FACES AT GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET

Vini sells organic produce from their Feels Good farm at Grey Lynn Farmers Market on Sunday mornings.

Where did you grow up?

Brazil – I was a city boy with no farming experience.

What did you study?

I studied industrial engineering. Then I worked for industrial consultancies, and medical start-ups.

How did you end up farming?

It started by travelling and being exposed to a lot of ideas and philosophies - from yoga to permaculture. I found that I kept getting closer to soil and to myself.

Did you get some training along the way?

Yes. During the pandemic I stopped in Argentina at a permaculture centre where I learnt about sustainable agriculture. I worked on organic farms in Argentina and Patagonia.

That’s still far away from New Zealand. I met Taryn in Argentina - she’s a Kiwi. And I had been to New Zealand on my travels and loved it. We knew that New Zealanders value organic food, so it seemed like a great place for us to establish a farm.

Where is your farm?

In Waiuku. We lease an organic plot from Permakai that is enabling us to establish an organic farm more quickly.

When did you start your business?

Towards the end of last year, when we returned to New Zealand.

What are you growing?

Everything is certified organic. Beans are our first crop, and we have plans for watermelons, sweetcorn, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, rocket, mustards, squash, okra, flowers, and much more.

How is it going?

It’s a lot of hard work, of course, but we are loving it. While we get our farm established, we are bringing along produce from other organic farmers we know. I have been working hard to establish a network of other organic farmers so that we can support each other.

Do you get any time off?

Not much, but our farm is 10 minutes from Karioitahi Beach. It’s beautiful, wild, and good to cool off in the middle of the day when it’s too hot to be working on farm.

Do you have any more travel plans?

Travel is on hold for us while we get the farm up and running. When we have time, I would love to return to Nepal, visit friends in Majorca, and visit family in Japan.  PN www.greylynnfarmersmarket.co.nz

WAYNE BROWN: MAYOR OF AUCKLAND

It’s just gone 100 days since 180,000 fellow citizens chose me as mayor and I have been busy firstly dealing with an unwanted budget deficit of $295m left for me by the new High Commissioner to UK, but also doing my best to implement my five policies of: ‘stop wasting money; finish the big projects like CRL before starting new ones; take back control of CCOs; speeding up AT; and getting the harbour-side back from the port.

In the midst of all these challenges, it’s easy to forget the great things about living here, particularly in Ponsonby and its surrounds, so I thought I’d list the things I love about our hood so well covered by the Ponsonby News.

My last four Auckland abodes have all been within your readership area, starting with an apartment in Blake Street, then in Hopetoun, then a bungalow in Tuarangi to our current apartment in Hereford.

In all cases my wife and I love that we can walk to so many things from leafy Western Park to all the cafes, bars and restaurants in K Road and down Ponsonby Road, including the fact that I can walk to work to the council in 14 minutes rather than take the bus or car in 23 minutes.

I’ll list some of my favourites. Among the many restaurants we love are Coco’s Cuchina and Carmen’s on K Road, Azabu, Prego and everything in and around Ponsonby Central. For cafes Forte Green, La Noisette, Little Algerian and Djamal’s neighbours on K Road and Dizengoff and their neighbours on Ponsonby Road. And what better place for an afternoon beer than at Chapel. That’s just scratching the surface or our wonderful hospo offerings and I’ve missed plenty more all with their appeal.

We live among a wonderfully eclectic collection of people and there is way less agro than on our main Queen Street. I can look out my window and see my local MP and friend Chlöe’s apartment and we boast delightfully odd, but intensely committed local activists, like Gael Baldock and Lisa Prager.

We are indeed blessed here, but we need to protect and maintain the character of our area currently under attack from ill-advised Wellington planning regulations and other pressures. I miss some things that have gone due to various pressures such as Siostra from West Lynn and of course the greatest loss being the Alhambra, banished by a foolish landlord. We have a great culture of musicians, but sadly, as Truda Chadwick noted, one of our iconic singers Larry Morris of Larry’s Rebels passed away recently.

I hope to get back to readers with progress on ‘fixing the council’ to give us a better city in future editions.

(WAYNE

LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

New Revenue Stream By Making Establishments Pay For Food Inspection

It is with slight trepidation that I set out on another year running a hospitality business, wondering how the council will conjure up new ways for me to pay for the privilege of offering a service.

Last year they created a new revenue stream by making establishments pay for the food inspection. Prior to this it was all rolled up in the food license fee. Now they charge by the hour for the inspector and every corrective action that is found costs you too.

They look quite hard for something to be wrong; never before have I been told that keeping an ice shovel in with the ice is wrong! I do believe they’ve also been able to slip in another extra fee for the use of the prescribed Food Control Plan; I’m pretty sure that’s called double dipping. I know that there is a massive shortfall in the council’s budget, but I don’t think it’s fair that small businesses are burdened further.

Verity George, Westmere

Something Is Happening Here

- DAME ROBIN WHITE - AUCKLAND ART GALLERY

The retrospective exhibition of Dame Robin White’s (b.1946, Ngāti Awa, Pākehā) work from the 1970s to current day at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in conjunction with Te Papa is outstanding. It’s hard to believe that this is the work of one artist as her style develops and her medium changes as she lives in different locations.

Upon leaving Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, in 1967, she painted simple buildings and rolling landscapes featuring her friends and fellow students, in a realistic style. “I don't go around just looking for beautiful hills - my work arises out of the situation I'm in,” - Robin White, 1977.

Then she moved with her family to the Pacific nation of Kiribati to assist the local Baha'i community in 1982, where they stayed for 17 years. Adapting to the lifestyle and materials available to her, she depicted local people using woodblock prints.

“Living a village life throws you into the midst of everything you can't help but be engaged,” - Robin White, 2000.

Everywhere she lived she embraced the history and culture and collaborated with locals in their art practices, and changed to local art methods and mediums. In 1999 in Whakaoriori

Masterton, influenced by the Japanese prisoners of war interned nearby, she worked in watercolour on wallpaper, and wool bales with a collaboration with a graffiti artist producing work with a Colin McCahon influence.

In 2008 working with two expert Fijian masi (barkcloth) artists, Bale Jione and Leba Toki, they produced a large work inspired by the Lautoka Sugar Mill.

Her latest work on tapa combines traditional cultural patterns along with her contemporary style of everyday objects with Tongan artists, Ruha and Ebonie Fifita, and Fijian artist, Tamari Cabeikanacea.

Gael Baldock, Information source: Auckland Art Gallery

DANGEROUS SPRAYING OF GLYPHOSATE AND POISONS

As I go for runs around my local streets of Pt Chevalier, Westmere, Grey Lynn and Herne Bay, I have witnessed many incidents of dangerous spraying of glyphosate and poisons in inclement weather and near waterways with apparent lack of care or observance of best practice. Auckland Council have responded to my complaints admitting that these practices do go against their own rules, yet they do little to nothing to stop it other than to say, “we will have a word to our contractors”. Obviously with little effect as misuse of glyphosate continues. Why is it the council doesn’t insist using steam instead of poison for weed control like some other areas of Auckland?

Graffiti also continues to be an unsightly problem. One tag or slogan may not seem a problem, but one becomes two, becomes three and so on. The continued presence of graffiti encourages more and does nothing to enhance our communities or our sense of feeling safe. Council employee or council contractors do not go around looking for graffiti to magically remove it while we sleep. With this in mind, I have reported countless tagging to the graffiti team who, to their credit, act quickly to remove it. They have even rung me on occasions to ask questions to be sure that they use the right medium for removal. My point is, I’m not a council employee and this takes a lot of my time and I am left wondering why others care so little about the neighbourhood not to do the same.

It’s easy, just go online and report it to www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Linda Hill

LETTERS CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

CHLÖE SWARBRICK: Auckland Central MP

Just like that, the political media machine ticked into gear – then overdrive – on Thursday 19 January, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced not only the election date (14 October), but her resignation.

One can only respect the integrity and leadership demonstrated by genuine self-reflection about capacity.

Politics is not the game that it’s often painted as (to all our detriment), but the process of problem solving, making decisions and delivering, hopefully, the betterment of as many New Zealanders as possible.

While the Greens and I have consistently been constructive and clear about where we have disagreed – one example being the levers pulled for the Covid Economic Response that widened and entrenched wealth inequalities, as reports illustrate – there has been many instances where we have collaborated with Labour to achieve crucial policy change.

These areas have been as huge as the Zero Carbon Act (the country’s debut infrastructure to tackle climate changing emissions) and as seemingly small as drug checking law (which means we haven’t seen young people dying taking dodgy drugs through festival season, the likes of Australia’s experience).

It’ll be around 250 days to the country’s next election when this issue of Ponsonby News goes to print. It’ll also be just over 100 days since our last local body election. Settling into 2023, it’s worth remembering how our voices, decisions and collaboration can impact a better world, whether that be at home on Ponsonby Road, across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, for the country, or even the planet.

While just 35% of Aucklanders voted in local body elections, the decisions of our new council will impact all of us. The mayoral proposal outlined at the end of last year – due to be finalised and go out to public consultation in February through March this year – put forward ideas to sell assets (which have been crucial over the past decade for diversifying council’s income and reducing pressure on rates), cut operational expenditure by local boards and retain immensely reduced public transport schedules.

I’ve been clear about my deep concerns with these proposals, especially when they pose just a short-term fix in-line with ‘keeping rates low’ rhetoric. After all, who doesn’t want a functional and revived Leys Institute, well maintained greenspace and guaranteed clean water to swim in at Herne Bay, Sentinel Road and Hamilton Road beaches?

As always, the questions with this budget proposal should be what the real cost and benefit is and for whom. I look forward to robust ongoing engagement with our mayor, whom I’ve already put these matters to, our councillors and all of you as we focus on practical investment, policies and programmes for our growing city.

Some key, nation-impacting legislation will enter the House and select committees when parliament resumes after Waitangi Day. We’ll work on bills overhauling the much-dogged Resource Management Act and the government’s response to my Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill, both of which may have substantive impact on our local communities and environment; whether it’s baking in protections for our trees and planning for climate adaptation, or sensibly reducing the harm of our nation’s most widely-consumed drug, I will be advocating for Auckland Central. As always, if you’re interested in these laws or anything else happening in Parliament or the electorate, don’t hesitate to drop my office a line.

Thinking globally and acting locally, I’ve also been honoured to spend the summer break working with the Iranian community and supporting allies on sponsoring rapper Toomaj Salehi, one of the 18,000 political prisoners held on baseless charges by the Islamic Republic of Iran. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – if you would like to help, our local Iranian community would welcome any support in keeping the spotlight on the violence and abuses of human rights they face in their fight for freedom and democracy.

Here's to another big year of progress, community-building and making great things happen together. We’d love to hear from you in our office along Karangahape Road if you would like to muck in! (CHLÖE

SWARBRICK)

 PN

CHLÖE SWARBRICK, T: 09 378 4810, E: chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz www.greens.org.nz/chloe_swarbrick

UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIP PROPERTY: MAC AND ABI’S JOURNEY

Mac and Abi had been going out together for a year before they moved in together.

Tammy McLeod

Abi owned her own home, and they were spending so much time together it seemed (unromantically) the most economic thing to do. Abi had bought the house using her Kiwisaver and an inheritance she had received from her grandmother. She also had a mortgage which she was managing on her own, but it would be nice to receive some rent from Mac to assist with the re-payments.

Abi’s parents were keen for her to protect her house in case she and Mac split up. While they liked Mac and knew Abi felt Mac was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, they had heard horror stories from their friends whose children had moved in with their partners and then had to split assets 50/50 when they separated later. They suggested that Abi go and see their lawyer to set up a trust for her to transfer the property to.

Abi went to see the lawyer who explained that as she and Mac were already in a de facto relationship, despite the fact it had been less than three years, it was too late to set up a trust. Any transfer of relationship property to a trust during a relationship would not protect the asset. The lawyer also explained that even if Abi had set up a trust prior to the relationship, she would still recommend that Abi enter into a Contracting Out Agreement (like a pre-nup) to absolutely protect the property. She said that otherwise any contribution that Mac made whether financially or other could be considered a contribution to the property and he could have a claim.

Abi was surprised to learn that even though she owned all the property before she had even met Mac, it would be considered their family home when he moved in, and he could have a claim even on the bit that she had prior to the relationship. She was more surprised to learn that even the time they hadn’t been living together full time could possibly count as being the three years required to have a qualifying relationship under the law. She had thought that the time would only run from when they started permanently living together. The lawyer said that many people got caught thinking they weren’t in a proper de facto relationship, when in the eyes of the law, they were.

Abi learned what other assets would also be relationship property, including income and any KiwiSaver accumulated during the relationship. Mac had a well-paying job and got regular bonuses – those bonuses and of course his income would also be relationship property, so Abi thought it may be in Mac’s best interests to enter into a Contracting Out Agreement as well. Inheritance and gifts from third parties (eg distributions from her parents’ trust) would be separate property, provided that they were kept separate. Putting those assets into a joint bank account or using inherited funds to pay off relationship debt (for example, paying some money off the mortgage on the family home) was enough to mix any separate property with relationship property and it wouldn’t be able to be considered separate anymore without a Contracting Out Agreement.

The other important point was that the right to 50% of relationship property was not only upon separation, but also in the event that one party died. So, without the agreement, if Abi died, Mac would have a claim to 50% of her house, regardless of what her Will said.

All of this sounded like a difficult thing to raise with Mac, but the lawyer told Abi that Contracting Out Agreements were very common these days and most people understood the reasons behind them. She said that it was much easier to discuss it earlier on in the relationship and it could be more difficult to raise as time went on.

The modern reality is that a lot more relationships are potentially de facto relationships under New Zealand legislation. Without a Contracting Out Agreement your assets could be at risk.