13 minute read
MELISSA LEE: NATIONAL LIST MP
LOCAL NEWS MELISSA LEE: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
So far, this Parliament, I have asked nearly 10,000 written parliamentary questions to ministers, I’ve grilled ministers during question time, and I’ve held the government to account through the select committee process.
I’ve written thousands of letters to constituents; I’ve read countless more. It has been a continuing pleasure to work for you, the people of New Zealand as a member of parliament and I look forward to continuing to do so as we head into what will be a big year in 2023.
Many of us use this time of year to take some time to contemplate on our achievements, challenges, and the future. The summer break is always a good time to think about what lies on the road ahead. For me, I am especially grateful for the encouragement of my family and friends for the late nights, postponed catchups, and constant support. You all make a world of difference in grounding me.
This Christmas season families around New Zealand will have lost loved ones here at home or abroad. This will be the first Christmas without them, and we all know how important it is to ensure their memories and the memory of their love for us carries on through the seasons. This will also be a magical time for family reunions, reconnection with friends and visits to childhood homes or other special places to connect with our history. If you are travelling overseas this summer, please remember to check the Safe Travel advice website and make appropriate plans to protect your family.
It's been a really demanding year for everyone. Our hospitality sector will be looking forward to bright skies and happy customers amidst festive drinks and dining. Our wider business sectors will be deserving a well-earned break after the challenges they have all faced. With inflation continuing to impact food prices I know many families will be tightening their belts while still working to make sure this holiday season remains a magical one for their young families. If you are doing it tough this Christmas, please make sure to reach out for support from services like 1737, Asian Family Services, Connected or Lifeline.
For the summer shutdown period with parliament rising in midDecember my office will begin closing from 22 December and reopen in late January so everyone can have a muchdeserved break. If you have anything urgent during this time, please message us via Facebook and we'll do our best to respond, as office emails and phones won’t be regularly monitored during this time.
This summer and new year season will see fun times on beaches, great weekends in our local parks and brilliant nights out under the stars. I hope you all get the opportunity to spend this special time of year with your family, friends and loved ones.
To everyone around Auckland and across New Zealand I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable break.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and have a wonderful 2023! (MELISSA LEE MP) PN
National Member of Parliament. National Spokesperson for Broadcasting & Media| Digital Economy and Communications | Ethnic Communities
Happy Christmas!
Melissa Lee National List MP based in Auckland
E: mplee@parliament.govt.nz Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
LISA PRAGER: ON THE FLIP OF A COIN
Wearing my best, crisp, white cowgirl hat I thought I was off to the swearing-in ceremony for the Waitematā Local Board - instead it turned out to be a French farce.
With all due pomp and ceremony the characters assembled in the council chamber. Secret smiles, warm welcomes and the odd sneer flashed around the room. It was to be a simple plot. The newly elected C&R members would swear allegiance to the community and pledge to protect their neighbourhood after the ravages of City Vision’s twelve year reign.
C&R had won four of the seven places on the board. They had the majority, a clear voter mandate for change. But, unbeknownst to the public assembled at the back of the room, pitch-forks and banners stowed safely at reception, a treasonous plan had been crafted to steal back control.
Blissfully ignorant to the seditious ferment, the crowd were optimistic at the thought of genuine community engagement, confident that the Cycle-Way Wars would end, that carcinogenic street spraying would stop, replaced by nontoxic steam treatment, that the controversial Erebus memorial would find a home at Motat’s National Museum of Aviation and a new enlightened era of tree protection would see the suffocating mounds of wood chip from the felled Monterey pines removed, restoring the magical ethereal streams of the Western Springs Native Forest!
One could almost sense the sunshine and bird song as nominations were called for Chair of the Waitematā Local Board. Greg Moyle’s name rang out for C&R. Ominously, old Duke Northey rose to his feet, cleared the frog in his throat and spoke, “I nominate Gen Sage.”
There was a collective gasp of shock and outrage. Had they heard correctly? Could this be true? Northey was nominating the other camps political rookie, the babe in arms, the coiffed newbie in her Chanel suit. Without hesitation, Gen Sage leapt swiftly to her stiletto heels ready to accept the nomination, beaming feigned surprise and humility.
Muted mutterings of betrayal, and accusations of deceit spread quickly around the room. It was clear to all that something shifty had gone on, this was no accident, this must be a premeditated act.
The thrill of power burned brightly in Gen Sage’s eyes and she was encouraged, no doubt, by her powerful husband Michael Sage, partner in the Queen Street legal firm Simpson Greison (or as the late, great Penny Bright would say, ‘Simply Gruesome’). For years he’d been unsuccessfully wheeling and dealing to deliver a semi-submerged Auckland Waterfront Arena, worth over $1.8 billion to his cohorts. So was his wife now part of the plan to thwart public opposition? Pillow talk be damned.
Incandescent with rage I jump to my feet, calling out the charade for what it is; “high treason, a total travesty of democracy, you are destroying the last ounce of public faith in the local board system! How is it the alt-right and alt-left have become best bed fellows overnight?”
I stride up the central aisle, my words ricochet between the startled Sage and her sidekick, Chlöe Swarbrick. Quick as the click of a snuff box, the chief presiding council officer flips a coin to decide who will be the chairperson and hold the daily balance of power. “FLIP A COIN!” I shout, “Is that what our democracy has come to?” The coin lands in her favour, giving Gen the casting vote. Use it wisely or be damned. (LISA PRAGER a.k.a The Cowgirl) PN
The Covert Theatre in Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby is NZ’s home of improvised comedy. With workshops and shows every night of the week there is something for everyone. Be sure to check out www.coverttheatre.com
DAVENPORTS LAW: THE ESSENTIAL LEGAL DOCUMENT - MORE PRACTICAL THAN A WILL
Mike and Cathy had been together for five years. They had two young boys together, aged four and two.
Mike had adult children from his first marriage. Those children were not a lot younger than Cathy. In fact, Mike had a granddaughter the same age as his youngest child. The relationship between Cathy and Mike’s older children was fractious, at best. They were resentful that Mike had married a much younger woman after his marriage to their mother had dissolved.
Mike and Cathy had been living in the home that Mike had purchased after his first marriage ended. For some time, Cathy had wanted to move to a new house. She thought a new property would feel more like their family home. So, despite the tough housing market, they decided to put the house on the market. They figured they would be buying and selling in the same market and so there shouldn’t be any real financial impact.
They listed their house and within three weeks, it had sold. They had also found the perfect family home for them and their boys and managed to arrange a contemporaneous settlement. They spent the next two weeks packing.
Two days before they went to the lawyers to sign the documentation, Mike sadly suffered a major stroke. The stroke left him not only paralysed down one side, but the doctors also said that his cognitive ability had been impaired, and it would be some time (if ever) before he would have capacity again. Cathy was devastated.
Not only was she having to deal with this life changing situation, but they were only ten days away from selling one house and moving into another. The first thing the doctors asked Cathy was whether she had Mike’s power of attorney. Cathy did remember their lawyer talking about powers of attorney to them at one point, but it seemed like something that old people did. Mike was 58, but surely not old enough to need powers of attorney, they had thought.
Tammy McLeod Cathy gave the lawyers a call just in case there was something that she could do now. They confirmed that Mike didn’t have powers of attorney in place, but they were also concerned about the impending settlement of the sale of the property.
The house they were selling was in Mike’s name only as he had owned it before his marriage to Cathy. That meant that he had to sign the documents, transferring the property to the new owner. There was no way around it. If he had powers of attorney in place, then the attorney would have been able to sign.
There was nothing to be done other than make an urgent application to the Court for orders appointing Cathy as Mike’s attorney. However, as Mike had adult children, they would need to be advised that Cathy was making the application, and consent to it. They were not happy that Cathy would then have full control over Mike’s financial affairs and instructed a lawyer to oppose the application.
The whole thing turned into a disaster, costing time and money, not only with the application to the Court, but the fact that Cathy couldn’t settle on the sale, or the purchase of the new property. It meant that she and Mike were left paying penalty interest to both the purchaser of the property they were selling and the vendor of the property they were purchasing.
Enduring powers of attorney are one of the most essential legal documents that you can put in place. In many ways, even more practical than a Will. If you die without a Will, then there is a process that is followed to deal with your assets.
However, if you lose capacity and haven’t put in place powers of attorney, then you do need to make an application to the Court. This costs both time and money and depending on your family circumstances, can be much more complicated than it needs to be. It is also a misnomer that only the elderly need powers of attorney.
Any one of us at any time could have an accident or medical event that causes a loss of capacity. If you haven’t already, get your powers of attorney in place today.
LOCAL NEWS THE DOCUMENTARY ‘MISTER ORGAN’ HAS STARTED SCREENING
It deals with the clamping of cars, at night, outside the Bashford Antiques store on Williamson Avenue in Ponsonby.
David Farrier a journalist, film maker and (sometimes) Grey Lynn resident spent five hard years making the film. The store closed some years ago and owners Jillian Bashford and the prince Michael Organ decamped to Whanganui. We asked David to tell us more.
What was the original fascination for you? Was it the clamping publicity which drew you in? I wanted to know why a man who’d claimed to be a prince was clamping in a Ponsonby parking lot and charging up to $760 to remove his clamps!
It seemed to take ages putting the documentary together - how long was it? Five years. It took forever. I was sucked into Organ’s web and that takes a lot to escape from.
Will the film be shown overseas? Australia - The US and the UK? I think it might appeal to an international audience. We premiered last month in America at several film festivals - Stephen Fry attended and tweeted: “I’ve just emerged blinking and trembling from ‘Mister Organ’ and couldn’t recommend a film more highly.” At the moment the focus is getting people to get a ticket to see this film on a big screen in New Zealand. From there we can hopefully find a home on streaming so the rest of the world can see it.
What’s next for you? Mister Organ - the Revenge? I will keep people updated via my newsletter Webworm (www.webworm.co) which is where I write all my weird investigations. Most of my year was spent writing about and breaking the Arise church scandal. The leaders had to resign after that. That’s where I will keep documenting all this crazy Organ stuff.
Anything else you’d like to tell Ponsonby News readers about your experience? It was horrific. But I am incredibly grateful for the brave people who came forward to share their stories.
“Mister Organ’ is screening in 60 theatres. They’re listed at misterorgan.com
David Farrier with Stephen Fry
LEYS LITTLE LIBRARY NEWS
Kia ora koutou Ponsonby. We are heading into the season of summer, holidays, and family time.
Here at the Leys Library we are busy making sure we are well stocked with great reading material and the library is a cool respite away from the humidity, a place where you can browse and chat. This summer we also have some great family events lined up for you.
We are at the Domain with our friends from Parnell and Grey Lynn Library on Friday 16 December from 9:30am - 11am celebrating summer with a rhyme-time session. Bring your tamariki along to a fun-filled Friday morning at the band rotunda. There will be songs, dancing, bubbles, and for added excitement, games. We are and look forward to seeing you all. For more information contact Leys Library. In the event of torrential rain, we will cancel the event.
For the Primary and Intermediate aged tamariki, we are running Te Ara Potama – Level up across Auckland Libraries from 12 December until 22 January. Sign up through the Beanstack app or pick up a booklet at the library. There are a range of quests, daily reading logs and prizes. For every quest completed, tamariki earn an additional entry into the ultimate prize draw. We will also have a special Leys prize draw for those who sign up at Leys or have Leys Institute set as their library on the Beanstack app. Did you know that Wednesday 18 January is Winnie the Pooh Day? Join Leys Library at the All Saints Church lawn on Ponsonby Road to acknowledge that world famous bear, with a teddy bear’s picnic. Come along for a great time with stories, music, dancing, and of course bubbles.
Over the summer with all the public holidays, our hours get a bit confusing. We are closed for the statutory holidays, but other than that, we are open normal hours, below is a list of the days we are closed.
Sunday 25 December Christmas Day + Monday 26 December, Boxing Day + Tuesday 27 December + Sunday 1st January, New Year’s Day + Monday 2 January + Tuesday 3 January + Monday 30 January, Auckland Anniversary Day + Monday 6 February Waitangi Day.
From the team at Leys, we would like to wish all the community Meri Kirihimete. We appreciate your support and look forward to another year with you all. (Chloë - Manager Community Library) PN
Leys Institute Little Library, 14 Jervois Road, T: 09 377 0209, www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
