CELEBRATING 33 YEARS OF PUBLISHING HISTORY!
The crowd enjoyed celebrating the 10th year anniversary! - p56
Established: OCTOBER 1989 APRIL 2023 ponsonbynews.co.nz
When it comes to easy living, no less than ten green and smart systems have been carefully incorporated into the build at 10 JERVOIS, allowing you to take advantage of the best technology available right now.
In addition, the creators will soon unveil the Green and Smart Life showroom, giving you a better understanding of 10 JERVOIS’s intelligent systems and green living philosophy. Here, you can experience these systems first-hand, enabling you to have a more in-depth understanding of key elements such as a smart kitchen that offers a more efficient cooking experience, a plant management system that lets you easily maintain your precious green friends, and the range of energy-efficient appliances that help contribute to a truly intelligent lifestyle.
006 LETTERS & EMAILS
007 FROM THE EDITOR
008 DAVID HARTNELL: ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW
014 APARTMENT LIVING
028 MIKE LEE: A TIME OF STORMS
029 PUNEET OF PONSONBY
032 FROM THE MAYOR - WAYNE BROWN
039 FASHION & STYLE
040 HELENE RAVLICH: LOCAL FASHION
047 CHLÖE SWARBRICK: MP AUCKLAND CENTRAL
048 ROSS THORBY: RETURN TO CRUISING
050 PONSONBY PARK
051 GAEL BALDOCK
052 HELEN WHITE: LABOUR LIST MP
053 LISA PRAGER
055 MELISSA LEE: NATIONAL LIST MP
056 WOOF - CELEBRATING 10 YEARS IN THE PARK
058 EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
058 FACES AT GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET
064 LIVING, THINKING & BEING
066 FUTURE GENERATION
070 PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS
072 HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS
075 ARTS & CULTURE
080 HOROSCOPES
082 THE PONSONBY PINK PAGES
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Connor Crawford
PONSONBY NEWS is published monthly, excluding January by: ALCHEMY MEDIA LIMITED, P.O. BOX 47-282
Ponsonby, Auckland 1144, T: 09 378 8553, www.ponsonbynews.co.nz
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P11: STORM celebrates 17th birthday with a return to Ponsonby says Creative Director Deborah Caldwell pictured above
Editor/Publisher: MARTIN LEACH M: 021 771 147 martinleach@xtra.co.nz or martin@ponsonbynews.co.nz
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CITIZENS ADVICE NEEDED MORE THAN EVER
Auckland Council states that strong community groups are essential to achieving vibrant communities. It refers to notfor-profit community groups that are involved in a variety of community support and development activities across Auckland, including Citizens Advice.
CAB provides confidential, anonymous, free information and advice to all Auckland citizens who require support to face challenging circumstances.
However, CAB's continued existence is now in peril. This voluntary organisation has been highlighted for a significant cut to its council funding or elimination of its funding. We are unlikely to survive if a substantial cut is approved.
There are currently 900 CAB volunteers who provide face-toface, phone or on-line services across 32 sites, assisting with 163,000 client interactions in the past calendar year.
There is a powerful financial case for Citizens Advice Bureau. A recent social return on investment calculation shows that for every dollar invested in CAB there is a delivery of $13.20 of measurable good to the community.
CAB needs and deserves strong support. I hope that Councillor Mike Lee and the Waitematā Local Board commit to supporting Citizens Advice and opposing the potential funding cuts.
Simon Hart, CAB board member responsible for negotiating funding with Auckland Council
OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR WAYNE BROWN
Thanks for the amazing response to the recent flooding in Lorraine Avenue.
As one of the volunteers helping residents recover submerged vehicles etc. I witnessed first-hand the incredible response from the council. It was evident that everyone from Mayor Wayne Brown down to the contractors on the ground were in the right place, at the right time, focused on making the right things happen.
After reaching out to Mayor Wayne Brown, I was amazed by the speed and efficiency of the response. Within twenty minutes, council staff were on the scene to assess the ongoing flooding, and within hours, a thirty-metre tree wedged across the Oakley Creek had been removed before the next projected downpour would have again flood the homes.
The coordination from your team under immense pressure was impressive. The importance of the fantastic ongoing status communication back to the already traumatised residents who had already had the flood wash through their house, could not be underestimated.
I subsequently requested the details of the staff involved so that their efforts would not go unnoticed. I would like to extend my gratitude to Mayor Wayne Browns and his emergency executive response team, Central Operations Manager, Philip Johansen, Director of Infrastructure and Environmental Services Barry Potter and Senior Healthy Waters Specialist Vijay Mungo. You guys were rock stars.
Liam VenterA lot of bizarre statements are directed at cyclists and the latest from Wayne Brown is surely one of them.
I quote: “It seems that climate change is here so we need to actually prepare our city for it. Vain attempts to fend it off with hopeful cycling projects are probably a bit late now”. Wars have always been about territory and the vehicle drivers against cyclists battle is no different. When I came to Auckland in 1982 from the UK, I brought a bike with me and used it for commuting. This was considered very odd, as cycling at that time, was mainly for children or sports people.
There was plenty of room on the road though for everyone. No need to be anti-cycling at that time as drivers didn’t need to defend their territory. Hazards in the early 80s for the cyclist were things like unrestrained dogs on the back of comparatively small utes taking a lunge at you as they drove past, and drunk drivers weaving on the road.
Fast forward and we have thousands of double cab utes in the city. They overflow parking spaces, block sightlines and damage roading. A giant SUV is now a family car. This is ‘normalised absurdity’ as someone so aptly remarked.
Cyclists would like to feel safe and need some space. The idea that motorists should relinquish some space to more vulnerable road users makes many of them irrationally angry. Climate change requires many shifts in our lifestyles; allowing adults and children to cycle safely is just one small but important part of sustainable living.
Please Wayne Brown, stop pandering to a small but vociferous section of your supporters with meaningless statements like this.
Barbara Grace, Grey LynnPASIFIKA
It’s been a few years since Pasifika has been at Western Springs Park. Mostly there was a great improvement this time. Spreading it over two days meant it wasn’t so crowded, so the paths were easy to walk around. The toilet areas were screened. Ablutions and food were separated right. There were little faleo'o as information kiosks. The ground wasn’t littered with used food plates.
Only one thing was terrible - all the street parking had been removed and replaced with orange cones. On Great North Road the entire park frontage was coned off reducing to one lane, backing the traffic up to Pt Chevalier Road. The closure of the Bullock Track meant that traffic backed up from Chinaman’s Hill along Surrey Crescent to Richmond Road.
I can’t understand the logic of removing parking when people travel from the other side of Auckland to go to an event. The Waitangi Day Festival at Waititi Marae had Maori wardens rather than security guards. They also directed traffic and no car parks removed. And not an orange cone in sight!
Why can’t Auckland Transport follow that example? It was much friendlier and inclusive.
Sarah LintonLETTERS CONTINUED P69
After having been delayed, finally Woof – the Rainbow Dog Show was held in Western Park last month.
The judges included Suzanne Paul, Justine Smith, Thomas Sainsbury and Buckwheat. It was a fun afternoon and the weather was perfect. The event has been running for 10 years and made possible with sponsors which included Barkley Manor, Nutrience pet food and SPCA.
Iconic New Zealand fashion brand STORM celebrated their 17th birthday in style with the opening of a new boutique in Ponsonby Road. Creative Director Deborah Caldwell opened the first STORM boutique in 2006, and since then the brand has become known for its beautiful fabrics, prints and statement pieces with a rock-n-roll edge.
With a strong focus on timeless designs, luxurious textures, and exclusive prints, STORM is poised for continued success in the years to come.
Happy anniversary to ecostore who celebrate 30 years this month. The company has been making products that are safer for you, your family, and your world.
Helene Ravlich suggests locals embrace the chill this month. As she tells us, “April is a strange month when it comes to weather – awkwardly straddling summer and autumn with elements of each thrown joyously into the mix on any given day. It’s most definitely leaning towards autumn though, and dressing for autumn is never as simple as it first seems.”
When it comes to easy living, apartments are the way forward for many locals. They are great for lock up and leave options. A new development - 10 JERVOIS – is planned for the corner of Jervois Road and Redmond Street. Read more about them in this issue. (JAY PLATT & MARTIN LEACH) PN
Murray Andrews lives in Ponsonby and is a self-employed electrician. His company, Electrical Maintenance, works on residential and commercial properties.
How long have you been an electrician?
Over 30 years, so I have a lot of experience and have seen a lot of changes. I also really enjoy what I do.
What other career might you have taken?
Maybe farming in the South Island but I have always enjoyed being an electrician so have never really had to think seriously about that.
What do you like about Ponsonby?
My favorite café is 121/Sol's Place. I have known the previous owner Chris and the new owner Ron for some time; they are great guys and the coffee is awesome.
How have you survived the pandemic?
Keeping in touch with family and friends, creating a bubble, resilience taught to me by my parents; I was also an essential service.
What was your childhood like?
I grew up at Mt Maunganui. It was one giant adventure playground.
What is your favorite TV series?
Master Chef Australia – a top quality program - the new ideas they have for content is amazing.
What is on your bucket list?
A wine harvest in France - my son is a winemaker in the south of France; flyfishing in Alaska; and some train journeys in different parts of the world.
How do you see yourself in ten years? Working on only the days I choose and enjoying overseas travel.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a person who enjoyed life and who had good friends and family.
What do you love most about your age?
Like a good bottle of red wine, if kept correctly, it just gets better with age.
What is something you disapprove of? Lack of respect.
If you won a million dollars, what would you do?
I suppose I should tell my wife.
What really motivates you?
To be able to enjoy doing new things.
Your favorite all time movie?
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – I liked the quote, "Don’t worry everything will be okay in the end and if it’s not okay now, it’s not the end".
Give your teenaged self some advice. Enjoy life and follow your dreams.
Which item of clothing can't you live without?
My Calvin Klein jeans.
What would your dream home be?
A free flowing house by a river, lake or the sea, and with room for friends to stay.
Your most treasured possession? Memories and to be able to keep creating them.
Your dream guest list for a party?
George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Sir Elton John - all superstars.
Tell me about the time you saved someone from drowning.
I still can remember this event clearly. I was 18 at the time. A friend and myself were body surfing at Omanu beach Mt. Maunganui. My mate had just caught a wave in and while I was waiting for the next wave I noticed a man, who was about 70 years old, about 40 metres to my left; he had one hand raised above his head. I swam over to check if he was okay. He was calm and not panicking but while trying to tread water he had become very weak. We were swimming just outside the patrolled area. What had happened was that he was taken out by a rip. I put him in the rescue position and we swam to the side of the rip, then I took him in shore to the beach. The surf lifesavers arrived and took him back to the clubhouse. As I had grown up at the Mount I was a very competent swimmer, having been involved with swimming club, and surf lifesaving had taught me some important water safety skills which on that day I was able to put to good use.
(DAVID HARTNELL, MNZM) PN
Iconic New Zealand fashion brand STORM celebrated their 17th birthday in style with the opening of a new boutique in Ponsonby.
Creative Director Deborah Caldwell opened the first STORM boutique in 2006, and since then the brand has become known for its beautiful fabrics, prints and statement pieces with a rock-n-roll edge.
The new store, located at 160 Ponsonby Road, showcases STORM's latest looks in a stylish and modern setting. “Being back on Ponsonby Road feels like home for us," says Caldwell. “What I love about Ponsonby is the energy. This is our third location in Ponsonby, and it made sense to come back when the right spot became available. We can't wait to share our latest collections with the fashion-savvy locals and visitors who frequent the area."
STORM's focus on creating designs that reflect the confident and contemporary attitude of the modern woman has made the brand a household name in New Zealand. The opening of the latest boutique in Ponsonby is a testament to the brand's success and its commitment to providing customers with the best possible shopping experience.
"STORM has always been about empowering our customers to feel confident in their own skin," says Caldwell. "As we enter our 18th year, we're more committed than ever to creating
designs that reflect that spirit and inspire our customers to feel their best."
STORM's 17th birthday and the opening of the new store in Ponsonby marks a new chapter in the brand's history. With a strong focus on timeless designs, luxurious textures, and exclusive prints, STORM is poised for continued success in the years to come.
STORM, 160 Ponsonby Road, T: 0800 042 092, www.stormonline.com
CONNOR CRAWFORD
I am a working artist and photographer with a colourful and rhythmic perspective. I enjoy shooting the front covers of Ponsonby News.
DAVID HARTNELL - MNZM
For the last 53 years I’ve been a freelance entertainment journalist and author. I’ve lived in the Grey Lynn area for over three decades; I have met and interviewed some amazing people.
HONOUR MITCHELL
I have lived in the Ponsonby area all of my life. I write the column ‘Teen Picks’ which explores everything on offer in the greater Ponsonby area.
HELENE RAVLICH
A freelance writer and copywriter for almost 20 years, I have written for publications all over the world and couldn’t imagine myself in any other job.
KEN RING
My yearly NZ Weather Almanacs began in 1999. During the tragic 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, my work created international interest. I currently live in Ponsonby.
LUCY KENNEDY
I am a young local writer who loves to read! Each month you will find my reviews of new books for people who love to read as much as I do.
PHIL PARKER
Journalist and published author, I have had a career involving both wine writing and hosting boutique wine tours in the Auckland region.
PUNEET DHALL
I am an Aucklander of Indian origin, Punjabi and Sikh. I have a keen interest in food, wine and politics.
ROSS THORBY
I have had a wanderlust for travel ever since I was old enough to own a passport. Since I discovered cruising, I have become unstoppable.
SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS
A vegan for over a year and vegetarian for over seven years with a passion for writing. I am a local student reviewing some of Ponsonby’s best vegan eats.
Auckland Obstetric Centre is a unique practice in Parnell made up of six leading specialist obstetricians and support staff. Together we have many years of experience and feel privileged to be able to share in the care of women during their pregnancy. To find out more about how we can care for you and your baby call our team or visit our website.
09 367 1200 obstetrics.co.nz
Named 'Honour' in tribute to the affluent suburb of Herne Bay, three exquisitely designed freestanding townhouses will be built on the suburb's prestigious tree-lined Hamilton Road and will become home to a lucky few.
When looking for their dream 'city home', Andrew and Catherine Holden's wish list was "for a contemporary, easycare townhouse with sea views and a short walk to the beach. Maintaining access to the central city life with great proximity to the Auckland Harbour Bridge and local amenities was also high on the list," says Andrew. "After an extensive search within the Herne Bay and St Marys Bay areas, we realised that such homes rarely exist. Not wanting to live above, below or in between, we gave up on finding an established or offplan home and purchased a site with an old villa in a state of disrepair to develop our ideal city sanctuary."
With an active property portfolio across all sectors, the couple has utilised their commercial expertise for this project while embracing the opportunity to share the benefits with others by creating two adjacent townhouses. The Holden's intent from the beginning has been to develop something extraordinary. A home that has luxurious surroundings, is comfortable and low-maintenance. Honour is your perfect "lock-and-leave".
Freestanding and freehold these three bedroom homes have been meticulously crafted to present the best contemporary living with an edge. The foundation brief provided to the architects, Leuschke Group, was for 'high-quality, beautiful architecture'. With Lindy Leuschke leading the architectural design process, her eye for detail and functionality is reflected in every element.
"In designing these unique homes, I took inspiration from older quality homes in the well-established suburb of Herne Bay. While harbour views, outlook and orientation to sunlight are maximised, privacy is maintained. I designed these homes to sit comfortably into the Herne Bay environment, stand the test of time and remain relevant for many decades.”
The sophisticated interior design offers true refinement, featuring Matisse kitchens with marble benchtops and splashbacks, mosaic finger tiles, Italian tapware, and Gaggenau appliances, all contributing to making the heart of the home a joy to be in. The cleverly curated material palette provides easy contrast while maintaining a timeless energy.
Elegant bathrooms with Cristina Rubinetterie tapware, Duravit fixtures, and Calacatta Gold-Platinum marble tops are a true mark of luxury, providing the perfect place to indulge.
Positioned at the end of tree-lined Hamilton Road, less than 50 metres from the beach and an easy stroll to Jervois Road, you'll find some of Auckland's finest eateries, retail and urban living. Honour presents striking façades, tranquil outdoor settings and landscaping - these elegant homes will provide a beautiful retreat.
With resource and building consents issued, 65b and 65c Hamilton Road are now released for sale.
Please contact Maria Salmon with all enquiries or to arrange a private appointment to discover more about these exquisite homes. For further information: www.reeveal.co.nz/projects or call 027 274 0573. Email: maria@reeveal.co.nz
Honour presents three exquisitely designed freestanding and freehold townhouses in the central coastal suburb of Herne Bay, where lifestyle options are plentiful and tranquility is at your doorstep.
Sea views, a short walk to the beach and easy access to life in the city are all attained at Honour.
Bespoke homes designed for like-minded people with vision and an eye for quality was the foundation brief provided to the architects, Leuschke Group.
Expressions of interest are now welcomed.
Having opened in Auckland in November, George Street Linen has now become a well know name around the streets of Morningside.
Bringing its beautifully soft linens, cottons and bamboo blends in a myriad of inspiring colours to the welcoming Auckland suburb.
George Street Linen has been running online out of George Street in Whakatane for six years, whilst also providing the Bay of Plenty from its two stores in Whakatane and Papamoa with beautiful bed linen, bedding and towels. It’s small team, having over 20 years of expertise in the fashion and linen industry from all over the world, source, design and manufacture all their own products. From mattress toppers, quilts and pillows in their unique ‘Microsofty’ cloud-like material to pre-washed European Flax Linen and Fresh Cotton Percale, their main aim is to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Looking for something to brighten up your space? Why not let them custom-make you a set of Liberty Print Sheets from the genuine Liberty cloth woven in Italy. The four amazing prints are a beautiful representation of the Liberty Print Style. Pair the print with a Bamboo Linen duvet cover set in a mellow natural hue or a Pure Linen sheet in a bold block colour for a bedroom setting to indulge.
Their Morningside showroom provides a tranquil and pleasant shopping experience with their full range on display for you to look at, and feel! The welcoming store staff have a wealth of knowledge across the brand and are on hand to advise you on any interior styling when you’re looking for a gift for a loved one or for a finishing touch to your space. Be inspired by silk pillowcases, linen bathrobes, throw cushions, blankets and coverlets.
Head to Unit 2, 16-18 Taylors Road Morningside today for a touch of comfort with George Street Linen, and let them help you get a good night’s sleep!
Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm. georgestreetlinen.com
Look no further than Proxima Residences, where construction is well underway by award-winning Kalmar Construction and is estimated to be completed in the first half of 2024. With a rock-solid building structure, buyers can enjoy peace of mind knowing they have invested in a high-quality living space.
Conveniently located and close to the city centre, Ponsonby, Mt Eden and Kingsland, Proxima Residences offers a living experience that is truly unmatched. The building is surrounded by stunning views and is only minutes away from some of Auckland's best restaurants, shopping centres, and entertainment hubs.
It's not just the location that sets Proxima Residences apart. Each apartment has been designed to the highest standard of quality and includes designer kitchen equipped with Miele appliances, fully tiled bathrooms with Grohe tapware and generous sized open-plan living spaces that flow out to spacious balconies with sweeping views.
At Proxima Residences, you will find a range of beautiful owner-occupier size 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments priced from only $749,000 plus car parking options available with electric charging capabilities.
With construction underway, the team at Proxima Residences understand that your home is your sanctuary and strive to make it as comfortable and luxurious as possible with double glazing for sound and thermal insulation, as well as heat
pump/air-conditioning for year round comfort. Apartments are bathed in natural light through the floor to ceiling ranch sliders with many offering stunning views towards either Mt Eden or the Sky Tower and the harbour beyond, giving you a sense of peace and tranquillity.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to live in your dream home. Contact Aaron Cook on 021612642 today to learn more about the range of owner-occupier sized apartments and discover how Proxima Residences can provide you with the living experience you deserve.
MULTY - Ligne Roset's most popular sofabed is now available for immediate delivery in selected colours. See ligne.nz for details.
Now more than ever it’s important to have your home stand out from the rest when it comes to selling.
Home staging is a proven way to maximise the value of your home. It showcases the lifestyle prospective buyers could enjoy, and by using a bespoke home staging company like Ash Road, you can increase the chance of your home standing out from the rest.
“Ash Road were recommended to us…and we are so pleased we found them, as they made selling our house so easy, and stress free…the pieces they selected were simply stunning and perfectly suited to our home… and we sold for 40% over the CV – the perfect outcome!”
“I am convinced that working with Ash Road is what made our house go from looking pretty good, to looking absolutely, spectacular. I have been to dozens of open homes, most of which are staged, and none of them look as good as the ones
done by Ash Road. If I were to sell again, I would not even consider another company.”
Ash Road directors Nat and Katie say, “We are a boutique home staging company based in Grey Lynn. Our aim is to remove the stress from selling by presenting your home in the best way to get the best price. Homes we stage consistently sell for premium prices.”
Book with Ash Road before 30 April and take advantage of their autumn special - get seven weeks home staging for their five-week price (giving you two for free weeks). You can also pay a $500+GST deposit and pay the balance when your home sells. *Terms and conditions apply.
www.ashroad.co.nz
The Wallace Cotton Ponsonby store has been a community staple for more than a decade, known for its beautiful collections of sustainably produced bedding, sleepwear and homeware.
As the autumn chill sets in, it’s time to update your home with some cosy essentials.
We asked Michelle, the stylist from Wallace Cotton, for her advice.
“Our autumn collection offers a beautiful range of sumptuous fabrics, cosy textures and unique hand-painted designs” says Michelle. “Combinations of colour and pattern on a bed can create different looks and feels. Use a duvet as a colourcarrier to be layered with complementing tones in sheeting and top of the bed items like quilts, throws and cushions.”
Michelle’s top tips for the season:
1. Layer up: As the weather cools down, layering is key. Layer blankets, throws, and pillows on your bed and sofa to create a cosy and inviting look.
2. Add texture: Textured fabrics such as plush velvet and fluffy shearling are perfect for autumn.
3. Embrace autumnal hues: Deep greens, moody blues, elegant black and warm toffee are all perfect for autumn. Incorporate these into your decor with quilts, cushions and pillowcases.
4. Mix and match: Don't be afraid to mix and match different patterns and textures. Style a floral duvet cover with a knitted throw, or a linen button headboard with a gingham check duvet.
5. Bring the outdoors in: Autumn is a great time to incorporate natural elements into your decor. Add seasonal flowers or fresh herbs such as dahlias, camellias, chrysanthemums or rosemary for extra interest, fragrance and colour.
www.wallacecotton.com
Grand homes require grand design – particularly when it comes to the kitchen, which sets the scene for the rest of the home’s décor.
This bold kitchen design forms the centrepiece of a new-build home with an expansive floor plan for a family with two preschoolers. The clients’ brief for their new kitchen was precise, says Kitchens By Design designer Marianne Gailer, an Elite Designer of the NKBA.
“Primarily, they wanted a warm and inviting feel, with lots of practical storage solutions, plus dedicated seating for family breakfasts. They also requested a scullery for Chinese cooking,” says Marianne. “They also wanted a wow factor ‘feature’ of some sort, and their preference was for an island, but were concerned about being seen while prepping food and cleaning up.”
Armed with this long list of requests, Marianne came up with a clever design, where the cooking, cleaning and preparation stations are located at one side of the kitchen space, creating an excellent work triangle for the ‘cook’ and at the other side, a space dedicated to casual seating and a ‘hang out’ for the kids, with toy storage underneath. The low built-in seating is a great spot for homework and snacking, and a double bi-fold door swings back to reveal the perfect breakfast and baking station.
The star of the show, however, is the island, with its handpicked slab of jade marble framed in American oak and highlighted by LED lighting. This raised ‘block’ of marble hides the benchtop behind it, giving separation from the open-plan dining/living area. As a finishing touch, the designer specified mirrored toe-kicks to give the island a floating look.
The primary cooking area has been placed along the back wall to avoid onlookers. A matching jade marble splashback, along with integrating the fridge into the full-height cabinetry, gives
the kitchen a seamless look, says the designer. The scullery behind the ‘secret door’ is where the Chinese cooking takes place. It has a second fridge, ample storage, with cooking and cleaning station, and a second bin next to the sink.
The experienced team at Kitchens By Design offers an integrated design-to-completion service. If you’re looking for a new kitchen, please call 09 379 3084 to make an appointment with one of their designers. Kitchens By Design’s showroom is located at 3 Byron Avenue in Takapuna. For inspiration, take a look at some fabulous projects at www.kitchensbydesign.co.nz
Seamlessly integrating practical family living with exceptional design.
On St Patricks Day I was invited by local MP Jacinda Ardern to share a briefing from Auckland Council’s ‘Healthy Waters’ officers on how they are planning to respond to the impacts of the anniversary weekend storm.
Jacinda and I both represent residents in the area below Grey Lynn Park where a number of houses were so badly damaged by the flood that they’ve been red stickered. Healthy Waters is likely to recommend to the council a managed retreat from this flood prone area. By the time you read this, affected residents will have received their own briefing with a lot more detail than I can provide here. A question which Jacinda raised is why would one department of council be supporting a managed retreat while another is still considering an application for an intensive housing development downstream in the same catchment, namely Sackville Street? Local residents who witnessed just how badly the area flooded in late January have been objecting to this development. In support of them, I told the NZ Herald that it ‘beggars belief’ that the council was still considering the application given what so recently happened here.
It was great to meet with Jacinda again. She looked very well, much more relaxed than in the last few months of her premiership. Transitioning from dealing with national and international problems she showed an impressive focus on the technicalities of the briefing. We briefly reminisced about the time when as a new MP she came to my office in 2010 when I was the chairman of the ARC to make a plea for saving Queens Wharf’s Shed 10. Despite long-standing plans for a new cruise terminal on the site, I came to the conclusion that she was right and so we changed the plans and instead made a refurbished Shed 10 the new cruise ship terminal – and saved a lot of money. I felt rather sad that after reconnecting with her after all these years, she will soon be gone again, onto the next stage of her remarkable career.
Another issue which has been taking up an enormous amount of time is AT’s $100m plus ‘Inner-West Road Improvements (Cycleway)’ project. For some years now, ever since AT’s West Lynn cycleway debacle, heavily engineered, retro-fitted cycleways have become a polarising issue in this ward. Part of the reason why I was elected I feel, was that people had become fed up with this ongoing ‘culture war’ with cycling advocates, led by Bike Auckland on the one side and other members of the community, including some cyclists, on the other. The project is in three components, Pt ChevalierWestmere, Grey Lynn (Grey Lynn ‘Safer Routes’) and Great North Road. Waka Kotahi/NZTA is refusing to fund the Grey Lynn ‘Safer Routes’ presumably because of the huge amount of money wasted on West Lynn the first-time round. This leaves Point Chev and Great North Road. To try to take the
heat out of the argument, in the spirit of compromise, I agreed to support the Point Chev-Westmere component which is reasonably well designed - but not Great North Road.
Unfortunately, the cycleway lobby and AT’s integrated network managers are in no mood for compromise - they are going for broke. Consequently, along with the local community, the Waitematā Local Board is divided on the issue 4-3. The AT Board is also split, as are AT staff. So divisive has the issue become that in an unprecedented move the AT board resolved to ask Auckland Council’s Transport & Infrastructure Committee for its view.
I was impressed with members of the public who subsequently presented to the committee on this issue, especially active cyclist Chris Delautour, whose critical comments of the cost, design and even safety of AT’s cycleways, were compelling because she so clearly knew what she was talking about. Incidentally Chris has just completed the gruelling 100km cycle event, Le Race from Christchurch to Akaroa.
Darryl Ojala, a 40-year local resident and business leader was also impressive. Resisting a great deal of pressure, Darryl stuck to his independent stance and quietly but forcefully made his case against AT’s plans for Great North Road which he believes will have a major disruptive impact on this vital arterial route and destroy car parking vital for small businesses. He also believes this will inevitably have a destructive impact on the Grey Lynn shopping centre which he called ‘My village’. He believes there are better routes for a cycleway and a better way to build it.
The Transport & Infrastructure Committee will come to a position and advise the AT Board in April. The cost of this $18,000 per metre cycleway project is especially questionable right now given the council’s serious financial crisis. This now looks like becoming a political crisis given council management’s attempts to impose an austerity budget on Aucklanders, along with a controversial $2billion sale of ratepayer-owned airport shares - while resisting providing elected members with the full financial information we need to make an informed decision.
More about this next month. In the meantime make sure you get your submissions in – even if they are a few days late.
(MIKE
LEE) PNMike Lee & Jacinda Ardern
When I was younger, I lived in an apartment in an ex-council block in Clapham, South West London.
I was at the bottom of the Northcote Road just a stone's throw from Wandsworth common. If you know London then you know it’s not uncommon to have some dusty old flats parked up next to some pretty nifty houses. Just around the corner from me was Bolingbroke Grove, a row of spacious Edwardian houses with lovely black and white checkerboard paths leading through the front garden to wide colourful front doors. I’d walk down the street in my Carhartt hoodie and with my Sony ‘5 Graphic Equaliser’ Walkman passing the old men with their brollies and bowler hats; we coexisted happily enough in each other's worlds. You see, the secret to a city is its neighbourhoods.
The best neighbourhoods are alive and consist of a diversity of races and interests, plant life and animals. People living there are out in the street, walking to the bus stop or train station, doing some shopping, hanging at a bar or cafe or my holy grail, sitting in the small neighbourhood restaurant, tables perched on the pavement, wide glazed windows alluring to the world inside. When I was on Northcote Road, this was Ristorante dal Romano on Nightingale Lane. My flat was to the east side, the posh houses west side, and our cucina like a beacon on the street corner, where hoodied lads and ‘pin striped’ city types would graze together on the finest homemade pasta and a litre of Tuscany’s finest.
With my Indian roots I have always been bowled over by French cuisine, but have always found French food quite exotic and at times lavish and extravagant compared to the communality of Indian dishes. To this end, I have always been very close to Italian cuisine in which I find far more similarities - creating the base mixture, working with the flour, the familia of the dishes.
So it was life changing for me when at a Grey Lynn book fair many moons ago, I found a 1960s Italian cookbook. You can see it now… pictures of Rome and Milan, Vespas and old school Chianti bottles and the classic recipes of each region done ‘the old way’ - the original bolognese recipe including chicken livers, pork mince, white wine and other super secrets from mama’s kitchen entombed within this magical book. Hues of brown, beige and dark green exuding from the Romanesque parchment, each page a slice of Italy in a time when the whole world felt so optimistic, and the food on your hearth was simple, elegant and delicious. When I’m feeling down, all I have to do is open this book and let it fall on any page, and joy seeps and then gushes back as I work on
whatever enchanted recipe is presented to me, ‘Veal Marsala with a 1961 Barolo’.
And that brings me to one of my own fine little neighbourhood gems, Gusto Italiano in Three lamps. You know it's the real deal when the owner’s favourite football team’s flags and shirts are adorned on the wall next to pictures of the Colosseum and Tuscan vineyards. Gusto plays it the way trattoria and cucina's have done so for millennia - Antipasto, Primi, Secondi, and Dolci - like the musical notes on a stave. And to their signature dish, Tortellini Porcini e Tartufo - homemade tortellini, sauteed in a truffle pesto and a porcini cream sauce topped with parmesan and Italian herbs. Heavenly. The texture of the tortellini is silky and firm with the earthy savouriness from the truffle and the decadence of the sauce and parmesan and then the herbs just zinging at the last furlong in the palate.
What do you dare put next to this dish? Only one of the greatest producers today in Italy - Le Macchiole. Their vineyards are on the western edge of Tuscany along the coastline of Bolgheri. The soils of Bolgheri are thin and free draining, not too dissimilar in principle to our own Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay. This winery now labelled a ‘Super Tuscan’ turned heads with its trio of global superstars - The Scrio, Paleo and cosmic Messorio - Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot respectively; these will cellar for many many decades. Le Macchiole have also produced a wine which blends all three of these varieties, Bolgheri Rosso. And so we try the 2019 vintage with Gusto’s tortellini - and when the two come together their wavelengths combine to create a tsunami of complementing flavours - and then there you are back in the old country gazing out over the vineyards and olive fields out to the ocean, the threads of distance and memory existentially morphing into one reality…and suddenly a green link bus flies past outside the restaurant doors, and you realise it's time to go back to work. (PUNEET DHALL) PN
@puneetofponsonby
Fable Hotels and Resorts expand their portfolio of luxury conference and event space, launching a highly in-demand Auckland offering!
The addition of 5-star Fable Auckland’s newest conference and event space is a welcome addition to the group’s already significant portfolio. Two stunning spaces have been developed in the luxury hotel, catering for up to 100 guests. Step inside the central location which provides the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Enjoy premium service, amenities and catering, all whilst Auckland’s finest activities, shopping and dining offerings are right at your doorstep.
“It’s exciting to see these new luxury spaces come to life," says Marcus Keenan, Regional General Manager - North Island. “We are excited to see how popular this will be with corporates and private events alike. The versatile space is suitable for events of all nature, the team is excited to start curating bespoke packages. The space has such potential, with a lovely character that fits within our boutique image. A truly 5-star experience.”
Take comfort in knowing the brand has a wealth of knowledge in curated experiences. Hotel Fitzroy, Fable Christchurch, Fable Terrace Downs Resort and Fable Dunedin, all work closely with clients and guests to understand their needs and preferences. From bespoke event packages to hosted stays, this level of customization ensures that every experience is unique and memorable, leaving a lasting impression.
Each conference property offers a range of catering options, including coffee breaks, buffet lunches, and formal dinners. The brand's culinary team curates menus that are inspired by local cuisine, using the freshest ingredients and the latest cooking techniques. The result is a range of dishes that are
both delectable and visually stunning, adding a touch of class and sophistication to your event.
Accommodation options across the group are equally impressive, with each property offering a range of rooms and suites that are designed to provide maximum comfort and luxury. The Fable team ensures that their guests' accommodation needs are met, whether they are looking for a single room, suite or an entire floor.
With a range of venues, catering options, and accommodation choices, Fable Hotels and Resorts is an ideal destination for your next event.
Please contact Lisa Tully at lisa.tully@cpghotels.com for all enquiries.
Try explaining how to get council out of a $295m hole dug by my predecessor along with most of the current councillors, not many of whom are keen to accept any responsibility at a time when thousands of homeowners have had serious increases in their interest costs.
It reminds me of the song ”Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die”.
The budget tries to use a range of levers to spread the pain, but consultation so far has just been a list of demands to get someone else to pay more to protect whatever that person gets out of the system, even though we are trying to evenly spread the load.
There are undoubtedly big savings to be made both within council, and in many cases within the Council Controlled Organisations, but even these seem to be sacred cows to some.
A good example would be the proposed cycleway from Ponsonby Road corner along Great North Road to the Grey Lynn shops. My last home was in Tuarangi Road and my current abode is just above the start, so I am easily the most local elected official having lived at both ends of this proposal, which arrived at council with the astonishing price tag of $28m.
To check this for value, I pedalled my bike both ways last Saturday. What I discovered was wide concrete footpaths
Auckland weather diary, April 2023
April may deliver less than half the normal rain, and above average sunshine and temperatures.
The first week may be wettest with lowest atmospheric pressures, the second week may be cloudiest, the third week may see highest barometric pressures, and the last week may have most sunshine. Easter may be a mixed bag, with Good Friday wet, Saturday and Sunday drier, and Monday showery.
The best weekend for outdoor activities may be 22/23. During April, the barometer may average around 1018mbs.
For fishers, the highest tides are on 20th. Best fishing bite-times in the east are around dusk on 5th - 7th and 19th -21st. Bitechances are also good for noon of 12th - 14th and 28th - 30th.
For gardeners, planting is best (waxing moon ascending) on 1st - 4th and 26th - 30th and pruning on 13th -18th (waning moon descending).
both sides of the road and a series of nice mature trees planted in a series of 1.8m squares regularly along the roadside of the footpath. These trees are intended victims of the $28m, which seems a real shame.
The remaining 3m strip of footpath behind these trees is fine for both cycles and the more numerous walkers and scooters. The only thing spoiling this is the random siting of the bus shelters which turn out not to be owned by council but by an advertising company seemingly allowed to plonk these down wherever they feel like it.
If they were forced to use the outer 1.8m between the trees, suddenly there is a 3m strip available both ways, both sides of the road for cycles and walkers. All that is needed is a paint strip, maybe $50k or nearly $28m cheaper!
Even if I managed to charge a million for consulting fees like the Grey Lynn West fiasco, there would still be enough savings to relieve pressure elsewhere in the system.
I expect this proposal to be derided by various zealots who measure compliance with green house gas reduction by the amount of money thrown at it rather than any actual gas reduction, but my point is, can we please have a rational debate on sensible ways to get back control of council’s finances without thumping great rate rises.
(WAYNE BROWN) PNwww.facebook.com/WayneBrown4Auckland
For preserving and longer shelf-life, pick crops or flowers around the neap tides of 15th and 29th. Allow 24-hour error for all forecasting . (KEN RING) PN
For future weather for any date, and the 2023 NZ Weather Almanac, see www.predictweather.com
Weekly Drama Classes Term 2 2023 for ages 5-16 begin the week starting Monday 24 April at TAPAC.
These classes engage students’ creativity within a fun and supportive environment as they prepare for their Term 3 performance.
“I love the atmosphere and how friendly everyone is, and I love the games and acting tips given by our teacher”student, 11 - 13 years class.
“Your drama classes is amesing [sic]” - student, 5 - 7 years class.
“It helps with confidence because you get used to people watching you and it’s a fun environment”
- student, 8 - 10 years.
Classes are also offered on the North Shore.
Extraordinarily Creative drama classes in East Auckland and the North Shore are for autistic and neurodivergent children and teens that focus on the process of drama to allow students to grow and shine in their own time and space.
“My grandson has always wanted to do acting, and it is such a wonderful opportunity to experience this in an inclusive, safe and fun way. He is so enjoying his time with the Extraordinarily Creative class and just loves going every week. Many thanks to the Tim Bray team, as this is exactly what we've been searching for!”
- Cushla S., grandparent of EC student, June 2022.
Extraordinarily Creative needs community support to grow and keep classes affordable. Can you help with a donation towards the Mary Amoore Gift a Seat™ Scholarships for students of families in need?
Please visit: timbray.org.nz/support/#Gift
For more information: timbray.org.nz/youth-theatre/ T: 09 486-2261 E: Youth.theatre@timbray.org.nz
At any given time of the day or night, many pedestrians (including school children, shoppers, business owners and people using alternate transport options) navigate this intersection in close proximity to vehicles.
Auckland Transport (AT) is preparing to start works on this section of road in the vicinity of the Three Lamps area to improve the safety of all users sharing the road space, including pedestrians crossing the road.
Our design takes into consideration a variety of factors including public feedback received during consultations, knowledge from experts in their field, and improvements generated from findings of a Road Safety Audit.
AT has been working alongside community representatives including the Ponsonby Business Association to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes throughout the development of the design.
The delivery of these safety improvement works is supported through the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax and makes progress towards Tāmaki Makaurau’s commitment to Vision Zero, an ambitious transport safety vision, with the goal of no deaths or serious injuries on our transport system by 2050.
Vision Zero is the international benchmark for transport safety and everyone deserves to get home safely.
www.at.govt.nz
After consulting in late 2022 with our road safety design plans, we are
We will be doing work to upgrade current zebra crossings on Ponsonby Road between Cowan Street and Pompallier Terrace. Our work includes:
Reducing the two left turning lanes to one, as a multi-lane approach to a zebra crossing is unsafe.
Upgrading the existing zebra crossing on Ponsonby Road immediately north of its intersection with Cowan Street to a raised zebra crossing.
· Raising all existing zebra crossings to slow down speeds and increase visibility to those crossing as well as making sure the new crossings are bus friendly given Ponsonby Road is on a bus route.
Formalise the bus stop outside 281 Ponsonby Road.
Please take care when moving through the area and allow extra time for travel. AT thanks you for your patience and understanding as we complete this important safety work as quickly as possible.
Kia ora koutou from the Grey Lynn Business Association Board. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
Networking a great event at Pocket Bar on March 7 which has started a conversation around what Grey Lynn means to people, why they live and work here, and what some of the opportunities might be in the future.
The networking function was a great way of focusing on exactly what a business improvement district could/should/can achieve. For example, do we want events that draw people into the area such as Grey Lynn fashionista, or do we tell the Grey Lynn story, or is it about networking and supporting businesses to navigate the changing world of work?
Lots of people working from home came along and the ability to engage with like businesses has always been at the heart of Grey Lynn. As a result, our next networking event will be on April 4 at Romulus and Remus Restaurant on Richmond Road. If your business is positioned in the Grey Lynn area, join us!
Romulus and Remus are putting on a great set menu dinner, with a guest speaker from Milford Business Association coming to share why Grey Lynn should become a ‘Business Improvement District’. Join us for networking and a chance to meet like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs. Follow us on Facebook and join the Facebook event to book your ticket.
Great North Road: Great North Road is a major Auckland corridor, carrying large numbers of people in and out of the city centre. The area is changing, with more residential apartments being constructed and the population expected to grow by approximately 24% by 2031. As a board, we support placemaking and community building being incorporated into any plan to improve the ‘liveability’ of the area, making it more attractive for both retail and business clients as well as those looking to live in the area. Auckland Council’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee had hearings on March 16 and it’s a waiting game to see what AT’s board decide.
Meola Road: Auckland Council is working to make Point Chevalier Road, Meola Road, and Garnet Road safer and
more accessible. There are plans for separated cycleways, raised table pedestrian crossings, trees and planting, and a bus lane on Point Chevalier Road. We support this project proceeding because it's about better roading infrastructure on a key connecting route with safer street design incorporated.
Surrey Crescent/Richmond Road: Some time ago, AT developed a plan for improvements in this area of the hood. Consultation with businesses on this project has been very limited and extremely disjointed.
More recently we have discovered that the project isn’t funded and the engagement with the community was presumptive. We will keep you updated on this.
Safer Schools Grey Lynn Primary: In 2021, Grey Lynn Primary school was announced as being part of Auckland Transport’s Safe School Speeds programme, which involves schools working with AT to introduce new speed calming measures to keep children safe. We understand there is some redesign currently being considered and look forward to a comprehensive briefing from AT on the project. PN
www.greylynn-around.com
The local repairer clients want to come back to.
Welcome to Bodyworks Panelbeaters Ltd who specialize in providing high-quality repairs for all types of vehicles, from cars to boats and even motorcycles and ebikes. Their team of experienced technicians are dedicated to getting your vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible, without compromising on quality.
Bodyworks Panelbeaters understand that getting into an accident can be a stressful and an overwhelming experience. That’s why they strive to provide their clients with a hasslefree and seamless experience when it comes to repairing their damaged vehicles.
“Superb service, following an accident not of my doing, Bruce and the team made the entire experience of not only the repairs but also accessing a replacement vehicle seamless. Real pleasure to have been able to work with Bodyworks through this ordeal. Thanks so much.”
Bruce - Herne BayBy being authorized to work with major insurance providers, Bodyworks Panelbeaters can streamline the repair process and ensure that their clients receive the best possible service.
From the moment you contact them, they’ll take care of everything; from liaising with your insurance company, providing a detailed quote to arranging a time for your repairs. They can even organise additional outwork, if required, such
as WOF, valet, air-conditioning re-gas and more. The team is always available to answer your questions and keep you updated on the progress of your vehicle.
“I had a great experience with the team at Bodyworks. Not only did they have the best pricing over a few quotes I obtained, they, also had a fast turnaround and did a great job with my dented bumper. Excellent communication by email and friendly staff.” Marina - Mt Eden
Bodyworks Panelbeaters’ services include panel beating, painting, dent repair, scratch removal, and more. They use only the best materials and techniques to ensure that your vehicle looks and performs like new and offer a range of affordable pricing options to suit your budget.
So why wait? Contact them today to book your repairs and experience the best panel and paint services in Auckland.
18 Pollen Street, Ponsonby, T: 09 376 6449, www.bodyworkspanelbeaters.com
Kia ora Ponsonby, Phew!
We have made it through some wild weather these last few months and somehow, we are already approaching the April School Holidays. If you are wondering how to keep your tamariki engaged, join us for an Eco-Warrior themed fortnight at your local libraries.
We are running an online reading challenge from 6 - 23 April. Register for an Auckland Libraries Beanstack account online today and log your reading and completed activities to earn badges. You and your family could be in the draw to win a prize pack or voucher. The challenge and prize draws are open to all tamariki and rangatahi aged 5-18 years. You may remember Beanstack from our summer reading challenge. If not, then it is time to discover Beanstack.
To get started, download the Beanstack app on your Apple or Android device and select ‘Auckland Libraries’ or visit aucklandlibraries.beanstack.com to register. Add readers in Beanstack and join the Eco Warriors challenge with your local library. Alternatively, you can pick up a booklet from your local library to keep track of your reading and activities the analogue way, just remember to drop at your local library to get your reading and activities logged. The more days you read and the more activities you log, the more entries into the prize draw!
As well as Beanstack we also have a range of exciting events at our libraries for you to participate in:
Parnell Library – Tuesday, 11 April, 10 - 11am. Escape Room – Well, not quite, we won’t lock you in the library and force you to escape. We will, however, get you to crack codes and solve puzzles that will help you unlock the mystery case and reveal what is inside.
Grey Lynn Library – Wednesday, 12 April, 10 - 11am. Grass Heads - Create your own grass head character, water, and watch it grow. All you need is an old pair of stockings and a glass jar from home.
Parnell Library – Thursday, April 13, 10am and Leys Institute Little Library – Saturday, 15 April 10am. Robogals Workshop – During this workshop you will make robots come to life while learning incredible coding skills. This activity is presented by Robogals, a group of University of Auckland students who aim to promote STEM skills for kids. No devices needed. Workshop suitable for kids from Year 4 to Year 8. Places limited, booking essential.
Please email ParnellLibrary@aklc.govt.nz to book a place for Parnell Library Session or LeysInstituteLibraryPonsonby@aklc.govt.nz to book a place for Leys Library Session
Grey Lynn Library – Monday, 17 April, 10 - 11am. Bird Feeders - Make your local birds happy. Join us to create your own bird feeders. Please note peanut butter is used in this activity.
Parnell Library – Tuesday, 18 April, 10 - 11am.
Let’s Build a Volcano – Parents, are you getting a case of cabin fever? Well don’t blow your top, come join us for some mess, crafty fun! We are making a papier-mâché volcano. Make sure to come back on Thursday for an explosion of entertainment.
Grey Lynn Library – Wednesday, April 19, 10 - 11am. Decomposition Puzzle Derby - Do you know your recycling from your rubbish? Can you puzzle together a timeline to indicate how long things take to decompose?
Parnell Library – Thursday, 20 April, 10 - 11am. The Incredible Erupting Volcano – Using the volcano made on Tuesday we will be creating a little bit of science magic. Come and experience a pyroclastic flow of multi-coloured proportions with Parnell library.
Leys Institute Little Library – Saturday, 22 April, 10am. Calling all Pokémon enthusiasts Come along to take part in a range of Pokémon-themed activities. All you need is your Pokédex!
You can also drop by Parnell Library anytime during the holidays and pick up a their ‘Domain Scavenger Hunt’. Make your way around the Domain answering questions about witches, stinky plants, and a giant winged bird sculpture.
April is always a month with a few public holidays in it so just a reminder that your local library will be closed the following days (normal hours every other day).
Good Friday, 7 April – Closed
Easter Saturday, 8 April – Open 9am – 4pm
Easter Sunday, 9 April – Closed
Easter Monday, 10 April – Closed
Tuesday, 11 April – Normal hours resume
Anzac Day, Tuesday 25 April – Closed
Monday–Friday 9am – 6pm, Saturday 9am – 4pm, Sunday Closed
Chloë - Manager Community Library
- Pouārahi, Pātaka Kōrero ā-Hapori
LEYS INSTITUTE LITTLE LIBRARY, 14 Jervois Road, T: 09 377 0209, www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
April is a strange month when it comes to weather – awkwardly straddling summer and autumn with elements of each thrown joyously into the mix on any given day. It’s most definitely leaning towards autumn though, and dressing for autumn is never as simple as it first seems.
Just as you've gotten excited about new chunky knits and snuggly coats, the unpredictable New Zealand weather will come back at you with a mini heatwave.
It’s hard to know what to wear when you’re leaving the house in the morning - coat or no coat? How many layers are too many layers? Thankfully, two of Auckland’s most stylish women are on hand to lend their advice.
Fleur Clarke, Designer and Founder, REINE
From her elegant Herne Bay atelier, Fleur creates some of the industry’s most show-stopping pieces with a ‘less is more’ approach always top of mind. Formally trained, the designer took a break from the industry after 12 years patternmaking for local couture and high-end fashion houses, returning to launch REINE last year to huge acclaim. I own one of her trenches that has been on high-rotate since I bought it and it never fails to impress.
You have created more than a few beautiful variations on the classic trench – what is it about the piece that has you so captivated?
We all know that the trench is literally a timeless and versatile garment, and rightly so. No fuss, limitless wardrobe coordination, transcends trends, has some very cool cinematic and fashion history… and it looks just as great ‘off the clock’ as it does cosmopolitan chic.
Trans seasonal dressing is all about a seriously fabulous coat (or two). What are two styles you have created for this coming season that you are particularly in love with, and why?
My everyday allrounder would have to be the Carine Trench, which was the second garment I designed before we launched. I literally needed this trench so badly in my wardrobe. The cocoon silhouette can look contemporary,
fresh and preppy, or minimalist depending on what you pair it with. I love the 3/4 sleeve because I don’t feel I need to take the coat off once inside, and the new khaki colourway proved to be a pre-launch hit before our new collection was available, it’s a standout piece.
Next on my list would have to be the Nina Coat – an absolute showstopper. I originally designed a rendition of this in the late 80s, and still love the strong collar, drop shoulder, batwing sleeve and cocoon silhouette.
What do you think is key to nailing every day and event dressing given our continually unpredictable weather? Knowing you have pieces that will co-ordinate – an absolute must. When I am designing, I’m literally asking myself: “Can I wear it to work, going out, walking to Prego, walking the dog?” So, if the style doesn’t tick at least 8/10 of my criteria, it doesn’t make the cut (excuse the pun).
Not having too much to choose from is also key: literally picking your garments well, and buying the best quality you can afford.
You make to order - why did you decide to do that rather than just fill a rack or two?
Within ten days of launching REINE, our business model changed from ‘taking pre-orders on our curated collection’ to completely selling off the samples, and customising to a client’s proportions and measurements. Why? Well one size does not fit all. And boy was that obvious.
From day one, we had customers and stylists bringing in their clients, who had wardrobes full of clothes that they just didn’t wear. The feedback was that their clothes didn’t fit or the fabrics weren’t quite right, so they never felt or looked great in them. Many had been buying off the rack, then organising some extensive and costly alterations; most just gave up and added to their wardrobe graveyard.
Couture patternmaking, tailoring and high-end traditional construction are literally my skill-set and in my comfort zone, so here we are eight months in and meeting the demand.
Rickie Dee, co-owner and founder, Superette
Since opening its first store in Freemans Bay more than 20 years ago, the Superette brand has soared. There are now nine stores throughout New Zealand, with two stores in Ponsonby - Superette, located at 282 Ponsonby Road and the new flagship Superette International.
The person responsible for much of the brand’s success is the always-chic Rickie, whose passion for fashion and impeccable eye for anticipating trends is second to none.
How would you describe Superette International, and how does it compare to Superette?
The Superette International concept was born in 2019. There were so many amazing brands we wanted to house and we were running out of room within the four walls of our current stores to stock any more. There were a number of brands outside of Australasia that had taken our fancy – the likes of Proenza Schouler, Rohe, Helmut Lang, Maison Kitsune, JW Anderson – so we came up with a model that resulted in a new store concept, but one that still complemented our original Superette offering. We liked the idea that our customer could then shop between both stores and have a different experience at both.
What trends are you seeing that are key to effortless autumn dressing?
We’re seeing a lot of knitwear coming through in bold, beautiful colours. The pencil skirt is also a big trend at the
moment. The midi length is strong this season and skirts featuring cargo elements are on trend. Denim in general is also really strong this year. There’s been a shakeup in shapes and silhouettes too, with full-length denim styles having a moment over the cropped length which was previously the most popular.
Oversized blazers are still very much here to stay. There are so many beautiful blazers across both Superette and Superette International that are perfect for Autumn dressing.
What key pieces do you think work best for trans seasonal dressing?
You really can’t go wrong with a blazer and denim. It’s the nofail option. Pair with a fitted tank underneath for the warmer days, or a beautiful chunky knit for the cooler days and you’re good to go. Wearing a blazer instantly elevates your look, and a great pair of jeans does really go with anything and everything.
What are some favourite pieces in your wardrobe at the moment?
I’m loving the La Tribe x Superette Frankie Knee High Boot - it’s such a fun style with a few western styling details. These boots have been my go-to at the moment to wear to any occasion. I’m also really into the Charlotte Trench from Superette, a classic staple piece that goes with everything and is ideal for transitioning into the cooler months. I also find myself constantly wearing the Silk Laundry Bias Cut Pants –they’re so easy and lightweight to wear yet add an element of luxe. (HELENE RAVLICH) PN
Bob’s wife, Nancy, died two years ago. Bob and Nancy had run a successful interior design company which they had sold twenty years ago.
Tammy McLeodThe sale proceeds of the business were invested in a share portfolio which was owned by their family trust. The trust also owned their family home and a bach on the Coromandel where their extended family liked to holiday. Bob didn’t go down to the bach as often now that Nancy had died, but still enjoyed going there over the Christmas break with his children, grandchildren and the various friends who always turned up.
Bob was seriously thinking about selling the family home and moving into a retirement village. He was finding that the maintenance on his family home was getting a bit much for him and he liked the idea of being in an easy care villa as part of a village community. He was also wanting to simplify his affairs. He and Nancy had set the trust up when they were in business, and it had done a great job over the years, not only protecting their assets, but also providing tax efficiency. They had used the trust to their advantage, allocating income from the trust to their children while they were at university at their children’s lower tax rates to help pay for the university fees. Each year their accountant had helped the trustees decide how best to allocate the trust’s income to achieve the best tax outcome.
However, the new IRD disclosure rules coupled with the increasing requirements for trustees to be vigilant with their meetings, resolutions and record keeping, meant that Bob was seriously considering winding up the family trust. Under the new IRD disclosure rules, all trusts that earn over $200 income per annum have additional disclosure they have to provide to the IRD with their tax return. This information includes the details of anyone who has settled assets onto a trust and also the details of any beneficiaries who receive a capital distribution from the trust.
Bob went to see his lawyer about winding the trust up. She advised that winding the trust up can be a straight forward exercise, particularly given that Bob’s children, who were also beneficiaries of the trust, were supportive of the winding up of the trust, but she did flag that there could be some potential tax issues in relation to the bach. If the trust was wound up and the bach was put into Bob’s name, that would re-set the bright-line period. This would mean that if Bob decided to sell the bach within the next ten years (even though the trust had already owned it for twenty years), then he would have to pay tax on any capital gain from the time of the winding up of the trust to the sale of the property.
His lawyer explained that if Bob had owned the bach first and then transferred it to the trust, then there are “rollover relief” rules which would mean that the transfer of the bach back to Bob on the winding up of the trust would not attract the brightline rules. But that wasn’t the case here. Bob and Nancy’s trust had purchased the bach so the rollover relief wouldn’t apply. Bob’s lawyer said that the rules were very complex and recommended that he get advice from his accountant in any event.
Bob got the advice from his accountant and what his lawyer had said was correct. If the bach was distributed to him and he then sold it within ten years he would be taxed on the gain. As Bob wasn’t sure if he would continue to keep the bach for the next ten years, he decided with the help of his lawyer, to distribute the family home and the investment portfolio to himself and retain the trust with just the bach in it. This did simplify things for Bob in many ways, as the trust no longer had to furnish a tax return which cut a lot of compliance and costs for Bob.
Whenever you are dealing with transferring assets in or out of a trust, it is so important to consider the tax consequences. It is also important that your accountant and lawyer work together as a team to get the best result for you and that you take specialty advice where you need to.
Trusts are invaluable asset protection mechanisms, which allow a person to hold property and assets on behalf of another for the good of the beneficiaries.
However, when you’re dealing with transferring assets in or out of a trust, it is important to consider the tax consequences. There needs to be careful planning and structuring, often with your accountant and lawyer working together.
To get specialty advice for your situation contact Tammy McLeod or one of her team.
A home away from home in a building full of history.
Part of the Ponsonby Community Centre, the Ponsy Kids Preschool has been a local institution for over 25 years.
In the 120+ years since it was built, the community centre building has always housed some version of a community childcare or school group. It was initially the Infants School for Ponsonby Primary whose buildings were situated across the road on the corners of Ponsonby Terrace, Cowan St and Bayard St. Ponsonby Primary (PP) soon outgrew its small wooden buildings and moved to a new site in Curran Street where it still operates today. The Infants School continued at the Ponsonby Terrace site long after the main school moved in 1932.
The Auckland Free Kindergarten Assoc. (housed in a portion of the old PP school building that was moved next door to the Infants School) also used the building during the 30s and 40s before it was purchased by Auckland City Council in 1958 to be used as a community hall. New Zealand’s first dedicated Tongan Preschool started at the centre in 1985 and New Zealand’s first Citizens Advice Bureau was opened there in 1970. The Plunket Society also had a base there in the late 20th century and continue to offer Plunket nurse appointments at the community centre to this day. Ponsonby Playgroup,
another long standing drop-in social group for parents and babies, has also operated out of the community centre for over 20 years.
The contemporary configuration of Ponsy Kids Community Preschool is licensed for 41 children aged 2-5 years. They have high teacher/child ratios, and a team of long term, qualified teachers providing a nurturing learning environment. Ponsy Kids also offers 20 hours free for 3-5 year old children.
The community centre believes in continuing to build strong relationships with our surrounding neighbourhood. Being not for profit means the aspirations and needs of the families, individuals and children in our community can come first.
If you would like more information on the preschool or community centre, please visit our website or Facebook and Instagram pages for regular updates on events and activities. www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz, IG @ponsycommunity and FB @ponsykids
To make an appointment to visit the preschool please email admin@ponsykids.org.nz or ring 09 376 0896
M o r n i n g , a f t e r n o o n a n d a l l d a y s e s s i o n s a v a i l a b l e f o r t a m a r i k i a g e d 2 - 5 y r s ! e m a i l a d m i n @ p o n s y k i d s . o r g . n z o r p h o n e u s o n 3 7 6 0 8 9 6
A t P o n s y K i d s
C o m m n i t y
P r e s c h o o l , c h i l d r e n a n d
t h e i r f a m i l i e s
a r e a t t h e
h e a r t o f
e v e r y t h i n g w e d o . .
Calling whānau and friends from all cultures to join our first Play Festival in Tāmaki Makaurau!
Come to the beautiful Tuna Mau/Western Park to play and explore traditional games, music and food from the many different cultures present in our community! All ages welcome.
The Play Festival celebrates cultural identity, facilitates intercultural connections and creates a safe and inclusive environment for people to play, interact and simply have fun.
It includes:
traditional games for any age, delivered by play providers from diverse culture groups
nature play and loose parts play
· arts and crafts activities
traditional group performances
· music and dance
ethnic street food
Some of the Play Festival’s online networks: website: www.playfestival.co.nz
FB event: www.facebook.com/events/504209548484087
FB page: www.facebook.com/playfullynz
IG: www.instagram.com/playfestivalnz/ (@playfestivalnz)
Ross Thorby had a primary school reunion in Paihia during his recent world cruise… meeting friends he’d known since the age of six. As he told us, “Our favourite teacher, David Laird was also present."
A lot of work has taken place across Tāmaki Makaurau to ensure people are aware of the foundational impact Mayor Brown’s Annual Budget 2023/2024 cuts will have on our city.
In meetings with business associations, residents, business owners, teachers and principals and volunteer organisations at the front line, one thing has become clear. The budget, as it’s been proposed, would do irreparable damage to our city. As one business association put it to me, it’s also just bad bloody business.
I don’t want to exaggerate something beyond its real possible effects. In this circumstance I don’t have to.
The proposed Annual Budget, which went out to consultation for the month of March, would: permanently cancel more than 1,000 buses per day, while also increasing fares, rip out one third of public bins in our parks, permanently close 32 Citizens Advice Bureau, permanently close 10 Kauri Kids early childhood centres, slash the Natural Environment Targeted Rate and the Water Quality Targeted Rate, gut libraries, arts and culture funding and slash local board discretionary funding, amongst other brutal cuts.
The budget would not only further entrench inequality amongst our low and middle-income Aucklanders who rely on these social services, but also contribute to worsening climate change and less resilience to future weather events. Notably, there are no cuts proposed for anything that may be enjoyed by the bigger end of town, such as the hundreds of thousands spent on contractors to the Mayor’s office, or the $3 billion in Council-owned and therefore ratepayer subsidised golf courses.
As your MP for Auckland Central, I’ve spent the past two years regularly working with Auckland Council, our local boards and Council Controlled Organisations to resolve local issues and ensure our community issues and resourcing are fed up the food chain to Parliament. This has included saving The White Lady food truck, helping navigate expansion of outdoor hospitality dining licences throughout Covid protocols, ongoing work to restore the St James Theatre, supporting community gardens, developing community housing projects, cycling networks, lighting and safety infrastructure and growing an advocacy and support hub for people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
Council’s Budget, as proposed, would make all of this work all the more difficult. It would eviscerate foundational components of the fabric of our city, which once gone, we would struggle to ever get back.
That’s why I wrote to all Auckland-based MPs (who make up a third of Parliament) to ensure that they too were informing and mobilising
communities of what’s at stake. This Council budget is the most significant thing to happen to Council since the widely-opposed Supercity amalgamation. It’s the most austere and significant local government budget in my lifetime.
It’s not ‘business as usual’ and it shouldn’t be treated like that. The Budget proposal is contrary to every foundational and widelyconsulted policy plank underpinning the work of the organisation, such as the 30-year Auckland Plan, Long Term Plan, Te Tāruke-āTāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan, City Centre Masterplan and more. It should not be rushed through as it is being, under the auspices of a typical Annual Budget, because it’s in fact the most radical change to local government direction in this city in decades. Think, a parochial version of the 1984 Douglas Government budget.
Talking to officials and some elected members, it’s also clear that cuts have been asked for in some areas beyond what the budget line even is, pointing to a totally inept grasp of what’s actually even happening within the organisation. Tuning into some local board ‘Have Your Say’ events, you’ll find that even our local councillor has not been provided with any meaningful information on this supposed, well-reported but so-far largely unchallenged “$295 million hole” or rationale behind the indiscriminate cuts.
In fact, Auckland Council non-rates revenue has continued to increase year-on-year these past five years, even throughout the pandemic. Rates revenue has also continued to increase. Auckland Council have a gold-standard AA rating, and are well-below their own selfimposed debt limit of 290%.
Ironically, as economist Bernard Hickey has pointed out, “If [Council] were private companies, they would be accused of having ‘lazy balance sheets’ by the shareholders and told to take on much higher debts and accept credit rating downgrades,” to get a far better and more efficient job done.
Whatever hand we’re dealt, I promise you I’ll continue to fight as long as I have the privilege of doing so, for our communities and city. Please feel free to reach out to me or my office if you would like to join in, or have any questions. (CHLÖE SWARBRICK) PN
CHLÖE SWARBRICK, T: 09 378 4810, E: chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz www.greens.org.nz/chloe_swarbrick
For three years now I managed to avoid the virus like, well, like the plague, but finally I succumbed in January when I finally lost my “NOVID” status, so prized amongst my friends and family.
I, like others, had cancelled cruises and trips over the past couple of years through fear of catching a microbe that seems to have held the world to ransom, and now feel almost a sense of relief and freedom, that fear for me, finally in the past - for now - until the next time at least.
So what does one do, that first day of testing negative? Why … book a cruise of course.
So ten days after holding that all important negative test, I boarded Cunard's Queen Victoria in San Francisco.
Ahhhh the Queen Victoria, my home away from home, my happy place; I have missed you so.
This is her first world cruise since that fateful trip in 2020 - the one that we joke about now - but at the time, with the virus chasing us all around South America and across the Atlantic, wasn’t so funny.
100 years ago the first commercial “world cruise” took place. Cunard’s Laconia embarked on a cruise for the sake of a cruise with no other purpose than tourism - as opposed to a voyage of emigration, or as a means to transport yourself from point A to B with purpose.
This voyage would take her passengers from New York to New York and points in between, just for the sake of pleasure. To end the trip from a different direction than it began, a journey of some 50,000 miles.
In 1923 she departed to visit 20 ports and sail for 130 days with a complement of 450 passengers. The cruise had been advertised as a “Voyage of science and discovery for the more adventurous passenger”. It would go to far and exotic ports: the Panama Canal; Honolulu; the Philippines; Bombay; the Suez Canal; and back home via the Mediterranean.
This year the Queen Victoria is following her original route with a few additional ports thrown in for good measure, including Auckland and Sydney, and I am joining her for this celebratory recreation.
Anyone who has been through an airport recently will know that travelling has changed since 2020, and cruising is no
exception. Some cruise lines now insist on proof of a negative test the day before boarding, and most demand passengers be fully vaccinated and boostered.
Cunard is no exception and we are warned that during the journey, masks and protocols may be re-introduced at any moment should the virus begin to take hold on board and appropriate insurance must be held to cover any Covid-19 medical expenses.
I was to discover in San Francisco that tourism is booming and there are few masks to be seen on the streets. Those I did see seemed to be worn by the city’s homeless, who are overrepresented in the city’s parks.
Bars and restaurants are crowded and apart from the few signs on shops and doorways proclaiming “100% vaccinated” or “Masks not mandatory”, life for America seems to be carrying on just as before.
The cruise industry is desperate for people to perceive it as having returned to “normal” as in the tourist cities of the world. It was hit hard by the pandemic and a number of lines have gone to the wall in the interim; Carnival, who owns Cunard, spent billions propping themselves up in order to avoid suffering the fate of those on less solid ground and are desperate to get cruising back online and to full capacity as quickly and as soon as possible.
But it is so good to be back on the old girl. The last time I saw the Queen Victoria was through weepy eyes for the fate of the crew and officers of my favourite ship and what an unknown future might bring. But now most of her original crew are reemployed and we, the usual suspects, are back on again for another world cruise.
So it was amongst the familiar faces of my “Cunard family” that we departed the City of Love on a beautiful, clear night. Under the Golden Gate Bridge, the sea lions barked us farewell from the rocks and the sound of the tolling sea bell that marks the entrance to the harbour receded into the distance as we proceeded on our Pacific route towards home.
“Put her to sea,” I imagine the Captain saying to the First Officer, “let’s stretch her legs.” (ROSS THORBY) PN
The full and ring-fenced budget for Phase One of Ponsonby Park, the new civic space at 254 Ponsonby Road, has been available since 1 July 2022, so much of the initial development work is underway.
This is crucial with the current rate of inflation running at 7.2%* delaying, or not proceeding at pace, will lead to the unjustifiable erosion of the Endowment Funds assigned to the project.
The Community-Led Design Group (CLDG) presented to the Waitematā Local Board at their scheduled meeting on 21 February. There we provided the new board members with information about the history of the project and an update on the progress of the Ponsonby Park development.
The CLDG also enjoyed meeting up with Mike Lee, Waitematā Ward Councillor. We updated him on the project, the council timelines, our ongoing engagement, and the community’s desire for the speedy commencement and realisation of Phase One of the development. Mike has always been a strong supporter of Ponsonby Park and understands implicitly the importance of such a community amenity for everyone, including, the residents, local businesses, and visitors to both Ponsonby and Auckland. It was an extremely constructive meeting and we very much appreciate Mike’s continued and significant support for Ponsonby Park.
Today, Monday 20 March (press deadline day) we also met with the council’s project sponsor and the new project manager for the Ponsonby Park development. They advised that the RFPs (Request For Proposal) will go out imminently. The CLDG provided valuable information about the finegrained community engagement process that has led to the international award-winning Park+ design by LandLAB. We discussed how the community engagement has been sustained over the 7 years the CLDG has been working on the project, and even longer in the years prior to the establishment of the CLDG. We also took the opportunity to
walk the site and view firsthand the state of the building and the environs. It was a timely and constructive meeting with regularly scheduled meetings restarted to update us as to the progress of the Ponsonby Park Project. The CLDG looks forward to working closely with the team to finally realise this much-needed and desired community amenity.
So it has been a busy and productive time for the volunteer CLDG. All of the CLDG’s work is available on our website, 254ponsonbyrd.org.nz which serves as both a reference library, as well as an archive. Additionally, our Facebook pages Ponsonby Park and 254 Ponsonby Rd are both active, and all the Ponsonby community noticeboards have regular and reliable updates of the council-provided information as well. And of course, you can always read the latest updates here in the Ponsonby News (thank you Martin).
We understand and appreciate how much everyone is looking forward to Ponsonby Park being realised and we’re asked all the time, “When’s it starting?”. The good news is that Phase One of the development of Ponsonby Park is already underway. After more than 10 years of public consultations, submission processes, presentations, community information events, and engagement, Ponsonby Park is happening. Soon we will all be able to enjoy, use and experience a beautiful civic community space where for too many long years there has been an ugly, rubbish-strewn, impermeable asphalted area, and an unloved building.
(JENNIFER WARD) PN
*www.stats.govt.nz/news/annual-inflation-remainsat-7-2-percent/ www.254ponsonbyrd.org.nz
Auckland Council’s CCOs, Auckland Transport and Eke Panuku Development, are doing a disservice to ratepayers by deviating from their core services.
Panuku’s core responsibility is to ‘hold and maintain our assets’. Instead Panuku has teamed with Auckland Transport to produce major failures in unwanted town redevelopments: Henderson’s blue road graffiti; Mt Albert’s concrete congestion; Onehunga’s street mazes; Takapuna’s circus of popcorn planters; Queen Street’s narrow gutted roads with no escape; and West Lynn’s slalom cycle way. Costs have exploded as communities have demanded these overpriced designs be removed and reinstated to original layouts.
To finance this ‘money-go-round’ Panuku have been underselling assets and reserves. As population intensifies, reserves, green spaces - including golf courses - are of vital importance. The January flood had a rainfall 40% larger than the ‘100 year flood’. It proved they are also our permeable ‘sponges’ which protect neighbouring residences from floods. If the predictions of global warming are accurate, then high rainfall will be a more regular occurrence.
Auckland Transport’s core responsibility to the ratepayers and Auckland Council is to maintain an effective transport system for the smooth and efficient movement of traffic and keeping users safe; to repair and maintain roads and footpaths, including sweeping of gutters; clearing drains; care of street trees; painting road markings, especially zebra crossings; signage; kerbs (without stealing bluestones) and weeding (without poison).
Additionally, they were charged with the nationwide goal to reduce emissions to an agreed target by moving people from private transport to public transport.
Auckland Transport’s major mistake was to use a series of manipulations rather than encouragements, following NZTA’s lead. On Newstalk ZB 11 June 2021 NZTA admitted they were “purposely creating congestion” in order to annoy people out of cars. Matt Lowrie of transport bloggers, ‘Greater Auckland’ admitted they knew this was creating more emissions.
Podcast fb.watch/hC6mrE7MWq/
Initial decisions and assumptions were flawed by consulting lobbyists rather than independent design experts.
The decision to group together ‘walking and cycling’ was designed to manipulate data and statistics in favour of the cycle lobbyists. First priority should be the needs of pedestrians, with priority being the most vulnerable mobility impaired, 25% of the population. The needs of cyclists and other micro-mobility transport users are very different and often conflicting.
The decision on the location of cycleways is flawed. The best places to cycle are: quiet, safe, greenways and parks, straight and level, sheltered, scenic, pollution free, away from traffic. Instead transport bloggers, ‘Greater Auckland’, chose arterial roads for cycleways because they let their hatred of cars overrule sensibility. Arterial roads are noisy, busy, unsafe, full of fumes, and conflict with traffic.
Several past mayors supported the ludicrous ideas of urbanist Ludo Campbell Reid, to take away all of the aspects that encouraged traffic flow: remove shopper and parent parking, remove free left turns, changing light phasing, adding humps and bumps, reducing speeds, narrowing intersections, ‘inline bus stops’ that stop traffic whilst passengers embark and disembark, introducing obstacles like hit-sticks and planters, and worst of all, reducing arterial roads to single lanes.
This illogical behaviour has to stop. Once people choose to use public transport, when it is working efficiently, all the humps and bumps are not only unnecessary, but are detrimental to the end goal of smooth and effective public transport.
Here’s hoping, Auckland Transport and Panuku have considerable budgets cut, more than proposed in the Draft Budget, to stop them being wasteful with ratepayer funds, stop them prioritising vanity projects and cycleways that are neither safe nor affordable at $1200 per metre. Money is better spent on overdue repairs and maintenance, especially after storm damage.
Let’s create a congestion-free ‘road to zero’ potholes, humps and bumps. (GAEL BALDOCK, communit y advocate) PN
Our Government has been refocusing to provide as much targeted support possible to struggling Kiwis, while keeping things moving in the right direction with regards to climate change. The support available will make things easier for around 1.4 million New Zealanders; focussing on pensioners, students, parents, and those on main benefits.
For my parents, this means their superannuation will rise. Beginning 1 April, a couple who are both aged over 65 will receive $102.84 more in total each fortnight, and a single person living alone will receive an extra $66.86.
Working for Families and the Best Start payments will provide more support to help ease the pressure on families. From the start of next month, childcare will become more affordable for many low and middle income families.
Main benefits will increase by the rate of inflation, meaning a family on a benefit with children will receive an extra $40.86 a week and a sole parent will receive an extra $31.83 a week. Tertiary students will also see a boost, with those receiving student allowance or student loan living cost payments getting around $20 more each payment.
The minimum wage will rise by $1.50 to $22.70 an hour from 1 April.
Public transport is going to remain half price for everyone until the end of June. To target those who need it most, we
have made this permanent for Community Services Card holders and tertiary students. I was recently talking with students at Auckland Girls Grammar who come from South Auckland to the city for their education with several brothers and sisters. The half price fares have made a real difference to their families because these costs add up to be quite significant.
The Government has made the decision to keep subsidising petrol at this time. I appreciate this is controversial, but it is a decision made mindful of the reality of the lives of many struggling New Zealanders. Until we have affordable housing and reliable public transport in our city, we need to support the many families who have little choice about using a car. However, I am optimistic that within a few years there will be a fleet of affordable second-hand electric cars and climate friendlier cars in our city. This is thanks to the success of our clean car standards and incentives. Our Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw, shared in November 2022 that 30% percent of all new cars sold in past months were electric.
While these measures won’t solve everything, they will make a difference for so many families in Auckland - and right now I know that every bit helps.
(HELEN WHITE, Labour List MP based in Auckland Central) www.labour.org.nz/helenwhite
Funded by Parliamentary Service
I never wanted to be Florence Nightingale but as the only daughter of aged immigrant parents that’s what I’ve become.
Mum has broken her ankle and Dad is reliant on a walking frame. This means like everyone else I’m almost too busy to bother about community issues, cone congestion, council budgets or public consultations.
Being misunderstood means I am often labelled anti-bike/ cycleway by a small aggressive band of bike lobbyists funded by Auckland Transport (AT) known as Bike Auckland, and I’d like to put the record straight.
I love riding my e-bike quietly through the back streets of Westmere to Ponsonby, stopping often to pick grass for my rescue rabbit Oliver, and appreciating the intact heritage of my neighbourhood. It’s also great exercise for a knee injured from pivoting as I make pizzas. But I'm keenly aware that riding a bike is a dangerous occupation and we all need to learn to share the roads and consider others more. That’s why I am religious about ringing my bell as I pass dog walkers, joggers, mother’s with prams and the elderly (like my Mum as she weaves across the paths in the park oblivious to the scooters, skate boards and bike riders whizzing up behind her).
It's the crazy cost of cycleways on main arterial routes that really concerns me. AT spent $16.8 million on Franklin Road cycleway and footpath, $30 million on Karangahape Road, and the ten year figure for new cycle infrastructure in Auckland remains at $306 million. That’s more than the budget blow out of $297 million. Some argue cycleways will save our planet, but I don’t agree. The fact is we are in a state of crisis and we have to change everything, everywhere, all at once! That does not mean spending money on earth warming concrete, road signs and unsightly hit sticks. It means examining our daily lives and asking ourselves what can we change or do
differently without expecting the council or government to blow the budget, increase debt or overly control our lives.
I’m a blue sky thinker and would like to see humans call the petroleum industry to heel and demand that the accumulated profits and investments of the last 120 years be used to mitigate the damage caused to the environment around the world. The historic draining of wetlands across Tāmaki Makaurau to create sports fields like Coxs Bay and Seddon Fields (off Meola Road) plus the loss of St Mary’s Bay to a motorway, will cost vast sums to rectify or improve and that must come from the global purse and not the local budget. I have argued endlessly for tree protection to be re-established, for the deforestation of our city to stop. I think we are all on the same page about the need to preserve reserves and golf courses as giant soak spaces and put an end to excessive in-fill housing in order to protect permeable areas on private and public land.
For 20 years, myself and others have pleaded with Auckland Council to stop spending $5,7870,000 per annum on spraying street weeds with glyphosate which is a known carcinogenic that silently poisons us, our children and our pets. Earlier this month I spoke at the Auckland Transport and Infrastructure Committee challenging Auckland Transport’s exorbitant fees to consultants and contractors. I’m pretty sure we all agree that a percentage of Auckland Transport’s multibillion dollar budget could be diversified into massive investment recreating wetlands, native ngahere (forests), and street plantings. Let’s encourage each other to landscape water gardens on our properties, to grow berm gardens to cool our streets quickly, attracting bees, butterflies and insects, and for the sheer riotous beauty of it as we nurse our city back to health. (LISA PRAGER) PN
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Architect and urbanist Julie Stout’s much anticipated talk to Ponsonby U3A was entitled ‘Working with Dreams’, the same title as her acceptance speech when she was awarded the coveted Te Kahui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 2021.
She was the first woman to have received this honour, the highest individual honour an architect can achieve in New Zealand.
Julie described herself to U3A as an urbanist and an architect, “which means that I’m really interested in how we live and make cities.” More than that, she is described by the Institute of Architects as not just a highly skilled and experienced architect, but also a teacher, mentor, activist, agitator, ambassador and ally.
Julie and her late husband David Mitchell formed the architectural practice, Mitchell Stout Architects in 1988. Their work together included a number of award-winning houses and public buildings, including Te Uru Gallery in Titirangi and her own house in Narrow Neck. Her practice is now Mitchell Stout Dodd Architects based in Devonport. Julie featured in Designing Dreams, a recent television series on leading New Zealand architects.
She also teaches design and urbanism at the School of Architecture and Planning, University of Auckland. She is active in the city’s urban issues and is past chair of Urban Auckland and is currently setting up The Urban Room Forum with colleagues.
Her wide-ranging talk opened our eyes to new ways of looking at our city and its buildings, nature, art and the sea and encompassed all the roles she has undertaken in her distinguished career. She showed examples of her award-winning work with David Mitchell and identified the bigger issues facing us as a city, the great opportunities of our ‘multi-culturalness,’ the work of her students and their visions for the future.
U3A member Mary Brasser was the ten-minute speaker; her talk entitled ‘Nursing in the Sub Antarctic.’ She worked at the Haemophilia Centre at Auckland Hospital for 26 years. She explained haemophilia and how her work led her on an adventure to the sub Antarctic Auckland Islands with Jack, a keen kayaker and patient, who wanted to be the first person to kayak around the Auckland Islands.
He had already cycled the length of New Zealand and kayaked across Cook Strait, fundraising for the Haemophilia
Foundation. For this adventure his mother, a very fit tramper, was his support person. He needed to employ a DOC worker to land on the island, and as he couldn’t do his own treatment, which was carried out intravenously, he had to take a medic with him.
He asked Mary to undertake the role, and as she had done a lot of sailing she said yes, excited that they were to spend 10 days on the boat. They sailed south on Tiama, a 50ft yacht, purpose built for the Antarctic. The seas were huge and rough and all on board, including the captain, were seasick. They sailed into the smooth waters of Carnley Harbour – it was fabulous. Interesting times with the DOC worker followed in this pristine protected environment.
Jack set off in his kayak, but sadly after five hours he had developed back pain and was exhausted. He was asked to return to the boat where he was treated and given pain relief. It was too risky to continue kayaking. The return sailing to Bluff was calm in contrast to the journey down, with Mary feeling privileged to have been able to visit the remote and fascinating islands.
Ponsonby U3A meets on the second Friday morning of the month and visitors are welcome to attend a meeting by telephoning the president Ian Smith, M: 021 130 2330.
(PHILIPPA TAIT) PN
NEXT MEETING: 9.30am Friday 14 April at Herne Bay Petanque Club, Salisbury Reserve, Salisbury Street, Herne Bay.
GUEST SPEAKER: Carol Herbert, Auckland City Mission.
ENQUIRIES: Ian Smith, President, Ponsonby U3A, M: 021 130, 2330, www.u3a.nz
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First off, this month I want to acknowledge the many amazing leaders around Auckland, Northland, the Hawkes’ Bay, Bay of Plenty, Wairarapa and many other parts of New Zealand who have gotten stuck in helping those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other recent natural disaster events that have heralded in the first months of 2023.
There has been extensive damage to roading, infrastructure, and devastation to our communities and, much like the aftermath of the Canterbury and Seddon Earthquakes, there will be a long road to recovery for the affected parts of New Zealand.
A few days ago I had the opportunity to visit Hawkes’ Bay and meet with many affected residents from across the region in Napier, Hastings and Havelock North alongside local National candidates Catherine Wedd (Tukituki) and Katie Nimon (Napier). Talking with them and others, it’s clear there needs to be better planning from the government to see their region recover from this disaster that will hurt their economic wellbeing for years to come. Seeing the silt, mud and abandoned caravans and cars still strewn around many streets and across farmland was heart-breaking. My thoughts are with everyone who is repairing shattered homes and lives around our country.
As New Zealanders try to recover from all of these events, they are still going through a cost of living crisis that is hitting their wallets hard. Mortgage rates continue to soar while households struggle to pay the bills. National’s FamilyBoost package announced last month will make a tangible difference to the lives of struggling Kiwi families; you can check out how much you will save under National here: www.national.org.nz/learn_more.
When out talking with small businesses, meeting with constituents, and checking my emails, the message that keeps coming through is that families with young children are particularly vulnerable right now and in New Zealand childcare is among the most expensive in the developed world. The FamilyBoost policy package, combined with other plans National has announced to support struggling households will deliver change for New Zealanders.
National has now also selected our candidate for Auckland Central for 2023, Mahesh Muralidhar. Mahesh becomes from a strong business background working as Phase One Ventures chief executive and having been a key player in the development of start-ups around New Zealand and Australia, I’m looking forward to getting out and helping introduce Mahesh to everyone around Central Auckland community alongside my caucus colleagues in the coming weeks. I know he’ll be an amazing representative for our city should he have the honour of serving with me in Parliament as an MP.
As we look ahead to what will be a tough year for many households, know my National colleagues’ and my door and inbox is always open. We want to hear from you, and we want to ensure you are represented in Parliament.
Best wishes for a wonderful Easter Break! (MELISSA LEE) PN
National Member of Parliament. National Spokesperson for Broadcasting & Media| Digital Economy and Communications | Ethnic Communities
E: mplee@parliament.govt.nz
Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
After having been delayed, finally Woof celebrated their 10 year anniversary – the iconic Rainbow Dog Show was held in Western Park last month.
The judges included Suzanne Paul, Justine Smith, Thomas Sainsbury and Buckwheat. It was a fun afternoon and the weather was perfect. The event was made possible with sponsors which included Nutrience pet food, Barkley Manor, SPCA and Express.
Mindy Pillbrow is the Chair of the market committee and you’ll spot her at the market shopping for her family.
How did you get involved in the market?
I was about to have my first daughter and I naively thought that I might have some spare time. I came to the market every Sunday and was looking for ways I could contribute more to my community. I was asked to take on the treasurer role as I was working for PwC so there was an assumption that I was an accountant, which I'm definitely not! But it was a great learning experience.
Tell us about the market committee.
We are a team of nine volunteers who get together with the market manager every month. The team is really diverse which gives us the strength to face the ever-changing challenges and opportunities that present themselves for the market. And I love that I always leave those meetings with a bit of a lift from the group’s positive camaraderie.
What sort of challenges have you faced?
We’ve had roadworks on Richmond Road, and the Community Centre went through a refurbishment. In the early years there was a fruit fly problem that meant food couldn’t be taken outside our area. And recently Covid has been a challenge for everyone and markets had to close periodically - this was really tough for our stallholders and our customers too.
What about the opportunities?
The market is a vibrant and ever-changing place. Even our challenges have upsides. Those are the times when we really see our community pulling together to support each other, and some creative problem-solving taking place. We think there is plenty of potential to grow the market but we are always careful to manage that growth in a way that ensures we're able to continue to be community-focused and achieve our
other objectives like being a zero-waste market and focusing on ethical and local produce.
Why do you shop there every week?
I look forward to my Sunday morning routine of taking my two young girls to the Grey Lynn Farmers Market. I love the energy, the sense of community, the opportunity to get to know the stallholders and hear about how they make and grow their products. And of course, the produce is so fresh and it's cost effective.
What is on your list of must-buys at the market?
I get everything I can at the market before I do any supermarket shopping - fresh organic jersey milk, eggs, cheese, bread and of course fruit and vegetables from a variety of stalls. I love to try the new products that pop up, and there's always a great selection of treats to take home.
What is your Sunday morning like?
No sleep-ins in our house with a primary schooler and a baby. We get up slowly on Sunday and make our way to the market after we're finally all ready, always later than I'd like. Then we're able to take our time to do the shopping and my 5-year-old has a play with mates in the community centre playground.
Do you get any time to relax?
Yes totally! Like lots of families with little people we always feel busy, but our weekends are usually pretty relaxed at home and always seem to be centred around food, often what we've brought home from the market. PN
www.greylynnfarmersmarket.co.nz
BEACHSIDE DINING NEVER LOOKED BETTER
Here we go, folks. As the evenings grow cooler and the days shorten, we can focus more on eating indoors. Here’s a bunch of fab wines with food match suggestions. Bon appetit and cheers!
Ara Zero Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (Vegan) 2022 - $17
Has just won ‘Best of Show Sauvignon Blanc’ at the Mundus Vini Non-alcoholic Wine Competition. At no more than 0.5% alcohol, it has a soft savvie profile of passionfruit, guava, fresh black currant and a raisiny crisp citrus finish. A great autumn picnic option for the designated driver. Available: Pt Chev Organic Wines, First Glass Wines.
Ara Single Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (Vegan) 2022 - $17
A soft take on the typical Marlborough sauvignon. Dominant flavours of fresh black currant, green bell pepper, soft citrus acids, herbs and a hint of passionfruit. Match with seafood or mildly spicy Asian dishes. Available: Countdown, winesale.co.nz www.vineonline.co.nz
Astrolabe Taihoa Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 - $39
This limited production wine is whole bunch pressed with native yeast, and barrel fermented with yeast lees stirring. Complex and multi-layered and could pass for a crisp chardonnay. Soft acids with a rich palate of canned peach, nectarine, ripe kiwifruit, clover honey and ripe pineapple. Match with roast chicken or creamy pasta. Available: Caros.
27 Seconds Waipara Riesling 2021 - $19
Great value medium sweet style riesling, 10% alcohol. Packed with ripe mandarin, honeysuckle, canned apricot, clover honey. A soft, tangy, slightly crisp finish. Match with seafood, medium spiced Vietnamese dishes, or as a pre-dinner drink. 100% of the profits go to a New Zealand charity combating international slavery. Read the full story and buy here: 27seconds.co.nz
27 Seconds Waipara Pinot Gris 2021 - $22
Earthy and complex. Rich flavours of musk, pineapple, rock melon, orange peel and a medium dry finish. Would be great with creamy pasta, chicken dishes, and spicy Asian seafood.
Ara Single Estate Marlborough Pinot Gris (Vegan) 2022 - $17
Rich and ripe off-dry style, with guava, honeysuckle, Braeburn apple, rock melon and a hint of marshmallow. Yummy. Fab as an aperitif or match with Asian foods, scallops, or slow cooked rich pork dishes. Available: Glengarry.
Ara Single Estate Marlborough Chardonnay (Vegan) 2022 - $17
Crisply elegant and young. Leaning towards a sauvignon blanc profile, with lime citrus with a hint of toasty oak. Apricot and nectarine, and a crisp dry finish. Match with creamy, cheesy lasagne or seafood. Available: Available: Fine O Wine, Pt Chev Organic Wines, Glengarry.
Shaky Bridge Central Otago Pinot Noir Pioneer Series 2021
These two pinots are grown in one of the oldest Pinot noir vineyards in Central Otago. Opens up with cigar, toasty oak, black currant, sultana, dark chocolate, cherry and spice. A hint of spice and savoury mushroom/roasted meat. Medium bodied, elegant and classy pinot noir. Worth cellaring for two to three years. Match with roasted meats and vegetables. Available: Caro’s, finewinedelivery.co.nz
Shaky Bridge Artisan Series Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
Soft, spicy and elegant and very drinkable right now. Cherry, blackberry, Black Doris plum, molasses, and a hint of thyme and savoury yeasty tang. Match with rich mushroom dishes. Available: New World, finewinedelivery.co.nz (PHIL PARKER) PN
Wine lovers, show your support by drinking Hawke's Bay and Gisborne.
With many of our Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne winemakers still trying to put their businesses back together post cyclone, you can offer your financial support by purchasing their fine product at Didas.
We shine the spotlight on a quartet of producers from Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne through the month of April.
Trinity Hill is an iconic New Zealand winery celebrating over many decades of world-class winemaking in the famed Gimblett Gravels district of Hawke’s Bay. True to the roots, Trinity Hill has been crafting especially food-friendly wines made from the classic varieties Hawke’s Bay has become internationally recognised for.
Brookfield's inimitable offerings are mainly down to the efforts of one man, Peter Robertson, and his uncompromising vision. The fact that you can purchase it for about half the price of similar quality wines on the market underscores how much importance Peter places on value as well as quality. His wines are always priced in a wallet-friendly way that allows enthusiasts to constantly review his often groundbreaking forays.
Matawhero has been part of Gisborne’s vinous landscape since 1968 when it was established by the late Bill Irwin to supply grapes to the local winemakers. When, in 2008, Denis decided to sell Matawhero, local winegrowers Richard and Kirsten Searle grabbed the opportunity and purchased the iconic winery.
It took Chris Park to see the potential for viticulture in what is now one of New Zealand’s prime viticultural and winemaking areas. In 1981 he planted the first vines in Gimblett Road, and his first vintage, a prized 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon kicked off the now globally-lauded Gimblett Gravels wine
district. His instincts were right on the money. Committed to environmentally sustainable practices, the Pask Winery output is sourced from their own 60-hectares of vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels region.
You’ll find Trinity Hill, Brookfields, Matawhero and Pask wines available by the glass or bottle at Dida’s throughout April. Come on in and show your support.
Convivially yours, the Dida's Wine Lounge encourages leisurely engagements with the comprehensive wine list and the ever-changing, always-innovative food menu and smallplates style cuisine. The superb skills of our talented culinary team work hard to pair perfect morsels with the multiple by-the-glass options of local and imported and hard-tofind wines.
Open Tuesday-Saturday 3pm-10pm. PN
DIDA’S, 60 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 2813, www.didaswinelounge.co.nz
To support these great Kiwi wineries post Gabrielle, we will be pouring a selection of Matawhero, Pask, Trinity Hill and Brookfields wines
What is En Primeur?
En Primeur, known also as Wine Futures, is best described as 'getting in first'. En Primeur is an opportunity to secure a large range of wines from Bordeaux while they are still in barrel. By doing this you pay significantly less than waiting to see these wines on retail shelves, as well as having access to many wines that never make it onto retail shelves.
How does it work?
In the first part of the process, the wine experts make the wines available for evaluation from the châteaux producing them. Negociants then offer the wines to us for purchase. Glengarry has longstanding relationships with the best negociants in France and we have been offering En Primeur to our key customers for many years now – in fact we started offering En Primeur in 1982. When offers are made to us, we notify you (by email, phone, whichever you prefer). If you’re not in, you’ll miss out.
How much do I save and how long do I wait?
The savings are obviously different depending on the wines concerned, but you can generally expect to pay 50% less than what the wines would fetch upon their final release on the open market. In addition, you are not being asked to pay the full price up front. Payments are made in two installments. The first is later this year, the second and final is due on or before collection of the wines.
The benefits are many; the first is availability. Some of these wines are only available En Primeur, i.e. they will never reach the open market. Even if some of these wines do make it to the retail shelves eventually, the quantities available will be extremely limited. Secondly, with supply and demand in force, price is almost always well above that at which you would enjoy buying En Primeur. And you get some of the best wines in the world! It makes simple economic sense.
Within that French market, particularly at the upper level, Glengarry are very successful with our Bordeaux En Primeur offering. We lead the market in terms of cases shipped and dollar turnover mainly through our loyal customers and our longstanding relationships with the best negociants; enabling us to offer the best wines in reasonable volumes, even in high demand years such as 2005, 2009 and 2010. The Glengarry En Primeur service has been running since 1982 with Joe’s first offer and we are able to offer the security of experience and expertise in this exciting and growing wine service.
With our longstanding relationships and our experience honed over 30-odd years, we are old hands at this, and once again we are making the commitment to ensure you the best service and advice, with Liz Wheadon travelling to Bordeaux in April to taste the new vintage during the primeur week. Follow her on twitter (#lizziewine) or our facebook and blog, aboutwine.co.nz
Glengarry has a dedicated website for En Primeur. www.enprimeur.co.nz Jump online and register today. (LIZ WHEADON) PN
Glengarry has a dedicated En Primeur website, suited to desktop and mobile. Scan the QR, follow a simple registration form and you are set. You’ll receive offers as they become available, by your preferred means of communication.
Photography: Josh Griggs
PROGRESSIVE MODERN NEW ZEALAND CUISINE NEW SERIES MENU
SIDART, Level 1, Three Lamps Plaza, 283 Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 2122 www.sidart.co.nz
POP UP FINISHES APRIL 15
TEMPORARY ADDRESS: 210 SYMONDS STREET (SAME ADDRESS AS FRENCH CAFE) T: 09 379 9702 cassiarestaurant.co.nz
210 SYMONDS STREET T: 09 377 1911 www.sidatthefrenchcafe.co.nz
sidatthefrenchcafe
GUSTO MEANING
AND ENJOYMENT’
When you dine with us, the focus is on freshly prepared classic dishes, featuring an excellent range of pasta, seafood, meats and our pizza classics.
We also offer our pasta dishes to takeaway, phone for details or check our website for the menu.
263 PONSONBY RD, THREE LAMPS, 09 361 1556 www.gustoitaliano.co.nz
For the last 30 years, ecostore has been making products that are safer for you, your family, and your world.
As they celebrate three decades of doing business more sustainably, the company is reflecting on the role New Zealanders have played in their journey. Every container you have taken the time to refill, and every purchase you have made that has been more conscious, has inspired them to develop packaging and processes that are just that little bit more sustainable.
To acknowledge the stories behind their success, ecostore is keen to share their birthday celebrations with you. Here are three ways you can get involved.
1. Party with the kids on Saturday April 15
Take the little ones along to ecostore’s 30th Birthday Party to celebrate their own part in ecostore’s journey. It’s completely free and there’ll be face painting, lucky dips and more.
2. Top-up your supplies on Saturday April 29
Take your empty ecostore containers to their Refill Day and stock up on all your go-to products in one hit. There’ll be plenty of special guest refilleries on-site too, so you might even discover some new favourites.
3. Share your ecostory and be in to win by Wednesday May 31
Don’t forget to enter ecostore’s 30th Birthday Prize Draw. Just share your own ecostory at www.ecostore.com/30years to be in to win a year’s supply of ecostore products. There are 10 prizes to be won, each worth $1000.
Happy Birthday ecostore from all of us here at Ponsonby News.
ECOSTORE, 1 Scotland Street, Freemans Bay, T: 09 360 8477, www.ecostore.co.nz
92% of foot pain sufferers that have been prescribed orthotics may not need them!
Have any of these issues?
•Trouble finding nice shoes to wear your orthotics with?
•Find the orthotic hard and uncomfortable
•Knee and Hip pain
• Blisters in the arch
•Foot pain
Orthotics don’t fix your foot pain
Orthotics work as artificial supports for foot imbalances. When the orthotic is removed, so is the support for the foot.
Orthotics don’t change or retrain the foot so you can become dependent on the supports. Orthotics can be a good tool in the early stage of pain but there needs to be a plan to remove the device so the foot can build strength. (You don’t keep a cast on a broken bone forever).
Natural, hands on treatment for foot pains now available. No drugs, no surgery, no orthotics
Have an Exper t Podiatrist evaluate your foot pain for only $35 (usually $105)
Limited ‘End of Summer’ offer expires 30th April 2023
Only 7 places available
C all today on 09 212 9250
3b/272 Parnell Road, Parnell ww w.correctivefootsolutions.co.n z
There was a great turnout of nineteen people at the first working bee for the Doughnut Hub at Newton Central School on Sunday 19 February.
It was smoothly organised by Hannah McDonnell-Buwalda, DEANZ’ Doughnut Hub Manager. With the soft opening in October 2022, and the official opening in December at a special school assembly on site, the Hub was ready to move into Phase Two.
Phase One was the installation of the state-of-the-art carbon cycle compost bins. The working bee was all about laying the groundwork for Phase Two – the community gardens.
The people who laid down the garden beds included parents of children attending the school, people from the local community who donated food scraps to the compost bins, as well as the school Principal Bryan Rehutai and the Deputy Principal Josephine McKendrey, the Chair of DEANZ James Watson and Hannah, Doughnut Hub Manager.
Everyone threw their backs into making the “lasagne garden”: putting down layers of hessian bags, cardboard and woodchips, topped with the first beautiful, rich compost produced by the Doughnut Hubs’s compost bins.
The creation of the garden beds involved shifting the enormous pile of woodchips that Hannah got delivered, taking plastic tape off the cardboard boxes and laying them flat, removing the plastic ties from the hessian bags (you don’t want plastic in the garden) and moving the compost from the compost bins. An enormous amount was able to be achieved in just two hours because so many people put up their hands to be involved.
After all that hard work, the delicious spread provided by Josephine was a welcome reward. But the best part was how much everyone enjoyed the day – the smiles and laughter and camaraderie that comes from doing good together.
For more information go to: doughnuteconomicsnz.com/doughnut-hubs
For Esmé ~ with Love and Squalor and other stories, by J. D. Salinger.
“Their voices were melodious and unsentimental, almost to the point where a somewhat more denominational man than myself might, without straining, have experienced levitation.”
I love J. D. Salinger. Late last year I devoured his most famous book “The Catcher in the Rye”, and I’ve been on a sort of Salinger rampage ever since. His collections of short stories encapsulate post-war America, specifically New York, and house strange and interesting characters. I’ve been working my way through his works recently, and after finishing “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour; an Introduction”, I got my hands on “For Esmé ~ with Love and Squalor and other stories”.
The book has nine stories in it, ranging from tales of veterans writing to precocious children to storytelling scout leaders. Mainly written in reflective tenses or in third person, it can feel like being told a story by a friend or being a fly on the wall. There is definitely a wide variety of subjects and characters within the stories, but the theme of war is heavily present within many of the tales. Published in April 1953, these are wonderfully intricate and unique. The collection includes two
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who has read and enjoyed ‘The Catcher in the Rye” and wants to get back into the world of J. D. Salinger’s writing. These stories stayed with me long after turning the final page. (LUCY KENNEDY)
instagram @lucykennedyreviews
Last month I recounted my excellent experience with Ed Sheeran, and in March I paid a visit to Mr Harry Styles as he wowed crowds with his worldwide stage performance of Love on Tour. Originally part of the iconic boy band ‘One Direction’ (1D), Styles is now paving his own way in the music industry as a solo artist… and is doing a pretty darn good job! The teenage crush of millions of girls all over the world, Harry is one of the most well-known heartthrobs of my generation with a fan base equally as wide as insanely committed.
Kiwi showgoers especially, have been waiting and wishing for their turn with the ex-1D member. Finally, after a five year hiatus from New Zealand soils, Harry Styles announced a one-night-only show in Auckland. Tickets, as many predicted, sold out in a matter of minutes. March 7 2023 was the set date and for thousands, this would be the best night of their young lives (and not because of the New Zealand Census!)
People flew and drove from all corners of Aotearoa to experience Harry’s ‘Love on Tour’. My household proudly hosted three very excited Wellingtonians for a combined tropical holiday, the coveted concert, and a few days off school - sounds pretty ideal in my opinion!
For many, preparations for the concert had been in the works for months. Outfits, sparkling placards, queuing tactics, and tricky transport logistics for Mt Smart - how on earth will we get there and back? So much to think about! This was a true glamour event (think the pop concert version of an Auckland Met Gala). Everyone was dressed to impress.
Vibrant hues, bedazzled hats, heart-shaped sunnies and the iconic Style's feather boa (almost mandatory for entry), were all on display. In fact, to find the venue, all you really had to do was follow the trail of fallen, fluorescent, boa feathers. Immediately when I entered the stadium I was overwhelmed and thoroughly impressed by the sheer assortment of colours and crazy costumes.
For the hardcore ‘Harry Stans’ the concert festivities started before sunrise, when those showing their true devotion to the superstar, began to queue. It would be 13 hours later that this dedicated bunch would catch their first glimpse of any action. My commitment was not quite as strong, meaning my friends and I could take our sweet time getting all dolled-up at home and were able to indulge in a relaxing pre-show food truck dinner at the stadium. We also had time to check out the “merch” stands - I couldn't resist a ‘Harry’s House’ T-shirt as a keepsake.
Due to the nature of the Mt Smart Stadium there was a front mosh pit (for the VIPs and die-hard devotees) and a rear mosh pit for the more low-key fans (such as myself). By the time we had fluffed around entering the venue we could see that the front mosh pit was already filled to the brim and bustling with excited patrons eagerly awaiting the first chord. Although the back position gave us a pretty average view, it meant the shoving and pushing was kept to a minimum. And, honestly, I was not too fussed... it was good enough to simply have a ticket to the one and only Harry Styles!
His performance, as predicted, was executed flawlessly. Along with his talented singing, Styles included his iconic
banter with fans, and for a lucky few, he read out their carefully crafted handmade signs that had been lovingly made in hope of grasping his attention. What struck me most was his involvement and acknowledgement of New Zealand culture, even singing ‘Tutira Mai Ngā Iwi’ (who doesn’t remember this from Primary School days?).
I think this left everyone slightly gobsmacked and thoroughly impressed. When the final song was complete, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being able to experience such a special, action-packed concert. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another five years to see this global phenomenon! (HONOUR MITCHELL) PN
This week the Auckland City Transport Committee met to discuss the Great North Road project.
AT have been in consultation with stakeholders in the community since 2017 about the project and GLRA presented their vision for a tree- lined boulevard.
The issue AT have been avoiding by saying “there is no plan”, is the connection required from Garnet Road/Surrey Crescent via Grey Lynn village onto Great North Road and meeting K’Rd.
It came from the horse’s mouth this week, when AT finally admitted the cycleway would need to go through Grey Lynn village to make the connection.
If you know the village well, you will see how narrow it is, and is only four lanes wide. To create separated cycleways on either side of the road, would most likely require the removal of all the parking spaces.
The same fate awaits the Westmere village.
AT tried a similar approach in 2018 when they wanted to build bus platforms on both sides of the village street, but the community rose up and strongly objected. Only one was built. Our villages are the centre of local communities; they are our
butcher, chemist, bread shop, dairy, cafes and more, and this creates a sense of place and belonging.
The local businesses rely heavily on support from the community and also passing traffic, who need immediate short term parking. In my opinion, the removal of these parks will seriously change the streetscape and many businesses will fail. There will be no loading zones for their deliveries either.
The divisive Great North Road project is reliant on this connection being made. Why would AT want to spend $20M on a project which may not be able to proceed if the community do not want the village disrupted in this way.
An option would be to trial an alternate route with painted cycle lanes, using the wide and less congested avenues of Garnet Road, Surrey Crescent, Prime Road, through to Williamson Avenue and connecting to K’Rd. Fewer trucks and buses – existing median strips and at a cost which would meet the current budget crisis. It would save our village.
Removing a third of the mature deciduous trees, along with the median strip and 200 plus car spaces along Great North Road has to be one of the worst plans AT has devised. We all thought West Lynn was bad, but this is far worse.
Darryl Ojala, Grey Lynn ResidentOur thoughts are with all those who have suffered any loss from Cyclone Gabrielle.
We have put together a short list of support currently available for those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Please note this is not a comprehensive list and have referenced resources where you can access the full list of support available. If you have been affected, please let us know and we will be happy to assist.
Work and Income are providing financial support via the “Civil Defence Payment”. In Auckland, the fund is available for those affected that live in the Karekare, Piha, Muriwai and Te Henga areas. You don’t need any kind of benefit to apply.
The main items covered are: Food.
· Bedding.
· Clothing.
· Accommodation.
· Loss of income.
Please note: any insurance proceeds covering any of the above items will affect the Civil defence payment. each case is reviewed individually and will need to be made on an individual basis. You can call Work and Income on 0800 400 100 or visit their site: www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/ civil-defence-payment.html
Auckland Business Chamber has a “Back to Work” grant which aims to provide assistance for those businesses affected to: · keep operating and position you for a successful recovery.
· maintain cashflow.
Please note this grant is currently fully exhausted but you can still join the waitlist should the government allocate any additional funding. Please visit their site: aucklandchamber.co.nz/backtowork/#applyhere
Insurance Claims
A recap on the general rules when dealing with the insurance claims for any damage from the recent weather events:
· Contact your insurance company and they’ll let you know what you need to do next, how to claim.
· If you need to make your home safe, sanitary, secure, and weather tight, please record the work done, take before and after photos, and keep copies of the bills you paid.
· If you don’t have house insurance but do have contents insurance, speak to your insurer about what is covered. Make sure you take lots of photos where possible and keep good records before you throw anything out.
A few additional notes to consider when dealing with insurance claims for lost business income/assets post the recent weather events:
· in general, there will be GST payable on proceeds under business-related policies.
· where claims relate to depreciable assets lost there are special rules when it comes to accounting for the loss or damage to the assets concerned.
The IRD is offering additional support around removing penalties and interest. For late tax payments due to Cyclone Gabrielle, you need to contact the IRD before 31 March 2023. For those effected by the January flooding an extension to 30 April 2023 has been allowed to contact the IRD.
The IRD will consider on a case-by-case basis before deciding. Please note that a few key elements will be:
· do you have good payment history with the IRD and is your business viable.
· make contact with the IRD for relief within the date range mentioned above - the earlier the better.
· make tax payment as soon as possible and prioritise IRD repayments over any unnecessary spending.
Should you require any assistance with the above please let us know. Also, please visit the following website for a comprehensive list of available support.
www.workandincome.govt.nz/eligibility/emergencies/ cyclone-gabrielle.html
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.
JOHNSTON ASSOCIATES, Level 1, One Jervois Road, Ponsonby, T: 09 361 6701, www.johnstonassociates.co.nz
BECOME A FRIEND OF KELMARNA GARDENS FOR AS LITTLE AS $5 A MONTH
Auctions continue to be the preferred method of selling homes around the Ponsonby localeas exemplified by an incredibly rare occurrence at a recent day in the auction room of leading real estate agency Bayleys.
Ponsonby home owners Jo and Gary were one of the first auctions to come up on the run sheet at an auction day held in Bayleys’ Auckland head office. Their magnificent fourbedroom, three-bathroom modernised villa in Sussex Street marketed by Blair Haddow of Bayleys Ponsonby sold under the hammer for $4million.
The property drew good viewing numbers at open homes and private viewings throughout the marketing campaign –with Jo and Gary trusting both the auction process and Blair Haddow to get a successful sales result.
However, Jo and Gary’s presence in the auction room for the day had only just begun, as they moved from holding court in the vendors’ negotiation room, to sitting on the main auction floor seeking to buy their new home. And they didn’t have to wait long – in fact they didn’t even have time to sign the first sale and purchase contract before they were called into action.
At the next auction immediately after their Sussex Street property, the downsizing couple began raising their hands in the bidding for a stylish and contemporary three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse in Kelmarna Avenue. After a solid round of auction activity, the couple were successful – taking out the home with a top bid of $3 million.
“I’ve sold more than 500 homes during my career in real estate, most of those at auctions, but I’ve never experienced a scenario where a vendor of one property then turned around and bought their next home at the following auction,” admits Blair Haddow, who is one of the leading auction sales proponents in the company, and indeed Auckland.
The recent pair of sales were two of four auctions Blair Haddow managed in the Bayleys auction room that day in March. All four auctions had bidding on them – with postauction negotiations now ensuing on the one which didn’t quite reach reserve. The post-auction offers on the property is higher than the top bid at auction – so keep an eye out in the next edition of Ponsonby News for an update.
“Market values may fluctuate, and so too may sales volumes, but no matter what phase of the proverbial property cycle
we are in, auctions still remain the premier method for selling homes,” explains Blair.
“Auctions are quick, clean, transparent, and deliver immediate results which give sellers the opportunity to move onto the next phase in their property ownership path.
“The classic text-book example of this, which I’ll be using for years to come, was Jo and Gary’s situation. Their initial sale gave them the certainty to purchase… literally 10 minutes later.”
Blair Haddow is confident that the next tranche of homes coming up for auction under his proven marketing management will deliver similar outstanding sales results for his clients. Among Blair’s portfolio of desirable dwellings coming up for bidding soon are:
20A Westmoreland Street West in Grey Lynn - a stunning warehouse style conversion featuring a main dwelling encompassing a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, two living area New York style dwelling. In addition, the property also consists of a separate three-bedroom apartment, and a twobedroom apartment - which have previously been let out as short-term accommodation through Air BnB.
26 Farrar Street in Grey Lynn – A recently extended and remodelled north-west facing four-bedroom, two living room character home directly overlooking Grey Lynn and with offstreet parking.
12 Dryden Street in Grey Lynn - a beautifully renovated three or four bedroom/two living room residence, with elevated views, double internal garaging, and an inground heated swimming pool.
A four-bedroom/three-bathroom family home with separate media room and wine storage cellar in Orakei. The spacious and well-lit elevated residence overlooks Mission Bay.
(BLAIR HADDOW) PN
blair.haddow@bayleys.co.nz www.facebook.com/BlairHaddowResidential
Helen White is fair fizzing with excitement after winning selection as Labour Party candidate for Mt Albert last month.
Hard to imagine the vibrant 54-year-old could be any more exuberant than her default, but as a list member of Parliament since the last election she is rearing to go in the electorate where she has lived for 34 years and is well placed to hit the ground running.
White has been based in offices on Ponsonby Road that effectively straddle the Auckland Central and Mt Albert electorates, sharing the space with another first-termer, Camilla Belich, who also stood against her for selection in Mt Albert. The electorate is a diverse cultural mix embracing Grey Lynn, Westmere, Pt Chev and Arch Hill and stretching across and out to Owairaka. While White has made much about growing up in Freemans Bay before it was the affluent territory of stylish urbanites, home is Sandringham and she says she “belongs” to Mt Albert.
She describes the role of an MP as an honour “on steroids” exposing her to different cultures and walks of life, and over the last two years has completed a Post Grad Diploma in Public Policy devised by Victoria University specifically for incoming MPs. She says the input from a diverse group of members from all parties has enriched her appreciation of the practical effects of legislation and she believes it is vital that members of parliament are truly representative of our populus.
Twenty five years practice in employment law cements her grasp of the law and its impacts on real lives; she says that she is not therefore formed by Parliament, but rather in a position to use it as a tool to make positive and constructive change. It is the narratives of the citizens she encounters and the stories of those she has represented at the bar that drives her steely resolve to serve.
In October 2022 she introduced a members bill - Employment Relations (Restraint of Trade) Amendment Bill - to the House which aims to refine the existing law which has been abused leaving individuals at both ends of the income spectrum unable to earn a living. Her most recent attempt to make change that matter is an initiative with Habitat for Humanity to
require rental properties to provide curtaining. Landlords may see this as yet another imposition, but the benefits to health and wellbeing, not to mention energy consumption, have wider implications for the public purse.
As she has settled into the process of Parliament - she is deputy chair of the Regulatory Review Select Committee and sits on the Transport and Infrastructure Committee - she has been determined to maintain accessibility to the constituency. She has hosted a series of local public meetings with Michael Wood, Minister of Transport, and with Grant Robertson, some of which will be rescheduled after postponement due to Auckland flooding. She intends to invite new Minister of Police, Ginny Andersen, and Barbara Edmonds, Associate Minister of Housing whose focus is on rental issues. Intrigued by the idea of bringing the vote to sixteen year olds she has been part of a team of MPs who have taken an education programme into schools to develop student understanding of the parliamentary workings of democracy.
Riding into Parliament with the 2020 Labour wave at number 48 on the list, White will be relieved to have secured selection for the electorate seat with a 29,000 majority; but her campaign planning is underway already as no sensible politician can take their position for granted.
The Mt Albert electorate has produced a steady stream of Labour Prime Ministers, so stepping into Jacinda Ardern’s footsteps is a daunting prospect for any up-and-comer.
White feels for younger MPs with children at home who bear the cost of the parliamentary lifestyle, but she has already launched her three children and is in a phase of her life where she can commit limitless energy to the task. Scooting round the city streets, she can be seen relishing the challenge and loving her job 100 per cent.
Hail her if you see her, because she is always ready to converse. The peoples voice is her food and ammunition.
(CAIT MCLENNAN WHITE) PNSome think of art as a luxury, while others might not see it as icing on the cake but regard it as a way of opening up new horizons, integral to lifting the human spirit and encouraging our aspirations.
A few years back, my sister, who was visiting from Christchurch, and I visited the Auckland Art Gallery to check out the winner of the prestigious 2014 Walters prize.
To find Luke Willis Thompson’s artwork, inthisholeonthisisland whereiam, we had to take the elevator down to the loading dock at the back of the gallery and get in a waiting taxi. As described in the 2014 Art Gallery catalogue, “with a palpable sense of unease, we set off through the back Auckland streets to an unknown destination, with only the tentative conversation with the driver to break the tense sense of expectation. Arriving at a suburban house, we were invited to enter and wander around, but not to enter into the bedrooms. With no people inside, yet signs of habitation everywhere, (like the remains of a breakfast dish on the kitchen bench), we gradually came to realize - through closer inspection of items such as books, and photographs that this was the artist’s family home. In such an audacious situation, the boundaries of exclusion and inclusion, intimacy and voyeurism were completely blurred; the artwork demanded we consider new concepts and how to ascribe meaning or determine value”.
In the taxi on the way back to the gallery loading dock, it was as if I had been blessed with new vision. We passed a gang of motorcyclists, and while prior to our recent experience I might have seen a menacing scene, now I saw it as a colourful piece of art. When I commented to my sister, the previously quiet driver added, “Everything is Art”. His words have never left me.
Art comes in many forms; it can change the way we think, like Luke Thompson’s did. It challenges the given and takes our reach further than expected. Furthermore, it can help reimagine the world as it should be.
But art that engages with society at large and not for the elite, is hard to quantify and qualify. Just how does it affect us and why does it matter?
The U.S. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. They invited a variety of employees there to give their views:
“The arts matter because life is dull without perspective. All art, good and bad, made by an individual or a team, brings the perspective of an artist to others. Without the arts, we are confined to one world and one worldview; with the arts, we have the treasure of a million worlds and a million ways to see them.” – Daniel
Fishman“The arts matter because they allow people to uniquely express themselves without fear of giving a wrong answer.”
– Lauren Tuzzolino“The arts matter because they have the power to change lives. They have the power to heal our minds and our bodies through arts-in-healthcare programs, creative aging programs, and the creative arts therapies. The arts are transformative.”
– Beth BienvenuAnd regarding art for art’s sake - not only can it help us in terms of more complex emotional and mental challenges and enhance our well-being, but it can also simply add beauty to our lives. It can be used in numerous ways to make spaces and areas visually appealing.
After all, who was it who said, “We may be able to exist without art, but can we truly LIVE without it?”
(WILLIAM GREIG) PNAns Westra CNZM (1936 – 2023) was a pioneer of documentary photography and one of the first women to work in this space in Aotearoa.
Self-taught, Ans was an expert at capturing what she called "ordinary life"; the casual, natural and human interactions of ordinary people and places.
Ans has left a remarkable legacy of photographs documenting New Zealand’s most remote areas to street scenes, stock saleyards, rugby games and the Porirua Mongrel Mob. She also photographed around the world, including Tonga, Fiji, the Netherlands, the Philippines and New York.
In 1998 Ans was awarded the Companion of the Order of New Zealand Merit for services to photography. In 2007 she was made an Arts Foundation Icon, an honour bestowed
to a living circle of 20 artists for their extraordinary lifetime achievements. In 2015 she received an honorary doctorate from Massey University in recognition of her contribution to New Zealand’s visual culture.
Mounted across both {Suite} Ponsonby and {Suite} Wellington, Haere ra is a celebration of Ans’ life and features images and books spanning 60 years from the early 60s right through until the 2000s. The exhibition will run until Tuesday 11th April. Exhibition is free to visit, all welcome.
{Suite} GALLERY, 189 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 218 4399, www.suite.co.nz
24 March – 14 April
Featuring Fatu Feu’u, Telly Tuita, Andy Leleisi’uao, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Sylvia Marsters, Benjamin Work, Lucas Grogan, Raymond Sagapolutele, Louie Bretaña, Oliver Cain, Heather Straka, Luke Thurgate, and Sione Monū.
Tabatha Forbes
19 April – 13 May
Opening Wednesday 19 April, 5-7pm
All welcome
Tabatha Forbes is a New Zealand visual artist. After living in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands for 7 years, Tabatha is now based in Taranaki. The Printed Hibiscus is an exploration into botanical study and floral fabric history, settling uncomfortably on the stylised hibiscus as it has come to represent / misrepresent the South Pacific.
Watercolours, prints, hand painted screen prints, light installation, fabric installations, and wall print available.
Instagram and Facebook @bergmangallery
BERGMAN GALLERY, 3/582 Karangahape Road (Entrance via 2 Newton Road), T: 021 324 984
E: benny@bergmangallery.com Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-4pm, www.bergmangallery.com
While you may have spotted small groups of them studying parts of our urban landscape intently, these artists may well take over the city later this month – in the best possible way.
Following host cities such as Amsterdam and Porto, the Urban Sketchers Symposium takes place in Auckland from April 19 to 22 at AUT in St Paul Street. The international organisers are expecting around 800 people from around the globe and here to gather for workshops, “sketch-walk” tours, conference talks, and the Art Market.
Urban sketching is a fast-growing artistic trend, where people explore the city through sketching in journals, using mainly pencils, pens, or watercolour. Most are relative newbies to a visual practice, while some are experienced professionals.
Tony McNeight worked for many years as a designer before putting his rendering skills to a more even paced occupation. For the last six years, Tony has run small, tailored sketching workshops in Auckland, teaching people how easy it is, and how it becomes a uniquely insightful way to see a city.
He has taken sketching tours throughout New Zealand, and to Australia, Fiji, Niue, Sri Lanka, and Spain, and is the ‘New Zealand correspondent’ for the Urban Sketchers Symposium, working with the international guests to capture events with sketches each day, then posting on the world sketch site each evening.
Family-owned art store Gordon Harris (which Studio Art Supplies is part of) is a sponsor of the event, presenting their European brands at the Art Market in the Sir Paul Reeves Building (AUT WG Block), St Paul Street.
Gordon Harris have worked with these manufacturers to provide art materials tailor-made for the USk Symposium, such as the Schmincke Horadam Watercolour Urban Sketcher Set with colours selected to offer those of Auckland’s environment in autumn. Gordon Harris will be joined by Markus Giel from da Vinci Brushes, Germany, and Reka Kovac from Cretacolor in Austria.
Thes best thing about Auckland hosting the USk Symposium? Many of the events are open to the Public.
EVAN WOODRUFFE, Studio Art Supplies
www.studioart.co.nz
Auckland’s leading innovative and unique theatre company Nightsong is returning to the stage with their hit show THE WORM, the perfect show for adults aged seven and older.
When a giant bird beak breaks through the ceiling and snatches his mother away, a little worm must go on an epic adventure to save her. However, the journey to the surface is riddled with danger. It takes the little worm through a dark, subterranean world - full of empty streets and flea-bitten bars. He must dodge the sharp spade of the gardener, outsmart poisonous spiders and battle the ruler of the underworld, The Blind Rat and her henchman, Snail.
In the vain of Coraline, Badjelly the Witch or Hilda, THE WORM is something akin to a fairytale – a little bit outrageous, highly inventive and not too sickly sweet.
inimitable Semu Filipo (Next Goal Wins, The Justice of Bunny King), Auckland Theatre’s favourite Brit Andrew Grainger (Nightsong’s Te Pō, The Breaker Upperers), the incomparable and powerhouse creative Anapela Polataivao (The Justice of Bunny King, The Panthers) and notable newcomer Albert Latailakepa (Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School). THE WORM also features an original music score composed by Carnivorous Plant Society and will host two of the talented band live on stage for each performance.
This is a show that will have audiences of all ages enthralled. Head underground and enter the world of THE WORM on 5 April at Bruce Mason Centre, ahead of a school holiday run
Aquarius (the Water Carrier)
21 January - 19 February
Stay as organised as you can this month. You’re going to be in demand socially. Keep track of what’s going on as you don’t want any opportunities to slip through your fingers. Staying silent could also see you miss out, so if anything has to be said, then don’t stay silent.
Pisces (the Fishes)
20 February - 20 March
Looking after you is the key to happiness this month. If you feel like you deserve a few treats, then have them. A new way to make some more money might present itself soon, so be prepared to change and update your resume on life. You never know when you’ll need it.
Aries (the Ram)
21 March - 20 April
If you take a good hard look at what you’re reading this month a look between the lines might be called for. You have always been a details person. But don’t search too hard - you don’t want to see things that are not really there.
Taurus (the Bull)
21 April - 21 May
Letting your mind wander has been a great benefit to you. At times when you feel like you’ve had enough, retreat into your mind and remember all the great times you’ve had and the things you have done. You have a very long list of accomplishments remember.
Gemini (the Twins)
22 May - 21 June
You might give a thought to wanting to get back in touch with a few people that have dropped off your radar recently. You never know when you might need help from someone. The connections you make now will be with you always.
Cancer (the Crab)
22 June - 22 July
Your attention to detail is excellent and your memory is sound. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. The ideas you’re having now need to be written down and filed somewhere. Never underestimate how remarkable you can be. The rate you’re having those ideas is incredible.
Leo (the Lion)
23 July - 21 August
You’ve yet to realise just how lucky and blessed you are. You have so many opportunities open to you but the dilemma you have is where to start. If you are much more positive in your daily life, you’ll receive positivity back in abundance.
Virgo (the Virgin)
22 August - 23 September
You’ve never been one to shy away from anything or anyone. Getting close to someone or doing what you’re passionate about is something that you’re prepared for. The connections you make now will be with you in some way forever.
Libra (the Scales)
24 September - 23 October
Finding out exactly who you are has been an ongoing process but you now feel like you’ve matured into the person you want to be. The balance you’ve found in life should be bottled as you could make a lot of people happy if they could experience what you have.
Scorpio (the Scorpion)
24 October - 22 November
You should start enjoying life a bit more. Don’t feel guilty about what you’ve accomplished and the things you’ve achieved. Start living the life you deserve. Do what you have to do instead of waiting for things to happen. Take the bull by the horns.
Sagittarius (the Archer)
23 November - 22 December
There’s something about you, some would say, an energy, some would say. You seem to have found what makes you happy. At last you can start to enjoy life. You may have found the work/life balance, but that doesn’t mean you can take your foot off the accelerator.
Capricorn (the Goat)
23 December - 20 January
Maybe enough time has passed and it should be you who gets in touch with some of those family members that have dropped off the Christmas card list. You can be particular what you talk about, but it would be good to open up lines of communication.
Three Generations: Sean Hill, ‘Ahota’e’iloa Toetu’u, and John Bailey.
I can’t recall a time when the gallery has felt so vibrant and full of energy! First, we have engaged two terrific artists to create large (8m x 3m) murals.
Emerging Kiwi-Samoan artist Sean Hill crosspollinates cultural references with natural forms to produce really knock-out, large-scale immersive experiences. While on the opposite wall, Tongan-born artist ‘Ahota’e’iloa (Loa) Toetu’u has taken a very different approach, using symbols and signifiers inspired by both ngatu and kupesi to record time, place and events.
Of course we can't give you the entire wall to take home, but we will be taking orders for limited editioned prints.
In the second gallery, I’m delighted to host a solo show by senior New Zealand artist, John Bailey. John’s practice has been active since the 1970s when he embraced the work of the pioneering conceptual ‘non-objective’ works emerging from the United States by artists such as Sol Le Witt and Mel Bochner. John went on to show with Peter Webb and others, and now, in 2023, I’m delighted to show a new series of beautiful works in GYMNOSPHERE, inspired by particular pieces of music by the composer Jordan De La Sierra.
It's always fascinating to bring together artists of different generations and cultures in the gallery space. And this series of shows won't disappoint. All welcome. (SCOTT LAWRIE)
Open Tuesday to Saturday 11am-5pm, until Saturday 8 April.
