PONSONBY NEWS - JULY'22

Established: OCTOBER 1989

CELEBRATING 32 YEARS OF PUBLISHING HISTORY!

JULY 2022

IN TIME FOR 'DRY JULY' THE CURIOUS AF BOTTLE SHOP

POPS UP IN PONSONBY CENTRAL - P18

ponsonbynews.co.nz

Artist's Impression

Luxury living meets urban design

Artist's Impression

Artist's Impression

Reside in Kingsland introduces a distinctive collection of twelve 3-bedroom townhomes.

Inspired by the natural materials and cascading form of the Auckland landscape, Reside in Kingsland merges innovative design with the highest standards of craftsmanship.

Dark earthy tones paired with a timeless brick façade complements the eclectic architectural signature that has come to define Kingsland.

Residents are invited to escape into the luxury of their own homes, featuring a selection of handpicked finishes and sweeping double-glazed windows that invite the outdoors in.

Artist's Impression

Reside in Kingsland.

Townhouses Now Selling.

Prices from $1,695,000.

ResideinKingsland.co.nz Enquire Today Tim Hawes 021 482 601 Mark Prunty 021 224 4055 The Local Limited Licensed (REAA 2008)

INSIDE THIS MONTH

008

LETTERS & EMAILS

009

FROM THE EDITOR

010

DAVID HARTNELL: ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW

018

COVER: THE CURIOUS ALCOHOL-FREE BOTTLE STORE

020

RICHARD NORTHEY, WAITEMATĀ LOCAL BOARD CHAIR

024

CHLÖE SWARBRICK: MP AUCKLAND CENTRAL

027

MELISSA LEE

028

HELEN WHITE, LABOUR LIST MP

036

ROSS THORBY: CRUISING ON LAND

039

PREDICT WEATHER.COM

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PONSONBY PARK

042

HELENE RAVLICH: TOP OF THE WINTER TIPPLES

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

046

GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET

052

FASHION + STYLE

053

LIVING, THINKING + BEING

056

FUTURE GENERATION

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Advertising Sales: JO BARRETT M: 021 324 510 joannebarrett@xtra.co.nz

PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS

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HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS

Advertising Sales/Ad Designer: MELISSA PAYNTER M: 027 938 4111 melissapaynter@me.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

078

WINTER STREAMING & SCREENING

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THE PONSONBY PINK PAGES

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HOROSCOPES

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 PONSONBY NEWS is printed on paper sourced from sustainable, well managed forests and manufactured under the environmental management system ISO 14001.

6 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

Preparing to film and interview Gilbert & George at Auckland Art Gallery. The show ends on 11 September.

Editor/Publisher: MARTIN LEACH M: 021 771 147 martinleach@xtra.co.nz or martin@ponsonbynews.co.nz Distribution Manager: JAY PLATT M: 021 771 146 jayplatt@xtra.co.nz or jay@ponsonbynews.co.nz Ad Sales & Contributing editor: ANDREA KAHUKIWA M: 021 689 688 andrea@ponsonbynews.co.nz

Operations Manager: GWYNNE DAVENPORT M: 021 150 4095 gwynne@ponsonbynews.co.nz Contributing Music Editor: Finn McLennan-Elliott M: 021 134 4101 finn.huia@gmail.com Contributing Editor: JOHN ELLIOTT M: 021 879 054 johnelliott38@outlook.com Graphic Designer: ARNA MARTIN M: 021 354 984 arna@cocodesign.co.nz Annual Subscriptions: Within New Zealand $49. By cheque or credit card in NZ$. Please note: we do not hold back issues of Ponsonby News. Our archive is all online as pdfs.

Please visit www.ponsonbynews.co.nz The entire content of this publication is protected by copyright.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechaal, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without the prior permission, in writing, of the copyright owner. Colour transparencies and manuscripts submitted are sent at the owner’s risk; neither the publisher nor its agents accept any responsibility for loss or damage. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher can accept no liability for any inaccuracies that may occur.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

BLAIR HADDOW LOVING, LIVING & SELLING GREATER PONSONBY Blair Haddow 021 544 555 blair.haddow@bayleys.co.nz bayleys.co.nz/blair-haddow BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LIMITED, PONSONBY, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

SOLD

SOLD

Ponsonby 45 Clarence Street Sold

Herne Bay 60 Ardmore Road Sold

SOLD

SOLD

Westmere 4B 3A Don HopeCroot Street Kingsland Street Auction 2pm, Wed 6 April 22 (unless sold prior) Sold

Grey Lynn 27 Keppell Street Sold

ALTOGETHER BETTER

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services

LETTERS & EMAILS

HOW TO MAKE PONSONBY ROAD MORE PEDESTRIANFRIENDLY

There’s one at the intersection of Queen Street and Victoria Street. There’s another where Karangahape Road meets Pitt Street. There’s even one in Ponsonby, at the top of Franklin Road. What am I talking about? A ‘Barnes Dance’, or as described by Auckland Transport, an ‘exclusive pedestrian crossing’. It’s where all vehicles in all directions get a red light, allowing pedestrians to cross the intersection any way they want, including diagonally.

As traffic has returned to pre-Covid levels, I’ve really started to notice just how much more relaxing it is to cross Ponsonby Road at the top of Franklin Road, than it is at the top of Richmond Road. It’s so nice knowing there are no vehicles moving anywhere near you, especially not left-turning ones, slowly rolling forward, pushing you to hurry up and clear the crossing.

This may seem like a small thing to many, but ask any person with reduced mobility, or a parent wrangling young children, and they’ll almost certainly tell you they prefer a Barnes Dance too. So why aren’t these pedestrian-friendly intersections everywhere? Well, they were many years ago, but that was before traffic engineers decided that prioritising cars over people was the way of the future.

Auckland has been car-dominated for too long. Let’s imagine being able to cross diagonally at Ponsonby Road and Richmond Road, or Ponsonby Road and Williamson Avenue. Or both! Not only is it quicker, it’s safer, and simply a more pleasant way for locals and visitors to enjoy our neighbourhood.

If you agree, please write to (email address at AT) expressing your desire to have these traffic signals changed.

Jake Morrison

BUS DRIVING BLUES…

I took the bus from Westmere to Parnell yesterday evening, and had a very thought provoking discussion with the bus driver.

He stopped the bus by the Art Gallery and told me that we would stop there for 20 minutes. I asked if I should get off and try for another bus. “I don't care,” he said. “I don't know.” I asked what was up. He said, “this is my break, I have 20 minutes, I don't want to talk, just rest.”

I asked him how things were going in the job. His immediate response was that he had worked for NZ bus for seven years.

He said that Auckland Council tendered routes to private bus companies. Richies would tender with drivers wages at hourly minimum wage. At his company entry driver salaries are $38k and he has been there seven years and is still in the low $40's. Many of his colleagues have got jobs at council as traffic wardens and earn $60-$70k. When his union seeks fair pay and challenges the council, the council simply says that they award routes based on tenders and are not responsible for driver wages.

CODE OF CONDUCT DECISION

Last month’s Ponsonby News referred to the code of conduct complaint made against me by Cr Pippa Coom. This complaint related to comments I’d made in a facebook post stating which way publicly elected representatives voted on the Hauraki Gulf Forum’s controversial decision to take a proposal to government ministers requesting a new Hauraki Gulf ‘Authority.’ Additionally I made the point that no attempt had been made to consult with the public or any meeting held within Auckland Council to discuss this proposal, despite its potentially significant repercussions for both Hauraki Gulf and Regional Parks (where yet another proposal was being simultaneously advanced to formally include 21 of 28 Auckland’s regional parks into the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park).

As co-chair of the Forum, Cr Coom had been one of the main proponents in advancing these unmandated changes. She accused me of having “…knowingly posted misinformation… (thereby enabling) baseless attacks on forum members and the forum…”

In reality my brief facebook post was simply a series of statements of fact, not really open to challenge, the accusations of Cr Coom largely vexatious in my view. The complaint should have been nipped in the bud and dismissed without further ado. It wasn’t and instead the accusations ‘investigated’ over a period of six weeks and even referred to the conduct commissioner, a University of Auckland law professor (with all the consequential costs associated with this process).

Professor Paterson recently released his findings. They were: “…the complaint should be dismissed… this is consistent with the right to freedom of expression… I can see no evidence that Councillor Watson has crossed a line and made derogatory or abusive social media comments about other elected members. Elected members are free to publicly name and criticise colleagues for the way they have voted on a contentious proposal… The Code should not be used to silence members who express strongly held opinions on matters of public interest and criticise political opponents in the media (including social media)...I recommend that the investigator dismiss the complaint…”

The last finding is a very important one, for at Auckland Council this code of conduct process has been used to stifle debate and criticism. I have been threatened with code of conduct proceedings on three separate occasions now. Each occasion followed me speaking out on a controversial issue that impacted the communities I represent and which further required me to highlight the council's own somewhat dubious behaviour in these specific instances.

On each occasion the resulting code of conduct threat or complaint came from Goff-aligned councillors from the largely Labour-City Vision block that controls this council.

Silencing the critic is always their goal and the ‘process’ followed, little more than institutionalised bullying.

Right now routes are being cancelled daily as the depot at Wynyard quarter is up to 50 drivers short - they are unlikely to find new drivers at the salaries on offer and his final retort was that council never listens to the drivers about fair pay and conditions, and that the executives at Auckland Transport are even worse. And with that he continued his rest break, sitting on his driver’s seat.

The weaponising of this code of conduct process therefore has been orchestrated and it has been used quite deliberately to harass, intimidate and discredit those of differing views.

Professor Paterson’s findings make it clear there can be no justification for such undemocratic behaviour. Future elected members, whatever their political persuasion, deserve better than this, as indeed do the people of Auckland who they are there to represent.

Puneet Dhall, Freeman’s Bay

John Watson, Auckland councillor CONTINUED P12

Opinions expressed in Ponsonby News are not always the opinion of Alchemy Media Limited & Ponsonby News.

8 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

FROM THE EDITOR

It’s ‘Dry July’, which is why The Curious AF Bottle Shop has a pop-up in Ponsonby Central for the whole month.

As more people continue to look at their relationship with alcohol and how they are drinking, the ‘sober curious’ movement is gaining momentum. This has seen a rise in the number of alcohol-free drink options available and the opening of New Zealand's first-ever alcohol-free pop up bottle shop in Ponsonby Central by Kiwi entrepreneur and founder of AF Drinks and Eat My Lunch, Lisa King. Open until 31st July 2022, The Curious AF Bottle Shop is offering New Zealanders the opportunity to taste and buy some of the world’s finest alcohol-free drinks, including all nine of the AF Drinks range and a curated collection of wine, beer and spirits from around the globe.

For those readers who can’t give up for the whole month, Helene Ravlich’s editorial ‘Top of the Tipples’ has got you covered. With the cooler weather most definitely making its presence known, now is the perfect time to settle in at home with a glass – or bottle – of your favourite winter tipple close at hand. And whether you’re out for dinner, binge-watching ‘Stranger Things’ on the couch or entertaining a crowd, there’s a plethora of delicious winter-friendly beverages available to suit any taste, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

At this time I would ask our readers and friends to keep our colleague John Elliott in your thoughts and prayers. He remains seriously ill and is recovering at home. He is my mentor and a friend with a good sense of what drives our community. I miss his sage counsel.

Our letters page continues to be popular with eight this month.

TRIED & TRUSTED IN TRYING TIMES

Gilbert & George

Late last month just as we went to press, Evan Woodroffe and I had a great afternoon interviewing and filming British icons, the human sculptures, Gilbert & George. I have had many encounters with the pair including a lunch with them 29 years ago at Pellicci in East London. I also saw them at one of their most controversial exhibitions at the South London Gallery, again at The Tate, and then at Dennis Severs’ home and later at his funeral (he was a neighbour of theirs in Spitalfields).

Don’t miss their exhibition which runs until 11 September at Auckland Art Gallery. (MARTIN LEACH)  PN

M AT T & RYA N N 1 I N G R E Y LY N N*

“My confidence in you and the team has never wavered and I thank you for your efforts in bringing the saga to an unconditional conclusion” Margaret- Grey Lynn

Matt O’Rourke 021 375 909

Ryan Harding 021 621 580

m.orourke@barfoot.co.nz

r.harding@barfoot.co.nz

* G re y Ly n n b ra n c h - ye a r e n d i n g M a rc h 2 0 2 2

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

9

LOCAL NEWS

DAVID HARTNELL:

ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH KERI ROPATI Keri Ropati, who works for Ray White says, when selling, auctions are still the way to go.

In my 'One Minute Interview' this month she opens up about her private life.

Tell us about your job.

My job is about connecting people and property.

What’s the best thing about where you live?

I live in Westmere where I can see the sea all the time when running, driving or walking my hood - the sea is calming to me. I was born in Ponsonby, my Dad played league for the Ponsonby Ponies, my mum and dad both worked locally. The Ponsonby area is my home.

How have you survived the pandemic and has it changed your life?

Like everyone I found the pandemic tough. Lockdowns and restrictions sucked and I am very very glad we are back to almost normal.

What was your childhood like?

My childhood was fantastic. Although my parents separated when I was young, my mum remarried the most amazing man and we spent time being brought up on an orchard in Oratia.

There were lots of adventures and fun.

I will die happy if...

my sons are happy.

Which TV series would you never miss?

‘Friends’ is my all time favourite... it always makes me laugh.

What’s on your bucket list?

To buy a beach home for all my family to enjoy.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Describe one of your biggest disappointments.

When Michael Jackson died - I was absolutely gutted.

What do you think happens when we die?

We are resting, free from all pain and worry, in a happy place.

Living between my home in Westmere and my family beach home - maybe some grandchildren - with my sons around me - enjoying the simple things.

What's the best movie you've ever seen?

What job would you do other than your own?

Give your teenaged self some advice.

I am a real connector. I love matching people to their dreams and goals, be it in property or people... maybe a matchmaker.

Trust your gut, and move on if someone or something hurts or lets you down - first time more fool them, second time more fool me. Set boundaries and stick to them.

If they were to make a movie about your life, who would you like to play you?

'Shawshank Redemption' - Love the part of the character Andy Dufresne - he was so chilled and clever.

How do you chill out?

Sandra Bullock.

Reading, laying in the sun, walking my dogs, the beach.

If you were reincarnated what would you be?

Which item of clothing can't you live without?

My dogs - they have the best life.

My Doc Marten boots.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

Your favorite time of the day?

Hmmmm - I've learnt to love it over the years. There's nothing really. It all serves me really well - I am lucky.

The morning. I go to the gym every morning at 6.15am. I love my drive in, with my coffee and listen to Coast.

Do you read movie or TV reviews and would they sway your thought?

Tell us about your dream home.

Not really.

How would you like to be remembered by your friends and family?

As fun with lots of laughter.

What do you love most about your age?

I'm building it now - small country style with swimming pool, sunny and warm.

What are you insecure about?

Honestly, now nothing. If you had asked me that 10 or 15 years ago I could have filled up an A4 page - ageing has lots of advantages.

Acceptance of myself.

Tell us something very few people know about you.

What’s something that you really disapprove of?

I am extremely sensitive.

(DAVID HARTNELL, MNZM)  PN

Drinking and driving.

10 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LETTERS & EMAILS

I doubt many users of Meola Reef dog park realise that ALL on street parking is being removed soon, leaving only 10 car parks (including 2 disabled) for all dog park users!

The new pay car park across the road next to MOTAT’s Aviation Hall has been designed for the ‘Precinct’ - TAPAC, Western Springs College and MOTAT, with the tram connection to their main facility and drop off to the Zoo and Western Springs Lakeside Park. It is also likely to be full of sports field users who come from all over Auckland to play soccer.

CONTINUED FROM P8 VOTING MATTERS

Local government matters! It matters more than you can imagine.

Every decision council makes affects our life, our liberty, freedom of movement, the value of homes, the quality of beaches, the preservation of local heritage, the cost of community halls, the protection of significant trees, parks, reserves and native birds.

Which is why it's so important to vote in the local body elections coming up this October. But who to vote for? It's at this time of civic duty that I get lots of queries from neighbours, customers and aquaintances on just that, "Who do I vote for?"

As Bruce Cotterill outlined in his recent opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald, titled, Auckland's council is out of its depth and out of money, the consequences of voting people in based on their visiibility can be disastrous. Business owners in the West Lynn shops know all too well the damage done to their livelihood by bad design and the remediation that creates more problems than it solves.

People ask me who to vote for because they are short of time yet desire to participate in the democractic process.

I have spent a lot of time observing local government and engaging with the diverse characters involved, so I'm happy to share my analysis. Essentially it's what people stand for that is important. There are seven brave councillors who deserve our vote for challenging many budget decisions made by the outgoing mayor Phil Goff. They are John Watson, Chris Fletcher, Sharon Stewart, Wayne Walker, Greg Sayers, Daniel Newman, and Tracy Mulholland.

It will be glaringly obvious that our own Waitematā local councillor Pippa Coom is not on the ‘Who to vote for’ list.

This is because she has failed to represent the community, choosing instead to push her own agenda and that of numerous lobby groups.

Here in the Western Bays, Coom and the local community board paid lip service to climate change when they signed the warrant to clear fell the Western Springs native forest in order to build a bike loop track. To this I say give 'em all the sack!

Most importantly is the Health and Safety issue in crossing the busy road with excited dogs wanting to go ‘walkies’...it is just too far away.

The new MOTAT car park is only going to be accessible from Motions Road, and not Meola Road according to MOTAT’s website.

The sensible solution is to create more car parks at the dog walking park.

By extending the existing asphalt area to the large tree and another metre at the right hand side, the area would be big enough to double the number of car parks. Approximately, 30 car parks could be developed in the grass area to the right of the current entry. The cycleway could pass on the northern side in front and a backing behind would ensure safe merging into the road traffic.

I’ve come up with a design that could cost somewhere around $180,000. This is a guesstimate based on $180/sq m of asphalt at the ‘going rate’. The 30 off-street car parks could be gravel for more permeability and lower cost, even if that is temporary.

After all the ratepayer funds Auckland Transport have spent on trials and badly designed cycleways that have required remedy and cutting down of 20 large mature trees on Meola Road, to move the road over to southern side, the least they could do is cater for dog walkers who come from miles away to use this off-leash park!

Waitematā Local Board has ‘egg on its face’ regarding destroying 15,000 natives at Western Springs at a cost of nearly $2 million and now throwing another $121,000 for a track to be used by far fewer than the number of dog walkers using this park.

And if the rumours are true that the Tūpuna Maunga Authority are planning to ban dog walking from all 14 maunga, then this park will be even more popular and this car park critical.

If only they would adopt my idea and build this car park for dog walkers.

Gael Baldock, Community Advocate

This year you must make time to vote, vote to change the status quo, vote for better governance. Vote for people who will truly represent your wishes.

Lisa Prager, Community Advocate MY DESIGN FOR 50 CAR PARKS FOR MEOLA REEF DOG WALKERS

Auckland Transport had their usual vague, ‘Have You Say’, on Meola Road cycleway that didn’t reach all the users of this arterial road connecting the city to the Western Motorway, or the dog walkers.

12 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

CONTINUED P16

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LOCAL NEWS

GARDEN TOOLS - REPAIR CAFE FIX IT OR DONATE IT Matariki is a time for remembering those who have passed on, resetting our calendar, celebrating the year gone by, and spending time with whānau, friends, and strangers alike.

In celebration of the first national recognition of Matariki, Uru Whakaaro, in conjunction with Para Kore Ki Tāmaki and Repair Café Aotearoa, hosted their first community repair café on 25 June at 143 Williamson Ave, Grey Lynn.

From 9.30am - 2pm we welcomed the local community to bring along their old garden tools that were in need of repair or sharpening or that could be donated. We offered space to learn how to maintain gardening tools for future use and our skilled kai mahi happily sharpened shovels, spades, pitchforks and secateurs, so the Grey Lynn community could bring in the New Year with fresh crops and the agency that maintenance knowledge brings while exercising our right to repair.

All donated tools will be gifted to both Kura and Marae alike, giving those who need the tools the most, the opportunity to learn hands on how to grow their own seasonal kai. All tool donations received a free coffee voucher from Josy Café next door.

We asked locals not to bring any mechanical tools such as lawn mowers or chainsaws, as we do not have the capacity to fix these items adequately, however, tools such as shovels with missing handles or secateurs with a missing hinge joint were welcomed and appreciated greatly. We enjoyed

meeting people again, kanohi ki te kanohi, and rescuing tools that would have otherwise been inactive, collecting dust, in PN the back of the garage or ending up in landfill.  www.facebook.com/RepairCafeNZ

FREE XERO SUBSCRIPTION WORTH UP TO $430!

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Sign up with SBA Ponsonby today and receive a free Xero subscription worth up to $430!* Offer available to new monthly clients only.

So come visit us at 54C Ponsonby Road, or drop us a line!

09 360 0166

ponsonby@sba.co.nz

*Terms and Conditions Apply PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

13

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

IT’S A TEAM EFFORT...

WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT OUR CONTRIBUTORS KEN RING

CONNOR CRAWFORD I am a working artist and photographer with a colourful and rhythmic perspective.

I enjoy shooting the front covers of Ponsonby News.

KERRY LEE

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 nearly three decades; I have met and interviewed some amazing people.

I’ve been a freelance writer for a year now, and what I love most are the wonderful people I’ve meet along the way. #best job.

LUCY KENNEDY

FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT I work as a booker, promoter and festival programmer. Active in all areas of the music community; folk music is my specialty.

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.

JOHN APPLETON I have a keen interest in nutritional medicine and how it may be used to support people with chronic illnesses.

skin by chelsea

My yearly NZ Weather Almanacs began in 1999. During the tragic 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, my work created international interest. I currently live in Ponsonby.

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.

PIPPA COOM

I am Councillor for Waitemat-a and Gulf Ward on Auckland Council. Formerly, Chair Waitemat-a Local Board.

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.

JOHN ELLIOTT

SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS

I am the founder of Ponsonby News and write for the magazine. My career has included politics, education and publishing.

My interests include the environment, the economy and social justice.

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.

Chelsea has spent over a decade working in the biggest cosmetic companies in the country. Solving her own hormonally imbalanced skin inspired her to explore a more ethical holistic alternative to skincare and guided her intuition to help others suffering with inflammatory skin disorders. Getting a monthly facial is a healthy way to maintain skin health, address any rising concerns and check in with your selfcare. Her TOUCH & TECH signature facials are individually designed with botanical skincare using modern technology and ancient massage techniques to enhance a balance to your skin. She is now offering her skin therapy expertise and education by appointment only to her clients in the Villa at 37 Jervois Road, Ponsonby. follow @_skinbychelsea

14 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

www.skinbychelsea.co.nz

$20 off your treatment when booking online Use the discount code: ponsonbynews

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LOCAL NEWS

NEWS FROM PONSONBY COMMUNITY CENTRE Ponsy Kids Community Preschool is a not-for-profit preschool and is part of the Ponsonby Community Centre in Ponsonby Terrace, Three Lamps.

We have session times available now for tamariki aged two years to five years. Ponsy Kids has high teacher/child ratios, with four qualified teachers and a teacher aide providing a nurturing and educational learning environment for our children.

We are proud to have long term and dedicated teachers, some have been with us for more than a decade! Building strong relationships with our families and the community is very important to us. Being community based and non-profit means the aspirations and needs of the families in our community come first. Our teaching philosophy is based on extending children’s learning through their individual and group interests. Ponsy Kids also offers 20 Hours ECE for three to five year old children.

Please contact our admin Josie Craib-Scott on T: 09 376 0896 or email admin@ponsykids.org.nz so we can send you more information and arrange a visit.  PN Check our facebook page for events - @ponsycommunity www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz T: 09 378 1752, E: info@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz

Sessions available for tamariki aged 2-5yrs! email admin@ponsykids.org.nz or phone us on 376 0896

At Ponsy Kids Comm nity Preschool, children and their families are at the heart of everything we do...

20 Ponsonby Terrace www.ponsykids.org.nz

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

15

LETTERS & EMAILS

CONTINUED FROM P12 AN OPINION

I have noted a disturbing trend in our local politicians, exemplified by our councillor Pippa Coom and MP for Auckland Chlöe Swarbrick's latest writings in Ponsonby News.

It’s the disease of safe political strategising; sticking to safe topics and avoiding confrontation, opposition, controversy and conflict. Unfortunately, by doing so, they are not part of the solution but the problem. It is an ideology that avoids getting entangled in vote-losing divisive political issues or biting the hand that feeds you. But leadership does require a foray into messy Auckland realities, now more than ever.

It's also a fundamental requirement of the job; to represent us at the highest levels and be our independent voice at the table critiquing, reviewing, commenting and at times criticising power with its deceptions, inefficiencies and failures. It is a massive job requiring the distillation of complex issues into a form that allows citizens to access the issues and feel part of their city's truth and governance. 'Blue-sky' generalisations with a few statistics and references to unreadable plans don't cut it.

Don't get me wrong; I am an avid bike rider and agree wholeheartedly with Pippa Coom's promotion of the cycling and micro mobility network. Likewise: Food as a human right, the national strategy on waste, the emissions reductions plan, and the Hansard records of Parliamentary debates, as Chlöe Swarbrick presents, form critical scaffolding of our nation's governance. But as frameworks passed over, it was reduced to political posturing and became meaningless.

Chlöe, under article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which Aotearoa-New Zealand is a signatory, food is already a human right. Do you really expect readers to look back at December 2021 hansard records of parliamentary debates to update ourselves on supplementary order papers? You appeared AWOL from pandemic Auckland in 2021 and completely ignored how tertiary students and Auckland businesses fell through the pandemic economic support net, and continue to do so. Are those hansard debate records more to prove where you were in 2021?

properties, because of developments without car parking.

Reading both our councillor and MP's comforting missals, you could forget we are in a pandemic, that our inner city streets are deserted unsafe places to walk at night, and that we are experiencing unprecedented gun violence and ram raids in our city. You might forget that half of the central city feels like a builder's site and the other half a threatening empty cavernous wasteland.

While we all wait for another billion dollar bailout for the rail tunnel that never finishes, we have empty shops, a crisis in the cost of living and shameful numbers still living on the streets with addiction, mental health and other issues. Where is their voice on the light rail fiasco, the empty buses, and the amateurish Ports of Auckland's $65 million failed software write-off? Where is the challenge to the council on behalf of us all for the lack of graffiti removal? Is graffiti removal part of cost-cutting for the almost one billion in recent lost council revenue?

Have you tried to get a response out of Auckland Transport lately? Last year Auckland's tree coalition asserted one thousand trees are felled in urban Auckland every week, with only 2000 Auckland trees listed as “notable”. Where is their stand on this? From my readings, sixty per cent of our city's trees currently remain unprotected on private land. Where does the threat of those tree removals sit within the perfect storm of rampant urban development heading our way and our cities climate change targets?

While it feels like our current mayor retired three years ago, Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, as our longest-serving mayor of 18 years, remains one of our most effective and inspiration Auckland politicians.

Sculptor Tobias Twiss depicted him, "with a fist in the air and coat slung casually over left arm. Both hands are clenched… this man means business". He was a politician of the citizens not the system, with Twiss capturing that in the atmosphere of Mayor Robbie holding his fist up to the previous Auckland City Council building.

Russell Hoban, Brown Street, Ponsonby.

PEARL’S HOROSCOPES

As representatives of our city, locally and nationally, we expect our local and national political representatives to battle for us on critical issues affecting our city. This is done because you have voted-in authority to ask hard, sometimes uncomfortable questions and represent us in the messy world of effective governance.

My co-workers and I were disappointed to discover you had removed horoscopes from your last issue. Our team enjoys reading them out to each other and it’s become a tradition of sorts. Sadly there are no more Barkley Manor report cards either, which gave everyone a good chuckle too.

Jasmine Skies, by email.

I was horrified by Chlöe's naive statement, “planning rules do not force anyone to do anything with their properties”.

From the Editor:

What happens when you have someone's kitchen looking into your bedroom, or when you lose the light on your property and look at a concrete wall instead of the vista you had? In Ponsonby everyone has been digging car parking into their

Many thanks for your email. Our colleague Pearl has been ill and has been unable to do her monthly horoscopes. But I know she will appreciate being missed! We are hoping she will be back as soon as she’s better. Like you we also miss the report cards from Barkley Manor. We are hoping they will also be back soon.

SHOP EAT DRINK www.ponsonbynews.co.nz

16 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

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LOCAL NEWS

Lisa King, Founder of AF Drinks.

THE CURIOUS AF BOTTLE SHOP – POPS UP IN PONSONBY CENTRAL As more people continue to look at their relationship with alcohol and how they are drinking – the ‘sober curious’ movement is gaining momentum.

This has seen a rise in the number of alcohol-free drink options available and the opening of New Zealand's firstever alcohol-free bottle shop in Ponsonby Central by Kiwi entrepreneur and founder of AF Drinks and Eat My Lunch, Lisa King.

Open until 31 July 2022, The Curious AF Bottle Shop is offering New Zealanders the opportunity to taste and buy some of the world’s finest alcohol-free drinks, including all nine of the AF drinks range and a curated collection of wine, beer and spirits from around the globe.

Likened to a beautiful art installation, The Curious AF Bottle Shop delivers a modern twist on the traditional liquor store.

From the moment you step through the doors, you can expect to be wowed with a journey of discovery that will leave your taste buds wanting more.

We caught up with Lisa to hear how it has been received; “We have been blown away by the reactions and response to the store and our AF drinks range, both by Ponsonby locals and people who have travelled into Ponsonby to visit us.

“Our Curious AF journey started when we created the delicious and stylish range of ready-to-drink bottles and cans. Crafted to give the flavourful complexity of alcoholic drinks without the alcohol and using all natural flavours, all

Apero Spritz, one of nine AF Drinks available to try and buy in store.

18 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

A curated collection of 34 of the world’s best alcohol-free drinks.

AF Drinks contain Afterglow, a natural botanical that leaves a warming sensation on the palette and in the body, similar to an alcoholic beverage, just without the alcohol.

“The Curious AF Bottle Shop felt like a natural next step, designed to continue our mission and normalising the choice of not drinking. We wanted New Zealanders to visit this exciting space and feel encouraged that cutting back or giving up alcohol does not need to be boring, showing people they do not need to miss out.

“We are seeing more Kiwis looking to moderate their alcohol consumption in various ways. This seems to be largely driven by people looking to live healthier lifestyles. I love hearing from our store visitors, so many people have shared their personal stories with me.

“It is so exciting seeing people leave our shop feeling uplifted and empowered, choosing not to drink, be it on a night out, during July or even longer-term. This was our vision for the store, so watching it come to life is cool AF! We are here until the end of July and can’t wait to welcome more visitors,” Lisa enthuses.

WHAT:

The Curious AF Bottle Shop – Pop Up Store & Experience.

WHEN:

Now – Sunday, 31st July 2022 Open daily between 10am - 6pm

WHERE: Ponsonby Central, Shop 4a, 136-146 Ponsonby Road www.af-drinks.com

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

19

LOCAL NEWS

The Wairangi Wharf

RICHARD NORTHEY:

WAITEMATĀ LOCAL BOARD CHAIR We have been consulting on our council and Waitematā Local Board budget.

Our board successfully advocated to council to retain our range and quality of council services, to progress the Ponsonby Park project and the restoration and upgrade of the Leys Institute, and to agree with the three-quarters of our residents who supported a targeted rate to enable council effectively action to combat climate change. This targeted rate would reinforce our board’s own extensive and diverse work promoting low carbon lifestyles.

The daylighting of the Bayfield Stream and the creation of a better path and bridge linking Coxs Bay Reserve to Wharf Road was celebrated and blessed on Thursday 30 June. The Waitematā Local Board made a total of $30,000 in grants to the Western Springs Football Club to contribute to providing better fields and women player facilities, largely in response to being allocated hosting rights for an international team to train there during next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Wairangi Wharf (above) and the paths through Point Erin Park have been restored and we have decided to enhance the play equipment in that park, choosing the option preferred in public consultation. Wellpark Reserve has a new bridge, and in Myers Park, the restoration of the historic cottage and installing a notable artwork as part of improvements to the lower entrance to the park are proceeding now.

The Waitematā Local Board consulted on providing a new loop track in the Western Springs Forest and, when the great majority of submitters supported it, resolved to proceed with the project. At our May and June meetings we made grants to a wide range of valuable community organisations and projects. One of our grant recipients, the Holding Spaces Aotearoa Collective of Composers, promoting climate change action, played an example of their inspiring music at our May Board meeting.

Covid-19 has, both directly and indirectly, been the major cause of increased stress, crime, unwanted night-time noise, drunkenness, intimidation, and anti-social behaviour throughout Auckland, but particularly in our inner-city town centres and business districts. I have been pleased that the council staff, Eke Panuku, business association members, residents, local MPs and councillors have joined local board members in working together to find ways to restore safety, address homelessness, reduce anti-social behaviour in these trying times, and to welcome students, visitors, artists and other people back to these areas. We are working regularly with these bodies to enhance the resurgence of the central

20 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

Songwriters 4 Climate Action

city which is now well underway. The celebration of Matariki, with exciting events throughout the city, also enhanced this resurgence.

The council has just concluded the first stage of its consultation on potential changes to the council’s unitary plan, particularly the strengthening of its housing intensification provisions, which are now required of metropolitan councils by legislation passed jointly by the National and Labour Parties.

I agree that it is a high priority to act effectively to respond to the housing crisis by providing more affordable housing close to community facilities and infrastructure, particularly in our inner suburbs.

However, we ought also to protect our heritage and the best of our urban character and quality of family life in the city and our inner suburbs. We will carefully consider the views local residents have expressed on these issues now the time has come for us to give our feedback as a board on them.

Our next Waitematā Local Board meeting is on Tuesday 12 July from 1pm. People who want to speak in public forum are welcome to apply to speak and to join the meeting at the board office in Swanson Street. For others, it is being held on Microsoft Teams. If you want a less public dialogue with us, you can arrange to meet board members at our community clinic on 13 July from 7pm. (RICHARD NORTHEY)  PN I can always be contacted on 021 534 546, E: richard.northey@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

31 WAYS TO HELP YOU STAY DRY FOR 31 DAYS LIMITED EDITION MIXED 31 PACK

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LETTERS & EMAILS

BIG SHOES TO FILL

I am really missing the support and chats with my dear friend John Elliott who has become a father figure in my life. Most months, I’d check in to hear what subjects he planned to cover for his features and to share our opinions. Then at other times, we’d have long calls just to ‘chew the fat’.

I knew when not to ring, during the News or the cooking shows, not that he was a cook, he left that to his lovely wife, Cait. I also knew not to call him after 7.30pm when he was ready for bath and bed. Having made that mistake once when he became a ‘cantankerous old bugger’, I say this with deep love for this man having a tired and grumpy moment.

Only us Kiwis will realise how much of a compliment that is to my dear friend. He followed it with an apology, and as true friends do, we forgot about it and moved on.

Over recent months when John has been unwell, I have taken it upon myself to extend my letters to the editor into some features, knowing that I am not filling John’s slippers, let alone his shoes.

It’s been weeks since our last brief call when he complained about hospital food - and no wonder, in comparison to Cait’s cooking. He has been too ill to chat with since. Hopefully, he’ll soon get back to telling stories of his days in parliament with an office next to Winston and when Muldoon was Prime Minister, or of the current woes that affect us in the community that he loves.

LOCAL NEWS

Gael Baldock, Community Advocate

JOHN WILLS RETURNS TO HIS OLD STOMPING GROUND After a short stint away from the residential real estate coalface to spend time with the family and re-charge the batteries, John Wills is back in our local area and doing the job he loves so much.

Well known to many in the area, John has been a high-profile fixture on the local real estate scene for almost two decades.

He started selling real estate in Ponsonby in late 2003 and then founded his own boutique agency in Grey Lynn during the 2008 recession.

During the month of June, John signed up with the busy and productive team at Bayleys in Ponsonby and is now running full steam ahead with a number of local listings already on the market.

Over the course of such a lengthy career, John has had success in all market environments and is looking forward to ‘rolling the sleeves up’ as we all move into the busy and rapidly approaching seasons of spring and summer.

We have a feeling you will be seeing a lot more of John around the local scene and of course at open homes and auctions. He is certainly known for being real, approachable and a very safe pair of hands.

Please feel free to give him a call at your convenience.  PN M: 021 333 053, www.bayleys.co.nz/john-wills

22 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PROVEN IN ALL MARKETS

John Wills: Proven In All Markets.

The team at Bayleys in Ponsonby would like to take the opportunity to welcome John Wills back to the local area he knows so well. John brings two decades worth of experience and an absolutely proven track record of success on the Western City Fringe. Experience, work ethic and communication skills are what is required out in the marketplace at present, and John brings all of these to the table for his clients. John is back, and ready to serve.

Please feel free to get in touch in confidence.

John Wills 021 333 053 john.wills@bayleys.co.nz BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, PONSONBY, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services

LOCAL NEWS

CHLÖE SWARBRICK:

Auckland Central MP 5am in the bitter six degree cold, hundreds of Aucklanders gathered at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Marae to mark the rise of Tangaroa, moon of plenty, heralding Matariki, Māori New Year.

It was Tuesday 21 June, debut week of the world’s first official indigenous public holiday and (as it happened) the start of another sitting week in Parliament. Ngāti Whātua invited everyone to reflect on what’s happened over the last year; those we’ve lost, and the new babies we’ll soon welcome - an exercise helpful to any seeking wiser intentions to bring to the twelve months ahead.

We all know, intimately, it’s been a rough past twelve months.

Our Auckland Central office has continued crunching through difficult situations my constituents – that’s you – face in immigration, education, Covid-19 support, ACC complexity, the now-defunct MIQ system and everything in between.

Wherever we found flexibility and a hint of compassion to resolve situations, by finally getting the right person in a ministry, department, or council responsible, we were able to help. Each problem solved is a reminder that ‘the system’ isn’t a natural phenomenon, but a set of rules that can be changed with a little bit of willpower.

And there are some bloody good people inside of the system giving their all to change those rules into fairer ones.

Richmond Road School Principal Jacqui Tutavake offered a timely reminder of this when at her invite I had the chance to catch up with many of our tireless central school principals at the start of June. Challenges we’ve faced on the ground getting necessary resources from the Ministry of Education for many of our local schools’ buildings and learning support hours continued to be channelled into constructive pressure on the Minister of Education through formal correspondence, processes and annual reviews hearings at the end of June.

Chlöe celebrates Matariki at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Te Umu Kohukohu Whetū event, standing with local body candidates.

single day to pinpoint hallmark ‘red flags’ of particularly ‘authorised’ scams; that is, where people use their accounts to transfer money to a scammer’s, as opposed to the likes of card scamming. These situations get deeply complicated, extremely expensive and emotionally devastating in instances like the now infamous ‘Tinder Swindler,’ so I’m encouraged by the committee’s agreement to continue down the path of investigating better regulation at my suggestion.

Back here at home, I’m invested in what a liveable kind of future looks like for the centre of our country’s largest city.

While our Ponsonby community is accustomed to a vibrant main street, the same cannot unfortunately be said of Queen Street. Looking across the world at best practice design and opportunities in the face of immense disruption, the reality is, unless we drastically change something, nothing will change.

As tertiary students complete exams, the independent Inquiry commissioned by the Greens is entering its final stages, to be reported back soon with a slew of recommendations, the result of which we hope finally tips the Government to action.

That’s why after so many ‘talking down’ our city centre, myself and the City Centre Residents Group (representative of the 45,000 of us who live there) are calling the bluff of everyone who’s complained to offer a tangible solution. It’s time to get on with the plan that Heart of the City, CCRG and Council signed off ten years ago, to pedestrianise and revitalise.

In Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee we finally heard from the banking ombudsman on the briefing I managed to open on scams. Meetings with individual banks have exposed there’s immense work already done every

As ever, please don’t hesitate to reach out if myself or my office can help you with anything; big idea, difficulties navigating the system, or just a chat with your local MP. PN (CHLÖE SWARBRICK) 

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

Kia ora Ponsonby!

Let’s talk about our community.

Get in touch about any local issues or if you need support.

I’m here to help and would love to hear from you.

Chlöe Swarbrick MP for Auckland Central

09 378 4810 chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz Funded by Parliamentary Service.

Authorised by Chlöe Swarbrick, Green MP for Auckland Central, 76 Karangahape Rd, Auckland.

24 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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LOCAL NEWS

MELISSA LEE:

CRIME IN AUCKLAND We need to talk about crime in Auckland.

The number of ram-raids and burglaries alongside gang violence across our streets is shocking and I’m incredibly concerned about safety for New Zealand families on our suburban streets. When people aren’t feeling safe in our communities, particularly here in our beautiful central Auckland suburbs, there is a serious problem.

Our streets are becoming less safe. Police are under increasing pressure to deal with youth offenders who are responsible for a staggering 88% of ram-raid incidents and contributing to a 31% increase in retail crime. Gang membership is also up 44% since Labour came into office and violent crime is up 21%. Simply put, something has to change.

It is absolutely clear that the government has been asleep at the wheel in the face of a cascade of continuing subversion of the laws of our country. We must see better action to get safety of our streets back across the city of Auckland. Hopefully with the change in police minister there will be some better policies, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Our police are working tirelessly to keep us all safe but they need urgent help. They need better support and they are not being backed by the soft on crime Labour Government. How many more dairies, boutique shops and local restaurants must we see with their glass doors smashed in and their terrified owners trying to pick up their lives in pieces before we see change?

National has a strong plan to tackle crime across New Zealand, from strengthening firearms prohibition orders to looking at the creation of a dedicated law enforcement gang taskforce; our police must have the tools and powers required to deal to crime in our community.

Shop owners and front line police officers are having to deal with the frustration of seeing an apparent lack of consequences for offenders, particularly from youth crime that can and must be prevented. The youth justice system seems unable to respond with growing numbers, so police, shop keepers, and the wider public, instead will pay the price by dealing with more repeat offending, moving young offenders into a life of crime over a real future that will benefit New Zealand.

New Zealand dairies, supermarkets and liquor stores have seen a 25.7% increase in victimisations. Despite this, police are making fewer arrests. There has been a massive reduction of 62.8% in arrests for offences against dairies, supermarkets or liquor stores since 2017 hurting confidence from New Zealand businesses that this government will protect them when crime hits their community.

Worse still, the average police response time has more than doubled nationwide with Auckland City waiting a staggering 321% longer than it did under National.

Until Labour gets real about crime and starts sending the message from the top that gangs, violence in our city, and the misery criminals smashing up storefronts cause are not welcome in New Zealand, Kiwis shouldn’t expect much to change.

What do you think? (MELISSA LEE MP)  PN

National Spokesperson for Broadcasting & Media| Digital Economy and Communications | Ethnic Communities E: mplee@parliament.govt.nz Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

If you require any assistance I and my office are always happy and ready to provide advice and support Please get in touch on 09 520 0538 or at MPLee@parliament.govt.nz to make an appointment.

Melissa Lee National List MP based in Auckland MPLee@parliament.govt.nz • melissalee.co.nz •

mpmelissalee

Funded by the Parliamentary Service. Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

27

LOCAL NEWS

HELEN WHITE:

Labour List MP based in Auckland Central While many of us would like to see Queen Street pedestrianised yesterday, it is important to know more pedestrian-friendly areas in downtown Auckland are coming.

Putting people first is part of the transformational City Centre Masterplan which will go hand in hand with the completion of the City Rail Link. Work is due to begin on turning over parts of Queen Street to be more people focused by the end of this year. We will have an arts precinct around the town hall and yes, we’ll have a subway! These have been in the pipeline for a long time and I commend those who have helped build this vision for Auckland.

I’m also interested in not just how people will move around our new-look city, but where they will live. Auckland has been growing for many years and until recently that meant very dull, small and badly built apartments, which in some parts of the city dominate the skyline. They are the result of poor leadership in this area. We had the worst of both worlds, highly restrictive codes and not enough intelligent input.

The buildings around Hobson Street are almost all exactly the same height as a consequence. Worst still we tended to build out, many kilometres away from the heart of the city, using valuable horticultural land for housing and forcing thousands to commute to work for many hours a day. It has congested our roads and led to environmentally damaging air pollution. We weren’t alone in this approach however, many cities across the world did this to the detriment of their citizens’ wellbeing.

It has become apparent to both major political parties that the cost of building out is not sustainable, thus we have an accord which will allow greater site coverage and going up three stories, with six stories around transport hubs. The government has set aside 3.8 billion dollars to expedite the building of many more houses by paying for infrastructure.

I appreciate that people worry about the intensification of Auckland. I appreciate also, there is concern about losing the heritage, and I know the council is going through a process at present of safeguarding historically significant buildings. I also understand the need to make sure there are green spaces and good facilities for families, like schools within walking distance. I have been meeting with the Ministry of Education and advocating for a new primary school in the inner city.

Building up instead of out is essential for our environment, well-being, inclusiveness, and for me importantly, the affordability of the central city. It must of course this time be done well. But we live in a time when imaginative urban designers and architects will build us a beautiful, affordable and environmentally friendly city.

I advocate that we draw on places like Copenhagen. I was lucky enough to recently visit Denmark and found it full of

well-designed apartments, adequate parks and great traffic management. It has excellent public transport, controlled entry for cars, priority for bicycles and walking, and is a vibrant city as a result. People want to spend time in its pedestrianised streets. I see a brilliant future for our city if we can learn from its example.

Of course those who want to protect heritage here in Auckland play a valuable part as watchdogs. I know however that the reality is intensification and needs to be managed well, and not rejected. We are all aware that the environmental cost of doing nothing is unsustainable in the face of global warming.

I am concerned about the health implications of all those cars polluting the air in Auckland Central. I am concerned about all those people spending their lives commuting. I am concerned about the older people in our community who need affordable, more practical and communal options in the community in which they brought up their families.

I am also determined to help find a way that their children are not locked out of living close to their whanau. These things can all best happen with well supported housing intensification.

(HELEN WHITE)  PN This article was funded by the Parliamentary Service. www.facebook.com/HelenWhiteLabour

O N N OW !

28 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

WINTER SALE

25% OFF EVERYTHING* PROMOTION ENDS 15th JULY

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LOCAL NEWS

STYLE AND SUBSTANCE Meet Patrick McAteer - aficionado of fine food and fine watches, level-headed local, and real estate agent with New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty.

Patrick’s professional life includes coming up through the ranks of sales and marketing roles, MD of an advertising agency, GM of a music TV channel, CEO of a film company, restaurant owner/operator and even a heli-biking guide.

Whether running large organisations where shareholders needed assurance, or starting his own enterprises where he needed to back himself, meant Patrick is used to building businesses, building teams and building relationships.

After a varied and fast-paced career in the business world he is jumping into the deep end of real estate with senior roles at an award winning real estate agency.

“Here at NZSIR I feel like my personal brand and their premium brand are a nice match. I bring my experience, skills and values to the business of property with the backing of an international network and local integration.”

Now Patrick has joined New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty (NZSIR) - where his appreciation for quality meets his work ethic.

Sotheby’s International Realty, launched in 1976, is the world’s leading and pre-eminent luxury residential real estate company with nearly 1,000 offices worldwide. Their distinct point of difference is the ability to connect premium buyers to premium properties locally and globally through their referral system.

And together they are a perfect fit for the area. This neighbourhood is where quality properties abound and where Patrick has called home for the last 30 years.

“Everybody loves talking about property, but I’m all about acting on property. There can be a lot of emotion wrapped up in someone’s labour of love, family home or estate, so I’m here to represent, set the scene and attract attention.”

In 2005 Julian Brown and Mark Harris turned their existing real estate agency into New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty and subsequently achieved record sale prices across multiple sectors and regions in the New Zealand property market.

Living where you love being, yet originally from Fairlie in the South Island, and with time spent living and working in Germany and Wanaka, Patrick and the family have always returned back here for unmatched lifestyle, opportunities, friends, extended family and an extensive professional network.

Now with offices throughout New Zealand and a renewed international demand for distinctive New Zealand property, the sales teams have been involved with over NZ$5 billion in sales.

Married with two busy teenagers who are his favorite companions on skiing and surfing expeditions, he gives back to his community by coaching sports and volunteering for Auckland Coastguard.

They match their extraordinary properties with remarkable service. They’ve nurtured a culture of performance driven by a hand-picked team, each chosen because of their integrity, honesty, determination and ability. And that’s where Patrick comes in, joining a brand that feels like home.

Every day begins by walking Border Collie ‘Fergie’ along the fantastic Westhaven waterfront. Patrick knows what it means to live here, and what it takes to sell here.  PN

30 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

For more information: Patrick McAteer, Agent Licensee REAA, E: patrick.mcateer@nzsir.com, T: 021 664 859

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

MATAKAURI

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Contact Patrick McAteer to arrange your appraisal and be in to win.

Patrick McAteer +64 21 664 859 *Terms and conditions apply.

Each office is independently owned and operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

LOCAL NEWS

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

TOGO BY MICHEL DUCAROY Open any discerning design magazine and you’re almost guaranteed to see the coveted Togo settee gracing at least one of its glossy pages.

The portable and lightweight chair, complete with sumptuous folds of fabric, has caught the attention of many 20th century design devotees across the globe. In fact, more than 1.3 million Togo have been sold in 70 countries worldwide.

First imagined in 1973 by French designer Michel Ducaroy and hand made in France in furniture brand Ligne Roset’s own workshops, Togo has become somewhat of a phenomenon.

And now, the hype has reached Kiwi shores with the opening of New Zealand's first exclusive Ligne Roset showroom in Grey Lynn last year.

France-based Ligne Roset Marketing Director and the founder’s great-great-grandson Antoine Roset credits the chair’s popularity and ability to withstand the ever-changing seasons of design to its unique structure and anti-conformist seating style.

“Lightness, durability and creativity are the key successes of Togo,” he says.

The legendary Ducaroy was born in 1925 and had an impeccable taste for materials and Togo is by far his most famous and iconic creation. In the designer’s own words, the cushioned seat was directly inspired by “a toothpaste tube folded over itself like a stovepipe and closed at both ends”.

Ducaroy joined the Roset company, located in France’s Ain region, in 1954, where he served as one of three major inhouse designers and managed the design department until his passing in 2009.

Ever since its creation, Ligne Roset has scrupulously respected the manufacturing stages and the six hours of work required to produce just one Togo settee, one stitch at a time.

The meticulous craft has resulted in lengthy wait times for Togo. But it’s an art form Ligne Roset is committed to respect and maintain, determined not to mass produce items offshore using automated machinery. In a bid to tackle the time frame, the company has established an apprenticeship to impart

32 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

novice workers the skills and knowledge required to upholster the iconic settee by hand.

Togo was presented for the first time at the Salon des Arts ménagers at the Palais de la Défense in Paris and despite mixed reviews, it was awarded a prize for its undeniable innovation. Jean Roset, who headed the family business at the time, had to field initial doubts about the design but believed so strongly in Ducaroy’s vision that he agreed to put the model into production. The public quickly took a liking to its enveloping shape and unique comfort, and the rest is history.

Following its widespread success, there are now multiple variations of Togo available, including a single seat 'fireside chair', small settee 'loveseat', large three-seat settee, chaise lounge style full length daybed, sofa with arms, and a footstool. There is even a children’s version of the popular fireside chair: 'Les Minis'.

Upholstery options include leather and more than 1,000 different colourways. And as the 50th anniversary of Togo approaches next year, a much-anticipated limited edition fabric run is set to be released, meaning the curiosity around Togo isn't likely to dissipate anytime soon.

Ligne Roset Auckland has regular shipments of Togo available in selected colours. See their website www.ligne.nz/togo for more information, or pop into the Grey Lynn showroom at 299 Great North Road.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

Auckland showroom, 299 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, sales@ligne.nz, 64 9 393 5636

LOCAL NEWS

DAVENPORTS LAW:

PROTECTION AND PEACE OF MIND

Paul and Beth had been married for 35 years. They worked hard all their lives and with their first grandchild on the way were very much looking forward to retirement.

Tammy McLeod

The nest egg they had grown was recently added to when Paul’s mother died. The basic three-bedroom home that she had lived in since Paul was a child was now in a sought-after area. When it sold, Paul and his brother received nearly one million dollars each. With the current turmoil in the financial and property markets, Paul and Beth weren’t sure how to invest, so their money sat in a joint bank account.

Paul and Beth were looking to downsize. There were a lot of new townhouses being built and they liked the idea of having a lock and leave, low maintenance property for their retirement so they put the family home on the market and signed off on the plans contract for a new build in a neighborhood close to their kids. The difference in the sale price of their home and the purchase of their new property got added to the joint account.

Sadly, only a couple of months after moving into their new home, Paul had a massive heart attack and passed away.

Beth was devastated, as were their children. Beth joined an online grief forum and spent most of her days talking to people online.

As we’re always telling our young people - you have to be very careful who you chat with online. But it’s a message we all need to hear - especially when vulnerable.

Unfortunately, Beth became friendly with a woman in the grief forum who was there with ulterior motives. It started small; first she asked Beth for a nominal loan, which Beth gladly gave her. A few months later, another request came, this time for a larger amount. The original loan had not been repaid, but

Beth liked her new friend and felt she had plenty. And on it went until Beth had lent this woman the best part of $750,000.

Beth’s children had no idea what was happening until one day her daughter was visiting and noticed a bank statement sitting on the kitchen bench. Not usually nosy, she glanced at the statement and saw several large withdrawals and a bank balance significantly less than she thought her parents should have. She questioned her mother, who became very defensive, but eventually confessed about her “friend” in the online chat.

Beth’s daughter swung into action and the police were called.

Some of the money was recovered ultimately, but the whole episode was hugely traumatic for Beth and her family. Beth was so rattled that she never really regained her confidence.

Could this have been prevented? The answer is yes.

On the face of it, there was never any real reason for Paul and Beth to establish a trust, but trusts do help protect vulnerable people. In this case, if the funds had been in a trust rather than a bank account, Beth would not have been able to make the payments that she did. The trust would have added a layer of protection.

Under the present law, if Beth had changed her will to leave her online “friend” all her assets, thereby disinheriting her children, her children would be able to make a claim under the Family Protection Act. However, there are current recommendations before parliament for changes to inheritance laws. If enacted, these new laws will take away the rights of children over the age of 25 to have a claim against their parents’ estate.

As having a trust in place would protect families from this potential disaster, we believe it may result in a resurgence of trusts to protect family assets.

Your assets are worth protecting, consult a trust specialist for peace of mind.

DAVENPORTS LAW, 331 Rosedale Road, Level 1, Building 2, Albany, T: 09 883 3284, www.davenportslaw.co.nz

34 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

C RA FTED L EGAL ADV ICE FOR PE ACE OF MIN D.

Asset protection.

Do you need a trust?

The protection of assets that we have all worked so hard to acquire is an important consideration for most people.

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, not everyone needs a trust, so ensuring other forms of asset structuring including your will and enduring powers of attorney are up to date is important.

Contact Tammy McLeod or one of her team for more information about asset structuring.

DAV ENPORTSL AW.C O. N Z

0 9 883 32 84

LOCAL NEWS

ROSS THORBY: CRUISING

ON LAND

The battle cry that reverberated around the world.

So it was time for the final act in my tour around Northland, but before I turn Car-Lotta towards the south, I cannot leave without calling into one of the most famous and beautiful harbours in the North.

Just a few minutes to the west of Tauranga Bay is the sheltered harbour of Whangaroa, home to one of the few surviving New Zealand townships featuring shops with old wooden shop-fronts, a pub and of course, a big game fishing club.

It is also the site of one of New Zealand’s most infamous interactions between Maori and the early Europeans, and I wanted to learn more.

In 1809 the brigantine “Boyd” had just arrived in Whangaroa Harbour with tension onboard. Purportedly, Te Ara, the son of a local chief, had been whipped by the captain for failing to carry out his duties. He had refused to work his voyage over the pond, claiming to be tohunga, and therefore sacred. The captain probably believed the fact should have been brought up before negotiating his working passage, not during it.

Once word of his mistreatment reached his whanau on land, utu (revenge) was declared and the fate of the ship would be swift and violent.

Walter Wright, The Burning of the Boyd, Whangaroa Harbour, 1809

Luring the crew ashore on the pretext of a good time, a war party killed and devoured the landing party, then wearing their stolen clothes, set upon the remaining crew and passengers on board the vessel. During the looting that followed, a barrel of gun-powder was ignited, blowing up the ship and burning it to the waterline. The sudden exploding conflagration must have made the shoreside Maori think that the apocalypse had arrived.

A visiting chief from the Bay of Islands, Te Pahi, attempted to rescue the sailors, but found only a few survivors still clinging to the rigging of the sunken ship; the cabin boy and three passengers including a baby and small child.

In a tragic case of mistaken identity, Te Pahi was later attacked

by British whalers who had sailed from England to exact revenge for the carnage. Mistaking him for the instigator rather than the rescuer, they attacked and destroyed his pa, killing a number of his Maori tribe. Te Pahi later died of his injuries sustained in the battle.

Meantime, news of the Boyd circled the world and captured the interest of an English artist living in New Zealand called Walter Wright.

Wright captured on canvas, an action that was to change the way the world was to see New Zealand. It became widely regarded as the “Cannibal Isles” with the reputation delaying the colonization of the country and resulting in a world-wide alert being issued to all sailors, the advice being “ .. avoid the area at all costs due to the ferocious nature of the 'natives', touch not that cursed shore lest you these cannibals pursue”.

In contradiction to the previously held positive reviews - “... and the noble savages who inhabit these shores”.

Wright’s painting was gifted to the Auckland Art Gallery through the Auckland Picture Purchase Trust in 1908, one hundred years after the incident and if you are lucky enough to view the piece, such is the raw telling of the story conveyed in the painting, that you cannot view it without feeling the presence of the exploding ship and contemplate the battle cry that reverberated around the world.

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Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki gift of the Auckland Picture Purchase Trust in 1908

I found on the quiet and tranquil shores of Whangaroa harbour, a lone memorial to the Boyd, a rock with an inscription pointing towards where the ship still lies just offshore, a mess of burnt wood, copper and lumps of coal once destined for South Africa, lying now where it sank into its shallow grave.

The harbour is once again tranquil and quiet. An oyster farm and a marina of expensive yachts and launches reach out into the turquoise waters and the surrounding landscape is still bountifully clad in native bush and unblemished beauty. The landscape is abundant in rocky sentinels piercing through the foliage of ancient rimu and kauri. Islands dot the myriad of inlets that make up the harbour, still unchanged from the time when their peaks were the territory of local iwi.

The sleepy settlement of Whangaroa still retains the peace and tranquility of the old New Zealand we used to know, but delve beneath the surface and you can reveal the underbelly of our past where it lies, dissolving in the mud.

(ROSS THORBY)  PN

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LOCAL NEWS

MERCY HOSPICE PONSONBY SHOP MOVES AFTER 16 YEARS After 16 years the well-known local Mercy Hospice shop located at 300 Ponsonby Road has moved to its news abode, and luckily, it’s just a short stroll down the road to 346 Ponsonby Road.

Last year the shop was informed that they would need to vacate due to the redevelopment of the block of shops into apartments.

It took some time to find the perfect location, and with real estate so hard to come by in Ponsonby they were lucky with the help of their long-term supporters Barfoot & Thompson to have found something literally doors away.

Group Retail Manager Michelle Flatz and Shop Manager Brenda Valentine, supported by a team of dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly over the last month to pack and move into their new home, previously Brotzeit Bakery, whose owners moved back to Germany and have been very supportive of Mercy Hospice moving in.

Mercy Hospice Head of Retail & Fundraising Anna Baird, said that the Ponsonby store provides a significant amount of income from sales to directly support the provision of patient care.

“Without our Ponsonby shop we would be unable to provide the level of support we do every day to our patients facing lifelimiting illnesses. Thanks to the generosity of our community, Mercy Hospice provides a range of specialist community palliative care and hospice services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is offered free to those living in the Auckland District Health Board area.”

Mercy Hospice also offers support to whānau, friends and carers to help them cope with problems arising from the illness.

Other services include 13 inpatient beds at their College Hill premises, a day-stay programme, counselling, family, spiritual and cultural support, and education and training.

“If you are interested in supporting Mercy Hospice, there are plenty of ways you can. You could volunteer in one of our stores, donate quality items or, if you are a business owner, organise a staff clothing collection. Every little bit helps,” said Anna.

Doors opened on Friday 10 June and the Mercy Hospice team can’t wait to show the local community, their generous donors, and incredible volunteers the new premises.

So, if you are a fan of pre-loved clothing, a bargain hunter, or simply keen to support Mercy Hospice, then pop on in and check out the new shop.

Here’s to many more years of raising funds for loved ones with life-limiting illnesses.  PN For further information about Mercy Hospice, visit www.mercyhospice.org.nz

Team photo (L-R) Judy Maynard, Michelle Flatz, Brenda Valentine, Briar Wakelin, Dave Hale and Andrew Davidson

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LOCAL NEWS

PONSONBY U3A: JUNE

2022 WINTER SHENANIGANS

After months of hunkering down and holding meetings by Zoom, members of Ponsonby U3A let their hair down for their June inperson meeting.

The joy and the relief at seeing old and new friends again was palpable as close to 100 people were reunited. And aiding and abetting the enthusiastic meet was a small, vibrant, silky voiced woman with a trumpet and a penchant for jazz, who soon had members dancing in the aisles.

Edwina Thorne, international recording artist and entertainer has a degree in competition and trumpet performance with five albums. She gained an MBA in New York, where she lived for five years, performing extensively in Europe and the Caribbean. Edwina’s rendition of famous jazz numbers through the ages delighted members who joined in to lift the roof off the beautiful old Petanque Club venue. Without doubt, Edwina gave members a rollicking good time.

As a prelude to Edwina’s act, U3A’s own Kathy Walker and Barbara Bailey took to the stage to strike just the right note for what was to follow. Sparring off one another they evoked precious childhood memories with warmth and humour. They finished with a rousing rendition of “We are the Girl Guides Dressed in Blue.” Applause from the audience made it clear that more will be expected from these two talented entertainers.

This winter event was testament to the depth of friendship, sense of fun and camaraderie that abounds at Ponsonby U3A. It is a forum that stimulates the mind, provides purpose, and forges new friendships, perhaps at a time when working life and family responsibilities may have lessened. It also encourages new learning and importantly, learning from each other.

In sum, being a member is an antidote to the potential plagues of loneliness and boredom. Much research has been focused on these factors as, world-wide, populations age and the danger of alienation looms larger. Increasingly, sociability is rated in published scientific studies as critical (along with exercise) to healthy minds and bodies. And sociability is the offer Ponsonby U3A makes to those who are willing to participate.

A general meeting is held at the Herne Bay Petanque Club on the second Friday of the month. A guest speaker, carefully drawn from a diverse range of all spheres of endeavour, features each month. As well, members take turns to give a ten-minute talk about their lives or their interests.

Edwina Thorne

It never ceases to amaze people how every member has something worthwhile to contribute. At the heart of the club are the nearly thirty special interest groups who meet once a month, usually in each other’s homes. They include gardening, public art walks, gallery visits, dining out, armchair travel, writing, drawing, current affairs, antiques and collectibles, history, architecture to name but a few. It is in these small groups that real friendships are forged.

The club welcomes newcomers. You may be new to the area and/or you may be looking for new challenges and interests.

If you are interested in attending, first as a visitor, please call President Philippa Tait on M: 027 452 3108.

(CHRISTINE HART)  PN NEXT MEETING:

Friday, 8 July at 9.30am

GUEST SPEAKER: Linda Tyler, Convenor of Museum &

Cultural Heritage at the University of Auckland.

VENUE:

Herne Bay Petanque Club, 19 Salisbury Road, Herne Bay.

ENQUIRIES:

Philippa Tait, President, Ponsonby U3A. M: 027 452 3108, www.u3a.nz.

CONGRATULATIONS TO PETER ELLIOTT The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand presented Peter Elliott ONZM with a Scroll of Honour at their awards evening last month. The award was in recognition of his valued contribution as an award-winning actor and presenter.

It was presented to him by David Hartnell MNZM, who is the Variety Artists of New Zealand’s Patron. David said that Peter’s unwavering dedication to the entertainment industry both on stage and screen, has been remarkable. "He is one of the nicest and most down to earth actor’s this country has ever produced." www.vac.org.nz

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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LOCAL NEWS

KEN RING: WEATHER

BY THE MOON - AUCKLAND WEATHER DIARY, JULY 2022

Although July may receive less than the average rain total, clear skies will have to wait until the fourth week.

After an unsettled first week, the second week is expected to be the wintriest with the most rain and lowest pressures.

The end of the third week starts to clear and the fourth week looks the sunniest, driest and coolest, with the highest barometric average.

Best weekend for outdoor activities may be the 23rd-24th, but nights then may be coolest for the month. Atmospheric pressures may average 1017mbs for the month.

For fishers, highest tides are around 15th. The best fishing bite-times in the east are around dusk on 13th-15th and

28th-30th. Bite-chances are also good around noon of 6th8th, and 20th-22nd.

For gardeners, planting is best (waxing moon ascending) between 1st-11th, and 29th-31st, and pruning is best 14th25th, (waning moon descending). For preserving and longer shelf-life, pick crops or flowers around neap tides of 8th and 23rd.

Always allow 24-hour error for all forecasting (KEN RING)  PN

For future weather for any date, and the 2022 NZ Weather Almanac, see www.predictweather.com.

Opinions expressed in Ponsonby News are not always the opinion of Alchemy Media Limited & Ponsonby News.

165 PONSONBY ROAD T: 09 360 1611 www.ponsonbyroadbistro.co.nz

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LOCAL NEWS

PONSONBY PARK+ JULY UPDATE The good news rolls on!

The Community-Led Design (CLD) group sought clarification from the Waitematā Local Board in regard to the potential impact on Ponsonby Park of Auckland Council’s $230m capital deferment proposal.

The Waitematā Local Board met with council staff on Tuesday 14 June to discuss this issue. We were delighted to be advised soon after the meeting concluded that the news was all good!

“Council staff have now confirmed that Ponsonby Park is staying in the budget - as per the staged plan communicated recently.”

The communicated staged plan is that council will “… start progressing stage one at 254 Ponsonby Road. This will include budget for detailed design and community engagement in 2022/2023 being made available two years earlier than previously communicated, followed by consent and construction from 2023/2024 onwards”.

This is as the CLD group had hoped and expected given that the allocated and available funds for stage one of the project are from an endowment bequest property sale. Such funds have stringent rules attached to their use and disbursement.

Additionally, any delay to the start of stage one would effectively reduce the value of the endowment funds, due to current levels of inflation.

This confirmation is also good news for climate mitigation with the climate action budget being supported by a clear majority of councillors at last month's meeting of the Finance and Performance Committee. The budget will be formally adopted by the governing body on 29 June. The climate action budget lays the foundation to deliver on the ambitious Te Tārukeā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan, and backs Auckland Council’s climate emergency declaration with resources to tackle the problem of climate change.

“This budget will lay the groundwork for the urgent action we need to take to avert a climate disaster and ensure a stable climate and a sustainable future for future generations,” said Mayor Goff.

40 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

Finance and Performance Committee Chair Councillor Desley Simpson said,“The ongoing impacts of Covid-19 and the increasingly uncertain economic environment have meant we had to make some hard calls and tough decisions with this budget… (but) we will continue to invest strongly in the essential services and infrastructure that Aucklanders value and rely on.”

Climate change is already impacting our city, delivering warmer temperatures as well as more intense and variable rainfall, as evidenced last month. Therefore it is important to build the resilience of our communities and infrastructure to meet these impacts, as well as creating a better environment for people who live and work here. Greening the city and our communities will help with this.

And it's not just our environment that will benefit from investment. We know that green spaces are a key contributor to people's wellbeing. They provide places for people to connect with each other and with nature. They provide places of rest and respite both to residents and workers. Incorporating natural elements into the built environment is a key action outlined in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan.

Ponsonby Park will bring all of these benefits and many more.

The rain garden will naturally filter surface water during heavy rainfall and will reduce pressure on storm drains thereby improving the water quality of the Waitematā harbour. New native and deciduous tree plantings will provide shade and shelter thereby reducing the urban heat island effect in summer.

Ponsonby Park will be a vibrant and bountiful place for everyone. It will be a significant part of transforming our neighbourhood and our city, to put people at its heart and make it greener, healthier and better for everyone.

So after 22 long years since the need for this civic amenity was first identified, work will finally begin on Ponsonby Park this month. Bring it on! (JENNIFER WARD)  PN For further information please see our www.254ponsonbyrd.org.nz

Or our Facebook page: Ponsonby Park.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

­

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WINTER TIPPLES

HELENE RAVLICH:

TOP OF THE WINTER TIPPLES

With the cooler weather most definitely making its presence known, now is the perfect time to settle in at home with a glass – or bottle – of your favourite winter tipple close at hand.

And whether you’re out for dinner, binge-watching ‘Stranger Things’ on the couch, or entertaining a crowd, there are a plethora of delicious winter-friendly beverages available to suit any taste, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

I always associate the cooler months with a warming, smooth red wine, and they don’t come much better than Dancing Water Pinot Noir 2019. Deeply coloured for a pinot noir and looking seriously beautiful in a glass, the premium offering from the boutique winery is a mid-weight wine with lifted fruit and a lovely balance. Its brightness and freshness means that this wine is immediately appealing and very easy to drink with or without a meal, but for those with more patience than I, it will also age magnificently in the cellar.

Pinot lovers who have the strength and willpower to lock this wine away for a number of years will be rewarded with the aforementioned freshness and brightness further complexed by sous bois notes, and an even greater intensity and length.

In summary: delicious now, likely to be even more delicious in the future.

Dancing Water Pinot Noir

For non-alcoholic indulgence, Lyre’s is the tipple of choice for an increasing number of locals after it landed in the country last year and blew the socks off even the most dedicated of spirits drinkers. Lyre’s range of 18 non-alcoholic spirit variants are designed to create 99 percent of the world’s cocktails, meaning you don’t need to sacrifice premium taste or the social drinking occasion when you choose to go dry.

From a classic Dry London to Agave and even an Absinthe equivalent, Lyre’s gives bartenders and those playing mixologist at home the liquids to create their favourite drinks, sans alcohol. Five ready-to-drink beverages are also available as a convenient option, as well as Classico, which pays homage to Prosecco and was a big favourite over summer.

Lyres, Gin Mule

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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

WINTER TIPPLES Mark Livings and Carl Hartmann, Lyre's

This year Lyre’s is also a 2022 Dry July campaign partner. The annual Dry July campaign challenges Kiwis to go alcoholfree for the month of July to raise funds for New Zealanders affected by cancer. The funds raised by participants of Dry July 2022 will help Look Good Feel Better NZ, PINC & STEEL NZ, and Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand improve the comfort, care and wellbeing of people affected by cancer.

He adds that at INCA Ponsonby, “we have a beautiful Negroni on the menu, it’s called Yes Sir and it’s next level delicious.” Made with vermouth, Campari and mezcal, it’s a beautifully smoky version of the legendary drink, and perfect for cooler evenings in the Ponsonby Central lane.

Consider that added to the list!

Throughout the month of July, 10 percent of all sales from the Lyre’s website will be donated to Dry July NZ Trust, and they are also supporting the cause with additional activity, events and inspiration across the month to encourage greater participation from their very loyal customer base.

The Lyre’s New Zealand team is also participating in Dry July to support the cause. "We started Lyre's with a bold mission: to change the way the world drinks,” says Co-Founder and CEO of Lyre’s, Mark Livings. “Our growing, global success has shown that there's incredible demand for premium nonalcoholic drinks. We believe it is part of our role to educate and showcase the wide range of options available, whether they are moderating, taking a break, or stopping consuming alcohol entirely. If you’re considering giving up alcohol or just moderating your consumption, Lyre’s just may be the solution for you.”

When it comes to asking local hospo favourites what they’re drinking over the winter months, my first port of call was chef and restaurateur Nic Watt, whose Nikkei-style restaurant Inca has delighted diners with its fresh dishes and fabulous flavours since opening in Ponsonby Central earlier this year.

I’m also a huge fan of his city centre restaurant MASU by Nic Watt, a Japanese robata restaurant and bar located in the Federal Street precinct that has been home to some of my most memorable dining experiences. Watt tells me: “at home I’m drinking a classic Negroni, and the cupboard above my oven has all of the ingredients to make my favourite winter drink at home - gin, Campari and vermouth. I put an extra dash of Campari in, which is the business”.

Nic Watt - INCA Ponsonby, photography Babiche Martens

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WINTER TIPPLES

Auckland restaurateur Chand Sahrawat is the co-owner of Cassia and Sid at the French Café alongside her husband, Sid, and also opts for a non-alcoholic winter drink of choice that sounds absolutely intriguing. “I am drinking this really lovely Butterfly Blue Pea Tea from The Tea Thief,” says the inspirational New Zealand hospitality figure, “which is an organic butterfly blue pea flower, ginger and lavender tea. It’s my evening ritual when I get home or to curb the sweet cravings after dinner.” She adds: “I’m also drinking a Wild Delicious water kefir (raspberry lemon ginger) in the mornings. And the kids and I love Good Sh*t Citrus any time of the day and in any season!”

Johnny Leung - Archie Cafe, photography Tez Mercer

It comes as no surprise at all that award winning barista – and owner of Archie Café - Johnny Leung’s favourite winter drink is “the same as my summer drink - coffee!” The always affable Leung likes to start with an espresso. “After this I immediately go for a flat white. It’s my morning routine as soon as I arrive at Archie’s. It also means a quality check is done each morning, ensuring our team serve quality coffee for the Ponsonby community.” I recommend Archie’s epic toast offering as the perfect accompaniment to what must be some of the best coffee on the strip; once you’ve tried it you’ll most definitely be hooked.

Chand Sahrawat, photography Josh Griggs

Lastly, for those looking for a real winter warmer, I love the sound of the latest release from Honest, which features pinot noir, cherries, orange peel and rum – a combination guaranteed to warm even the coldest of hearts.

Called Cinco Sangria Rum, it is a small batch collaboration between Honest and natural wine brand Unkel, the result being a medium-bodied rum with aromas of orange peel and apple, partnered by big bursts of flavour from cherries and oranges, finished lightly with a hint of dark chocolate.

It is the perfect base for a jug of Sangria, but equally, the delightful-sounding drink will also most definitely warm the soul when being sipped on its own.

A run of only 500 bottles, it is available exclusively online at drinkhonest.co.nz.

(HELENE RAVLICH)  PN

Honest, Sangria Rum

44 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

KEEPING THE COMMUNITY IN GOOD BREAD Along with exquisite sourdough breads, nourishing soups and sandwiches, service with a smile is guaranteed at beloved local Bread and Butter.

Despite the on-going challenges of Covid, the team continues to dig deep and keep locals supplied with the goodness of quality bread and local goodness.

Whether it’s sitting down to enjoy a delicious croissant and coffee in the cafe or having wholesome nutritious sourdough breads delivered to your door, the Bread and Butter team have locals sorted six days a week.

Like many businesses they have weathered the ups and the downs, facing the many obstacles that Covid has thrown their way with resilience and determination. Their latest challenge has been finding innovative ways to give staff a well earned day off while keeping the community well supplied with great coffee and exceptional hand baked goods.

By ringing in the whole family to lend a hand and closing on Mondays, Isabel and her team have been able to keep the bakery and cafe humming.

It is no easy feat and Isabel and her team often find themselves juggling multiple extra roles to ensure we all get our regular Bread and Butter fix.

BREAD AND BUTTER, 34 Westmoreland St West, Grey Lynn, T: 09 378 9111. Visit www.breadandbutter.nz to order your bread now.

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

FACES @ GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET Sho Kasuya and his business partner, Tony Ross, sell microgreens in the Garden Room at Grey Lynn Farmers Market on Sunday mornings.

Where did the inspiration for growing microgreens come from?

How has the market helped your business?

I was living in London in a one-bedroom apartment with my wife and our toddler when the pandemic began. There were long queues for food and often there was very little fresh food left when I got to the end of the queue. We had nowhere to grow food, but I was determined to find a way to provide nutrient-dense food for my family.

How did you solve that?

I had studied horticulture at school, so I knew how to germinate seeds and grow plants. Microgreens was the obvious solution in such a confined space.

It must have been challenging being in London during the outbreak of the pandemic.

Yes – it was intense. I caught Covid before there was a vaccine and it knocked me hard. I had Long Covid for about six months and I still notice some lingering after-effects. Covid was a big factor in deciding to return home to New Zealand.

And of course, when I returned home, I was keen to keep growing microgreens.

What is it about microgreens that is so attractive?

They are nutritionally dense, with some having up to 40 times more nutrients than adult plants. It’s mind-blowing to think that each sprout is a whole plant. We grow a range of varieties offering a range of nutritional profiles and flavours. They are tasty and they fit easily into any diet.

Are your products organic?

Our microgreens are not certified organic but the microgreens are grown in organic soil mixed with coconut coir, and we practice organic growing. Soil gives us a higher yield of better microgreens with bigger, greener leaves than if they are grown hydroponically. We are always tinkering and testing to improve things.

We have built up a regular following of customers who come back each week. Customers are intrigued to see their food harvested before their eyes – it doesn’t get fresher than that. We love chatting to customers about how we grow our microgreens, and the market values fit well with our personal values.

Tell me more about those shared values.

The market has strong community and zero-waste drivers, and so do we. We love how customers bring their clean containers back for a refill. If customers simply return the containers, we commercially compost them and donate 20c/container to Everybody Eats. If we have surplus microgreens left at the end of the market, we donate them to Everybody Eats. And we support Perfectly Imperfect by sometimes bringing along food that they have been given.

What do you do in your spare time?

We don’t really have much of that because Tony has a day job as a project manager for NZ Housing Foundation and I am a landscape architect at Boffa Miskell. And we both have pre-schoolers - that doesn’t leave much space for other things.

How did you team up with Tony?

I bumped into Tony while I was searching for growing equipment. Tony was looking for the same stuff so we agreed to collaborate. He had studied permaculture and we found out that we lived close to each other, have kids of similar age, and we share similar values. Our families have grown close as this business has grown.

I often reflect that while a great business was born out of the microgreens, an even greater friendship was born.  PN creativeurbanfarms.co.nz

GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET @ the Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road, www.greylynnfarmersmarket.co.nz

46 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

COME CELEBRATE BASTILLE DAY AT DIDA’S July the 14th has been an official holiday in France since 1880. It’s a day that marks celebrations across the country as well as being celebrated by French people all around the world.

With our extensive range of French wine - and love of it - it’ll not come as a surprise that Dida’s is joining in the celebrations with a good dash of French flair, as we always do on Bastille Day.

this special day. And the Champagne will be flowing all day.

Why not get a group together and make an evening of it? We can’t wait to see you on Bastille Day.

It’s a day for coming together, to enjoy leisurely activities and celebrations while indulging in French wine and spirits.

Hosting groups is something we do very well at Dida’s and there’s a myriad of spaces which are perfect for your next function. Whether it’s under Dida’s in our private cellar, or at the long table by the fireplace, we can create something special just for you.

Just for Bastille Day the team in the kitchen have created two new dishes. These will be matched with French wines just for

DIDA’S, 60 Jervois Road, T: 376 2813, www.didaswinelounge.co.nz

Bastille Day special 14th July WE WILL BE HAVING | TWO SPECIAL DISHES | FRENCH WOM 60 JERVOIS RD

(0 9) 376 2 813

DIDAS.CO.NZ

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

47

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS:

VEGAN VIBE - MUMBAIWALA Bringing Indian street food to the heart of Auckland is one of Ponsonby’s newest additions, Mumbaiwala. With a fresh and authentic menu and stunning atmosphere, the restaurant transports diners and presents the best of Mumbai.

From reviews and word of mouth I’d been hearing and reading about how wonderful this new hot spot was and I knew I had to make a visit.

Unfortunately, as a vegan, I missed out on the reputable Dahi Puri which seems to be all anyone can talk about with Mumbaiwala. However, I was pleased to see an extensive and inclusive menu which gave me more than enough options to satisfy my appetite. Mumbaiwala does not let you feel left out as a vegan.

In the interests of research and trying more shared dishes, I bribed a couple of my friends to come with me, which of course wasn't a hard ask. ‘From the streets’ we ordered the Aloo Tikki Chaat - a chaat with potato cutlet, chickpeas and tangy chutneys and the Cauliflower Manchurian - a fusion of Indo-Chinese flavours described as pastry-less chilli and garlic cauliflower dumplings. ‘From the pot’ we got the Vegetable Kolhapuri with some roti and the green apple pickle on the side.

bold flavours complementing each other beautifully. I’m a sucker for spice so this hit the spot for me, despite some of my friends struggling a bit more to push through with it.

The chutneys and yoghurt perfectly balanced the chilli and made it a pleasure to eat. It just… works!

We adored the Cauliflower Manchurian the most. Ordering it, mostly out of intrigue, and not entirely knowing what we were getting, we fell in love with the truly addictive simmer sauce and the chewy bite sized cauliflower. It was perfect and I couldn’t recommend this dish more.

The drinks menu too is worth exploring. I went for a nonalcohol night and got the Lychee Iced Tea which I loved. It was not too sweet like iced tea so often is and was a great pairing with the spice that was later to hit me. The cocktail list looked fabulous, and complimentary remarks were made at the tables surrounding us who ordered them.

After battling and debating which curry to pick, we were very pleased with our decision to try the Vegetable Kolhapuri. Its thick, spicy and flavourful base made it one of the best curries I’ve ever had. Of course, we mopped it all up with roti until our plates looked like they’d been licked clean.

Mumbaiwala is for people who embrace spice and love a good flavour bite to a dish. It’s an experience - not just with food but with the whole ambience. With Covid-19 still on our doorstep, I’m not travelling any time soon, but Mumbaiwala gives me the satisfaction of feeling like I’m in Mumbai for one night and is a great new addition to the Ponsonby Road food scene. (SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS)  PN

While the Green Apple Pickle was a yet to be acquired taste for me, the Aloo Tikki Chaat was outstanding with its

www.mumbaiwala.co.nz

48 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

MUMBAIWALA, 252 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 213 4152,

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

FRENCH NATURAL AND ORGANIC WINE The actual percentage of organically certified wine produced globally remains relatively low as a percentage of total wine produced. Look more closely and you’ll see that the major French regions are a step or two behind.

Worth considering that compared to many New World regions, the French do have a lot more red tape to work through to make any change within the appellation rules.

Though that of course is not an excuse, merely an observation.

and biodynamically managed merlot-dominant property - naturally crafted with no artificial additions to the winemaking process. It’s sleekly smooth and plummy, with a lovely supple quality and great fruit purity.

However we are starting to see change, whether driven by customer demand or by a new generation of growers.

Chateau Moneins is produced as a second label for the larger Chateau Micalet. The property is in Cussac-Fort-Medoc on the river between St. Julien and Margaux. Chateau Moneins is one hectare in size and has vines with an average age of 30 years, growing in deep gravel soils. The vines are 50% cabernet and 50% merlot. The Fedieu family have never used chemicals on the property and respect the Medoc traditions and are passionately involved with the terroir's ecology.

The Bordeaux region’s dive into organic and biodynamic viticulture has been much talked about, with ‘big names’ such as Chateau Pontet Canet in Pauillac, and Gruaud Larose in St Julien making the change, but all regions have challenges to overcome when changing their farming methods. The Bordeaux region’s climate does not make it particularly easy, coupled with Vitis vinifera’s susceptibility to both powdery and downy mildew. As climate chaos reins we are seeing more vintages impacted by frost with catastrophic impacts on volume.

Challenges aside, we are seeing an increasing number of very smart Chateaux at all price points crafting wines organically. We have in our direct import range a collection of organic and natural wines from Bordeaux that are well worth exploring.

Chateau Marquisat is in the Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux area; their Marquisat la Perouse is an organically certified

They practice full organic farming, becoming AB certified with the 2009 vintage, and observe the lunar calendar to set the date of sulfur or Bordeaux mixture treatments (to fight mildew), let the land rest seven days after the pulling out of a vineyard plot (to naturally destroy harmful fungi), and carry out the alcoholic fermentation with natural yeasts. The family use cover crops to promote biodiversity and add no sulfites during winemaking.

In July we celebrate all things French, including these great wines. Pop online or instore to check it out. www.glengarrywines.co.nz

Naturally DRINKING

Planet-f riendly winemak ing has a f lourishing following , and France has its share of de dic ate d pro ducer s of organic and natural wine s

WWW.GLENGARRY.CO.NZ | P: 0800 733 505 | E: SALES@GLENGARRY.CO.NZ

C H AT E A U M A R Q U I S AT | J E A N - F R A N Ç O I S L E V R I E R

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

49

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

PHIL PARKER:

WINE. NOT WINE This month, first up, I have a fab pinot gris and a riesling, then a pair of equally fab pinot noirs from two premium producers, Rockburn and Pegasus Bay. Then, two new de-alcoholised wines from Giesen’s Zero wine range - a riesling and a merlot.

The low alcohol phenomenon is a growing segment of the beverage market, starting a few years back with reduced alcohol beers aimed at responsible drinkers and dieters alike.

Now we have zero alcohol beers such as the (very good, in my humble opinion) Heineken Zero, with Asahi, Macs and even Garage Project joining the throng. Wine producers have been a bit slow, but now we are seeing a wider range of lower alcohol wines offered by NZ producers such as Yealands, The Doctors, Stoneleigh, Selaks and Brancott. Giesen seem to be leading the charge in NZ with their zero-alcohol range that includes sauvignon blanc, rosé, pinot gris, riesling and a merlot.

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021 - $40

Young and vibrant, with cherry, plum cassis and a hint of florals, smoke and poached tamarillo. Medium silky tannins and a lengthy finish. A good match with slow cooked beef or a rich ratatouille. Available: Fine O Wine, Pt Chev Organic Wines, Glengarry.

Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2012 - $130

Lovely aged wine, still showing ripe fruit characters at ten years old. Plum and liquorice with cassis and a firm backbone of umami soy. A hint of sherry sweetness and Christmas cake spice. Food match: venison or rabbit. Veg option – pasta with truffle and mushroom sauce. Available: Fine O Wine, Pt Chev Organic Wines. www.pegasusbay.com Giesen 0% Merlot - $20

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021 - $27

Lovely pinot gris that has spent time ageing in old French oak and could pass for a fruit forward chardonnay. Integrated flavours of lime, grapefruit, and clover honey with a dash of quince jelly. Soft acids and a yeasty, tangy finish. Fab as a party starter aperitif with appetisers, or with seafood.

Available: Fine O Wine, Pt Chev Organic Wines www.blackmarket.co.nz

An addition to Giesen’s range of zero alcohol wines, this merlot shows some real ‘winey’ characters with spice and red plum flavours, all wrapped up in medium tannins. Alcohol is removed with imported spinning cone technology that separates the aromas and liquids from the alcohol – then the ‘wine’ and aroma profile are recombined. My food suggestion – BBQ steak, or a rich tomato vege lasagne. Available: Fine O Wine, Pt Chev Organic Wines. www.blackmarket.co.nz

Main Divide North Canterbury Riesling 2019 - $21

Consistent producer of fine rieslings, Pegasus Bay nails it again with this crisp and complex wine. Oily, spicy and very rich on the palate with grapefruit, mandarin, beeswax and passionfruit and a hint of roasted pineapple, plus a very lengthy finish.

Match with Asian foods, scallops, or slow cooked rich pork dishes. Available: Herne Bay Cellars, Liquorland. www.pegasusbay.com

Giesen 0% Riesling - $20

Very drinkable and has a lot of the riesling flavour profile despite the lack of alcohol. Typical aromas, backed up with flavours of lychee and jasmine plus subtle floral notes and a hint of moscato and lime citrus. Great with Thai or Vietnamese cuisine. Available: Fine O Wine, Pt Chev Organic Wines. www.blackmarket.co.nz (PHIL PARKER)  PN

FINE WINE & FOOD TOURS “No. 2 Auckland Wine Tour” – TripAdvisor Your host, Phil Parker wine writer.

Affordable tours for small and large groups.

E: phil.parker@xtra.co.nz

50 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

www.finewinetours.co.nz

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY TRUFFLE SEASON IS HERE

210 SYMONDS STREET T: 09 377 1911 www.sidatthefrenchcafe.co.nz sidatthefrenchcafe

SIDART, Level 1, Three Lamps Plaza, 283 Ponsonby Road T: 360 2122 www.sidart.co.nz

- Gusto Italiano GUSTO MEANING ‘TASTE 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.

OPEN FOR LUNCH THURSDAY & FRIDAY DINNER TUESDAY TO SUNDAY

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

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

51

FASHION + STYLE

@ ZEBRANO

1.

2.

3.

5.

4.

6.

1. Mela Purdie-Bellini Floral Soft Shirt, $447

4. LaLA-Misguided Hood Dress, $413

2. Nineteen46-Substance Sweater, $299

5. Mela Purdie-Merino Walker Sweater, $343

3. Mela Purdie-Single Breasted Blazer, $567

6. Nineteen46-Slouch Sweater, $199

ZEBRANO, 22 Morrow Street, Newmarket - opposite Westfield, T: 09 523 2500, www.zebrano.co.nz

52 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LIVING, THINKING + BEING

PLASTIC FREE JULY STARTS IN THE KITCHEN Plastic Free July® challenges people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution by saying ‘No’ to single use plastics. Making better habits stick means changing our environment rather than relying on willpower.

Start with one of these Plastic Free July kitchen challenges and nail it first before moving on to the next one. Think of the difference you could make by the end of the year.

Eliminating plastic cling film

There’s no need for plastic food wrap anymore. Try the plantbased, biodegradable alternatives, or better yet, invest in reusable solutions.

Kitchen challenge: Phase out your cling film and stock up on reusable beeswax wraps, silicone lids, or high quality metal or glass food containers.

Starting a refilling habit

It’s surprisingly easy to create an artful, sustainable wholefood filled pantry – start saving jars and lids to reuse them. Chantal pasta sauce jars are a generous size, making them great for storing nuts, beans, pasta and dried fruit.

Kitchen challenge: Get into the habit of refilling your favourite ecostore liquid products at your local ecostore refill stations in the supermarket or green store.

Buying your favourites in bulk

Buy bulk formats (space permitting) and decant them into smaller items to fit your pantry or kitchen cleaning cupboard.

Bonus – most bulk products also come in recyclable or compostable packaging.

Kitchen challenge: List all the kitchen items you know you can buy in bulk like oil, flour, kitchen spray, nuts, etc… and pop it on your fridge. When these items run out, make a note on your grocery list to replace them with bulk or other low waste alternatives.

Concentrating on cleaning products

Not all the packaging in your kitchen will contain food and drinks. Buying concentrated cleaning products is another way to shrink plastic waste in your kitchen.

Kitchen challenge: Try ecostore’s Cleaner Refill Concentrates.

One tiny recyclable glass bottle makes a whole 500ml trigger pack.

Leaving out the takeaways

Takeaways usually come in single-use, non-recyclable packaging. But who feels like cooking when you get home after a long day at work?

Kitchen challenge: Prioritise your health, wallet and planet by cooking from scratch with loose fruit and veges from the produce section. Meal prepping on Sunday night can help you get through a busy week.  PN ECOSTORE, 1 Scotland Street, Freemans Bay, T: 09 360 8477, www.ecostore.co.nz

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

53

LIVING, THINKING + BEING

TADHG STOPFORD:

GROW YOUR OWN - THAILAND GIVES 1MILLION CANNABIS PLANTS TO CITIZENS “Dr Ganja” is worth a google. He's from Thailand's Ministry of Health, and he wants you to love cannabis. An adorable cannabis headed character in a doctor's white coat, Dr Ganja’s a plush cuddly toy that young kids will love.

Dr Ganja wants everyone to love ganja, and to grow it at home if they can. The Thai Government is even willing to buy it back from you - which is what I'd like to see our government do too. Imagine a win-win PPP instead of a corporate exploitative model. Wouldn't that be cool?

The Thai Health Ministry said it has approved 1,181 products containing cannabis extracts, including cosmetics and food, and it expects the industry to earn as much as 15 billion baht ($435.16m) by 2026. It's giving out 1 million cannabis plants to encourage public use of the once forbidden medicine.

If only New Zealand had a kind government like Thailand’s.

Here in New Zealand we have about six cannabis medicines after five years, all unaffordable to most Kiwis. All made by companies burning half a million dollars a week trying to get into the most profitable industry in the world -Pharmaceuticals.

Thailand is famous for punishing drug users. So this transition, to pushing plants onto the public, needs some explanation.

Cannabis is good for you. Not just that, cannabis is very good for you. Cannabis is so good for you, that the government should be encouraging you to grow it. It's a neuroprotectant, an antioxidant. It strengthens bones, protects against cancer.

There's evidence cannabinoids have anti-covid action, protect you from dementia, and more.

It's a fact that cannabis is safe. Yes, it has some harms, but the Dunedin Study has shown that they are “unlike tobacco” in that they are not statistically significant. Maybe read that again.

Last week I heard from a radiographer who has had leukaemia for the last four years. Sally has been treating herself with cannabis for the last two years, and is now in better health than when she started. I have her monocyte counts if anyone's interested. Cancer is a major problem. So is diabetes. Cannabis can help with both. But that would reduce pharma profits.

In the last six years I've lost several friends and family members to different forms of cancer. I think I could have helped them.

But when someone doesn't want to try anything different, what can you do; it's not appropriate to pressure sick or dying people. Misinformation, as well as the lack of access, is killing people we love.

The 2018 Farm Bill let the CBD craze go nationwide in the USA. Thanks to Helen Clark, New Zealand had its own Farm Bill in 2006. So why are we still empty handed after nearly six years of a Labour government? What does that tell us about ‘Labour’?

My friend Chris Woodney was the first Kiwi to legally trademark CBD products grown in New Zealand thanks to the 2006 Hemp Regs. But MoH strangled them, put Chris out of business, and replaced “farmer CBD” with “pharma CBD”.

54 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

They replaced the accessible with the inaccessible. They replaced the affordable with the unaffordable.

“The biggest problem with the regulations is the way we are interpreting them,” said the GM of Medsafe in 2018, just before they gave the farm to pharma with the ‘medicinal cannabis amendment’.

I'm sad about the lies of omission told here in this country.

Politicians and regulators think it's okay to stop us from protecting our own health. They mislead us about the truth and they mislead us about the options. They have undone legal opportunities for easy access. They have erected obstacles, leading to suffering and death. They prefer overpriced medicines to kindness, and evidence.

Why isn't this government being kind to us? How come Thailand’s Government is being kind to them?

Why can't we grow hemp? And why can't the public just be told the truth? If they just made cannabis a herbal remedy (duh), we wouldn’t have problems. We could even start with a Dutch solution. There’s a lot we can do to help each other without doing much; just remove the obstacles, if you are kind.

And that’s where it seems to always become a problem.

PN (TADHG STOPFORD)  www.thehempfoundation.org.nz

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

POP UP SHOP 50-70% oFF

o p e n i n G 1 s t J u ly 162 Garnet road, Westmere (beside GlenGarry’s) mon-Fri 9.30-5pm s at 1 0 - 4 sun 10-3

FUTURE GENERATION

I Love Lucy Book Review: If We Were Villains - M.L Rio - 15+ “You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”

Oliver Marks is being released from jail after 10 years. Waiting for him on the outside is the man who put him there. Detective Colborne wants to know what really happened all those years ago at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, off the record - the truth. Oliver is ready to reveal what actually happened a decade ago at the prestigious conservatory where he was one of seven young Shakespearean actors. In their fourth year, tension and rivalry begin to rise among the seven friends and opening night brings bloodshed. Come morning the students have to face the truth and tragedy of what they have done; the young actors must convince the authorities, themselves, and each other that they are innocent.

“If We Were Villains” gives me mixed emotions. On one hand, I enjoyed the quoting of Shakespeare, found the cast of characters to be engaging, enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the costumes and backdrops of the plays held, and read the book very fast due to its fast paced nature. On the other hand, the plot of this novel felt really familiar and much alike Donna Tartt’s previously written campus novel “The Secret History”, which I have reviewed in the past. While I did seek the book out in order to replicate the outstanding and obsessive experience of reading “The Secret History”, some parts of the book felt all too similar. For example, both books include characters named Richard, are set at prestigious universities, have a very select class of tight-knit characters who study together, feature a troublesome classmate's death, are heavily based in the world of academia, and are told by unreliable narrators who don’t ‘fit in’.

While I did enjoy the book, I felt that the similarities detracted from the story and I was constantly comparing it in my head. Had I never read the Secret History I would have enjoyed this book much more. (LUCY KENNEDY)  PN  out of 5! www.lucykennedywriter.wixsite.com/reviews instagram @lucykennedyreviews

YOU ARE FULL OF POTENTIAL. LIVE IT. Take a look in the mirror, does your state of mind affect what you see?

Local wellness brand BraveFace has launched a new campaign encouraging Kiwis to challenge their mindset when looking in the mirror, and to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations.

In an effort to remind us that we are all full of potential, mirrors with powerful messages have been placed across key areas in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. These mirrors are a reminder to passers-by that despite the struggles they face, they are strong, they are brave, and they are full of the potential to make their goals and dreams a reality.

“Sometimes our fears and anxieties can hold us back, but at BraveFace we believe that despite our struggles, we are all full of potential, and it’s time to live it.”

This campaign has been created to positively influence how Kiwis view themselves, encouraging them to replace their negative perceptions with strength, bravery, and the belief that they are full of potential.

Find the mirror:170 Ponsonby Road.

CoolHead Day Spray helps you restore calm and focus during

Potential (noun): The ability we all have inside us, to grow, to develop, to achieve, to succeed.

BraveFace founder Katherine Douglas says, “the number of Kiwis struggling with stress, sleep, anxiety, and their mental health has increased dramatically in the past couple of years.

We created BraveFace to provide people with the tools they need to overcome those unwanted feelings, both through our products and the messages we share.”

To make the greatest impact possible, BraveFace realised they needed to support Kiwis right from an early age, when negative thoughts and mental health struggles first start to appear.

times of stress. Size: 45mL. Price: $45.

HeadRest Night Drops helps to quieten your racing thoughts, allowing you to fall and stay asleep. Size: 45mL. Price: $45.

LiveCalm Daily Capsules help you manage everyday stress

and sustain calm throughout your day. Size: 56 capsules.

Price $40.

Available from www.braveface.com, leading pharmacies and Farro.

To help young Kiwis reach their full potential, BraveFace is donating $10,000 to the Sir John Kirwan Foundation and their initiative Mitey. Mitey supports schools to deliver an evidencebased approach to mental health education for Years 1-8.

BraveFace will also donate a further $10 to Mitey on behalf of anyone who takes a mirror selfie at one of the campaign locations around the country, posts it on Instagram and tags @braveface.*

56 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

Amazing energy Years 7-13

Open Day

Tuesday 9 August 2022 Register: stcuthberts.school.nz

FUTURE GENERATION

HONOUR MITCHELL: GETTING

GLAMMED-UP

Ever since I started secondary school I have watched in admiration as the older students glammed-up for the school ball.

Waiting and wondering when will it be my turn! Soon enough the years flew past and I found myself attending my very first ball this year in May. Excited as I was, the experience was completely foreign to me. Suddenly I began to realise how much there was to do - I needed to get busy, fast! So much to consider, the dress, shoes, hair, makeup, and last but not least, a date! On top of everything else, my parents had volunteered to host the pre-ball function at our house. This was certainly going to add a touch more hustle to our bustle - we needed a playlist, decorations, snacks, drinks and maybe a spring clean while we’re at it.

The dress

Finding the dress was a stressful experience (yes - even more bewildering than finding a date). I wanted to make sure the "ball gown" was comfortable, flattering and a tad unique.

I heard that many girls rent their dresses instead of buying them, which was perfect for me because I was not ready to spend a fortune on a dress that I would - presumably - only wear once. The first stop was StyleStarter in Newmarket: a popular choice for those looking to hire.

I shimmied and squeezed my way into about seven dresses, which believe me was quite a workout. Of course it was the first one that I tried on that really grabbed me. A slightly sparkly white halter-neck with a modest slit up the side. After a few minor alterations were made, it fitted me like a glove.

Not only was the fabric comfortable but it was flattering and drew a generous amount of compliments on the night.

Thanks StyleStarter, you provide an awesome service.

The shoes

All I needed now was a strappy pair of heels to complete the look. Online retailers offer excellent deals, especially at the end of a season and luckily I was able to grab the perfect pair from The Iconic at a bargain-basement price.

Make-up

cost of the make-up service is redeemable on in-store products, so I was able to get about $100 dollars back in glorious goodies! Despite the rocky start I came out feeling fantastic. My stylist was so nice and accommodating.

She expertly crafted the exact look I wanted while I relaxed into a luxurious bubble of pampering (and composure).

I recommend Mecca 100% just remember to book WELL in advance.

Hair

The one thing that I was not agitated about from the start was my hair. I had already booked Inspirations on Jervois Road weeks in advance. I knew the exact look I wanted; half up/half down with gentle waves. David, my hairdresser, executed it perfectly. I was beyond happy. With a generous coating of hairspray my curls managed to survive late into the night, as I partied it up.

Le Tan

Many girls opt for a spray tan, but I preferred the more natural path. Fortunately we had a week of the most remarkable sunny, autumnal weather when I was off school isolating with Covid-19. It turned out to be the ideal opportunity to simultaneously top up my tan and vitamin D levels, and it was free.

What a rollercoaster of emotions this turned out to be.

The appointment I had carefully booked weeks prior was canceled unexpectedly on the morning of the ball, which left me fighting back tears. Yikes, crying at 9am was not a great start to the day. My mum and I ended up frantically begging every make-up artist in the Ponsonby vicinity to help. Just as we were about to give up, a very lovely assistant at Mecca took pity on me and somehow found a way to slot me in.

My very first school ball was such an exciting experience. It checked so many boxes: fashion, friends, and an opportunity for a bit of red carpet glamour. The pre-ball party we hosted at home was a great start to the festivities and gave everyone a chance to loosen up. By the time we got to the venue we were raring to go and let loose whilst showcasing the hair, the makeup, the tan, and most importantly the dress!

We took to the dance floor (ditching the heels, of course) and partied late into the night.

Phew, a huge wave of relief coursed through my body as I dabbed at my eyes. The great thing about Mecca is that the

Overall an evening to treasure and remember!

(HONOUR MITCHELL)  PN

QUALITY LIGHTS FOR MAGICAL NIGHTS

20 MT EDEN ROAD | MT EDEN | 09 218 5342 | WWW.THEFAIRYLIGHTSHOP.COM 58 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

FUTURE GENERATION

IT MAKES CENTS Maths is all around us and love it or hate it, we can’t escape it. The key is teaching your child the importance of maths and its relevance to everyday life.

We are constantly using maths, even though we often don’t realise it. From shopping to telling the time, things we do everyday use mathematical knowledge.

Maths is all around us and love it or hate it, we can’t escape it. The key is teaching your child the importance of maths and its relevance to everyday life. We are constantly using maths, even though we often don’t realise it. From shopping to telling the time, things we do everyday use mathematical knowledge.

To book a free assessment for your child today phone NumberWorks’nWords Grey Lynn on T: 09 360 0816 for an initial discussion, or email greylynn@numberworks.com, or visit numberworksnwords.com/nz NUMBERWORKS’NWORDS Grey Lynn, 316 Richmond Rd, T: 09 360 0816, E: greylynn@numberworks.com, www.numberworksnwords.com/nz

The way maths was taught to previous generations has changed with the rise of technology having an impact on how maths is taught today.

Due to technology, watches and calendars have been replaced with phones, so opportunities to learn to read an analogue clock or see the days, weeks, months on display are limited. The ease and convenience of EFTPOS and online banking has seen cash disappear from our wallets. Gone are the days of having piles of coins, where we could physically see our decimal system in action. Learning about the different value of the different coins and notes and how you could exchange a certain number of coins for a higher value note, was a fantastic opportunity for learning, which has now largely disappeared.

We are not using the resources that connect us with the relevance and importance of mathematics, and students are struggling to relate or see value in this subject. We must talk with our children, play games with them that involve playing with money, and show them that maths is fun.

NumberWorks’nWords now has a fantastic mathematics programme that suits learners at all, from reluctant mathematicians to students who love maths and need extension. The learning programmes cover essential skills which students need to have to be successful in the classroom and beyond.

Individualised tuition programmes include basic facts, problem solving and all key concepts from the New Zealand Curriculum for years 1 - 11. The team at NumberWorks’nWords Grey Lynn believe confidence is key to boosting academic results. By working together with families and schools, NumberWorks'nWords Grey Lynn have seen amazing results for their students.

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

59

PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS

LOGAN GRANGER:

CLAIMING DEPRECIATION ON BUILDINGS In the past, New Zealand allowed depreciation on all buildings before the 2011-12 income tax year. This then changed and all buildings with an estimated useful life of 50 years or more were depreciated at a rate of 0%, effectively removing building depreciation.

As a result, we taxpayers in New Zealand became an outlier in the international tax community with many studies finding buildings do in fact depreciate.

Recently, building depreciation has been reintroduced in New Zealand. This being for non-residential buildings as part of the past two year’s Covid-19 response measures. However, it positively seems the reintroduction is permanent.

What has changed?

From the beginning of the 2021 tax year, depreciation deductions are allowed for non-residential buildings owned at the beginning of this income year or acquired after the beginning of the year, and includes capital improvements.

The depreciation rate for a non-residential building is 2% DV, or 1.5% straight line. Reason for this being, residential buildings depreciate at a slower rate than commercial or industrial buildings and have been excluded by creating specific definitions within the Income Tax Act for ‘residential buildings’ and ‘non-residential building’.

An example which highlights the benefit of this change could be of a purchaser buying a $3m commercial or industrial property, whose value comprised $600,000 for the land (for which depreciation cannot be claimed), plus $1.5m for the building and $900,000 worth of fit-out.

Up until the end of the 2019-2020 tax year, depreciation deductions could only be claimed on the $900,000 building fit-out, typically at a rate of 10-12 percent, depending on the nature of the fit-out, providing a benefit about $100,000.

However, now owners would also be able to claim two percent a year for depreciation of the $1.5m building, adding a further $30,000 a year and taking total benefits to $130,000 a year for every year they continued to own the property.

In some cases, where certain groups are considering property purchases worth tens of millions, they will now be eligible for six-figure tax depreciation claims.

Logan Granger, Ponsonby Office

• Non-deductible capital expenditure incurred in relation to the building since 2010-11.

If the straight-line method is used, the above calculation will also be the depreciable ‘cost’ of a non-residential building that was owned and depreciated before 2010-11.

If the building is sold for more than its adjusted tax book value, this will mean depreciation claimed on the fit-out pool becomes recoverable. When the 0% rate was introduced in 2011, a concession was made for fit-out in a commercial building acquired before the 2010-11 income year that had not been separately depreciated.

The reintroduction of depreciation means it is appropriate that the adjusted tax book value of the building be reduced by deductions taken.

For buildings acquired after the end of the 2010–11 income year, the opening value for the 2020–21 income year is:

Opening tax book value

• the cost of the building, plus

Past deductions claimed for fit-out will have an impact on the adjusted tax value of any non-residential building depreciated from the 2021 income year. The 2021 opening tax book value for buildings acquired before the 2010-11 income year comprises:

• non-deductible capital expenditure incurred on the building from the time it was acquired until the beginning of the 2021 income year.

• the adjusted tax book value at the end of the 2010-11 income year less fit-out deductions taken (if any)

Disclaimer – While all care has been taken, 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, 14 St Marys Bay Road, T: 09 361 6701, www.jacal.co.nz

14 St Marys Bay Road, St Marys Bay

60 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

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@ Dawson & Co. FROM TOP: Orbital extendable dining table in emperador marble ceramic by Calligaris $17,879 Silhouette extendable table from $8,079 Scandia dining chair $1,289 Holly dining chair $1,449

DAWSON & CO., Northshore Showroom, 38 Constellation Drive, Rosedale T: 09 476 1121, Parnell Showroom, 115 The Strand, Parnell; info@dawsonandco.nz www.dawsonandco.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

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HOME WHERE THE HEART IS

REFINED LIVING, FOR HANDCRAFTED WARMTH AND ELEGANCE It’s winter and the team at Refined Living are poised to help you warm up your living space with one of their lush brown leather sofas or hand crafted armchairs.

It’s a great time to check out New Zealand's home of Halo furniture and add some uniquely handcrafted pieces to your home.

Halo furniture uses traditional techniques and tools which add to the overall quality and durability. Halo’s reputation for designing and manufacturing distinctive, innovative furniture influenced by iconic designs of the past and present, is a testimony to the timeless elegance.

Kensington Armchair in Vintage Cigar

Angel Chair - Destroyed Raw & Weathered oak

Angel Chair - Riders Gunmetal & Weathered Oak

Viscount William 3 seater in Old Glove Espresso

Visit the Refined Living team at their showroom, 59 - 61 The Strand, Parnell. T: 09 930 6268 or www.refinedliving.nz

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64 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

09 930 6268

59 - 61 The Strand, Parnell

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HOME WHERE THE HEART IS

BLAIR HADDOW: TOP-END

PROPERTY SALES REMAIN RESILIENT TO VAGARIES OF THE WIDER MARKET

The top end of Auckland’s residential real estate scene – encompassing homes selling in the $5 million-$10 million range – remains largely immune to trends being seen across the rest of the market, according to a leading real estate agent.

Blair Haddow from Bayleys Ponsonby said that while much of the city’s residential property market was now softening, the extremely tight supply of homes in the upper value echelon across suburbs such as Herne Bay, St Mary’s Bay, and Westmere, meant the balance in setting pricing levels was still firmly tilted towards vendors.

Blair Haddow said the resilience of the top-end city-fringe residential property market could be showcased by two of his high-end auction sales achieved this year - 3A Hope Street in Westmere which sold under the hammer for $5.85 million, and 48B Sunny Brae Crescent in Westmere which sold under the hammer for $6.2 million. Both had multiple bidders vying for ownership in the auction room.

“I could sell another half-a-dozen $5 million-plus homes in a week… if they were out there for sale,” he said. “But people in that pricing bracket tend to hold onto their homes tightly simply because they don’t come onto the market that often for them to move, which is why, when they do, my buyer database is quick to act.

“I even have quite a few buyers in the $15 million-plus price bracket waiting patiently for the right property to come onto the market.”

Blair Haddow’s analysis is supported by property sales data firm Valocity which broke down the number and value of high-end transactions in New Zealand over recent years.

Between 2015 and 2019, the average number of residential properties selling annually for $5 million-$10 million was 100, while the annual average number of $10 million-plus sales was 11.

By 2020, the number of $5 million-plus sales hit 211, 16 of which were in the $10 million-plus bracket.

The top end did even better in 2021 with the number of $5 million-plus sales jumping 51 percent to 334, and the number of $10 million-plus sales reaching 32. This represented 0.3 percent of the greater residential real estate market in 2021.

Property news website OneRoof.co.nz reported that Auckland coastal suburbs such as Herne Bay, St Mary’s

66 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

Bay and Westmere were justifiably seen as a safe and solid investment locations for high-end home buyers, with entry level alone to some streets in those locations now sitting at around the $5 million mark.

Mirroring Blair Haddow’s sales experiences in the Herne Bay, St Mary’s Bay and Westmere locales, OneRoof.co.nz noted that more top-end homes were going to auction than in previous years.

Adding more clarity to the trend, Blair Haddow added: “The buyers I work with in this niche portion of the market are very experienced property owners. They know exactly what they want. They are well funded and they usually have a background in business operations so they know about financial aspects. And they are prepared – at least to some degree – to wait until the right opportunity comes along.”

James Wilson, head of valuations for Valocity, acknowledges that several years of inflation in Auckland’s property market had an influence on the number of properties selling in the $5 million-$10 million price range.

"They are not your clifftop mansions that once upon a time would have been a $5 million property,” he said.

However, James Wilson did point out that historical sales values were a good indicator of where suburbs such as Herne Bay, St Mary’s Bay and Westmere – all within in Blair Haddow’s field of sales expertise – would sit in the broader value ‘pecking order.’

"Where the high value housing stock typically sits is relatively consistent over time, and that's one of the reasons why high net worth buyers like that stock. It's almost like an asset they can trade and transact relatively liquidly because it's always going to be maintained by being in those locations," Wilson said.

Blair Haddow agrees. “You’re buying into a premium location, with premium homes, and wealthy homeowner neighbours who understand the value of maintaining – or even adding to – the value of their real estate asset,” said Blair Haddow. www.facebook.com/BlairHaddowResidential

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HOME WHERE THE HEART IS

A contemporary mix of geometric patterns and natural colours blends Harlequin Momentum curtains with Roman blinds, furniture fabrics, cushions, and flooring in this modern yet traditional living room.

THE LIVING ROOM – YOUR HAPPY PLACE Want to revive your living room window furnishings but have no idea where to start?

Lahood® have inspirational ideas that will put your curtains and blinds front and centre.

Since your living room is often where you and your loved ones connect, it's likely you're prioritising comfort and family.

Your window furnishings can serve a practical purpose whilst being the cornerstone to your décor decisions.

First think about what your priorities for window furnishings are. Do you want to create a focal point, retain privacy, reduce sunlight damaging your furniture and flooring or provide easy outdoor access? Your window furnishings should fulfil your requirements of both form and function.

Impress at the heart of your home with luxurious curtains that are generously draped.

Your living room might include bi-fold or sliding doors or more traditional French windows, a shapely bay, or casement windows. Blinds, shutters, and curtains all provide treatments that can inject colour, patterns, and textures. This is where you can be bold and use your window furnishings to focus on a colour or theme that you can accentuate with other furniture or accessories.

Lahood’s showroom team recently worked with a Herne Bay client who had just purchased an architecturally designed home. The living room renovation included contemporary aesthetic window furnishings using a combination of Luxaflex® shutters and Duette® blinds and softened the look with full length lightweight sheer linen curtains on a ceiling mounted track.

But it’s not just about aesthetics. Light control to reduce glare on screens and protect upholstery from fading may be vitally important, depending on the room’s orientation. Street-facing rooms need a treatment that brings privacy without making them gloomy, and here specially designed blinds, shutters and curtains can come to your aid.

In living rooms where the family spends a lot of time, indulge in automation. Having the convenience of remote control to close blinds and curtains can help retain heat and keep your home cosy and snug.

A soft light and look are achieved with Luxaflex® Duette Architella blinds in this beautiful bay window. Natural colours in the furnishings and accessories extend the feeling of comfort and warmth. Duette blinds offer excellent insulation properties and are perfect for remote controlled automation.

Visit Lahood’s stunning showroom at 104 Mt Eden Road and talk to our experienced and award-winning design team about your living room décor ideas. From inspiration to installation, Lahood® Window Furnishings have it all. Phone 0800 LAHOOD to book an in-home design consultation. www.lahood.co.nz

68 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

ARTS + CULTURE

FOUNTAIN – DIGITAL ART THAT’S WORTH COLLECTING New global platform for digital art with a difference launched in New Zealand.

After the hype and crash cycle of NFTs, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s probably the worst time possible to launch a new platform for digital art. Yet that’s exactly what two New Zealand entrepreneurs have just launched to a global market.

But this one is quite different.

Digital product designer Nicholas Henwood and gallerist Scott Lawrie have come together to launch Fountain – a new online gallery that focuses on digital art from internationally established artists who already have considerable reputations way beyond the relatively new NFT hype. So, while you won't see apes on motorbikes on there anytime soon, you will see some fabulous examples of cutting-edge digital art.

“Digital art is now entering a whole new era of possibilities,” says Fountain Curator Scott Lawrie. “With the advent of virtual reality, augmented reality, the metaverse and new tech, its time has come. It can no longer be ignored.”

Fountain avoids the NFT hype by simply using the blockchain as a verification method, so the digital artworks can have clear and simple provenance. Until now, proving ownership of a digital work of art that is infinitely replicable, has been quite tricky.

example as a unique edition at a high price – but also to new collectors who could buy a bigger edition for a far lower price. This gives them equity in contemporary art, and I love that. That to me is a fundamental point of difference and blows up the traditional art world focus on rarity,” says Lawrie.

“We factored into our business plan a year ago a 90% crash in cryptocurrency. And we just didn't believe in the cultural value of the NFTs that had been attracting ridiculously high prices. Instead, we focused on artists who had considerable reputations in digital art already,” explains Henwood.

Fountain launches globally with contemporary artist Hye Rim Lee. “It’s a fantastic meeting of minds” explains Nic. “I have a far more technical and product-driven user experience skillset. And Scott brings an experienced eye from the art world to choose the artist we feature, many of whom are already stars in their own right.”

Then there are the environmental factors. The energy used by blockchains powered by Ethereum and Bitcoin for example, is ridiculously high. Without getting too technical, the verification methods they use are incredibly power-hungry.

Fountain chose to build the platform on Tezos instead given it has tiny energy usage by comparison (about 1.5m times more energy efficient!)

“One of the things that Nic Henwood (the other co-founder) and I got excited about was the accessibility aspect – that Fountain could sell digital art to established collectors, for

The artist Fountain has chosen for launch is particularly exciting for the duo – international superstar Hye Rim Lee. Lawrie says she stands apart from her contemporary artist peers, ‘Not only for her dedication to digital art, but also for her commitment to exploring the interface between art, technology, and new forms of visual expression. She is one of the leading digital artists in the world today, and we’re honoured to have her on the platform as our launch artist’.

You can see more at fountain.art

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Telly Tuita, War in Spring, 1060x1350mm, digital print on cotton rag paper, 2022

@ BERGMAN GALLERY Bergman Gallery extends its brand of Modern Pacific Art from Rarotonga to the edge of Ponsonby.

Opening exhibition Te Atuitanga – Beneath our Cloak of Stars, 25 June - 16 July.

The Gallery’s inaugural Auckland group show will feature new works by Mahiriki Tangaroa, Andy Leleisi’uao, Sylvia Marsters, Telly Tuita, Nina Oberg Humphries, Benjamin Work, Raymond Saga polutele, Michel Tuffery, and Kulimoe’anga Stone Maka.

Telly Tuita – Tongpop Cornucopia, 23 July – 20 August.

Tongan-born Wellington-based artist Telly Tuita presents a suite of works and objects abundant in sexy, camp, and upcycled handmade aesthetic. A little bit country, a little bit rock n roll! A sprinkle of Maria Callas and a generous dash of Dolly Parton.

Opening 2:30-5pm, Saturday 23 July, all welcome.

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10am - 5:30pm.

BERGMAN GALLERY, 3/582 Karangahape Road (Entrance via 2 Newton Road) T: 021 324 984 benny@bergmangallery.com www.bergmangallery.com

70 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

ARTS + CULTURE

IGNITING CREATIVITY THOUGH DRAMA Hit the Stage! these school holidays.

Tim Bray Youth Theatre is offering their ever popular Hit the Stage! 5-day holiday programme for children aged 7-9 at TAPAC in Western Springs from 18-22 July (and for ages 7-9 and 10 -12 at The Rose Centre in Belmont from 11-15 July.)

During five exciting days, under the direction of the Tim Bray Youth Theatre creative team, young actors take part in rehearsing and performing their own unique theatrical creation, ready to ‘Hit the Stage!’ at the end of the week with a performance for family and friends.

Extraordinarily Creative drama classes at Te Oro in Glen Innes are for autistic and neurodivergent children and teens, and allow students to grow and shine in their own time and space in the spirit of Takiwatanga.

“My daughter is loving her Extraordinarily Creative drama sessions! They are carefully run by caring staff who provide a safe space where she can be herself and have fun with her peers.” Nicole B., EC parent of 12-year-old, March 2022.

Tim Bray Youth Theatre will run taster July holiday programmes for autistic and neurodivergent students interested in trialling the Extraordinarily Creative Term 3 drama classes.

Tim Bray Youth Theatre’s Term 3 weekly drama classes for 5-16 yrs begin the week of 25 July at TAPAC and enrolments are open now. Classes are also offered on the North Shore at three venues which continue to engage the students’ creativity, selfconfidence and self-expression through drama techniques.

For more information: www.timbray.org.nz/youth-theatre, T: 09 486 2261, E: youth.theatre@timbray.org.nz

TIM BRAY

YOUTH THEATRE Weekly

DRAMA Western Springs, Takapuna, Browns Bay 5–16 years Our tutors fire young imaginations and ignite the creative minds of tomorrow

Western Springs

Glen Innes and North Shore

A 5-day creative escape for ages 7-9 from 18-22 July

For autistic and neurodivergent youth to find their own voice and place

5–16yrs

www.timbray.org.nz 09-486-2261 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

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ST MATTHEW’S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA LIVE Diary Date: Sunday 24 July 2.30pm Conductor: Michael Joel Soloist: Diedre Irons Programme Taylor Silk/Gravel.

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 Op 73 in E flat “Emperor”.

Ritchie, A: French Overture Sibelius, King Kristian II Suite Op. 27 Diedre Irons (MBE & ONZM) is one of New Zealand’s most distinguished performing musicians; her piano sound is always glorious.

Born in Winnipeg, Canada, she made her debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12, playing the Schumann Piano Concerto.

Since moving to New Zealand in 1977 Deidre Irons has performed regularly with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the APO, and the Christchurch Symphony, toured many times under the auspices of Chamber Music New Zealand, and recorded extensively for Radio New Zealand.

With the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and conductor Marc Taddei, she has recorded the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos on the Trust Label.

TICKETS: Eventfinda or Door sales. EFTPOS or Cash.

Adults $30, Concessions $25, Children under 12 free. Student Rush on the day $15. NB: attendees will need to comply with any Covid-19 protocols in place at the time of the concert.

ST MATTHEW-IN-THE-CITY, corner Wellesley & Hobson Streets, www.smco.org.nz

Irons has travelled internationally having presented concerts in 25 countries. In 2007 she received the degree Doctor of Music (honoris causa) from Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada.

Michael Joel is currently music director of St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra and has worked on the music staff of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as duty conductor on productions of Tosca, La Bohème, La Traviata and Carmen, assisting big names like Placido Domingo.

Photography: Everall Deans, Ponsonby Business Association

St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra is an accomplished orchestra performing a wide repertoire of music and is dedicated to providing performance opportunities for New Zealand musicians, composers and conductors.

Sun 24 July at 2.30pm programme

Taylor Silk/Gravel Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 Op 73 in E Flat, “Emperor” Ritchie, A French Overture Sibelius King Kristian II Suite Op 27 soloist Diedre Irons conductor Michael Joel st matthew-in-the-city Cnr of Wellesley & Hobson Street, Auckland City

HOMESICK FOR PONSONBY? If you, your friends or family are missing Ponsonby, why not subscribe to New Zealand’s BEST read community magazine?

An annual subscription is only $49 and can be posted anywhere in New Zealand.

News + Local Politics + Fashion + Style + Celebrity + Eat, Drink + Be Merry + Travel + Living, Thinking + Being + Pets + Future Generation + Sports + Home + Real Estate + Arts + Culture Visit ponsonbynews.co.nz or email jay@ponsonbynews.co.nz for more information

72 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

ARTS + CULTURE

@ OREXART, PONSONBY A Diary of Events The paintings of Philippa Blair. From 28 June – 23 July.

If painting is like keeping a diary, then the works of Philippa Blair are a personal record of the thoughts, feelings, and events that motivate, inspire, or even at times, horrify her.

“I develop with the painting; it’s as if the DNA of the painting and my own DNA somehow combine to create a new lifeform.”

The paintings in this show offer an incredible insight into the artist’s creative process. Nothing is hidden, the immediacy is the message.

As it has throughout her long career, Blair continues to challenge herself. She draws on her reserves, harnesses energies and as if it is an essential requirement of an artist she pushes firmly against any sense of a casual acceptance of the status quo.

She has avoided easy categorizations; her work has been, and continues to be, a series of heightened discoveries, explorations into the infinite possibilities of mark making and painterly expression.  PN

Weather Report, acrylic, oil, and mixed media on canvas, 1525 x 1015mm

OREXART, 221 Ponsonby Road, E:rex@orexart.co.nz www.orexart.co.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

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Brit Bunkley, She Dreamed of Home

@ SCOTT LAWRIE GALLERY Brit Bunkley: ‘How They Dream/The Gilded Age’. On until 23 July.

Award-winning US-born artist Brit Bunkley has enjoyed a stellar international career having shown at major institutions around the world, including New York, Berlin, Sao Paolo, Paris, Moscow, Taipei, Venice, and throughout New Zealand.

So we’re proud to be able to show him in his adopted home of Aotearoa New Zealand with a major solo exhibiton at the Mt Eden gallery.

You may well have seen some of Brit’s work before. Together with his partner Andrea Gardner, he’s shown at numerous public venues in New Zealand – and proved to be a huge hit with the public.

In this exhibition, life-sized dogs leap, sit, straddle and play on random pieces of wooden furniture, bringing a delightful tension into the gallery space (plus, they don't shed hair or pee anywhere – making them perfect pooches for any home). But don't mistake Brit’s work for simply being cutesy – far from it.

He’s applied the same treatment to less glamorous creatures, including insects and (TikTok favourites) Water Bears!

A selection of recent digital video works will loop during his show, including his highly-acclaimed ‘Dear Hart, How they dream. How we dream’ from 2021, plus an installation of

Brit Bunkley, How We Dream

intriguing model works; miniature landscapes that are both spiritual and iconic, will also be on display.

This will be a delightful and powerful experience, designed for all ages to enjoy, and we look forward PN to welcoming you! 

SCOTT LAWRIE, Shed 10, The Steelworks 13 Coles Avenue (off Valley Road), T: 021 0826 5633, www.scottlawrie.com

74 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

ARTS + CULTURE Kate Yesberg

@ {SUITE} GALLERY, PONSONBY This is Kate Yesberg’s first solo exhibition at {Suite} Ponsonby and a continuation of her series, ‘Nina’.

Comprising elaborate compositions of colour and strong geometric form, these new large-scale paintings pack a punch.

Kate names each series for its intrinsic energy; a mood, feeling, or experience that emerges through the abstraction and process of creation. She explains, “The ideas come into my imagination, usually colours, combinations of colour, or simple shapes or compositions. But mostly I feel them, I feel the energy I want them to carry.”

As a series, Nina has been germinating since mid-2020, when, after several miscarriages, Kate and her husband decided to stop trying for a baby. Though for Kate, the paintings feel grounded and self-assured; they are embodiments of a journey, a process that has at times oscillated unforgivingly from acceptance to resistance, refusal to release, and back again, though has ultimately yielded resolution and a decision to allow things to be as they are.

“As I’ve worked into these paintings, the energy has become stronger; it feels full of potential, almost exhilarating. I feel like I’m coming into myself, learning how to hold things more lightly and to love them as they are.”

Kate builds her paintings up layer by layer from a black canvas as an act of devotional labour that is performed by hand, without tape or calibration. The effect is striking geometric patterns which from afar suggest hard-lines and manicured structures, though up close reveal the hand that rendered them and its human imperfection.

The show opens on 6 July and runs until 30 July.  PN {Suite} GALLERY, 189 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 218 4399, www.suite.co.nz

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AOTEA SQUARE IS TRANSFORMING INTO A WINTER WONDERLAND! First up, the ever-popular Aotea Square Ice Rink has returned for another year, backed by an epic lighting installation and the return of the 35-metre ice slide.

After hitting the ice, warm up at the most Insta-worthy dining experience in town courtesy of The Snugs - your very own private and cosy pod, complete with a delicious array of hot food and drink platters to choose from.

From 14 July onwards, Elemental AKL will take over the Square, transforming it into the Elemental AKL Hub, the pulsing heart of the festival’s programme of arts, eats and beats.

Kicking things off, Drag Disco on Ice will take place injecting a little sparkle onto the Ice Rink and featuring a line-up of local Queens (Yuri Guaii, Margarita Blades and Shavorn Aborealis).

The Elemental AKL Hub will also feature a series of art and performance installations, including a larger-than-life neon, inflatable mushroom forest, massive moving pendulum-like lights, and cyberpunk Neon Cats!

To top it all off, these mesmerising installations will be accompanied by some of New Zealand’s coolest DJs playing live at the Container in the Square Café, including Stinky Jim, Samuel Harmony, Murray Cammick, Matthew Crawley, Uncle Barnie and more. It’s the perfect place for grabbing a drink and soaking up the atmosphere.

We’ll see you there for all the entertainment and good vibes!

76 PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

For all details and information, visit aucklandlive.co.nz Where: Aotea Square Dates: Aotea Square Ice Rink & Ice Slide and The Snugs Now – 31 July Elemental AKL Hub: 14 – 31 July Cost:

The Snugs and Aotea Square Ice Rink: Costs apply, visit aucklandlive.co.nz for more info All other events and installations are FREE

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

ARTS + CULTURE

UPTOWN ART SCENE There are lots of changes at the art institutes along Karangahape Road which aim to continue the good health of our creative neighbourhood.

Following a stellar directorship of Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust, the incomparable Courtney Sina Meredith has resigned. Courtney navigated the tricky transition from a trust that was failing its Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa artists into one that Creative New Zealand recognises as within the top ten art institutions of Aotearoa.

Founded by much loved artist Fatu Feu’u, Tautai has championed Pacifica artists for 40 years, and its expanded home on Karangahape Road is a locus for Moana art and inspiration. Tautai supports artist residencies, resources, and the Tautai Gallery for multi-disciplinary artforms. The current exhibition, The Water Tastes Different Here, is by In*ter*is*land Collective, a group of artists based in London and Aotearoa.

Anchi Lin video still at Artspace

Meanwhile, Danielle Akenese Meredith, Mile Fane, and Gloriana Meyers have taken over interim directorship to continue Courtney’s mahi.

Just next door at Artspace Aotearoa, award-winning artist Ruth Buchanan takes up the directorship after more than a decade of working in Berlin. This is the first time that an artist has held the position since founding member Mary-Louise Brown (1986-89), and Ruth’s wide-ranging experience in the art world from teaching to exhibition making place her perfectly for the role.

Artspace has provided an impressive programme of diverse art forms across a broad cross-section of our communities for 35 years. Currently showing is Dieneke Jansen’s ongoing video narrative, Backdoor-Doorbell Studio, the multi-media exhibition Finding Pathways to Temahahoi, by Taipei-based artist Anchi Lin/Ciwas Tahos, and the short film, Neighbourhood of Truth, by Quentin Lind and Cushla Donaldson.

Down on the corner of Ponsonby Road, the historic police station that houses Studio One Toi Tu, artist studios, and offices of The Big Idea, will be undergoing refurbishment, scheduled to take nine months. We take this as a sign of Auckland Council’s continued commitment to situating art spaces in accessible central city spots.  PN EVAN WOODRUFFE, Studio Art Supplies www.studioart.co.nz

Something to Wear by Lyall Hakaraia at Tautai

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

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STREAMING ARTS + CULTURE GUIDE Muru at Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival

WINTER STREAMING AND SCREENING Our entertainment worlds are again embracing the big screen experience and during July there are some exceptional locally made films to see in theatres.

Watching a feature film on the big screen in a theatre with friends is a unique shared experience and is part of what makes film such an enduring entertainment art form. Our local filmmakers are a diverse and talented group worthy of our audience and continued support. Just watching the trailer of Muru, the film that will open the Whānau Marama NZ International Film Festival, should be enough to have you booking tickets to this festival as soon as they are available.

From the Te Reo Māori version of the Lion King showing in cinemas throughout the country (June and July) to a host of incredible films at this year’s Doc Edge Festival 2022 (1 June to 10 July) and the Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival (28 July till 7 August), there’s lots to enjoy.

WHĀNAU MĀRAMA NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Muru

Whetū Marama, Bright Star at Doc Edge 2022

The action thriller Muru premieres at the Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival in July and while there hasn’t been time to review the film yet, the trailer alone is evidence it is going to be a truly gripping story experience. Stacked with talented actors it promises to tell the very human story of the victims of the 2007 Tūhoe raids. It has been described as a film of love, conflict and forgiveness, and is a must see, must share experience that promises to start real conversations.

DOC EDGE OR ONLINE www.docedge.nz Marama Whetū - Bright Star

Some have said that Sir Hek should be as well know to us all as Sir Ed and after watching this film it is hard not to agree.

This award winning documentary tells of Sir Hekenukumai Puhipi Busby's journey to reignite the art of Māori navigation and voyaging.

Filmmakers Aileen O’Sullivan and Toby Mills have created more than just a tribute to Sir Hek in this beautifully layered masterpiece of documentary storytelling. Within minutes the film connects you to the emotional journey Sir Hek and others undertake to reclaim a Polynesian tradition of navigation and

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voyaging that is embedded fiercely in language and culture, revealing how vital these traditions are to future wellbeing.

Exquisitely shot, this is a film that is a must see at the Doc Edge Festival 2022. 

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Whina at Event Cinemas EVENT CINEMAS

NETFLIX

Whina

Stranger Things

Reviewers continue to pour praise on this biopic blockbuster of a local film and it is no wonder. The story of the OG mother of the nation, Dame Whina Cooper, is so beautifully told through her eyes at poignant points in her life.

It is almost impossible to review without spoilers but it is safe to say that Season 4 of this series is scarier, spookier and more ‘bloody’ than the last. Tweens and teens across the nation last month gathered to binge episodes of this super sized Season 4 sci fi horror. While the heroes continue to defend against the demons of the upside down, even more scary threats take hold and the unresolved stories of much loved characters from previous episodes suggests there will be little comfort around the next corner. 

AMAZON PRIME The Boys

The terrifyingly flawed superheroes continue to please audiences in Season 3 of The Boys. Featuring local actors Karl Urban and Anthony Starr it is splatter filled with black humour and is entertainment worthy of a winter binge. 

WHAKAATA MĀORI AND MĀORI + Legacy

Legacy is the story of true entertainers, the legendary Katchafire and brothers Logan and Jordan Bell. The two, like many in the band, believe it is their responsibility to leave a legacy for the next generation. Music and family bonds are what has held them together for over two decades and guided them through the disruption of Covid-19 and many more challenges.

This is a documentary with an incredible soundtrack coupled with historical footage and a revealing honesty sharing the ups and the downs. Only available to stream till 31 July 2022 so stream it now. 

NETFLIX, Stranger Things Season 4

A woman whose drive and determination challenged barriers at every step with unflinching resolve, underscored by the need to always have hope – such was Whina. Her messages continue to resonate today and her story is more than simply an inspiration; it is a reminder to do more. A reminder that the right thing to do is rarely the easy thing to do. Fantastic performances by Rena Owen, Miriama McDowell, and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne are a tribute to the fantastic directors and producers who nurtured this film and delivered a taonga. You can’t help but love Whina. 

PONSONBY NEWS+ July 2022

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ARTS HOROSCOPES + CULTURE

HOROSCOPES:

MISS PEARL NECLIS – what your stars hold for July

Aquarius (the Water Carrier) 21 January - 19 February There is no time like the present to make a mark on the world and this could be your month to make an impression. You have ideas to share and those important to you are much more receptive to your ambition.

Front of the stage is where you need to be.

Pisces (the Fishes) 20 February - 20 March Is there some sort of reunion looming this month? If there is, then feel confident on knowing that if you show up, all eyes will be on you. You have success written all over you. They know it and you know it.

Thankfully you can be humble about it.

Aries (the Ram) 21 March - 20 April You have an opportunity this month to make a huge difference in people’s lives.

Read the signs that are all around you.

You have ambition that’s contagious and you seem to infect everyone that you come into contact with. It’s time to reveal what you’re all about.

Taurus (the Bull) 21 April - 21 May There’s no stopping you this month and any obstacles that appear in your way will be easily demolished both professionally and personally. There really isn’t much standing in your way that will prove difficult. Be gracious when you succeed and you’ll have a clean conscience.

Gemini (the Twins) 22 May - 21 June Deny yourself nothing has always been your motto and focusing on yourself is not a bad thing as long as you remember not to ignore advice from your close friends or colleagues. You can indulge yourself, but don’t overdo it.

Cancer (the Crab) 22 June - 22 July You have been having lots of daydreams recently and they have the potential to overlap into your real life. Don’t let this happen. You can fantasise all you like, but you have to remember you have to return to reality at some point.

Leo (the Lion) 23 July - 21 August You have always been popular and it’s natural that people want you in their life. You also like to direct from afar, but it might be time to let someone else have a go. Sit back and watch the entertainment unfold.

Virgo (the Virgin) 22 August - 23 September There seems to be something about you this month. You seem to have a glow that’s being noticed. That good news you’ve been waiting for is on its way and everyone that you’ve impressed recently will be there when you receive it.

Libra (the Scales) 24 September - 23 October Don’t let anyone push your buttons this month. Friends or family members could say something that you may take the wrong way. If you feel overwhelmed, then make sure your feelings and boundaries are made clear.

Scorpio (the Scorpion) 24 October - 22 November Your life has been intense recently and you may feel like you’ve been out of touch with those close to you. Make sure you put all your cards on the table and be open about what comes next in your life. You don’t have to feel bad about being independent.

Sagittarius (the Archer) 23 November - 22 December If you feel emotional or on the verge of tipping over this month, be aware that people around you have your back.

Personally you’re covered, but if it’s work related, then don’t do or say anything rash. Take some time for yourself.

Capricorn (the Goat) 23 December - 20 January That feeling you have of being invincible is still with you. Whatever you’ve been putting your hand to recently has certainly paid off. You seem to be creating an aura around you that is contagious and whatever obstacle that has been in your way has seen you sail through effortlessly.

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