids in, it’s really cool.”

Despite the barber shop being a traditionally masculine place, one of his top barbers is the much loved Sue, who he was introduced to through a friend and has been at Maloney’s for around seven years. He describes her with a laugh as being “more of a bloke than the rest of us put together, and an expert when it comes to any kind of sports. She knows more about league and rugby than anyone I know, and even owns racehorses!”

When it comes to customers, he says that one of the main reasons a barbershop is the choice of many men over a salon is price, especially given the frequency at which they need a cut. “The modern men’s haircut needs to be trimmed at least every three weeks,” explains Julian, “and when you’re paying as much as $80 at a salon for that it gets hard to justify. Men also like consistency too, we don’t like change! Men like to find a barber they like and stick with them and the cut they know suits them.”

As well as offering top cuts and service with a smile, Maloney’s stocks some of the sharpest men’s skin and haircare products I’ve seen, many of which are pretty rare in New Zealand. As well as the highly respected American Crew, Julian and his team have on their shelves Joe Grooming, rockabilly favourite Layrite and JS Sloane, an amazing new bespoke gentlemen’s grooming range that popular Maloney’s cutter Barber Dan discovered on a recent trip to the US. All of this sits alongside New Zealand men’s skincare line Triumph & Disaster, which I’ve raved about on these pages in the past.

So, if you haven’t popped your head into Maloney’s then I highly recommend that you do, if only to wish Julian and his crew a happy tenth birthday! Maloney’s may not be your grandfather’s barbershop, but he’d probably feel right at home there regardless.

(HELENE RAVLICH) PN MALONEY’S BARBER SHOP, 192 Victoria Street West. T: 09 379 3060 www.maloneys.co.nz

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TRISHA MARTIN: INNER DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING

SACRED TANTRA BELLYDANCE 7 Secrets of Time Travel - Mystical Voyages of the Energy Body Von Braschler Paperback $35.00 How to break free from the physical world and travel via the energy body.

Exploring the ‘7 Secrets of Time Travel’, Von Braschler reveals how to break free from the physical world and travel through time and space via the energy body. He examines time, timelessness, and time travel from the viewpoint of mystics, shamanic dream walkers, western scientists and Hindu spiritual science.

Explaining how transcending the physical body offers new hope for the treatment of illness, emotional problems, and addictions, he offers step-by-step instructions and active, out-of-body exercises to develop your time travel abilities and explore the world of energy and spirit. The key, he points out, is a deep meditation that allows you to access heightened consciousness and awareness.

Emphasizing the spiritual wholeness that comes from energy bodywork, Von Braschler shows that by visiting the past and the future we can more fully live in the now.

Author and journalist Von Braschler is a writer on the subjects of time, human consciousness, and energy healing. Von has lectured and led workshops throughout the US and the UK, and served as a faculty member at Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in New York. (TRISHA MARTIN) PN PATHFINDER BOOKSHOP, 182 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 6269, www.pathfinder.co.nz

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‘Bellydance teaches the feminine form to freely express sensuality and individuality. This beautiful art form fused with ancient sacred tantric teachings allows women to surrender to their heart, becoming whole, fulfilled and balanced. Bellydance and knowledge of sacred sexuality allows a woman to communicate her passion, power and absolute lust for life’.

Sacred Tantra Bellydance is a fusion of two ancient spiritual modalities designed to educate, deeply heal and free the feminine form. This practice will empower women in a safe and caring environment. Sacred Tantra Bellydance is a beautiful offering to all women, created by Rosanna Marks, founder of Aroha Healing and Sacred Tantra, Grey Lynn. Women who attend the classes are sometimes surprised to discover how much fun bellydance can be and fused with sacred tantra teachings, they can learn so much about themselves; how to bring vital energy, movement and passion into their everyday lives. Rosanna does not focus on technique, rather embracing and encouraging each individual to discover how her body can move, how she can unlock and free energy that may have been lying dormant for a while. There is no judgement, no particular body type, age, shape or size in these classes, just a connection and honouring of feminine energy, and an appreciation of the feminine body in all forms.

During the classes women will learn ancient tantric philosophy; essential knowledge on the seven chakras, mudra, breath work, movement, connection, how to view your body as a sacred space, honouring and sisterhood. You will also learn beautiful and simple bellydance routines and rituals that reflect each chakra, and the elements of earth, water, air and fire. Rosanna currently holds two classes per week and bookings are essential. PN Sacred Tantra Bellydance - Ancient Wisdom, Modern Knowledge.

AROHA HEALING, 3 Maidstone Street. T: 0800mindbody www.arohahealing.co.nz or www.sacredtantra.co.nz

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

SHEENA SHUVANI STARDUST ASTROLOGY

When developer Andy Davies mentioned he was having a fortune telling booth within Ponsonby Central, I was impressed with his wisdom. People love to have their fortunes told and Sheena Shuvani is drawing clients to her tiny booth. She will be writing a monthly column on each of the star signs, beginning with Cancer.

♋ CANCER Element of water. Symbol: The Crab Quality: Cardinal (=activity) Planetary Ruler Moon Character To understand the Crab first, understand the word Cancer is Latin for Crab and the word lunatic comes from the Latin “luna” (for moon). Cancer people are moody and influenced by the mysterious phases of the moon, the same powerful, luminous influences that causes the ebb and flow of ocean tides. Thus it’s feelings, all the way - romantic, sensitive, sentimental, nostalgic, yearning, vulnerable, reproachful, remorseful, tearful, doting and funny, batty, psychic, possessive, jealous, laughs, weeps, emotes, etc.

Entrepreneur skills, capable money manager, home-loving hoarder, grumbling, crabby, cranky, stingy but will share, won’t waste. Will nip you, blame you, won’t let go. Huge romantic highs and lows of drama, tantrums and waterworks.

Helpful advice Your tantrums cause fatigue. Learn to master mood management then you’ll be wonderful and empowered and everyone will love you. Have more fun!

Your lucky Number According to Cheiro the (world’s most famous seer) the day of your birth is the luckiest of all numbers for you!

Favoured Precious Stone(s) Pearl, moonstone Favoured Metal(s) Silver and gold Favoured Colour(s) Luminous silver, sea green and blue, lavender PN (SHEENA SHUVANI)

Career Find your niche: arts, law, business, politics, landlord, the Crab is canny, creates from the heart, collects antiques, hoards vintage stuff, nests, honours tradition. Is a capable able manager of money, owner of real estate.

Love and Sexuality “I love you/I don’t love you.” Highly inconsistent. Secret desire to be loved and accepted unconditionally by a sexy, beautiful lover!

Past Directions Talking incessantly about your feelings, black moods, angry outbursts, tantrums and blaming have bored and alienated the less understanding. Emotional blackmail and watery drama is ill received by your significant other.

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HELENE RAVLICH: NATURAL BEAUTY

Dry & Tea’s Tosh and Louise “LOUISE IS A GREAT FRIEND AND SO YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL AND TALENTED,” DRY & TEA’S Tosh Takeda tells me with a smile, “so when she asked me to join her at the CityWorks salon it was like being asked to join Christina Aguilera’s team on The Voice, amazing!”

The feeling is most definitely mutual; with Dry & Tea owner Louise Pilkington saying that she couldn’t believe her luck when Tosh agreed to come on board.

Amazingly, the two met in the early 90s, when Tosh was the winner of the Avant Garde section of Schwarzkopf’s Hairdresser of the Year two years in a row. “I was so inspired by his work that I decided to enter it too,” explains Louise with a laugh, “and because he didn’t enter that year I won! I have admired him for so long that it’s so amazing to be actually working together in an environment that’s not just cutting and colouring but also some really cool hair up work too.” I ask her if that’s the same amazing hair up work I’ve seen on the salon’s Facebook page and she says “yes, totally! Tosh’s old mastery has been coming out with some beautiful basket weaves and braids, they are just amazing.” She hopes that more clients will embrace something a little bit different when they see what can be achieved, making for a great look for a night out as opposed to just a standard blow wave.

I ask them both if as stylists famed for - and enthusiastic about - their avant garde work they get bored on the salon floor, and Louise is quick to answer in the negative with a very cool analogy. “I guess it’s like being a chef who makes beautiful, tasty food every day and then once in a while gets to create a meal that is crazy and totally outside the box,” she says, “you love what you do every day and getting to do something totally wild every so often is just a bonus. If you were doing avant garde work every day all you’d want to do is cut a bob!”

As well as working on the floor at Dry & Tea, this year Tosh will be competing again for a title at L’Oreal Colour Trophy, whilst Louise plans to hit New York this September to work on editorial and possibly backstage at fashion week and the salon will then start planning an entry for next year’s industry event Hair Expo. “I think entering competitions in some shape or form is really important,” says Louise, “you might not win but the process keeps you thinking creatively and helps you stay ahead of the game.”

ANY PAGE IN PONSONBY NEWS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE SEEN

Dry & Tea as a salon and cafe is always looking to create something new and interesting for its clients too, the latest being three very special versions of the traditional high tea available from 10.30am every day. Keeping with the salon’s rather fabulous theme of ‘affordable luxury’, for $25.00 you get a traditional ‘Virgin’ High Tea consisting of perfectly baked scones with jam and cream, tea sandwiches and incredibly delicious sweet treats served with the perfect pot of tea or your favourite Allpress Coffee. This contemporary high tea is available at both the Newmarket and Cityworks salons, whilst Dry & Tea CityWorks is now licensed so also offers the French High Tea (my pick) for $40.00, which comes with all of the above and a glass of Piper Heidsieck Champagne.

There is also a ‘Something for the Lads’ option for $35.00, which includes a beer or a whiskey - top notch and a great reason to while away an hour or two in an absolutely unique location.

I think a spot of high tea followed by a blow wave or hair up is just the ticket, so you just may see me in there sometime soon! (HELENE RAVLICH) PN

84 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

CLARE CALDWELL: THE ART OF LIVING There’s an eerie sense of familiarity around some world events right now - I’m remembering the French Revolution, global social upheaval of the 1920s....

Plutocracy is once again being challenged.

One overt challenge I’m referring to is the recent and massive uprising in Brazil. 200,000 people walked in protest in one of the biggest demonstrations of people power on the planet, protesting against the billions of dollars their government will be spending on sports stadiums and associated events when the world cup is played there. The majority of people in this country struggle to even survive.

Around the globe, in London, Wall Street. New York and Aotea Square in Auckland, groups calling themselves “Occupy” bravely pitted their meagre numbers against the omnipotent power of the bankers and multi-nationals, calling for more accountability, and more equality and distribution of the planet’s wealth and resources. (Sadly the Aotea Square occupation was depicted by our news media as nothing more than civil disobedience and vandalism).

These two examples alone represent an upsurge and consolidation of a social restlessness and imminent upheaval we’re beginning to see worldwide. The fabric of many societies is fraying as people‘s rage overflows at the injustices of their existence.

The myths of globalisation are being laid bare and people see the gap between the haves and the have-nots widening exponentially. On-line groups such as Avaaz are constantly exposing atrocities, calling individuals and whole governments to account as the gaze of the world becomes ubiquitous in this new technological age.

But will all this awareness and anger make a shred of difference in the bigger scheme of things? For all their collective passion and fervour, there’s an impotence and powerlessness that everyone aligned with these groups is feeling. These giants they’re up against are just too untouchable and all-powerful and at the end of the day, don’t give a damn about the underdog: the common worker dealing with huge amounts of tax, diminishing wages and escalating living costs (if they have work at all). These corporate bodies and bankers - the real puppet-masters - have the power to change this, to make it a fairer and more egalitarian world based on respect and compassion for each other and for the planet we walk upon.

Growth at any cost - be it to people or to the planet’s long-term ability to survive - seems to be the catch phrase. Infinite “growth” at any cost is unsustainable.

We are such a potentially and intrinsically beautiful species, created I believe to go in a very different direction, where the art of living would take on a whole new meaning.

I hope it won’t take another world war to bring us to our senses. (CLARE CALDWELL) Clare (Claudie) Caldwell is a creative arts therapist who runs a small private practice from home. She is voluntary team leader of creative therapies at Mercy Hospice Auckland, College Hill, where she has worked for the last 10 years. She is also a freelance artist. PN Enquiries: T: 09 836 3618; M: 021 293 3171; E: clare.e.caldwell@gmail.com

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

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ROSS THORBY: SEA FEVER

‘He shouldn’t have questioned me’ THE “OLD SOUTH” IS ALIVE AND WELL AND CRUISING ON THE QM2 Meet Fran. A Southern Belle of indeterminable age, she hails from South Carolina and has an accent so pronounced that when she drawls “Howdee Y’all” you can taste the Mint Julep and smell the Confederacy in the air.

Fran comes from an old Southern family, in fact, “Daughters of the Revolution” old, we are talking plantations, cotton and a “Big Daddy” that would have done Tennessee Williams proud. “Daddy” attended the Princess Diana charity auction in 1997 and bought four of Princess Diana’s dresses, of which she took great pleasure in wearing onboard and we took great pleasure in admiring.

Now Fran is no shrinking violet. Born, bred and raised unapologetically a Republican, she was completely unabashed in her views of life in the South, and was thoroughly unaffected if considered being politically incorrect.

L to R: Ross Thorby, pictured far right with Martin and Fran celebrating a formal evening, onboard the Queen Mary 2

We liked her immediately. She was often found lying on the terrace with a glass of champagne in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

“Big Daddy” had died last year and both of her daughters had married in the “fall” so her husband had sent her on this world cruise to recuperate - and possibly have some quiet time to himself.

On a hot lazy afternoon mid Indian Ocean as we watched the wake of the ship disappear into the distance, Fran started to tell us her story. It was one of plantations, the days of her forebears and how Lincoln had “ruined” her life by abolishing slavery and waging war against her “South”.

More recently though, about a month back when the ship had arrived in Vietnam, Fran had parceled up all of the memory sticks containing her photos and posted them, along with a note to her husband to have them printed out and put into albums ready for her return.

A week later, she had received a telephone call from him to say that he had received the sticks but there was nothing on them and what’s more “how do I even know you are on the cruise, there are no photos or proof, I bet you are not even on a ship”.

Well Fran was so incensed that her husband should question her that she took her camera down to the photo shop and told them to find the photos on the camera, print them all out in 6 x 4 format, have them put into albums and sent COD to her husband.

And what’s more, “Don’t send me the account but direct it to his credit card. I don’t want to see a penny on my bill”. And being ever so obliging Cunard did. Her husband had rung recently to say “thanks” he had received the albums, along with an invoice...for $15,000. That’s US$15,000.

She was completely unapologetic, “He shouldn’t have questioned me” she drawled as she took another sip of champagne. Oh how she laughed, oh how we laughed at her laughing...oh how the other half lives.

What’s more though… this was not her first camera. On arriving in New York to board the ship, Fran had her 22, yes...22, count them, suitcases entrusted to the New York Longshoremen along with her camera and was assured all would be safely delivered to her suite. The suitcases arrived, but the camera didn’t. So the kind people at Cunard sent out a bellhop into the depths of New York who procured exactly the same make and model of the camera that she had lost and had it delivered to her rooms before they left that night. All went well until they were in Egypt, she was assured that her camera would be safe left inside the taxi. It wasn’t and when she returned, the camera was missing.

So when the ship arrived in Dubai the kind people at Cunard sent out a bellhop into the depths of Dubai who was able to replace exactly the same make and model of her camera and deliver it to her suite...along with the invoice. Very obliging those people at Cunard. I departed the ship in Southampton, Fran, amongst much fanfare, glory and champagne bubbles sailed onto New York and the waiting bosom of her family somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and tells me that she has booked for another world cruise next year. I’m sure Cunard is already stocking up on champagne. Now tell me cruising can be boring. (ROSS THORBY) PN

86 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CONFIGURE EXPRESS PONSONBY Configure Express Ponsonby has been successfully transforming the lives of women all over Ponsonby and surrounding areas for 10 years this month!

Configure Express was established to help New Zealand women be healthier and happier; women who are busy with work, their families, friends and daily routines.

From the outset, The Franchisor has been committed to building a network of gyms with convenient locations and programmes developed especially for women. Starting in 2003 with a dedicated team, the Configure Express brand has grown into the number one name associated with women’s health and fitness in New Zealand.

Today Configure Express Gyms have over 35 gyms throughout the country and they are 100% sure you’ll reach your fitness goals in any one of them.

On Wednesday 31 July the team at Configure Express Ponsonby are celebrating this milestone and will have special treats for their awesome members including champagne and fruit platters.

So put this day in your calendar ladies and come on up and join them in celebrating ...

“10 Years of Configure Express Ponsonby” PN CONFIGURE EXPRESS, 208 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 1236 www.configureexpress.co.nz

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

LIVING, THINKING + BEING WARM UP YOUR BODY THIS WINTER WITH A PILATES WORKOUT Inspiring quotes by Joseph Pilates • “A man is as young as his spinal column.”

• “A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence are worth hours of doing sloppy callisthenics or forced contortion.”

• “Ideally, our muscles should obey our will. Reasonably, our will should not be dominated by the reflex actions of our muscles.”

• “If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.”

• “Normal muscles should function naturally in much the same manner as do the muscles of animals.”

• “I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They’d be happier.”

• “Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase.”

• “Concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all the vital benefits of their value.”

• “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.”

At True Pilates, they continue the teachings of Joseph Pilates, true to his intentions and unchanged by passing fads or attitudes. True Pilates has the full range of Gratz equipment, imported from New York. For more information contact Helen. PN TRUE PILATES NZ, 2/5 Seymour Street T: 09 376 7203 E: helen@truepilatesnz.co.nz www.truepilatesnz.co.nz

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING THE ROPATI-ROULSTON DIARIES You’ve probably heard of Keri Ropati - she is a very highly regarded personal trainer and weight loss consultant whose offices are in MacKelvie Street.

Hopefully you hadn’t heard that Ponsonby News’ Fashion Editor - that’d be me, Julie Roulston, had been looking a little...shall we say ‘puffy’? - these last few years.

It’s the hard truth. Middle age, stress, a sedentary job and a little too much of a taste for the finer things in life (bought on special at Farro of course) had left me carrying an additional dress size and counting. I’m about 5’9” (173cm) so up to a point I can get away with carrying some extra weight - but the point had been reached.

Keri agreed to take me on for three months to help me lose about 8kg. Her only stipulation - I must do everything that she tells me to.

VISIT NO 1: Keri weighed and measured me and we talked about my current eating pattern, and set a goal weight (she targets 500g/week loss). Then to my horror I worked out for 20 full-on minutes in her studio. I joined BodyTech last September so I didn’t suffer as much through the sets of lunges, curls, crunches, planks etc as much as I would have pre-gym - but I suffered nonetheless. It was not all that pleasant looking at my rather large self in the full length mirrors in the studio, either. But Keri chats throughout and punctuates her stopwatch-bearing instructions with warm encouragement, which helps a lot.

By the time Keri had finished training me she had also instructed me on my eating plan for the next week. Joy! Manageable and very little deprivation. No carbohydrates after 5pm (that being carbs in the classic sense - spuds, pasta, rice etc); no more than two slices of bread a day; three small meals a day with dinner eaten from a bread and butter plate; one of three snack options at morning and afternoon tea, and all to be logged alongside any exercise in my special Keri Ropati notebook.

To my inappropriate level of excitement, Keri told me that I could consider wine to be my sole treat and that I did not have to stop drinking.

On the way out of town I shared with my family what I intended and warned them that I may become a little ‘hangry’ from time to time. “Have an almond, Mum” they scoffed.

VISIT NO 2: Oh joy! In some eight days I have lost almost two kilos. I stuck to Keri’s prescription with my only lapse being a small tub of Nice Cream (have you TASTED that stuff?!) The eight days have been amazing, after a couple of days I could feel my body changing already, and I really hadn’t suffered too much.

I think I must have been carrying a lot of poor-eating induced fluid or something, because my tummy is much flatter and my back fat (I’m embarrassed to even admit that it exists in print) has diminished. After a fortnight my partner tells me he can see the change around my face already. My digestion is much better too. I FEEL GREAT. To my relief as I have been to the gym that morning, Keri does not insist that we train.

VISIT NO 3: I am worried. I jumped randomly on the scales on the Monday before my Friday visit to Keri, and I didn’t like what I saw. Although my clothes are still fitting far more comfortably than pre-Keri, they are no looser than last visit.

The scales confirm that despite more than a week’s effort, I have stayed the same. I’m a bit bored with my healthy eating, too. But meeting with Keri re-inspires me to try my very best for the week ahead. I know I had some small transgressions and I can perform better, this week. I’m going to drink more water, knock out the after-dinner apple I’ve sneaked in, and tweak what I eat for lunch. After training (that full-length view is better) Keri asks me to make sure I do two 30 minute sessions at the gym in the coming week, as well as the training I’m due to do on Friday.

I think the glitch would have made me give up without Keri’s coaching. Stay tuned for next month’s Ropati-Roulston report... PN KERI ROPATI WEIGHTLOSS AND FITNESS CENTRE, 37 MacKelvie Street, T: 09 378 1410 www.keriropati.co.nz (JULIE ROULSTON)

88 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LIVING, THINKING + BEING NEW JOYCE BLOK SUPER SERUM AT MORE THAN SKIN SPA & BEAUTY More Than Skin Spa & Beauty are delighted to introduce the new Joyce Blok Super Serum…

Combining the latest international advances in skin care with the protective benefits of natural ingredients, Joyce Blok is soon to release the most effective, comprehensive and high-performance product they have ever created - their new Super Serum.

The Joyce Blok brand collaborated extensively with one of Australasia’s foremost cosmetic chemists to develop this innovative serum. As a result, the Super Serum combines the synergy of science and nature to provide continuous hydration, nourishment and protection for your skin.

With a silky gel texture, the Super Serum is enriched with next-generation peptides, antioxidants and moisture boosting compounds to help reverse the effects of environmental damage and enhance the appearance of the skin. This paraben-free serum acts to repair, re-densify and rejuvenate, working to firm and smooth the face, neck and décolleté areas to reveal a more radiant, glowing complexion.

On counter from 8 July, the Super Serum will be available both in-salon and online from More Than Skin Ponsonby Urban Spa. Plus, to celebrate this exciting new launch, the salon will also be introducing a new Super Serum Express Facial so you can discover the benefits of this product for yourself. Ideal for busy people on the go, this intensive hydrating, replenishing and revitalising treatment is a great way to give your skin an instant beauty-boost in only 30 minutes.

To book your Super Serum Express Facial, call Vanessa and the Ponsonby team today on T: 09 361 2231. PN MORE THAN SKIN, 100 College Hill, T: 09 361 2231 www.morethanskin.co.nz

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING SHAKE IT OFF WITH EFFECTIVE WEIGHT MANAGEMENT Are you overweight? Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “How did I end up here?� Maybe you would feel happier if you could lose those last few kilos.

The Herbal Health Centre has recently introduced The Shake It Professional Weight Management Program, one of the most effective fat loss programs available. We believe each person is unique and that it is always best to seek qualified professional advice in order to gain long-term results.

Rosanne Sullivan, one of The Centres healthcare practitioners will support and advise you throughout the programme. She will complete an individual analysis of your body composition, help you to set goals, and monitor your progress during your weight loss programme. She will help you understand the whole picture of weight loss and provide you with the right information to assist in making good decisions, for lasting results.

Rosanne will encourage you to stay focused on your goal and journey as well as making it a fun experience. What a great investment!

Shake It assists you to lose up to two kg of fat per week whilst preserving your muscle mass. Most calorie-restricted diets produce disappointing results due to the excessive loss of muscle mass. The loss of muscle reduces your metabolic rate and increases your likelihood of putting the fat back on.

Call The Herbal Health Centre today to make an appointment to talk about commencing the Shake It Professional Weight Management Program. Gain long-term results and lasting knowledge on how to create the body that you want to see and the health you want to feel. PN THE HERBAL HEALTH CENTRE, 465 New North Road, Kingsland T: 09 849 4488 www.herbalhealthcentre.co.nz

ANY PAGE IN PONSONBY NEWS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE SEEN

90 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS ASK ALEX

HELP SPCA AUCKLAND SAVE A SENIOR TODAY! Many people who adopt cats look no further than the cute kittens, but have you considered giving a mature cat a forever home?

SPCA Auckland receives many older cats into our care when their owners can no longer care for them, or when the owner moves to a house unsuitable for their cat. On some sad occasions, older cats are left lonely when their lifelong owners pass away.

Often older cats are bewildered from being moved from their current, comfortable life to an uncertain future. SPCA Auckland cares for these unwanted seniors in the meantime, but what each cat really needs is a loving home again.

Why would you adopt an older cat? Mature cats have established their personalities and tend to be more settled and better behaved, so there’s less running up curtains! They are often much less demanding than kittens and make great companion animals.

We have many senior cats of varying ages. For example, Daisy is a confident, friendly and sociable lady aged six. Originally a stray, she lived with an elderly couple for five years until her owners passed away. She loves to play, is quite chatty and is looking for a home with a warm spot in the sun.

Our oldest cat, Kiara, is a delightful black and white tortie aged 10 years young. She has only ever lived with one person, who could not afford to keep her anymore. Peaceful Kiara is yearning for a new companion to love, and would be best suited to a quieter, less active home.

Together Daisy, Kiara and many other lovely cats a wait a caring forever home to see out their twilight years in style! PN View all our cats online at www.spca.org.nz or www.facebook.com/SPCAFriends.

Or visit the SPCA at 50 Westney Road, Mangere - Open 7 days from 10am to 4pm.

Each month Dr Alex Melrose answers readers’ pet related issues. email yours to: alex@vetcare.net.nz I’m trying to make clear what I understand from the Fair Go program you guys were guest speakers on about faulty pet microchips. My recollection is that the replacement chip, as well as the cost of the procedure to put the chip in is being paid for by the chip company. As opposed to us, the dog’s owner who has already paid once to put the chip in, having to foot the bill. This came as a big relief to me.

I realize in some cases the dog needs to be sedated, and as such in these cases a good time to insert a microchip is when a sedation or anaesthetic is being given for another procedure, dental work in the case of my dog. I’m just making sure my understanding is correct and I’m glad that with this issue being in the public eye at the moment that the chip company has stepped up. I guess the main point to take out of this story is whether or not dog owners know they need to get their dogs microchips checked and that if theirs has stopped working there is no cost to them to get a new chip. This is a really important point for some of us in today’s recession where some of us struggle to feed the kids let alone give out our pets the very best of care. Regards, Gary.

Q:

A:

Yes, that’s correct, the cost of some of the replacement chips, and the cost of replacing the chips has been partly paid for by manufacturers since they realised a widespread problem had occurred. The rest (including the re-registration fee) has been absorbed by our clinic, and not passed on to any clients. All pet owners can drop in anytime without an appointment to get their chips scanned. You will not been charged anything at all for replacing the chip (if required) and our nurses will help fill out the paperwork for registration of the new chip number against your pet (cats as well as dogs).

I’m really glad you saw that excellent Fair Go show. We were more than happy to be part of it, wanting to help let pet owners know about the worldwide chip failures, the solution and to help people ensure that if their pets are lost, they get returned safely. The main benefit of the micro-chipping in the first place being as we described on television its function as “The Longest Lead”, reuniting the high number of cats and dogs that get separated from their owners in central Auckland. (DR ALEX MELROSE, BVSC MRCVS) VETCARE GREY LYNN, 408 Great North Road T: 09 361 3500 www.vetcare.net.nz

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

91

PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS

SPCA AUCKLAND STILL OPPOSES ANIMAL TESTING ALWAYS HAS DONE, ALWAYS WILL DO There has been some misinformation floating around about the SPCA’s position on animal testing recently. Looks like it’s time to clear the air.

SPCA Auckland is completely opposed to animal testing of anything in any shape or form.

We have campaigned in the past and will continue to campaign in the future to oppose animal testing. Clear enough? You can take my word for all of that - I’m CEO of SPCA Auckland, the largest SPCA in New Zealand.

How did any confusion arise? It appears to stem from the participation of our National President, Bob Kerridge, in a Government Advisory Committee. This was a small group of high-powered experts invited to advise the Government on the safety testing regime for the Psychoactive Substances Bill.

Even before Bob said ‘yes’ to this invitation, he made it absolutely clear to the minister and the committee that his position and the position of the RNZSPCA is ‘no animal testing’. He presented to the committee at least 30 different alternatives to animal testing and did everything he could to convince them that no animal testing was necessary or acceptable. Unfortunately he failed. However, his influence did convince the committee to severely restrict the animal testing allowed and to promote the use of alternative, non-animal, tests.

But that’s not the end of the story. SPCA Auckland has and will continue to ask the public to join us in lobbying against animal testing. Please be assured that we will continue to do this until the right outcome is achieved for the animals. Find out more at www.spca.org.nz. (CHRISTINE KALIN, CEO of SPCA Auckland) PN

HARRYS BIG ADVENTURE RACHAEL ANTUNOVICH IS A LOCAL RESIDENT, WITH A GREAT STORY TO TELL ABOUT HER marvellous cat Harry. Two days after he was published in the Ponsonby News, fame must have got to him for he went missing for three days. Usually three days is normal for a cat to wander but Harry never misses dinner time. We wandered up and down our street, around the corners and put fliers up everywhere. We even used the photo you published in Ponsonby News, in case someone recognised him.

We live on a main road, so I was beside myself with fear I had lost him. Then magically, on the third night, like a mother knows her babies cry, I heard him answering my call.

Searching everywhere - up trees, under cars, in bushes - a man came running over to us from across the road and said a cat is stuck under his car in their carport, they heard cries for two days but because they just brought home two new kittens thought nothing of it. Well, it was my baby Harry and he is now safe at home. He definitely keeps within the gate and always shows up in time for dinner. He was definitely recognised as Harry from Ponsonby News.

Harry, pictured on the night I found him. He wouldn’t leave my side. PN (RACHAEL ANTUNOVICH)

THIA IS UNITED WITH HIS OWNERS Thanks to Ponsonby News, the lovely Richmond Road cat, featured in June Ponsonby News, has been reunited with his grateful owners, Jenny Linton and her boys, Lyall and Deacon.

The Richmond Road cat turns out not to be called ‘Fluffy Bum’, but actually is called Thia and he went missing in November when the Linton family moved from Sackville Street to Larchwood Avenue. Not far in human terms, but house moves are potentially stressful for territorial cats. Thia and his brother Obi, who went AWOL at the same time and sadly, Obi remains missing. Jenny Linton hopes Obi (who looks very similar to Thia) has found a kind family and she would love to know if he is alive and well.

To help settle Thia and ensure he stays in the family’s new home Jenny will be keeping him inside for at least two weeks and is using a synthetic feline facial pheromone diffuser.

Thai was happy to be back with his family and all his familiar things including his very favourite sleeping blanket namely Jenny’s woollen cardigan! Thia says, “thank you Ponsonby News for helping me find my way back to my family” says, Penelope Flack, who looked after the cat for quite a long period. PN

92 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2013

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS

SUE AND TONY BROWN AND THEIR GREYHOUND DAVE SUE AND TONY HAVE LIVED IN FREEMANS BAY’S BEAUMONT QUARTER FOR NINE years, both working in human resources. Sue is based in the city and Tony works for a company based on College Hill. The couple have been in New Zealand for 11 years and love it here. Sue says, “We love eating out and walking and Ponsonby is a great place to be based for both of those things - lots of great places to eat and lots of hills!”

Their greyhound Dave is turning six very shortly. He is a retired racing greyhound and was a top class racer in his day. “He made someone quite a bit of money during his time on the track in both Australia and New Zealand - unfortunately not us though,” laughs Sue. “Dave still loves running - you can see how much he enjoys it when he gets the chance to sprint - but mostly he is, like all retired greyhounds, stunningly lazy, preferring to spend most of his day stretched out on his bed or my carpet, whichever is sunnier.”

The couple have had Dave for eight months. He finished racing in September and after a bit of time at the Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) rehoming kennels and a short stay with another family, he came to them for a bit of TLC and fattening up. Sue tells, “We chose a greyhound because we had occasionally gone to the races when we both lived in London and had met some there. Greyhounds are very elegant and beautiful dogs but the main thing that attracted us was their calm and gentle nature - they are so laid back and soppy that they are a delight to own. They also hardly ever bark so they are great for places like Beaumont Quarter that are pet friendly but where having good doggy manners is at a premium.” Even though greyhounds are large dogs they don’t need a lot of exercise and still think they are lap dogs, so Sue says you should expect your hound to want a cuddle - Dave loves attention and being petted.

Greyhounds As Pets spend a lot of time matching the right dogs to the right owners.

When Sue and Tony first spoke to them, they arranged a home visit (to make sure they had the right sort of place to keep a greyhound) and also spent quite a lot of time talking to the couple about their particular situation. Sue and Tony live in a town house without a garden (but with great access to open spaces and Victoria Park) so GAP needed to find them an extra lazy hound who was happy to be indoors and wanted nothing more than to snooze in the warm (“which seems to be 90% of all greyhounds” says Sue).

They asked the couple to take Dave as a foster dog to fatten him up (as he had gotten a bit skinny after leaving his trainers - whom he really missed). They originally took Dave for four weeks and ‘just couldn’t bear’ to give him back - so they adopted him. Sue tells, “Dave was already his name when we got him. It was his kennel name (his racing name was Let’s Debate) - no idea why they called him Dave but it kind of suits him so we kept it - it makes us laugh, and quite a lot of people find it really funny when they first meet him which is nice too. Some people do change their greyhounds’ names when they first adopt them - but Dave really is a “Dave” by both nature and inclination so it was a bit of a no-brainer to leave it as it was.”

Dave loves playing with his fluffy dog toys - the squeakier the better as far as he is concerned. Sue says, “He is such a funny sight when he plays - all silly long legs and ridiculous ears flying - he is hard to resist.” Dave goes to Barkley Manor Doggy Day Care and Ponsonby News is told he has the best time ever in the big dog class. Other GAP greyhounds in the area - Janey, Rocky and Jess - also get his seal of approval as does Frankie the whippet. He also loves meeting people and thanks to his lovely crew of daytime dog walkers is often seen in the cafes of Ponsonby (Marcello’s and Bill Fish Cafe are a favourite) looking for pats and attention while they drink their coffees. “If you see Dave out and about he would love to say hello, so feel free to just pop over and he can show you why greyhounds make such great pets,” says Sue. He’s surprisingly unfussy, although he loves his dog roll with a passion. Like most greyhounds Dave’s appetite is not that large so he is not expensive to feed but - also like most greyhounds - he will help himself to any unattended food if left alone with it.

Greyhounds do have a thieving gene but are easy to train to stay away from your food while you are with it - but all bets are off if you leave it alone. Dave is also not averse to trying a “charm” mugging on unsuspecting people with meat pies, sandwiches or fried chicken - Sue and Tony have to be very careful or they can find people have ended up feeding him all their lunch. “We now have a zero tolerance policy on allowing dog begging when he is out and about, to protect the people of Ponsonby from his big eyed, tail waggy stares and nudges”. PN www.greyhoundsaspets.org.nz The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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BILLY HARRIS: KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY

Gabriella - Girl on the go a really busy day. Mum says I look like a luggage trolley when she drops me off because I have to take my school bag, trumpet, netball and ukulele that day. It’s actually quite hard to see me behind all the things I’m carrying! I have ukulele, then marimba, then trumpet, then rock band then in the afternoon performance band practice.”

It’s tough being the youngest of four kids. With a house full of noise and activity, simply being noticed can be a daily challenge.

Gabriella Rocca has found a way to overcome the problem. To escape the shadows cast by her older siblings, Bianca (16), Matteus (14) and Valentina (12), the ten year old Ponsonby Primary student has become a whirlwind of activity, doing everything and being everywhere at once. Her sporting pursuits of netball, running, surfing and skiing are just the start. She also plays the piano, trumpet, tenor horn, recorder, guitar and ukulele. She’s in the school rock band, marimba band and ukulele festival group.

And then there are her two real passions - which she’s had as long as anyone can remember - singing and dancing.

There aren’t enough hours in the day for Gabriella, but the busier she is, the more she likes it, as she explains: “My favourite days of the week are Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays I do crossing with my friend Mia at school, then I have my singing lesson, then Mia’s mum takes us to netball. I play wing attack. Thursday’s

Somehow Gabriella manages to squeeze athletics into her schedule, and she was chosen to represent the school in the inner city cross country and inner city athletics in the 100m, 200m and long jump.

This year Gabriella passed her grade two recorder exam, which allowed her to achieve another ambition. “Our family has a tradition in year six that if we pass a music exam we get our ears pierced at Auckland Tattoo in Ponsonby Road. That was a big incentive for me. Now I’m learning grade three recorder. If I pass that, some friends say I should get a tattoo!”

Gabriella and her brother and sisters are fortunate that their mother runs the Lewis Eady Music School, which teaches a whole range of instruments to over 1200 students across Auckland each week, including at Ponsonby Primary. Gabriella says, “When I ask Mum if I can learn another instrument, she thinks about it and then reminds me about all the extra practise I’d have to do. Then she usually says Yes!” It seems that despite her position as number four child and being short for her age. Gabriella has no problems being assertive. She was named sports captain for Ngarahoe House at Ponsonby, and chosen to go to a leadership conference a few weeks ago and listened to Jamie McDell and other inspiring speakers.

Even so, there’s no getting away from the hazards of having older siblings, particularly when one of them is a brother.

“Last year I was running away from my brother Matteus because he was going to put ice down my back and then I knocked over Bianca’s double bass and the tuning pegs hit my head. I screamed but Mum thought it was just a ‘brother scream’ so she took her time coming to see what the problem was.

There was a pool of blood forming on the ground beside my head so Mum said to keep lying down on the ground.

Then Dad told me sit up because he said I’d bleed more if I stayed lying on the ground.

Then someone got a tea towel and we put it on my head.

We went to White Cross Ponsonby where the lady glued my head together. She said it might hurt but I didn’t feel a thing. We’re a musical family so I suppose if I’m going to get injured it might as well be caused by a musical instrument!”

So with such a keen interest in such a wide array of things, how does one decide what to do next? Not surprisingly, Gabriella’s not sure. “I think it would be nice to be an entertainer but what I’d really like to do is combine singing with sport in some way.”

How’s this for a possible scenario? The Silver Ferns are about to play Australia in a big netball match. Gabriella Rocca has the honour of singing the national anthem.

When she’s finished she takes her place on court and helps the Silver Ferns to a great victory. PN

OK...

WHO ‘DONE’ IT? ANY PAGE IN PONSONBY NEWS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE SEEN...

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Nature Baby on Richmond Road were mystified when a mysterious framed artwork was attached to their exterior logo recently!

Yesterday, when I arrived to take a photo, it had been removed.

Nature Baby staff thought it was great, but are also delighted it’s gone now! No one knows who is behind this gorilla art! Is it ‘our’ version of Banksy!? PN

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

FUTURE GENERATION All profits from the performance on Saturday 27 July at 10.30am, will go straight to the Ponsonby/Herne Bay and Point Chevalier Plunket branches.

ANY PAGE IN PONSONBY NEWS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE SEEN

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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MEET THE TEACHER JOSEPHINE MCKENDREY Acting Principal - New Entrant Teacher Newton Central School HOW DID YOU COME TO BE A PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER? I applied late in my final year at high school to Palmerston North Teachers’ College, was shortlisted and finally accepted. The application was more or less something I stumbled into at the time - I was a typically disorganised 17 year old. One of my high school career advisers had suggested nursing...yep, typical, nursing or teaching - this was 1986!

WHERE DID YOU TRAIN? I trained for three years at TCOL then did another year to complete my degree at Massey University.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO NEWTON PRIMARY? Change, and my now current principal, Hoana Pearson, in a round-about fashion. I had worked for eight years at Swanson Primary and needed a change of setting. I had been to an inner city workshop on Maori parent engagement and Hoana was the speaker.

Later an old teacher friend told me of a job going at his school and it just happened to be where Hoana was principal.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT BEING A TEACHER? Definitely the students. It’s a highly creative job and our teaching is a craft, added to that - we’re shaping the future. It’s got a lot of feel-good quality to it. I’m fortunate as acting principal, as I often get to take prospective parents into the rooms of other classes to show them around our school, to meet our teachers and see our students.

That’s another way I get confirmation of how fortunate I am to work alongside this staff and the students - what we do every day is pretty special.

HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR TEACHING CAREER? Highlights - there have been way too many, but ultimately it’s ‘the people’ - having people believe in you, having people come and see how special our students are, having our whanau come and get behind us for Fiafia day, seeing our students shine and all the different people who you come across - who guide you, support you, teach you and work alongside you.

LOW POINT OF YOUR TEACHING CAREER? Being sick/off work, having students who are at risk, and ultimately - budgets!

SCHOOL KIDS SHARE THEIR DESIGN IDEAS FOR WYNYARD QUARTER 200 students from Westmere Primary School visited Wynyard Quarter last month to begin a unique design project to attract a diverse range of people into the area.

The theme of the project is transformation, and the students were tasked with looking at one of the current undeveloped areas in Wynyard Quarter and designing a new use for the space.

Wynyard Quarter was chosen as an area of interest after looking at Tiritiri Matangi as a finished transformation project. The idea is to now identify what is missing along the waterfront and design something that will enhance and draw a range of people into the area.

The students, aged between 7 and 11, were given an informative tour of the area, explaining its current uses and how the design elements were carefully selected to draw people into the area. The kids are focusing on the Jellicoe Street car park and will think up and design a new use for the space.

HOW WOULD OTHER TEACHERS DESCRIBE YOU? My colleagues usually say I’m bubbly, enthusiastic, and moralistic and they like to tease me a lot me in general.

On being asked their initial thoughts on what they would like to see in the area, a theme park, gift shop and skate park were among their responses. To help bring an element of practicality to some of the more creative suggestions, Shane Gault, the lead teacher of the project has created a decision making and thinking tool to distill their ideas and make sure they’ve considered as many factors as possible about their design and how it would work in the given space. They will also submit a persuasive writing piece as to why they have chosen their particular idea.

HOW WOULD YOUR STUDENTS DESCRIBE YOU? Princess Josephine? - I’m not too sure.

The project will be carried out over four weeks; we look forward to seeing what ideas the kids come up with for the use of this space. PN

HOW WOULD YOUR PRINCIPAL DESCRIBE YOU? Hoana would say I am like a piwaiwaka - a flittering fantail, lots of energy, fast, loud laugh and should take up tiddly-winks rather than play hockey.

IF YOU COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND IN YOUR CLASSROOM...

Did I mention a budget? Sky’s the limit, right? I’d definitely have to get the complete Jump Jam collection with Best of Volumes 1 - 2, get Kevin McCloud in to whip up a grand design for my ultimate classroom - expansion, more indoor-outdoor flow, a bigger wet area, best ergonomic furniture and bigger space to work in and...I could just go on and on and on.

FIVE TIPS FOR MUMS AND DADS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL KIDS 1. Slow down - less is more.

2. Play actual (board) games with your children, card games etc - non-screen ones.

3. Walk, scooter or cycle to school with your child at least once a week.

4. Go on as many school trips as possible - they’re only ever at primary once.

5. Teach them independent life skills - prepare your child to do for themselves, teach them how and insist that they are the ones to carry their bags, empty their bags, dress and keep their gear organised. PN

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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY INTERMEDIATE COOKS UP A STORM Home Economics teacher, Matt Baker is justifiably proud of his student’s achievements. When Ponsonby Central opened Matt saw a golden opportunity for his class in the shape of the state of the art community kitchen that anyone from Ponsonby can use.

Matt approached the manager, Leah La Hood with a proposition and the consequence is that his cooking class has a slot there every Thursday from 1.30 to 3.00pm. The kitchen is sponsored by Fisher and Paykel so the children are working with fantastic equipment and are able to produce food they can serve to the public. They’ve also been able to take the meals into Radio Ponsonby and have discussions with some of the DJ’s, which brings another aspect to their cooking.

So there they all are, plating up their food and sharing it with whoever happens to be wandering around the market at the time and people are generally very receptive to their approach. Those sitting and dining are left alone because it wouldn’t be appropriate to encroach on the established eateries’ clients. The theme for term one was Asian food. Term two focussed on Mexican cuisine with resident restaurant, Maldito Mendez contributing support. Maldito also has a mobile restaurant kitchen which moves around markets and was recently voted the top mobile kitchen in Auckland. This enterprise is about delivering fast, healthy, vibrant food. Argentinian restaurant, El Sizzling have a chef, Damon Castro who has given the class some really authentic tips about, for instance, making one’s own tortillas.

Just the fact of being in this location means the kids are rubbing shoulders and working with successful professionals in the field. Unfortunately Matt has only one van so the group of 24 has to be split in half so he takes 12 at a time, enabling him to concentrate on that session. The remaining group stay at the school doing the same lesson with another teacher. If he was able to staff the exercise with another teacher he’d have no hesitation in taking the 24 kids there because the kitchen is more than large enough to accommodate the whole class plus it has the most fantastic facilities. There’s even an oven that cleans itself with extreme heat that burns off all the grime. This area is separate from the public and allows the children to concentrate on what they are doing.

When Ponsonby Central holds a weekend market the children want to be involved as well so Matt takes along a team dressed up in little chef’s jackets which makes them feel a foot and a half taller. Initially when it opened in November the school put on a performance road show which comprised of musical bands, singing, poetry reading and songwriting. The spinoff from that is the chance to display art, thanks to Leah who has been incredibly supportive. The performance opportunities for art, music and literature is about putting the children on the stage and demonstrating to the public that these children have confidence and motivation.

The cooking option in the course is not imposed on them. They have chosen it themselves, supply their own ingredients, work from a recipe book and design the menu. Each team of four has a work station with a head chef, a sous chef, a kitchen hand etc. Planning an edible garden for the school is a new initiative with the ECO Warriors participating as well. The band of ECO Warriors are out there pushing sustainability and are now helping with the garden design. Fonterra have supplied fertiliser and New Zealand Heritage the seedlings. The children will maintain the garden and so become aware of the overall picture; here is the food and this is what it comes from. This is the food chain Matt is looking to establish so it’s not just about Home Economics anymore.

The vision is much wider.

FUTURE GENERATION THE INNER CITY ARTS PROGRAMME THE ANNUAL EVENT, ‘Through the Eyes of a Child’, is being backed by community-spirited companies Bayleys and Master Kelwin Floors for the 15th year.

The inner city school art project is offering Auckland residents the chance to see the world from a child’s perspective.

Bayleys and co-sponsors Master Kelwin Floors have donated $750 towards school art development and two children from each year group receive a gift voucher for the Children’s Bookshop in Ponsonby.

Twelve primary and intermediate schools are taking part in the programme by holding individual exhibitions, building to a final group event in the third term break.

The project is a great way to support local schools and develop grassroots art in the community, said Bayleys Auckland salesperson, Westmere resident Andrea Ritchie.

“We’re delighted to be involved in the event again. It’s a wonderful way for Bayleys to invest in the community,” she said. “We’re always impressed by the artworks children create during the project. It’s a great way for them a way to communicate their ideas to the world.”

The artworks are completed as part of each school’s curriculum, with subjects ranging from landscapes and animals, through to portraits and still life. Students also use various techniques and mediums - such as screen printing, papier mache, paint and pastel - to create paintings, or three-dimensional works such as masks, pottery and model figures. Each school holds an exhibition of works to be judged by a local artist or invited guests selected by the school.

Two of the first exhibitions by Newton Central in Arch Hill and St Josephs in Grey Lynn opened earlier this month to a great response, said Andrea. Ten more exhibitions will be held by the schools during the next two school terms. In the third term break between 27 September and 14 October, a final group exhibition of the best works will take place at New World, College Hill. In addition, two students were selected by each school to work on a collaborative piece of art under the direction of Pasadena Intermediate’s Sue Elliot.

This year students were inspired by a tree near the West Lynn shops. Named the ‘Our Community Tree’, it features teddy bears collecting in the tree’s branches, aimed at making people smile, say the creators. The on-going success of the programme meant many parents have beautiful pieces of artwork created by children in the community now hanging in their homes, Andrea said. PN www.bayleys.co.nz www.masterkelwin.co.nz

In June this year Matt was interviewed for an article about Ponsonby Central by the editor of Gekkan Magazine. This is a Japanese Monthly publication, a freebie with a circulation of 250,000. The intention is to instill a message about community environment with young children involved. Some photos of the children will appear in the upcoming July issue.

Matt says the stint at Ponsonby Central is the highlight of his week. The amount of preparation and getting everybody ready for it is a bit exhausting but once there and seeing the children turn out healthy, vibrant food he relaxes. (DEIRDRE TOHILL) PN ‘Our Community Tree’ - a collaborative artwork created by children taking part in a combined schools project The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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FUTURE GENERATION THE HEART OF INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY THERE ARE MANY MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE Montessori education approach and I feel as though I’ve heard them all since opening the doors to Little Engines earlier this year. Some people think it’s a religion, some a cult. Other people think it lacks structure, while still others think it is too rigid. And those that think it is too rigid are typically concerned that it stifles creativity. And within all this is the concern that perhaps we should just stick with the mainstream for fear that our children will somehow struggle to cope when they enter traditional school environments for their higher education. The latter two are perhaps the most prevalent and I thought I’d provide a few insights to dispel those myths.

The issue of creativity is an interesting one, particularly in the so-called age of innovation where technology has led to rapid changes in the way society functions. Less certainty exists today as to what the jobs of the future will actually be and so it is important that our children develop the capacities for creativity, innovative thought and adaptability. In making the case for Montessori, it may surprise many to discover that such doyens of innovation as the Google founders, Larry Page and Sergei Brin, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales, management guru Peter Drucker, the queen of cuisine Julia Child and Sean “P Diddy” Combs - the bloke who took rap music from Compton to the Hamptons - all attended Montessori schools. In an interview following Google’s successful stock market listing, Page and Brin actually credited their success to their Montessori preschool education.

From it’s earliest days, Montessori has caught the imagination of innovative thinkers. Alexander Graham Bell helped establish Canada’s first Montessori class and Thomas Edison, one of the world’s great tinkerers, helped found a Montessori school in the US. The main goal of Montessori is to foster an intrinsic love of learning by providing a stimulating, child-oriented environment with mixed age classrooms where children direct their own course of learning via a “discovery” model, in which the kids grasp concepts from working with materials for long blocks of time, rather than by direct instruction. Divergent, rather than convergent, thinking is encouraged and the children freely gravitate to whichever curriculum area they prefer. The children enjoy great liberty to pursue a particular course of investigation, a train of thought.

Structure, in a Montessori context, has little to do with being regimented or prescriptive. Structure exists in the way the classroom is designed, with an emphasis on beauty and harmony, a sense of order, child-sized materials that support independence and promote development and are arranged in such a way as to facilitate movement and activity. Visitors to Little Engines are consistently impressed by the degree to which the children seem so immersed in activities whether it be pouring water among different shaped vessels, threading cut straws to make a necklace or collegially gathered around a mat on the floor engaging in many varied activities with little or no teacher direction. It is an

environment custom-made for those young and inquiring minds that seem to have an unending list of questions that directly leads to a wonderful creative flow. Learning becomes a journey of discovery rather than absorption of fact. Albert Einstein once famously said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer”.

Sounds nice, but does it work? How do Montessori kids fare when they head off to primary school? The anecdotal feedback that our experienced teachers have had over many years from families and teachers is that they arrive at school on a very strong footing. In terms of a more rigorous assessment, a comprehensive study published in Science magazine in 2006 compared the educational achievement of urban minority children who attended Montessori schools versus the performance of other local children attending a variety of more traditional preschools.

The study concluded that, “Montessori students proved to be significantly better prepared for school in reading and math skills than the non-Montessori children”. They also tested better on “executive function”, the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems, an indicator of future school and life success.” Equally important, there were significant benefits observed in the social skills of the Montessori pre-schoolers in terms of their sense of social justice and fairness; in the playground they were much more likely to engage in emotionally positive play with peers, with less “rough” play. (JUSTIN EDGAR) PN

CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOP REVIEW School Zone range published by Hinkler Prices range from $4.99 - $14.99 School Zone offers a well-priced Australasian series of workbooks, flashcards and software to help support a child’s learning.

The graded workbooks have colourful illustrations, clear directions and a variety of stimulating activities for children from pre-school to middle school level. There are also flashcards and game cards to engage children and help them memorise basic facts and to sharpen skills.

A range of the books also come with CDROM software which can enhance the learning experience with interactive games and skills. PN DOROTHY BUTLER CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOP, 1 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 7283 www.childrensbookshop.co.nz

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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

FUTURE GENERATION PARNELL COMES TO PONSONBY The Parnell Trust is bringing their very cool school holiday programme to the Ponsonby Community Centre, starting with the next July school holidays, at the invitation of the Centre.

Parents can choose from two school holiday programme options at Ponsonby Community Centre: • Club House: Loads of fun onsite every day; and • Adventure Seekers: Exhilarating adventures out and about in the Auckland area departing every day from Ponsonby Community Centre.

Children can be dropped off at the Ponsonby Community Centre as early as 7.30am and picked up as late as 6pm making this a great solution for both local parents and parents who commute to work in Ponsonby. PN PONSONBY COMMUNITY CENTRE, 20 Ponsonby Terrace, T: 09 378 1752 www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz www.parnell.org.nz

ANY PAGE IN PONSONBY NEWS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE SEEN

HERNE BAY HUSTLERS Welcome to another edition from 22 of the finest fellas you’ll find under 85kgs. The season continues to go well for the Herne Bay Hustlers. At the time of writing this they remain unbeaten, with their only speed bump being a draw with Teachers Eastern.

Cox’s Bay is developing into a Hustlers fortress, with opposition teams comparing it to the House of Pain of the 90’s.

The table currently reads: TEAM

PLAYED

Pakuranga Rattlers Ardmore Marist Herne Bay Hustlers Eden Lizards Teachers Eastern Taniwhas Pakuranga Cobras Suburbs Mustangs Mt Wellington Brothers College Rifles Shooters Marist OB Waiheke Pirates Varsity Babas

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

WINS

DRAWS

5 5 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LOSSES 0 0 0 2 1 2 3 3 3 4 3 2

Our next home game for this publication will be the 20 July at Cox’s Bay versus the Pakuranga Cobras at 1pm, with Mt Wellington the following week at the same time at the Hustlers fortress. The support from the community has been fantastic and we look forward to putting on another couple of excellent performances for our fans.

The team is generally healthy with only a few injuries/people unavailable: • Matt Barton (four weeks) continues to battle back from a cracked heel.

• James Cooney (two-three weeks) personal issues around the impending death of a pet.

• Simon Hamilton - Recurring and unexplained hamstring tightness.

• Toby Buller (two weeks) In quarantine following a chronic outbreak of an extremely rare strain of HSV. The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEFAULTS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3

BONUS POINTS 3 1 2 5 3 3 3 2 2 3 0 0

FOR

AGAINST

54 83 90 142 118 109 93 93 54 60 17 5

21 37 34 40 52 59 95 133 92 117 142 96

F/A 33 46 56 102 66 50 -2 -40 -38 -57 -125 -91

STANDING POINTS 23 21 20 17 17 15 11 10 10 3 0 0

The bachelor of the month has again gone beyond everyone’s expectations, with Jase ‘Bones’ Ghinis finding love in our local area - wishing you all the best Jason!

Out next Bachelor is a living legend: Name: Andy ‘Granddad’ Bowman Cellphone: 022 368 9871 Sex: 100% Male Age: Unknown, estimates range from 25 to 40 years Height: 185cm Favourite colour: Red Unknown fact: Can play the Trombone Occupation: Full time coach Lives: In the past Motto: You’re only as old as the lady you’re texting DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

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SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY

Premier League fans should be rejoicing! Youngster makes moves in veterans absence After working for the past six months for one of the largest digital sports providers in the world, I must admit to finding the massive uproar about Sky Sport missing out on the rights to broadcast the English Premier League quite comical.

The thought of Blacksticks skipper Kayla Sharland hanging up her hockey stick for good has often sent a shiver up the spine of hockey fans throughout the country, whilst bringing a wry smile to the face of many international teams around the globe.

Sure it would have been so much easier to stick with the status quo and watch it on Sky. But anyone and everyone should actually consider this is a big win for the sport loving consumer.

Her break from international hockey post the London 2012 Olympic Games let a few younger players strut their stuff, but also exposed a gulf between her and the majority of the next batch of the country’s elite.

The fact that someone has seen the New Zealand market, which for the past decade has been so heavily dominated by one provider as a viable business proposition can only point to greater things to come.

That was until youngster Stacy Michelsen found her feet during Sharland’s absence in the New Zealand midfield. Sharland will take some replacing there’s no argument there, her 108 odd caps and decade in the black dress gives her an edge to draw on when the going gets tough and her take no prisoners style is also a pleasure to watch.

Quite honestly it’s refreshing to believe little old New Zealand hasn’t been forgotten.

And if you’re thinking the cost of an annual subscription of $149 for all 380 games is a little too much, then consider that the average price for a ticket to watch one Premier League game live is almost the same amount.

Today internet speeds and broadband width aren’t the best; we all know that, but watch that quickly change. The company that now holds the rights to the Premier League won’t have made this decision without the assurance they could actually broadcast the matches online. Expect that dreaded pinwheel of death associated with online buffering to disappear, not overnight, but it will take place. And these sorts of thing are happening all over the world. Telco’s are morphing into more of a content provider than just the old traditionally inflexible beast that has below par reception and which hits you with your exorbitant monthly phone bill.

Coliseum CEO Tim Martin says he doesn’t need a Telco to partner with to make the venture successful, but rest assured it will be very much to his advantage to do so.

And like any business the more revenue streams a product can provide the greater its chance of success.

You can expect to see Coliseum partner with either Vodafone or Telecom to offer these subscriptions. They’ve already partnered with TVNZ to bring a match via delayed coverage free to air on a Sunday afternoon, which will no doubt have paid back some of the costs of their initial outlay so there’s no reason to think Telecom or Vodafone won’t be added to the deal.

In the United Kingdom British Telecom, better known as BT, has forged a path that has paved the way for all to follow, bidding for rights and entering the market traditionally dominated by broadcasters. The market has been split wide open and now offers the consumer a raft of previously unavailable selections at far better rates than ever seen before.

Coliseum is in the throes of doing exactly the same in New Zealand.

Whether you’re sitting at home and watching it on your big-screen, riding the bus to work and watching it on your iPad or even your smart phone, the landscape for sports viewing has changed. Not for the good of the game, for the good of the consumer.

And while football looks to be one of the first cabs off the rank in New Zealand, don’t expect it to be the last. In fact, ANBL, NBA, Triathlon, Tennis and Equestrian can all be viewed online in New Zealand through their respective online broadcasters.

Hockey New Zealand have already dipped their toes in the water, broadcasting their home series against Korea online and there’s a fair few other sports' governing bodies seriously considering following suit.

This is just the start of better things to come. (GEORGE BERRY) PN

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But luckily enough, that all or nothing quality seems to be rubbing off on 22 year old Michelsen who, like Sharland has been named as a finalist in the International Player of the Year awards. The former St Cuthbert’s College student has been rewarded with the nomination for the second year in a row for the junior player of the year title whilst Sharland is in line for the womens player of the year award.

A Blackstick since 2009, Michelsen is now seen as a senior player in the squad with 127 caps of her own and is taking the responsibilities that go with that very seriously.

Crafting a reputation for being an energetic yet skillful operator, she’s never too far from the action and has an uncanny ability to beat her opposition with the goal never too far from her sights.

She will have a tough run to keep the trophy on her Auckland mantel piece with Australian Anna Flanagan and Argentina’s Florencia Habif also nominated, but if anyone can do it Michelsen can.

Since the Young Women awards began in 2001 Michelsen’s the only Kiwi to win the award, while a New Zealand representative is yet to be recognised with the Women’s gong. So fingers crossed Michelsen can do it again, while Sharland gets her name and New Zealand’s on the board for the first time. (GEORGE BERRY) PN

GUIDE TO UNITARY PLAN CHANGES THE AUCKLAND PLAN COMMITTEE MET EARLIER THIS MONTH TO CONSIDER THE FIRST set of directions to address issues identified in the draft Unitary Plan. The directions, based on feedback analysed to date, were proposed by elected members at the first two post-engagement Unitary Plan workshops.

A report outlining some of the key issues identified by Aucklanders as well as the initial directions were presented to the Auckland Plan Committee on Tuesday 2 July.

The topics covered in the first two workshops and reflected in the report include: • Principles for height in local and town centres • Principles for height, notification and provisions in the Terrace House and Apartment Building zone • Proposed heights, minimum dwelling size and development controls in the Mixed Housing Zone • Quality design and notification of development control infringements Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, says she is pleased with the progress councillors and local board chairs have made over the past two weeks.

“The workshops have been well attended and there has been very useful discussion from everyone on how to incorporate what we are hearing from our community into the plan. Tuesday’s committee meeting is about further discussion and giving staff a more formal go ahead to start incorporating changes into the version of the plan we are developing, ready for notification,” said Penny Hulse. For further details on the feedback and the next steps in the Unitary Plan process www.shapeauckland.co.nz PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY

Our Bryan ‘Beegee’ Williams It doesn’t matter what letters you stick in front of former All Black Bryan Williams’ name, he’s still ‘Beegee’ and you’ll still find him down at the Ponsonby Rugby Club calling the shots.

The 62 year old was recently appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby in the Queen’s Birthday honours. This was Williams second pat on the back from Her Majesty, after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1983, also for his services to the game he loves and continues to be heavily involved in to this day. Although it was hugely humbling for the quietly spoken Aucklander, you get the feeling he’s happy to slip back out of the limelight, “It was a great thrill to be honoured and I was very grateful, but things are right back to normal, I get a bit of a ribbing down at the club I guess, but no, my role hasn’t changed and it’s business as usual - which is good.”

Williams shot to prominence as a player on the controversial New Zealand tour of South Africa in 1970. Where Williams was a petite yet dominant figure on the wing scoring 14 tries from 13 appearances. The man now dubbed ‘the first Samoan superstar’ constructed a proud career over 10 years at the top where he was something of a pioneer for Polynesian athletes who were yet to fully break into the national sporting landscape. However, despite the glory and honour of pulling on the black jersey, when the 62 year old looks back on his playing days he rates his achievements with the Ponsonby Rugby Club as some of his finest. “Winning the Gallagher Shield for the first time in 1977 was probably the pinnacle for me. I had debuted for the club 10 years earlier and it took us 10 long years to get our hands on it, but once we did it was tough to get it off us; and it still continues today, we’ve won it 10 times in the last 12 years …

Greedy buggers,” Williams chuckles.

Beegee’s passion for the national game continued once he hung up the boots, swiftly moving into coaching. He led many club sides in New Zealand, including his beloved Ponsonby and even had a stint as Super Rugby Coach at the Hurricanes. His highest coaching achievement was with Manu Samoa in 1999. It didn’t matter where Williams was or what commitments he had, being involved with the game was always at the top of

his agenda. “It’s really the enjoyment factor which is a by-product of the game. I love the camaraderie and spirit you get at a club where everyone is united for a common cause.”

That cause has often been and still is today the Ponsonby Club. Nestled in at Western Springs, Williams spends much of his time there these days in his role as the director of rugby and is hugely proud of what the club has achieved. “We’ve currently got around 60 teams playing through all the grades and the place is really thriving. We’ve got good people involved and people who are prepared to give up their time and volunteer to help out. We’re pretty lucky in that respect and it makes it all pretty special.”

Williams knows a thing or two about service as well, after spending two years as president of the New Zealand Rugby Union. Current chairman Mike Eagle paid tribute to his tireless work in and around the game. “Beegee has been a wonderful ambassador for the game - an inspiring player, coach and administrator for his beloved Ponsonby club, always serving the game he loves with great passion, humility and humour,” said Eagle. In an era when rugby and the clubrooms are no longer the be all and end all for kids growing up, Williams acknowledges now, more than ever, that clubs need to stay strong and tight knit to survive. “Without people giving up their time and helping it’s very hard for clubs to run effectively and gain the success which they need to grow. Clubs are important to communities and we must endeavour to protect them.”

So is Williams, now a granddad and proud father to rugby playing boys, by his own admission “getting a bit grumpy and giving a few tune ups around the place” still committed to the cause? “I’ll give my life of service to the Ponsonby Club, no doubt about that. I suppose the clock is ticking on my current role and I can’t do it forever. I’m still enjoying what I do though and as long as that is the case I think I’ll hang around.”

(GEORGE BERRY) PN

Former All Blacks, Bryan Williams and Keith Nelson pictured here at Ponsonby Rugby Club The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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LOOK... WHO IS IN THE ZOO! “The brothers have a really strong bond and stick together quite a lot. Whether this is because they’ve been raised together or for protection, we’re never going to know, but they’re almost inseparable. In fact, Mtoto in particular gets quite upset if he is away from his older brother for too long. It’s almost the easiest way to tell the three of them apart - you know that Inkosi and Mtoto are going to be sticking together because they are inseparable and Zambezi is going to be by himself.”

RHINO IN TROUBLE Hunted for their horns, the southern white rhino population dropped to below 50 animals in the 1900s, but a huge conservation effort has seen its population rise to over 17,000 today.

FATHER AND SONS Africa’s southern white rhinoceros is the world’s third largest land mammal and the largest of the five rhino species.

Poaching, deforestation and habitat loss continue to be major threats to all rhino, including Asian rhino species. The Javan rhino is tragically teetering on the brink of extinction with a population of less than 50.

SEE OUR RHINO You can visit the bachelors in Auckland Zoo’s Pridelands, or meet them close-up on a behind-the-scenes African experience.

This tall and stocky two-horned rhino has skin that, in some places, can be as thick as a phone book, and it can tip the scales at up to 3.6 tonne. But that doesn’t impede this rhino’s ability to run. It is masterful at manoeuvring and when travelling across the African savannah can clock up speeds of between 30 - 40km per hour!

Poor vision means it relies on scent, hearing and detecting movement - using scent marking as a way of communication, as well as a variety of grunts, snorts, bellows and whistles.

OUR BACHELOR HERD Auckland Zoo is home to three male southern white rhinos - Zambezi and his two sons, Inkosi and Mtoto. These boys are Australasia’s only bachelor herd. Male rhino are normally solitary, so having this trio co-habiting is very unusual.

Organisations all around the world who manage the species in captivity, give close attention to this unique group, and how Auckland Zoo manages it.

Pridelands keeper David Crimp says so far the trial is working really well. “Dad Zambezi, who weighs around two tonne, is often the boss. Occasionally his sons try it on with him, but it doesn’t take much for him to push them away. We very rarely get any aggression with them, but if aggression does come up it’s usually over food, just because they’re impatient rhinos.”

As a way of managing this unusual hierarchy, keepers try to give Zambezi food first, “just so he feels he’s the most important,” says David.

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FOLLOW THE LEAF TRAILS AND WIN Learn how you can help protect the forest these July holidays (13-28 July) just like the ‘leafmen’ from epic, the movie. Come to Auckland Zoo and jump, balance, crawl and weave your way through, around and over obstacles at our ‘Leafman bootcamp’. Follow the leaf trails to discover the creatures that live in the forest, or visit the epic activity centre. There are also lots of great prizes and one big epic prize to be won. Plus, you can listen to and get lost in the fun stories told each day. PN Normal Zoo admission prices apply.

AUCKLAND ZOO, Motions Road, T: 09 360 4700 www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS: LOGAN GRANGER

Applying for Bank Finance - Let your Accountant help with the Loan Application Process BANKS ARE ALWAYS CAREFUL LETTING THEIR MONEY go and they don’t like to take more risk than they need to. Small businesses can pose a high lending and credit risk, which is the reason why many banks are so reluctant to lend it to small businesses. It is much easier to lend out mortgage finance on land and buildings than it is to lend on business activities, and indeed the reserve bank encourages this type of bank lending structure. Therefore to get bank funding for businesses your planning and preparation needs to be complete and well presented.

A lot of business plans submitted to banks by small businesses, are poorly completed and executed. Often, they focus on marketing and potential rather than a substantiated outline of projections, backed up by proper evidence and research, linked to what has gone before. Banks like to crunch numbers, analyse projections and ratios, therefore you need to be sure that your numbers and projections will stack up to the banks credit risk assessment.

Business plans and requests for bank funding will tend to have the opposite effect to that intended, if they just include marketing hype and lack proper hard data and risk considerations. The bank will view the presentation or proposal as scarce on necessary details to assess the risk of lending to your business. Often those applying for funding from banks for a business set up or expansion, do not appreciate that the bank evaluation is primarily concerned with what has been left out of the proposal, as in what are the short comings in it, rather than what has been included.

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For example a bank will not be terribly impressed by the presentation of simple receivables figure, as a key asset.

They will want to see the ageing of the receivables and your collections relative to your bad debts in order to assess the vulnerability to bad debts over all.

Bank credit controllers are particularly concerned in areas of the business in which you are seeking to expand. The bank’s own research will identify what areas are believed to be potentially successful. Remember they have an incredible data base of research and information to assess the merits of your plan and business.

Often there is a focus on the business owners and staff.

In applications with a marketing bias, there are often claims made about individuals and their achievements.

Banks are more interested in factual statement about owners and staff members and their relevant histories, than hype.

The use of a chartered accountant can be valuable, because it gives the bank a reason to take the application seriously. They can help you format and integrate the financial data into the application, in regard to any historical financial trading results. They can work with you to present credible and believable budgets, forecasts, cash flow projections and required ratios, checking and testing your assumptions. The bank will now be presented with a thorough plan backed by financial data and it is in a direction they believe is right for growth.

When you apply for bank funding you need to manage the process meticulously. Remember the bank is always concerned with the security of getting its capital back and your ability to repay the debt, you must consider this at all times. A loan application needs considerably greater depth than a personal resume. It will achieve the desired result by conveying the impression that it carries an unvarnished realistic account of the business’s current position, and that by advancing the loan the position will only improve.

The involvement of a chartered accountant familiar with the business of the borrower and the lender, will greatly improve the chances of a loan being approved. There is considerably more to the funding application process than outlined above, these few examples and points do not cover a complete set of considerations and are only a small part of the overall requirement.

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss this matter please do not hesitate to contact Logan Granger.

Disclaimer - While all care has been take, Johnston Associates Chartered Accountants Ltd and its staff accept no liability for the content of this article; always see your professional advisor before taking any action that you are unsure about. PN

JOHNSTON ASSOCIATES, 202 Ponsonby Road T: 09 361 6701 www.jacal.co.nz

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PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS: METROLAW GOT A LEGAL QUESTION? ASK MICHAEL@METROLAW.CO.NZ

Email Michael with your question and include PONSONBY NEWS in the subject line. Michael Hemphill, a partner of the firm will answer one topical question each month.

Q: A:

I’m going to put an offer in on a house but want to make the offer conditional on my lawyer checking that the purchase is OK. That way we don’t have to rush around before signing the agreement. Can I do this?

You can add clauses into the agreement for sale and purchase that make the agreement ‘conditional’. When you do this it means that you are not obligated to complete the purchase of the property until those conditions are satisfied.

If a condition is not fulfilled then the person who has the benefit of the condition may cancel the agreement.

Solicitor’s approval conditions have been limited by case law to approval of the form of the agreement and the title. It is not a “get out of jail free” card. It does not let you cancel because you have changed your mind or decided that you are paying too much for the property.

The best way to keep your options open on signing the agreement is to include a ‘due diligence’ condition in the agreement. Your lawyer should be able to provide one for you to include in the agreement. Provided that it is drafted properly a ‘due diligence’ condition will allow you and your lawyer to review all aspects of the purchase before you are committed to buying the property.

Real Estate agents are often suspicious of due diligence clauses as they don’t want the agreement to fall over if the purchaser is suddenly gripped by buyer’s remorse. If the purchaser won’t accept a due diligence clause then you need a broader range of conditions to protect you while you are checking out the property.

Typically in Auckland the standard ADLS agreement for sale and purchase of real estate is used for buying and selling residential property. If you are making an offer on a property it will most likely be on this type of agreement. If it is not then you should always have your lawyer review it before signing.

The ADLS agreement has certain standard conditions in it for the benefit of the purchaser. These include a finance condition, a LIM condition and a builder’s report condition. It is often wise to make the agreement conditional on all of these things but a due diligence condition can cover all of these aspects.

If you want to include specific conditions then you should discuss your specific needs with your solicitor and the types of property that you are considering. The more conditions in the agreement the less appealing an offer may appear to the vendor but in most instances it is the purchase price that matters most to a vendor. (MICHAEL HEMPHILL)

Disclaimer - This article is for general information purposes only. If you have a legal problem you should seek advice from a lawyer. Metro Law does not accept any liability other than to its clients and then only when advice is sought on specific matters.

Metrolaw, Level 2, 36 Williamson Avenue T: 09 929 0800 www.metrolaw.co.nz

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THE HISTORICAL BOROUGH OF PONSONBY AND GREY LYNN: STREET NAMES

CAMERON STREET ONE WONDERS WHY THE CITY FATHERS CHANGED Cheeseman Street in Herne Bay to Cameron Street.

Perhaps it was because Duncan Alexander Cameron has been credited for sounding the death knell of Maori independence. This stiff necked ‘tall man, with a large hookey nose and small grey eyes’ was born in December 1808, the son of Sir John and Lady Cameron. The family descended from the chiefs of their clan and Duncan entered the army in 1825. Being well connected, he was soon promoted and eventually made commander of the Highland Brigade, leading with distinction in the Crimean War, the battles of Alma and Balaclava and the siege of Sebastopol. In 1960 he was upgraded to major-general and given command in Scotland.

The following year he was posted to New Zealand, succeeding General Pratt as chief command of the army.

It was a time of turbulence with Europeans wanting to buy land in central North Island and Maori determined not to sell. Cameron was keen to ‘have a brush’ with the Maori and eagerly supported Governor Thomas Gore Browne’s planned invasion of the Waikato in order to crush the Maori King movement. At a meeting of the New Zealand Executive Council he proclaimed, ‘I strongly recommended that they should be called to account, without loss of time, for their participation in the rebellion’.

In 1861 Grey replaced Browne and the invasion was called off. A frustrated Cameron sent in his resignation which the War office refused to accept and Grey consoled Cameron by hinting the invasion was only postponed. Finally in 1863 Cameron began the subjugation of the Waikato by driving the Maori King’s forces out of Meremere. He soon occupied a greater area of the Waikato with 3,000 men and after 22 defeats in a range of battles, the rebels were forced to retreat into what is now called the King Country. The Waikato war was over and the government switched attention to the Bay of Plenty.

Cameron made his first tactical blunder when he authorised an attack on Gate Pã. His assault force was routed and despite his reputation for stoicism it was observed that ‘the general dashed his field-glass on the ground, turned his back on the fugitives, and retired to his tent to conceal his emotion’. He conceded that frontal assaults against the trench-and-bunker earthworks were completely ineffective. Moreover, impressed by the Maori valour and military enterprise he believed a ‘decisive blow’ was impossible. He wrote to the powers that be - ‘And if Her Majesty’s troops are to be detained in the colony till one is struck, I confess I see no prospect of them leaving New Zealand’.

When fighting flared up in Taranaki Cameron had no wish to see British regulars carrying out a campaign. He viewed the conflict as completely unnecessary and simply provoked by the settlers rapacious desire to confiscate

Maori land. Unable to refuse orders to do with the British troops he advanced the campaign cautiously earning the Maori nickname ‘The Lame Seagull‘ even though his operations were effective. By now co-operation between he and Grey had collapsed, Grey finding him ‘an impatient, ill-tempered, injudicious old man’. Cameron wrote to the Colonial Office recommending that British troops be withdrawn from New Zealand, and submitted his resignation as well.

Cameron was the best European commander to serve in New Zealand. He welcomed new ideas and technology and put them to good practice. A good tactician, strategist, and superb organiser, he realised the importance of local knowledge and used Waikato Maori who had remained loyal to the crown as guides.

With Grey he tipped the balance of power between Maori and Pakeha and after he returned to England, the Government incorporated many of his innovations into the country’s defence system, using them successfully to prevent any further large scale outbreaks of war.

Once back in England, Cameron was promoted to permanent lieutenant - general in 1868 and full general in 1874. He married Louisa Flora Maclean, his deputy’s daughter in 1873, but she died two years later. They had no children and beset by illness in his last years, Cameron died on 8 June 1888. (DEIRDRE TOHILL) PN

BUILDING WITH INTEGRITY At ReBuilt they believe in the importance of quality in everything they do, from quality relationships with clients to effective and efficient project management and quality workmanship no matter what size the job.

With an experienced team working across the Auckland area they have worked on a diverse range of projects and the skill levels within their team cover everything from high end detailed finishing in heritage villas, to basement developments to provide much needed off street parking or expanded living areas, through to the latest in tilt slab concrete technology.

They are happy to work alongside you in planning even the smallest jobs. Backed up by the talented team of architects, designers, engineers and suppliers they will make sure that your specific dreams, wants and needs are heard and catered for.

They know that building work can be stressful and so they aim to make the process as stress free as possible. They will provide you with honest advice, a simple, clear and easy to understand quote and communicate with you throughout the project.

“We understand that your home is your haven and will treat it with the respect it deserves “says Glen Coventry of ReBuilt, “and we believe that no question is a silly question, any question that you feel needs asking will be answered honestly. We are happy to come out to talk to you and we are happy supply you with references of our past work.” PN

REBUILT, M: 021 908 603 E: glen@rebuilt.co.nz www.rebuilt.co.nz www.facebook.com/rebuiltnz

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HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS

THE NEW FACE OF THE WORKPLACE What do you see when you look up from the computer screen at work? How does it make you feel? Inspired? Or bored to tears?

If you’re sick of cream-washed walls, flickering fluorescence and grey cubicle dividers, don’t despair. It doesn’t need to be this way.

On Auckland’s legendary Karangahape Road a revolution in the way we work is not-so -quietly happening. Ironbank, the eye-catching, ironclad landmark on K’Road is inspiring workers and helping change the way they work.

With innovative, cutting-edge tenants such as The Biz Dojo, Hard Luck Cafe and award-winning designers Spaceworks; Ironbank is rapidly becoming a hub of creativity where ideas are swapped and resources are shared, not just between people but between businesses.

Co-working space The Biz Dojo has generated a place where freelance creatives from all types of industry can work, collaborate and grow. And the glass walled open-plan style office spaces at Ironbank have enabled that attitude to spread throughout the building.

With regular events such as exhibitions, and plenty of social gathering spaces within the building; Ironbank is turning the workplace into somewhere you want to spend more time, somewhere that inspires people’s work and somewhere you want to just hang out and meet interesting people.

Add to that the building’s environmental credentials - its sustainability features such as a 96-vehicle automated car stacker, rainwater harvesting, solar water heating and natural ventilation have earned Ironbank 5 Green Stars from the NZ Green Building Council - and you have to ask yourself, why wouldn’t you work here? PN IRONBANK, 150 Karangahape Road www.Ironbank.co.nz

AUCKLAND HOUSE PRICES STATIC FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE MONTH For the second consecutive month, Auckland house prices have remained steady and have not moved.

“The average sales price in May was $644,737, up less than $2000 on the figure for April and down less than $1500 on March’s all-time record average price,” said Peter Thompson, Managing Director of Barfoot & Thompson. The upward price momentum that started in October 2012 has stalled.

“While realistically priced properties still continue to sell almost as soon as they come on the market, there is resistance to going above current values.

“Buyers can see value in the prices at which properties are currently changing hands, but they are not adopting a “buy at any price” attitude.

“Rather than experiencing runaway prices, the Auckland property market has come out of the other side of a period of price rebalancing caused by five years of modest price growth.

“May’s average price is 10.7 percent ahead of the average price in May last year. While some properties sell well above their CVs, they are the exception and there are often valid reasons for the price differential.

“The median sales price in May of $570,000 confirms the same trend shown in the average sales price.

“In May we sold 1284 properties, 20.9 percent more than in April and 10.2 percent more than in May last year.

“New listings at 1315 were our lowest for four months, and down 14.2 percent on those for April.

“At the end of May we had 3034 properties on our books, our lowest number in more than a decade. At current sales levels that represents only eight to nine weeks of stock.

“In May the median price was $4000 above that for April and $10,000 below that for March.

“Auckland remains a market where there are too many people chasing too few properties, and until there is an increase in the number of properties buyers will remain frustrated at the limited choice available.”

“What did not change in May was the number of properties being sold, and the speed at which they were sold.

During May 144 properties sold for in excess of $1 million. A further 519 properties sold for less than $500,000. PN

ARE YOU SELLING YOUR BIGGEST ASSET? ‘you can’t sell a secret... good property marketing makes a difference every time’ Rates start at $235 + GST www.ponsonbynews.co.nz

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

MR BIGGLESWORTHY’S DAN AND EMMA EAGLE

Dan and Emma Eagle have always had a love of unique objects. Mr Bigglesworthy is their store showcasing the best of mid century design. Two years ago the couple opened an online boutique and have recently moved into a gallery in Williamson Avenue. They say, “We love what we do - taking beautiful objects with a story and a history then presenting them in a fresh, contemporary environment.”

Where do you live?

In a 1940s house in Mt Albert. We have a longstanding debate of Cats vs Dogs which has stopped us getting a pet.

Who’s your ultimate rock icon?

Dan - Cat Stevens and sometimes Kurt Cobain Emma - Dave Grohl

Where do you spend your holidays?

We haven’t had many of those lately! Any sort of remote New Zealand beach will do.

What websites do you visit regularly?

1stdibs.com, designboom, fancy: New Zealand design blog, Beautiful Bedlam

How do you keep fit?

We lift a lot of furniture but we prefer a long walk at night.

What is your favourite Ponsonby Cafe?

Dan - Good One Emma - Eightthirty AM roasters

Your best friend would say of you…

Dan - “Pretty chilled” Emma - “Organised, honest”

Your favourite Ponsonby restaurant?

El Sizzling Chorizo

Your mother would say of you…

Dan - “A thinker” Emma - “Driven”

Favourite Ponsonby store?

Dan - Magnation Emma - Tatty’s

What are your virtues?

Dan - patient, loyal Emma - encouraging, persistent

And your favourite Ponsonby fashion label?

Dan - WORLD Emma - Sass & Bide

And your vices?

Dan - chocolate, coffee, designer chairs Emma - coffee, Sugarfree V

What’s your best kept Ponsonby secret?

The courtyard at Thirty Nine Café

What’s your secret passion?

Dan - collecting vintage Stephane Rondel design objects Emma - couture fashion What’s your secret talent?

Dan - accounting Emma - giftwrapping What’s inspired you recently?

Foxes Island wine What were you going to be when you grew up?

Dan - Max from Mad Max 2 Emma - a painter in Italy What’s your perfect Sunday?

Coffee at The Fridge, a DVD from Videon and a delicious Moroccan dish for dinner.

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Name your desert island distractions: Dan - Grand Designs Emma - Song ‘Old Cape Cod’ The house is on fire and your family is safe - what do you save?

Dan - I’d probably die trying to carry out my Grant Featherston and Bob Roukema chairs Emma - journals and photo albums “I’D BE LOST WITHOUT MY...”

Dan - modern design obsession Emma - garden and potplants What was your standout sale of the last 12 months?

A Gunni Omann rosewood sideboard.

One thing you have learned about life is..?

The more fun you have, the more fun you have. PN MR BIGGLESWORTHY, 15 Williamson Avenue, T: 021 672 446 www.mrbigglesworthy.co.nz PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS

CATHERINE MARTIN DESIGNS FOR MOKUM TEXTILES Who is Catherine Martin?

Catherine Martin is a celebrated Australian costume designer and art director. Her involvement with husband Baz Luhrman’s block buster productions Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliette, Australia and latest success The Great Gatsby has earned her Oscas, Baftas and Tony awards!

What is included in her home decor range?

The leap into homewares was a natural transition for Catherine Martin. Launched in 2008 as a creative outlet for her vision of designing decorative patterns to enhance homes, the brand includes fabrics and wallpapers together with rugs, bedding and furniture. In collaboration with Mokum, Catherine has created an elegant and beautifully crafted set of coordinating fabrics and wallpapers which can be viewed here at the Firefly showroom in Devonport.

How can I create The Great Gatsby look at home?

The Great Gatsby has caught everyone’s fancy. The frivolity and glamour of the 1920s, the era in which this lack-of-morality tale is set, has been intoxicating and it is no surprise that we are inspired by this vivid setting! The Swinging Twenties were defined by the Art Deco style - geometric shapes, streamlining and clean lines - and was founded heavily on the glitz and glamour of early Hollywood. Take a ferry trip or short drive to visit the Firefly design team in Devonport and learn how to do your home up in true “Gatsby style”, introducing opulence into your rooms with Catherine Martin designed papers and fabrics, silky drapes and luxurious crystal lighting!

Why Firefly Light & Design?

Firefly Light & Design is a unique concept store offering the complete solution for all your interior decorating needs. Most importantly their qualified team of experts are committed to a personalised approach and added value attitude. Why not experience the difference yourself and take advantage of their Mokum promotion. PN FIREFLY LIGHT & DESIGN, 22 Wynyard Street Devonport T: 09 446 0934 www.fireflynz.co.nz

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FURNITURE 101 - AVOIDING FURNISHING FAUX PAS

CALCULATE YOUR REBUILD COSTS WITH FRANIX CONSTRUCTION

Oh dear. You’ve arrived in your dream home, only to find that you have no idea how to furnish it...

If you own a home in New Zealand it is likely you will have heard about the new changes to home insurance, with most renewed policies now requiring a home to be insured for a specific sum (the cost of re-building it), rather than an unspecified replacement cost as before.

Preparing a furniture layout plan prior to the selection of furniture pieces lets you consider options without lugging the furniture around. Begin by positioning existing and proposed furniture on the plan, while considering the shape and size of the room itself along with the positions of windows and views. Think about the position of important objects in the room such as fireplaces and televisions. Consider where doors are, and how they will affect people moving through the space.

Then, design furniture layouts to suit the scale of the room and the other influencing factors. Create comfortable and functional groupings of furniture clear of walkways, so people can be with others and engage easily without distractions. Group furniture closely, no more than three metres between seated mouths for ease of conversation.

Define a location by using a rug under a furniture grouping and lighting above - this creates an island within the room.

Ponder the visual weight and form of furniture when considering it for a space. Solid furniture sitting directly on the floor will appear larger in a space. Furniture raised off the floor on a frame or plinth will appear to float, visually occupying less space, making a room seem bigger.

Colour affects the perception of furniture - dark shades, high intensity colours, and warm hues have more visual weight than lighter shades, cool hues and low intensity colours.

Heavy or unusual patterns and forms draw attention, while more transparent forms are visually lighter. Symmetrical forms and layouts are more formal, while asymmetrical options are more modern and casual.

Modern design is free from the constraints of making matched sets. It is far more personal and interesting, and creates collections that blend different time periods and styles. It is anything but homogeneous and predictable. Good design may appear simple, but it will have beautiful details that make it unique.

The re-build cost of your home takes into account the number and type of rooms, number of levels, retaining walls, recreational and special features, the slope of the land, the materials used in the floors, exterior walls and roofing, the style and standard of construction, the floor area and any exterior structures such as decks, balconies, driveways, garages, fencing, sheds and tanks.

If you do not feel confident about accurately assessing your home’s re-build cost, call the experts at Franix Construction Ltd, who are offering re-build assessments for just $150.

Franix Construction has been in business for more than 35 years. They are a member of the New Zealand Certified Builders Association and Licensed Building Practitioners.

Franix offers a wide range of trade and building services and they specialise in finding solutions for customers with leaky homes.

No job is too big or small, from minor alterations to major commercial projects, including infra-red checks, renovations, bathroom repairs, carpentry, joinery, plumbing and electrical services.

All work is fully guaranteed and competitively priced quotes are available free of charge.

For more information phone the team at Franix Construction. PN FRANIX CONSTRUCTION, T: 09 527 6360 E: info@franix.co.nz or visit www.franix.co.nz

Take your time and buy quality. Well designed and skilfully made furniture is an investment.

These pieces will be the antiques and family heirlooms of the future. (YVETTE JAY) PN YVETTE JAY INTERIORS, T: 09 376 9323 www.marthaofthesouthpacific.wordpress.com Beachlands House, Yvette Jay Interior Design All of the furniture in this room appears to hover above the floor on sleek timber legs. The bar stools have very sculptural, elongated legs, while the armchairs, sofa, and coffee table sit more purposely closer to the floor. The furniture sits in easy transition between light-filled windows to the garden and the dark massing of the grass paper feature wall.

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HOT PROPERTY RENTALS HERNE BAY $520 - Villa split in three flats, this one is the right side of house, three double bedrooms, spacious living areas with a sunny built in dining alcove. Quiet tenants in other flats. Great location.

Call Phillipa M: 0274 746 507 PONSONBY $650 - Spacious sunny three bedroom villa, separate lounge and dining areas, opens to a very sunny deck and private garden. Off street parking. John Street.

Call Phillipa M: 0274 746 507 SANDRINGHAM $400 - Tidy sunny two bedroom unit in a block of three. Spacious living area with ranch-sliders to a sunny deck area. Single garage. Suit a couple or two singles.

Call Phillipa M: 0274 746 507 WESTMERE $690 - Beautifully presented 3 bedroom home on a full site overlooking the lake and Western Springs park. Modern kitchen and central heating, fully fenced.

Call Cath M: 027 272 2136 WESTMERE $850 - Sunny, spacious 5 bedroom home with stunning sea views from upstairs. Two bathrooms. Tirotai Crescent.

Call Cath M: 027 272 2136 CITY CENTRE $320 - Connaught Apartments. One bedroom apartment, fully furnished, gym and pool facilities. Located close to the University and CBD. Call Cath M: 027 272 2136 FREEMANS BAY $285 - Studio apartment fully furnished. $240 Studio apartment unfurnished. Close to Ponsonby Rd, water included. Howe Street.

Call Cath M: 027 272 2136 HOT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AND RENTALS, 1/1 Franklin Road www.hotpropertyrentals.co.nz

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MY FAVOURITE ROOM

DARKHORSE’S MIKE HEWITT

MIKE, ALONG WITH FELLOW PONSONBY RESIDENT LIAM TAYLOR, CO-FOUNDED Darkhorse (‘a PR, Experiential Marketing, Events and Destination Management Business’) late in 2012. The business is based in the Laundry Building in Grey Lynn. Mike says ‘we are fortunate to be working with a number of global luxury brands including Moet Hennessy, Domo Luxury Furniture, Mini and Estee Lauder Companies as well as some great New Zealand brands like Good Group, Air New Zealand, Skycity and Kathryn Wilson.”

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Mike tells Ponsonby News that both he and Liam love working and living in the greater Ponsonby area, which allows them to avoid spending hours in the car each day and get on with growing the Darkhorse brand.

Mike lives with Sarah his wife and two dogs Dott (Mini Schnauzer) and Frankie (French Bulldog) in a villa they purchased around eight years ago in Cox Street. Over those years the couple has been doing their property up, transforming it from a student flat into a great place to hang out with family and friends. Since moving into the greater Ponsonby area Mike has converted his whole family and a large number of friends, who now all live within walking distance.

“My favourite room in the house is definitely the open plan lounge/dining room.

We are a social bunch and love nothing more than having a few sherbets along with a home cooked meal with family and friends. This room could tell a few stories and has seen everything from engagements through to baby announcements, and everything in between. It is the heart of the house and has a great vibe about it which I love.”

“I have a few favourite items in the room. The painting on the wall - part of a heart collection my younger sister Jenna painted. It is a feature piece which adds colour and character to the room and is always a talking point. The Ball chair which Sarah bought me for my birthday - always a great option when a bit of Mike time is required. Sarah always has amazing flowers and candles burning which gives the room warmth and creates an atmosphere that typically ends up with people settling in for a great night.”

“As I’m a huge fan of the Royal Family and in particular the Queen, it’s appropriate that I have a statue of Her Majesty, which was given to me by Jen (younger sister) and takes pride of place on the window ledge. I am currently on the hunt for some taxidermy to finish the room off; this has been on the radar for a while and is something I have always wanted.”

“We love everything about living in the Ponsonby bubble and look forward to spreading the word for those currently missing out.” PN DARKHORSE, Level 2, Suite 8/58 Surrey Cresent T: 09 215 8580 www.darkhorsenz.com (JULIE ROULSTON)

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KITOS RISES TO THE OCCASION! We all know about the detriments of sitting down at a desk for eight hours a day, five days a week; your metabolism slows down, you gain weight and your posture suffers, to name a few.

Why not improve your office space or employee’s health and well-being by upgrading to the Kitos electronic rise and fall desk by USM. With all the mod cons such as USB ports to power your latest gadgets, concealed cable management, and several top finishes, Kitos is a game changer! PN BROMHEAD DESIGN ASSOCIATES, 76 Parnell T: 09 366 7322 www.bromheaddesign.com

IN NEED OF NEW CARPET? Try the pet friendly SmartStrand® If you have pets or a busy household, you need this carpet! After 20 years, it was finally time to replace my old thread worn carpet.

It had got to the stage where you could see definite walking paths in every room, and after a long muddy wet winter last September, my dogs had finally destroyed what was left of my wool carpet.

I’d seen the advert on television for the Rhino carpet - SmartStrand®, and thought I better go and check it out. Any carpet that can withstand a mess like that was definitely worth seeing, so I went along to Carpet Court to investigate.

After speaking with Barry Keach at the Newmarket store, I informed him that I wanted a carpet that doesn’t show pet hair, as I have two dogs and a cat. I thought that he was going to laugh at me, as two of my animals are light coloured fur and one is black. He recommended the SmartStrand Everyday™ Stone Peak Whitewash. “It won’t show the pet hair, and it won’t show track marks from the animals walking on it, as the resistance to crushing is fantastic,” he said.

I was really apprehensive at first. I had only ever had wool carpet, so this new fibre carpet was a bit of a risk. I can honestly say I don’t regret having it installed. Barry was right about the colour too. It’s perfect. My SmartStrand® carpet is amazing! It is so easy to clean and so soft.

I get compliments every time someone comes to visit, and they always comment on how soft and plush it is. I no longer have to quickly vacuum before someone comes around. My mum who has always been pro-wool carpet, has even decided she is getting it installed at her house as well. We both highly recommend it.

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Carpetcourt Jack + Zoe Tried and tested by Karla, Auckland, July 2013 SmartStrand® - available exclusively at Carpet Court. SmartStrand® carries a lifetime stain and soil warranty and a 20 year fade resistance warranty. PN Open weekdays 8.30am to 5.30pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm CARPET COURT, 383 Khyber Pass Road, T: 09 522 2006 www.carpetcourt.co.nz

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THE BOYS’ BOOK CLUB WHAT WE’RE READING

These include books us blokes on the Ponsonby News team have recently enjoyed. We love reading in the bath, or in bed. A real stress buster, especially now that winter is finally here!

MARTIN LEACH

JAY PLATT

TALES OF ANNA HOFFMANN VOLUME THREE

By Anna Hoffmann (Batwing Press)

BANKSY: THE MAN BEHIND THE WALL

By Will Ellsworth-Jones (Aurum)

In 1955 at age 16, Anna Hoffman stowed away on a ship to Sydney, Australia. She was actually on her way to Paris, France to study violin, but was too young to get a passport. Full of adventure but naïve, her friends, her manner of dressing and style of living, attracted the attention of the notoriously corrupt 21 Division of the New South Wales’s police force. She lied about her age and ended up in Sydney’s infamous Long Bay Prison. After her release, she was ignominiously deported back to New Zealand. (Tales of Anna Hoffmann Volume One) Anna’s reputation and lifestyle ensured that she was always going to come under the attention of the New Zealand Police and she did. After salacious headlines in the Truth newspaper, high-speed car chases with the police and experiments with the new drug marijuana, she was sentenced to six months in Auckland’s forbidding Mount Eden Prison. After her release from Mt Eden, it was only a matter of time before Auckland city became too small for her. She decided to give Australia another go. (Tales of Anna Hoffmann Volume Two) Tales of Anna Hoffmann Volume Three recounts Anna’s adventures, and the cat and mouse games she plays with the Australian Police after illegally entering Australia, and how she managed to cross five state borders while trying to evade their evil clutches.

Anna with Russell Green & Billy Farnell

I was born and raised in south London and always loved seeing any new work by Banksy. While hiding from the limelight, Banksy has made himself into one of the world’s best-known living artists. His pieces have fetched millions of dollars at prestigious auction houses. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his film Exit Through the Gift Shop. Once viewed as vandalism, his work is now venerated; fans have gone so far as to dismantle the walls that he has painted on for collection and sale.

But as famous as Banksy is, he is also utterly unknown - he conceals his real name, hides his face, distorts his voice, and reveals his identity to only a select few. Who is this man that has captivated millions? How did a graffiti artist from Bristol, England, find himself at the centre of an artistic movement? How has someone who goes to such great lengths to keep himself hidden achieved such great notoriety? And is his anonymity a necessity to continue his vandalism - or a marketing tool to make him ever more famous? This is a book for any one who loves all forms of art.

THE GENIUS OF DOGS: HOW DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN YOU THINK

By Brian Hare & Vanessa Woods (Dutton) Brian Hare, dog researcher, evolutionary anthropologist, and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, and Vanessa Woods offer revolutionary new insights into dog intelligence and the interior lives of our smartest pets.

AARON WARD CLOWNS AROUND Aaron Ward caught the acting bug early in life when his music teacher at Flaxmere Intermediate cast him in the role of villain, “Baron Waste” for a school musical.

After leaving school he worked at Watties for a year till he had saved enough to train at EIT where he gained a Diploma of Performing Arts Drama in 1996. Since then he’s hardly ever been out of work. A few of his credits include playing the Quiz Master in the Nothing Trivial series, roles in Underbelly, Power Rangers, plus stints on Shortland Street. As well as TV he has done film, theatre and Corporate Entertainment work. In April this year he joined Tim Bray’s theatre company for the first time, playing in a production of Margaret Mahy’s ‘The Dragon of an Ordinary Family’.

Aaron found he had a talent for clowning at a children’s party when he filled in for a friend who did clowning but was indisposed. Cheeseburger the clown was a hit and from then on he started to get bookings, mainly through word of mouth. These helped him pay his way through drama school. He created a second ‘mimic’ clown called Elvo, an anagram of love, and this clown has travelled to many of the world’s troubled spots. When watching television with his parents in Hawkes Bay a woman from Macedonia spoke on the news about the plight of children in refugee camps. In Aaron’s words, “She was saying how the kids had forgotten how to be kids because they’d just escaped with only the clothes they had on, no toys, nothing”. These children had witnessed horrific scenes and Aaron thought no one should experience this sort of trauma, especially children.

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His father suggested he might be able to do something.

“You could go over and do your clowning, couldn’t you”? Aaron felt he couldn’t contemplate taking such a step but when he returned to Auckland the fate of those poor children preyed on his mind. He started to search for humanitarian organisations that might send him where help was needed and after many setbacks, because none were recruiting volunteers for dangerous assignments at the time, World Vision eventually gave him the go-ahead.

Two and a half weeks later he was on a flight to Croatia and then travelled by land to Montenegro where he was based for the next two months clowning in Kosovo and Albania.

While there, he not only entertained kids but also took part in a children’s landmine-awareness campaign.

That was back in 1999 and since then World Vision has sent Elvo to many war torn countries where he brings a smile to the faces of children in need. He has entertained children in Kosovo refugee camps, and made children laugh in Banda Aceh after Indonesia was battered by the Asian tsunami. He spent two weeks in Lebanon during the Israeli bombing in 2006 where squeezed in 21 shows. He performed in churches , schools, or outside to both Muslims and Christians. World Vision had distributed posters, leaflets, and teacher training kits to educate the children about the dangers of unexploded weapons.

Aaron taught them what the different bombs looked like and they saw Elvo hurt badly through playing with them.

He also showed them how a mine expert scans an area and marks the danger field.

Aaron’s work work in disaster areas earned him the Special Service Medal from the NZ Government. Unable to attend the ceremony, he had a private audience with

Helen Clark whom he describes as “being very interested in my work and quite lovely and caring”. His acting career has taken precedence over clowning in recent years, but he misses Elvo and would love to take him away on other missions sometime in the future. Meanwhile he’s able to contribute by being a founding member of the Clown Doctors New Zealand team. They aren’t real doctors but experienced performers who have been medically trained and help bring joy to sick children, their parents and the staff at Starship and hospitals in Wellington and Christchurch through storytelling, songs, and fun tricks.

Hats off to Aaron! Keep an eye out for him in the third season of Nothing Trivial later this year or clowning around in the next hot spot. This world needs more of his ilk doing their bit to alleviate suffering where and when they can. (DEIRDRE TOHILL) PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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EXCITING NEWS - PAPER ROOM HAS MOVED TO PONSONBY! Sarah Sheild and Annabel Taylor are delighted to be back in the Ponsonby neighbourhood with their new Paper Room store Jervois Road opposite Taylor Boutique and along from Letham Cottage.

Originally based in Maidstone Street, Ponsonby they headed to Takapuna last year and are over the moon to be back on this side of the bridge.

Their store is filled with the latest designer wallpapers, fabrics, books and interior accessories from around the globe.

They love sourcing new and exciting products and working with customers on their interiors and renovation projects to achieve a home with personality. If you are thinking of renovating or have a commercial project and want a real point of difference, speak to Sarah and Annabel at Paper Room.

Representing internationally acclaimed designers such as Tracy Kendall, Deborah Bowness, Louise Body, Go Home, Elli Popp, Miss Print, Florence Broadhurst, Minakani Lab, and Emma Hayes a fabulous Auckland designer, they are always sourcing new and exciting wallpapers, wall stickers and interior accessories.

With a great range of wall murals and maps from Europe, they have inspiration for all, and if you can’t wait you can always go to their website and shop online.

The Paper Room doors are open Monday - Friday 9.30am - 2.30pm and Saturdays 10am - 2pm. They look forward to sharing their new home filled with design inspiration with you! PN PAPER ROOM, 25 Jervois Road T: 09 376 5675 www.paperroom.co.nz

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BRIGHTEN UP YOUR WINTER AT WAH LEES Established in 1904, and now somewhat of an institution and landmark in central Auckland’s Hobson Street, the long established family store Wah Lee is still there and going strong.

Talking to Barry Wah Lee, he says he was brought up in that store and is proud to say that after all these years not only do they continue to stock a wide range of traditional Chinese produce, ingredients and homewares they still provide the best service for their customers and tailor that service to meet each individual customers needs.

At the Wah Lee store you will find all manner of dried provisions from beans, lentils and nuts to frozen Asian Casava, noodles and wrappers for Chiao Tzu wontons and samosas as well as Peking duck pancakes. For those planning mid winter events, there is a great range of paper lanterns and colourful parasols to brighten up your winter entertainment along with beautiful traditional Chinese crockery to enhance any table setting.

Barry invites all Ponsonby New readers to take time out from the bustle of work and come any time during the week and over the weekend to enjoy the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere at Wah Lee. “It is an adventure when you visit us,” says Barry, “a bit like an overseas vacation shopping experience except its leisurely and only a few minutes drive, ride or walk from Ponsonby”. PN WAH LEE, 220 Hobson Street T: 0800 924 533 www.wahlee.co.nz

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ASK AN ARCHITECT: PAUL LEUSCHKE Each month Grey Lynn resident and architect Paul Leuschke of Leuschke Kahn answers readers’ property related questions.

Email yours to jane@leuschkekahn.co.nz

Q: A:

The Auckland Unitary Plan talks about taller buildings.

What do you think about this?

Fifteen years ago I designed a group of townhouses in Parnell. I was so worried about the markets acceptance of three storey townhouses, I designed the third floor to be hidden in a mansard roof with a dormer window, very French. In any event, they sold like hotcakes.

Paris is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and yet the height of buildings is six or seven storeys high. Barcelona, Greenwich Village in New York and London are similar in height. All the London terrace houses are identical; something frowned on by Auckland Town Planners.

I love watching Italian movies were the pedestrian is dwarfed by the 6.0 or 8.0 meter courtyard entrance doors. In the corner of the big door is a small human sized door which is used daily.

New Zealand has a scale problem. Maybe it is because we don’t have a history old enough to have had horse transport, and so we design height around human scale not mounted on horseback size. The scale of the garden at Palace of Versailles makes sense when you should be seeing it from the back of a horse. So the point isn’t the height, it is the look, the feel, and the street scale.

Since Parnell I have designed three and four storey townhouses, some with roof decks, which are acceptable if there is a view to be gained by that height.

The other concern people have is mixed use. They complain about the noisy street and cafés below. This is easy to resolve. Cities are noisy, regardless of height. Demand better construction and acoustics or if you want peace and quiet go live in the country. I like the street buzz and put up with the noise!

I suggest everyone demands quality developments and votes with their cheque book. If it is ugly don’t buy it. If it is cheap construction don’t buy it. The developers will soon change. (PAUL LEUSCHKE) www.leuschkekahn.co.nz PN

ODD JOBS Lloyd Shaw; Mortician / Embalmer.

Embalmer - Preservation and presentation of human remains.

What is embalming?

Replacing all fluids in the body with preserving and sterilising compounds. Using the existing arterial system (if fully intact, by hypodermic needle) to deliver what is needed to the cells, be it preservatives or dyes. Depending on if the case is “standard” (natural causes signed off by your doctor) or a coroner’s case which has undergone a post-mortem “PM” (no medical cause of death known at time of death) the process can vary substantially.

What changed?

Quite simply immigration. Not just different cultures immigrating here, but our loved ones choosing to live overseas. I mean, how many people do you know where all the family live in this country?

This change has been so dramatic where I practice (South Auckland) that I had to invent entirely new processes to cater to these demands, with approx. 30% of my work being long term or export work (going to another country). I now routinely do cases not even contemplated 30 years ago.

I now have this combination to deal with

How did you get into this profession? Well let’s say the house I grew up in had a mortuary and chapel attached to it. And no, this is not an exaggeration. My father built the funeral parlour onto our house. Funnily enough, I was always more scared of the chapel, but I had a fascination for the chemistry and physiology involved in mortuary work. My father thought I was nuts.

When asked what I do for a profession, people often ask, “are you joking?” As though it was some kind of weird pickup line. Or they say, “you don’t look like one”. And this is where I start to clarify what a mortician is, and how they are not funeral directors, and why morticians are needed in the first place.

When I was young, funeral directors did embalming. But really only as an add on task to the services already offered. It was not something they specialised in. And as recently as the early 80s, quite a few bodies were not embalmed. It was only deemed necessary if someone was wishing to view the body days, after someone’s death (as decomposition happens at a constant rate set by mother nature and room temperature), or the funeral was going to be delayed. With so many people, their friends and relatives, living within a few suburbs of one another, most funerals were held three days after death. And most people had seen the ailing person right up to the point of death (meaning the much needed psychological aspect of viewing was not so important). A specialist mortician was simply not needed.

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1. Two or more funerals in different locations. Sometimes in different countries.

2. Usually a minimum of seven days (sometimes weeks, occasionally months) 3. A very large percentage of bodies going back to a house with no air conditioning.

Lloyd Shaw’s other job is owner/operator of Vibra-train, Victoria Park young embalmers far too exposed to a “get it right every single time” kind of scenario, with very little appreciation from the funeral directors and public themselves.

It is very telling about the lack of education in this sensitive area, that I still often hear funeral directors being asked if embalming is needed. Even on cases that have to last a week.

4. Bodies going to tropical locations.

5. Doing a case while the family wait outside. Then immediately the case is finished, the family dress and take their loved one. With no chance of post inspection. Zero room for error.

It is important to note that New Zealand embalmers are at present the best in the world. Simply because of the combination of the above social / logistical pressures and zero protection the industry offers. Unlike say in the United States where embalmers are shielded by laws to stop any “failures” coming back on them personally. In this country the buck stops with us.

The obesity crisis is causing back injuries to everyone involved in shifting people around. I have personally trained up two individuals recently who had to give up due to back issues. Leaning over a mortuary table for hours on end and shifting cases can be a lethal combination, even for someone young and healthy.

It will be interesting to see if these issues are tackled, or just ignored. But I do know one thing. I will never be under-employed.

Do I like my job? Yes...the daily pressure, the challenges’ facing me every time I do a difficult case. Having to be inventive to stay one step ahead of mother nature.

But I see two important issues facing the industry soon...

I often tell people I do not have a job, I have a vocation.

Lack of trainees. Very few morticians are being trained to a high enough level to take on the real world challenges and demands placed on them. And the very secretive way the industry acts itself does not help. Leaving most

Most annoying thing about being a mortician.... Having people say ... “ I would love to do that, I watch CSI all the time”? (LLOYD SHAW) PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT I started in Real Estate in January 2008 - exactly when property values went upside down, it was like I was swimming against the tide, but I relished in the challenges I faced, and became ‘rookie of the year’ for the agency I was working with at the time.

WHAT’S HOT AT TRENZSEATER THE MONTANA SOFA IS THE LATEST OF TRENZSEATER’S RANGE OF NEW ZEALAND MADE modular sofas. It features a medium width arm with a generous seat depth and a brushed stainless steel frame for the feet. It is available exclusively from TRENZSEATER in any fabric or leather and different configurations.

Work or play, I love a challenge and being morning person, I’m up at 5.30 Monday to Friday with either, yoga, walks along Westhaven Marina or my favourite is, hill work on Mt Eden. The city looks amazing at the top, and at this time of year it’s great to start in the dark and finish with the sun just rising. I also meditate for 20 minutes, morning and evening; if you look after both body and mind....the day should flow.

Someone asked me once, what do I like to do in my spare time and I had a chuckle when asked that question. Taking time out is generally on the agenda each month with my business mentor, but reaching the goal of a sustained balance between work/life is still a work in progress. To have a break I need to leave Auckland - if I’m in the city, I’ll end up going to work. Having a change of scenery is always refreshing, so every couple of months I go somewhere....anywhere, just away.

Longer holidays are always with the family, my children are grown up now and it’s wonderful to enjoy their (adult) company. We go to places with few distractions, a bach at a secluded beach or kayaking at Golden Bay. We are about to head to Fiji, a small island resort with only seven bures, no pool, no internet and only a satellite phone for emergencies. Brilliant!

I moved to Barfoot and Thompson at the beginning of 2012, tripled my business and ended up the top performing female agent in my branch and third overall. To work in such a dynamic and positive environment has been life changing for me, and the plan is that this will flow into my personal life. So ask me this question again in a couple of years and hopefully I’ll have a totally non-work related story to tell. (FELICITY SCOTT)

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The Bordeaux Armchair is a signature design from TRENZSEATER. It is a stunning modern interpretation of a wingback armchair with chrome stud detailing on the curved arms and a curved back.

It is available exclusively from TRENZSEATER in any fabric or leather. PN TRENZSEATER, 80 Parnell Road T: 09 303 4151 www.trenzseater.com

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REAL ESTATE UPDATE: KAREN SPIRES It’s Official: West is best for City-Fringe Suburbs SALES IN THE HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER CITY FRINGE SUBURBS OF HERNE BAY AND St Mary’s Bay are continuing to thrive, with the areas topping a list of Auckland’s most expensive suburbs. The average house price in the areas has reached $1.984 million and $1.638 respectively - placing them at the top of a list of 17 suburbs where the average price of a residential dwelling is more than $1 million, according to Real Estate Institute figures.

It has been fascinating over the past 13 years to watch the list of Auckland’s des’-res’ suburbs shift west from their traditional base of Parnell, Epsom and Remuera to Herne Bay, St Mary’s Bay, Ponsonby, and Westmere. But of course, it was a trend many long -time residents knew was inevitable… which is one of the reasons they probably bought there in the first place.

The sunny, north-facing aspect of Herne Bay and St Mary’s Bay, offering all-day sun, views of the Waitemata Harbour and proximity to the city for work, and Ponsonby with its café and restaurant scene remain key attractions for those looking to buy a home in the areas. They are adjacent to the harbour bridge on-ramp northbound, which is convenient for residents with holiday homes in Omaha and Mangawhai. Many buyers also say they enjoy the village-like atmosphere which the Jervois Road community offers.

Almost 100 properties have sold in the Herne Bay/St Mary’s Bay area in the past year, of which I have sold more than 30 for more than $1 million each. The new average price for the suburb represents a rise of 18 per cent over the past two years, and the New Zealand Herald has indicated that figure is expected to reach $2 million within the next year.

It all comes back to supply and demand. Along with the desirable features of the suburbs, property listings remain tight - meaning there is not lot of property on the market at any one time. A drift north of company headquarters relocating to Auckland has also driven demand by high income-earning executives and CEOs. Auckland’s golden suburbs (by average house sale price): Herne Bay $1.984m St Mary’s Bay $1.638m Parnell $1.396m Epsom $1.227m Stanley Pt $1.209m Remuera $1.176m Westmere $1.157m Ponsonby $1.155m Takapuna $1.148m Mission Bay $1.109m Devonport $1.106m Mt Eden $1.070m Freemans Bay $1.060m Campbells Bay $1.039m St Heliers $1.024m Kohimarama $1.008m Grey Lynn $1.003m New Zealand Herald (KAREN SPIRES) PN Karen Spires is a Bayleys Real Estate ‘Top Achiever’ - placing her sales data among the top five percent of salespeople within the company.

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“TIME TO GET ON WITH JOB” - AUCKLAND TRANSPORT CHAIRMAN Last month’s announcement on extra Government funding for major projects is the catalyst for transformational change in the region, says Auckland Transport chairman Dr Lester Levy.

The Prime Minister has confirmed a Government contribution to the City Rail Link project as well as a commitment of extra funding to accelerate work on the East-West road link (between the Southern and South Western Motorways) and the Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI).

In addition the Prime Minister announced that a preferred alignment for a tunnel under the Waitemata Harbour would be confirmed by the end of the year.

Dr Levy says the announcements signal a new era for transport and economic growth in Auckland.

“Some of these projects have been on the books for decades but the stumbling block has always been funding,” he says. “And as time marches on the problems of congestion just get worse and worse.”

“Now we can at last set our sights firmly on building our way out of the daily transport frustrations of thousands of Aucklanders and the very real economic and social costs that come with that.”

Dr Levy says that investing in a combination of public transport and roading projects, as well as a focus on other modes such as walking and cycling, is critical.

“It is not one or the other; public transport is the game changer as far as Auckland transport is concerned but it can only work if the roading and motorway networks are functioning effectively and efficiently as well,” he says.

“That is why the projects announced today cannot be seen in isolation. They are a package of initiatives which together will see the transformational change needed in Auckland.”

“And as well as the transport benefits, many thousands of jobs will be created in the construction of these projects over a number of years.”

“As chairman of Auckland Transport I am also committed to ensuring that we fully maximise existing infrastructure as we plan, build and accelerate new projects. In tandem we can achieve outcomes for Auckland that people just don’t believe are possible now.”

Dr Levy says the Government announcement was also testament to the excellent working relationship between Auckland Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) which has developed since 2010.

For further information on the City Rail Link, AMETI and other major projects www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz PN

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UNIQUE IMAGES TO DECORATE YOUR WALLS OR AS A PERSONALISED GIFT ON2CANVAS, BASED IN PONSONBY, SPECIALISE IN CREATING CUSTOMISED DIGITAL artwork. They’ve been producing canvas art for the past nine years, and see the process as a collaboration between their clients photographs and ideas, and their graphic design skills. The finished artwork can then be printed on canvas, vinyl or art paper and framed ready to hang for the home, bach or office.

If you’ve got a great idea but don’t have the skills to realise it, on2canvas can make it happen for you. on2canvas are dedicated to making anything (and everything) their customers dream up. They’ve added face moko to lions and re-coloured a zebras stripes. They’ve made canvases that wrap around corners or a single image broken up into 15 different sized canvases and of course triptych and diptychs.

They can photograph original art such as your child’s first drawing or photograph objects - recently they took a special t-shirt that was about to disintegrate from a 1970s rock concert and printed that on2canvas. If you have a favourite quote they can create the typography, design and include it with a photograph.

A photograph from childhood makes a great nostalgic gift for siblings or family. on2canvas can scan an original photograph or a 35mm slide. Any marks and scratches can easily be removed or damage to the photograph repaired. Maintaining the retro colours can create a stunning art piece. A special photograph or collection of images makes a truly personal gift for family, friends and colleagues. A collection of your favourite Instagram images makes a unique contemporary art piece - for those photographs that shouldn’t be kept hidden on the phone. Or they have unique stock images that you can choose form.

If you’re looking to decorate your blank walls or want to create something unique and personalised as a gift, then pop into their studio to see what they can do for you. The studio is open from 11am - 5pm. PN ON2CANVAS, 12 Albany Road T: 376 8065 M: 021 465 465 www.on2canvas.co.nz

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SIX DECADES AS A LOCAL SIGN SHOP In 1949 two sign writers and a screen printer combined their talents and expertise to open a sign shop in Kingsland under the name Signcraft.

By the 1960s Signcraft had become one of the biggest signwriting firms in Auckland.

During that time they moved several times but always within a few kilometres of the central city - attempting to maintain a consistent level of service and value to their numerous customers. As the name suggests the creative aspect of signwriting has always been a central element of the way Signcraft operates.

While the advent of computer generated vinyl and digital sign making has supplanted the traditional hand lettered sign, Signcraft is proud to still offer that service, recognising that technological solutions are not the answer to every customer’s signwriting needs.

They will look at any size and type of job and operate on the philosophy that the best advertising is a satisfied customer.

From sports stadium signage to a marriage proposal on a paua shell, from eight metre high inflatable pandas to a fleet of inflatable rescue boats to retro lettered letterbox signs, shop fronts and pavement signs and much more the friendly guys at Signcraft can help - after all they have been signwriting in Auckland for over 60 years. As they say “if it stays still long enough we will have a go at putting a sign on it for you”.

For more information give Gordon, Gavin or Jared a call or go to their website. PN SIGNCRAFT, 22 Putiki Street, T: 09 376 0059 www.signcraft.co.nz

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ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING AT TOI ORA GALLERY

MOMENTUMS FEATURED ARTIST - FLOX!

PLEACH - An exhibition of mosaic and harakeke from Toi Ora artists.

3 - 26 July Monday to Friday: 9am - 4pm

THE STORY OF FLOX: A FLEDGING FLOX EMERGED AROUND A DECADE AGO FROM Auckland’s centre of vice and art, Karangahape Road. Using the city as her canvas and stencils and spray paint as her tools, Flox quickly made her presence felt, transforming grey walls into oases of ferns and flowers.

Mosaic and harakeke classes have been held over the past six years at our studio /gallery. Classes are attended by students from many different walks of life, they vary in age, race and gender, but all gather in the common passion of mosaic making and flax weaving.

Mosaic works vary as wildly as their makers. Constructed of ceramic tile and glass, some artists use tiny pieces painstakingly crafted, others use large bold tesserae to make their imagery. Most mosaics are made on tiles of different sizes, suitable to decorate an interior or exterior wall.

Under the tutelage of Don Soloman, flax weavers showcase their original work to complement this exhibition. PN TOI ORA GALLERY, 6 Putiki Street T: 09 360 4171 www.toiora.org.nz

Flocks of (her trademark) native birds could be found flying across city streets, breathing life into the urban environment and creating joyous celebrations of natural New Zealand.

Soon the name Flox became synonymous with innovative works that bravely pushed the boundaries of graffiti art. Conjuring the vibrant shades of nature, the intense interplay of light and shadow, and the beating of wings of birds. Flox introduced romance and poeticism to an art form some viewed as vandalism. Single-handedly, she led the flock towards a new kind of artistic expression: one that cherishes its community and the environment, and pays loving tribute to the natural world.

A wonderful selection of original Flox works is now on display on at Vinnies Restaurant in Herne Bay and of course, continuously represented at Momentum as well.

This particular body of work represents Flox’s full array of mark making disciplines.

From her classic painterly signature style pieces, to her most current hand cut, labour -some works, here she explores further a preoccupation with process and the craft of art making. www.flox.co.nz PN MOMENTUM GALLERY, 1/182 Jervois Road T: 09 376 4749 www.momentumgallery.co.nz

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ARTS + CULTURE UPTOWN ART SCENE A GLOOMY WINTER’S EVENING WAS INSTANTLY BRIGHTENED IN A BLAZE OF YELLOWS and greens - no, it wasn’t the sunset but the latest exhibition of Saskia Leek’s paintings at Ivan Anthony. Brilliantly coloured, deceptively simple, hovering between the figurative and abstract, and completely over-shadowing the Bill Hammonds in the next room. Art can have that effect, suddenly changing our day.

Billowing clouds of blue, grey, and a yellow so bright it’s difficult to believe its coloured pencil, but Scott Gardiner’s show at Whitespace pushes the medium to new heights and to an unusually large scale for the humble pencil. These clouds usher us away from the criss-cross barriers in front of them and into the heavens.

Transcendence is a personal and diverse concept that is explored in The Religious Experience at OREXART. Sculpture, painting, photography, video and glasswork by 16 artists, including locals Richard McWhannell, Dean Tercel and Evan Woodruffe, tell stories of love, death, our searching and our revelations.

A space that’s converted from darkness to the light is the old Police cells at the back of Artstation. These have made a popular and challenging project space for many artists (especially the padded cell!) and are currently occupied by Imogen Taylor and Ahilapalapa Rands’ show Scraps. Good art takes us out of ourselves, a rhapsody in the real world, and in the grey damp of an Auckland winter that’s something worth seeking out often! (WILL PAYNT/STUDIO ART SUPPLIES) PN

From Scott Gardiner’s Piece of Sky at Whitespace

SHOWING AT WHITESPACE BOB KERR - GOLD STRIKE 3 - 20 JULY An Exhibition about the Waihi Gold Strike of 1912. Gold Strike is an imaginative reconstruction of the 1912 Strike - The people, places and the locations of this vivid, violent and ultimately tragic event.

Bob Kerr is a Wellington based painter and author with an interest in New Zealand’s history and landscape. Kerr’s paintings are held in private collections in New Zealand and overseas. Perhaps his best-known painting is on the cover of Michael King’s Penguin History Of New Zealand.

BOB KERR & MARK DERBY Floortalk Thursday 4 July, 2pm The book “Waiheathens Voices from a mining town,” by Mark Derby and Bob Kerr accompanies this exhibition.

BING DAWE 23 JULY - 17 AUGUST

Gallery director Deborah White and Ken Johnson

Artists Peter Miller and Scott Gardiner

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Dawe has rightly been described as one of New Zealand’s most prominent sculptors for his distinctive style of art which engages with pressing environmental issues in a way that inspires contemplation and open dialogue. Since graduating from the University of Canterbury, School of Fine Arts in the mid 1970s he has participated in numerous solo exhibitions including a major retrospective at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in 1999. He is the recipient of many awards including the highly prestigious Wallace Art Award in the same year. His work can be found in significant public and private collections both in New Zealand and overseas including public commissions in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Rotorua. Bing Dawe’s upbringing in Glenavy, South Canterbury, alongside the Waitaki River was a formative experience that has fed into both his personal and artistic lives. It has sustained a life-long interest and respect for the environment; its biodiversity and eco systems and the ways in which human beings interact with these delicate and self -sufficient series of relationships. PN Whitespace, 12 Crummer Road, T: 09 361 6331 www.whitespace.co.nz

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I LOVE THE PORTLAND PUBLIC HOUSE. SETTLED INTO THE HEART OF KINGSLAND shops it is one of my favourite concert venues and I have been to numerous gigs there in the last few months so when I heard Miho Wada would be performing with her ‘pocket -size Jazz Orchestra’ I was extremely happy to go along and have a listen.

Portland Public is a small bar, although as I’ve discovered there are numerous nooks and crannies to sit in further back from the main street. It converts perfectly into an intimate and exciting venue for musicians. With no defined stage everyone is on the same level and the interaction between us audience members and the musicians is wonderful.

Miho took advantage of this and walked back and forth in front of her band while playing saxophone, interacting with audience members and at one point she stood with the crowd and watched her ‘orchestra’ do their stuff.

By the time the Jazz Orchestra came on stage the bar was packed full and they had to move stools and tables to accommodate the crowd. A crowd that Miho interacted with fantastically, at one point asking and then telling people, “have you heard my stories before? Oh well, if you have tough,” before launching into a tale of a poor dog. She was delightfully enthusiastic and exciting and her enjoyment at performing was infectious.

I struggled to describe what genre it was they played, and have come to the eventual decision to call it jazz-pop fusion, with influences of J-pop spread through it. Miho plays the flute and saxophone and occasionally breaks into some vocals and her band are an interesting collection of popular and orchestral instruments. A cellist, bassist and drummer make up the rhythm section and a violinist and guitarist round off the group.

It is a rather unorthodox mixture of instruments that creates a wonderfully textured and layered sound.

At one point I heard someone behind me say to another audience member, “wait until the violinist solos, he is phenomenal.” He was referring to Pascal Roggen, Miho’s extremely talented band mate. We were not disappointed as he soloed on his electric violin numerous times, including trading solos with Miho at many points. I never enjoy anything more than seeing two talented musicians duelling on stage for the benefit of an audience, challenging each other to play faster, more intricately or more beautifully.

It was an exceptionally enjoyable evening, with Miho sandwiched between two other fantastic acts. She has just released her latest album EXIT 621 which invites you to “Enter a new dimension in the world of jazz and experience eight instrumental tracks exploring Miho’s globe-trotting creative background in rock, ska, classical and world music.” Find her on bandcamp where you can listen to the album for free or purchase it for download.

You can hear Miho on Radio Ponsonby every Tuesday between 2pm and 4pm on her own show, Mihozilla Attack. Miho’s Jazz Orchestra will be performing on the evening of 7 July at Windsor Castle in Parnell before they leave on an exciting tour of Japan. PN (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT)

I’VE OFTEN FOUND MYSELF in the position to compare one artist to another, a venture that often results in long musical arguments.

A controversial statement favourably, or unfavourably comparing an artist to another can hurt delicate sensibilities.

But when I listened to Sam RB’s second album Queen Street Acoustics I could not help but hear traces of one of my current favourite duo’s The Civil Wars. The acoustic folk sound Sam RB creates is beautifully eerie and haunting, a sound I adore in acoustic music.

Sam RB began busking in 2010 to pay some of the costs that creating her debut album had left her with and in her words “unexpectedly found a place her music belonged”. She wrote all the songs off this second album, except a handful that were collaborations with some impressive musicians, over the last two years busking on Queen Street. She writes a thank you to all those who supported her on the street, dedicating the album to “the wonderfully diverse people on Queen St.” It is an impressive album, a consistent and heartfelt collection of observations, intimacy and emotion. While there are some songs that address social issues, depression and mental health, they fit perfectly into the overall tone of the album.

A highlight for me was the track “Black Dog”, a beautiful ode to love lost and the need for feeling after heartbreak. “Lately” is a touching ballad about social isolation. Her vocals stand out stunningly on “The Wind and the Rain”, a sombre tune about things unseen, visions of the world not experienced.

She was joined by Mike Chun, ex Split Enz member, on “The Wind and the Rain” and “Falling”, both written by him and composed by Sam RB. Eddie Reyner, also ex Split Enz, produced and played on “A Light Went Out”. Guitarist Andrew Buckton performed on all her tracks playing a variety of instruments and she also had Stephen Small, a much respected pianist, play on a number of songs.

The album flows like a gentle stream, easily played from opening track “Censorship” to the final song “Don’t Mind” - a slight change in mood that ends Queen Street Acoustics nicely. It’s the perfect album for those afternoons baking or cooking in the kitchen or a sunny day spent with a book. And although I found it easy to turn the album on and play it from start to finish providing background music, it is an album that can be listened to at numerous different levels. The lyrics are beautifully crafted and each song tells its own story.

Queen Street Acoustics is a very worthwhile album to buy and one that should be played many times over. Hopefully it will carry Sam RB’s sound across from Queen Street into homes and offices around Auckland. “Each person that coined, or simply smiled as they walked past, you have supported my work and made this album possible,” she writes in the sleeve. So, next time you are walking along Queen Street keep an eye and ear out for her and make sure you stop and support. And if you’re in a rush or busy, flash a smile and wave. (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) PN

Finn McLennan-Elliott is studing for a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree, specialising in human geography at Auckland University. In his spare time, Finn plays the clarinet and guitar.

He has a great appreciation of all types of music. E: finn.huia@gmail.com www.mihowada.com www.facebook.com/mihowadamusic www.mihowada.bandcamp.com The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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photography: Martin Leach

MIHO’S JAZZ ORCHESTRA – A NEW DIMENSION OF JAZZ

FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT BUSKING HER WAY TO THE TOP – SAM RB

AUCKLAND ART FAIR AUCKLAND ART FAIR The Cloud, on Queens Wharf 7 - 11 August.

The biennial Art Fair, featuring more than 40 exhibitions, projects and installations

by New Zealand and Australia’s most forward thinking galleries, and the region’s top contemporary artists, will be on show next month.

“If you are curious about contemporary art and how it all works, then the Art Fair is the ideal place to ‘be enlightened’ says Art Fair Director, Jennifer Buckley. “The fair offers a fantastic introduction to the art world. It’s a snapshot of the whole state of play: artists, gallerists, collectors and commentators are all in the mix looking at and talking about the art.”

Over four days, the public has the opportunity to view and buy new work from some of the most exciting contemporary artists working today, presented as carefully curated collections by galleries from Sydney, Melbourne, Gisborne, Dunedin, Wellington, Nelson, Arrowtown and Auckland.

The 40 installations are complemented by a diverse programme of panel discussions, artist talks and tours which are included in the general ticket price. To help fuel a big day out at the Art Fair, visitors can take a break and enjoy the view of Auckland’s Harbour at the onsite café or wine bar.

The Vernissage, the fair’s opening party is a much-anticipated highlight of the fair.

A glamorous affair attended by 900 guests at a fully catered event, provides the opportunity to view and buy the works first. Wednesday 7 August 7.00 - 10.30pm.

For tickets to the Vernissage $125 or general admission $25 to the fair visit www.iticket.co.nz and for more information visit www.artfair.co.nz PN

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ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING AT BLACK ASTERISK JILL MCINTOSH - A SHIFT 5 - 17 July Preview: 4 July 6.30pm Jill McIntosh’s paintings are chemical dispersals of oil acting against sticky water.

The artist applies paint to the horizontal surface of water to form an image, and then cures this into a skin and shifts it onto a sheet. When the paint disperses into the water, the viscous, sticky nature spreads the paint both towards and against itself; it records this movement on its surface whilst resisting form. McIntosh draws through the paint, directing the flowing colour. Her interest is in the autonomous way that the chemical reactions of oil and water connect to form relationships. Dispersion, suspension, distress, and formlessness are all primary characteristics of her work.

Untitled by Jill McIntosh

McIntosh has been extensively involved in New Zealand arts, from curating at Wellington City Art Gallery to setting up Printworkshop at Wellington Arts Centre. She has shown regularly at Bowen Gallery and is in the National Art Collection as well as other important collections around New Zealand.

She visits by the light of her own moon by Victoria Cassells

THE GENERAL SALES 18 - 31 July It’s the exhibition with everything and anything, our chance to show off what we’ve got.

There’s work on display of all mediums from artists new and involved with the gallery.

Highlights this time around include new work by Victoria Cassells and Tony Lane. PN BLACK ASTERISK GALLERY, 10 Ponsonby Road M: 021 040 1168 www.blackasterisk.co.nz

Dalston Winter 2013 Trunk Show, Wednesday 5 June Above L to R: Monique Jarvis, Anna Caselberg, Dominique Crikemans, Jules Clark and Pippa Coom. Above L to R: Barbara Grace and Pippa Coom.

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SHOWING AT OREXART Until 20 July ‘RELIGIOUS…’ MAY NOT BE HOW YOU DEFINE YOURSELF, BUT BELIEVER, NON - believer, agnostic, atheist, or as Alain de Botton has it… “If one compares religion to art, both appeal to the emotions, but different artists produce work that individuals may appreciate or depreciate - it is not necessary to love every piece from one, and hate anything from another.”

If then our individual tastes can be defined as ‘catholic’ i.e. wide-ranging, broad, all-embracing, and even extensive, then perhaps we can call this show ‘coffee-bar Catholicism’…something of a ‘pick and mix’ of how different artists respond to the notion of the ‘religious’ experience. PN OREXART, 1/15 Putiki Street Arch Hill T: 09 378 0588 For more info visit www.orexart.co.nz or contact: rex@orexart.co.nz

ARTS + CULTURE TOP TRIO TO JUDGE IHC ART AWARDS A TALENTED TRIO (MAINLY LOCALS) FROM THE WORLDS OF FASHION, MUSIC AND ART will choose the winners in this year’s IHC Art Awards - a showcase for the talents of artists with intellectual disabilities.

Ponsonby resident Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, from WORLD fashion, joins celebrated musician and jewellery artist Grey Lynn resident Boh Runga and New Zealand’s inaugural Young Cartoonist Award winner Cory Mathis on the judging panel.

They will judge hundreds of entries that traditionally cover everything from sculptures, installations and textile art, to painting and drawing.

The IHC Art Awards are open to all New Zealanders with an intellectual disability, age 13 or over, whether or not they use IHC services.

The top three prize-winners will be picked out of 30 finalists from three regional competitions and announced at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Thursday 29 August 2013. The finalists’ work will be auctioned on the night, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the artists. PN

‘Crown of Thorns’ cast glass by Evelyn Dunstan

‘Jesus (1984) Kauri’ Inkjet print by Richard McWhannell

‘Pink Bouquet’ Oil on canvas by Peter Wichman

THE GREY WARBLERS WINTER CONCERT 2013 SUPPORTED BY THE AOTEA YOUTH SYMPHONY SUNDAY 28 JULY 2PM SELWYN VILLAGE THEATRE Ambury Hall, Music Director of ‘The Grey Warblers’, Selwyn Village Singing Group says, “We’re very excited to about our upcoming concert supported by the’ Aotea Youth Symphony. Everyone is welcome, afternoon tea will be served and entry is by gold coin donation.” PN For more information contact The Selwyn Foundation T: 09 849 4066 SELWYN VILLAGE THEATRE, 43 Target Street, Point Chevalier The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING AT GALATOS LIVE ‘TURN TEARS INTO LAUGHTER’ AND AUCTION FUNDRAISING EVENING 18 July The Auckland Women’s Refuge (central city) is seeking your support to help those suffering from domestic violence. Five of the top New Zealand comedians are coming together for a comedy and auction fundraising evening at Galatos Live. Urzila Carlson, Simon McKinney, Rose Matafeo, Joseph Moore and Wellington based James Nokise have kindly donated their talent for the event. Galatos Live, Galatos Street, Doors open at 6.45pm - tickets are $75 and are on sale now at www.eventfinder.co.nz The Auckland Women’s Refuge are also delighted to have the support for the auction from people like cook Annabelle White with a degustation dinner, Shortland Street productions and Ben Mitchell who plays character Dr TK Samuels. Also players from the LG Northern Mystics, artworks from David Toailoa, Peter Petelo Muavae and Claire Hey, studio visit to TV3 and Campbell Live and meet the presenters, flight simulator experience at www.flyajet.co.nz, L’Oreal product, Fullers Cruises to Waiheke Island and Midway Motel Waiheke Island, designer Kate Sylvester clothing, and Woolrest Biomag. For further information about the Auckland Women’s Refuge please go to www.awrefuge.org.nz

SHOWING AT NOOK GALLERY Carl Ingram: produces non-pretentious works that often have a dark subversive humour at their core. He prefers to keep a painterly or textured look and goes by the mantra “A painting should look like a painting”. He draws inspiration from retro pop culture, music and video games.

Nicholas J Boyd: A self-taught artist, his paintings are made freestyle, painting straight from the head void of preliminary drawings or visual reference. This technique allows his inner thoughts and daily observations to meld into unique art works which reflect the artist’s individual creative characteristics.

Hugo Lindsey: Painting can mimic or echo the real however it is also its own reality, a thing to be dealt with on its own terms.

It questions the reality it represents, speculating upon and simultaneously historicising the content that film and photography imposes on culture. Hugo’s choice of imagery functions as a filter, where everyday meanderings through digital mediums allow him to form both formal and conceptual relationships between images.

NOOK GALLERY, 54 Ponsonby Road M: 027 522 7710 www.nookgallery.co.nz

Melinda Butt: Nature is her main muse, through graceful imagery Melinda strives to illustrate the forces behind what we see. She is currently working on a series based on her time in the Northern territory, the enigmatic landscape and compelling art from this region has left an impassioned imprint.

Wei Lun Ha: A New Zealand artist, exploring traditional Asian ink art ideas in a variety of media and styles. His aspiration is to translate these skills into his architectural practice one day, and exhibit this art form across the country. He paints with a calligraphy brush and a mix of nontraditional materials, making many of his works unique to his field.

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#@*! MOAN OF THE MONTH GREY LYNN’S CELLULOID PICTURE PALACE AIR YOUR GRIEVANCE The Grey Lynn Picture Cinema opened in 1928; ticket prices were one and six for adults and three pence for children.

A long time business operator in Ponsonby bemoans the gentrifying of his beloved precinct. This is what he has to say:

By 1951 it had been re-named Cameo Theatre and was run by the Kerridge-Odeon chain. In 1973 it had closed as a cinema and then Precious McKenzie took it over and staged boxing and wrestling matches along with his fitness centre. Today it operates as a Civic video shop and a studio offering physiotherapy, pilates, massage, fitness training and hair dressing. Today the Cameo’s once lavish interior has been stripped almost bare. You can still see the beautifully detailed proscenium archways either side of what was once the stage. The wall lights and the chandelier which hung majestically in the foyer are now in the Regent theatre in Te Awamutu.

On entering from the Great North Road doors, if you look up the plaster ornate dome is still there where the chandelier once hung.

I look out from my Ponsonby balcony at the street scene below and think the same fate that happened to London’s Soho has happened to Auckland’s Ponsonby. Hitherto, more often than not, I would arrive at work to see Allan Maddox being led home by a group architect’s daughter after an all-night party at Gavin Chillcott’s in Picton Street, or Lady Margaret trolling for discarded cigarettes on her way to or from K Road. The pump attendant at Shell in Williamson Avenue would laugh away as he pumped my gas and I laughed along with him pleased to be reassured his medication was working; he had put his girlfriend’s severed head in a microwave back in Australia and cooked it, but New Zealand forgave him so all was well. This was in the early 80s even before Otis Frizzell arrived in Ponsonby. Peter Rogers was taking on many untried young designers, sculptors and artists in his shop, Real Time. Photographer, Robin Morrison would be seen emerging from David William’s Food Glorious Food Deli, and Michael Glock, carrying an impossibly designed chair into his shop, Design Design. These were people who helped to create the culture that identified Ponsonby as Auckland’s bohemia.

When Francis Bacon died something happened to London’s Soho. It seemed as if the middle classes had been waiting for the great artist’s passing and without more ado, turned Soho bohemia into Soho dinky.

Then ‘They’ arrived, at first an interesting curiosity these ‘others’ were from out there somewhere, but soon there were swarms of them crossing Ponsonby Road, crowding the footpaths, parking outside cafés, hogging the strip. They all looked the same, clad in black lycra from head to toe, feet encased in Nike trainers, blonde ponytails swinging loose from under peaked caps, and propelling their brats in three wheeler pushchairs.

In its heyday the proscenium and interior ceiling was made up of three circuits of coloured lights, the effects of light and shadow were very inventive for the time.

The auditorium ran as a “T” shape to the foyer which was ramped. Entry into the auditorium arrived at the cross over aisle, turning left to the circle and right to the stalls.

As a 10 year old boy back in 1950, Bob Harvey the ex Mayor of Waitakere City got his first job selling ice creams at the Cameo. He loved the job and did it for two years.

He got the job by simply asking the manager of the theatre. At the time he lived at Western Springs at the Transit Camp. He had to learn a new skill which was rolling ice creams, he would do this while the movie was screening.

He says it gave him a taste of films and the movie business which he’s never lost.

Seeing films and being amazed at the relationship between the audience and the screen that only cinema can do. I believe the first movie shown at the theatre was The Circus, a silent film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin with Joseph Plunkett as an uncredited writer. The film stars Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George Davis and Henry Bergman The ringmaster of an impoverished circus hires Chaplin’s Little Tramp as a clown, but discovers that he can only be funny unintentionally, not on purpose. The production of the film was the most difficult experience in Chaplin’s career.

Numerous problems and delays occurred, including a studio fire, the death of Chaplin’s mother, as well as Chaplin’s bitter divorce from his second wife Lita Grey, and the Internal Revenue Service claims of Chaplin’s owed back taxes, all of which culminated in filming being stalled for eight months. The Circus was the seventh highest grossing silent film in cinema history taking in more than $3.8 million dollars (US) in 1928 which was huge box office for the time. (DAVID HARTNELL) PN

There was a time when a gentleman could have a quiet drink with a mate in a pub and then along came Chris Priestly who opened up The Atomic Cafe. Our women invited us to drink coffee with them and we had to admit that having them around was, as it is in Europe, very nice. Thankfully a little sand pit out the back kept offspring at a sensible distance. But then the Pushers arrived with conveyances we had to climb over for a table, and horror of horrors, there were brats running and bumping and expressing their creativity all around us while the Pushers tended to their iPhones and not their brats. Whack a brat on the hand for spilling your short black over your Armani’s and out of the chaos would appear a fervent husband with a number one haircut, shirt hanging out and threatening to report you to the police.

Once you talked your way out of that one, you would see the fervent husband don his helmet and ride off on his direct drive bicycle the half kilometer to a Grey Lynn renovated villa where he would no doubt prepare the organic dinner. Meanwhile his pony tailed partner would fold up the three wheeler, strap the brat into the back of a black four wheel drive Euro something and follow him home.

Where Mick Jagger once did a gig in the Glue Pot Pub, there’s a hair salon, no doubt blonding the ponytails of the three wheeler Pushers. I don’t live in Ponsonby nowadays but as I drive home at night I’m pleased to see Peter and friends outside Real Time having a drink in the old tradition and further up the road at Ipanema I recognise a young writer with her cachaca on the bar talking Berlin, listening to Ibiza and living Ponsonby as it used to be. It’s just the Pushers that are the pollutants.

Well the grievance airer remains anonymous for fear of being attacked by a horde of ponytailed valkyries, but we agree he has a valid point. Bohemia everywhere attracts affluent outsiders because of its creative energy. They move in and abracadabra, their overwhelming presence dilutes what enticed them there in the first place. PN (DEIRDRE TOHILL)

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SPEECH BY ACT LEADER: JOHN BANKS

Psychoactive Substances Bill - Second Reading I RISE TO OPPOSE THE PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES Bill. This bill is well intentioned and aimed at ensuring psychoactive substances sold in New Zealand are as safe as possible. I want to pay respect to the Minister Todd McClay for his noble intentions with this bill.

However, I simply cannot support it. I find it totally unacceptable that this bill fails to rule out testing these recreational drugs on innocent animals. Protecting animals is ingrained in my soul. I think most New Zealanders will be outraged at the idea that chemicals people use ‘just for fun’ can be and will be tested on harmless animals.

Animals will be put in extreme pain. Animals will suffer. Animals will die. We must remember psychoactive substances are not a necessity. Recreational drugs are not something one needs to consume. They aren’t lifesaving medicines or something that will relieve suffering. People don’t NEED to take them.

Their prolific use will cause widespread animal suffering.

There is simply no justifiable reason for unnecessary drugs to be tested on animals, and I for one find it deeply offensive that any Government would sanction it. Animals will be in pain and will die all in the name of people wanting to take drugs on the weekend. That is simply unacceptable. Animals must not experience suffering for economic or entertainment reasons. I know the Select Committee inserted a new clause in the bill to state that animal testing should only be used when necessary, but that is not good enough. Especially considering the Select Committee refused to hear from organisations such as SAFE and the RSPCA about the impact of animal testing.

Evidence shows animal testing is not necessary to prove the safety of these mind alerting chemicals. Dr Ian Shaw

of the University of Canterbury says non-animal testing can adequately establish whether a substance has unacceptable risks of acute toxicity.

Cell culture, ex vivo and SAR studies can all be used to establish the risks. Even if animal testing was necessary, and I know the vast majority of New Zealanders will agree with me on this, I say tough luck to the drug manufacturers and their drug dealing distributors.

If you can’t prove your new found drug of choice is safe without putting animals in abject misery, you can’t sell your drug. If you need to pay more for more expensive nonanimal testing, again I say tough luck. That is the price you, who stand to profit from selling these drugs, must pay.

The reality is the bill could well result in drugs being test on animals in place such as China and India where animal welfare is shamefully non-existent.

The statement in the bill that overseas testing must be carried out in accordance with the New Zealand Animal Welfare Act is nonsense because there is no way for us to assess what goes on in the torture chambers of animal testing laboratories in Asia. Despite assurances from former Minister Peter Dunne, this bill fails to rule to the use of the extremely cruel LD50 test.

These animal testing places test their drugs on man’s best friend - dogs. Or, more specifically, farmed Beagle puppies.

These animals trust us, and expect to get care and love.

It is obscene. I also want to comment on the Interim Psychoactive Substances Expert Advisory Committee, and one of its members Bob Kerridge from the RSPCA.

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The committee was tasked with advising about the use of animal testing. Some have said that Mr Kerridge’s place on the committee and the committee’s view that animal testing should be condoned reveals that animal welfare groups support this bill. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I want to place on record what Mr Kerridge said to me: ‘It is a matter of record that I am opposed to any animal testing for the approval of psychoactive products, and my presence on this Committee does not alter or condone it.” Those who have fought for many years for the rights of animals, such as SAFE and the RSPCA are outraged by this bill and it is disingenuous to say anything different.

Finally, I want to thank Mojo Mathers for her work on this bill. I will be supporting her amendment to prohibit the use of data, collected from testing on animals here or overseas, being used to support an application to get a psychoactive substance approved. It is a sensible amendment which will protect defenceless animals.

But I say to her and her Green Party colleagues, if your amendment at Committee stage fails to get the numbers, you should vote against this bill anyway.

The Green Party has been very vocal in its animal rights stance. If you truly believe your own policies you should be standing against this bill.

We are sacrificing Beagle puppies at the altar of recreational drug use. It is a disgrace to this country. As the most powerful creatures on this Earth, humans have a responsibility to protect all animals from senseless, worthless and shameless cruelty at all times and in all places. PN

Studio Italia, 96 Carlton Gore Road Taylor Boutique, 1 Teed Street

Glengarry, Corner Sale and Wellesley Streets Kellands Real Estate, 4 Drake Street New World, Victoria Park Sale St, 7 Sale Street

NEWTON

GREY LYNN

NORTH SHORE

Barfoot & Thompson, 533 Great North Road Barkley Manor, 400 - 402 Great North Road Grey Lynn Community Centre, 520 Richmond Road Grey Lynn Community Library, 474 Great North Road Raw Essentials, 401B Richmond Road Ripe, 172 Richmond Road Sliced,104 Richmond Road Tapac, 100 Motions Road Vetcare, 408 Great North Road

HERNE BAY

Herne Bay Post & Stationers, 240 Jervois Road Five Loaves & 2 Fish, 206 Jervois Road Icing on the Cake, 188 Jervois Road Momentum, 182 Jervois Road

KINGSLAND

Atomic, 420c New North Road

MT EDEN

Citta Outlet Store, Corner Enfield & Normanby Road Sabato, 57 Normanby Road

NEWMARKET

Benediction Café, 30 St Benedicts Street Design 55, 55 Upper Queen Street

Rug Direct, Wairau Park Dawson’s Furniture, Mairangi Bay Nose To Tail Dog Wash, Albany

Ponsonby News is published on the first Friday of each month excluding January.

Copies go quickly so be quick to collect yours from any of the following outlets. The issue is also published on our website www.ponsonbynews.co.nz

PARNELL

Jane Daniels, 2 Birdwood Cresent Parnell Community Centre, 545 Parnell Road

PONSONBY

Artstation, 1 Ponsonby Road Barfoot & Thompson, 184 Ponsonby Road Chapel Bar, 147 Ponsonby Road Fitness Trainer, 36 Jervois Road Harcourts, 89 Ponsonby Road Leys Institute, 20 St Mary’s Road The Longroom, 114 Ponsonby Road Mag Nation, 123 Ponsonby Road Ponsonby Community Centre, 20 Ponsonby Terrace Spa Ayurda, 213 Ponsonby Road Whitespace, 12 Crummer Road WORLD, 97 Ponsonby Road

WESTMERE

Glengarry, 164 Garnet Road

Planet Ayurveda, 41 Gillies Avenue

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