PONSONBY NEWS - JUNE '16

+ PUBLISHED FRIDAY 3 JUNE 2016

Established: OCTOBER 1989 – CELEBRATING 26 YEARS OF PUBLISHING HISTORY!

ponsonbynews.co.nz

JUNE 2016

BILL RALSTON: “Regardless of who is Mayor, there needs to be a solid majority of the RIGHT people on council, making the RIGHT decisions and steering the city in the RIGHT direction.” Bill is pictured with Loulou & Janet Wilson - P22

SUSTAINABLE LIVING - P81; HOME RENOVATIONS - P115

AY W ER 17 D 0 UN E 2 N N TIO N JU C U IO TR LET S P N CO COM

Intimate.

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Contemporary style meets a bold and industrial edge with this Jasmax designed boutique development of just 19 townhouses in the heart of Freemans Bay.

j¿ ~ jbÆÈ ÆXA§ÈѼjÆ AÈѼA Æ ~ È_ÆX¼jAÈjƼj AÚjbÆA bÆzjÚ O jÆ Ø ~ÆA bÆÈ ÆAXXj ÈÑAÈjÆ views. Foundries loft homes are generous in size, with exposed concrete beams and natural timber detail in the living areas and soaring saw tooth ceilings in the bedrooms.

61 Wellington Street, Freemans Bay foundries.co.nz

Internally, kitchens are designed and manufactured in New Zealand using quality xÚÈѼj¿ÆA bÆxÈÈ ~¿ÆÙ È Æ Ñ¼ §jA ÆA§§ A Xj¿ÆA bÆÈA§ÙA¼j¬Æ AÈ ¼ ¿ÆA¼jÆwÑ ÛÆ È jbÆÙ È ÆÑ bj¼Æz ¼Æ jAÈ ~ÆA bÆ Ñ¼ §jA bj¿ ~ jbÆxÈÈ ~¿_Æ~ Ø ~ÆÛ ÑÆ AÚ Ñ Æ comfort and luxury.

Loft Townhouses available from $1,845,000 For enquiries please contact: Blair Watson: blair@kellands.co.nz // 021 502 930 Phillip Haeder: phillip@kellands.co.nz // 021 246 8343

DAW S O N & C O .

STUDIO.ITALIA’S SHOWROOM SALE

STUDIO ITALIA HAVE JUST LANDED A LARGE NUMBER OF BEDS FROM ITALY FOR THEIR POLIFORM BED PROMOTION STARTING WEDNESDAY 15 JUNE. VARIOUS MODELS AND SIZES WILL BE AVAILABLE IN STOCK AND ALL AT 30% OFF THE NORMAL RETAIL PRICE. THE PROMOTION ALSO INCLUDES BEDSIDE TABLES, DRESSING TABLES AND MATTRESSES FROM THE POLIFORM COLLECTION TO FURTHER ENHANCE YOUR NEW BEDROOM SETTING. Poliform beds are renowned worldwide for the high quality of design and manufacturing, featuring ý!4% (! /( 0/ * .!)+2 (! " .% +2!./ 0$!5 .! * %*2!/0)!*0 %* -1 (%05ċ Ƶ(3 5/ !4 !,0%+* ( * *+3 )+.! û+. (! 3%0$ ,.% !/ /0 .0%*# ".+) ĸąČćĀĀ %* (1 %*# ċ %/%0 0$! 01 %+ 0 (% /$+3.++) 0+ /!! 0$! ( 0!/0 ..%2 (/ %* /0+.!

STUDIO.ITALIA | 25 Nugent Street | T: 09 523 2105 | www.studioitalia.co.nz

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The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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WHAT’S INSIDE THIS MONTH

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150

P26: Ms Regina Smuga is the new principal of St Joseph’s Catholic School Grey Lynn; P150: Herne Bay resident Lindy Roberts has been running her ON2CANVAS business for as long as we can remember. My father died last year and I am having several photographs of him put on to canvas. Thanks Lindy- Loo.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FROM THE EDITOR DAVID HARTNELL: ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW SHALE CHAMBERS: WAITEMATA LOCAL BOARD NIKKI KAYE: AUCKLAND CENTRAL MP JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS LANDMARK BUILDINGS U3A PONSONBY MIKE LEE, COUNCILLOR FOR WAITEMATA & GULF JACINDA ARDERN: LABOUR LIST MP AUCKLAND

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EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY VEG FRIENDLY: GARY STEEL LAURAINE JACOBS: THE SEASONED PALATE PONSONBY NEWS READERS ARE EVERYWHERE FASHION + STYLE HELENE RAVLICH: LOCAL FASHION LOVE ANGELA LASSIG: LETTERS FROM MAUDIE SUSTAINABLE LIVING

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SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY PONSONBY PETS LOOK WHO IS IN THE ZOO PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS GARDENING WITH GRAHAM SHIEFF HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS HEIDI PADAIN: ENTERTAINMENT IN YOUR GARDEN ARTS + CULTURE

LIVING, THINKING & BEING JOHN APPLETON ON HEALTH FRONT COVER: Sherry Roberts

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The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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LETTERS + EMAILS 311 RICHMOND ROAD (FORMERLY THE LITTLE GROCER) The upcoming Environment Court hearing which will decide the fate of the residential site at 311 Richmond Road (formerly The Little Grocer) is taking place later this month.

As you will recall, our community was successful in getting the non-compliant proposal to put a large licensed cafe and carpark on this small residential site declined at a hearing in June/July last year. However, the applicants appealed this decision.

Since then, the Grey Lynn and Westmere Residents’ Society Inc committee has been working hard on our community’s behalf to help the council to defend the independent commissioners’ original decision and uphold the residential zoning of the site. Like us, the council’s experts have serious concerns about the effects of what is proposed and have lodged evidence recommending it be declined.

In consultation with our experts, we have put together an alternative vision for the site which restores the building, retains its current footprint, and would keep the majority of the site residential with just a small cafe of an appropriate scale and intensity located at the front - similar to Crumb on the corner of Crummer Road and Ariki Street.

Please show your support for our ongoing efforts by joining us at the hearing: WHEN: Tuesday 7 June 2016 TIME: 10am WHERE: Hearing Room 2.01, Environment Court Level 2, 41 Federal Street, (Corner of Wyndham and Federal Streets). We hope to see you there! Jess Fowler, Susan Hirst, Mattie Wall, Jo Patterson, Ange Travers, Grey Lynn and Westmere Residents’ Society Inc. Links to further info: https://thisisyourcorner.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/council-hears-usbut-applicants-appeal/ https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/311richmondroad

Views in Ponsonby News reflect the authors’ and not those of Alchemy Media.

PONSONBY PARK Inner city residents flock to Ponsonby for recreation, sustenance and shopping. With the welcome addition of Ponsonby Park we will have yet another drawcard to attract people to our area to spend their time and money.

The diversity of Ponsonby has consistently been its major attraction with our beautiful churches, historic buildings, heritage architecture and premium shopping. With the addition of Ponsonby Park our community will be greatly enriched and our many businesses will flourish.

Margaret Smith, Westmere 254 PONSONBY ROAD AKA PONSONBY PARK With the increased intensification in the central city area, including Ponsonby, more and more people need access to open green space. Thank goodness for the foresight of the then ACC that we now have the site at 254 Ponsonby Road to develop into a whole of the site park. No other land has been purchased for this purpose in over a decade - even with developer levies required to fulfil this basic need.

City parks are vital, not only for the health of the population, but also to provide a place for the community to meet and mingle and express itself. Ponsonby Park will be a major asset for our community, our businesses and our visitors and I look forward to the realisation of this community open space.

Jennifer Ward, Ponsonby ANIKA MOA ALBUM RELEASE EVENT @ NATURE BABY WEST LYNN I wanted to say a huge thank you to you, Gwynne, and the Ponsonby News team for publishing our Anika Moa album release event in the latest issue. The photos look fantastic and the Nature Baby team was so excited to see us feature in the issue.

Please pass on my thank to your colleague Gwynne for coming along on the day and we hope to see you both at our future events.

Gemma Jelicich, West Lynn WHAT A GREAT COMMUNITY WE LIVE IN A big thank you to the kind person who helped me on Saturday 30 April at 9.30am when I fell outside the Trade Aid Shop in Ponsonby Road. I am very grateful to you and have healed well. Valerie Leech, Freemans Bay TO THE FIREMEN WHO HELPED ME To the firemen who helped me on Saturday 30 April at 9.30am outside the Trade Aid Shop... a very grateful thank you for your support and care. I have healed well and received excellent care at Auckland City Hospital. Thank you Martin Leach... I am a member of the U3A and feel the monthly write up has swelled our numbers considerably. Valerie Leech, Freemans Bay MIKE LEE STANDS FOR COUNCIL AGAIN What good news! It would have been very sad if Mike Lee would retire (though deserved) - he definitely has to stay until the tram runs from Wynyard Quarter to Britomart und up Queens St - K’Road - Ponsonby Road - Three Lamps - Victoria Street Market - and back to Wynyard Quarter (and that’s just the beginning).

Sol De Sully, Grey Lynn

photography: Dallas Pickering

SUMMER STREET HISTORY I arrived in Summer Street in 1965, to find the building - now Farina bakery - was a boat workshop for ‘Paddy’ McGeedy. He is buried in Whangapara, Great Barrier Island.

I understand his daughter is putting a family and boatbuilding history together. For info, contact Max Howard, Whangapara, T: 09 429 0449 evenings.

John MacMillan, Ponsonby

69,000 READERS PER MONTH

10 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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FROM THE EDITOR OUR FRONT COVER THIS MONTH FEATURES ONE OF THE CANDIDATES FOR council, centre right’s Bill Ralston photographed with his wife Janet Wilson and their Scottie dog, near their home in Freemans Bay. Ralston’s entry brings to three the number of candidates for the one seat for the Waitemata Ward. So far, the other two who have thrown their hats into the ring are sitting member Mike Lee and Waitemata Local Board member Rob Thomas. My colleague John Elliott has interviewed both Lee and Ralston and predicts a tight race.

photography: Gwynne Davenport

Most people are aware that bees have reached the lowest numbers ever, especially in the United States. Few people realise the implications for the ecosystem of the loss of bees. Infact, numbers of bees could be regarded as a barometer for the health of the ecosystem.

We hope that architects and designers of new commercial buildings in Auckland will follow the example of New York and make space for beehives on rooftops. A number of editorials this month under the Sustainable Living section in PN set out campaigns and actions to improve the sustainability of Auckland City.

In the photograph to the right, I asked 18-year-old George Shiers to join our small team as an intern. George wrote his first editorial on Kelmarna Gardens and included some great photos of the Autumn Festival in our May issue.

This month, George has contributed several editorials - on bees, our visit to the new Grey Lynn Fire Station and Rug Direct’s huge showroom.

In this issue of PN, there are a number of editorials on renovations and not all of these involve spending $1 million. Many choose to make small improvements, be it a new deck, improving indoor - outdoor flow, updating the kitchen or bathroom. Some have chosen to place solar panels on their roofs, while others have added a water tank to collect rain water for their gardens.

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Martin Leach and George Shiers

What a cheek by the proposed developers of the Little Grocer site! After being turned down by the council planners and independent commissioners they have proceeded to attempt to persuade the Environment Court to accept their unwanted presence on Richmond Road. The hearing is planned for next Tuesday (7 June). Any concerned locals might like to attend this hearing planned for 10am.

We offer our congratulations to Progressive Enterprises on the opening of their new Countdown Supermarket last week. John Elliott and I talked to many of the local businesses who welcome the new commercial activity in their precinct but have been frustrated with the disruption while the construction took place. (MARTIN LEACH) F PN

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DAVID HARTNELL’S ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW Matt McEvoy is that author of The Grey Lynn Book.

The best thing about where you live?

Between Point Chevalier and Mt Albert. A very diverse crowd, plenty of nutters, students, immigrants. Point Chevalier Mall, Jessica’s Wig Salon, deliciously dilapidated.

What was your childhood like?

Idyllic, messing about in streams trying to catch little shrimp and sprats with my brother.

Riding bikes around having little adventures, getting into trouble. Very free, not strict.

The most annoying celebrity today?

Any of those ‘Royal’ people.

Which TV series would you never miss?

I don’t have a TV but I watch Magnum PI on YouTube, and wish Gloss would make a comeback.

How do you chill out?

Stripping off at Little Palm Beach on Waiheke in the summer, or just wandering the streets. With the feet and mind wandering, the subconscious can sometimes release a worthwhile idea.

Favourite book?

The Age of Reason, Jean-Paul Satre. A vividly real novel which pokes around in some uncomfortable corners of the mind.

Which item of clothing is a must?

Good pair of Italian tasseled loafers.

Your dream holiday be where?

It’s always an adrenaline rush flying into Ibiza - the anticipation of what lies ahead.

Have you ever joined the mile high club?

Ran into an old flame at Sydney airport on the way home from Europe, almost coaxed him into the galley toilet on board but he bottled it at the last minute. So not yet...

The best thing you have bought back from an overseas trip?

Coloured bracelets, gifts from Peruvian mountains.

Your dream home?

I don’t have a house fetish - am I the only one in Auckland?

Tweeting or Facebook?

I can’t fit what I have to say into 140 characters!

Tell us something very few people know about you?

If I ever went back to Corfu I could be in a lot of trouble.

How would you like to be remembered?

“He had a funny accent.”

Idea of perfect happiness?

We can’t expect to be happy - a life full of rich experience is the real kaupapa.

What do you love most about your age?

Independence in every sense.

Who’s your favourite hero of fiction?

God - an anti-hero really, such a huge following for a treacherous villain.

Ever Googled yourself?

Not until I was asked this question.

Which talent would you most like to have?

The musical talent and untouchable coolness of Prince.

The biggest lie you’ve ever told?

“It wasn’t me who left the roof hatch open causing extensive rainwater damage to the 17th Century Amsterdam canal house I’m renting from you.”

What cliché do you most hate?

Poor people spend all their money on cigarettes and beer.

Something you disapprove of?

Kids wearing Crocs - what a dreadful start in life to give a child.

Your comfort food?

Fish burger with egg and cheese, hold the beetroot. Cannot stand beetroot!

What can’t you live without?

Credit cards.

Handshake or a hug kind of person?

Hug where possible.

What motivates you?

Achieving control over my own destiny, freedom.

Your dream guest dinner party?

Grace Jones, Frida Kahlo, David Bowie, Vivienne Westwood and my mum. Individually their ideas seem limitless; what would happen when they bounce off each other over a case of pinot?

What happens when we die?

Lots of crying - if we did it right.

Do you have a party trick?

My dancing is quite entertaining apparently.

Favourite movie?

The Labyrinth. Magical fantasy with Jim Henson puppets and David Bowie in tights - brilliant soundtrack. Pre-CGI. Genius.

How do you take your coffee?

Two triple shot espressos before I can even consider leaving the house

Ever seen a ghost.

No - lots of UFOs though.

Travel light or heavy?

Too heavy, changing hemispheres you always underestimate how hot it’s going to be coming from winter.

Give your teenaged self some advice?

Keep a notebook, write down your thoughts and ideas, no matter how ridiculous they may seem. The act of writing your thoughts down seems to give them validity and worth, like saying yes to creativity, “yes my ideas do have value”. Very simple, but very powerful in my experience.

What is your opinion on today’s man?

I like to think Kiwi men are realising the sky won’t fall in on them, they won’t be disowned if they discuss their feelings, put product in their hair, wear bright colours, give each other a hug occasionally, etc. Hopefully boring, limiting, macho culture is in a slow but inexorable retreat.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?

James Franco, thanks.

Change one law or policy in New Zealand, what would it be?

Free education at all levels. Yes, it’s expensive but let’s have a country full of colour and culture, people talking about ideas and art, not just rugby scores and house renovations.

(DAVID HARTNELL, MNZM) F PN

12 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

Iconic buildings sit cheek by jowl, while their inhabitants rub elbows at local boutiques, bars, cafés, restaurants and delis. We love cozying up with you too, Ponsonby. Share our discoveries – keithandsandy.co.nz

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

Home Envy 44 Ardmore Road, Herne Bay For Sale by Auction

customresidential.co.nz/CR5653

Boldly stepping away from pure villa form, the ‘cool collective’ of our design-driven vendors and renowned local builder Cameron Ireland has created an inspiring super spacious home that you will simply love.

Ornate detailing conveys a very real sense of the original villa, working in seamlessly with the contemporary personality of the home.

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The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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SHALE CHAMBERS: WAITEMATA LOCAL BOARD REPORT

Improving Ponsonby; getting on with the job Local boards are effectively bulk-funded based on residential population by the governing body of council from your hard-earned rates for their discretionary spend to undertake priority local services and improvements.

This funding is so for Waitemata, notwithstanding we are host to the region, and have much ageing infrastructure and facilities. Despite this challenge, your local board is getting on with the job.

Waitemata Local Board has an annual $1.154m operational expenditure for locally driven initiatives, an Auckland Transport capital projects budget of $470k and a Local Board project capital budget of $507k. We endeavour to leverage off asset renewals budgets as much as possible with our discretionary spend to undertake renewals projects better, and prioritise projects in areas we have undertaken community-approved development plans to guide a coordinated approach to improving our local community.

There is a lot going on within these guidelines just within the Ponsonby/Freemans Bay communities that the local board has either initiated, or is supporting, that the observant amongst you will have seen, or will shorty see, within our midst that I would like to highlight this month.

Construction of Stage I of Auckland Transport’s long-awaited Franklin Road Improvements project has commenced. This will see a complete renewal of the street over coming months with services undergrounded, 3.5m wide footpaths, tree pits, on -street parking retained, a slightly raised cycle path on both sides of the road, a new roundabout at Wellington Street, and raised speed tables at all side roads. It will be fantastic once completed.

Following public consultation and adoption of the Western Park Development Plan by the local board last August, a number of exciting and long-anticipated park improvements are now occurring for the city’s oldest metropolitan park. Currently a programme of footpath renewals is underway. The new paths have been designed to protect existing tree roots and the overall look is with bluestone edging in line with the development plan.

New lighting will be installed on the western path that connects Ponsonby Road to Beresford Street West and completed by mid-July. The new energy efficient LED lighting is currently planned to be timed to come on at 5am and go off at midnight. This will provide a well-lit, commuter route through the park in line with last year’s community wishes. The lighting along the Ponsonby Road frontage of the park will be retained, and the other old lighting elsewhere in the park decommissioned.

Other projects coming up in the park include a significant new destination playground, including what is believed to be the longest children’s tube slide in Auckland, which

should be completed by the end of September, and renewed fitness stations that will be focussed around the playing field.

The Freemans Bay residential parking zone joins St Mary’s Bay’s scheme in becoming operational this month. The residential parking zone is a two-hour parking time restriction (P120) that applies Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Residents and businesses apply for permits and coupons that give exemption from the time restriction.

Auckland Transport, with local board support, has now commenced consultation on a similar Ponsonby residential parking zone, to address the issue of daily commuters and local workers making parking in residential street difficult. With Freemans Bay’s scheme, 78% of respondents living within the proposed zone area supported or strongly supported the proposal and only 16% opposed or strongly opposed. Respondents felt that the scheme would free up parking for themselves, visitors and tradespeople.

Respondents also felt that the proposal recognised the needs of the local community.

Now it’s Ponsonby’s turn to have its say.

Auckland Transport has also recently finished consultation on introducing paid parking along Ponsonby Road and some surrounding streets at the same time to help manage high demand for parking within the area.

Finally, but certainly not least, Auckland Transport working with the local board are in the final stages of design of our Ponsonby Road Plan’s Ponsonby Road pedestrian experience project set to provide an improved pedestrian experience, including safety elements and amenity, on Ponsonby Road and Mackelvie Street. The proposed works included new raised tables at eight side streets between Williamson Avenue and Franklin Road, the relocation of three and addition of one pedestrian refuges, the relocation of a bus stop and footpath build out of the old indented stop; all with a net gain of parking spaces.

The local board has decided not to proceed with a permanent central island treeline on Mackelvie Street, and will now explore a more holistic laneways vision to foster the emerging laneway resulting from various independent developments in this exciting part of Ponsonby Road. We hope all can see a joined up vision for our important inner city community evident in your local board’s work over the past five years.

PN (SHALE CHAMBERS) F Contact me: shale.chambers@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

The Ponsonby Road/Collingwood Street corner

16 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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LETTERS + EMAILS REGARDING WORKS AT HAKANOA STREET This is the message, set out below, sent to the Land Transport Authorities today. Beyond the immediate points of frustration, the core issue is in regard to management and retention of our heritage street.

Based on past experience we do not expect any response and then it will be too far along to retrieve the position. Before we proceed to other interventions we thought to see if you can be of any assistance to the street.

It would be fair to say there is a rising concern and irritation as to the approach taken to the re-kerbing and other works undertaken on the street.

The residents to date, have been, I believe, very cooperative given the impact it has on their access, and despite the lack of consultation from council.

A point to make upfront is that the contractors have been very obliging and considerate to the occupants of the street. They have in fact saved us, our cars from ticketing and towing and informed us more of what the project works are about than yourselves, simply by being curious enough to knock on a door. You also get the feeling they are perplexed as to the current approach and instructions they are receiving from council. “Numerous concerns have arisen over the week.� The most concerning is in relation to the removal of some of the Bluestone kerbing. Other residents have asked as, too, whether the kerbing would remain, in previous correspondences to you. After several weeks they have not been given any curtesy of a reply. We value our street as a heritage street.

So when the Bluestone kerbing is being replaced by concrete on a piecemeal basis it begins the process of change and deterioration, diluting the street’s heritage status, which is in our view avoidable.

We understand that the arborist private (who have sighted and visited the street) versus public hold very different views on the capacity of the root system to cope with some ground movements and the re-kerbing process.

18 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

Our understanding is that the trees are as deep as they are high and the trees themselves hardy and very survivable.

On this basis, concreting the kerbside would appear unnecessary and high in maintenance given the nature of the rooting system. Concrete would merely crack and require replacement causing both additional cost and inconvenience.

The second matter relates to the expectation from the council how the street occupants will manage to access their homes and house their cars over these many weeks? Where was the consultation and consideration?

You will appreciate that our homes have not been designed to cater for cars and the street is in many cases the only place for vehicles to reside. When works are occurring on one side of the street it fails common sense to prohibit parking especially over the night time period. Where are the 100 cars meant to go?, and should we be expected leave our cars and ourselves vulnerable when having to park a street or two away in the nightime?

Overzealous parking wardens have been taking the opportunity to ticket and tow vehicles that are parked without any appreciation of the implications this has on people with families, disabilities and those who have health concerns. Specifically on Monday, where the signs had fallen and been covered completely by leaves over the weekend, many cars had been towed. Owners would not have seen these signs.

Lastly, the plane trees themselves continue to grow and therefore their root systems begin impacting our property foundations. There is some clear evidence (No 51) of this which I understand the council to be very aware of as we are aware of this dialogue. The higher the tree expand the more light that is removed, making for a darker and damper home. So some measure of balance needs to be recognised in the process of the tree management and some appreciation that they require maintaining to protect the council from liability and to provide the street occupants with the knowledge that they are safe.

We welcome discussion and consultation on site.

Jocelyn Weatherall, Grey Lynn

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NIKKI KAYE: AUCKLAND CENTRAL MP

Investing in housing, health and social services Last week the Minister of Finance, Bill English, presented this year’s Budget. In the lead up to Budget Day, there were several pre-budget announcements that have focused on supporting some of our most vulnerable New Zealanders.

Being in surplus has enabled us to have more choices around what investments can be made. Part of the privilege of sitting at the cabinet table comes with it a responsibility to make the best possible choices about investing your money to help vulnerable New Zealanders.

Budget 2016 fulfils a National Government commitment to provide better access to emergency housing for our most vulnerable citizens. For the first time, there will be ongoing taxpayer funding set aside specifically for temporary accommodation for those with urgent need valued at $41 million.

These funds complement other initiatives focused on housing affordability such as additional grants for first home buyers, freeing additional land for housing, changes to planning systems and the many new special housing areas signed off.

The Ministry of Social Development will contract NGOs to provide 3000 emergency housing places each year, with the first emergency housing contracts expected to be in place by September. It is expected that about 800 individuals will be able to access a contracted emergency housing place at any one time. Numbers are yet to be finalised but it is expected Auckland will receive around 360 places. As the MP for Auckland Central this funding is vital for our city, particularly for people living in central Auckland.

There will also be a new emergency housing Special Needs Grant to support individuals and families with the cost of emergency housing for up to seven days where they are unable to access a contracted place. This follows feedback from providers that access and funding was difficult. This grant will not have to be paid back. The target groups for this initiative are our most vulnerable citizens who may be homeless, or victims of domestic violence.

Hon Nikki Kaye with the Deputy Prime Minister Hon Bill English at a pre-Budget Business Forum in Auckland Central

Another significant area of investment is in health. We have announced that an extra $39 million will be invested in 2016/17 to enable Pharmac to provide more New Zealanders will access to new medications.

The Budget 2016 funding boost will see an extra $124 million over four years meaning that Pharmac can further increase access to new medicines, benefiting more New Zealanders.

The Pharmac budget for 2016/17 will be a record $850 million - this means that the Government has increased Pharmac’s budget by $200 million since 2008. As a constituency MP I have some tough moments when people have come to see me because they want access to new medicines that have not been funded. This investment allows Pharmac more options on new medicines that it can find. Pharmac is currently considering funding around 50 new drugs, vaccines and devices with this investment.

This year’s Budget also fills gaps that currently exist in the social support system for victims of sexual violence and for programmes to prevent sexual violence. $46 million of operating funding will be invested over the next four years. The funding will support frontline crisis response for victims, assessment and treatment programmes and services for male survivors of sexual abuse.

This funding comes after a review of the current system that supports victims of sexual violence, which looked at where funding is needed and where it can deliver the best results for victims. As Minister for ACC I can also confirm that ACC will be spending millions more both in supporting victims with counselling services by also in prevention programmes.

The investment in these vital areas underlines our commitment to ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society are given the support and opportunity to improve their quality of life. (NIKKI KAYE) F PN Hon Nikki Kaye is the MP for Auckland Central. www.nikkikaye.co.nz

20 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS

Bill Ralston to stand for council Local Ponsonbyite Bill Ralston has thrown his hat in the ring for the Auckland Council seat of Waitemata.

Bill is standing as an independent, but acknowledges his centre-right political stance, and is strongly supported by National Party stalwarts Nikki Kaye and Michelle Boag, both of whom were at his recent launch at Ponsonby Central.

The National Party is coy about being officially named as a party entering local body politics, with the National Party caucus apparently not wanting the emergence of a new centre-right group branded ‘National’. A new group, blatantly centre right, has been launched called ‘Future Auckland’, but Ralston insists he remains an independent centre right candidate.

However, with City Vision clearly identified with the centre left, the political affiliations of most candidates are easy to ascertain.

Ralston’s launch speech included this crystal clear statement: “Regardless of who is mayor, there needs to be a solid majority of the RIGHT people on council, making the RIGHT decisions and steering the city in the RIGHT direction.”

A recent report on Auckland Council Governance said, “a governing faction facing off an opposition faction would not lead to better decision-making or outcomes for Aucklanders.”

When Ponsonby News asked Bill Ralston about that statement he agreed that many local issues, including speed limits on local roads, local cycle ways, four or six-storey apartments, or none at all for Ponsonby precincts, were not left or right issues.

However, Ralston is concerned about ever increasing rates, infrastructure funding, and he would consider partial asset sales, and public private partnerships to fund development. These issues he does identify as left or right. He does not want to see Auckland go further into debt borrowing money for these initiatives, which he insists the left would do.

I too, have had better examples of bottom-up consultation with AT over safety near schools, and where proposed cycle ways should be sited. Perhaps AT has seen the light, and is responding to much anger at top down imposition by their staff.

This is a first foray into local politics for Bill Ralston since he was a member of the Northcote Borough Council at the tender age of 21. Bill was born and brought up on the North Shore, and attended Northcote Primary and Northcote College. He has a degree in political studies, and has spent many years as a political journalist and editor. For many years he covered parliament for TVNZ and then TV3. He and his wife, Janet Wilson, run a communications advice company.

Bill Ralston is a highly personable guy, comfortable in his own skin, without anger or rancour about the city’s woes, but with firm ideas about how our city could be better.

Asset sales, including Ports of Auckland, will be major issues for the November election.

Ralston hesitated when asked about his plank, listed on his recent brochure, that rates should be frozen. His point was that while the increase this year was ‘only’ 2.6%, “remember it is election year”, he perhaps cynically suggested, “and we have had consistent 10% increases in recent years.”

A cap on staff numbers is another of Ralston’s election pledges. We asked him how that would be applied. “A sinking lid,” he suggested. Bill Ralston is calling for “better, stronger leaders.”

We asked him how councillors can be more effective when so many decisions are made by unelected CCO members (eg, Auckland Transport), and unelected so-called independent commissioners. He was unfazed by those suggestions and pointed out excellent consultation

by Auckland Transport over cycle lanes in his own street, Franklin Road.

22 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

His main aim as councillor would be to see greater accountability, tighter control of how ratepayers money is spent, and clear thinking about how we turn the problem of the city’s extraordinary growth into a real asset.

I’m sure incumbent Mike Lee would assure Bill Ralston that it is harder than it looks to tame the monolithic monstrosity that is Auckland Council, but Bill Ralston is keen to give it a shot. He is positive and optimistic - good qualities - and will give Lee a run for his money.

Let’s hope there are some combined candidates public meetings so ratepayers can actively engage with Ralston and Lee about the issues that matter to them.

(JOHN ELLIOTT) F PN www.facebook.com/public/Bill-Ralston

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RACHAEL TE AOTONGA: LEYS INSTITUTE LIBRARY NEWS You will be happy to know that the library is back in action again after closing its doors for a month for building maintenance. We welcome you all to come by and say hello.

If you and your children are not already library members, it is high time you joined!

We offer a fabulous free service in which you can access an enormous collection which includes: books and magazines in both hard copy and digital format, free WiFi, public computers as well as printing and scanning facilities. Our children’s programmes are very popular and we host interesting events on a regular basis. Why wouldn’t you want to make the most of your local library?

The seven stars are Tawhirimatea’s eyes. Other traditions tell of how the stars are a woman, Matariki, and her six daughters, who help Te Ra, the sun, after his winter journey from the north.

Speaking of special events, the magical celebration that is Matariki starts on 6 June this year. This is one of our favourite times of year. Matariki is the Maori name for the Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters). This huddle of stars appears low in the north-east horizon.

Matariki craft festival Bring the kids along to the library for a morning of Matariki-inspired craft activities. Let’s get those hands dirty and get creating. With a choice of seed bombs, star weaving and clay pendants there is bound to be something to inspire. You won’t want to miss our special Matariki installation either! BYO torch.

In some areas, the new Maori calendar year begins on the first full moon after Matariki becomes visible. Matariki is a time to prepare the land for planting in the spring. Matariki also has great significance for ocean voyagers as a navigation beacon.

There are two translations in Te Reo Maori for Matariki: Mata riki, tiny eyes, and Mataariki, eyes of god. If the stars appear to stand wide apart, this indicates a bountiful season; should the stars seem close together it denotes a cold season with less abundance.

The legends of the origin of Matariki vary. One of the most popular tells of how the god of the winds, Tawhirimatea, tore out his eyes and threw them into the sky, after becoming angry that Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatuanuku, the earth mother, had been separated.

To celebrate Matariki, we have some delightful festivities happening in the library. We would love to see you and your family joining in the fun!

Where: Leys Institute Library When: Saturday 25 June 10.30am - 12.30pm Cost: Free Tales by twilight in celebration of Matariki Grab the kids and join us for a cosy evening of stories and music. Wear your PJs, bring a torch and - if you like - a sleeping bag. We’ll round the evening off with everyone’s favourite - milk and cookies.

Where: Leys Institute Library, When: Friday 1 July at 6.15pm, Cost: Free.

(RACHAEL TE AOTONGA) F PN LEYS INSTITUTE, 20 St Marys Road, T: 09 374 1315, www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz

DEIRDRE ROELANTS: LANDMARK BUILDINGS

The Mercury Theatre It was designed by architect Edward Bartley who was born in Jersey, 1839 and learned building trade techniques from his father who was both an architect and a builder. He immigrated to New Zealand while still in his teens and settled in Devonport. Initially he worked in the building trade but eventually practised as an architect, designing many notable structures such as churches that still stand and particularly the marvellous synagogue on Princes Street. The theatre was commissioned by Benjamin Fuller whose company was focussed on public entertainment in Auckland, providing excursion tours by boat and coach. In 1910 it expanded by constructing King’s Theatre on what was then called Upper Pitt Street at a cost of £7777. Subsequently it went through several name changes - The Prince Edward, The Playhouse and finally the Mercury Theatre in 1968.

Benjamin’s brief to Bartley was to build an up-to-date and safe, luxurious theatre. The auditorium and stage were to be lit with electricity rather than gas which was hazardous, and asbestos drop curtains were to be installed in case of fire. The interior fit-out consisted of concrete staircases and ceilings made of pressed tin panels. The Edwardian Baroque theatre was intended to be a live drama venue but was designed with facilities to screen ‘Electric Moving Pictures’ as well, so it was the first purpose-built cinema in Auckland and survives to this day because of this flexibility. It is also a rare example in New Zealand of the transition between theatre and cinema. For this purpose the design dispensed with boxes in favour of a linking stair between the stalls and circle. Despite these modifications it remains a significant example of Edwardian theatre design.

The theatre is three stories in height. Applied decorations are confined to the exterior facade with the sides and rear of plain brick with regularly spaced rectangular windows.

The main elevation has a verandah supported by heavy consoles and ties fixed to plaster lion-head mountings. The auditorium although altered over the years, retains some important features. The horseshoe shaped circle has an ornately decorated plaster balcony. Triple arches each side of the stage are ornamented with egg and dart beading and decorated busts once sat within the arches. The remainder of the walls

24 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

photography: Deidre Roelants

The Mercury Theatre, a very important part of Auckland’s history, has a lively past.

have been soundproofed and the vestibule has been converted into a theatrette but the auditorium’s beamed ceiling still remains. The Worthington Bar, part of a later addition has a black and white tiled floor with a Star of David pattern.

In 1926 a new entrance was created on Karangahape Road and the Dome Room was added at the end of the arcade where black and white tiled floors are still in place.

A marble staircase with a steel balustrade leads to this addition, so named because of its elliptical glass leadlight. By 1968 this area had become the Norman Ng building and the entrance was no longer available so the initial France Street entrance was reopened.

At this time the cinema was converted to live theatre and became the Mercury Theatre Company’s home. The auditorium was reduced in size, some of the rear stalls were partitioned off to create a larger lobby. The rear part of the circle was separated from the auditorium thus creating a space for smaller productions.

At least 12 productions were played annually after this period ranging from children’s pantomimes to serious tragedy-dramas including those by Shakespeare and Chekhov.

Notable actors who performed at the theatre include, George Henare, Michael Hurst, Ian Mune to name just a few. Raymond Hawthorne joined the theatre in 1971 and became its artistic director from 1985 till 1992. Though well patronised, running costs forced its closure that year. the Auckland City Council renamed France Street as Mercury Lane to honour this memory. The Equippers Church who now own the building have made it available for theatrical performances and shows. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS) F PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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PONSONBY U3A: MAY 2016 Ponsonby U3A member Nancy Keat (84) has been in the news lately as Auckland University’s oldest student to be capped at its recent graduation ceremony.

She successfully completed a post-graduate diploma in art history. Her next undertaking is to start a one-year Masters Degree studying the role of public art in Auckland and its relationship to the city’s ethnic diversity For a number of years Ponsonby U3A members have greatly benefited from Nancy’s in-depth knowledge and wide interest in art. She leads the Gallery Visits special interest group, organising monthly visits to galleries or art walks, often with a guide, always with a stop for coffee and accompanied by information on the day’s visit.

The group is so popular that it has had to close its books in the meantime.

U3A member Nancy Keat (84) about to start a Masters Degree

Another popular art-themed special interest group is Art History led by Beverley Morris. It meets twice monthly in members’ homes, where members give presentations on the current topic, Renaissance Art.

Ponsonby U3A has 16 special interest groups offering a host of learning and leisure opportunities. Special interest group co-ordinator Janet Williamson points out that these groups are the essence of U3A, “where we develop our interests and make our friends.”

U3A members were treated to two art related talks at its May meeting. The 10 minute speaker, Kathy Walker has visited Japan eight times, most recently to view the Art Setouchi exhibitions on the islands of Naoshima, Teshima and Inojima in the Seto Inland Sea in Southern Japan. The exhibitions are the brainchild of a retired Japanese businessman who saw the potential of preserving Japanese heritage and the environment and formed the Benesse Art Foundation. The islands abound with architecture, art and sculptures.

Kathy and her daughter Sarah spent three days exploring the area by electric bicycle, and stayed in a traditional Japanese inn.

Guest speaker Emil McAvoy, a visitor host at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, talked about this important new art space firmly rooted in the region of West Auckland. The completion of the award-winning Te Uru (next door to the former Lopdell House Gallery) in November 2014 was the realisation of the organisation’s nearly 20-year vision to establish a museum-grade gallery space capable of loaning works and exhibitions from major institutions. He outlined the development of Te Uru and how its exponentially expanded capacity is producing a programme of diverse exhibitions and events that range from Guest speaker Emil McAvoy visitor important art, historical paintings to host at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary jewellery and ceramics to performance Gallery with U3A member Gill Marris and augmented reality. “Now 18 months old the gallery is starting to take its first steps,” said Emil. “It is a really exciting time and there have now been a lot of exhibitions in the new gallery.” He gave details of the five gallery spaces, the curiosity corner, the collections corner with its agenda to show design and craft and dedicated areas for children and education. “There’s a real feeling of being in a special place in Titirangi: globally minded, locally rooted - a west Auckland focus.” he said.

Guest speaker at the June meeting will be Jim Morrow : “Presentation of Tibet - Cho Oyu PN summit climb, the sixth highest mountain in the world” (PHILIPPA TAIT) F NEXT MEETING: ENQUIRIES:

9.45am, Friday 10 June, Herne Bay Petanque Club, Salisbury Street Reserve, Herne Bay. Annie Webster, President Ponsonby U3A. T: 09 376 2902 www.u3aponsonby.org.nz

LOCAL NEWS NEW PRINCIPAL OF ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL GREY LYNN St Joseph’s Catholic School last month announced the appointment of Ms Regina Smuga as Principal of their school effective 2 May. As Daniel Smith says, “This is an exciting time for our school and community. Ms Smuga brings a wealth of teaching experience and commitment to lead our community of St Joseph’s Catholic School into the future.

photography: Martin Leach

We look forwards to your continual support and friendship which has made a difference to our students, staff and parents.” F PN ST JOSEPH’S SCHOOL, 456 Great North Road, T: 09 376 5456, www.st-joseph.school.nz

26 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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MIKE LEE: COUNCILLOR FOR WAITEMATA & GULF

Auckland’s disproportionate growth - not sustainable nor affordable A letter I wrote to the Minister of Building and Housing, Nick Smith, requesting a revocation of a special housing area (SHA) at Kelmarna Avenue, Herne Bay, provoked a furious response. It has also set off a debate about the merits of urban intensification versus suburban sprawl.

SHA’s are Nick Smith’s brain child.

Under the Auckland-specific Housing Accord and Special Housing (HASH) Act, selected intensive housing developments have their approvals fast-tracked, mainly by suspending the normal rights for affected members of the public to comment on the applications. The extraordinary step of suspending Aucklanders’ civil and in some cases property rights, was considered by Minister Smith necessary to help solve the housing crisis (though confusingly the prime minister John Key and other ministers like Simon Bridges deny there is a housing crisis). 154 SHAs have been approved by the council and the Government.

Given the polite tone of my letter, I have to say I was taken aback when I got the minister’s written reply and mortified when he followed it up by attacking me on TV as a ‘nimby’ and ‘hypocrite’. When I was asked for a response I suggested Minister Smith was looking for an Aucklander to pick a fight with. If his housing policies are failing, he is after all the Minister of Housing and he needs to take responsibility - not blame others. Please see link to all the correspondence here: mikelee.co.nz

Essentially Smith believes that the solution to Auckland’s high house prices is a simple one of supply which is insufficient and the fault The problem for Kelmarna Avenue Councillor Mike Lee, Dr Nick Smith (then Minister of Conservation) and Nikki Kaye Auckland of the Auckland Council. But as residents is back in 2007, at Central MP on remote Rakitu Island in September 2013. everyone knows the council has considerable expense, they had been falling over backwards to do successfully battled a similar what it is told by the Government. proposed development on the same ‘Gables’ site, in the Environment Court. This new We recall the public backlash against the council’s clumsy attempt at widespread nondevelopment is considerably bigger - 70 residential units, 3 retail units, 4 storeys with notified ‘upzoning’ of last February.

98 car parks and this time the development was approved - not only without their input - they were never even told about it until it had been signed off by cabinet.

But my letter was not about housing policy as I reminded Minister Smith - it was about the environmental effects of raw sewage overflowing into the Waitemata harbour on My letter to Minister Smith, the first I have written challenging any SHA, was based on the a more or less weekly basis. fact that there was clearly not the required ‘adequate infrastructure’ for the wastewater (sewage and greywater) required under section 16 of the HASH Act. In regard to Auckland’s housing problem, Government policies stoking up immigration into Auckland (demand) and its reluctance to build state houses (supply) are also I pointed out that the wastewater and storm water collection system in this part of contributing factors. There is also the monopoly price rort on building materials, the Auckland is over 100 years old and collected in a single pipe. According to Watercare most expensive in the OECD, currently costing three to five times of California, that the while the combined sewer network in this area does have sufficient capacity for the Government will not touch. present level of wastewater flow in dry weather, when it rains the system cannot cope and overflows into the Waitemata Harbour. As Watercare Services advises: “Currently, While population-driven pressure on the property market is a feature of cities in other there are around 50 constructed points in the combined sewerage system that countries - the difference is that in New Zealand a disproportionate amount of growth is discharge to the environment more than 52 times per year - most of which now spill loaded onto one city - Auckland. And Auckland ratepayers are expected to pay for more every time it rains.” The situation is chronic and getting worse. Watercare has longand more for increasingly expensive infrastructure. standing plans for a $3 billion central interceptor which will have the necessary capacity and which it hopes to start in 2018. This will take up to 10 years to finish but as yet no While I support intensification over suburban sprawl (subject of course to the availability funding has been secured. of adequate infrastructure) the current debate assumes that Auckland must continue to grow disproportionately. I have long challenged this assumption as in my first speech as The principal discharge point for sewage overflows from Herne Bay is Cox’s Creek, 400 chairman of the Auckland Regional Council back in 2004 (see link below). metres from the proposed SHA. St Mary’s Bay and the sewage outlet to the east of Westhaven is also regularly polluted with raw sewage overflows. As more and more With state highways and motorways increasingly congested on the suburban fringes development is squeezed in the problem becomes worse. As I wrote Minister Smith: and sewerage capacity under pressure in places like the historic western bays, such growth is neither environmentally sustainable - nor in the end affordable. An intelligent “Finally my submission is that the SHA at 1 Kelmarna Avenue does not have - nor will it government-led balanced population and development policy for the whole of have for conceivably 10 years from now - the ‘adequate infrastructure’ required under New Zealand is what is needed. s16 of the Act, nor did the Auckland Council have regard in making its recommendation to you, to all the necessary ‘relevant local planning documents, strategies, policies, and If the current debate begins to question long-standing assumptions that Auckland must any other relevant information’ required under the same section of the Act - notably its continue to grow beyond the support of affordable infrastructure, then the tirade of PN own Proposed Unitary Plan, the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management personal abuse I copped from Nick Smith would have been worth it. (MIKE LEE) F (2014) and quite separately and even more importantly its ongoing statutory obligations Mike Lee is the Auckland councillor for Waitemata & Gulf ward.www.mikelee.co.nz under the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act (2000).” www.mikelee.co.nz/2016/05/the-nick-smith-file/ www.mikelee.co.nz/2016/05/first-speech-as-chairman-of-the-arc-21-10-2004/

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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS

Vinegar Lane Development - less chaos at last It’s been a hard time for the businesses around the new Vinegar Lane Development during construction, but the end is in sight.

The new Countdown Supermarket is open and road works and barricades are coming down. We’ve certainly come a long way since the days when protesters engaged in a swim-in where the large hole in the ground at Vinegar Lane was such an eyesore after the first attempt at a development ended in a bankruptcy.

Local businesses have told Ponsonby News that disruption to their work day has made life difficult for them. Parking has been a nightmare. Glengarry often lost their half dozen dedicated park spaces outside their store. As Liz Wheadon, Glengarry General Manager, told Ponsonby News, “It has been very trying.” Collaboration with the construction company has not always been good enough either, several business owners told us.

Other businesses keen for work to end include Le Monde on Pollen Street and Bashford Antiques on Williamson Avenue.

the past. Many people just avoided the long strip of Ponsonby Road and headed straight for the malls.

Ponsonby News congratulates Countdown on the opening of their new supermarket and wishes them well. The new supermarket will open on Thursday 2 June at 8am.

We at Ponsonby News would urge our readers, using our old mantra, to support businesses in this new commercial precinct: “Stay local, shop local, support our local businesses.” (JOHN ELLIOTT) F PN

However, all now hope the worst is behind them and business can get back to normal.

In fact several owners told Ponsonby News that the developments should enhance their business prospects. It’s certainly been a circus around the Williamson Avenue - Pollen Street corner, and Glengarry Wines and Pane & Vino’s businesses have probably suffered most.

Countdown told Ponsonby News they understand the frustration caused by what is one of the largest construction jobs in the inner city. They are, however, proud of the fact that this store has been specially designed for Ponsonby - their first premium supermarket.

Among innovations will be a special health and wellness section.

The completion of the rest of Vinegar Lane is on track for completion in July.

Ponsonby News spoke to Ken Johnson and Deborah White of Whitespace on Crummer Road. They are enthusiastic about the new developments which they feel will improve the whole Ponsonby shopping experience. They have already noticed more foot traffic.

Ken is excited to see the completion and occupancy of the private studio apartments, most of which will be live and work for home. At least one opposite Whitespace is being built for an architect.

The underground car parks will be a boon for Ponsonby too, as will the network of laneways which will link Vinegar Lane, via Ponsonby Central, right through to Lincoln Street. This will give the depth to the Ponsonby commercial precinct that it has lacked in

30 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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What is a food specialist? And what possible difference could they make to a brand new Countdown store opening in Auckland’s culinary heart?

Well, Countdown Ponsonby has three food specialists.

To discover exactly what that means to the food lovers of Ponsonby, we went straight to the source.

Jared Adlam grew up on a farm in Kaukapakapa.

“My dad kindled my passion for food,” said Adlam, “He cooked what he grew and taught me the basics of gardening and cooking – as well as sparking my interest in exploring different types of cuisine.”

At the age of 18, Adlam started cooking professionally in Australia, before returning to Auckland to gain his Diploma in Culinary Art. He has since worked as a qualified chef in a variety of roles, the latest being Senior Sous Chef at Ascension Winery in Matakana.

Adlam believes his role at Countdown Ponsonby is simple.

“I just want to impart my knowledge and passion for fresh food to the people of Ponsonby.”

Kerri Lamb’s passion for food and flavours began in the family kitchen.

“It’s where my journey began, cooking meals for the family.

All through school I dreamed of becoming a chef,” said Lamb.

Lamb jumped into the industry head-first – from Manukau Polytechnic, to a pub bistro, to an island off Queensland.

7am – 10pm | 7 days Corner of Williamson Avenue and Ponsonby Road

It was there that he learned the amazing textures and flavours of seafood. Eventually, he returned to New Zealand to start up his own catering company, before the birth of his first child saw him take a detour into hospitality education. Now, he is at Ponsonby, playing an integral role in this amazing new food store.

Lamb has a strong idea of what his role at Countdown Ponsonby entails.

“I can’t wait to share my knowledge and passion for good, clean food and cooking.”

Tom Allison has always been interested in how things are made.

“My mum, June, let me loose in the kitchen from an early age,” said Allison, “From then on, I knew food was going to be an important part of my life.”

From a part time job in the local butcher, Allison took his basic knife skills and began an apprenticeship at Soul Bar and Bistro under Head Chef Peter Thornley. He attributes much of his drive and success to his mentor’s infectious passion for food. The valuable experience he gained from running his own catering company, along with an enlightening stint at an exclusive gourmet deli in Melbourne, have set Allison up for his current role as Food Specialist at Countdown Ponsonby.

“I’m really looking forward to helping you find what you’re looking for – from your favourite specialty food to the advice you need to prepare it.”

Above: (L-R) Tom Allison, Kerri Lamb and Jared Adlam Countdown Ponsonby’s Food Specialists.

JACINDA ARDERN: LABOUR LIST MP AUCKLAND Imagine a time in the future when your grandchildren ask you to tell them about the olden days when, as kids, you could actually swim in our rivers.

Imagine their amazement when you tell them that once upon a time all New Zealand rivers could be swum in, jumped in and played in.

It seems ludicrous, but we are dangerously close to a situation that stories of our rivers will be the legacy we leave for the next generation - memories of how clean New Zealand used to be.

A few weeks ago a group of school children from Turangi stood on the forecourt at Parliament and urged the Government to do what Sweden is well on the way to doing - making rivers swimmable.

When it comes to all things sustainable, you’ve got to hand it to the Swedes. Not only are they global leaders in clean tech - just one percent of solid waste goes into landfills - they’ve got some of the highest clean water standards in the world.

We could do well to take a lesson from Sweden. In line with the principles of sustainable development they adopted a goal “to hand over to the next generation a society in which the major environmental problems have been solved” almost 20 years ago. The OECD now ranks Sweden as a front runner on a number of environmental policies. In fact the Swedish Government goes further - their waterways have to be clean enough to be used as a drinkable water source.

Conversation Minister Nick Smith acknowledges the main cause of declining water quality is livestock effluent and fertiliser. But rather than taking the bull by the horns and cracking down on the worst offenders, National has set the weakest of standards, meaning our rivers and streams only need to be wadeable.

Wadeable means our rivers and lakes are allowed to pose a ‘moderate risk’ of infection when people are wading or boating in them. It means you can’t put your head in the water. That is an acceptance of dirty water.

By making wadeability - rather than swimabilty - the standard, the Government is giving away even an aspirational goal of clean natural water for our kids.

It is putting cows and agricultural pollution ahead of people and wrecking our ‘pure, green’ brand which our biggest industry, tourism, relies on.

Those kids came to Parliament to give us a message: Clean up our rivers now. They want to swim in their local rivers. And, if asked, I bet your nieces, nephews, kids, and PN grandkids would say the same. (JACINDA ARDERN) F JACINDA ARDERN, Labour List MP based in Auckland Central. www.jacinda.co.nz

New Zealand used to have swimmable rivers. The Ruamahanga in the Wairarapa was once chocka with kids during school holidays. The Hutt River was the same.

Now both feature regularly in warnings from the regional council with toxic algae making them unsafe for swimming and potentially lethal to dogs.

Warm weather, low flows and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus contribute to algae blooms. Weather we can’t do a lot about. But we can do something about the other two. Low flows are exacerbated by extraction - a $400m irrigation scheme anyone while nitrogen leaching is caused by intensive farming. The last has been identified as causing the most degradation to our waterways And in a country first, winter fishing in parts of Canterbury is about to be banned due to declining river quality, with Fish & Game saying the region’s lowland streams are all classified from mildly to heavily polluted, following years of degradation.

By the National Government’s own reckoning, almost two thirds of our monitored waterways are of ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ quality which means they are unsafe for swimming and should be avoided.

FUNDRAISER CONCERT TO END CHILD POVERTY IN NEW ZEALAND Music from the Classics, Traditional and Beyond Come and be uplifted and enchanted by music featuring a wide range of talented musical friends who have come together to support the work of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG).

Tickets: Venue:

Pre-sale: $25 (Door cash sale $30); PONSONBY BAPTIST CHURCH - 43 Jervois Road, corner Seymour Street.

RSVP & more details: www.cpag.org.nz or email: admin@cpag.org.nz

Including: George Wang, Arthur Wang and Zhi Chen on violin, Richard Yu on viola and piano, Brigitte Sistig and Daniel Wong on cello, Noah Rudd on oboe, Charlotte Naden on bassoon, Markus Hakala on saxophone, and Tenor Alan Patterson.

Special guest performers: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Concertmaster Andrew Beer, the Manukau Youth Jazz Orchestra conducted by Joseph Allan, and the Chinese Chao Shan Ensemble.

This concert is dedicated to raise funds for CPAG’s research, education and advocacy work in 2016. Followed by light refreshments courtesy of Sierra Cafe.

32 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

SLEEP GALLERY - FOR A LUXURIOUS SLEEP The Sleep Gallery has been designed with a focus on providing the ultimate customer experience.

Showcasing luxury sleep solutions is more than just how a bed looks, it’s about finding the most suitable mattress for each person.

We lead busy lives and the process of purchasing a new bed can be overwhelming.

At the Sleep Gallery there is the opportunity to relax, take your time and find the best possible night’s sleep.

Unique to the Sleep Gallery is a dedicated Sleep Experience Zone. This space allows customers to try mattresses in a private, quiet environment, away from the hustle and bustle of life. Kick off your shoes, slip on a Tempur face mask and actually lie down for a ‘test rest’. Take your time to choose the perfect, luxurious new mattress; after all, it’s such a personal purchase and you want to choose the right option that suits your unique requirements.

Husband and wife team Narae and Adam Young are the owner-operators of this new luxury concept store which is the first of its kind in Australasia. You’ll benefit from Narae’s 15 years in the bedding market, this extensive experience and knowledge ensures Sleep Gallery provides a high level of customer satisfaction. The Parnell showroom features exclusive products that have never been seen before in New Zealand. At the Sleep Gallery the focus is on quality and value, and all our products are at highly competitive prices.

Has the time come to upgrade your bed? Visit our contemporary, relaxed and comfortable environment to discover a variety of mattresses, bases and adjustable lifestyle beds. We stock recognised world-class brands such as Sealy Crown Jewel, Beautyrest Royale and Tempur.

You can experience what the ultimate in sleep luxury feels like, visit the Sleep Gallery at 101 The Strand, Parnell, nestled between Matisse and Dawson & Co. Feel free to contact the team on: (09) 369 1273 or email sales@sleepgallery.co.nz www.sleepgallery.co.nz sleepgallerynz

DEIRDRE THURSTON: ON MY MIND

Happy ever after Recently I attended a wedding on the Gold Coast. Close friends’ indrawn breaths were audible several suburbs away on my announcement of this trip: “She’s willingly going to the GC!” they whispered, eyes wide in disbelief.

Seems it’s no secret that I am less than enamoured with the place and it would take something of great importance to lure me: like a best friend’s daughter’s wedding.

“You’re not thinking of backing out, are you.” My friend stated rather than questioned during one of our three-hour phone talkathons. She knows me too well. I admit backing -out thoughts had slithered across my mind. However, grown-up teeth gritted, I sent them packing. The only recourse for a loyal friend. Besides, I adore her daughter. If I had one, I would want her to be exactly like my friend’s daughter - except maybe for the blonde hair. Too weird, mine being black.

This young woman is a daughter anyone would be proud of. Her beauty aside (she is gorgeous) she is a kind, loving sweetheart. Life to her is a posy-lined path she either strolls down or races down in lunatic fashion. Everything she takes on, she tackles with gusto - including this wedding. I’ve never seen anyone delegate planning responsibility for the big day to parents (read mother; dad wrote a speech and showed up) so enthusiastically. Luckily her mother is a spreadsheet queen.

My inbox has been chocka with spreadsheet emails for months: “Go through and tell me if I’ve forgotten anything.” Spreadsheets bore me so after a cursory glance at the dull, lengthy columns of the first one, I never opened another. Didn’t need to - my friend is completely anal re planning so I could got away with it and she still felt supported. In my own way I was supporting her because if I had read the hundreds of emails I would have had to go hit her on the head which would have meant two trips to the GC - a flight too far.

As I sat, early morning, post-wedding, in her kitchen waiting to leave for the airport, I mused on the wedding. The bride, on her father’s arm, glided down the short aisle of a small, glass chapel like a graceful, ivory swan. Her groom blubbed, the bridesmaids and guests blubbed. Enormous, black crows strutted outside picking up fallen berries the size of kittens in their terrifying beaks.

An overseas guest pointed at these giants and commented: “Jurassic Park.” Spot on.

The night before I had lain awake listening to screams (bats), chitters (lizards) and

shrieks (the neighbours?) and the deathly silence of enormous black spiders crawling down walls. Australians seem unfazed by the surrounding ever-lurking dangers. On our exit from our wedding accommodation, we ticked off a visitors’ checklist. Numbers one to seven normal - take in sunlounger squabs, switch power to ‘vacation’ mode, etc.

Number eight threw me - check all doors, windows and mesh screens are firmly closed and locked to keep out spiders and snakes. Jurassic Park indeed.

Listening to the vows and seeing forever happiness shining through the couple’s tears, I experienced conflicting emotions. On the one hand, ‘happy ever after’ seemed a definite. On the other, smidges of cynicism (divorce-rate figures) and sadness tiptoed in for what once was. But in that moment nothing could defeat those two lovebirds.

The after party was spectacular - held in a huge, open-sided marquee alongside the water (panicky bullshark moments when the groom’s Scottie dog excitedly leapt off the jetty). Back at my friend’s house next day in Brisbane we limped around as if practising for future stints in an old folks home. All the dancing. Always a great party if you get to dance and sing. Especially if you avoid making a fool of yourself falling over while being flung around by someone else’s husband after too many wines. I do have memories of a conga line that seemed like a grand idea (all those happy pheromones rub off) but in hindsight should have been curtailed before the ‘beach episode’.

Dangers aside, my trip to the GC has been fun. Leaving for the airport checklist (screeching, cawing crow soundtrack): Passport; heavy suitcase laden with unworn clothes; relief I didn’t fall over on dance floor (others not so lucky); heart-warming sight of my stoic best mate standing, looking fabulous in blue, with happy tears in her pretty eyes watching her daughter gleam with love plucking a tissue from the front of her bridal gown to dab tears from her new husband’s eyes.

I wish them ‘happy ever after’, and pray they will be among the lucky ones. Flying home I thank the Universe I live in Auckland - hopefully a happy ever after.

(DEIRDRE THURSTON) F PN

LOCAL NEWS 254 PONSONBY ROAD, AKA LIQUOR KING, AKA PONSONBY PARK The process to design and then budget the whole of site open space development at 254 Ponsonby Road is now underway - hooray!

This is being done via a ‘community-led design’ process, so we now need to hear from you.

The community has already voted, via the submission process, for the whole of site open space option and because there are many forms this could take, we need to hear from you about how you might like to use this space. We would like to know your answers to the following five questions: 1. What would you like to do there?

Or send them to: info@254ponsonbyrd.org.nz Community-led design is a ‘from the bottom up’ rather than the usual ‘from the top down’ process. It means that we get to have a huge input into what happens.

So you, your family and friends are all invited to be involved and to be part of this exciting development.

Please let us know your thoughts and ideas because now we’re beginning to make this a reality.

2. How would you like to feel there?

3. What could the park add to our community?

We will regularly ask you for your ideas and input - and then we’ll provide feedback to you - as we work through the stages of the design and, later, the budget for the park.

4. How might the park bring more people to Ponsonby to support our local businesses?

So, let’s get started! And tell your friends, too!

5. Finally, do you have any other ideas or comments you’d like to make?

Facebook: 254ponsonbyrd or Ponsonby Park or www.254ponsonbyrd.org.nz

Please go to www.254ponsonbyrd.org.nz and click on the survey link to give us your answers.

34 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LOOK WHAT 2017 BRINGS

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Phone: 09 3700227 Email: ceo@lexusofaucklandcity.co.nz

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LOCAL NEWS PONSONBY COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWS Ponsy Kids Preschool • 20 ECE funded hours.

• New session times developed to meet the needs of our community.

Fleur Rehm On 20th May we said goodbye to Fleur Rehm our Assistant Supervisor who went on maternity leave. Fleur has played a key role at Ponsy Kids and is well-respected by her peers and much loved by our Ponsy Kids’ families. We wish Fleur and Nick all the best as they start a family and can’t wait to see baby.

Fostering the creative spirit Here at Ponsy Kids Community Preschool art is a highly valued part of our curriculum.

Every day our children are given opportunities to be involved in many different visual arts Assistant Supervisor Fleur Rehm experiences. The early childhood curriculum suggests that “children should experience an environment where they discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive. Children discover and develop skill and confidence with the processes of art and craft, such as cutting, drawing, collage, painting, print-making, weaving, stitching, carving and constructing.” (Ministry of Education, 1996.)

Our children are very proud of their creations and enjoy looking at their work displayed on our walls. Our families also love to look at their children’s art and they often stay in the mornings to spend time with their children as they work on their creations.

Ponsonby Community Centre • Brazilian Martial Arts - Tuesdays at 6:30pm • Preschool Music - Tuesdays at 9:30am • Mum and Toddlers Spanish Language Classes - Tuesdays at 10:30am Composting Workshop - Kelmarna Gardens We are delighted to be teaming up with Compost Collective and Kelmarna Gardens in providing a ‘Hot Composting Workshop’ on Sat 25 June from 10am to 1pm. This is a ‘Hands On’ workshop. The workshop will involve building a compost heap which will reach temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius. This level of heat will kill off weed seeds and pathogens and you will achieve rich compost within three months. Bookings are essential - email info@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz Preschool Ballerina We have Preschool Ballerina classes on Saturday mornings which are run by Rhonda Mickelborough. There are 3 classes available for your children.

Baby Ballerina + me - ages 18 months - 2.6 years At this age, it’s all about fun, and we also learn some very basic ballet steps such as tippy toes, gallops and marching. Lessons require an adult to participate to provide that added security and assist with the settling phase.

Baby Ballerina - ages 2.7 years - 3.6 years Our baby ballerina classes are designed to introduce the dancers to the structure of a dance class and to encourage working independently. Our dancers also learn good listening skills and are taught to follow the instructions of their teachers.

Ponsy Kids Ph: 09 376 0896, E: julie@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz

Prima Ballerina - ages 3.7 years - 5 years Prima Ballerina is the final stage of your child’s preschool education in dance at ballerina school. We start to add more ballet steps and terminology while still using beautiful props and imagery to capture our dancers’ imaginations. F PN

Ponsonby Community Centre Programmes: Check out our new classes for Term 2

Contact Rhonda at the ballerina school office for more information.

E: ballerinaschool@xtra.co.nz www.ballerinaschool.blogspot.co.nz

Leys Institute Gymnasium Hall - New Classes: • Partner Acrobatic Classes - Mondays at 7:30pm • Mummy and Tots Classes - Fridays at 10am starts 17 June

For more information on Ponsonby Community Centre please T: 09 378 1752, or M: 021 244 0904, E: info@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz, W: www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz, Facebook: Ponsonby Community Centre.

DFSA DOES ITS BIT FOR ETHICAL FASHION Clothing, like all commodities, has a life cycle and at Dress for Success Auckland (DFSA) it is passionate about the ethical disposal of donated clothing.

The charity changes the lives of about 1500 women and their families each year by providing clothing, styling, confidence and support for women seeking employment.

Clothing donations are carefully sorted into categories according to their quality and suitability. Clothing deemed work appropriate is steamed or ironed and sorted into size and type, ready for fittings. Stiletto-heeled shoes and over-the-top designer labels make their way into storage for Designer Sales, and casual clothing that’s in good nick gets sold at the popular Grab-a-Bag sales - a great way not only to help DFSA’s clients fill their wardrobes with affordable quality clothing, but also to clear stock and generate a small revenue for the charity thereby aiding in its ethical disposal of clothing.

Any clothing that doesn’t make the mark is donated on to other charitable organisations such as the Salvation Army and Women’s Refuge. Evening and cocktail dresses make their way to ‘Cinderella’s Project’ for another life as a young woman’s school ballgown, and second-hand bras get distributed to needy women through ‘Project Uplift’.

Dressings are only one tier of the service DFSA provides to women: its Women’s Resource Centre provides clients with further career development tools to enable them to find employment, and their Professional Women’s Group provides networking and support

36 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

opportunities for working women to ensure they sustain employment. In order to help empower their clients through these wrap-around programmes, DFSA needs more than just clothing donations: it needs financial support to keep its operations going. This month it is appealing for donations from the public with its ‘May I help?’ campaign.

So ask yourself ‘May I Help?’ Please visit the DFSA website for more details on how you PN can help. F DRESS FOR SUCCESS AUCKLAND, www.dressforsuccessauckland.org.nz/may-i-help/ PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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LOCAL NEWS ROB THOMAS ANNOUNCES HIS CANDIDACY FOR THE WAITEMATA AND GULF WARD Young and rising star of the Waitemata Local Board, Rob Thomas has announced his council candidacy for the Waitemata and Gulf Ward.

Thomas’s campaign is grounded in a firm view for the future - an Auckland city that is green, tech-driven and led by a dynamic and responsive council.

“It is with great pleasure that I announce my candidacy for the Councillor for the Waitemata and Gulf Ward,” said Thomas.

“The council needs fresh thinking and an independent voice for our community. We need to preserve our history but we can’t rely on the ideas of the past. We have to look forward and find new ideas to take this city forward.”

Putting our environment first Creating a green Auckland is at the top of the agenda for Thomas heading into this election.

“Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and its adverse impacts undermine Auckland’s ability to achieve sustainable development. Auckland needs to start investing in clean technology within our community.”

Thomas is campaigning for the first electric public transport vehicles on our streets and on our waterways.

“We’ve already seen the huge difference that electric trains can make to the lives of Aucklanders, so why stop there?” said Thomas.

“Let’s bring our ferries, busses and council vehicles into the 21st Century by going electric.”

Central to Thomas’s policy platform is a commitment to greening our city, by empowering local boards and the community to plant one million new trees over the coming years.

“Auckland has to quite literally go green.” explained Thomas. “Auckland’s Urban Forest has an almost endless number of benefits from stormwater management, air quality control, natural habitat and carbon sequestration.

However, Auckland has just 19% tree cover within the Auckland isthmus and are behind Melbourne with their ambitious target of 40%.

“The effects of climate change aren’t just an issue for the council, this is something that all communities have to take the lead on.”

Building a better council Housing, rates and council spending are all hot topics heading into this election, but so far no candidate has put forward a comprehensive plan to actually fund the city’s growth in a sustainable manner. For that reason Thomas will be campaigning to introduce smart changes to the way the city is funded, while freeing up under-utilised land within the city’s existing urban boundaries.

“Auckland Council needs to get its financials books in order. The city needs significant investment in Transport and Housing infrastructure over the next two decades,” explained Thomas.

“There is no doubt that millions can be saved within the council’s existing processes but Auckland Council needs to develop an investment strategy that works on growing the rates base rather than borrowing or penny pinching. There are under-utilised plots of land all across Auckland, in city centres and around transport hubs, that are serviced by infrastructure and are not working for us.

Just one of those low-yield sites is the Ports of Auckland.”

A tech-driven Auckland Cities around the world have recognised that great ideas and collaboration turn them into great businesses. This means having a council that is actively engaged with the entrepreneurs and thinkers of our city before they decide to take their ideas overseas.

“Auckland has a technology start-up sector that is teetering on the edge of major global success. Since Grid AKL was established, fledgling tech hubs have already sprung up in the roof of Devenport’s Ferry Building and Grid UpTown near the Mt Eden Railway Station. These are just the start, though, we need a whole new generation of startups to take Auckland into the future.”

Rob Thomas has spent two terms (six years) serving on the Waitemata Local Board. Thomas first started his community service as the Chair of the Auckland Youth Council and working on the Britomart Train Station project. Since then, he has worked in strategy for the City of Westminster in London and Wellington City Council, culminating in his experience on the local board.

Thomas is a keen cyclist and has cycled across the Rocky Mountains in Canada, through Switzerland and around the Mediterranean Coast in Italy.

“It has been a great pleasure to represent our community on the Waitemata Local Board but now is the time for a major sea change. Auckland faces a bright and healthier future which involves a focus on the environment, technology, and sustainable investment plan in transport and housing.” F PN www.robthomas.co.nz

OUT + ABOUT ART ACHE Collectable artworks were available at this 10th event in the series, curated by self-proclaimed Creative Messiah Aimee-Ralfini. Artworks were especially developed for the event and available to purchased on the night at entry level prices, with a limited number available for $50 each: all to ensure Fine Art is available to love and cherish for art loving New Zealanders on a normal wage. The artist lineup was Anonymous Artist, Rebecca Zephyr-Thomas, Zora Bell Boyd, Mary MacGregor-Reid and Angus McNaughton.

38 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

photography: Sam Lee

Golden Dawn, Thursday 5 May

Rebecca Zephyr-Thomas and Lola Rose

Matthew Crawley; Neil Finn and Charlotte Ryan PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

Interior Design BoConcept is all about making furniture and colours come together in your home. If you need someone to bounce your ideas off, our interior decorators are at hand. They are able to complete any scheme, ranging from one piece of furniture, single rooms, small apartments to big houses and corporate spaces.

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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS

Continuing concern about council use of poisonous spray on city berms and parks Last year Ponsonby News asked Auckland Transport what sprays they used on roadsides and parks in Auckland City.

Mark Hannan, Media Relations Manager, confirmed that no changes had been made to the regimen in place before amalgamation and the birth of the Super City.

Rodney and Franklin still use glyphosate (tradename Roundup) but Auckland City uses an “organic fatty acid herbicide derived from essential oils of either coconut or pine plants.” Sounds like a beauty therapy treatment, doesn’t it?

They go on to say, “this may emit a strong odour, but it is completely harmless to humans.”

Good? Well, not so good really, because glyphosate is still “used to some degree to treat specific weeds which are resistant to other vegetation control methods in Auckland City and North Shore.”

The Green Party waded in also. Said Steffan Browning, pesticides spokesman, “Many people would be shocked to learn that their kids’ local playground is being sprayed with potentially carcinogenic chemicals. Glyphosate has no place in building a more liveable city.”

This is a hugely backward step by Auckland Council.

Coincidently, Ponsonby News was contacted by a local woman who was exposed to one suspected spray that contained five harmful chemicals.

Amber McLennan had burning skin and was in hospital for one week. She has permanent scarring on parts of her body. Amber had to have three months off work because she was in so much pain and needed treatment.

She consulted Dr Matt Tizard, well-known critic of poisonous sprays, who spent time detoxing her.

The question has arisen again last month.

Auckland Councillors’ John Watson and Wayne Walker say that Auckland Council’s increase in the use of chemical sprays is alarming and has no public mandate.

They tried to trigger a debate on an amendment which sought to reverse an earlier council decision to use more chemical sprays in Auckland’s parks and reserves. The Chair, Penny Webster, refused to allow the debate.

John Watson said this, “Over the last six months Auckland Council has dramatically increased the use of chemicals in most of its parks and reserves right across the Auckland region.”

Wayne Walker added, “Friday’s meeting was the opportunity to... stop the widespread use of glyphosate in our parks.”

“The clock has been turned back 20 years,” said Watson.

“Auckland is not the world’s most liveable city, it is now New Zealand’s most chemical one.”

Tizard is aghast that these carcinogenic compounds are still in use in our community. Amber cautioned against chemical house spraying too, which she believes is a contributor to poisoning.

It took an arduous three-month detoxification regime with Dr Tizard to get Amber McLennan’s body clear of the poisons.

This whole discussion brought back memories for me.

As a student, I worked for a company spraying gorse and willows on Northland farms. My job was to drive the tanker with 245T and sometimes 24D from farm to farm and pour it into the helicopter for spraying.

These poisons spilled all over my bare hands, and resulted in a number of non-specific illnesses over the years. These poisons are cumulative and hard to eject from the body. I intend to seek a diagnosis from Dr Tizard to ascertain whether I was poisoned and whether toxins remain in my body.

There have been too many examples world wide of sickness from toxic chemicals, with glyphosate always a prime suspect.

Monsanto began producing glyphosate products in 1974. Carcinogenic Roundup is the best known and most common.

Monsanto seeds are genetically engineered to tolerate the chemical so farmers apply it to entire fields without destroying crops. However, research shows that products using glyphosate are carcinogenic, antibiotic resistant and hormone disruptive. Other studies have shown roundup has estrogenic properties and drives breast cancer proliferation.

In a small town in the United States, where soya bean is a monoculture crop, farmers spray with Roundup. This little town has the highest percentage of birth defects in babies of anywhere in the United States.

Nausea, headaches, dizziness, muscle aches and insomnia, are among symptoms which can be attributed to herbicide poisoning.

It’s about time our council dragged itself into the 21st Century and stopped poisoning citizens.

This is local body election year. Every candidate should be asked whether they are prepared to outlaw poisonous herbicides. Someone soon will take a criminal prosecution against the council if it continues to ignore the will of the people and continues to close its eyes to reality.

These poisons kill people and our council representatives are spraying them wilfully in public places.

PN This must stop. (JOHN ELLIOTT) F

www.facebook.com/StopSprayingOurStreets

40 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS

Auckland Civil Defence tsunamis and earthquakes How to evacuate and where to, in the event of a tsunami or earthquake hitting Central Auckland.

A group of Ponsonby News readers and residents contacted us asking about escape routes during a possible tsunami or earthquake in the lower lying parts of Greater Ponsonby. The most vulnerable places are the lowest lying parts of Freemans Bay, near Victoria Park Supermarket, and some low lying parts of Pt Chevalier and Westmere.

All residents should be familiar with the Civil Defence website which outlines the most at risk parts of the city if an earthquake or tsunami was to strike.

The two maps most useful for Ponsonby News residents are Map CBD 149 and Map 157. Evacuation routes are marked on the maps. Civil Defence advice is to walk quickly to higher ground, or drive if necessary.

The first waves of a tsunami may not be the largest and the largest may take some hours to arrive. There may be many waves separated by up to an hour or more.

Stay away from the Red Zone for 24 hours. Warnings may also be given through siren, telephone, text or loud hailer. Listen, too, to your favourite radio station for information. The three evacuation zones are: 1. Red Zone - closest to the sea 2. Orange Zone - low lying land near sea 3. Yellow Zone - next lowest land further from sea If you look on Map 149 you will see the lowest parts of Freemans Bay are around the bottom of Franklin Road and Napier Street, the bottom of College Hill (New World Supermarket included). These are all Yellow Zone areas.

A five minute walk should take everyone to high ground where they should stay until an all clear is given. The other vulnerable parts of Ponsonby News catchment area are around Sarsfield and Curran Streets in Herne Bay, and around Pt Chevalier, Westmere, Cox’s Bay, and both sides of Meola Road. These are all low lying areas and are covered

by Map 157 in the Auckland Civil Defence Plan.

All residents in these precincts should know what to do and where to go if a tsunami or an earthquake hits Auckland.

Beaumont Street is plumb in the middle of the Orange Zone.

It’s not too difficult to get to higher ground, but the elderly or handicapped may need help. Please ensure you assist vulnerable neighbours when they need help.

PN (JOHN ELLIOTT) F

By walking up College Hill briskly, or Napier Street across to the Franklin Road intersection, all residents in the low lying parts of the Ponsonby News catchment area should be safe.

Please consult the Civil Defence website for detailed information: www.aucklandcivildefence.org.nz/tsunamievacuationplan

INTRODUCING GEORGE SHIERS: OUR PONSONBY NEWS INTERN I’d like to welcome George Shiers to our small team here at Ponsonby News.

George was born in England and moved here to New Zealand in 2009 and has always had an interest in journalism and media. In 2012 he went back to the United Kingdom and did a workday experience at the Sunday Times, published by News International, the same company I worked for back in the 1980s, a bit before George’s time of course.

After completing a course at university last year he started sending out his CV to various places and got a few small time writing jobs, including one for The Fringe in Titirangi, formerly known as the Titirangi Tatler. He contacted me and I sent him out to write a piece covering the Kelmarna Gardens Autumn Festival, asking for a 400 word article with a few pictures. He delivered a solid article, so a couple of weeks later I offered him a position as an intern at Ponsonby News, working 10 days a month helping produce the magazine.

photography: Jay Platt

“The best part of working as a journalist is that every day is different,” said George.

“One day you might be at a beach taking photos and the next you find yourself riding in a fire truck.”

For this issue George has written a number of articles, including a feature on the importance of bees and pollinators, in which he talks about a couple of local projects and ideas. You can read that on page 80, and be sure to keep an eye out for his name PN in future issues. (MARTIN LEACH) F Martin Leach and George Shiers pictured with the new PN van

42 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS

Auckland Council - five years on THE POLICY OBSERVATORY OF AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY HAS JUST released a report on the state of Auckland Council, five years on from its creation. This group, headed by Professor of Public Policy at AUT, Professor Ian Shirley, and including a group of eminent academics with international experience, produced their report for The Committee for Auckland.

The question the policy observatory was charged with answering was: Has the new structure delivered on the aims of the reforms?

In its foreword, Professor Shirley’s committee admitted that getting structures and decision-making rules right made good outcomes likely, but not certain.

The report did not cover the quality of decision-making or the implementation of decisions and processes. This means that concerns about spending and the management of the unitary plan process were not addressed.

Current members of the Waitemata Local Board

The report concluded that while the governance system could be improved, regional governance, which was weak under the previous regimes, was stronger and better served greater Auckland. They saw no reason to relitigate boundaries. However, there was criticism of the strength of local engagement and participation. In fact they said, “community engagement is poor.”

Another area of concern was the possibility of further political tickets putting up candidates in local body elections. The committee believed that “local electors would not support any further concentration of local body politics beyond the already evident tickets on offer at the election. A governing faction facing off an opposition faction would not lead to better decision-making or outcomes for Aucklanders.”

In simple words - keep party politics out of local body governance. The committee was more sympathetic to CCOs than this writer, but did say that the creation of CCOs had removed ‘geographical silos’ and created instead ‘functional silos’, where assets and services operate independently from the rest of council.

Weona Westmere Walkway

STRIPPED BARE

by Jennifer De Leon - A solo dance - vulnerability, terror, strength, stillness, poetry and extraordinary movement. @ The Studio,14b Westmoreland Street East, Grey Lynn.

Friday 10 June @ 6.00pm By donation, $20.00 suggested. If you wish, please use 12-3022-0342195-00.

Please book your place by calling T: 09 376 1671 or E: jennydancer@paradise.net.nz All pure lines and extended poses, the sequence demonstrates the strength which comes from the inner melding of body, mind and spirit. (Raewyn Whyte) She personifies effort and heartache, reaching out with strong extensions, but continues to survive loss, ending with a balance on just her forearms, looking at the audience.

(Briar Wilson) Her prowess as performer and technician emerged strongly; she commits her body to move in a ruthless and tender pursuit of her own journey. (S. Campus)

They pointed out that transport is a core function of council, and yet Auckland Transport operates largely outside council control. Transport does not operate in isolation but impacts on the way communities are developed, grow and function, the committee asserts.

Ponsonby News has seen examples where Auckland Transport produces policies in isolation, sometimes secretly, and has not taken into account amenity values which residents may lose if AT policy is implemented. They have also been prone to top -down imposition of decisions, neglecting adequate community consultation. This feeling among residents, of ignore, seems to back up the report’s conclusion that “transport needs to be a part of a systematic approach to managing Auckland’s growth”.

If AT and other CCOs can keep improving their community consultation processes and wherever possible engage in ‘bottom up’ consultation, CCOs may not get such a bad wrap going forward. The report is critical of the local board model. They say it is yet to achieve its potential. Local boards do not have their own legal status: they are unincorporated elements within the council.

Ponsonby News would suggest that our own Waitemata Local Board, under the excellent chairmanship of Shale Chambers, has performed well, but only as far as it can, answerable as it is to the council chief executive. It needs more power, more money and greater autonomy. Professor Ian Shirley’s report suggests that “the sheer size of the council may undermine the public’s sense that they can get involved with or influence decision-making”.

That, too, gels with the Ponsonby News perception: ‘What can little old me do in the face of this monstrous bureaucracy?” Overall, the report gives a pass mark to Auckland Council, five years down the track, but admits much is yet to be done before Auckland can realistically be called “the world’s most liveable city”.

They finish their report on a sober note: “There is a danger in our view that the vision of the world’s most liveable city might be limited to a brand, or a platitude, rather than a statement of substance. For some residents the vision is a reality, but for others, as highlighted in this report, Auckland is far from being the world’s most liveable city.”

We, as citizens of Auckland, must keep positive and optimistic, and do all we can in our PN personal and professional lives to make the vision a reality for all. (JOHN ELLIOTT) F

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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LOCAL NEWS PONSONBY PANTHERS 45 YEARS ON Thursday 16 June is a very historical date for Ponsonby if not the whole of Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland).

It’s the 45th Anniversary of the Polynesian Panther Party (PPP) which had its headquarters on the corner of Ponsonby Road and College Hill, above what is now the present ASB Bank Most of its members have moved on to other parts of Aotearoa, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Many have died with only three of the original eight founding cabinet members still alive today.

The PPP was not a gang as many assume today, but a very active revolutionary organisation linked to the United States Black Panther Party with its shared 10 point platform/programme.

Only a handful of members still reside in Ponsonby/Grey Lynn with co-founding chairman Will ‘Ilolahia returning last October to an apartment in Freemans Bay. “We always knew urban renewal means brown removal. I’m just wanting to counter that trend,” says Will as he Alec and Vince survey the site for a proposed plaque to commemorate the PPP’s 45th anniversary.

Will used to live on Lincoln Street.

Rev Alec Toleafoa now lives in Grey Lynn with Panther partner Dr Melani Anae, an Auckland Senior University lecturer, but in the 1970s he resided in O’Neill Street.

Alec declared, “Ponsonby then had a sense of community. We were connected by a shared experience. “Generally everyone knew the people in their neighbourhood as a kind of extension of their own family. That sense of community was needed to meet the issues of the time, racism being the most conspicuous.

“A daily in-your-face experience for most of us. Ponsonby is a very different community now. We don’t pride ourselves on our achievements or think racism ended back in the 70s and 80s. Like rust, racism never sleeps.”

“Vince Tuisamoa is in Westmere busy these days taking his mokos (grandkids) to rugby league practise at his old Richmond Rovers club in Grey Lynn. Vince says, “What was done then is now raising its ugly head again... The only difference is they use ‘P.C’. to confuse.”

L to R: Rev. Alec Toleafoa, Vince Tuisamoa and Will `ILOLAHIA Ponsonby needs to celebrate its past achievements with some acknowledgment of its very diverse and colourful immigrant heritage. Its present middle class suburbia, migrants and wealthy class may require an additonal time of tenure to leave some memorbilia like what the Panther can now do 45 years later.

The achievements of the PPP are now studied at schools and universities. Most books on Ponsonby feature their escapades, whether it’s ending the infamous Dawn Raids of the mid 1970s or protype homework centres now a regular feature nationwide.

Perhaps the Panther’s historical achievements and its commemorative plans to mark its 45th Anniversary will bring back the soul some say Ponsonby needs... Or do its new migrants just want to have their privacy and not share the wealth of experiences it accomodates?

Join the Panthers on Thursday 16 June when they unveil their commemorative plaque.

PN (TAKAFLY BROWN) F For updates contact Ronald on M: 027 360 1911, email polypanther6@gmail.com or check out www.facebook.com/waiataartists.trust?fref=tsa

GREY LYNN FIRE SERVICE IS HERE FOR THE COMMUNITY The old Ponsonby Road fire station has closed down and the team have transferred to a shiny new station on Williamson Avenue in Grey Lynn.

The state-of-the-art station, a brand new two-story complex complete with six bedrooms, a lounge and a gym, is located to increase service areas, with Point Chevalier response times now seeing great improvement.

The building currently houses just one fire truck, but Shane Olsen, an officer at the new station, says there is plenty of room for a second, and the station is being careful to be considerate of neighbours. Quality equipment and resources, including a special room with negative pressure and an extraction fan to ensure any chemical residue on clothing is contained, makes sure the Grey Lynn station is one of the best in the country.

“We want people to know we are here for the community,” he said.

This isn’t the first time the fire service have been located on Williamson Ave. They had a station at the other end of the street over a hundred years ago, opening it in 1898 before it closed in 1923.

(GEORGE SHIERS) F PN www.111emergency.co.nz/F-I/GreyLynnFB.htm

44 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

The boys of Blue Watch @ Grey Lynn Fire Station L to R: Manuel Gallo, Garth Cowley, Marty Allen and Shane Olsen PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

photography: Gwynne Davenport

LOCAL NEWS

Parental concern at dangers of walking children to Grey Lynn School - inadequate crossings Ponsonby News was contacted recently by a group of Grey Lynn Primary School children’s parents concerned about the safety of their young children walking to school.

Grey Lynn School is on the very busy Surrey Crescent, and the school zone extends to the precinct behind the often dangerous intersection of Surrey Crescent and Richmond Road. Some of the streets with Grey Lynn students in that block are Stanmore, Fisherton, Castle and Wilton.

Parents have been calling for better crossings, but so far Auckland Transport has not satisfied their concerns.

Auckland Transport got back to Ponsonby News, but only to reiterate the inadequate response they had already made to this group of parents. Ponsonby News has asked AT to meet with us and the concerned parents on site near the dangerous Richmond Road, Surrey Crescent intersection to try to resolve the matter. We will update this story in the July issue.

The attached photo shows parents, from left, Ginny Bridgeman, Cathy Materi, and Susy Bevan, with children, from left, Richie, Sam, William, Lucy, BB and Immy.

from West Lynn Panel and Paint. Either option would allay their fears of a potentially dangerous accident.

Susy Bevan would like to start a walking school bus, for a group of young children in this area, but she wouldn’t dare attempt to cross those roads with less than a one-for-one ratio of kids to adults.

These parents would also support a speed reduction on these roads to 40kph, the same as Ponsonby Road. They told Ponsonby News they agreed with the reduction on Ponsonby Road but thought the number of children around Surrey Crescent and Richmond Road made 40kph even more sense in their precinct.

We have been banging on in Ponsonby News about amenity values, and these include safety, especially with population intensification and increased traffic. The values these families treasure must not be lost or diminished, and nothing is more important than safety.

These and other parents walk their kids to school each day. They say they take their lives in their hands every time they cross Richmond Road or Surrey Crescent. They must cross one or the other in order to get to Grey Lynn School.

Auckland Transport has been more collaborative of late, including good local consultation on cycle ways, and we have urged them to increase that consultation wherever possible.

Around the world the most liveable cities are being reborn from the bottom up. Residents are being asked for their ideas, not dictated to from on high.

These parents are asking Auckland Transport to put a zebra crossing on Surrey Crescent, near the intersection with Richmond Road, or on Richmond Road just down

Let’s hope AT will continue to engage with the community on issues like this one, and stop imposing their already made-up minds on residents. (JOHN ELLIOTT) F PN

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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Rug Heaven @ Rug Direct FARAH FARAHANI AND BAHMAN BAHMANPOUR MOVED TO NEW ZEALAND FROM IRAN IN 2000, HAVING NEVER VISITED BEFORE AND COMPLETELY UNABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH. A FEW YEARS LATER IN 2003, THEY ESTABLISHED A BUSINESS IMPORTING AND SELLING QUALITY RUGS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND NOW, MORE THAN A DECADE ON, RUG DIRECT STOCKS THOUSANDS OF RUGS ACROSS TWO STORES, INCLUDING NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST RUG SHOP.

The difference between Rug Direct and other stores is higher standards in quality and organisation and a far larger selection than anywhere else.

Any customer who walks into the store may at first be overwhelmed with selection and wonder where to start, but knowledgeable staff and fantastic organisation means you’ll always be able to find exactly what you’re looking for.

And you won’t find yourself rushed out the door either. Mrs Farahani describes rugs as “art for the floor”, and they’re always treated as such. Knowledgeable, highly trained staff can explain every rug, from cultural patterns to textures and fabrics and even allow you to try it in your home before you buy, ensuring everybody finds the perfect piece.

Rug Direct personally chooses from only the best selections in the Middle East and don’t support mass production in any way, ensuring every rug you buy will be unique. And unlike boutiques and retail stores there are no overhead costs so customers are guaranteed to find rugs at the absolute best price around.

The Auckland showroom, New Zealand’s largest rug store, is located in Wairau Park and a second store was opened a little over a year ago in Wellington at 238 Thorndon Quay, Pipitea. Rug Direct is also active on social media with Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook accounts and their entire stock is catalogued on their website.

Rug Direct, 6D Link Drive / Wairau Park (next to ANZ bank) / T: 09 444 0085 / www.rugdirect.co.nz

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6SHFLDO FRQGLWLRQV DSSO\ 7R TXDOLI\ IRU WKLV SURPRWLRQDO R̆HU WKH SURGXFWV PXVW EH SXUFKDVHG ZLWKLQ RQH RUGHU 7KH GLVFRXQW ZLOO EH DSSOLHG DXWRPDWLFDOO\ WR WKH ORZHVW SULFHG TXDOLI\LQJ SURGXFW

6D Link Drive, Wairau Park (next to ANZ bank) T: 09 444 0085 / Mob 021 110 7570 / Open 7 days Wellington Store / 238 Thorndon Quay

www.rugdirect.co.nz

WESTHAVEN MARINA - TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF CURRAN STREET ENTRANCE Westhaven Marina is advising its customers and visitors to prepare for the temporary closure of its Curran Street entrance while essential repairs and maintenance works are undertaken to a bridge that lies under the road.

From June until end of September works will require closure of the historic bridge at the Western end of Curran Street, which was constructed in the 1940s to provide access from the road to the breakwater that surrounds the marina.

“The bridge is now surrounded by reclaimed land, which means many people don’t realise that it is a bridge,” says Panuku Development Auckland’s General Manager of Marinas, Tom Warren.

“However, it’s more than 70 years old, and is now due for some important maintenance work that we are undertaking over winter while the marina is quiet.”

The road, which is adjacent to the Auckland Harbour Bridge, is a private road that is owned by Panuku Development Auckland on behalf of Auckland Council, but which is frequently used as a thoroughfare by those travelling to Wynyard Quarter and the CBD. All vehicles that need to access Westhaven Marina will need to use the Beaumont Street entrance. There will be no thoroughfare for commuters. It is anticipated that access will be provided for cyclists, walkers and runners throughout the repair process, although cyclists are asked to please slow down, to expect a rough surface, and that they may need to dismount. Westhaven Marina thanks all users, especially its customers, for their patience while this work is undertaken.

Future marina development - The Westhaven Plan Westhaven Marina is a precious icon of Auckland. It epitomises the City of Sails lifestyle and our marine and sailing culture. Over a number of years and following detailed consultation with the boating and local community, Panuku Development Auckland has put together the Westhaven Plan to detail how the area will be developed for the future. It includes the land and water-based development that is planned to occur over the next thirty years.

There are 12 key components to the Westhaven Plan that will specifically improve the facility for boat owners and affect the way the on the water space is used. They include: • The construction of the Westhaven Promenade (first stage delivered Jan 2015) • Y Pier development (delivered 2014-15) • Improvement to the services that boating need including mast gantry, floating dock and tidal grids (completed) • Pile mooring redevelopment (including retaining pile mooring facilities) • The extension of Silo Marina • The Westhaven Marine Village, which will ensure that commercial marine businesses always have a home close to Westhaven • The redevelopment of St Mary’s Bay (partly completed) • The reconfiguration of Z Pier • The redevelopment of Harbour Bridge Park • The development of Westhaven North • The redevelopment of Piers G to S (underway) • Alignment and works associated with St Mary’s Bay landing of Skypath (Auckland Harbour Bridge cycleway/walkway project) For up to date information please visit www.westhaven.co.nz F PN

48 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY THE 2016 LEWISHAM AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED Amazing number of votes make for tough competition to find cream of Auckland hospitality.

The total number of nominations that have poured in this year have not only surpassed last year’s voting, but have also seen some fantastic new names and faces being put forward. Ponsonby News has only listed those in our distribution area.

What is making this a very tough and exciting year is that we are seeing long-established venues being joined in the top four with amazing new venues and hospo stars, which we think identifies the consistently high standard across the industry. This year, the Lewisham Awards have seen some great changes, such as the addition of the ‘Outstanding Street Food’ category and a new host venue for the awards night, The Langham.

This new category is testament to how the industry is forever evolving and embracing new trends and ideas. The Lewisham Awards recognise every aspect that contributes to the excellence of Auckland’s vibrant and diverse dining and entertainment scene whether it is a new chef, barista, supplier or wine list.

The finalists voting gets underway from Tuesday 10 May to select the top hospitality stars and will close for the final count on the Sunday 29 May. This will ensure everyone is ready to hit the red carpet on the Awards night to support all the top finalists and celebrate the winners in true hospitality style.

The 2016 Lewisham Awards finalists are: Angostura Outstanding Bartender Lorietta Bahr - Bedford Soda & Liquor Joey Lai - saan

Clooney The French Cafe The Sugar Club

Aotearoa Fisheries Emerging Talent Ben Black - Clooney Jade Beguely - Prego Restaurant Shaaz Croft - The Blue Breeze Inn

General Digital Outstanding Maitre d Ismo Koski - Apero Food & Wine Wayne Reese - Baduzzi

Beam Suntory Outstanding Bar Bedford Soda & Liquor Revelry Bidvest Outstanding Street Food The Lucky Taco Crombie Lockwood Outstanding Waiter Ji Sung - MooChowChow Vicky Pethybridge - Prego Judika Ramachand - Sidart EuroVintage Outstanding Wine List Apero Food & Wine

Menumate Outstanding New Venue saan Negociants Outstanding Wine Service Professional Jarryd Menezes - Clooney Andy Gladding - The French Cafe Ann Lau - The Sugar Club

Gilmours Outstanding Chef Ben Bayley - Baduzzi/The Grove Des Harris - Clooney L’affare Outstanding Coffee Establishment / Barista Atomic Coffee Roasters Cup and Bun Kokako Cafe Moët Hennessy Outstanding Hospitality Personality Damaris Coulter - Coco's Cantina Philip Stack - The Sugar Club

OneMusic Outstanding Establishment Depot Soul Bar and Bistro Prego The Blue Breeze Inn Pernod Ricard Outstanding Restaurateur Michael Dearth - The Grove Mark Wallbank - Woodpecker Hill Martina Lutz - Number 5 Sid Sahrawat - Sidart ResDiary Outstanding Local Apero Food & Wine Conch Kitchen & Bar

Tickets are on sale now for the awards evening and after party at The Langham on Sunday 5 June 2016. For more information or to purchase tickets go to www.lewishamawards.co.nz

Angostura Outstanding Bartender Finalists

Crombie Lockwood Outstanding Waiter Finalists The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Gilmours Outstanding Chef Finalists

OneMusic Outstanding Establishment Finalists

Pernod Ricard Outstanding Restaurateur Finalists

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

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49

LIZ WHEADON: WINE, GLORIOUS WINE

En Primeur - Bordeaux futures En Primeur is a process for acquiring arguably the best wines in the World at smart prices and in the format that you prefer. Essentially it is wine futures, similar to the way that coffee, cotton and other items are traded on international commodity futures markets.

The process can be traced back for centuries. It was in 1972, when Châteaux bottling became compulsory for Classified Growths, that En Primeur in its current form was born.

Prior to this, the Château in Bordeaux would sell their wine in bulk, or in barrels, to a wine merchant. The wine was then bottled by each merchant at their offices in Chartrons.

The benefit of purchasing Bordeaux En Primeur is three fold: firstly, in most cases the price that you purchase the wine at En Primeur is significantly less than the wine will be on the retail shelf two years later (that’s if it appears at all). Secondly, there’s the availability; many of the wines will only be available En Primeur and won’t make it on to New Zealand retail shelves. Thirdly is the bottling; purchasing En Primeur you have the option to choose how you’d like your wine bottled, whether it is half bottles, standard bottles or even up to six litres.

The process of En Primeur essentially works like this (looking at the 2015 vintage in Bordeaux as an example).

Whilst the 2015 vintage wines are in barrel in Bordeaux: • The Châteaux invite the international press to taste and review the young wines in April 2016.

• The Châteaux in Bordeaux offer their 2015 vintage wines to a merchant around May - July 2016.

• The merchants offer their wines to retailers/importers in the world around May - July 2016.

who talked about the 2015 vintage being the longest ‘hang time’ in history for them. This pattern has resulted in excellent ripeness from the heat, maturity from the time on the vine and a freshness from the rain and ensuing long, dry, cooler period.

In most vintages, you can draw on a character that defines the vintage. For the 2000 vintage, it was the structure; for the 2009 vintage, the intense concentration of fruit and the 2010 vintage was all about freshness and acidity. With the 2015 vintage, there is no such discussion to be hand; there’s structure, there’s fruit, freshness and acidity and none are the hallmark.

This vintage is all about ‘everything in perfect balance’ and right there is the word that brings all the aspects of the 2015 vintage together, balance. These are very complete wines, with every aspect you would want and expect from top claret and all in a well -executed, perfect balance.

Are there any catches? Things you need to watch out for?

Definitely. There have been horror stories internationally with En Primeur purchasing, particularly in times of recession. It’s very important that the retailer you are purchasing from has a strong financial position (the wine is going to be delivered two years after you request your wines and pay your first payment). You need to discuss with the retailer and ensure they are purchasing from reputable merchants, that are secure. Unfortunately, with demand exceeding supply, and the new international markets that have emerged, there are a lot of rogue operators at all ends of the operation.

• Customers secure their requests for wines En Primeur with their retailer around September 2016.

Glengarry has been selling En Primeur for more than 30 years, with established connections and longterm relationships. It is one of the highlights of my year, travelling there and seeing all our business contacts, friends and colleagues. We have a dedicated website for En Primeur where you can see all the wines released and on offer. You’ll also find information on the 2015 vintage on our blog site - www.aboutwine.co.nz (LIZ WHEADON) F PN

Then around August 2018 the wines arrive in New Zealand.

Visit www.enprimeur.co.nz or www.glengarry.co.nz for more details.

• The retailers then offer the wines to consumers around May - July 2016.

What’s the 2015 vintage like?

I was fortunate enough to taste the 2015 vintage in April this year, during the trade and media En Primeur week in Bordeaux, and can report first hand on the overall quality.

The 2015 vintage came in many parts. First, a settled weather pattern that, in most parts of Bordeaux, allowed for very even flower set. Second, was warmth; the months of June and July were very warm and by the end of July the majority of vines were showing signs of water stress. It is at this point though that the clay-based soils reveal their advantage, hence the vintage favouring merlot.

Fortunately, the third part was in August when welcome rain arrived; many a Château has described this during the week as the part that saved the vintage, with one describing how the leaves opened up in front of you as the rain came down.

Then finally, there was a long settled period of weather that allowed the grapes to dry off from the rain and stay on the vine to achieve maturity. There were many Châteaux

50 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

Liz tasting at Pichon Lalande

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

PARIS BUTTER OPENS IN VINNIES’ OLD SPACE Chef Nick Honeyman, Jeff Costello and the team last month opened Paris Butter, where Vinnies was once located on the vibrant foodie strip of Herne Bay. As they told Ponsonby News, “We look forward to welcoming you to our friendly neighbourhood restaurant!” The customers are clearly delighted as Claire Wallwork says, “Superb! Fabulous staff, ambience and wine and a menu to die for. So exquisitely decadent from start to finish. The best creme brûlée ever!” F PN PARIS BUTTER, 166 Jervois Road, T: 09 360 4340, www.parisbutter.co.nz

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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JULIE BONNER: NEWS FROM FROG POND FARM Can you believe how mild our autumn has been?

The weather has been reminiscent of lazy summer days. It seems bizarre to think that it won’t be long before we will be donning coats, scarves and hauling on boots.

Autumn, as it happens, is the time to harvest olive trees. This was only our second harvest ever and being novices it was hard to determine what the yield was going to be like. In saying, that the harvest went like this...

The good • The weather was amazing • Our wonderful neighbours and friends came and helped us pick. Thank you so very much; you made it all possible!

• 270kg olives in crates were packed into hubby’s car with nets and an empty vat • He drove to Wellsford to the olive press - not me, it’s a long drive • We collected 38 litres of olive oil from the pressing • Pruning of those trees is now completed - well nearly The bad • Try and avoid planting your trees on a hill as this makes harvest very difficult, especially when using a ladder • Prune regularly • If you don’t prune them, harvest takes a lot longer • Be careful that you don’t over feed them or give them too much TLC they will grow even taller • Make sure that you have a lot of people helping when you pick them • I forgot to take photos - too busy • Don’t get stressed, you will eventually get those olives in crates • Hubby was ruthless pruning one tree with a pole chainsaw. I’m not sure now what it resembles • I had to drive to Wellsford to pick up the oil So we now have litres of that gorgeous Frog Pond Farm olive oil which I’m due to start bottling in the next few days. A huge thank you to Greg and Kath from Salumeria Fontana for pressing our olives.

As it happens hauling in olives isn’t the only thing that we have been good at lately. At last I have poked 100 garlic cloves into the dirt and I’m very happy. I prepped the bed with lots of delicious organic material - think food scraps, Bokashi bin pickled veg (not to be eaten), homemade compost, planting mix and some good amendments - seaweed pellets and rok solid.

Please don’t ask the variety, sadly I have no idea. But the seed is ours and produces wonderful garlic. There quite simply is nothing like home grown.

The brassicas which were planted in the confines of a cloche are literally busting to break free. They remind me of body builders flexing their muscles as they spill out of the cloche when I lift the netting. Won’t be long and we will be steaming broccoli and sipping on morning juices with home grown kale.

While I was out and about the other day I spotted our puriri tree showing off loads of gorgeous pink blossoms. We have a couple of wood pigeons that live in our native forest who will be particularly pleased that these are flowering. Promises of berries to come they enjoy. Have you heard the noise of the pigeon as they fly past? It always makes me smile! Happy gardening! (JULIE BONNER) F PN If you are interested in more madness from our place, then check out my blog www.frogpondfarm.co.nz

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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY THERE’S SOMETHING FRESH IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD Pintu is the new kid on the block. And it all started with a sandwich.

“Well, sort of.” says Pravez Mohammed. “On a trip to Melbourne we stumbled across a boutique eatery and bought a sandwich that would change our thinking on daytime offerings. Endlessly searching back home for that perfect healthy-yet-super-delicious spot that satisfied every time, we decided to make it happen ourselves. Pintu was a year and a half in the making, a dream project that’s the result of both the places and food that inspired us. Working with a chef in Melbourne, we carefully designed a menu of food we love and hope everyone else will too.”

Blink and you’d miss Pintu - they’re tucked away (they liken themselves to a hidden gem) in Ponsonby’s Lot 3 next to our friends The Street Food Collective and Miss Moonshine.

They’re here to solve all your food dilemmas. Here’s how.

They’ve got a simple, fresh menu for breakfast and lunch (and soon dinner). For breakfast, you’ll find their fridge stocked with our beloved grab-and-go coconut chia pudding. Stay a little longer, and you’ll be tempted by their cacao muesli served with almond milk, seasonal fruit and spiced poached pear; or the ricotta hotcakes lovingly topped with berry coulis, lemon curd, pistachios and coconut yoghurt. Not to mention, they serve up Mojo coffee so good you’ll be forgetting any weekday woes in no time.

This may just be their favourite part. Stop by for lunch, and find yourself a spot at one of their marble leaners. Take a look around the salad bar (designed by none other than the Paul Izzard team), which is accented with white herringbone tiles and hanging flora and fauna. You’ll notice the incredible salad bar with handmade terracotta bowls filled with the freshest produce sourced mostly from local farmers’, markets. Here, they can take care of you with one of their chef-designed salads, like the ever so popular chipotle chicken, or, newcomer, pumpkin, quinoa and feta; or take a clipboard and create your own, choosing everything from your leaf, filling, toppings and dressings.

Thirsty? They’ve got their own line of cold-pressed juices made in-house daily. Try out Super Green, with spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon and green apple. And, they’ve got a resident smoothie king serving up Snickers smoothies with cacao, cashews, dates and coconut water.

Now, back to that sandwich, if you’re looking for something that’s sure to hit the spot, they offer a curated selection of sandwiches. With mumblings of Auckland’s best sandwich, though, you might just have to try the sandwich that started it all: Angus beef with spinach, tomato, caramelised onion, provolone cheese, Dijon mustard, aioli on golden toasted sourdough.

Now that you know there’s something fresh in your neighbourhood, they’d love you to PN pop in and say hi. F PINTU, 1 Lot 3 Laneways, 80 Mackelvie Street, T: 09 378 0698, www.pintusalad.co.nz pintusalad

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY FACES @ GREY LYNN FARMERS’ MARKET Jess Astridge from The Bowser is at Grey Lynn Farmers' Market every Sunday after launching her new product in February.

Here she chats to Ponsonby News about why her dairy-free coconut yoghurt is like no other.

What products do you make and which are your favourites?

We make Cocowow, which is a dairy-free coconut yoghurt and Chia-Go, a chia-seed drink in a pouch which you can also use as a topping, in smoothies, etc.

How long have you been making Cocowow?

We launched Cocowow in February after taking a year to develop a recipe we were really proud of. It was important to us to make a dairy-free yoghurt that was light and refreshing and tasted amazing. We also wanted it to be free of food additives, stabilisers and added sugar/sweeteners. People at the Grey Lynn Farmers' Market seem to think we've done a pretty good job!

Where did you grow up?

Nelson.

What’s the biggest business decision you have had to make?

I don't believe in making big decisions, because then you tend to look back and wonder if you have made the right one. I prefer to say I have made thousands of little ones that have got us on the path to where I am now.

What’s your favourite way to relax after work?

Either relaxing with my kids or going for a swim, bike or run (I also like to do triathlons to balance out the yummy food I enjoy eating).

Where is your favourite New Zealand holiday spot?

Hahei in the Coromandel. I love getting away from it all.

What’s your favourite thing about coming to the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market?

Introducing people to a product they may not have previously tried and seeing their reaction. www.thebowser.co.nz, www.glfm.co.nz

HERITAGE AUCKLAND VEGAN MID-WINTER FEAST SPECIAL EVENT 9 JULY Gather family and friends for a hearty vegan mid-winter feast at Heritage Auckland’s Hectors restaurant on Saturday 9 July 6.30pm.

Chef Jinu Abraham has assembled a delicious medley of nourishing gourmet vegan food guaranteed to spark up any dreary mid-winter evening. The special event’s sumptuous buffet selection includes soup, hot and cold dishes and a very decadent dessert table.

Hot dishes include edamame fettucine, mushroom cake, butternut and spinach tempura and a beetroot potato gratin. Cold dishes to accompany the meal include kale, cabbage, mint and radicchio salad, spinach and artichoke formaggio and a toasted sunflower seed salad. Highlights from the dessert table include a raw strawberry cake verrine with walnut crumble and passionfruit, a silky sweet chocolate delice, a zesty mango and coconut mousse with lime avocado, plus a raw carrot pop cake.

Jinu Abraham, the executive chef at Heritage Auckland is a past winner of the New Zealand Vegetarian Dish Challenge 2012, the Vegetarian Luncheon Dish 2014 and numerous Culinary Fare awards. Hectors restaurant was the first NZ Vegetarian Society accredited hotel restaurant in 2013. In all, Heritage Auckland caters for 13 special dietary requirements. For more on Heritage Hotels’ ‘Good Food’ project visit Hectors restaurant.

photography: Martin Leach

The mid-winter vegan feast is just $65 per adult. Children under 14 years of age meals are half price. Bookings are essential. F PN

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HERITAGE AUCKLAND, Lobby level, 35 Hobson Street, T: 09 979 7434, www.heritagehotels.co.nz/goodfood

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY

LOCAL MASTERCHEF COOKS UP A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS From starring in MasterChef NZ to running her own events company - The Ponsonby News sits down with local, Amy Calway, to talk about her experience on the show and how her life has changed since the series: What made you decide to join MasterChef NZ as a contestant?

I’ve always had a passion for food - whether it’s eating out, gathering and trying fresh produce or preparing it myself. I’ve always been one to overindulge in delicious foods.

I especially love how it brings people together and ultimately makes me happy. While I was growing up my mum had a special functions venue out in the country and us kids were always part of it and always entertained. We even had Peta Mathias doing cooking demonstrations and she left a lasting impression - that was it for me, and probably the catalyst for me joining the show.

MasterChef is an incredible show and a household name, so I thought why not? and went for it. I was nervous, but excited to see where the show (and life after the show) would take me.

Where was the series filmed?

The set was filmed in a huge warehouse out on the wet, west coast of Auckland.

However, the huge villa which housed all 16 contestants - the main cast - was right here in Ponsonby.

What was the biggest lesson learned? I’ve heard you joined Jenny Craig after the competition - has that changed the way you cook or think about food?

Aside from learning lots about food and cooking techniques, the biggest ‘take away’ I had from the show was how much weight the camera adds. Personally, I felt very confronted by my size, which was discussed in an article published by a women’s magazine. The article illustrated how much weight I had put on through the series with the constant cooking and eating. I have always struggled with my weight and being aware of how many people had read that article - more than half a million - and how many people watched the show, brought me to tears.

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I made a decision to turn that frustration into action and vowed never to be that size again.

The next week I met with Lani from Jenny Craig who has helped me make changes to take control of my weight.

I was a bit scared of the food - being a massive foodie - but it was fantastic and so far I have lost just over 15kg, with no plans of stopping just yet.

What didn’t you like about being in the series?

Living with so many people was a massive challenge - especially while sharing one kitchen.

Filming also happened during winter and given we were all living under one roof everyone shared a nasty cold; 16 people living under one roof with a cold is not a pretty sight.

What are you doing now? Still cooking?

Of course I still cook. Mostly healthy meals for my children and myself - though the food from Jenny Craig has meant I don’t do as much cooking for myself anymore. Much of my time is taken being a single mother to my beautiful children, running my events business, Events Horizon, with the occasional consulting gig here and there. I’m also hitting the gym in the brutal, early hours of the morning with my best friend - getting myself bikini ready for a holiday later this year. (RHYS ATKINSON-WHIPPS) F PN

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PHIL PARKER: WHOSE WINE IS IT ANYWAY? The Prospect Ormond/Gisborne Chardonnay 2014, $20 Made by the Spade Oak folk. Spent 12 months maturing in French oak barrels. Enticing aromas of ripe peach, marzipan. Opens up on the palate with ripe nectarine, lime and grapefruit. Crisp clean finish with lingering toasty oak.

Available: Fine Wine Delivery Company, Spade Oak Wine www.spadeoak.co.nz

Six top drops I was going to title this article ‘Six top drops for winter,’ but today as I write it’s a balmy 19 degrees in Pt Chevalier despite a fresh westerly.

However, by the time you read this it may indeed be a bit cooler.

No big theme for this month’s column. Just some very good wines for you to enjoy, including two fab bubblies. I do believe that our New Zealand traditional methode sparkling wines are hugely under-rated. Crowds of Kiwis rush off to grab industrial scale French fizz at $70 a bottle on special, while we have some gorgeous hand-crafted sparklers here which stack up very well in comparison, for $20 less. Cheers!

Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014, $26 From Kim and Erica Crawford’s organic vineyard, this is an atypical sav versus the ‘smack in the mouth with a gooseberry flavoured lemon style’. Lovely and elegant with shy aromas of stone fruit, citrus and hint of ripe black currant. It opens up on the palate with gooseberry, crisp lemon, with a hint of green bell pepper and pineapple. Availability: Possibly Glengarry or direct from Loveblock www.loveblockwine.com Spade Oak Voysey Gisborne Chardonnay 2014, $16 Light nose - apple, stone fruit. Easy drinking light style with a hint of oak, and fresh fruit flavours of quince, lime and stone fruit. Available: Fine Wine Delivery Company, Spade Oak Wine www.spadeoak.co.nz

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Hawkshead Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014, $30 Smells of toasted oak, black cherry and tamarillo, with a bit of forest floor and spice.

Generous palate of black berry fruits and ripe black currant, with medium soft tannins and lengthy dry palate. Very classy wine that would reward cellaring for another 3-4 years. Available: Scenic Cellars, Vino Fino, City Centre Wine & Spirits Wellington, Herne Bay Cellars.

Spade Oak Gisborne Methode Traditionelle Blanc de Blanc NV, $38 ‘Blanc de blanc’ translates as ‘white from white’, ie, a bubbly made entirely from white chardonnay grapes. The traditional mix is chardonnay blended with clear wine made from pinot noir. This is a lovely balanced and rich New Zealand fizzy. Pale gold with persistent fine beaded bubbles and aromas of apple, minerality and a hint of herbs. In the mouth it’s a party of foamy bubbles with flavours of strewed pear and apple, clover honey, nougat, nectarine and lime crispness. Available: Spade Oak Wines www.spadeoak.co.nz Saint Clair ‘Dawn’ Methode Traditionelle 2012, $49 Named after Dawn Ibbotson, matriarch of Saint Clair, who accomplished 100 years in December 2014. This is the tradional blend of pinot noir and chardonnay and was rested on yeast residue in the bottle for 35 months.

Dry, crisp and elegant - this wine has a delicate nose of nashi pear and minerality.

One the palate it’s subtle lime citrus, nougat, brioche and poached pear with a tangy, clean dry finish. Available: Negociants NZ ordersnz@negociants.com, Saint Clair Wines www.saintclair.co.nz Phil Parker is a wine writer and operates Fine Wine & Food Tours in Auckland. See: www.finewinetours.co.nz Phil’s new cellar door book ‘NZ Wine Regions - A Visitor’s Guide’ is now available on Amazon Kindle. (PHIL PARKER) F PN

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GARY STEEL: VEG FRIENDLY

Bogus news - giving them what they want I love the idea of a journalist grabbing difficult scientific material and decoding it for the masses.

Any scientific report is going to be full of highly technical information, odd words, nerdy phrasing and jargon, which means that even if deep down it’s really, really interesting, most of us couldn’t even contemplate reading one. But any competent journalist/writer grabbing the complex information and managing to distil it for the consumption of the general public is in my opinion some kind of hero.

Unfortunately, there seem to be very few writers with the ability to decode scientific information without turning it into complete gibberish. The problem appears to be a lethal combination of a chronic lack of comprehension on the part of the would -be disseminator, and the increasing need to provide click-bait for the restless Internet browser, no matter how ill-informed the story is.

This is partly caused by a news media in crisis that’s desperately trying to get enough advertising cash through the door in a post-print world. It’s not hard to imagine management, acting on behalf of the financial requirements of shareholders, pushing staff to do just about anything required to get people to click on a headline. And it’s not hard to imagine the inevitable consequence: stories like the one about how vegetarianism is bad for your health, for example.

A couple of months back, the New Zealand Herald published a story - written by science correspondent Sarah Knapton and originally published by the Telegraph United Kingdom - with the headline ‘Vegetarianism can lead to heart disease and cancer’. Now, even as a card-carrying vegetarian, I believe it’s the duty of media to sift through the morass of information to churn down to the truth of the matter, and if it’s true that vegetarianism is bad for my health, I want to know.

Happily for me, the report turned out to be complete bunkum. Based on a report about a study of a community of vegetarians in India, Knapton’s story had utterly misrepresented

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what the report was about. In a nutshell, vegetarians who were suddenly exposed to certain oils already known to be unhealthy when used on a daily basis, were more likely to suffer inflammation that could lead to genetic mutations that could lead to risk of heart disease and cancer. Big deal: anyone consuming unhealthy oils is dicing with disease.

As it turned out, the scientists behind the original report, although happy to be getting publicity, were alarmed at how badly the media were misrepresenting their findings. In essence, what the report was saying was almost opposite to the headlines: that if your culture has a long history of vegetarianism, that eating meat or certain oils should be avoided, because vegetarianism has become part of your genetic make-up. Asians had a long history of mostly vegetarian diets, so taking on Western diets full of meat and fats wasn’t such a good idea.

The problem is, once this story was unleashed, it was like a virus through the mass media, making its erroneous way into august publications like the New York Times. In the days of print publications, a newspaper could publish a retraction, and the story might be quickly forgotten. But despite having been proved misleading and just plain wrong, the story can still be easily found with a simple Google search, and nowhere could I find a retraction or apology or any notification for the benefit of the general public that the story was bogus.

This is the new landscape, and it’s scary. Shame on all the publications who published this story, knowing that it would appeal to all those who felt guilty about eating meat, and then failed to deal with the consequences of their appalling editorial decision.

(GARY STEEL) F PN Gary Steel is an Auckland-based journalist who runs online vegetarian resource www.doctorfeelgood.co.nz He can be contacted via beautmusic@gmail.com

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY CENTRAL INTO THE FUTURE The further development of Ponsonby Central is a much discussed, often rumoured topic so we thought we would address it front on.

The great news is... it’s true! We are planning to build a fantastic extension to Ponsonby Central with our signature mixed retail, office and residential, and to meet the obvious needs of the area it comes with extra parking.

Andy’s vision for the old Allan Calendars site was to preserve and enhance the old buildings to create the sort of place you would be proud to bring your mates, family and overseas friends to. Little did he know then what a vibrant and bustling hub it would become; a success story not just for Ponsonby Central itself but for the whole Ponsonby community.

The area at 10 Richmond is one of the few sites on Ponsonby Road where it is possible to create additional car parking. Ponsonby Central is currently in process with council to create this new development that will include three stories of underground car park, reducing the load on the surrounding streets, making parking easier for residents.

The extension has been designed by Jan Bernau of Bernau Architecture Ltd, in cohesion of style and feel to the original Allan Calendar buildings. Bernau was one of the original architects involved in the Ponsonby Central we know, and has just completed the refurbishment of 373 and 375 Karangahape Road. His design will integrate already

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sourced reclaimed bricks to create a complimentary addition to what is already here. With internal waste facilities, utilising cutting-edge eco-friendly waste reduction technology, combined with the car park underground, the aim is to reduce noise to neighbours. The new build will create a second wider laneway with more community-focused areas and will positively activate the neighbouring Brown Street Reserve.

We are hoping to start work on the existing car park early next year, which gives us plenty of time to organise extra bicycle stands to be installed for our locals to use while this development is in process! F PN

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY EXPERIENCE GLENGARRY - YOUR LOCAL WINE RETAILER SINCE 1945 Did you know that Glengarry started retailing wine back in 1945, at 54 Jervois Road in Herne Bay? This site was where one of the first two licenses to sell wine in New Zealand was issued.

Think forward, that’s a very long time that Glengarry has been retailing fine wine in your neighbourhood and proud to be part of it. A big part of what we love doing at Glengarry is tasting and events. We believe that wine should be presented in a non-intimidating way, with humour, and be approachable. That’s the basis on which we run all our tasting and events - and there’s a lot of them. At our Victoria Park store, we run monthly our Malt Club and Pinot Noir Club as well as a host of very special events. Here’s a little about the Malt and Pinot Noir Clubs and the events coming up.

Malt Club To understand the differences between various whiskies, take a look at each individual section or, even better, buy a bottle or two from each country and try them out against each other. Or, you could come along to one of our fabulous monthly Glengarry Malt Whisky Club tastings. Learn about the regions, the styles, the flavours and how to pronounce Caol Ila. Conducted by our very own malt master, Jak Jakicevich, these are brilliant get-togethers.

Next tasting: Malt Club: Isle of Arran Isle of Arran Distillers are one of the few remaining independent distilleries in Scotland, and the only Malt Whisky distillery on the Isle. The distillery was opened in 1995 (they celebrate their 21st anniversary this year), at Lochranza, in the north of the Island. Lochranza in Arran really is a perfect location for producing the perfect Malt for a couple of reasons: the area is home to the purest water in all of Scotland and it enjoys a warm microclimate, ideal for the speedy maturation of single malts. Arran only use the traditional methods of distilling, with wooden washbacks and copper stills, designed to exact specifications. They don’t use peat in the production process or caramel for artificial colouring (unlike many other distilleries). And all their Single Malts are non-chill filtered, which means they’re natural in pigment and exactly the way whisky should be!

When: 7pm Thursday 23 June Where: Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Seat Price $45 Pinot Noir Club Nothing shows the differences between different pinot noirs better than lining them up in a tasting and giving them due consideration. And taking a good mouthful or two, of course. Liz Wheadon runs our Pinot Club, which looks at pinot from everywhere -

Burgundy, Central Otago, Martinborough (and more) and provides a great opportunity to taste some outstanding (and often very expensive) wines; you’ll see why the Holy Grail of grapes continues to excite and amaze.

Next tasting: New Zealand Pinot Noir: New Wines, Vintages & Producers Ask the globe’s finest pinot noir producers where they draw their inspiration from and many will tell you, ‘Burgundy’. Even though the notoriously fickle pinot noir grape is a Burgundy native it has found a very happy second home in New Zealand, with an exciting range of distinctive regional and terroir-driven styles. So we feel it’s time to have a little (blind) round-up session of some of our best local pinot noir producers and take a look at some fantastic new producers and vintages.

When: 7pm Thursday 16 June Where: Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Seat Price $45 Also at Victoria Park in June, these great tastings and events: Wednesday 15 June - Craggy Range Prestige Launch Tuesday 21 June - Church Road Tom 2013 Launch Saturday 25 June - Syrah / Shiraz Journey And at the beginning of July Tuesday 5 July - Trinity Hill with John Hancock For more details on these tastings - www.glengarry.co.nz/tastings The Glengarry Wine Room is available to book for functions and events - call T: 0800 733 505 or email sales@glengarry.co.nz for more details. F PN

Jak Jakicevich, CEO Glengarry Wines

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WWW.GLENGARRY.CO.NZ

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SALES@GLENGARRY.CO.NZ

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LAURAINE JACOBS: THE SEASONED PALATE

Lauraine Jacobs dines on authentic Italian fare If you choose to eat Italian there are certain expectations about the menu. Anyone who has travelled around Italy knows the rightful form of dinner.

Start with antipasti, (nibbly treats to whet the appetite) move on to primi platti (soup but usually pasta), then the secondi or main course, before a lovely dessert to wind things up in a civilised fashion. It’s possible there could be a cheese course, and maybe contorni (vegetables), and naturally there’s some jolly good wine to accompany everything. This structure is the mark of a place that knows what it’s doing.

So it was with great trepidation I was commanded to dine recently with The Boss the other night at Gusto Italiano on that little stretch of Ponsonby Road near Three Lamps that is so often overlooked as the trendies and the millennials all fall over themselves to try the latest and greatest places at the other end of the Dining Mile. Gusto Italiano, The Boss said, is one of his favourites and not to be confused with a similarly named joint in Sky City’s grand dining 50 metres. And when The Boss speaks, if you know your Camorra from your Mafia, you jump. I must add I am pleased I did.

Owner Armando Koci is from Puglia and presides over the comfortable, almost quaint dining room with large glass and wooden doors the open right out in good weather to extra tables on the footpath. The whole place has a rather woody feel in a cosy sort of way, and you almost imagine you have strayed into one of those delightfully old-style bistros or trattorias in the backstreets of Naples or Rome. The night we dined, Armando was proudly presenting a degustation menu of five courses (two pasta courses), with each course matched to lovely Italian wines.

We sipped on prosecco, as you should, before a very tasty dish of thinly sliced tuna arrived topped with a sweet herb and crab sauce. Accompanied by a rather fancy vernaccia wine from Tuscany, this redefined antipasti for me. So you see, it doesn’t have to be a grand platter of sliced hams and salamis with assorted olives, pickled vegetables and bread sticks. This was superb.

Moving on we had two pasta courses; the first was outstanding and my absolute favourite of the evening. A handmade cannelloni was filled with fresh porcini and anointed with a delicate truffle cream. Perfect autumn food that was soft, aromatic and heavenly. The second pasta dish was very tasty; large rounds of ravioli filled with roasted duck and napped with a buttery hazelnut and red wine sauce. Lovely flavours, although the edges of the pasta were a tad tough and chewy.

It was then on to a hearty veal stew served in a completely unpretentious manner. The deliciously long cooked meat was so tender it was almost disintegrating and sat on top of an equally deliciously rich pile of mashed potato with hints of truffle and mascarpone.

The wine match, a ripasso, was almost as rich as the dish. And we finished our feast with quince tart and lemon icecream. This was a lovely meal, perfectly timed to mark the end of summer. Seasonal food always gets the tick of approval from me.

But what if you show up and don’t manage to strike a special degustation menu, (The Boss was on to it) which was real good value at a mere $125 including wines? Well, there’s good news. Apart from Gusto’s great pizza menu, and the list of pasta which is all made in house by hand, there are three terrific options that all reflect that classic Italian menu structure. Armando offers a set vegetarian menu for $95 for two, a seafood menu at $105 for two with calamari, prawns, pasta and fish of the day, and what he calls a ‘Gustoso” set menu at $95 for two which includes a generous antipasto platter, huge house made gnocchi, and an excellent chicken breast dish. These might be some of the best value meals around the district as all include dessert.

Service was charming - a lovely Italian who knew his stuff. The wine list is filled with really good Italian wines that are perfect for the food (of course) and there are plenty of salads and vegetable dishes to please the vegetarians. On the second Wednesday of each month there’s an opera night, and for those who want a private event there’s a room upstairs to book. Open for dinner seven nights, lunch Thursday to Sunday.

(LAURAINE JACOBS) F PN www.laurainejacobs.co.nz GUSTO ITALIANO, 263 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 1556, www.gustoitaliano.co.nz

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OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO SUSAN GIBSON, PR DOYENNE We often see this well-known face enjoying herself on the Ponsonby strip.

And we offer our congratulations to Susan Gibson, PR doyenne based at the Heritage Auckland for her recent Highly Commended PRINZ award. Susan has been our host at many wonderful vegan and vegetarian events at the Heritage Auckland. Coming up is a mid -winter vegan feast on Saturday 9 July. For info see www.heritagehotels.co.nz or call T: 09 979 7434. F PN

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY WINTER WARMERS @ SABATO As winter rolls in, it’s easy to become nostalgic for late evenings basking in the warm weather and enjoying fresh summer dishes.

Yes, at Sabato we do enjoy a good New Zealand summer and all the great food that comes with it, but there are endless options in the kitchen to get excited for winter.

It’s time to take pleasure in the arrival of the cooler months with some of our exceptional European ingredients and heart-warming recipes. Fill your cupboards with grains, pulses, pasta and lentils which are essential for winter cooking.

Make flavoursome pumpkin cannelloni with spinach and ricotta and treat yourself to a creamy Spanish calasparra rice pudding for dessert. Toss some Mas Portell truffle oil through your favourite Rustichella pasta and top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano for a tasty and convenient dinner.

Our Girolomoni mountain lentils and farro offer a versatile base for salads, braises and hearty soups. Grown organically in Italy, they’re nutritious and delicious and a great way to add texture to your winter dish.

If you love the earthy flavour and aroma of porcini and truffle, you can’t go past our extensive selection. Whether it’s dried porcini, porcini crema, truffle oil or truffle salt we have all you need to treat your taste buds. Pressed for time? Stop by and grab one of our veal and porcini lasagnes or perhaps a Tuscan chicken and porcini pie. They’re ready to bake from frozen - effortless and divine!

Visit our retail store to taste our new products and chat to our knowledgeable staff. For more winter recipe ideas visit www.sabato.co.nz F PN SABATO, 57 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, T: 09 630 8751

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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY MEET THE OAKROOM TEAM How long have you had The Oakroom?

We opened our doors on 10 April 2012.

What were you doing before you opened?

Corey worked for Clooney and I was the Food and Beverage Manager at Snowplanet before we opened The Oakroom. Corey has worked around the world with beverages for over 27 years and is very passionate about his wines and what he offers our customers.

He steps outside the norm to introduce our guests to a variety that they would normally shy away from, and they appreciate it.

What do you offer? Cocktails? Beers and wine? Tell us some of the brands.

Well we offer a whole range of beverages - beer, wine, spirits and cocktails.

We have craft beers of the likes of Little Creatures, Emersons, Pacifico and Leffe’s and on tap, James Squire, Hoegaarden, Guinness, Becks, and Little Creatures Pale Ale to mention a few.

We have an excellent selection of spirits both in the well and the back bar.

With the cocktails we have tried to revive some forgotten, included classics and dropped in a few interesting originals which include a fig Martini, a spice-influenced Martini and a tequila cocktail with prosciutto in it, again to mention few...

Do you serve meals?

Absolutely serve food. We started off with a menu offering small plates and pizzas and we have evolved from there based on requests from customers... Our guests had requests of fish ‘n chips and steaks, etc, so we introduced a big plates and a dessert menu... because everyone loves our food so much. We have been converted into a ‘restaurant’ from being a bar with kitchen. Our guests love the fact that we cater to their food whims and fancies and we enjoy being challenged.

What feedback do you get from customers?

Below are a few: www.facebook.com/oakroomnz/reviews What do you do to switch off?

Do we switch off? We actually go on long drives with the kids (we have three boys) on the days we are closed at The Oakroom, being Sundays and Mondays. As a family tradition we have every Sunday dinner as a family with the Wright’s (very close family friends and now business partners).

We are in the fit out stage of our new venture out at Millwater, which will be Millwater Bistro and Bar. We are doing this in partnership with our friends Paul and Deanne Wright... Family. F PN

BECOME A FRIEND OF KELMARNA GARDENS FOR AS LITTLE AS $5 A MONTH

THE OAKROOM, 17 Drake Street, T: 09 300 6313, www.theoakroom.co.nz

Your regular donation will help connect more school children with nature, empower people all over Auckland with sustainable living choices and develop and maintain a therapeutic garden.

Join now at: www.kelmarnagardens.nz/donate

64 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY TOM WILLIAMSON @ MR TOMS Head Chef, Tom Williamson of MR TOMS Bar & Kitchen on Ponsonby Road tells us what inspired him and what he brings to the table.

He explains, “As most humble chefs do, I started washing dishes based solely on earning an income. By way of washing dishes I was exposed to the thrill of hot line cooking, which was a very satisfying feeling. As time went on I worked on various private yachts in the Mediterranean, which involved a lot of travelling and experiencing different cultures, cuisines and ways of cooking. In the last couple of years I’ve done stints at Ebisu, Oyster Inn, United Kitchen and most recently was part of the opening of MR TOMS Bar & Kitchen.”

Tom went to culinary school in Sydney. However, he believes you only take so much out of culinary school. Most of his skills and passion have come from many hours in the kitchen, travelling and working with great chefs.

When asked what he loves about working at MR TOMS, he responds, “I love the intimate space of the restaurant and how it has privacy from the bar. The bespoke entrance snuck just off Ponsonby Road on Anglesea Street requires our guests to walk through our open kitchen and that adds to a very unique dining experience.”

And of his favourite dish on the menu, he says it would have to be the short rib gnocchi, which they make in house. It goes with Jerusalem artichoke, kale, a 75° egg and pickled red cabbage. It’s a great winter warmer.

One of the important things for Tom is that all their meat is free range, and his suppliers are local. “We always make a conscious effort to use sustainable and seasonal products.”

He adds. “There are multiple vegetarian and GF options, we are also flexible with vegans and are able adapt to dietary requirements as requested. My current favourite for the vegetarians out there is the wild mushroom pappardelle, spinach, hazelnut, truffle and parmesan.”

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Not one to be afraid of change, Tom likes to vary the dishes every few of weeks and believes it’s really important to keep dishes and ideas fresh. “With not having a big menu and seasons changing relatively quickly,” he says, I like to use all that each season has to offer and keep the menu exciting. It provides an opportunity for our guests to experience the very best available at its very best time to cook and eat with.”

When it comes to pairing wine with food, Tom says this is something he leaves with his Bar and Restaurant Manager. “I work hard on keeping the food menu fresh and exciting,” says Tom, “and so I leave my team with the challenge of matching wines to my dishes using their knowledge and experience.”

Tom Williamson What is it that really motivates Tom Williamson MR TOMS head chef and why did he choose to set up MR TOMS in Ponsonby, he smiles and says, “I love the diversity of the offerings in Ponsonby. With the number of restaurants, cafes and bars around makes in very competitive. If you are not on your game all the time it can be very costly to your business, and your reputation, and so I find that very motivating to serve dishes at the high standard our customers deserve.” F PN MR TOMS, 151 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 9139, E: hello@mrtoms.co.nz

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ROSS THORBY: SEA FEVER I could smell it as soon as I opened my stateroom door this morning. The dark, woody and smokey smell of the ages.

An aromatic air that courses down through your nostrils filling your lungs with elephants, spices and life - but not as we know it.

Colombo - Sri Lanka Today a group of five of us had decided to forgo the safety and reliability of Mother Cunard and take our lives into our hands for a day of tuk tuks. Ahhhh tuk tuks ... the mode of transport for the crazy and ill advised. These modified versions of an ancient motorcycle with a carriage, that zip around developing countries like a swarm of bees.

Their buzzing and warnings filling the air.

Toot! ... “I’m here ...” Toot toot! ... “So am I...” Toot toot toot! “I’m here, I heard you...”

The third world countries are full of the noise of these little vehicles and their horn blasts. When you have six lines of traffic squeezing into a two-lane highway you need to know where your adversaries are. The constant warnings and blasts help while you are hurtling through the streets, careening and tipping, stopping and starting between trucks, buses and the less agile taxis.

Toot toot! “Here I am.” “I see you ... I’m here too ...” Toot tot toot ...

I asked the driver how he knew without looking around what he was dealing with and learned that the resonance and tone of the horn told him where and what he was dealing with. He had replaced his small horn with one that would have made a Kenworth truck proud.

Everyone kept out of our way.

We had with us a list of temples built during the island’s tumultuous past, a time when the country was known to the Greeks, Arabs and Chinese traders. Their influence was left in the religion, architecture and flavours of the country. After visiting a number of lesser temples, we traversed the city to Kathiresan Temple with its vast halls carved in stone, blackened over hundreds of years from incense and burning oil. A multitude of candles lighting the cool stone interior which was reverberating with the footfall of the faithful, creating a blend of noise and music. The quiet compound was a contemplative haven from the noisy commerce of the market and street beyond. Then after an exhaustive morning of clock towers, Victorian buildings, gem factories and markets, we managed to break to the Galle Face Hotel. A vestige to the Raj. A colonnaded building resplendent with ceiling fans and shutters, its long terraces overlooking the tepid blue Indian ocean and hosting a colossal Indian buffet in a tiled and sheltered verandah. We sat in colonial comfort, protected and coddled from the rigours of the city.

Our last port of call was to be the Asokaramaya Buddist Temple set in the outer suburbs of the city; but was too much for my travel-weary companions, so making the break on my own, I was able to flag a passing tuk tuk, first checking that its driver had at least a passing familiarity with road safety. Despite my initial confidence, it seemed that this driver had left his learner’s tag at home that day. We screeched and blundered our way across the byways of the city, a trail of smoke and tooting in our wake.

But Asokaramaya turned out to be the most beautiful of all the temples. A hexagonal building set just back from a market road. Its plain exterior belying an interior of embellished walls featuring soaring dioramas of Buddha surrounded by his faithful.

The walls were covered in a rich tapestry of vibrant colour and action. Plaster and wooden statues clawing their way out of the stone and cement, scenes of mountains and gardens inhabited by crowds of gods and mortals venerating the life of Buddha.

The ceiling, hanging over the central and massive Buddha, was decorated in all hues of the rainbow and lit by a soaring windowed dome. A haven of tranquility and calmness that only a peaceful life can produce. It’s hard to believe the tranquility here is a vestige of the life outside.

How amazing that this country with its pace and speed could have such a peacefulness at its heart. Soon it was time to leave and return through the tempest of the city to my home away from home; somehow its decoration and furniture seemed faded in comparison.

PN Colombo - can’t wait to come back. (ROSS THORBY) F

66 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

TRAVEL BREAKS: THE NEW THERAPY!

INTO INDIA

by Kate Gohar, World Journeys

I took advantage of the school holidays to get my assorted teenagers off their devices and into India (getting them off their devices was perhaps optimistic but with no data out of WiFi range, it was mission almost possible).

In Delhi we joined a cooking class but such was the chef’s enthusiasm, chickpea flour and potato was flying across the kitchen in no time. I retreated a safe distance and left them to it. Soon a dazzling array of dishes appeared and I realised I now had three masala experts on call. We also visited an orphanage where my children sat on the floor surrounded by dozens of delightful smiling faces, singing songs, gifting hair ties, bracelets and pens before sharing a simple lunch. Moving and life affirming for all of us.

In Jaipur the Jai Mahal, Amber Fort and City Palace provided history and stories aplenty, an afternoon spent washing and feeding elephants had the whole family wide-eyed with wonder, while just crossing the street as we headed into the market was part luck, part prayers to Ganesh. Fun and banter followed as we looked at shoes, Indian pants and scarves and everyone came away with a few treasures. Quite a highlight. One evening we clambered aboard tuk tuks and hit the cinema, joining in the frivolity that is Bollywood.

night sky is peppered with fireworks and glossy ‘pre-wedding’ photo shoots are taking place in nearly every hotel. The guest lists seem enormous and fairly fluid so if you fancy joining the most riotous party of your life, ask politely and you will be welcomed with open arms.

My children made instant friends with people who provide food and drink (an innate skill it seems as it happened everywhere). They even found an Indian-Kiwi restaurateur whose grin could have lit up the city as soon as he heard our accents.

India is overwhelming, chaotic, challenging and embracing. Grab the kids, grab your passport and grab it with both hands. You’ll love it. F PN

In Agra, even with the inevitable crowd, the Taj was beautifully serene and gleaming. The shady grounds of this mausoleum a welcome respite from the unrelenting heat.

Gorgeous Udaipur. Bougainvillea spills over walls, water everywhere, trees and green space made us feel we had entered a new world - and we liked it. Our guide had teenagers and connected with the kids immediately so I knew it would be a good day.

Even the wander back through the narrow market streets was a delight as we were neither hassled nor overwhelmed by stares or hawkers - possibly because it had now reached 45C but it may just be Udaipur.

April is wedding season - everywhere we go there are gaily decorated vehicles, horses and elephants, vast outdoor arenas with bright flags and banners, hotels overflow with saris every colour of the rainbow, staggering amounts of jewellery adorn all the women and slick gents in black tie sweep past leaving an overpowering trail of cologne. The

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PONSONBY NEWS READERS ARE EVERYWHERE

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Recently Sally Anderson and Nigel Nausbaum took a cruise through VIETNAM and into CAMBODIA. Sally tells us that the people on the cruise all read her copy of Ponsonby News and they rated it very highly!

1. Some of the cruise ship team from The Jahan close to Kampong Cham on the Mekong Delta; 2. Nigel Nausbaum in CAMBODIA with a backdrop of the Jahan ship on the Mekong Delta; 3. Sally in Cambodia at the Silk Village Koh Oaknha Tey. 4. Sally on a tuk tuk in Hoi An, VIETNAM.

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Dianne Hill tells us “I have recently returned from a fabulous trip to CUBA.” 5. Habana Vieja (Old Town Square); 6. Revolution Square; 7. Street art in the Cuban town of Trinidad.

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

68 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

4K PHOTO SHOT ON LUMIX GX85

THE ONE CAPTURING LIFE ON THE MOVE

THE NEW LUMIX GX85.

When searching the streets for inspiration, Jonas Borg needs a camera that reacts as quickly as he does. 5-axis Dual Image Stabilizer helps him take crisper, clearer images even in low light or for telephoto shooting, while Post Focus gives him the freedom to choose the focus point after he has taken the shot. Part of the LUMIX 4K PHOTO range, it also lets him film at 30fps and extract the perfect shot as a high resolution still image.

See how Jonas Borg captured life on the move in Berlin at Panasonic.com #4KPHOTO #LUMIXGX85 AVAILABLE FROM PHOTO WAREHOUSE

5 GREAT RETAIL LOCATIONS:

175 Great North Rd, Ponsonby, Auckland 154 Queen St, Central City, Auckland SEE OUR FULL RANGE INSTORE 140 Victoria St, Wellington 105 Fitzgerald Avenue, Christchurch 190 George St, Dunedin www.photowarehouse.co.nz DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

NZ’S LEADING LUMIX SERIES RESELLERS

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FASHION + STYLE PLEASE WELCOME WINTER 2016 BEAUTIFUL SOPHISTICATED LIFESTYLE PIECES - DREAMY silks, luxurious cottons, leather, suede and wool - founded in clean, classic lines to create a simple elegance, celebrating the unique beauty of every woman.

Magazine Designer Clothing offers all of this in their beautiful range of clothing for sizes 10-26, which is predominately New Zealand made, including their own label ‘Magazine’. They offer classy casual daywear and lifestyle clothing through to special occasion, especially catering for mother of the bride and groom, and guests.

Magazine creates a warm, creative environment, with professional assistance from their expert stylists. Shopping at Magazine is both fun and empowering. The styles, fabrics and colours of the clothing are enhanced by the beautiful accessories on offer. Magazine takes pride in providing an environment where women of all ages, shapes and sizes feel welcome.

Their stylists possess extraordinary styling ability, masses of creativity and fashion flair and are there to help you look and feel your very best. Whether you are looking for a working wardrobe, casual wear or an outfit for a very special occasion, you will be sure to find it there.

To experience this for yourself, visit their store at 4 Byron Avenue, Takapuna, or their new store in Mount Eden at 937 Mount Eden Road (next to Orvieto Cafe). To find out when all of their gorgeous new labels are arriving in store, sign up to their weekly newsletter via their website www.magazineclothing.co.nz or like their Facebook page. F PN MAGAZINE DESIGNER CLOTHING, 937 Mount Eden Road, Mount Eden, T: 09 630 5354, 4 Byron Avenue, Takapuna, T: 09 488 0406, www.magazineclothing.co.nz

RETAIL SUPERSTAR Cherie Morley The Garden Party

How did you come to be a retail salesperson?

While studying I worked in retail part time. I love the interaction with people and the diversity that every day brings.

What brought you to The Garden Party?

The store has been in Ponsonby Road for over 22 years, it has an amazing reputation for supporting New Zealand made/design. The manager’s role became available and I jumped at working with Anna and the team.

What do you love about your store?

The people and the product. I get to work with objects that are beautiful to look at, items that are designed to make life easier. Local customers who I know by name and international customers who I meet for the first time, and of course I work with an amazing team of women.

What makes a standout retail salesperson?

A smile, good conversation and a great listener.

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

We helped an American man look for gifts to take back home; with lots of laughs and good conversation he found everything he needed. The next day he was back with a beautifully wrapped box filled with a solid chocolate shoe from Devonport Chocolates.

It was a thank you from him but also in memory of his mother who just loved shoes and chocolate. Every year around Mother’s Day he surprises someone with a random act of kindness. This year it was us.

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

Helen Clark.

Where do you enjoy shopping?

Tatty’s, Mixt.

Name a great greater Ponsonby store...

Mixt in Kingsland: all New Zealand made with a hint of retro. F PN THE GARDEN PARTY, 71 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 7799, www.thegardenparty.co.nz

70 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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Top from MAX, jacket and pants from GLASSONS, boots from MERCHANT1948/OVERLAND, bag from COUNTRY ROAD, NIXON watch from AMAZON The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

WWW.SHORE-CITY.CO.NZ

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HELENE RAVLICH: LOCAL FASHION LOVE

Local designer: Adrian Hailwood I have the most perfect wrap dress in my wardrobe, in an abstract blue and black animal print with subtly sexy sequin detailing.

It gets its far share of outings on a regular basis, and has done so for the nigh on 12 years that I have owned it. The cost per wear must be insanely low by now, and the fact that it is still in pristine condition despite many a thrashing is testament to its creator.

That person is the wonderful, hugely clever Adrian Hailwood of Hailwood label fame - one of my favourite local talents and best friends.

Adrian’s collections continue to hit new levels of creativity and wearability each year, and he also uses his own fabric designs, footwear and accessories on the catwalk at what have become some of New Zealand Fashion Week’s most applauded shows. Apparently it was a modern day, Elizabethan-heavy film that inspired him to pursue a career in fashion almost two decades ago. Watching Tilda Swinton starring as Orlando and the gorgeous, elaborate costumes in the period classic of the same name, Hailwood finished a graphic design career, shifted to Auckland and began designing clothes. With that inspiration in mind it comes as no surprise that his amazing eveningwear and, most importantly, serious gowns, are amongst the most photographed at NZFW each year, or that pop superstar Lorde picked a Hailwood gown to wear on her first big international magazine cover for Billboard USA. It isn’t just high fashion and stellar evening gowns that Hailwood does well however, with everything from trainers to a denim line (H by Hailwood) sitting pretty alongside tailored workwear in his flagship store at the Ponsonby end of Auckland’s Karangahape Road.

Currently in store is his AW16 collection, Lion Heart. He calls it “a homage to my manufacturing base, Hong Kong”, and it feartures lots of lucky Lion and dragon motifs and the chrysanthemum, China’s national flower, represented in embroidery print and sequin patterns. In other words, pretty damn gorgeous and very wearable. He tells me that a beautiful collection of bags is also about to join it, which involves four very different styles featuring fine detailing and a mix of gold and rose gold hardware. “They are all leather and available in two colourways,” he tells me, and one can safely say that they will literally fly out the door. A little bit of affordable luxury is what every woman I know wants, and Mr Hailwood does exactly that, and very well.

It’s his tenth year in the K’Road space, which he moved to after a time on Ponsonby Road in the infamous ‘number 62’ store. He is aware that his current store has always been a bit of a destination for shoppers, but the growth of retail at that end of Ponsonby Road has seen a lot more foot traffic arriving all the time. “There’s still nowhere to park though,” he says with a sigh, echoing the sentiments of more than a few of the designers who have long committed to the neighbourhood.

His first outing at New Zealand Fashion Week back in 2001 was as part of a group show at the Auckland Town Hall. “It was the show with the green swallow print wrap dress,” he told Viva last year, “and so many people still have that dress!” Writer Stacy Gregg still has hers and has been spotted out and about in it more than once, and he still has customers buying his collections that first made their Hailwood purchases with him in his Ponsonby Road store days. He says that over the years his customers have grown alongside him, and the styles in his collections reflect that. “I used to be all about fashion and what was hot,” he explains, “whereas now there is a real concentration on tailoring and making clothing ‘for women’.”

He is as excited about his upcoming show at New Zealand Fashion Week as he ever was, “and I still can’t believe it will be my fifteenth year,” he says. “I love doing a show at Fashion Week every year as it’s the opportunity to really represent what my brand is all about. I love making garments that aren’t just about the business side and I feel shows always need a little bit extra.”

Having said that, he adds that he has been amazed at how many of the one-off show pieces are becoming in hot demand from customers who want more than just ready-to -wear options. “Putting on a show is a chance to really celebrate fashion and design,” he says with a smile, “and the fact that people love those pieces is just such a buzz for me...” And one assumes that it still will be for many years to come. Hail Hailwood!

(HELENE RAVLICH) F PN HAILWOOD, 516 Karangahape Road, T: 09 360 9931, www.hailwood.co.nz

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FASHION + STYLE: JULIE ROULSTON

Winter nights Take note from Oscar de la Renta at last month’s Australian Fashion Week: choose sculpted shapes with clean, flattering silhouettes; focus on lace, sequins and other fine details. Keep accessories minimal but make them strong. De la Renta hair was swept into a neat updo, paired with winged eyeliner and matte skin.

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WHERE TO BUY IN GREATER PONSONBY 1. Repertoire dress ($398.90) www.repertoire.co.nz 2. Karen Walker earrings ($649) www.karenwalker.com 3. Silk&Steel stole ($495) www.silkandsteel.co.nz 4. Juliette Hogan sweater ($499) and skirt ($799) 5. Moochi dress ($289.99) www.moochi.co.nz 6. Liam gown ($389) www.rubynz.com 7. Mi Piaci heel ($290) www.mipiaci.co.nz 8. State of Grace dress ($535) www.stateofgrace.co.nz 9. tk belt ($195) www.tk.net.nz 10. Kate Sylvester gown ($729) www.katesylvester.com 11. Prouenza Schouler heel ($1,389) www.workship.co.nz 12. Kagi brooch ($169) www.kagi.net 13. Zambesi top ($720) and pant ($340) www.zambesi.co.nz 14. tk dress ($550) www.tk.net.nz

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

VERMONT STREET, PONSONBY 15 JUNE 1925

Dearest Effie, How are you my dear? Chipper I hope! I know you must be terribly pleased

box, which I bought only yesterday but resisted the strong urge to eat after

with yourself for finally finishing making that behemoth of a quilt... and just

dinner last night. Actually Effie, it’s the same all along Ponsonby Road. We

in time for the cold weather.

have so many confectioners that sometimes I feel I am living in the lolly capital of New Zealand [iv] No wonder I am piling on the pounds!

I know it’s probably too soon to ask... but I wonder if you have plans to make another? As promised, I am diligently keeping all my scraps and have some

On that point, I’ve decided that I must start regular walks for my fitness. Not

absolutely gorgeous velvets and satins that I know you’ll adore. Another idea

the daily ‘walk’ that I do with Tiger to the shops which involves more stopping

for using the scraps, which I think you’ll love, is in an American magazine

and starting what with my window shopping and Tiger’s sniffing and pausing

that I bought today (thinking of you!). It’s a patchwork dressing gown made

to do what boy dogs like to do every two minutes or so! But a purposeful

from scraps of fabric and also ribbons, and it looked so quaint. If you can

walk, taken at a brisk rate. I’ve been inspired, not only by not being able to

contemplate another project in the next wee while, I’ll cut it out and post it to

fit into my favourite skirt, but by the fervour (and slim figure) of one of my

you together with a bundle of scraps. I’ll keep the article in any case, not that

old customers that I hadn’t seen for two years. She was so much slimmer that

I anticipate ever having time to tackle this myself !

when she last came to me that I had to retake all of her measurements! And she was the picture of health! She told me how, about a year before, she’d

I’m a little bit pleased with myself at the moment as I have

been to a public lecture by a famous physical culturist from America who

just received a rather significant order for a wedding

convinced her that salvation lay in the form of tanning and

dress and three bridesmaids’ gowns. The bride is in

slimming. She took up not only regular walking but also

Society so the wedding is bound to be reported in

swimming (which I cannot abide) and can be found

the Herald! The wedding will be in the early spring so

on Takapuna Beach, along with dozens of other sun

I have a good amount of time to get myself organised.

worshippers, every fine weekend in summer. While

There’s so much to be done to ensure that this wedding

I’m very impressed by the results of her fervour, I will

is perfect! Of course the bride has demanded that

not be taking up swimming any time soon. The sun

her gown reflect the very latest in Parisian fashions

bathing will have to wait but I can certainly start the

so I am happily spending time perusing all the most

walking... via the byways of Ponsonby which offer far

expensive French journals that I can find. I’m also

less temptation to dawdle! Having said that, I’d better

keeping my eyes open for fine silk lace. The bride

pull on my walking boots and find my shawl and start

hasn’t decided yet whether she wants silver or pearl

out on my first brisk walk!

- coloured lace but I have an inkling that she will Oh, before I go, can you please pass on my fondest

decide on silver (with a little persuasion from me). If

congratulations to your cousin Bess on her

you see any cobweb-weight silver lace of quality in any

engagement. And thank you for the clipping. The

of your shops, can you please ask for a small swatch?

I am asking this of all my friends just in case I have trouble

description of her soirée is very charming. From the

finding what I want in Auckland. I’m not worrying too

couple of times I met Bess, I remember her as a very sweet girl. I’ll post her a card tomorrow. Of course, if she

much though as I know that most of the Ponsonby drapers are expecting their spring fabrics to arrive by the end of this month, weather and dock strikes permitting. Most have bridal laces in their

ever needs any ideas for her wedding gown, I would be very happy to send her clippings from some of my magazines. Enjoy the caramels!

orders, with Shanlys[i] and Oswalds[ii] promising ‘exquisite’ silver laces.

I hope you enjoy the caramels, I’ve enclosed with this letter. They’re to thank you for going to the trouble of finding me that wide velvet ribbon to match the green silk swatch I mailed you. It is such a perfect match and looks really fetching made up into loose belts for the tunic blouses I sent sketches of to you.

If you like the caramels, let me know as I’m happy to send you more. I’ve

With warmest wishes,

Your friend, Maudie xx [i] Shanlys Ltd (Drapers), Ponsonby Buildings, Ponsonby Road

developed rather a keen fondness of them and believe them to be the most charming confectionary shop is located rather too close to home for comfort!

I try never to walk that way, especially if I’m hungry, as my feet automatically

[ii] Oswald & Co, (Drapers), 11-13 Jervois Road, Ponsonby [iii] S. J. Mortensen (Confectioner), 17 Ponsonby Road

cross the pretty tiled entrance and then Jens tempts me in, if not by some new

[iv] In Wise’s Directory for 1925, there are forty-seven ‘Confectioners’, both wholesale

chocolate truffle he’s concocted, then by a special nougat or toffee that I “must

and manufacturing, listed as being in Ponsonby - Ponsonby Road, Jervois Road and

try”, and before I know it I’ve purchased another box of caramels. Like this

College Hill

+ JuneNEWS NEWS 2016 + 76 PONSONBY PONSONBY PARISH

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

illustration: Michael McClintock

delicious caramels in all of Auckland. They’re from Jens Mortensen[iii] whose

FASHION + STYLE

GEORGIA ALICE AT SYDNEY FASHION WEEK How many firsts can Georgia Currie chalk up with her Georgia Alice (GA) label?

This time it was her debut solo Resort 16/17 show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia, and hers was the only New Zealand label to show.

Recently picked up by Myer, in the words of Grazia’s Damien Woolnough, “Georgia has already won the attention of fashion editors with a sophisticated approach to volume expressed through simple fabrics.”

The unnamed collection was inspired by coastal living and by Swiss artist Mai-Thu Perret’s 14-year project ‘The Crystal Frontier’, about an autonomous community of women opting out of contemporary capitalist society, and resettling in the new Mexico desert to create their own world. That’s in keeping with the GA woman, who is “progressive in her beliefs and nomadic in her knowledge.”

The show was styled by Vogue Australia’s Phillipa Moroney, with hair directed by Renya Xydis for Wella and make-up by Nigel Stanislaus for Maybelline New York. Georgia collaborated with Meadowlark to create gem-encrusted Meadowlark X GA hoops, which will be sold via the GA online store later this year. Black Teva sandals completed the look.

Positive reviews abound, but one from Australian site 10magazine says it well: “We do love a New Zealand perspective, dark, and always oddly unnerving. To be honest we were a bit blasted in the darkness as the finale happened first up, yes it played back to front with the Georgia Alice girls storming down the catwalk, taking no prisoners. Kanye’s echoic Wolves set the pace for a collection strong on cotton shirting, trailing ties, sheer simple knits all see thru and a youthful cool tailored mini dress worn over a shirt. Puff ball shorts. Yes a few eighties references in there too. Boudoir blind tapes to shorten or lengthen a dress. Asymmetric but kind of cottony which made it all seem grounded somehow and nice to wear. It was hard, fast and she delivered a neat show.”

Georgia herself told Ponsonby News, “It was my first resort collection ever and it was nice to be able to show a new perspective.” F PN www.georgiaalice.com

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

STITCH MINISTRY - AUTUMN/ WINTER 2016 COLLECTION Stitch Ministry autumn/winter 2016 is a collection of sleek and contemporary elegance.

The unique mix of texture and colour is inspired by the cultural elements and vibrancy of the Marrakech spice markets, with a colour palette that emanates warmth and luxury.

At Stitch Ministry they take pride in their collections’ wearability and focus on eliminating the excess. They are proudly New Zealand designed and stocked in over 40 stores throughout New Zealand.

Visit their website to view their collection or shop online at www.stitchministry.co.nz F PN

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FASHION + STYLE

THIS CHARMING MAN High hair and pink socks, he makes a pleasantly quirky foil to Working Style’s more conservative interior. But make no mistake, director of the store since its opening in 2010, Roderick Singh is as perfect a fit as the high-end suits he sells.

So how does a good first generation Kiwi boy of Fijian Indian heritage, tertiary-educated in mechanical and automotive engineering, come to be mid career in menswear retail?

Let’s go back to 1974. Roderick’s mother and father, Mohan and Sushiel, immigrated to New Zealand a week after they married, landing in Ponsonby where they lived for several years at 32 Norfolk Street. Their rental’s owner wanted to sell them the house for $10,000 but the couple planned to have a large family and felt they needed more

space than the area’s shoulder-to-shoulder little houses offered. They moved to One Tree Hill/Onehunga and had the desired large family, six boys and one girl.

Roderick was the fifth child. All the children were given English names as a measure of future-proofing: the couple believed their prospects would be better as, say, Roderick Singhs than as Ravi Singhs.

When Roderick was 10, a house fire led he and his brother to move to their aunt’s house and he eventually attended Auckland Boys’ Grammar. That’s when Roderick’s retail career began: he worked part-time at KFC in Newmarket. “You couldn’t upsell, but that’s where I learned about customer service,” he laughs.

After the odd retail job through high school, such as at Footlocker (“it fit my liking for shoes but the uniform was awful”), Roderick was clear that he enjoyed dealing with people and was intrigued by their stories. At 20 he went to work at Keith Matheson; when the store was shut down months later, he went to work part time for Working Style at their outlet store in Dressmart. He remained in the job right through his tertiary studies. “It was the perfect university job,” he says, “two or three days a week, close to home, nice clothes - I was never underdressed at uni for an occasion.” It’s always been important to Roderick to have nice things and nice clothes. “I like to think I’ve always had a flair for fashion and a knowledge of what colours go together.”

A while after graduating, Roderick was shopping for business clothes at a Working Style store when he bumped into founder Chris Dobbs. Long story short - when Working Style Ponsonby opened Roderick was offered the Director’s role.

Roderick Singh

78 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

High hair and all, there is nothing remotely camp about Roderick. He’s actually immaculately dressed (brown brogues, the socks, dark navy chinos, trim neohoundstooth jacket, tieless white shirt, abstract spot hanky and chunky silver watch).

With his clients he’s calm and precise. It’s all “no problem, mate” and handshake on departure. He says, “There are so many menswear businesses and a number of quality ones, and unless you have a relationship with your customer you don’t get the repeat business.” While I’m in the store, a tousled but handsome 40-something comes looking for a suit to wear to the boxing. Roderick is attentive and I’m impressed by his low-key approach.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

FASHION + STYLE Roderick says that in Working Style’s six years in Ponsonby, the business has definitely grown. “We are passionate about making people look good, getting to know them, remembering their wives’ names - it’s customer service 101 and that goes a long way and that makes people feel more welcome in the store. We see the same customers four to six times a year, depending on how frequently we contact them.”

All that’s very well, but I’m curious about Roderick’s menswear and fashion expertise. He explains that everyone who works at Working Style is trained in how to fit a suit and what you can do to make a suit fit better. “There is always someone (more senior) watching what you do while you are learning. It’s up to you how much you want to learn - about fabric, what threads are nice, what cloth which weight suits what climate.”

Working Style’s product and design team travel regularly to Europe and buy a year ahead. They bring back a report and dissect it with Roderick and fellow store directors; in addition, there’s a monthly meeting to enable two-way feedback between design and sales.

Right now Roderick says menswear is about “semi-formal casual. There’s a more urban feel to fashion here in Ponsonby as well as globally; a bit gritty. There are softer, less formal blazers, the look is elegant but edgy.”

I comment on how gorgeous Boxing Man will look in a black suit and a shave, and Roderick laughs, “If we could give haircuts out here we’d make much more money!” His perfect store would be a one-stop menswear shop where clients could go in and go our feeling ‘reformed’: cologne, a nice haircut, a cut-throat shave. “But guys don’t have that here because they are too rushed for time.” For those that do have a moment or two, Roderick welcomes anyone to the store for friendly fashion advice over a wine or coffee.

I’m pleasantly surprised to find I could happily sit in the comfy gentleman’s chair by the counter all afternoon. Call me not just sold, but thoroughly charmed to boot.

PN (JULIE ROULSTON) F WORKING STYLE, 186A Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 3840, www.workingstyle.co.nz

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LOCAL NEWS

Cider Building near completion

INVESTORS GRAB CIDER OFFER Investors have snapped up a million dollar opportunity to own interests in Oyster Group’s Cider Building syndication which has closed early because of oversubscription.

A total of 50 interests of $1 million each were made available to wholesale investors only, with a projected pre tax return of 7.5% per annum. Oyster marketed the interests in conjunction with Tim Lichtenstein and Charlie Oscroft from Colliers International’s Syndications division.

The high-profile property, on the corner of Williamson Avenue and Pollen Street in Ponsonby, is anchored by a 20-year lease to General Distributors, with additional tenanted commercial space and street-level retail.

wholesale investors continues to be a very important part of our growing property and funds management business.”

The Cider Building is nearly complete and is a 13,200 sq m mixed-use retail and office development, which is a key point of difference in city-fringe commercial investment -grade property. It comprises a new 4000 sq m Countdown supermarket, 8000 sq m of office space across three floors, 11 specialty retail tenancies over 900 sq m along Williamson Avenue and Ponsonby Road, and around 520 basement carparks.

Cider has been developed by Progressive Enterprises and will be 100% leased to General Distributors Limited (Countdown), Fairfax NZ Limited (on a 12-year lease) and convenience retail.

Mark Schiele, Oyster’s chief executive officer, says the successful syndication was the company’s largest-ever single equity raise under a multi investor ownership structure.

Oyster purchased the property at a yield of 6.74%, equating to a purchase price of approximately $93 million, with settlement due in June 2016.

“Oyster’s ability to raise $50 million of equity in one week demonstrates both demand for this type of quality commercial property investment and investors’ confidence in our management expertise to optimise investor returns. Property ownership structured for

Schiele says the combination of elements which attracted wholesale investors and resulted in a rapid successful syndication included the high-profile tenants, a landmark new building and an outstanding location in a sought-after residential catchment.

Mark Schiele

‘HAMMERTIME’ AT BAYFIELD PRIMARY It’s ‘Hammertime’ at Bayfield Primary. Hammertime is the school’s key social and fundraising event, centred around an enticing auction of generously donated items and experiences money often can’t buy.

‘Hammertime’ is held every two years and this year it will be a great celebration as it is the first parent function in the brand new hall. Bayfield School Principal, Sheryl Fletcher, says the school’s Ministry of Education building project has now finished and they are enjoying the brand -new teaching, administration and library block, plus new playground and landscaping.

Following the major building project and the board’s priority of adapting all the other outlying classroom blocks into flexible learning spaces, has meant that the school now needs to build up reserve funds again.

“We rely on the generosity of our school community to raise extra funds for our school,” said Mrs Fletcher.

Funds raised this year will be used to provide specialist teachers and learning support programmes as well as devices for learning with digital technology. The new hall also needs a stage, curtains and more chairs. Long

80 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

-term, the school would like to convert one of the courts to an all-weather surface with a roof, plus create terraced seating along the school side of the field.

Bayfield Board Chairman David McPherson says Hammertime is a tribute to the generosity of the people and businesses in wider Ponsonby.

“Hammertime is a fantastic night for the parents and friends of Bayfield to enjoy, but it’s important to remember the recipients are our children. Current and future students of Bayfield deserve to learn in the best facilities possible and we’re determined to put on a brilliant event to continue that reality.”

“So many businesses get behind this event with generous donations. Yet again we’ve been blown away by the sorts of experiences and items people are prepared to donate, but we’re always looking for more for inclusion in both the silent and main auctions.”

Bayfield welcomes all friends of the school to Hammertime on Friday 24 June for a great night of live music, dancing and friendly (but competitive) bidding.

Tickets to the last two Hammertime events in 2012 and 2014 sold out, so this year people are encouraged to get their tickets early to avoid disappointment. Tickets will be available at the school office.

Details of the event and a taste of the diverse range of auction items already donated can be viewed at the official Hammertime website www.hammertimebayfield.com.

The website is updated regularly as new items are offered in the countdown to Hammertime 2016.

If you have a goods, service or experience that you would like to generously donate to the event please contact PN Geoff McLay Geoff@mclay.com F PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

SUSTAINABLE LIVING WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF UPCYCLING Old tyres become dog beds and rocking horses. Discarded fridges become craft cupboards. Old inner tubes become mats, jewellery and bags. Old microwaves become home delivery depots.

Welcome to the world of upcycling: using objects in new ways. This June for the first time for inner city residents, our inorganic waste collection requires you to book in a pick up. Auckland Council will arrange to visit your property to pick up the items that you want to discard.

For example, local business Network Visuals has banners and flags to be upcycled.

RePurposer Suzanne Kendrick has turned these into fun and funky upcycled bunting which will be hung at the Grey Lynn 2030 Car Boot Market and school and community events.

Auckland Council brought in this change for many reasons - one of them was to stop so many very useful items going to landfill. The roadside collection saw many items smashed for small amounts of scrap metal, cords cut for wires and a good item destroyed.

Sophie Lawrence from Network Visuals says she is “Happy to see the flags being flown again with a second life.”

Community groups are now able to pick up items from the Resource Recovery Centre in Penrose. Charities are running innovative projects with the discarded items. In Mangere, bikes are repaired, kids are taught to maintain the bike and then the bike is gifted to the new cyclist. What were unwanted items are now finding new homes as people’s pre-loved items get a second life through the charity groups. Many items are freely gifted by the charities to people in need.

Grey Lynn 2030, our local community group, who has created a number of Grey Lynn community and environmental and community projects (Car Boot Market, Business Association and Farmers Market) has received a Waste Minimisation Grant for a new community project called RePurpose.

With RePurpose, Grey Lynn 2030s intention is to create an Auckland place that celebrates and promotes Upcycling. Grey Lynn 2030 intends to encourage reuse as well as recycling.

Trash to Trade has a criteria that the new upcycled products can be sold. GLBA want to see people develop a new product that others are happy to buy. RePurpose is about from discarded to desirable. Establishing both price and demand for the upcycled product is a measure of success.

GLBA hope to see people creating new businesses or social enterprises with their upcycled products. The website www.palletkingdom.co.nz is already doing just this, where at-risk youth create furniture from pallets.

The Trash to Trade competition will be launching in July. Details are currently being finalised.

If you are interested in being involved, either as a creator/maker or a business with discarded products, you would like to see upcycled, please contact the team at greylynn2030@gmail.com or info@GLBA.co.nz repurpose.co.nz inorganiccollections.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

RePurpose.co.nz will celebrate upcycling - the ideas and craftspeople who take objects and give them another purpose. RePurpose will promote upcycling with a website, events and courses. An upcycling pop-up store and Upcycled Art exhibition is planned.

In conjunction with Grey Lynn Business Association (GLBA), RePurpose is working with business and households to upcycle items that would normally go out in the inorganic collection. Fridges, tyres, barbeques, fabric, banners, furniture, wood pallets, can all be upcycled in ways that are beautiful and useful.

The first repurpose event is Trash to Trade. A new community competition that will encourage anybody to give upcycling a try.

GLBA will be locating local business with a waste product they would like to see upcycled.

Then crafty, creative and practical locals (like you) will be partnered with a business to work on upcycling from the waste stream.

Suzanne Kendrick with upcycled bunting

Hammertime at Bayfield Primary The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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LOCAL NEWS: GEORGE SHIERS

It’s all buzzing in Ponsonby It’s hard to imagine what our world would look like without bees.

It’s not just honey that would be gone. Almost one-third of what we eat depends on survival of bees, so it would be goodbye to apples, onions, potatoes, lemons and limes - even your morning coffee would become non existent. Our cities would be grey and dull too; without pollinators, urban plants just wouldn’t survive. And with the honeybee population now in fast decline, it’s important that we do everything we can to keep their numbers as healthy as possible. Here in Ponsonby, locals are doing just that.

“I have been working on this concept since early 2014,” said Andrea. “It started as a university thesis for my final year of a Bachelor’s degree and has grown into a fully fledged movement.”

Humble Honey Soda, produced in Freemans Bay, is described as a “refreshing, naturally -derived soda that promotes wellbeing.” But what makes the drink so special? Inside every bottle of soda is two teaspoons of Kamahi honey and with every bottle that sells Humble will assist with helping bees thrive.

The first paths will appear in Hakanoa Reserve and by Mitre 10 on Richmond Road, connecting Coxs Bay Park, Grey Lynn Park and the Northwestern Cycleway, and is split up into three main sections. The first of these is the Pollinator Wall, a cascading masonry wall that will be filled with a range of materials specifically picked to attract different pollinators. A second installation, Buzz Inn, is designed to attract bees and birds, and concept designs hope for as many as four beehives in the area. It’s not just for honeybees either; also welcome are bumblebees, solitary bees and leafcutter bees.

One of Humble’s projects is the placement of beehives all around the Auckland communities. In April, they set up their latest addition, a hive at Newton Primary School in Grey Lynn. This is the third hive they’ve put into the community, the other hives can be found at CCS Royal Oak and Green Bay Primary School in West Auckland, homes to a combined 60 - 100,000 bees.

The final section, Butterfly Farm, will appear by Mitre 10. Like bees, butterflies play an important role in the pollination of plants and crops so it is just as important to encourage them to make their way into urban communities. The farm, a wall of swan plants, nettles and clover, will be a hub for butterflies in Grey Lynn as well as providing educational signage to show just how important these insects are in our lives.

Community education and creating awareness of the importance of bees is incredibly vital to helping their numbers bloom. As part of a nurturing program, Humble are offering opportunities to work with professional beekeepers. The programme, involves learning about bees, collecting honey and fundraising.

The first paths have already received community grant funding from the Waitemata Board and they will hopefully start popping up in Grey Lynn over the following months, with construction beginning in September. Even with a full-time job on the side, Andrea is as busy as a bee and hopes to have the first path fully constructed in just one week.

Humble is also running a ‘Seeds for Bees’ initiative. A packet of bee-friendly flower seeds are given away with every trial pack of Honey Soda to help increase food supplies for bees in Auckland. Such projects are important, especially in urban areas where food can be scarce.

The roles that bees and pollinators play are incredibly important and their survival is a vital part of keeping our cities clean, green and, most importantly, liveable. Supporting these local ideas and businesses goes a long way. Humble Honey Soda costs $5.50 a bottle and is available in several cafes around central Auckland, but the best place to buy is from the Humble Honey website - www.humblehoneysoda.co.nz. A trial crate of three bottles, a pack of Seeds for Bees and information on the Humble Movement costs just $14.99 or you can order a case of 12 bottles for $39.99, all with free delivery in the Auckland region.

The team at Humble aren’t the only ones concerned with the lack of food and plants in our city. A very bold plan called Pollinator Paths is the brainchild of Andrea Reid, who one day hopes to have linked the entirety of Auckland with ‘rivers of plants’, to connect the city’s existing vegetation and extend pollinator habitats.

The paths are veins of pollinating plants and flowers running throughout Auckland, encouraging bees and other pollinators to venture into more urban environments, vital for the pollination of plants and gardens situated in cities.

82 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

Andrea is looking for business partners, local businesses and volunteers to support the Pollinator Paths project. If you would like to get involved, or just want to find out more, PN visit her website at www.andreajanetreid.wix.com/lifelines (GEORGE SHIERS) F

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

SUSTAINABLE LIVING HONEY, I INVOLVED THE KIDS Amy Archer is 10 years old, and she’s a third generation beekeeper. But it wasn’t exactly planned. A chance encounter two years ago reignited her father’s latent interest in bees and spawned a thriving little community-driven eco-business, which she now runs with her brother, Caleb.

Her father, Brett, explains...

“I was driving along, minding my own business, just off Ponsonby Road, when I noticed a huge swarm of bees covering part of a parked car. “There were about 20-30 people standing around taking pictures of this monstrous swarm - all looking very scared.”

Instinctively, Brett grabbed a cardboard box out of a nearby wheelie bin and started to gently push the bees into the box with his hand.

“People were screaming, you’re going to die, you’re going to die,” he laughs. “But I didn’t. I didn’t even get stung.”

So, Brett now had around 15,000 bees in a box on the back seat of his car - now what?

“I immediately went online, searching for beekeeping equipment. I found a place nearby and drove straight over. There was a lovely lady behind the counter, and the conversation went something like this: “Hello, I’d like to buy one of your starter hives.”

“Great, are you getting into beekeeping?”

“Yes.” “Where are you getting your bees from?”

“I already have them.”

“Oh, really. Where are they?”

“They’re in my car.”

The woman just looked at him, shook her head and walked away. Luckily for Brett, a young girl out the back of the shop had overheard the conversation and came out. She was more enthusiastic, and helped him get all the equipment he needed.

Fast forward a couple of years and Brett still had the same colony of bees, in the same hive, in his back garden, plus another nine in the carport. “Much to my wife’s disgust,” he smiles.

all die,” he says. “It’s frighteningly similar to what could happen to our world if bees stop our pollinating plants.”

After the film, the family sat around and had a conversation about how they could help bees in their immediate community.

“We took this concept and said, let’s catch some more swarms and let’s make some hives,” says, Brett. “So we got in contact with the local bee swarm alert service and that’s how it started.”

This last season there were 180 bee swarms in the greater Auckland area, and Brett and Amy captured around 10% of those - all using the tried-and-tested cardboard box method.

Word soon got around the neighbourhood that the Archers were doing this and people started enquiring whether they, too, could have a hive in their own back garden - and reap the benefit of having lovely, fresh honey on tap.

“That’s when I got the kids to write up a proper business plan with finance, production, education,” he says. “I got them to look at all the processes, the making of the hives, the maintenance plan to look after the bees, honey collection, and how it could be most efficient for us to do all this. It was a great exercise for them.”

And now, with a little help from their father, Amy and her brother Caleb, pretty much run the business themselves.

“Amy collects the bees and builds the hives, and Caleb maintains the website and has set up a pricing and invoicing system,” says this very proud dad.

How did one hive grow into 10?

“Between us, we manage 10 beehives in the local area,” he says. “For practical reasons, we made a conscious decision to keep it small and keep it local. We get to see each hive about every four weeks, to check for Varroa and to make sure the hives are in a healthy working condition, and also to collect the honey.”

“After the swarm incident, I really wanted to get my children involved, so we sat down and watched Barry the Bee (a Pixar movie),” he explains. “It’s a story about how all the bees go on strike and consequently the flowers

Amy and Caleb have both turned into little eco-warriors, and they are currently putting together presentations to give to other children about the importance of bees and bee husbandry.

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Amy Archer collecting the honey

Caleb, Amy and Brett Archer To learn more about starting your own hive you can contact the Archers through their website www.beezhq.nz This editorial is part of a series brought to you by Angela Saunders of Ray White Damerell Group, featuring some of the characters and personalities that live and work in our neighbourhood. To discover more great local stories PN check out their blog at rwponsonby.co.nz/blog F

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SUSTAINABLE LIVING GOOD CHOICES FOR FAMILY AND PLANET There is plenty going on in Ponsonby when it comes to working towards sustainable living.

Their children created many of the banners for the day.

Between members and other locals of like mind, they set up stalls covering such things as the school lunchbox, healthy soup, organic growing and healthy icecream and of course a wide range of organically grown produce.

The Kelmarna Gardens (a four and a half acre urban oasis), the Grey Lynn Farmers Market, the cycle ways and the regular car boot sales where recycled goods exchange hands are just a few of our local environmental initiatives. But what are other communities outside of Ponsonby doing?

Last month the Hokianga Real Food Day was not just another harvest festival, but a day for people to come together and explore such weighty concepts as food justice, food sovereignty and climate change.

While children had fun cracking macadamias, their parents and grandparents shared knowledge, skills and resources about food and gardening and enjoyed eating free food while catching up with old friends. There was a real buzz. At the same time, they were learning how food and its production are central to how we care for our planet.

They offered workshops in cheese making, bread making, fermented foods and sugarfree preserving. In true Hokianga style, people brought food to share for lunch.

Janine McVeagh is a member of the Hokianga Environmental Protection Group, an informal collection of people who are concerned about those big issues. Over the last few years, they’ve organised marches, beach days, meetings, seminars and a Facebook page about climate change and related issues. The Climate Change Day in Rawene last year brought in a number of young parents who are keen to make a difference for their children. Food is especially important to them and it was their enthusiasm that saw the Real Food Day take shape.

But, far more than a harvest day, the Hokianga Real Food Day is the beginning of an ongoing community effort to make good choices for family and planet.

photography: Jessie McVeagh

If any Ponsonby News readers are keen to share or exchange ideas with the Hokianga Environmental Protection Group you can contact Janine McVeagh at jmcveagh@orcon. net.nz or www.facebook.com/groups/615079778557408/

Janie Fife demonstrating fermented food

A serious discussion: Joseph Land with local couple

Children and poster: Brianna Hohua looks at the healthy lunchbox

FOR A HEALTHIER HOME THIS WINTER...

1. This $50 Bundle is available now at the ecostore shop and it includes: Dishwash Liquid Lemon 500ml Vegetable Scrubbing Brush Bathroom and Shower Cleaner 500ml Glass and Surface Cleaner 500ml Toilet Cleaner 500ml Laundry Powder Lemon 500g Coconut & Vanilla Hand Wash 250ml Coconut Soap 80g Lemongrass Soap 80g General Cleaning e-cloth... all packed in a handy bucket made from recycled plastic!

1

2. The ecostore Travel Essentials Minis Packs are now available at the ecostore shop. They are the perfect way to trial the ecostore plant based personal care range designed to cleanse, nourish and leave you with healthy, beautiful hair and skin. Also great for travelling, taking to the gym or as a gift. Buy in store $8.95 ECOSTORE, 1 Scotland Street, Freemans Bay T: 09 360 8477 Open 7 days

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2

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

even the bottle is good for you!

Purchase any Carbon Capture product in store during the month of June, and be in the draw to win a bundle of ecostore Carbon Capture goodies worth $70.

20~ 50% off everything including bulk and refills

20 June – 3 July

We were determined to make every part of our products better for you and the environment. So, we developed Carbon Capture™ Paks made from natural sugarcane, which removes CO2 from the atmosphere as it grows. Choose ecostore’s Carbon Capture™ Pak range and reduce your carbon footprint. Available instore now. ecostore shop, 1 Scotland Street, Freemans Bay p 360 8477 Open 7 days.

ecostore.com no nasty chemicals.org

SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUBSTANTIAL FINE FOR BUILDING WITHOUT RESOURCE CONSENT Auckland Council has welcomed an Auckland District Court decision to fine a property owner $30,000 for building a garage without resource consent.

Da Jiang Fan was found guilty by jury on 2 March 2016, for deliberately contravening an abatement notice issued in 2012 for unlawful establishment of a garage at the front of his Onehunga property.

The offending was described by the judge as “the worst of its kind.”

Auckland Council’s General Manager Resource Consents, Ian Smallburn, says the decision reinforces the importance of complying with district plan rules.

“Property owners need to understand that they should check what the relevant rules are before they commence any building or other development work.

“The ongoing effects of people building without resource consent can be significant, and can adversely affect storm water and other environmental outcomes.”

• The Crown was awarded solicitors’ costs of $2260, and $130 court costs.

• The court granted an enforcement order under s339 (5) of the RMA, requiring that Mr Fan remove the garage from its current position and either relocate it in its original location, or demolish it.

Mr Smallburn says the decision serves as a reminder to those wanting build to get in touch with the council before starting work, to see what consents might be required.

“We offer free advice to people who want to find out what rules might apply and whether a resource consent will be required.”

To find out if your project might need a consent, you can visit an Auckland Council service centre to speak with a planner, or call us on T: 09 301 0101. F PN

The final sentence imposed by the court was: • Mr Fan was convicted and fined $30,000, with 90% of the fine ($27,000) payable to Auckland Council.

THE STORY OF KIRKYAMA ‘Many littles make much’. The popularity today of over-dyed and patchwork rugs is entirely due to a unique recycling phenomena called ‘kirkyama’ which means ‘patchwork’.

From every corner of Turkey come unique pieces of kilim and knotted-pile rugs, with colours and patterns harnessing hundreds of years of stories and memories. Over the decades they may become stained, damaged, moth-eaten and torn.

Village people work to collect, clean and sometimes unstitch the original materials, which are then refined and re-dyed to produce a wholly new work. Sometimes the rugs are left whole and sometimes they are cut and shaped into beautiful patchwork.

And so the old transforms into something entirely new, which is functional and fits perfectly with today’s design concepts. The useful leftovers from the looms of Anatolia have found a new life and a new story to tell; a recycling project that truly ‘makes a little into much’. F PN MARY KELLY KILIMS, 53 Wood Street, Freemans Bay, M: 021 211 8904, www.marykellykilims.co.nz

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SUSTAINABLE LIVING WHY BUY ORGANIC CLOTHING? Organic seems to be the ‘it’ buzzword taking the health and wellness industry by storm.

Nowadays it’s practically common knowledge that organic food, skincare, and even cleaning products are better for your health and the environment than their chemically laden conventional counterparts. But what about clothing or more specifically, cotton?

Did you know that conventional cotton uses more chemicals in production than any other human-grown plant?

photography: Louise Hatton. These are images from their AW/16 collection WOLF.

This then leads to pollution of land, air and waterways. Furthermore, it is estimated that only 10% of the chemicals used, actually accomplish what they were designed to do.

The rest is absorbed into the plant, air, soil, water and eventually our bodies - scary!

At WE’AR it is our mission to make organic cotton more accessible and available to our community. We aspire to be a part of a global movement that revolutionises the way the fashion industry operates and sees a return to more traditional, organic production methods.

So what can you, as an educated sartorialist do? You can vote with your dollar. Each time you make a mindful purchase of organic cotton, you are telling the industry that this is important and that you care. WE’AR preferences the use of organic cotton at every available opportunity. Demand from you, for organics, is the wind in our sails! The more you want it and vote for it by shopping for it, the more it will become available to design and produce with. Let’s work together to evolve an industry where organic materials are the new normal! F PN Excerpt from a WE’AR Blog post @we-ar.it WE’AR, 122 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 8140, www.we-ar.it

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SUSTAINABLE LIVING ‘SAVE YOUTHLINE’S YOUTH HEALTH SERVICE’ CAMPAIGN JUNE 2016 It’s some time since my last column in Ponsonby News, mainly because I have been working for Youthline for the past 12 months!

In fact, my last column was about the wonderful work being done by Youthline in supporting young people in need.

At the time I also noted that Youthline, which is based in Maidstone Street in Grey Lynn, is very much a local organisation. So it seems logical to write about a project that I am currently working on and that would benefit from the support of our local community.

My story is about the Youthline Youth Health Service and how you can help to keep it running. In May 2015, with start-up funding of $50,000 from the Baxter International Foundation, Youthline in collaboration with Health Connections launched a Youth Health Service.

We knew from experience, supported by research and studies, that many young people do not access health services. Youthline has had a long-term dream and goal to extend its wrap-around services to include a youth health service.

Operating from Youthline’s Grey Lynn premises, the free service has provided much needed primary care for many of Auckland’s vulnerable young people. The service has been available from 3pm to 6pm every Wednesday where anyone aged 10-25 can access health professionals for testing, prescriptions and general check-ups.

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Twelve months down the track and the service has had a very productive year with a wide range of cases presenting. The majority of clients were 15-19 years and female with most being European/Pakeha and resident in Auckland Central. Many of the young people were from marginalised, low socio-economic, Maori, Pacific or GLBTI communities or homeless.

It’s worth noting the reasons they chose the Youth Health Service: easy to get there; because it was free; more suitable for young people; doctor has been useless; Youthline youth worker suggested it; free and convenient location; free service and more accessible; I am not registered with a GP; my doctor is expensive; I felt more comfortable at the health clinic then at my family GP; friends, my counsellor and school recommended the health clinic to me.

Having got to the end of its first year the Youth Health Service now needs another $50,000 to take it through the next 12 months. If we don’t get the money the service will close.

What’s interesting is that the Youth Health Service is not a traditional healthcare model and some potential ‘industry’ funders are reluctant or unable to support this sort of initiative on the basis that it doesn’t fall within their priorities. I can understand that - sort of!

What it means however, is that Youthline has to look for other sources of funding and is appealing to individual donors and philanthropic organisations to help.

The campaign to raise the $50,000 is underway. Thanks to the generosity of a wide range of donors - big and small - we’ve raised $30,000 so far. That’s an amazing result and we are so grateful for the support of the community for such an important cause.

We just need $20,000 more. To help the cause, and make it very easy to donate, Youthline has launched a Givealittle page. Put simply, if 1000 donors gave $20 each, then the service would be open for another 12 months.

So if you’d like to donate to keep the service open - a service that is based in the heart of Ponsonby News territory and is providing our local young people with much needed health care - then you can do so by going to our Givealittle page at www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/ saveyouthlinesyouthhealthservice or go to our website and follow the prompts to donations. Or you can contact me at geoff@youthline.co.nz and I’ll get it sorted for you.

You can make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable young people in our community. (GEOFF LAWSON) F PN www.youthline.co.nz and www.facebook.com/youthline.changing.lives

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SUSTAINABLE LIVING KEEP THE COLD OUT Glass is a designer’s dream material but it is a very poor insulator. A huge amount of the heat you generate in your home is wasted because it escapes through your windows.

Glass has been used for around 2000 years to enclose spaces, and therefore is one of the oldest artificial building materials; now it is also one of the most advanced.

Criticism is being directed at the huge increase in the use of glass in architecture because uninsulated glass wastes a huge amount of energy for both heating and cooling these buildings. This is partially responsible for the search for ecological and economical solutions to increasing the energy efficiency of glass, as our desire to use glass in our buildings was only going to escalate not diminish.

The result was the production of solar control plastic films which were at not very effective, now there are more advanced liquid thermal topical coatings. Some of the most advanced and effective of these coatings have been developed in Japan utilising ‘nano technology’, The Fukushima disaster has been a major driving force because of the desire to lessen reliance on nuclear power.

Double glazing has slightly better insulating properties than standard single pane windows, but the perception of its increased performance it somewhat greater than its actual performance. The glazing industry has misled the general public and it has been allowed to happen.

It was not until double glazing technology was combined with advanced liquid film technology to create transparent coatings in the glass, and now, on the glass, that the significant energy losses could be reduced and greater insulation performance achieved.

Further innovation has facilitated the ability to easily and cost-effectively convert existing windows to being more energy efficient.

This service is now available in New Zealand through Thermal Glass Coat. The self -levelling liquid coating is applied to the window glass by a trained applicator. No changes

are made to the joinery making it perfect for renovations because the look of the joinery is not altered, and there is no extra weight of glass which can compromise the integrity of the joinery.

The coating cures at room temperature so can be applied to existing windows.

It chemically bonds to the glass, it is not attached to the glass with an adhesive meaning that the sun’s heat will not cause it to bubble, crack or peel. It is very durable and comes with a 10-year warranty. There are no seams and because it is applied as a liquid it can even be applied to curved glass. It also has the added advantage of blocking over 99% of the sun’s UV rays.

Thermal Glass Coat will effectively act as a barrier against winter heat loss and summer heat gain, giving you a cost-effective, high-performing alternative to retro-fitting double glazing and tint film. Also its ability to block the sun’s UV ray’s will give your carpets, drapes and furnishings protection and significantly reduce fading and deterioration.

THERMAL GLASS COAT, Call T: 0508 574 782, www.thermalglasscoat.co.nz

BECOME A FRIEND OF K ELMARNA GARDENS KELMARNA G A R D E NS FOR AS FOR AS LITTLE LITTLE AS AS $$55 A M MONTH ONT H Your regular donation will help connect more school children with nature, empower people all over Auckland with sustainable living choices and develop and maintain a therapeutic garden. Join now at: www.kelmarnagardens.nz/donate

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING HAIRSTYLIST ANTHONY BAYER Young hairstylist Anthony Bayer has quite the pedigree. He spent many years working for Tony&Guy both here and in Melbourne, was national Label.m Ambassador and is a four-time Wella Trend Vision finalist. Ponsonby News talks to the owner of the newest salon on the Strip.

Are you a local?

No, I’m a Westie! I’m currently living at my friends’ beautiful new home in Te Atatu Peninsula but I’m always in Ponsonby!

myself. I have to thank all my amazing clients for their loyalty and Paul Hala for giving me that opportunity.

How did you come to be a hairdresser?

I worked in a salon after school and I really loved it. But the thing that inspired me was when I was 14 years old and I watched an Oprah episode in which her hairdresser Andre Walker was interviewed, he was fabulous! The next week I went to Sydney with my brother and he found the Andre Walker Hairdressing book in a sale - l was so excited! I still have it, it’s such a cool book that covers all aspects of hairdressing. After that I was sold.

About six months in, I was keeping my eyes and ears open for the perfect space. I found the best agent on TradeMe who drove me around Auckland over the next six months. I had a couple of spaces fall through but on Christmas Eve, Laura, the agent, called me before the space was even listed and in the first week of January I signed the lease. I’ve also been very lucky to have known Jase Richards who did my branding, family friends who are painters and builders and my mum who all came and helped set up - so a big thanks to them.

You’ve done a fair bit of Fashion Week session styling. What was a highlight?

My favourite of the shows that I worked on was at London Fashion Week for designer Dora Abodi. All the models had wigs with fringes that were painted with gel to make a wet look, I loved it!

What led you to open your own salon?

I realised the moment I got back from Europe in November 2014 that opening a salon was that next step for me. I felt a lot of achievements I had sought were ticked off and I wanted to stay in Auckland but needed to take that next step. I have found that there’s only so far you can go within your hairdressing career in New Zealand without travelling or doing your own thing. I had also been working for someone since I was 16 years old and was over being told what to do. I had my own ideas and they needed to be used for my own business.

Tell us about the process...

Once I decide I want to do something I wish I did it yesterday, so 2015 was a long year for me! I approached my friend Paul Hala about renting a chair from him as an intermediate start, to see if my clients would follow and if I could save enough money and work for

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How will Anthony Bayer Hair differ from other Ponsonby salons?

We are a very European, boutique-style salon with a global approach, with award -winning stylists and high-quality products such as Keune that are more natural and don’t test on animals. At the moment there’s just the two of us. Director Hemi Kukutai works alongside me, he has 16 years’ experience and is an amazing stylist who has worked on beautiful fashion editorials, was part of the national creative team for Redken and received big awards such as L’Oréal Colour Trophy and Wella Trend Vision.

Who should consider Anthony Bayer Hair?

Anyone who wants good hair - and vegans, as we are a vegan product-friendly salon.

Your best off-the-top-of-your-head hair tip, right now?

Keune Dry Shampoo is a must, it keeps any style fresh!

ANTHONY BAYER HAIR, 16 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 3577, www.anthonybayerhair.com

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HELENE RAVLICH: HEALTH + BEAUTY

Talking with Sarah-Jane Attias of Living Osteopathy The academic credentials that follow Sarah-Jane Attias’ name are substantial - Principal Osteopath. BSc (Hons) Ost. London MONZ - but after spending an evening in her company, I can immediately vouch for the fact that she is even more than that.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Grey Lynn home she shares with partner Tanah one Friday evening for a chat over a wonderful bottle of wine and some seriously impressive nibbles, having known her only from what is now a regular column in Ponsonby News.

United Kindom-born Sarah-Jane is one of New Zealand’s most respected osteopaths, with over 20 years’ experience. Her signature sense of empathy, warm nature and fine-tuned diagnostic skills are legendary, and word of her work continues to grow and grow. She believes in providing an integrated treatment approach for the whole family, sports people, pregnant mums, babies and toddlers, encouraging general good health, and youthful vitality for those growing older.

Unsurprising, given her friendly nature and impeccable taste in wine, she began her professional career as a chef and had her own restaurant for a few years in London.

She was also well known for her private catering contracts, working often for the royal family and other such luminaries until one day she realised that the work was taking a toll on her wellbeing. “I realised that I wanted to actually socialise with my friends rather than just invite them into a restaurant to eat,” she explains. “So I stopped chef work and set up an employment agency for catering staff, which was quite unique at the time.”

After moving on from what became a very successful agency, she joined the family business working for her father, a pioneer in the area of export/import in the United Kingdom at the time. “It was actually the most wonderful experience, working beside my dad,” she says with a smile.

“He was a bit of a meddler when it came to my personal life but when it came to business he let me be.”

As she approached the age of 30 she decided that she would like to retrain. “Although I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I knew that I had a particular type of empathy and interest in people’s wellbeing,” says Sarah

-Jane. She began by exploring a degree in physiotherapy, having to first go back to college to complete her A levels more than a few years after her peers. “Learning to learn again in my mid-30s was definitely an intriguing process,” she tells me with a laugh. “But I loved it and loved being challenged by it. My parents couldn’t believe I was going back to school after spending my teenage years as the ‘naughty girl’.”

She soon discovered the British School of Osteopathy where she subsequently trained, and found that the people there were “a little bit weird and quite different.

As you get older you make wiser decisions about who you want your peers to be, and those type of personalities definitely suited me better.” She also loved the fact that osteopaths are primary healthcare providers so a visit to a GP first isn’t necessary, saying “that level of independence really struck a chord with me.”

Which brings our conversation around to how on earth, after an already substantial career, she made her way to Auckland? “It was due to a friend who I had studied osteopathy with,” she explains, “who had married in London but was coming back to her home in New Zealand for a blessing. I wanted to be here for that and to work as an associate here for six months or so, and I spent time in clinics in Titirangi and Mount Eden. I fell in love with the place immediately and knew that six months just wasn’t enough. My story wasn’t finished.” After wrapping up her life back in London she made the move, and to use the well-worn cliché, the rest is history.

When I ask what her area of specialisation is within osteopathy, she tells me she works in the spectrum of cranial osteopathy, “which looks at the cranial mechanism and its effect on the body. I went on and studied further with the Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation and eventually became a tutor within that organisation.” She is passionate about education, and loves that osteopaths have to do 25 hours of further education each year of their careers.

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She has a particular interest in treating babies and pregnant mothers pre- and post-natally, as well as treating the elderly. “When I stop to think about it, I guess I really love treating people,” she says with a smile. “Osteopathy allows me to treat the whole person. I will do a thorough diagnosis and look at a medical history, but ultimately I want to know how happy you are. I’m curious about people and really like to get an idea of who they are and how I can be of help to them.” (HELENE RAVLICH) LIVING OSTEOPATHY, 29 Scanlan Street, T: 09 361 1147, www.livingosteopathy.co.nz

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING NEW ZEALAND TURNING PURPLE FOR WORLD IBD DAY New Zealand has one of the highest rates of Crohn’s disease in the world and, in support, landmarks throughout the country will be turned purple for World IBD Day. Approximately 15,000 New Zealanders live with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two autoimmune diseases known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). They are diseases that often strike those in the formative years, usually in childhood and young adulthood, causing symptoms no one likes to talk about - diarrhea, bleeding and severe abdominal pain.

World IBD Day aims to raise awareness of these diseases which can be debilitating, require lifelong medications and often surgeries and repeated hospitalisations.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure.

16 per 100,000 people, indicating that almost twice as many people are now being diagnosed each year,” says Dr Day. “There is also an increasing trend in the number of children diagnosed.”

Dr Day says that while they cannot pinpoint the exact cause of this increase, there are a number of possible factors. “The role of diet, and the shift to more highly processed foods, is something we are examining.

Last month 19 May, several sites throughout New Zealand turned purple for World IBD Day. A recent study by the University of Otago found that the Canterbury region of New Zealand has one of the highest reported rates of Crohn’s disease in the world with a rate of 26 per 100,000 people.

“Greater awareness is needed on many levels as often diagnosis can be delayed by months, or even years. A long period of time prior to diagnosis could mean many months of belly pain, falling weight and major disruption to daily activities, such as school or work. The sooner people are diagnosed, the sooner they can get on top of it,” says Dr Day.

“New Zealanders need to pay attention to this growing problem,” says University of Otago Professor of Paediatrics, Dr Andrew Day. “The growing prevalence of IBD is concerning. Ten years earlier the rate was

“Making life more liveable is one of the goals for the patient organisation Crohn’s and Colitis New Zealand (CCNZ),” says Chairman Brian Poole. Crohn’s and Colitis New Zealand gives people the chance to find support in

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the shared experience of what is, at times, an extremely lonely and socially isolating disease.

“Patients are not often open to talking about their condition,” says Mr Poole. “Our aim is to demystify and normalise the disease by empowering patients and families. We are also proud of our connections with the international IBD community. The sharing of information and participation in research makes us feel very much connected and involved in the improvement of the disease management.

“If people can take one thing away from World IBD Day, it is to be more sensitive and aware of those living with the IBD. They need your support and understanding.” F PN

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ANDREA FRIRES: HOLISTIC MEDICALCENTRE CENTRE: ANDREA FRIRES HOLISTIC MEDICAL

Skin health Our skin has many roles. It acts as an armor protecting our internal organs from the outside world, helps to regulate our body temperature, is the body’s largest sensory organ and is responsible for helping to convert sunlight energy into vitamin D. Most people will agree that the condition of our skin can impact the way we look and feel. Good quality skin care and sunscreen may protect and support skin health on the outside, but the condition of your skin can be greatly assisted by improving your internal health too.

Premature aging, rosacea, eczema, acne, fungal infections and rashes are all signals that there may be internal deficiencies and imbalances that need correcting. Often people with chronic conditions such as eczema, rosacea and acne become reliant on topical corticosteroids or other prescribed creams and medications. While these can be useful in the short term, it can be benefical to understand and address the underlying factors contributing to these skin conditions.

Dietary and lifestyle modification is an excellent start to improving your internal health and ultimately your skin health - this includes enjoying plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet alongside wholegrains and good quality proteins such as fish, chicken, tofu, eggs and small portions of lean red meat.

The following nutrients are especially important for promoting skin health and healing: • Zinc is important for skin repair and immune health. Zinc can also help to balance blood sugar and hormone levels that can negatively impact skin health. There are many great food sources of zinc such as oysters, shellfish, pumpkin seeds, kidney beans, yoghurt and non GMO tofu. Despite this, zinc deficiencies amongst Kiwis are common because New Zealand soils are low in in this vital mineral so supplementation may be necessary. Eczema and acne are two skin conditions that can respond well to zinc supplementation. Excess doses can cause gastric upset and nausea so it is important to talk to your health provider to find the correct dose for you.

• Omega 3 fish oils can have strong anti-inflammatory effects in the body and can assist with some skin conditions. Foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids include oily fish such as sardines, salmon and anchovies, as well as chia, flaxseeds and walnuts.

• Vitamin C is a key nutrient involved in collagen synthesis. Collagen gives your skin its strength and structure, and assists in maintaining the elasticity of your skin. Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables.

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• Probiotic bacteria are important for the health of your bowels and your immune system. Having a healthy balance of probiotic bacteria in your gut may have a positive impact on inflammatory skin conditions including acne and eczema. Fermented foods such as yoghurt, miso and sauerkraut contain a good supply of probiotic bacteria, but it can be hard to include enough in your diet. If this is the case for you, then a good quality probiotic supplement may be a good addition to your diet.

Limiting refined sugar and carbohydrates, MSG and the 200 numbered preservatives found in some preserved meats, sauces, spreads, soft drinks, confectionary and wine, can positively impact some skin conditions. You can limit or avoid these perservatives by reading your labels and choosing preservative free-brands. Some people also find that reducing their intake of dairy can have a positive impact on their skin health, particularly those suffering from eczema and rashes.

Alongside staying well hydrated and making positive dietary changes, using good quality skin care and sunscreen can significantly assist skin health. We recommend and stock a range of Synergie skin care and Coola sunscreen products as both of these brands are free of parabens and other potentially harmful preservatives. Additionally neither brand uses animal testing.

Chronic skin conditions are more difficult to manage and may require the support of a holistic health practitioner who will be able to help you to identify the cause and develop treatment strategies specifically tailored to your condition.

Common investigations might include looking into food allergies and intolerances, hormonal imbalances, digestive disturbances, stress and sleep disturbances, infections and low immunity.

(ANDREA FRIRES) F PN Andrea Frires is a qualified naturopath, nutritionist and medical herbalist from The Holistic Medical Centre, 48 Ponsonby Road. To make an appointment for a consultation with Andrea or any of the holistic GP’s call T: 09 376 0650 or visit www.holisticmedicalcentre.co.nz for more information.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

LIVING, THINKING + BEING INVISALIGN: THE MODERN WAY TO THE PERFECT SMILE Did you know there’s a new way to straighten teeth and improve your smile without braces?

Dr Sahar Dadbakhsh at Lumino The Dentists in Ponsonby would like to introduce you to Invisalign - the clear alternative to braces that will make you look good and feel good!

The Invisalign system is a virtually invisible and hygienic way to straighten your teeth.

Sahar and her team create a series of custom-made, plastic aligners to wear over your teeth.

The aligners develop the perfect smile by gradually moving your teeth into the ideal position, without friends and family even noticing. And unlike braces, the plastic aligners can be easily removed before you eat, drink and brush your teeth.

“Invisalign is a very modern and comfortable way to straighten teeth and improve your smile,” says Sahar. “My patients are busy mums who need a simple and easy solution that can fit with their lifestyle.”

The consultation will cover a treatment plan and you will take home three to four sets of custom-made aligners. To get the best results, the aligners will need to be worn every day and changed every two weeks. You will also need to pop back into Ponsonby for a check-up every six-eight weeks.

Contact the team at Lumino the Dentists in Ponsonby on 09 361 2060 to learn more about Invisalign and book in your consultation.

If you have little ones, finding a babysitter isn’t necessary. Bring them in and our team will look after them during your consultation. Easy! F PN Dr Sahar Dadbakhsh, Lumino The Dentists, Ponsonby

LUMINO THE DENTIST PONSONBY, Level 1, 114 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 2060, www.lumino.co.nz/ponsonby

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CLARE CALDWELL: THE ART OF LIVING Recently I saw a post on Facebook about an elderly man in a nursing home, forgotten and anonymous. The staff were speculating as to who he was and if he had someone else’s clothes on, talking right in front of him as if he didn’t exist.

It put in mind the work I did in a nursing home in Sydney many years ago. I was employed as a diversional therapist with 36 elderly people of varying cognitive abilities under my care.

they seemed to become more integrated, whole and infinitely more vibrant. They started competing over who would be written about next and each published article was read with fervour.

My job was to stimulate and entertain them to take their minds off being old, bored and incapacitated. What struck me immediately was how many had become so institutionalised that they had virtually lost their identities. Those who had little family, if any, to visit them to remind them of who they were, or who suffered from various forms of dementia, were routinely washed, dressed, then propped up like so many sleeping mannequins in chairs around the main lounge area for most of the day. The staff treated them indifferently, tiredly and patronisingly.

Perhaps the biggest transformation of all was the attitude of the staff, who began to treat those in their care more holistically, with a newfound respect and engagement and dare I say it, even enjoyment!

I began to wonder who they’d been in their earlier lives. What had been their passions, their vocations, their life experiences? I decided to start a weekly newsletter that housed information on any upcoming events and appropriately amusing and light-hearted news items. It also included a little biography of a different person each week. If we were lucky, there were photos to add and anecdotal additions to make it more entertaining to read.

I had no idea it would have such an impact on both the participants and the staff who cared for them.

Everyone including me, learnt so much from this seemingly small introduction of the newsletter and yet its impact was profound. Each elderly person is the sum total of a life lived - well or badly it doesn’t matter. What matters is it has been their unique life - a life unlike anybody else’s.

Many of us ‘baby boomers’ are now up for retirement. Heaven help those who try to institutionalise us! (CLARE CALDWELL) F PN Clare (Claudie) Caldwell is a creative arts therapist who runs a small private practice from home. She now runs a voluntary art and art therapy programme at Auckland City Mission. She is also a freelance artist.

Enquiries: T: 09 836 3618; M: 021 293 3171; E: clare.e.caldwell@gmail.com

After a few weeks, I noticed the staff began to treat their elderly patients differently.

Gone was the mocking patronage and bored indifference. Suddenly that woman who sat slumped in the corner every day was credited with the persona of the successful businesswoman she had once been - efficient, intelligent and capable. Her silent companion, now vacuous from dementia, it was discovered had been a hard-nosed lawyer pioneering for women’s rights.

The stories continued to flow - wonderful, enriching, fabulous stories of achievements, fulfilled or unfulfilled dreams, of wedding days, children and grandchildren. I discovered a woman who’d farmed the land and raised her family in the harshest outback conditions; a recovering alcoholic man who’d been the choirmaster and organist at Sydney Cathedral.

As the more lucid amongst them reunited with their former younger selves, their selfrespect and sense of self noticeably grew. They began to sit up a bit straighter in their chairs, take a bit more pride in their appearance. No longer defined as just ‘the elderly’

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JOHN APPLETON: ON HEALTH

Alzheimer’s/dementia incidence expected to triple by 2050 A recent edition of the popular TVNZ Sunday programme reported on the huge and ever-increasing problem we are facing with dementia/Alzheimer’s in New Zealand.

Currently it is estimated that there are 50,000 New Zealanders living with the disease but by 2050 this number is expected to rise to 150,000.

The costs associated with care are huge, with a billion dollars spent in 2011 so it’s a scary thought to contemplate the costs as they ramp up over the next couple of decades. In Australia, they are saying that 21 billion dollars will be required by 2030 which is four times what it is today.

I was encouraged to hear Auckland University Professor Richard Faull who was interviewed for the Sunday programme, talk about looking at all ways to slow the onset and progression of the disease rather than focusing solely on searching for a single pharmaceutical cure. He said that if it were possible to slow the onset and progression by five years, it would reduce the prevalence of the disease by 50%.

I don’t buy into the argument that the increased incidence is due to the fact that we are living longer.

I strongly suspect the problem has a lot to do with toxicity in the brain caused by environmental insults, diet and lifestyle choices. If we started the conversation about the damage that mercury and aluminium could

do over many years, we might be shocked at what we discovered. Lead is another extremely toxic substance and research shows that exposure to lead early in life is linked to the incidence of dementia. Commonly used OTC medications should also be on the must-investigate list.

Studies show that many drugs substantially increase the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Drugs including anti-histamines, anti-psychotics and even cough medicines are on the list.

As to what we can do to help ourselves, my first step would be to run a test for toxic heavy metals. I have done this in the past through a lab in the United States - Doctor’s Data. Auckland nutritionist Kaytee Boyd at www.balancedwellbeing.co.nz can help with this. Depending on the test results we can work on chelating mercury, aluminium and lead levels over time using coriander, chlorella, alpha lipoic acid and glutathione to name a few.

According to a paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine, an increased plasma homocysteine level is a strong, independent risk factor for the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. High levels of homocysteine can be reduced simply by taking B vitamins (B6 - B12 and folic acid). Homocysteine should be a standard blood test.

Taking curcumin, an extract from turmeric, is in my opinion a must because of its ability to prevent the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. High potency omega 3 should also be on the list together with a full spectrum form of vitamin E. Low vitamin D is also linked with dementia so it’s important to maintain an optimal level.

Fresh, unprocessed food (including freshly-made vegetable juices) should be on the menu every day together with avoidance of all refined sugar. The human brain ‘runs’ on glucose, and dementia and Alzheimer’s are nowadays talked about as being ‘diabetes 3’ due to insulin resistance developing in the brain. Coconut oil can assist the brain by providing a surrogate for glucose known as ketone bodies. Exercise is often overlooked but it’s one of the easiest and least expensive interventions we can make. A landmark study reported in the British Daily Telegraph stated that one hour of exercise a week could halve the risk of developing dementia.

Of all the ailments we are potentially facing as we get older, when it comes to dementia and Alzheimer’s, prevention has to be the focus. (JOHN APPLETON) F PN

APPLETON ASSOCIATES, T: 09 489 9362, john@johnappleton.co.nz, www.johnappleton.co.nz

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CARING PROFESSIONAL Sam Peng - founder/head pharmacist Home Pharmacy Sam Peng is a holistic pharmacist who uses traditional western medicine together with naturopathy, with a view to getting the best outcomes for patients.

Before opening Home Pharmacy, Sam worked as head pharmacist and manager for Life Pharmacy and Unichem Pharmacy and also worked with the Ministry of Health helping to improve access to healthcare.

How did you come to be a pharmacist?

I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people, and being a community pharmacist I’m able to help those in need on a daily basis. Everyone knows when you don’t feel so good you can always go to your local pharmacist for some free professional advice. This provides me with the best opportunity to promote better health and wellbeing in my community through a preventative, holistic approach.

What do you love about your job?

I’m passionate about my job and always eager to find new and better ways to help my patients. My favourite part of the day is when I get to work with the community and other health professionals to look for innovative ways to incorporate new research or ways of doing things. For example, we are providing rheumatic fever screening. This provides free treatment to high-risk patients in our community. In this way, I can see a real impact on people’s lives - what more can you ask for in a job?

What do you find challenging?

The most challenging part of my job is all the time spent on the bureaucracy surrounding the funding of medicines. To help with this, we are working with the Ministry of Health and doctors on electronic prescriptions. This will reduce paperwork, and ultimately free up valuable time better spent with patients.

How do you differ from other pharmacists?

I focus on an holistic approach to health. In my experience, Western medicine can be great for acute conditions, but can be limited at treating chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Chronic conditions often benefit from an integrated approach looking at lifestyle and long-term solutions. This often leads to taking fewer medicines rather than more.

Can you share an anecdote about a case?

I have a patient who struggled with type 2 diabetes for a long time. They were taking a range of medicines including Metformin for diabetes, Simvastatin for cholesterol, and Candesartan for blood pressure. They continued to struggle with their diabetes and their doctor eventually put them on insulin injections (Lantus). Wanting a longer-term solution, we sat down for an integrative consultation looking at what was working, what wasn’t, and their goals. We drew up a plan that focused on nutrition and exercise, together with medicine management involving their doctor. After just four months they had a dramatic turnaround and were able to stop most of their medicines. They looked and felt great, and were no longer a type 2 diabetic!

What do you do to care for yourself?

A whole food based lifestyle with plenty of water, and minimal processed food. This doesn’t mean no sugar, meat, or carbs - everything should be in moderation. Fad diets don’t tend to last, and cutting out entire food groups can sometimes do more harm than good. And simple is the key. If you need a calculator to work out what you’re eating, it’s too complicated.

During winter, if I get any niggles I take my high dose vitamin C and immune booster - this formula has saved me many times over!

Sam Peng

THE DARK SIDE OF GETTING A TATTOO While tattoos appear to have increasingly infiltrated mainstream culture in Australia and New Zealand, and the social apprehension behind getting a tattoo has seemingly disappeared, a Perth-based surgeon is reminding people to remain vigilant of the medical risks that still exist.

Dr Alexandra O’Neill today highlighted these risks at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Annual Scientific Congress (ASC) in Brisbane, where she profiled a recent case that had been presented to her at the Royal Perth Hospital.

“In this instance the tattoo procedure occurred overseas and both red and black ink was used.

“When the patient came to us there was a significant level of scarring in the red ink portion of the tattoo, and the patient was in quite a level of discomfort,” Dr O’Neill said.

Following a series of injections and topical treatments the scarring eventually healed and the patient eventually returned to full health, but Doctor O’Neill urged caution to others considering getting a tattoo.

“This was just one example, but the reality is that as more people are getting tattoos, naturally we are also seeing more people presenting to medical facilities experiencing complications.

“There is a general level of understanding that getting a tattoo might be uncomfortable and accompanied by some immediate or short-term pain, but I don’t think there is quite the same level of understanding for some of the more long-term side effects.”

The Department of Health warns of the dangers involved when cosmetic tattooing is not performed correctly, and urges people to make sure the body artist meets strict health and safety requirements.

While Dr O’Neill backed these claims, she also believes that people should consider the general risks that apply to all tattoo procedures.

“There are certainly sensible precautions that can be taken to minimise the level of risk, but as the process of getting a tattoo breaches the skin, there will always be the possibility of allergic reactions, skin infections and various other complications.

What’s your advice to people seeking pharmacy treatment?

Pop into our pharmacy anytime, we’re open seven days. We can have a quick chat to determine whether we can address your concerns quickly or book you in if you require a full consultation. We specialise in treating eczema, psoriasis, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stress and sleep, and supporting auto-immune conditions. F PN

“This is not about limiting personal choice in any way. Some people may evaluate these risks and decide that they want to go ahead and get a tattoo anyway.

HOME PHARMACY GREY LYNN, 280 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn (next to Fruit World), T: 09 281 2812 www.homepharmacy.co.nz

“It is important that people are provided with the appropriate level of information that PN they need, to help them make informed choices,” Dr O’Neill said. F

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“But what we are trying to do is to communicate to those people who may not have seriously considered the possible complications that could occur.

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PLANET AYURVEDA: ASK DOCTOR AJIT These days, all of us are living hectic and busy lives, juggling our commitments to work, leisure and family. With so many demands on our time, none of us can afford to get sick so we constantly search for various ways to keep ourselves and our families fit and healthy.

While we all approach this challenge in different ways, something we all agree on is the need to make healthy choices in the foods we eat.

principle if that each food, when cooked, release certain toxins that can impact on our health. Ayurveda can show us how to neutralise these toxins by using certain herbs and spices in the cooking process, allowing us to extract optimum nutrition from our food.

Whenever the question of healthy food comes up, everyone thinks about specific amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats in their diet. Some will consider eating only organic foods while others may choose to eat only raw salads as a healthy alternative.

However, in spite of all these efforts, people still suffer from various digestive problems such as constipation, indigestion, hyper-acidity and IBS which, if not treated, can lead to more serious health problems.

There is an old saying in Ayurveda, “When the diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When the diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” If we are eating a balanced diet and not overtaxing our digestive system then we can eat whatever we choose in the knowledge that we giving the body the nourishment it requires to function in a healthy and balanced state. (DR AJIT) F PN

In Ayurveda, the ancient health science of India, the focus of a healthy diet is not just considering what we eat but also looking at how the food is metabolised in one’s digestive system and whether the food selected by an individual is compatible with them or not.

To learn more about a balanced diet, visit www.planetayurveda.co.nz or call the clinic for a consultation on T: 09 522 5390, so we can prepare a complete plan for your wellbeing.

Ayurveda considers that the optimum state of one’s digestive power (called Agni) is the first step towards a healthy and balanced diet. No matter how balanced our diet or how organic the food we eat is, if it cannot be metabolised properly by our digestive system our cells are unable to access the nutrients they require. This partially digested food is also bound to create toxins in the body (called Ama) and it is this Ama that is responsible for health problems later in life.

Ayurveda also considers that the same food can be nectar for one person and poison for another because each of us has a unique bodily constitution (called Prakriti).

Understanding of our unique make up allows us to select foods that will help to keep our digestion and body in a state of balance and health.

Another important principle from Ayurvedic science is the how we can make ‘food as medicine’. We all know the old adage, “We are what we eat” but Ayurveda helps us to understand how to take this further by making our food as medicine. Central to this

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Rippan Sandhu of Spa Ayurda with her husband Dr Ajit of Plant Ayurveda

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING AROHA HEALING Maintaining good health throughout winter is essential.

Since learning an ancient abdominal therapy in 2015, Aroha Healing’s principle therapist, Rosanna Marks, has provided the specialised treatment and taught the selfcare technique to many people from all over New Zealand and internationally.

The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® works on the power of being unrestricted at the core of your being. Abdominal therapy is a non-invasive hands -on healing technique for the uterus and surrounding structures. This almost-forgotten ancient remedy can assist the removal of restrictions in the abdomen including the organs and ligaments, circulatory, lymph, and nervous systems. These techniques have been passed down for thousands of years, from generations of midwives and folk medicine practitioners to Dr Rosita Arvigo, DN (Rosanna’s teacher). Rosita’s teacher, the well-known Maya shaman Don Elijio, believed, “The uterus is a woman’s centre and if it is out of balance, she will be physically, emotionally, and spiritually out of balance.”

The anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system is complex, including all the ligaments that support the ovaries and the uterus. The artery leading to the uterus is so small that if the uterus is tilted in any direction it can cause a significant decrease of proper blood flow to the uterus. Just as a bend or kink in a garden hose will slow or stop the flow of water, a tilted uterus can slow the blood flow (which carries the oxygen, nutrition, and hormones). This tilt can impede the five systems of flow, therefore bringing your body to homeostasis without support is challenging.

When stressed, we feel tightness in our bodies, which restricts our breathing. Our necks may get tight and eventually our shoulders are hunched up around our ears; we might even have a knot in the back that reappears every time we are stressed out. If it’s happening in your neck and shoulders, there is a good possibility that this stress is going on in your abdomen too. The uterus sits right in front of the large intestine, so if one is inflamed, you can bet the other organ is upset too. This is why Arvigo Abdominal Therapy® is really good for your digestive tract as well.

However, this work is not just for women. Arvigo Abdominal Therapy® is for humanfolk; that’s right, men can benefit from this work too. Relieving the tension that men have in the gut and surrounding structures can decrease pressure and inflammation on the prostate, without working directly on it. By applying these techniques, practitioners can decrease symptoms of prostatic congestion and other reproductive and digestive conditions men may have.

Arvigo Abdominal Therapy® applied to the upper abdominals has numerous benefits to all organs, digestion, breathing, reproduction and wellbeing. Arvigo Abdominal Therapy® works specifically to bring wellbeing back through our five systems of flow.

PN (ROSANNA MARKS) F AROHA HEALING, 3 Maidstone Street, M: 0273 866 587 or T: 0800MINDBODY, E: info@arohahealing.co.nz, www.arohahealing.co.nz

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Clothing Alterations

Alter Ego Roong T: 09 376 8689

M: 021 032 9128

182-4a Jervois Road, Herne Bay E: ra_cha29@yahoo.com “I get all my bits & pieces done by the smiling helpful Roong... and she’s got Eftpos = sorted...” MARTIN LEACH

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SARAH-JANE ATTIAS: HEALTHY LIVING I’m in my late 30s - who am I kidding - I am in my late 40s! And things are changing... Can you please give a few tips to maintain a flexible, healthy body and how can you, as an osteopath, assist me in this process? My husband and I want to live forever.

Q:

A:

I love your attitude and I feel exactly the same, it’s an area of medicine that I’m very interested in. Health is wealth and a lot of patients are asking me this very same question. I have great news, the research and development in this realm is moving in leaps and bounds. We are more dynamic and long-lived than ever and let me say my yoga class has a strong line of mature students - they are the guiding inspiration for the class.

Gravity is always trying to return us to a puddle, below I advise how an osteopathic approach can assist you through optimal ageing. For my own healthy mind, body and soul, I apply the following key actions - find the sports you love, persist, invest, maintain, train, keep it social; it’s a life-time journey so you want to enjoy it.

I always start an assessment by observing a patient as they walk into the clinic, how they remove shoes, stand to sit, sit to stand, running through guided movements to see whether movement is symmetrical, smooth, restricted and/or pain free.

We are looking at your ‘structure’ and how it relates to your ‘function’. In this process it is like looking at the structure of a coastal tree. We observe what is the strength, direction and persistence of that prevailing wind and how we can promote a strong upright growth. Also when a patient is lying down, it reveals another picture of compensations highlighting what’s longer, shorter, forward, back rotated in or out... it’s subtle and profound all at once and that gives me an overview of you.

I have a wonderful and highly-qualified group of practitioners that I cross-refer to. We encourage you, tweak your programme and as a team share our findings with you. The rest is up to you, it’s your life, we are on board to create a long, happy and fruitful one.

PN (SARAH-JANE ATTIAS) F Disclaimer: This article is for general information purposes only. If you have a specific health problem you should seek advise from an appropriate registered health care provider. Living Osteopathy is a Primary Health Care Provider registered with ACC and the OCNZ. Living Osteopathy does not accept any liability other than to its clients.

LIVING OSTEOPATHY, 29 Scanlan Street, T: 09 361 1147, www.livingosteopathy.co.nz

Secondly, we take a full medical history which helps us form our diagnosis, there may be other layers to consider such as prescriptive medications, for heart, thyroid, asthma, diabetes, IBS, reflux, seizures. Whilst these are assisting to maintain quality of life and balance they often have side effects, commonly muscle and joint pain, nausea and headaches. It’s vital to differentiate whether you are experiencing discomfort or stiffness caused by the medication or another layer of physical pain altogether. Reviewing X-ray or scans as necessary.

Thirdly, there are often other stresses or strains, ie: What is your occupation and working environment, living arrangements, relationship status, drug use (tobacco, alcohol, recreational); Any recent foreign travel, family health history. Are you happy and how long do you sleep? Then together we create a plan specifically towards your goals.

We have all had a fall, an operation, or injury and painful emotions around these experiences. Our body is an incredible structure that manages to accommodate and heal. But as we age, our ability to replicate new cells and to repair is not at the same as when we were in our youth. In the ageing process we become less elastic, dehydrated and hormones are changing which weakens the integrity between the cells. To get a picture, think about that lemon that sat too long in the fruit bowl, it shrivelled up!

With anti-ageing we are suspending your ageing process whilst increasing flexibility of muscles and joints, improving blood supply by exercise, treatment and hydration.

Sometimes on the path to health we injure ourselves. With mature patients it is all about how healthy the tissues were before the injury, that dictates how your body recovers.

Osteopathic treatment is highly recommended for both healthy tissue and speedy recovery, we explore and instruct about how best not to re-aggravate, coupled with warm up stretches specifically for you. We may assess and introduce new breathing patterns; these can be affected by the force of exercise or an injury, ie, being winded. Holding or shortening your breath is an attempt to avoid pain. It’s stifling and is best corrected.

What do I think about getting old? Comedian John Cleese gives us a gem: “When I realised that I only had 19 summers left!” Now that really brings it home! We need to be honest about what could happen, as my 83-year-old mum says, “Getting old is not for the faint-hearted.” Most ailments can be remedied or prevented by a bit of awareness and yes, you would be well-advised to invest in the next stage of your life.

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LIVING, THINKING + BEING MOTIVATION - KEY TO GETTING HEALTH IN BALANCE Keri Ropati Weight Loss & Fitness started in a small studio in the heart of Herne Bay in 2001. Now Keri has a purpose-built studio in Cox’s Bay. “After 15 years of running my own studio, I can honestly say the biggest hurdle for people these days is motivation,” says Keri. “Yes, it is hard to get motivated, then stay motivated.

I see it day in and day out; the seesaw of people’s health, weight and mental space.”

Keri believes that training and eating well needs to be adopted into your everyday life forever. Food is your ticket to a full healthy energised life. Her background in food science only reiterates what you eat dictates your quality and energy day to day. Strength and mobility must be worked on daily to keep and enhance.

She adds, “I now have a ‘partner in crime’, Seamus O’Loan. Seamus is an ex policeman and is now a qualified personal trainer and has his own studio in Parnell. Our objectives are to keep our communities healthy at a cost-effective rate.

“We run half hour one-on-one sessions as we realise people are busy, whether heading massive companies, running busy homes, looking after kids, or just life in general. So we make it our job to take the worry of your health, fitness and weight from you. We are your one-stop accountability shop. Once a week minimum is all you need to do when you employ us to take care of you, and to help with life longevity and quality of life. Seamus also runs corporate training sessions and sports team strength and fitness training.”

KERI ROPATI WEIGHT LOSS & FITNESS, Ponsonby Centre, 21 Regina Street, Cox’s Bay, M: 021 530 807, keri@keriropati.co.nz Parnell Centre, 279 Parnell Rise, M: 021 159 2909, seamus@keriropati.co.nz

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MEET THE SCHOOL OFFICE ASSISTANT Shelley King Grey Lynn School How did you come to work at Grey Lynn School?

I passed by Grey Lynn School every day on my way to work and thought “Man! That place looks like fun!”

Where did you train?

Training is on the job - which is pretty full on, especially at the beginning of a school year.

Luckily my teacher who has run the office for the last 13 years, is probably the calmest person I’ve ever met. Thanks Bronwyn.

What brought you to your current school?

The kind of retail I was in can suck the joy out of life. I knew I wanted to be in a more positive environment, doing something that actually means something, and that also gave me more time for my family; so I put it out there energetically. Not to be too much of a hippie, but it’s amazing what you can make happen when you make a decision to make a change in your life. I highly recommend putting stuff out there.

What are your favourite things about being an office assistant?

For a start, I can’t remember laughing so much. Every day is different; from learning to drive computers, to patching up the ‘wounded soldiers of the playground’. That can be anything from an invisible splinter, to a monkey bar catastrophe. The children certainly give you a sense of happiness from their sheer honesty, humour and enthusiasm for life.

I have to say, the staff aren’t too far behind the children in those three qualities.

What has been a highlight of your time at Grey Lynn School so far?

The realisation that when I wake up each day, I get go to work to learn and to have fun.

What has been a low point?

Not knowing sooner in life how good it is to work around children and all of their amazing energy. I’m pretty lucky to be here now though.

How would your principal describe you?

Leather-clad motorcyclist lady.

How would other teachers describe you?

Good question.

How would the students describe you?

Funny, in a good way I hope.

If you could wave a magic wand in your classroom?

You know, I don’t have a classroom, but I think the staff (from Principals to teachers to teacher aids and volunteers) at Grey Lynn School, in fact, are the magic wands and it shows in the happy comfort/connectedness that the children express.

Five tips for mums and dads of primary school kids 1. What you give is what you get back. Be their role model.

2. Teach your kids how to make lunch and do a load of washing. Honestly, kids love using washing machines.

3. Spend plenty of time listening to them. I learnt so many of my biggest lessons by listening to my children. Those words that give you ‘light bulb’ moments, and create life-long closeness.

4. Tell them and show them every day how much you love them.

5. Let them know the most important thing in life is ‘kindness’. Give kindness and settle for nothing less for themselves. F PN

ZHIK OPENS FLAGSHIP STORE IN VICTORIA PARK MARKET The brand trusted by New Zealand sailors heading to the Rio Olympics now has a new home in Victoria Park Market.

Zhik has marked the launch of its New Zealand agency by opening a flagship store in Victoria Park Market in central Auckland.

The store will boast a complete range of Zhik merchandise, including gear designed for yachting, dinghy sailing, kite boarding, windsurfing, SUP, canoe and kayaking.

“Zhik is worn by Olympic and World Champions, America’s Cup, and ocean racing sailors around the world,” says Simon Hull, the sailor and businessman who has given Zhik its own home in New Zealand.

The location in Victoria Park Market, near Auckland’s Harbour Bridge is a strategic one: the store is easy driving distance to the North Shore and eastern beaches, where sailing, windsurfing and paddling are very popular. It’s also across the road from the biggest marina in the Southern Hemisphere.

“We want users and resellers to visit and discover Zhik products and make the most of it,” says Simon. The store opened this week and is located next to Platinum Sports in Victoria Park Market. F PN www.zhik.com

“They have 40 worldwide patents, and a massive research and development focus.

Generations have grown up with Zhik wetsuits, and we know how good they are, now Zhik is making a full range of technical gear for most marine applications. This brand is growing at over 20% internationally because the gear is just superb.”

Simon says the flagship store is designed as a place for sailors and athletes to view the full range of gear, explore the technical aspects and available options . Equally there are an increasing number of resellers around the country stocking Zhik gear, and with the product now warehoused in Auckland, most products can be available around the country in 24 hours.

“Many of the products are revolutionary - lighter, warmer, more waterproof, breathable and durable, and when you are on the water, and putting yourself on the line, that level of comfort is very important, whether it’s thermals, outerwear or footwear.”

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Split to cost New Zealand netball Sure, time will be the true measure of whether the trans-Tasman netball split is good or bad for the game, but on the surface there looks to be a whole lot of people on this side of the ditch putting on a brave face.

Moving away from playing against some of the best in the world week in week out can’t actually be a good thing long term.

Not testing your measure against the best in the world on a regular basis seems more like dropping the bar rather than raising it.

I can understand Australia’s keenness to go it alone.

Their national side have been at the pinnacle of the sport for as long as I can remember, and other than the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, and the sporadic game here and there by other franchises, in the nine years of the ANZ Championship the Kiwi teams have continually come a distant second to the Aussies.

Silver Fern Laura Langman has already set a precedent by leaving New Zealand behind to play for the Sydney Swifts this season.

In fact, in the 170 matches played between the two nations New Zealand teams have won just 36%. For that very same reason, the sport’s administrators here should have crawled over broken glass to ensure the split didn’t take place.

Something tells me her competitiveness and desire to be surrounded by the best was a major driving force in her shift across the Tasman, so it’ll be even more interesting to see if she’s interested in coming back to a watered down competition, or if others like her will wave goodbye to New Zealand.

On the plus side, Auckland will get another team in the newly revamped New Zealand competition, but even that

doesn’t suggest it’ll be filled with just Auckland players. If they want to be competitive no doubt like all other teams they’ll sign players from anywhere and everywhere.

Sky TV has said they’re backing a New Zealand competition, but to be fair how could they not?

Broadcasting companies are all about content, they have the systems in place to deliver live content and their viewership is dropping. So appeasing the netball fans in the house as well as the rugby and rugby league mad viewers is probably a smart decision.

It’s hard to not see this for the negative it really is, but as the old saying goes, “If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, there’s every chance it is a duck.” No matter how this is dressed up, this divorce hasn’t been split down the middle. (GEORGE BERRY) F PN

Is ‘Parker power’ ready to create history?

Joseph Parker - what a story! A quiet kid from South Auckland on the verge of becoming a global superstar in the sport of boxing.

His victory, by decision, over Carlos Takam to make him the mandatory WBC World Title challenger deserves all the hype it has received. It was a classic toe-to-toe bruiser; but in a way, the “Road to Wembley” as it’s now been dubbed, where it’s hoped he’ll get to fight WBC World Heavy Weight champion Anthony Joshua (there are so many things that could change this between now and November when an announcement is expected), is the equivalent of a mountaineer attempting the summit of Everest. Many people try and most of them fail.

For the past three years, the 24-year-old has been on an accelerated curve upwards, dispatching fighters with ease and hardly breaking a sweat. This has been like making his way to Base Camp with the aid of yaks and sherpas carrying his gear and leading the way.

Now comes the hard part. Just like the climber who leaves behind the comforts of his tent in the freezing cold, standing in the dark, with no ability to see the summit, Parker will have to set off with the hope of reaching his goal allbeit for just a fleeting moment.

He will have his head sherpa (Kevin Barry) there in his corner like he always has, but when Parker steps inside that ring he’ll be alone. Don’t get me wrong, I, like everybody else, have seen Parker evolve and grow into a man, there’s no doubt that this is down to a huge amount of hard work and self-drive, all the while remaining as humble as the day

I first spoke to him following an amateur bout in Auckland about seven years ago. He has proven his feet are still on the ground time and time again, like paying off the mortgage on his parents’ house before he’s even considered buying one for himself.

But so far, apart from last month’s victory over Takam Parker, he has hardly had to fight.

And the majority of the bouts he’s conquered have been like cantering up Mt Eden, rather than an expedition up Everest. If the world title fight is to eventuate, no one will care if he’s a likeable humble guy or a loudmouth like Brit Tyson Fury, all that will be remembered is the result of that fight. Will Parker reach the summit or succumb to the mountain?

It’s been 16 years since David Tua had his world title fight against Lennox Lewis, yet the memories for most are one of Tua being out boxed round after round as Lewis stood toying with the smaller Tua, pushing him away with his superior height and reach.

Tua’s career from then on never really went far, spiralling from court case to retirement and back again.

I’m not saying that if Parker loses to Anthony Joshua he’ll disappear up there on the mountain. But for me, now that he’s got himself into a position to take on the challenge, it’s how he acclimatises to having a good win over a solid opponent in Takam and how he readies himself for that final push. (GEORGE BERRY) F PN

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SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY

Triathletes benefit from time together Imagine your friend, coach and fiancé unexpectedly passes away less than a year out from possibly your best shot at an Olympic medal.

What do you do? It’s a horrific situation to think about, but in Andrea Hewitt’s case, it became her reality, so she took some time to herself, and then surrounded herself with a tight group of friends, like fellow triathlete Ryan Sissons. She then did as she’d always done, put one foot in front of the other and soldiered on towards the finish line.

Ryan Sissons

Sissons and Hewitt have always been close, but the devastating circumstances that have seen them spend some extra time together, seems to also be benefiting Auckland’s Sissons more now than ever.

Whether some of the habits from one of the most consistent athletes in the world have rubbed off on him or he too has found some inspiration from Laurent Vidal’s passing, Sissons’ performances in the lead up to the Olympic Games have started to really quantify the talent many have long known that he possessed. And his consistency is proving he truly is worthy of a Kiwi Olympic spot.

Hewitt had already qualified for August’s Rio Olympics last year, but Sissons required a top eight finish at a World Triathlon series race in order to ink his name on the Kiwi selectors nomination sheet, something he achieved with a sixth place finish in Abu Dhabi in early March. He then maintained his performance throughout the start of the season, with a fourth at the New Plymouth World Cup, and a ninth at WTS Yokohoma in Japan.

Post-race Sissons said: “I guess it is good to have a consistency throughout every race so far this year, I have performed well and that is the biggest thing to turn up and race well in all my races, so I am happy with how things are going.

Ryan Sissons and Laurent Vidal “I felt pretty good all day, pretty strong, I didn’t have that extra gear on the run but we have plenty of time to when I want to be running really fast so yeah, I am pretty happy.”

The duo, along with a handful of other close training partners, is now set up at their training base in France, with Sissons working on the speed he was talking about.

This year Sissons’ swim has improved out of sight as well, one of the disciplines Hewitt’s renowned for, suggesting the more time the two spend together between now and August the better for Sissons, especially given it’s looking increasingly likely they will be the only two to represent New Zealand in the Triathlon, a far cry from the six that went to London in 2012.

Best of Luck in Rio to the pair. (GEORGE BERRY) F PN

MYER BEVAN - NIKE MOST WANTED Of-and-on local teen and First Team member of Western Springs AFC, Myer Bevan (19) was recently selected one of 11 boys from a pool of 42 outstanding young players worldwide, to join the Nike Academy in England.

Myer has devoted his life to soccer since his uncle introduced him to the game at age five. Here’s how the most recent achievement came about: some seven weeks ago Myer won the New Zealand leg of the 2016 Nike Most Wanted event - a competition to find the best non-professional under-20 youth players in the world. Liam Mulrooney from Western Springs AFC had urged Myer to apply, and within two weeks he’d won the event, beating over 200 kids from around New Zealand.

That took Myer to Paris, where the 42 winners congregated - boys from Belgium, Poland, Japan, England, France, Germany, Israel, Australia and more. They met in Clairefontaine, 55 minutess drive from Paris, at the French Football Federation’s National Academy centre, and trialed for three days, tested on every aspect of their game.

The final day was held on Sunday 1 May in France, with each of the three trialist teams playing each other, and then each of the three teams playing a 30 minute stint against the incumbent Nike Academy team from St George’s Park.

Myer was the joint top scorer in those trial games, coming off the bench in the final game to slot a penalty and drill home another goal (he missed a third by lashing it against the cross bar).

photography: Photosport

Together with 11 other boys, Myer was chosen to join the Nike Academy in England, where he will go at the end of June for six months. He’s just the second New Zealander to have made the Academy; Dylan Burns was first in 2014.

Myer’s team of 24 Academy players will start their pre-season in Portland, Oregon, United States, and will then spend the remaining six months to a year playing against other teams in Europe. Myer’s goal is to be scouted and signed by a professional club while in Europe and to continue to pursue his dream of playing football for a living!

Myer’s club says: “We are immensely proud of Myer, for not just being an amazing footballer, but one of the nicest boys around." F PN

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FURRY AND FABULOUS ANGELA BEER: PETS & PATS FOUNDER

PETS & PAT’S FARM STAYS AND DAYCARE Welcome to dog Disneyland, a 20 acre farm, 18 minutes from Ponsonby, where your dog can do as much or as little as it likes. Pricing from $40.

FARM STAYS: Limited to eight VIP guests, boutique indoor living, 20 acres for outdoor fun, 24/7 onsite vet.

DAYCARE: Small numbers, 20 acres for outdoor fun, internal spaces to relax, onsite vet, all ages, pick up.

1. How many dogs are in your facility/care?

At Pets & Pats, we look after a small number of families, whereas in larger internal facilities it’s not uncommon to have numbers in the hundreds.

2. What is the staff-to-dog ratio?

Once again, in larger facilities or even with individual walkers taking out dogs, staff numbers can be as low as 1 to 40 dogs. At Pets & Pats we are 1 to 8.

3. What does my dog do when in your care?

I was shocked when looking into founding the farm that many ‘leading’ lodging facilities have dogs in ‘lock down’ in their pens for between 22-23 hours, only letting them out once or twice a day. In internal daycares, ask: how does my dog spend their day, how much space do they have, how many dogs are with them, what variety is offered during the day? What are the qualifications of the staff?

4. What onsite care is available when my dog is boarding with you?

In many facilities, once the kids are put to bed between 5pm - 7am, there is no onsite care. Often kids are housed in a separate facility where they are checked on once during the night.

At Pets & Pats, we have a vet who lives onsite and as the kids live inside our luxury farmhouse, they are with someone 24/7. If you’d like to try the Pets & Pats’ experience, your meet and greet and first session is on us. We look forward to welcoming you.

Dog HQ: Herne Bay; Country Estate: Dairy Flat. M: 021 539 699, angela@petsandpats.com facebook.com/petsandpats

COLIN WEATHERALL WITH HINEMOA AND MANA Situated just in front of the Ponsonby News offices in Hakanoa Street lives Colin, proud owner of two boxer dogs and a grumpy looking Persian cat called Jaffa.

Although it can’t be said that Jaffa and the dogs get on, they never fight and tend to stay out of each other’s way, with Jaffa usually found at her favourite spot on a wall watching birds through the skylight.

Although Colin originally got the animals for his children and has never had pets himself, he says it is usually the parents who end up looking after them once the kids grow up.

“I got Jaffa for one of my daughters, and the dogs were for my son and other daughter,” he said. “But now it seems to be me looking after them.”

Colin admitted to being more of a dog person than a cat person and enjoys taking the two dogs, Hinemoa and Mana, for walks, particularly off-leash at Grey Lynn Park.

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photography: George Shiers

photography: George Shiers

“Dogs are much tamer offleash,” he said. “On leash they’re always pulling you around trying to look tough, but once you let them off they calm down and just walk around sniffing things.”

(GEORGE SHIERS) F PN DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

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PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS

Katya

John Loof and Jimmi “Our family have lived in Westmere for longer than we care to remember.

Knuckles

“We love its character and its people - ain’t no place like the inner west! My wife Monique Nielsen is a TV producer, we have two boys at Western Springs College. I’m Chief Executive of Cancer Society Auckland and also the Board Chair at Western Springs College.

“Jimmy is an 18-month-old border terrier (BT) and still has plenty of puppy in him. We’ve had him since he was the length of my hand.

“We wanted a dog that was small and smart with character. Also, Monique had had Sid the BT in at her office for a few weeks and that sparked a love for BTs. “Jimmi got his name because BT’s are from the border country of southern Scotland...

‘I see you Jimmi’. Our favourite thing to do together is to hit the beach at Piha. Broccoli is a favourite thing to eat, seriously!

“Jimmy’s best friend is Cooper the humungous Dalmatian. Jimmi thinks he’s a big dog but is in a little dog’s body... plus he’s romancing an older ‘woman’ next door called Boo. “If Jimmi were a human he’d be... very enthusiastic about everything, possibly in sales.”

Milo

LOST CAT...

Celeste, a grey and white Devon Rex has been lost in the Potatau Street area of Arch Hill since 9 May. She is micro-chipped and has a collar with her details. If you find her contact T: 09 360 5348 or M: 027 641 9000.

Alternatively drop her in to 28 Potatau Street, Arch Hill (Grey Lynn). There is a reward for her return. F PN Mo

108 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS

OUR APPEAL DOG GETS HER FOREVER HOME You may remember during the 2015 SPCA Annual Appeal we shared with you the story of Molly, a four-month-old Labrador who was rescued by an SPCA Inspector.

SPCA Inspector Andre found Molly tied up under a house while her family went on holiday without her. The rope she was tethered to, caused a deep, chafing collar wound around her neck, and Molly was lethargic and hardly moving. Inspector Andre knew he had to act fast to save her life, so he took her for immediate medical treatment.

After two surgeries and several months of recovery, Molly’s physical wounds healed and she went out to foster care with two SPCA Canine Attendants, Ben and Sarah. After getting to know her so well and dedicating so much time and energy to her rehabilitation, the couple eventually ended up making her a permanent part of their family and renaming her Holly.

Sarah says, “We have considered keeping several of our foster dogs but in the end we found homes that were so perfect for them that we were happy to let them go. With Holly, we feel like we genuinely are the best people for her to be with. She is so sweet and funny and it is such a privilege to be able to make a difference to her wellbeing every day. She has come such a long way but she also has a long way to go. Because her young life was so traumatic she may always struggle with certain situations and people and we want to be right there with her, reassuring her that she is safe and that we will not let anything PN bad happen to her.” F SPCA has lots of adult dogs currently looking for homes. You can view our dogs for adoption online at www.spcaauckland.org.nz or www.facebook.com/SPCAFriends or visit the SPCA Animal Village at 50 Westney Road, Mangere - Open 7 days from 10am to 4pm.

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LOOK... WHO IS IN THE ZOO!

Booming kakapo keep zoo staff busy New Zealand’s world-famous flightless parrot, the endangered kakapo, is breeding in record numbers this season, much to everyone’s delight, especially the Kakapo Recovery Team.

Auckland Zoo staff (vets, vet nurses and bird keepers) are among avian specialists that have been helping this team give their booming chick population the very best start to life.

Destinations: Anchor and Whenua Hou (Codfish) islands, and Department of Conservation (DOC) kakapo hand-rearing facility, Invercargill

A two-day-old kakapo chick in a weighing sling

Kakapo duties: Night monitor nests (chicks and mums), healthcheck chicks (weigh, measure, physically check) at nests sites, care for sick chicks, transfer eggs, hike up to eight hours a day, camp out overnight, and survive on minimal sleep!

L to R: A 48-day-old kakapo chick learning to ‘beg’ to be fed; Vet nurse Rachel Norton with an adult kakapo patient at Auckland Zoo’s vet centre

Being a ‘kakapo mum’ Zoo vet nurse Rachel Norton is still buzzing from her week at DOC’s kakapo hand -rearing facility in Invercargill, working the night shift and being what she calls a ‘kakapo mum’, for which she received specialist training.

“Kakapo here are aged from about two weeks up to approximately two months. They’re requiring help because they’ve got a range of health issues, such as being underweight or respiratory problems.

Zoo vet manager, Dr James Chatterton, who has the privilege of leading and coordinating veterinary services for the Kakapo Recovery Programme (involving zoo vet staff and a small number of other avian specialists) has spent a month in the field. As required, James and his team also provide specialist vet care to young and adult kakapo at Auckland Zoo’s vet centre.

“It’s an intense cycle of feeding, teaching these young birds to ‘beg’, and cleaning.

They’re a lot like babies, and you really do play the role of mum!”

James explains that if chicks can get through their first two to three weeks of life, they’ll then be reared successfully by their mum. So intensive monitoring of chicks, especially during this period, allows intervention when necessary, which is critical to their survival.

“We gently touch the sensitive pads on each side of their beak to simulate what a kakapo mother would do in the wild with her beak. This requires the bird to stand strong on its feet, get a really good bounce on, and also flap its wings.”

A standout experience for him was rescuing and treating a very sick two-day-old chick, whose inexperienced mum hadn’t yet mastered feeding it correctly.

Of her experience, Rachel says: “It’s amazing and hugely rewarding to see chicks get well, and achieve important milestones like gaining weight. I loved every minute of my time, and it was incredible getting to know individual birds - some are very laid back, some reserved, and others really outgoing and bolshy!”

Says James: “We took it from the nest down to the Anchor Island base. We had to give it subcutaneous fluids, warm it in the incubator, and then give it oral glucose and hydration by mouth. Within half an hour it started to respond to treatment, and within a few hours we could feed it normal food, and it went on to do fine.

“It’s treating such small, precious chicks like this, and getting them back to their mum in the wild, that makes all the lack of sleep worthwhile and sends you home with a big smile on your face!”

Rachel explains that teaching these young birds to ‘beg’ to be fed, is hugely important, as it’s what stimulates their mothers to feed them.

View recent footage of zoo staff helping kakapo on the zoo’s website and on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/AKLZOON and get the latest news on kakapo at www.kakaporecovery.org.nz

If you love African animals, both towering and tiny, and haven’t yet experienced our new African savanna, June’s a great time to visit.

The $7 million development offers an immersive adventure through a savannah habitat that’s home to giraffe, zebra, and ostrich and progresses into an expansive walkthrough aviary featuring a rocky escarpment, water features and panoramic views back out onto the savanna. Here you’ll discover meerkats (and great new meerkat tunnels and viewing windows) stunning African masked lovebirds and adult and baby leopard tortoises, before journeying further into our Africa precinct. New arrivals: Sometime in June, we’re expecting our new African arrivals, three male Nyala, to join our rhino and springbok in the paddock that adjoins the new savanna.

Zoo vet Dr James Chatterton checks a sick kakapo chick

110 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

Check our website www.aucklandzoo.co.nz and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/AKLZOONZ for news about when these strikingly handsome antelopes will be venturing out.

PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS: METROLAW GOT A LEGAL QUESTION? ASK MICHAEL@METROLAW.CO.NZ Email Michael with your question and include PONSONBY NEWS in the subject line. Michael Hemphill, a partner of the firm, will answer one topical question each month.

Q:

I have a small commercial cleaning business. Last week I was approached by a potential purchaser. The purchaser has asked for a whole lot of information on the business, some of which I am hesitant to divulge. How should I deal with this?

During the initial discussions regarding the sale of your business, it is inevitable that certain information of a confidential nature will need to be disclosed by you to the potential purchaser. You will during the negotiation process likely be disclosing information regarding financial performance, customers, business secrets, lease details, and suppliers.

A:

The simple answer is to have a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement that sets out clearly the obligation on the potential purchaser to any information provided confidential and not to use that information for any improper purpose. This agreement should also set out clearly the consequences of breaching the agreement. However, there are some other considerations take into account.

First of all, it is worth considering what information that you need to provide the purchase in order for them to decide whether they want to purchase the business and whether it is economic for them to do so. Often this information may be provided by your accountant and it may be possible to summarise this information in a way that may still be useful to negotiate an agreement and a price without providing too much sensitive information about the business.

Engaging in a due diligence process can distract you from the operation of your business and can be expensive.

Details of your long established customers and especially your key employees should not be given out lightly. It can be alarming to both if you appear to be shopping the business around to a number of potential purchasers. I have seen a business lose a key client while the owners squabbled about who was to buy the business.

BECOME A FRIEND OF KELMARNA GARDENS FOR AS LITTLE AS $5 A MONTH Your regular donation will help connect more school children with nature, empower people all over Auckland with sustainable living choices and develop and maintain a therapeutic garden.

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The more sensitive information such as the details of your key customers and suppliers should probably be held back until a later stage of the due diligence process once you are satisfied that the purchaser is keen to go ahead and has the financial wherewithal to proceed. As a vendor you also want to be satisfied with the purchaser’s ability to run the business successfully. Ideally you would want the purchaser to have confirmed any finance condition and have paid the deposit on the purchase before providing with them with more sensitive information.

A written confidentiality agreement protects your business’ value by imposing an obligation of confidence on the purchaser. The agreement would be able to clearly set out what the confidential information is, the limited circumstances the recipient is permitted to use the information and the consequences of a breach of the obligation of confidence. The confidentiality agreement translates the duty of confidence from a vague expectation into a contractual obligation. Having a potential purchaser sign a confidentiality agreement also creates a psychological obligation on the recipient to respect and keep confidential the information that you disclose to them during the negotiation process.

If the confidentiality agreement is clear about what information is confidential and the obligations on each party, you would be able to point to a clear breach of a contractual obligation should you wish to seek damages such as an account of profits or injunctive relief. Without a written contract you would be relying on a mere duty of confidence which would be far harder to establish.

Please do not hesitate to contact Metro Law should you require any advice in regards to the sale of your business or the drafting of a confidentiality agreement to protect your interests. (MICHAEL HEMPHILL) F PN Disclaimer - this article is for general information purposes only. If you have a legal problem you should seek advice from a lawyer. Metro Law does not accept any liability other than to its clients and then only when advice is sought on specific matters.

METRO LAW, Level 1, 169A Ponsonby Road, T: 09 929 0800, www.metrolaw.co.nz The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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HELENE RAVLICH: LOCAL AGENCIES

Run Formerly known as Designstein, Newton agency Run describes itself as “a strategic and creatively led advertising and design agency,” and it is headed by rather clever husband and wife team Raymond McKay and Laura Cibilich.

Designstein started as a branding and design studio more than eight years ago, but has since grown into a full scale advertising and creative agency and has recently rebranded under the aforementioned moniker, Run. When I spoke to Design Director Laura on the phone they were still on a high after winning the 2degrees employer brand business in a pitch against two other well-respected agencies. Leigh Peters, head of recruitment at 2degrees said of the match: “Like 2degrees, Run are taking on the big guys and challenging the status quo, a combination that really resonated with us. We were impressed by Run’s refreshingly creative ideas. Run is also a great fit with our values and culture, which is very important to us. We’re looking forward to working with the Run team to showcase our great workplace to the employment market.”

The win comes at a time when many larger organisations are looking at partnering with smaller, boutique style agencies, for their flexibility, adaptability and hands-on approach, and the newly minted Run has all that and more.

Designstein began back in 2008 as a business on the side for Laura, who was then working fulltime as a designer for an employer. Her sideline soon started to grow however, and for the past four years it has been a highly successful business employing both herself and her creative director husband Raymond, who came from a background in some of the country’s biggest and busiest advertising agencies.

Laura’s strength lies in the areas of strategic design, advertising and brand application, with particular expertise in brand ideation and typography. She has experience working across international brands like Lego, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Canon, Kelly Tarlton’s, Jagermeister, Mattel and Te Puia, and she is also a multi-disciplined designer and exhibiting artist. In other words, one highly talented woman and the perfect foil for her partner-in-crime Raymond, who was hired straight out of his degree at AUT to work as a creative at Colenso BBDO. He further honed his craft as an art director at the likes of Saatchi & Saatchi, Clemenger BBDO, Lowe, Draft FCB, DDB, and .99, and was the creative mind behind Wellington’s now iconic ‘Blown Away’ sign, chosen by public vote and commissioned by the Wellington Airport as a gift to the windy city.

The pair began working together in a purely organic way, as Raymond was freelancing and Laura needed more and more help with growing her business. “We work really well together as my strength is design whilst Raymond’s is more in the area of creative advertising,” says Laura, “and I found myself pulling him in on more and more jobs.”

Working together full time seemed like the obvious move, and a few years on that move is certainly paying off. I wonder aloud if working with a life partner is more than a little challenging at times and Laura laughs before admitting, “We have times when we argue it out, but we are honest with each other at all times and it kind of works!”

The pair also has an extensive pool of contractors that they call on when needed, which includes additional designers, art directors, copywriters, creatives, photographers, graffiti artists and strategists. “Being able to pull in really specialised freelancers helps us maintain quality in everything we do,” says Laura, and ensures a fresh viewpoint on projects when it’s needed.

As well as the recent 2degrees win Laura is proud of the work that the agency has done with clients Niue Tourism, including a promotion last year at Auckland Zoo around the arrival of its new elephant, Anjalee from Sri Lanka via Niue. “The project brief was pretty tight,” says Laura, “and involved a competition entered via iPad on site that had to be in a prominent but waterproof place. There wasn’t the budget nor the time to build a hut or anything like that so we dropped a shipping container in within a week and off it went.”

She says that the deadline was “fast-paced but fun,” and she cites situations like that where being a small, nimble agency is most definitely a major bonus. “We don’t have the hierarchy of other larger agencies,” she explains, “so we can be so much more hands on and monitor quality control and things like that a lot more easily.

“I also personally love seeing a project right from brief to completion, and if I was in a bigger organisation I just don’t know if I could be sure to get that kind of satisfaction.”

It’s what keeps Laura and her partner doing what they do, and happy clients returning PN again and again for more. (HELENE RAVLICH) F www.runwithrun.com

RUN’s Laura and Raymond

112 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS: LOGAN GRANGER

Paid parental leave and child support changes There are approximately 173 babies born each day in New Zealand. With new laws being passed around paid parental leave, we thought it important to remind parents-to-be of their entitlements under the current and future laws, and to inform employers of their obligations.

Paid Parental Leave changes The Government has recently made changes to the paid parental leave scheme that will apply to people: • With babies due or born on or after 1 April 2016, or • Who take full-time care of a child under six on or after 1 April 2016.

The recent changes have come about to reflect modern New Zealand families and working life, and will mean more people than ever before will now be entitled to receive payments while on parental leave. These changes are addressed below: • The payment period has been extended from 16 weeks to 18 weeks.

• Non-standard workers such as seasonal, contracted and employees with more than one employer are now eligible for payments.

• Entitlements extended to cover all permanent arrangements where the applicant has primary responsibility for the care, development, and upbringing of child under six years, including adoption, Home for Life parents, whangai, grandparents and the like from 1 April 2016.

• Eligible parents can now work limited Keeping in Touch hours.

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

• Eligible parents can now resign without affecting their entitlements.

• The parental tax credit increased to $220 a week, and the payment period was extended from eight weeks to 10 weeks from 1 April 2015.

• The maximum weekly amount of parental leave payments increased from 1 July 2015.

• Additional parental leave payments of up to 13 weeks, are available if a baby is born prematurely before 37 weeks.

Child support changes As of 1 April 2016 there have also been additional changes to child support which could affect many people.

Decrease in the child support qualifying age The qualifying age for children to be included in a child support assessment is under 18 years (previously it was under 19), unless the child is 18 years and enrolled at and attending school. This change applies to children you pay or receive child support for and children you’ve named as dependents.

Penalty rate change and debt write-off changes There is now a two-stage penalty for late payments: • An initial 2% penalty which applies on the day after payment was due.

• An additional 8% penalty after a further seven days, if the amount remains unpaid.

• After a year, if the debt remains unpaid incremental penalties charged each month will reduce from 2% to 1%.

Two new child support administrative review grounds There are now 12 grounds for applying for a review of your child support (up from 10). The new grounds recognise re-establishment costs and debt offsetting.

Deductions from your employment income Liable parents can now arrange for their employer to make child support deductions from their wages and pay PN them to Inland Revenue. (LOGAN GRANGER) F Disclaimer - While all care has been take, Johnston Associates Chartered Accountants Ltd and its staff accept no liability for the content of this article; always see your professional advisor before taking any action that you are unsure about.

JOHNSTON ASSOCIATES, 202 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 6701, www.jacal.co.nz

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GARDENING WITH GRAHAM SHIEFF

Stunning specimen trees Recent rainfall has created perfect planting conditions. Why not source and plant that favourite specimen trees while the soil is still moist and warm?

Michelia gracipes This stately evergreen has glossy, leathery, dark green foliage. Brown furry buds open to an abundance of 5-10cm fragrant creamy white blooms in late winter/early spring.

Sometimes this specimen flowers in mid summer.

Michelia gracipes thrives in well drained, humus-rich soil in a sunny, open position or semi-shaded location. The tree’s roots should be kept cool during Summer, so mulch with compost or leaf mould. Peat moss is an excellent soil conditioner that can be mixed with the soil at planting time or added to the soil around the base of existing trees.

catching deep red heart-shaped leaves are on show. Small mauve/pink flowers emerge early in spring which add to the tree’s magnificence, Cercis requires a sheltered, sunny garden position with excellent drainage and benefits from light pruning in late winter to encourage a dense growth habit. Pruning the tips on the tree during the summer will ensure the tree retains a favourable shape. Mature height 4m with a 3m diameter.

Michelia gracipes can be grown as a topiary standard, individual specimen, hedge or espaliered. Trim when flowering has ceased. This hardy specimen tree grows to a height of 3m and 3m in diameter. Minimal pruning is required.

It’s time to plant citrus Autumn is the ideal time to plant citrus. Whether it be an easy peel mandarin like Satsuma ‘Silverhill’, a Meyer lemon that produces loads of juicy fruit, a sweet ‘Carters Navel’ orange or a Tahitian lime now’s the perfect time to select the citrus trees you require and plant them in a sunny, well-drained position.

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ What a magnificent specimen Little Gem is sporting attractive glossy green leaves with rich brown furry undersides. This popular evergreen produces large creamy white flowers from late spring to autumn.

If you have limited garden space try growing citrus in a timber container or glazed pot.

Ensure that the container is large enough to allow the tree’s steady growth and ability to produce high-quality fruit. Remember that you’ll achieve the best results by providing your citrus with a balanced plant food including valuable trace elements.

When planting in a sun drenched location add peat moss to the soil. Peat will improve the structure of the soil and improve the tree’s growth rate and health. Like Michelia gracipes, Little Gem enjoys acid soil so the addition of acid plant fertiliser once or twice annually will encourage optimum growth.

Useful tips Fruit on citrus can develop imperfections like tiny lesions. Spray with a copper-based fungicide to eliminate the blotches and maintain the tree’s health.

Mulching ensures the tree roots don’t dry out during the summer season. Minimum pruning is required to maintain Little Gem’s attractive stature.

Little Gem can be planted as a focal point or in a row to form a hedge or privacy screen.

Mature height 3m - 5m with a diameter of 3m - 4m.

When foliage on citrus appears to be slightly yellow, feed the tree with magnesium sulphate, Epsom salts. The addition of magnesium will return the tree’s leaves to optimum health.

HAPPY GARDENING! (GRAHAM SHIEFF) M: 021 997 743, www.gardenhelp.co.nz

Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ This compact deciduous tree is simply stunning during spring and summer when its eye-

1. Lemon 2. Magnolia “Little Gem” 3. Cercis 4. Michelia gracipes

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MY FAVOURITE ROOM THE WORLD OF MATT AND RYAN...

These two single lads met on a real estate salesperson’s course in 2012 and have been mates and business partners ever since.

Little did they know back then, that four years down the track Ryan would be sporting a trendy short beard, Matt would be on a hard-core health kick and that they would be celebrating being number 1 in the Grey Lynn office, having sold over one hundred million worth of property.

With a focus on customer service, their honest and approachable manner has helped them reach the top of their game in this suburb. “I recall setting goals with Matt back at the start of 2012. The goals steadily grew from ‘Sales person of the month’, for many months and ultimately number 1 in Grey Lynn by our fourth year.”

photography: Martin Leach

The boys have been able to devote the time and energy required which is a necessity when selling in excess of a house a week for the last financial year.

“We’re excited to be involved with the projects team and are about to launch the most exciting off-the-plans development on Grey Lynn ridge,” says Matt, and being in this industry allows you to do some pretty cool things. We’ve recently been able to sponsor Grey Lynn School, buying sports uniforms for the kids and had the honour of presenting them during assembly.”

Sally James Sally James and Gerry Hill moved to Ponsonby from Wellington in 1988 and lived at the top of O’Neill Street, opposite where the new park will be.

They planted trees in the parking lot at the back of Super Liquor to make the view from their deck more pleasant, and some of them still remain. Then they moved to Ponsonby Terrace to establish their boutique B&B, the Great Ponsonby Arthotel, which has now been operating for 20 years. Sally says, “We have always been involved in the community.

We were on the Ponsonby-Herne Bay Community Committee for about 10 years and have both been on the Ponsonby Community Centre Board, which Gerry chaired for a number of years. He organised 30 events in the Heritage Festival in Ponsonby in 2006, which included a veterans’ All Black game organised by Brian Williams and had the wonderful Jaqueline Fahey speaking. I could go on.”

“Stepping in to an assembly hall sure takes you back!” says Ryan.

Look up ‘Matt and Ryan’s Property Page’ on Facebook to keep up with the boys and the local market. F PN Matt O’Rourke, M: 021 375 909 E: m.orourke@barfoot.co.nz Ryan Harding, M: 021 621 580, E: r.harding@barfoot.co.nz www.mattandryan.co.nz, www.barfoot.co.nz

Sally’s favorite room is the dining room of the Great Ponsonby, because it is the bustling hub of the B&B. “This is where we serve our world famous in Ponsonby breakfasts and get to chat to our guests,” says Sally. “Unless our guests obviously want to be alone, we introduce them to others at their table and sometimes the noise of chatter and telling of travel stories is deafening. We enjoy telling our guests about exciting things to do in Auckland and especially Ponsonby, things they would not necessarily find in a travel guide.”

Favourite things in the room: for starters, the combination of the greenish-blue walls with ruby red rugs (“I don’t do beige”). Sally says, “We have stuffed the place with art and have nearly run out of wall space. I really loathe going to a really expensive hotel to have some awful print on the wall. We use local potters to make much of our tableware and one of the tables, the one in the window, was made by my great grandfather and still has his ink stains on it. That is the table we eat at, once the guests have finished. A lot has happened around that table.

“The morning the Community Centre burnt down, locals gathered for cups of tea to talk about it, we fed what seemed like every East Timor student in the country who came to talk to Jose Ramos Horta when he stayed. One day Gerry rang me in the kitchen to say he needed to go to A&E, a regular guest shooed me out and took over the cooking. One of our regular guests took me to an Obama fundraiser in Milwaukee just before the last election. We were about 10 rows from the front and I am sure Obama caught my eye PN when I waved.” F GREAT PONSONBY ARTHOTEL, 30 Ponsonby Terrace, T: (09) 376 5989 www.greatpons.co.nz

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@ DESIGN WAREHOUSE 1. Box Concrete Sectional - create a modern outdoor living space with the Box Concrete Sectional, you can configure it to fit your space.

2. Natalie Rope Relaxing Chair - new! Carefully handwoven polypropolene rope makes this Natalie Rope Relaxing Chair unique and will add instant style to your living space.

3. El Fresco Edge Dining Set - create a modern and sleek dining set with the El Fresco Table and Edge Dining Chairs, a bold yet comfortable set for four.

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DESIGN WAREHOUSE, 137/147 The Strand, Parnell, T: 09 377 7710, www.designwarehouse.co.nz

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MILLY NOLAN: DESIGNER GIFTS

Contemporary ceramics From a crumpled coffee cup to an intricately plaited fruit bowl, contemporary ceramics have taken on a new meaning in the home.

Breathe new life into your home dĂŠcor with unique one-of-a-kind ceramic designs in earthy materials such as glazed terracotta, porcelain and stoneware.

1. General Eclectic Origami Salt & Pepper Shakers - $28 These origami-inspired salt and pepper shakers add a modern twist to a kitchen essential. Give your dining table some edge with this contemporary geometric pair.

2. Citta Design Pinasse Serving Plate - $60 The hand-drawn geometrics in black and gold foil on this serving plate are sure to impress whether you use it as an antipasti platter or purely as a decorative piece.

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3. Seletti Biblio Tek Book Vase - $186 Renowned for their quirky yet stylish interior objects, this porcelain object can be styled as a beautiful stand alone sculpture, bookend or unique vase.

4. Seletti The Coffee Set - $126 Made with trash to treasure in mind, this coffee set recreates throwaway cups in durable porcelain. Perfect for your morning or nightly coffee fix.

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5. Hemingwaydesign for Royal Doulton Bouquet Vase - $91 Combining texture with style, this contemporary Hemingwaydesign Bouquet Vase is made from porcelain with a white exterior and a black glazed interior.

6. Aura Kali Serving Spoon and Knife - $15 each Designed by Australian artist and textile designer, Tracie Ellis, the Kali stoneware collection is simple in design with clean lines and crisp colours. A perfect update for your table.

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7. General Eclectic Odyssey Planter - $45 The Odyssey planter has an ocean-like swirl print and is made of porcelain and bamboo, perfect for displaying indoor plants.

8. Barber & Osgerby for Royal Doulton Olio Sugar Bowl & Cream Jug - $100 Olio is an eclectic tableware range designed with juxtaposing forms and finishes. Made from white glazed terracotta, this sugar bowl and cream set is elegant as well as contemporary.

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9. House Doctor Plaited Fruit Bowl - $120 With a glazed finish, this porcelain bowl would make for a decorative table top piece or as a deluxe fruit bowl.

PN (MILLY NOLAN) F All products available at www.mildredandco.com

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ASK AN ARCHITECT: DANIEL MARSHALL Each month architect Daniel Marshall answers readers’ property related questions.

Q: A:

Where would you suggest to travel to look at interesting architecture?

To quote Rem Koolhaas, the Dutch founder of the architecture firm OMA; “Architecture stands with one leg in a world that’s 3000 years old and another leg in the 21st Century”, so anywhere on the planet where there is a history of built work provoking architecture can be found.

Architectural space shouldn’t be viewed only in terms of individual buildings, the collective spatiality of New York or Parisian avenues create awesome experiences of the built environment. Similarly, but maybe a little more controversially, the Los Angeles river, created by the United States army engineering corp, with it’s uncompromising concrete form, is as exciting and insightful to a culture as any iconic building.

Architecture can only be experienced ‘insitu’, photographs, texts and plans are no substitute for the vibrancy of inhabiting an architectural space. The space can resonate with your emotions, similar to the feeling when you listen to an exceptional symphony live in a concert hall. In fact, music and architecture have much in common, one commentator referred to architecture as ‘frozen music’ and the talented David Byrne gave an interesting TED talk about the codependence of architectural space, and the music that was created. He posited that music written and originally performed in a New York dive bar did not translate well to a stadium setting. Because the architecture, the acoustics, and the arrangement of humanity, were all fundamentally different in each context.

HARBOUR OUTDOOR @ DAWSON & CO Initially this second generation Australian furniture business focused solely on the outdoor market, creating an outdoor collection of unique design, incredible durability and a deep sense of culture derived from the harsh climates Australasian’s call home.

Now with stores in New York and Los Angeles, this season they have released their brand new indoor collection bringing their signature aesthetic inside the home.

Dawson & Co are proud to be the exclusive stockists of the indoor and outdoor collections that are now available in-store.

The collections are on display now at Dawson & Co’s brand new showroom at 38 Constellation Drive, North Shore. You can find more of the Timothy Oulton collection at Dawson & Co’s Parnell showroom, 115 The Strand, Parnell. www.dawsonandco.nz

In times past it was difficult to get access to the information you needed to visit houses that were architecturally important, but now it is quite easy to research and find interesting projects to visit. Public buildings are obviously easier to visit, but more and more domestic buildings are being recognised for the cultural significance they represent and are being taken over by foundations that preserve and educate. If you look online, a good place to start is the local architectural organisations. For example in the United States look up the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

These institutions often organise or provide links to private tours of buildings that you may not otherwise get access toand with this comes expertise that can give provocative insight to the forces that formed the architecture. A fantastic example of this is the organisation SAW, or Sydney Architecture Walks www.sydneyarchitecture. org/pages/saw_TOUR_DESCRIPTIONS_main.html. A visit to the Sydney Opera House on one of these walks gives you so much insight, that you will never view the building the same way. The Opera House is beautiful, but it could have been even more beautiful! And the fact that the project went ahead was a miracle, a brief flash of inspiration in a broad harbour of professional and bureaucratic mediocrity.

Or if you are going to Palm Springs (which I very much recommend) make sure you go in February, during their architecture week, as you can gain access to a lot more houses at that time.

In my personal experience when travelling, the most enlightening architectural experiences have been visiting domestic architectural masterworks from the 20th Century. My advice to you is to research what you would like to see, experience it, and love it... and bring that knowledge home to enrich your own architectural experience.

PN Below is my top 10 that I have visited, in no particular order. (DANIEL MARSHALL) F 1. Barragan House : Mexico City 2. Philip Johnson House : Connecticut 3. Farnsworth House, Mies van der Rohe: Illinois 4. Oscar Niemeyer House: Rio De Janeiro 5. Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier: Poissy 6. Kaufmann Desert House, Richard Neutra: Palm Springs 7. Schindler House: West Hollywood 8. Villa Roche, Le Corbusier: Paris 9. Alvar Alto House and Studio: Helsinki 10. Alvar Alto Experimental Summer House: Muuratsalo.

DANIEL MARSHALL ARCHITECTS, 472 Karangahape Road, T: 09 354 3587, www.marshall-architect.co.nz

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PEEL AWAY - THE REVOLUTIONARY PAINT REMOVAL SYSTEM

JUNE @ FORMA 1. Forma Area Ware Piggy Bank $400; 2. Forma Skull Tidy $115; 3. Forma Area Ware Gorilla $185; 4. Area Ware Bear $138

Safe for you, safe for your family, Peel Away is a revolutionary, unique and environmentally friendly paint removal system that can remove multiple layers of paint at one time.

It has a proven history of success, having been widely used in Australia and the United Kingdom for over the last 25 years. Few other products internationally can compare with this proven system - there are no harsh solvents used in the product, the chemicals used are safe to handle and apply.

What makes it unique is the ease of application. The product is a thick paste that is applied to the surface by hand or spray then covered with a special laminated cover sheet which allows the paste to be sealed to emulsify the layers of paint. After a set time of two to three days, the laminated cover is carefully removed, with the paste and the many layers of paint attached to the cover sheet, which can now be disposed in a safe manner, before washing down the surface with water. When dealing with older paints containing lead, Peel Away has the benefit of trapping all the loose particles in the paste. It fully contains the softened layers of paint as well, ensuring safe containment of any contamination.

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Peel Away is suitable for commercial, domestic, industrial, automotive and marine, and can be used on surfaces such as brick, concrete, soft-wood, hardwoods, fine furniture, marble, steel, cast iron, fibre glass, plaster and for asbestos removal.

Successfully used for the lead paint removal at Auckland Harbour Bridge, Christchurch Arts Centre and Real Groovy Records Queen Street, to name a few. F PN PEEL AWAY NZ LTD, 15-17 Shaddock Street, Eden Terrace, T: 0800 787 472, sales@peelaway.co.nz, www.peelaway.co.nz

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FORMA, 51 - 53 The Strand, Parnell, T: 09 368 7694, www.forma.co.nz, www.facebook.com/formafurniturenz

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SECURE YOUR FREEHOLD SLICE OF FREEMANS BAY It is with great excitement that we are pleased to advise the Stage II launch of Foundries, a boutique townhouse development of just 19 homes in desirable Freemans Bay where construction is underway.

Aspec Construction was appointed as builder and established on site earlier this year.

Since then good progress had been made with ground works now almost complete and precast panel erection underway. Now that the project is rapidly advancing the developers have advised that they consider the project will be complete and ready for occupation by the end of June 2017 (estimate), enabling you to plan and purchase with confidence.

Changes have also been made to the initial plans to increase the size of some of the homes. The garages of four of the homes (townhouses 7 - 10) have been dramatically increased in size and are now being offered to the market for the first time in this new and improved format.

Quite simply the garages are now huge, fitting two cars comfortably as well as providing additional space for whatever you want - wine cellar, workshop or maybe storage for the jet-ski, bikes and surf board gear - the options are almost limitless. At approximately 76 sq m these garages are substantial and we believe offer a unique proposition for anyone considering purchasing an apartment or townhouse home in the Freemans Bay/ Ponsonby area.

An eBrochure is now available and can be downloaded at www.foundries.co.nz With only seven homes still available in this designer development Blair Watson of

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Kellands Real Estate suggests you act quickly to secure your own freehold slice of Freemans Bay. Please contact Blair if you would like to arrange an appointment to PN discuss the finer aspects of these homes or if you require any additional information. F KELLANDS REAL ESTATE, Blair Watson, M: 021 502 930, E: blair@kellands.co.nz

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WE ARE PROUD TO WELCOME TO OUR TEAM

I’VE MOVED UP!

LISA-MAREE WALLEN 021 666 741

ADRIENNE JONAS-GOOCH 021 417 993

DAVID SIMONS 021 277 7579

JENNIFER TEMM MUNNS 027 222 1555

JOHN ERCEG 021 995 866

NICK REID 021 721 915

PATRICK MCCARTHY 027 233 3988

PAUL RAYNES 021 922 982

RACHEL ASHTON 021 0224 4990

LYNN GORE 027 473 4500

ROBERT MATULICH 021 634 059

REDEFINING REAL ESTATE

WAYNE BULOG 021 2723 557

HEATHER FISHER 0274 733 967

UP HERNE BAY, 162 Jervois Road T 09 361 6658

JODIE ANCLIFF RECEPTION

JORDAN VANDERMADE AUCTIONEER

uprealestate.co.nz LICENSED AGENT REAA 2008

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START YOUR INTERIOR DESIGN JOURNEY WITH FREEDOM FURNITURE Whether you’re moving in, redecorating or just have a few questions about what goes where, Freedom’s team of Interior Decorators can come to your home and help you find fresh, inspiring ways to make the most of your space - as well as your budget.

Kirsty Johnson, Freedom’s National ID Manager gives us insights into Freedom’s Interior Decorator service.

What does Freedom’s Interior Decorator service offer?

The Core offering of our ID Service is our free in-home consultation for drapery and blind quotations, as well that our consultants can also offer a $100 one hour service where our interior decorator can come into your home, help you find fresh, inspiring ways to make the most of your space and budget. Your $100 is redeemable on purchases over $3000, this also includes a follow up in-store consultation and may also include digital mood boards of potential design solutions to work in with trends and styles that work for your space/s.

Do you do home-staging?

We can put packages together to suit specific needs and can also provide set-ups if required, costs involved are negotiated at the time of sale.

At just $100 for an in-home consultation, redeemable on purchases over $3000. Freedom’s ID service offers affordable, expert advice at your beautifully decorated doorstep.

To start your ID journey and for more information go to www.freedomfurniture.co.nz

Do you go to people’s homes?

Yes we come to client’s homes and offer a one-on-one personal consultation and also follow up with an in-store consultation.

What input do your clients have?

We absolutely value our clients ideas and try to incorporate their ideas and style into the overall design of their home, we want to make it a space they feel comfortable in and enjoy so bringing personal items into their styling is hugely important, as well as finding styles and trends that are going to work within their family or corporate environments.

Five most important questions we would ask: 1. What do you love/hate in this room?

2. What is the function or purpose of this space?

3. Will your space be multi-functional?

4. Are you trying to achieve a particular mood for the space?

5. What is your budget?

124 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

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Inspirations

TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SPACE

Piper 2.5 seat sofa in Muse light grey leather $2299 Piper armchair in Colt Ivory fabric $899 Kyra coffee table in walnut/glass $599 side table $449

Encore dining chair $259 each Wyatt dining table 175 x 90cm in natural $1199

stylebyfreedom.co.nz Delivery fees may apply, please see in-store or online for further details. While stocks last.

Freedom’s standard terms & conditions of purchase apply. See in-store for details.

HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS

IAN TOWNING AND BOURBON HANBY My partner and I love the British television show - 'Dickinson’s Real Deal', which is where we came across the ‘understated’ jewellery entrepreneur Ian Towning. He is joint owner of Bourbon Hanby, based in Chelsea, south west London.

Many locals will remember property manager Marion Barnes, who several years ago was in London with her partner. I told the pair to go and check Ian Towning out as they also loved seeing him on the telly. Ian was pleased to meet the ladies and to celebrate meeting them he popped open a bottle of Harrods Champagne.

Towning has a strong, loyal New Zealand following and as he told Ponsonby News, “I have helped many and I advised them on collections of antiques, but this collection that has just been brought to me has fascinated me due to its variety. From porcelain, glass, pottery, jewellery and watches. It’s blowing me away, the quantity of it is immense."

The collector has been kind enough to share with us his collections that have taken years to accumulate and would like to share it with all those who may be interested in purchasing some of the items.

The photographs are a part of Bourbon Hanby’s major collection and will interest collectors around the globe. I think that it should be made into a TV documentary as the man himself is an interesting character. If you’ve visiting London and planning a walk along the Kings Road, make sure you pop into their showroom and please tell Ian we sent you! (MARTIN LEACH) F PN BOURBON HANBY, 151 Sydney Street, London, Chelsea SW3 6NT, T: +44 20 7352 2106 www.bourbonhanby.com/ian-towning/

126 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2016

Marion Barnes with Ian Towning and her partner Janice

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HEIDI PADAIN: ENTERTAINMENT IN YOUR GARDEN Recently it occurred to me that I have been taking something for granted. Birds like to play. This is something that I know, so I naturally assume that everyone else would know this too.

You’re perhaps thinking I might be talking about caged birds. I’m not fond of seeing birds in cages, but to be fair there’s a lot to be learned from having a bird as a pet. When I was a child, we had a budgerigar named Peetie. Peetie was given a toy to play with. It was one of those plastic look-a-like budgies on a spring that would be attached to the perch, and sit alongside your feathered friend. We were told it was a companion of sorts. Every once in a while Peetie would strike up a rapport with the plastic imposter; emphasis on strike up!

Peetie would beat the hell out of his supposed companion. We would sit there mesmerised at the spectacle of the bouncing plastic budgie.

At the time it seemed quite amusing, but looking back now, I don’t think Peetie was a happy bird.

Anyway, as you can tell, I’m no fan of keeping birds as pets. I now choose to engage with them when they’re free, which has probably saved me from paying huge amounts of money to lie on a couch describing Peetie’s trauma.

Where was I? Ah... the feathered visitors in your garden like to play, particularly the young ones. I have this little wooden log full of succulents, and around them I have placed shiny marbles and colourful shells. When we have fledgling blackbirds, or song thrush here, they like to pick up the shiny ornaments, and toss them around.

At first I thought they were trying to uncover the soil in search of food, but no, they like to watch these items as they land, and listen to the sounds they make as they hit the table or the dish of water below.

Tui birds are the most playful and mischievous. The young ones chase each other, they seem to be play fighting in the trees around me.

The waxeyes are the most inquisitive. They’re always the first to try something new.

As you can see in these photographs, I have encouraged the inquisitive, playful nature of these birds. Of course there are food treats involved, but none the less, to get these images, it takes quite a bit of time and trust.

I hope you enjoy seeing these images. If you would like to see a fledgling blackbird playing all alone in a tree, take a look at this video I made by going online to Youtube and typing ‘Playful Blackbird PN Fledgling’. Your feedback would be most welcome. (HEIDI PADAIN) F To see some of Heidi’s other photographic work go to www.flickr.com and type Heidi Padain into the search box, or, you can contact Heidi by email hidihi@xtra.co.nz

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Fiona Pardington She’s a Chevalière of the French Order of Arts and Letters and is a self-employed artist.

One of New Zealand’s leading photographic artists, in 2011 she was awarded a New Zealand Artist’s Laureate Award to acknowledge her success within the arts, both in New Zealand and internationally over the past 30 years. This month Pardington was awarded the distinction of Chevalière des Arts et des Lettres by the Prime Minister of France.

Manuel Valls, when he visited New Zealand. It’s the equivalent of an English Knighthood.

Pardington says, “Recently my photographs have returned to the formality of the photographic still life, particularly in relationship to taonga Maori (treasured) artifacts found in museum collections here and in France. I am presently working on, amongst others, a project for The First Honolulu Biennale, curated by Fumio Nanjo - which will open in March 2017.”

Who is your partner? What do they do?

I’ve been single for what seems like an aeon. I don’t think it would be easy for anyone to fit in to my life. I don’t want to cook, care or clean for anyone these days, but if someone wants to do that for me whilst I work and be my arm candy at openings, on the condition they buy me Victorian jewels, love me passionately and generally worship me in any way I see fit, they can apply for my serious consideration through my assistant, Chantelle Smith. A vet would be nice.

Do you have any grandchildren?

Thankfully not yet. I still haven’t got over the effort of raising my own precious, darling spawn Akura and Jack-Rahi.

Do you have any pets?

In the paddock down from the house there are 12 pukeko - one has one leg. They all line up in the morning for chook chow along with the chickens. Eighteen outdoor chickens, some of whom I will be divesting to interested parties: I have striking Araucanas and Araucana x Barred Rock roosters and pullets, plus some random yet beautifully composed crosses from two black chooks that ran away from the neighbours. Araucanas lay blue eggs. Two specially-abled young indoor chickens called Peagle, who is an unusually small and strangely shaped Araucana with a balance problem as well as Frou Frou the Polish bantam. I have two dogs; a black Griffon x miniature poodle called Freud and a white Lowchen called Baku. Pluto, my daughter’s Chihuahua, is with me often.

I have a young male cat rescued from under a bus up the road recently, he was dumped.

His name is Mahina. He loves to sing the song of his people in the dead of night when he catches large rats, presenting them to me as gifts as I rouse from sleep. I adore him.

He is an Insta-cat, I just added catfood and removed testicles. He has all the dogs, cats and birds under control, and sleeps in a Victorian wicker baby basket.

I have two African grey parrots, a free-range, free-flighted male named His Feathered OverLord Morpheus Gray. Gray thinks I’m his girlfriend, he’s a jealous boyfriend who has a large vocabulary and is a knockout mimic. Lavender, my female African grey is deeply in love with my son Jack-Rahi. The third bird is Tommy, a rescued male eclectus who was a skinny, shaky, shabby feather duster who fell off his perch five times a night and had nightmares and a hugely overgrown and deformed beak when I got him; he now is calm, iridescent and strong with a correctly shaped beak growing at the right speed. I have friend and avian specialist Brian Gartrell to thank for that.

How do you keep fit?

Chasing the chickens and sparrows out of the house. Stretching to counteract the large amount of time I spend on a computer these days. So really, not enough by a long shot.

Your best friend would say of you...

“Are you out of unicorn jail yet? Please stop working and come over for a dinner, I have Champagne.”

Your mother would say of you...

“You look like your father.”

What are your virtues?

Drinking Champagne.

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And your vices?

Not drinking Champagne.

Who’s your ultimate rock icon?

At the moment, I can’t choose between David Bowie and Prince.

What’s your secret passion?

The powerful fantasy I harbour is this: buying and equipping and then supporting the running costs of an enormous, new, very fast ex-Navy warship for Sea Shepherd. I’d name it the Dorothy Furley, after my maternal grandmother.

What’s your secret talent?

The inability to fold anything neatly.

Where do you live?

Te Henga, but it’s temporary. As close to a West Coast beach as possible will be the next move. However, my mother’s family going back five generations have always lived in Devonport and Ponsonby, so I’m also considering Ponsonby, but not for another five years.

Where do you spend your holidays?

At home, working. I’m travelling constantly this year to photograph: Australia many times, here, museums in America and Lausanne, I’m exhibiting at Paris Photo later this year. So in a sense there’s a little bit of holiday in every serious photographic expedition I undertake.

What’s your perfect Sunday?

I usually work all Sunday, but a siesta with the dogs on the studio’s long Italian leather lounge suite in the afternoon listening to Arvo Pärt, letting his aural unblemished radiance wash over me. Or just one cheeky Hendrick’s and tonic whilst listening to Deep House and considering which unicorn comes next, and on which background. Both activities are a treat for the soul.

What were you going to be when you grew up?

An artist. I decided when I was six years old. For a while there I toyed with archaeology.

My mother wanted me to be a nun.

How did you come to be an artist?

It was part of the ongoing resolution, implemented when I was six.

If you weren’t an artist you’d be..?

Running an animal rescue shelter.

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HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS What has inspired you recently?

Pre 1960s genuine Murano glass unicorns. You should see my collection - some of the mythical critters are transcendental, and some rapturously hideous. Keep an eye out for me! Vintage Murano unicorns are rare as hens’ teeth. My show ‘100% Unicorn’ opens 26 May at Starkwhite. That’s the tip of the unicorn iceberg, I’ve only just scratched the surface of my collection.

Name your desert island distractions: Assuming I have a solar powered charger (which I do) I would be slowly picking off my reading list within my rather impressive virtual library of vintage and contemporary occult books, on my iPhone6+.

photography: Tanya Carlson

The house is on fire and your family is safe - what do you save?

I’m surmising by ‘family’ that includes my three parrots, two dogs, two cats and two specially-abled chickens. Then it would have to be my cache of my professional photographic negatives and my family photographs and negatives.

“I’d be lost without my...”

Glasses. Can’t see more than five inches in front of me. Dreadfully myopic, with an astigmatism.

Sir Peter Jackson and Fiona Pardington at the investiture at Auckland War Memorial Museum Which is your favourite Ponsonby Cafe?

Orphans Kitchen Your favourite Ponsonby restaurant?

Orphans Kitchen Your favourite Ponsonby store?

Foundation North, 50 Ponsonby Road. Our community trust, Foundation North, has an endowment of over a billion dollars to support all the good things that community organisations and not-for-profits do in Auckland and Northland. That’s why, if you’re looking for funding to do something in our region, you should talk to them.

Which is your favourite Ponsonby fashion label?

Carlson. I wear Carlson at all my important events, and then every other day of the year. If I ever get married, I’ll be a Carlson bride (something deeply fabulous in bruised crimson or abyssal black). I have instructed my lawyer to make sure I’m buried in a suitable Carlson gown from my collection. Everything else, and everything in between is Carlson. As you can see, I’m a very loyal customer.

What is your best-kept Ponsonby secret?

My mother and father were the first couple married in the new All Saints Church in Three Lamps.

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One thing you have learned about life is...

Change is the only constant.

Your advice to Ponsonby art lovers?

My survey exhibition ‘A Beautiful Hesitation’ is on at Auckland City Art Gallery until 19 June.

Be there or be square. I hear on the grapevine that its the go-to first date destination for teenagers right now. My large and luxurious survey publication is also available at the bookshop there. It’s a glittering jewel in the diadem of my practice, designed and printing overseen by my brother, graphic artist and photographer Neil Pardington. I’m the luckiest sister in Aotearoa having a brother of that design calibre at my side.

Your advice to young Ponsonby people aspiring to work in the art ‘industry’: Gather your allies around you and treat them well, as you yourself would like to be treated, with respect and genuine affection. The life of an artist can be a relentless and gruelling march, best not attempted alone. Practice gratitude on a daily basis, always be humble and remember art is a 24/7, 365 days of the year vocation if it’s to be done well. Research thoroughly, and under no circumstances plagiarise other artist’s work. In the end, you’re only fooling yourself. It is a degrading deception that the best collectors, artists and critics can pick a mile off. As well as indulging in the unpleasant activity of making money from another’s hard work, it immediately disqualifies you from any serious consideration as an artist. Nobody likes a cheat. Never be jealous or deflated by an other artist’s success, congratulate them, but always keep your eyes fixed firmly on your own practice. Never compare yourself to another. Only you can be you. Innovation comes from taking risks on a daily basis. Be brave. Don’t ever sit on your laurels. F PN FIONA PARDINGTON www.fionapardington.blogspot.co.nz DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

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DESIGNER RUGS @ BOCONCEPT Bring colour and texture into your home, and keep everyone warm underfoot, with BoConcept’s range of designer floor rugs.

Refresh your home without redecorating - choose from a variety of styles, textures and sizes.

1. Midori rug from $1,879; 2. Quarter rug from $3,819; 3. Vivus rug from $1,629

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BOCONCEPT, 20 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, T: 09 630 0557, www.boconcept.com

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STAY WARM WITH A NEW FIREPLACE FROM ‘THE FIREPLACE’ Don’t put up with another cold and draughty winter this year!

If you are dreading the onslaught of the wintery months, it’s time to think about installing some heating. The Fireplace has a range of electric, gas and wood fires to choose from.

With over 35 working models in their Mount Eden showroom, you will have plenty of choices to browse and the Fireplace staff are happy to help answer any questions that you might have so that you can select the fireplace that is the right fit for you. They want you to be thrilled with your choice and custom solutions are their speciality!

Having led the home heating market for more than 30 years, they are also the exclusive stockists of Jetmaster, Storax and Gazco fires. Specifically, they are also proud suppliers of the Stovac Studio 2 fire, which is the only CLEAN AIR APPROVED, landscape, slow combustion fire suitable for installment in urban areas.

And if it is a mulled wine next to an outdoor fireplace that you have in mind this season, have a peek at their dedicated outdoor area to experience the seven outdoor working demonstration models. You won’t have to imagine how nice it will be, you will feel it.

Innovation is what it is all about at The Fireplace - they have even supplied fireplaces for yachts - so give them a call today to see how they can help find the perfect heating solution for you. F PN THE FIREPLACE, 12 Tawari Street, Mount Eden, T: 09 623 6996, www.thefireplace.co.nz

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RECYCLING, UPCYCLING PRE-LOVED SPECIALTY FURNISHINGS Consignment understands that we are constantly refining and redesigning ourselves and our environment.

They know that in this day and age people are facing times of re-arrangement and lifestyle changes such as downsizing, upscaling, upgrading or dividing time between city living and the beach. Consignment offers a showroom in which to showcase and on -sell investment pieces at competitive prices.

Consigning is a way of recycling and moving furniture that benefits both the consignor and the buyer; Consignment offers unique, and often hard to find, pre-loved specialty pieces and designer furnishings. They see upcycling as an excellent way of acquiring quality pieces that have been well cared for at extremely moderate prices.

Upscaling or upcycling allows people to develop an eclectic style, mixing their existing furnishings with complementary or aesthetically pleasing items that complete their interior spaces. Consignment offers a hub for interior designers, people with an eye for style and those who have great taste but a restricted budget, as well as people relocating from the big family home to apartment living.

With a collective passion for beautifully crafted interiors, design, art and music, they embrace the idea of a space in which to commune and consume, browse or buy... enjoy an espresso or two and experience the Consignment vibe.

They are currently on the lookout for new stock, especially contemporary European designs, so please contact them if you are wishing to move your special pieces on: furniture, art, lighting, homeware and accessories. F PN CONSIGNMENT, 2 Railway Street, Newmarket, T: 09 524 0084, www.consignmentfurniture.co.nz

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DESIGNER KITCHENS: WHY WOULD I WANT ONE? ‘Designer’ is not the overused term you think it is. From aesthetics to ergonomics, and even the effect it has on your home’s value, design is a critical part of any new kitchen.

Wayne Church, head designer for kitchen manufacturer Neo Design, says “The kitchen is the heart of every home: we cook, Wayne Church entertain, and just hang out. Typically, it’s part of a larger open -plan area (even in a modernised villa), setting the style of the overall living space.

A skilled kitchen designer can work wonders, creating a kitchen that showcases your style and taste.”

But isn’t design just about style? “Definitely not,” says Wayne. “Good design is also about how a kitchen works in a practical sense - an experienced designer will create a layout that works the way you do, with hardware designed to make tasks easier. Good design also makes your kitchen durable, by using quality materials and robust construction.”

But doesn’t design cost more? “The design fee is a small part of the kitchen cost, with a big potential payoff. A well-designed kitchen is an investment in your daily enjoyment but it will also add value to your home.”

The team at Neo is design focused. For 25 years they’ve been producing award-winning joinery from their Glenfield premises, just 10 minutes north of the harbour bridge. Neo’s complete design, manufacture and install service makes it easy. Call Wayne Church or Aleisha Stanton for a consultation about your next designer kitchen.

NEO DESIGN, 96 Hillside Road, Glenfield, T: 09 443 4461, www.neodesign.co.nz

NEO DESIGN KITCHENS 1. Classic styling matches Devonport villa; 2. Crisp lines for Westmere bungalow; 3. Timber finish adds richness and warmth

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NEO DESIGN, 96 Hillside Road, Glenfield, T: 09 443 4461, www.neodesign.co.nz The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

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HIGH PROFILE PONSONBY DESIGN STORE GOES UP FOR SALE The Object Room a visionary Ponsonby design store has been put on the market.

Nestled within the award-winning Mackelvie Street Shopping Precinct, The Object Room enjoys being a part of the fashion/design community in this stylish retail strip in Ponsonby.

Luke McCarthy and Timond Chu opened this owner-operated business in 2011. Fulfilling their vision to create a distinctive retail experience offering everyday objects with function and style. Well travelled, they have sourced exclusive brands and hand-chosen products based on their uniqueness, design and excellent craftsmanship.

Luke and Tim are Ponsonby identities and well loved by Ponsonby Locals. Luke said “We will both miss being a part of the Ponsonby community, it was certainly never our intention to make this change (yet anyway), but we have been offered an opportunity overseas that is just too good to pass up.”

The Object Room is being marketed for sale by ABC Business Sales brokers Leah La Hood and Shelly May. La Hood said “the business is a two-tier business consisting of the Ponsonby retail shop and the well-performing online web-shop, the business is ready for a new owner to take on the legacy and push the business to the next stage.”

May described the location and shop’s décor as an ultra modern space with concrete floors, industrial ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass frontage.

The merchandise selection reflects global ideas and trends, offering a vast range of stylish objects for everyday lifestyle - ranging from ceramics and kitchenware, décor items, gadgets, aromatics, bags, jewellery, stationery to small furniture items and designer pet products.

“The size of our ‘objects’ has made it really easy for the online business to establish said Timond, the items are easy and cost effective to freight out.” He said, “We have invested and developed this side of the business because we felt that it was important to have a presence in the online retail world, as well as the fact that some of our brands are exclusive to us, and wanted everyone to have access to them - not just Aucklanders.”

Luke and Timond are be sad to leaving the Ponsonby community and offer a fond farewell and a sincere thank you to all of their customers, some of which have been coming back to the store since its earlier days in Grey Lynn.

Luke said “We will miss the friends we have made and the lifestyle we have enjoyed, we are proud of what we have created and are ready to pass the baton on to the new owner to continue what we’ve started. It takes a few years to really become ‘known’ as a go-to store, we’ve done that bit! There is still, however, so much more to do with The Object Room.” F PN To register your interest, call ABC Business brokers: Leah La Hood (021 89 77 88), or Shelley May (021 286 3274).

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@ REPUBLIC 1. Vintage Bakhtiari saddlebag - Opened out, featuring carpet, kilim and intricate embroidery... ideal for use as a rug on the floor or piece of art for the wall. POA 2. Alexander side table - Luxe white marble and black iron side table, $550

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3. Kahn dining table - Engineered to emulate bridge construction, this dining table is assembled using hand-finished cast concrete legs with a tempered glass top suspended on a blackened steel wire frame, now only $1995 (matching dining chairs now $599) 4. Theo low stool - Taupe nubuck leather-seated stool with carved legs made from solid hard fumed oak, now only $499 5. Nabil buffet - A unique, curved nine-drawer buffet with beautiful carved detailing, $3295 4

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REPUBLIC HOME, PONSONBY, 3 Pompallier Terrace, T: 09 361 1137 and PARNELL, 56 Parnell Road, T: 09 308 9237, www.republichome.com republic_home #weloverepublic

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WHAT ALL HOMEOWNERS SHOULD BE DOING Be smart, plan ahead and become proud of your home.

It’s proven that if done correctly, renovations increase property value more than the cost of the project. Even simple renovations such as opening up living space, adding an en-suite and a deck will not only increase your living standard but considerably increase the saleability of your home.

What most people don’t know is that that acquiring resource and building consents is a time consuming process and can be a minefield, so choosing the right design team is essential. When most people decide to build they are forced to wait and can be misled, so the team at Measure and Draw advise getting the plans ready in advance by a design team that understands the needs of clients and the requirements from consent authorities better than most.

Interior alteration before

Measure and Draw Director, Brendan Butler explains, “Don’t be scared of the process, we pride ourselves on being able to explain everything in terms you can understand.

Remember if you are considering a renovation/extension choose a design firm that specialises in this aspect of design. We do hundreds of them a year which proves we know what we are doing. Whether big or small we stick to our timeframes and deliver what we promise.”

Take the right steps to become build ready so that when you are ready to build you’ve had time to find the right builder who can complete your dream build without delay.

For more information go to their website and describe to what you envision and get the process started. F PN MEASURE AND DRAW, ARCHITECTURAL DRAUGHTING, T: 09 377 7045, www.measureanddraw.co.nz

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Interior alteration after

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ALL SAINTS SHOPPING CENTRE - 282 PONSONBY ROAD Constructed in the early 1980s, All Saints Shopping Centre is an iconic Ponsonby site, located near Three Lamps on the corner of Ponsonby Road and Ponsonby Terrace.

Recently refurbished, All Saints provides a mixed use of retail, medical, beauty and hospitality services.

The centre is currently occupied by a variety of well-known tenants including Superette, Moochi, Adorno, the stockroom and Evolution Clothing; Grace Lang Optometry and Eyewear, Auckland Radiology, Dr Helander (dermatologist); Vivo Hair and Beauty; and Ma Cherie (an award-winning French pastry and cafe).

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They welcome you to enter the secluded internal courtyard for a coffee or pastry and enjoy the many services the centre provides. Perfect for children, the courtyard is surrounded by gardens and away from the busy Ponsonby Road - you can experience a slice of Paris on your own doorstep.

Street parking is available on both Ponsonby Road and Ponsonby Terrace, as well as selected allocated parking at the rear of the building. F PN

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STREET NAMES: THE HISTORICAL BOROUGH OF PONSONBY AND GREY LYNN

Stack Street On March 26 1835, Mary West wife of missionary James Stack, gave birth to their first child in a tent on a Maori pa at Puriri near Thames.

The child was named after his father and James junior spent his formative years with his parents at missionary stations in the north and East Cape. When living remote from European contact, James learned to snare birds and catch eels, growing up familiar with the Maori world, although he retained the understanding he belonged to a different culture. This view was influenced by his father’s unfortunate experiences with preChristian Maori at mission outposts in the colony.

James first attended school at St John’s College in Auckland but when his father’s health and sanity collapsed, he spent a year at Sydney College before the family returned to England.

There he was supported by the Church Missionary Society till he was 14. He was then employed by them as a clerk but had no intention of becoming a missionary himself. This attitude changed when his beloved mother died unexpectedly.

A reunion with Reverend Williams consolidated his vocation. The reverend had translated the Bible into Maori and taught at a boy’s school in Paihia for CMS families. Too young to be a missionary, he spent a year teaching at the CMS training College at Islington. Notable Maori leader, and evangelist Tamihana Te Rauparaha was in London at the time, which gave James the opportunity to revive his fluency in Maori as an interpreter and companion.

James sailed to New Zealand in 1852 with Tamihana, disembarking at Wellington. For the next six years he taught boys at the CMS industrial school, first at Maraeti, then at Waikato Heads and finally at Te Kohanga under Reverend Dr Robert Maunsell’s supervision. When Bishop Harper invited him to work at the newly founded Maori mission In Christchurch, he accepted, was ordained deacon and became a priest in 1862. The mission complex was sited at Tuahiwi on 20 acres Maori had gifted from the Kaiapoi reserve. Stack travelled extensively around Banks Peninsula and occasionally as far as Stewart Island. His wish was to set up a Maori church within the Church of England and Reverend George Mutu’s ordination as deacon was a hopeful sign this could be realised.

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But by the 1870s the church was suffering from a lack of money and the prophet, Hipa Te Maiharoa’s teachings drew many Maori throughout the district. Stack believed that their bitter sense of betrayal over loss of land ‘blighted all our work’. He lobbied the government on their behalf to prevent the leasing of Maori land on disadvantaged terms and he considered the reserves ‘ridiculously small’. He also complained about the government’s slowness in settling claims and was perturbed by the extreme poverty among South Island Maori, who were now feeling the impact of European settlement.

When the Mission House at Tuahiwi accidentally burned down there were no funds for a rebuild so the Stack family moved back to Christchurch. His proficiency in the Maori language enabled Stack to supplement his meagre clerical income by taking an appointment as government interpreter. He later became inspector of native schools in the South Island as well as presenting reports to the Native Department on the condition of Canterbury Maori.

In 1880, due to government cost-cutting, he lost his employment and accepted the incumbency of the Duvauchelle Parish which gave him access to Banks Peninsula Maori with whom he rebuilt some church connections. He and his wife Eliza visited England briefly in 1883 then returned to take charge of a series of parishes - St Albans, Kaiapoi, Woodend, and Fendalton. He also became honorary canon of Christchurch Cathedral.

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CORSO DE’ FIORI The Foundation, 8 George Street, Newmarket, T: 09 307 9166, www.corso.co.nz

In 1898 Canon and Mrs Stack left New Zealand to live with her brother in Bordighera, Italy until 1907 when they moved to Worthing, England where James died in 1919.

Private cable advice was received of his passing by several New Zealand newspapers that paid tribute to this remarkable man. They detailed his many achievements during his years as an Anglican missionary in this country. His friend, Julius von Haast at the Canterbury Museum consulted him as an expert on Maori matters. He wrote on Maori subjects for the local press and gave public lectures hoping to enlighten European society in Canterbury, which largely ignored the Maori world. He was an advocate for the preservation of Maori place names, arguing from his in-depth knowledge of local tradition that ‘every part of the country was owned and named’ which is verified in the detailed maps he sent to the provincial surveyor in 1896. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS) F PN

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BIRD OF THE MONTH birds green plumage. New Zealand infantry riflemen wore green coats and pounamu is the Maori word for greenstone. The rifleman’s Maori name is tititi pounamu and its scientific name uses the Greek word for yellowy green. Not often do all three names that a bird is known by relate so closely to one another!

Moving quickly through the forest from tree trunk to trunk, rifleman make short aerial hops as they feed on insects. They will take anything ranging from spiders, caterpillars, moths to weta off the foliage or from within cracks in bark and trunks. Rifleman will often be found in family groups, with many generations helping to raise the new young. They are a monogamous species, and will only replace a mate if one of the pair dies. Despite this they are not glued to each other but will keep in contact using calls as they forage during the year.

Family members around them will often help with feeding nestlings but are not needed for nest-building or the actual incubation of eggs. All this happens within loose territories that unlike some small forest birds, are not aggressively defended. Neighbours are actually almost tolerated, a rarity within birds that have territories.

The rifleman The rifleman is commonly known as New Zealand’s smallest bird.

At just eight centimetres long, it has no tail and a tiny round body.

Both males and females weigh between six and seven grams which is a third the weight of a mouse. These tiny birds are from an ancient family of birds that is endemic to New Zealand. There are only two surviving members of this family - the rifleman and the rock wren - all other species have become extinct, due mostly to introduced predators. Four of the other five were flightless, one famously being the Stephens Island wren that was allegedly wiped out by a lighthouse keeper’s cat.

The rifleman’s three names, English, Maori and scientific, all make reference to the male

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Families, individuals and mates keep in contact with an exceptionally high-pitched buzzing call. It is a single note that is often out of the hearing range of humans, especially as you get older. Since rifleman are so small, and their call so hard to pick out, they are not the easiest bird to locate within the forest. It doesn’t help that they are no longer as widespread as they once were.

Once found throughout New Zealand, the fragmentation of forests in favour of farmland, towns and highways has removed large areas of their habitat. They do no fly over open ground, so this means that once they become extinct in certain areas, they are very unlikely to return if that area is not connected to forest. This is where green corridors, the planting of trees and forests to connect otherwise isolated patches of habitat, are extremely important. Rifleman have been relocated to some spots and their numbers increase rapidly when they are not under threat of introduced predators. Try spot some on Tiritiri Matangi Island, you may find it quite difficult.

PN (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) F

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FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT

Mali Mali - As a Dog Dreams Ben Tolich is Mali Mali, a singer-songwriter from Auckland. Mali Mali has just released its sophomore album As a Dog Dreams - a beautiful collection of songs deeply rooted in the subconscious and the world of thought.

Having taken a full year off to record this album in his parents’ basement, it is time to reintroduce Mali Mali to the gig circuit and to new audiences!

It’s not necessarily about having a clear answer. But being given two different ideas and finding your own place in the paradox.”

For most musicians there was a time or moment in their life that triggered the decision to write or perform music. For Ben it was a gradual thing over many years, “I started learning songs by ear that I heard from skate videos around 2001. After a while I started writing my own songs. I’ve always had a desire to create from a young age and at some point after leaving school in 2005 I made a decision to pursue music as my main creative endeavour.”

The name Mali Mali came, in part, from an affectionate nickname bestowed upon Ben by his grandfather. Starting this band, and stage name, threw Ben into the Auckland music scene, playing with established bands such as Great North and Artisan Guns, and releasing a debut EP and album. Despite at times Mali Mali being a band, the project has always been about Ben and his songs.

It is interesting that Ben decided to record his new album, As a Dog Dreams, all by himself. This is not an easy task and is a very long one, especially when you have to teach many aspects of it to yourself. Increasingly, in today’s music world, self-recording and self-producing is becoming more common. The technology and knowledge is more easily accessible than it used to be and there’s something satisfying about doing it yourself and having complete control over the process.

“I didn’t think I had the know-how to record and mix myself so I put it off for a while,” Ben says. “I guess the urge to just play around and have some fun gradually overruled my initial fears. I thought the songs were strong and I was actually okay with the idea of it sounding pretty rough. I think it came out better than I had expected. I’m really happy with the result creatively but also personally. Overcoming fears is a great feeling.”

As a Dog Dreams is new territory for Ben, although it’s as quintessential Mali Mali as it can be, done entirely by him. It features guest musicians from all throughout the Auckland scene. Layers of beautifully performed music are delicately and perfectly woven around and between Ben’s lyrics and melodies. His trademark acoustic guitar and synthesiser combination is clearly heard throughout the album and create a soundtrack to his investigations of the subconscious and his own mind.

“I really like the song ‘Jools The Dream Interpreter’. It’s a conversation I had with my psychotherapist. I was talking to him about a dream and he interpreted it much differently to what I thought. I like it because it speaks to the roll of the subconscious.

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“I guess I’ve always liked the idea of a separate name that sits between the performer and the audience - both sides invest in to it and create something unique to them. It’s a name that has personal meaning but ultimately it’s just a face for whatever you’re experiencing with the music. It leaves things a little bit ambiguous.”

With the recording (and releasing) of As a Dog Dreams under his belt, we asked Ben what was next. “Big question! More tours in New Zealand and overseas are always in the pipeline. I’m really glad I invested that energy in to the album but the down side was I feel out of the loop with touring. Right now I’m just trying to get the cogs moving again and be an ambassador for the album. The work has only just begun and it’s an ongoing process and discussion of trying to make it fit in with the rest of life’s responsibilities.”

Ben does his best to explain the ever present question for all musicians. “To be a musician in this climate, on one hand, you have to be proactive and do what you can to reach an audience. You have to lose any sense of entitlement and understand that you only get out what you put in, this isn’t always easy. On the other hand you have to be open to opportunities and the role that luck and good timing can play. If you lean too much one way, you run the risk of burn out, either from putting too much pressure on yourself or not being realistic and constantly being let down. When it comes to show time, I’m just happy that I like the music I’m making and excited to keep making more!”

PN (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) F www.malimalisongs.com, www.facebook.com/malimalisongs

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FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT

The Kingsland Folk Club The Kingsland Folk Club has returned, after a long hiatus, to a new home. Rodney Fisher (Goodshirt) and Hayley Smith (Dead Little Penny) are curating the fortnightly folk club in Morningside after a long break.

They’ve found the perfect home for this intimate, alternative club - Flight 605 on New North Road. The Kingsland Folk Club has previously been found in Portland Public House and had a brief stint at Freida Margolis, but it has definitely settled into a new rhythm.

Happening every second Sunday from 6 - 8pm in the evening there will be five amazing artists performing three songs to a packed and engaged audience. Rodney and Hayley are extremely interested in fostering a club for alternative and indie folk musicians and opening their doors to anyone who’d like to play - their definition of folk music is very broad! In the past the Kingsland Folk Club has featured the likes of Aldous Harding, Julia Deans, Nadia Reid and Tattletale Saints. Among all of these household folk names have been wonderful up-and-coming musicians and some who have gone on to have very successful careers in the New Zealand folk scene.

“With the birth of our baby, Kingsland Folk Club went on a bit of a hiatus, but after almost two years off we decided to bring it back, partly because we started to get itchy feet, but also because we missed the great things that come from getting a group of musicians together to showcase their acts.” Hayley is excited about what the new venue can achieve for the club.

Every two weeks, check their Facebook page or Instagram to find out if it’s this coming Sunday. The best thing about it? It’s free! The ambience and hospitality at Flight 605 makes it all the more enjoyable. They have a wonderful selection of craft beers to enjoy PN while you discover some new favourite local musicians! (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) F kingslandfolkclub@gmail.com www.facebook.com/KingslandFolkClub

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Finn McLennan-Elliott has a Bachelor of Science Honours degree specialising in human geography at Auckland University. In his spare time, Finn plays clarinet and guitar in an orchestra and a folk music group. He is hosting ‘Folk at the Old Folks’ on the first Sunday of every month at the Auckland Old Folks Association Hall, an intimate afternoon concert of folk music.

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ARTS + CULTURE NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER VISITS NEW ZEALAND FOR THE FIRST TIME @ The Civic Auckland, 29 June - 2 July If you see only one live performance this year; NDT is the one to see - The New York Times.

Heralded around the globe as one of the world’s leading and most innovative contemporary dance companies, this month The Hague’s Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) is visiting New Zealand for the very first time in an exclusive Auckland season.

Under the expert artistic guidance of award-winning choreographer Paul Lightfoot, NDT brings together the brilliance of 27 phenomenal dancers from across the globe, each one excelling in their solo qualities. The dancers are renowned for their versatility, expression and astonishing technique.

New Zealand audiences will be wowed by the shows, which are not just visual feasts of dance virtuosity, mind-blowing movement and stunning choreography NDT productions also showcase visual art, new music and innovative light and set designs. One of the works to being performed is, ‘Safe as Houses’ and has been described as “the vanishing ballet” because dancers navigate a huge circular wall.

Two of the other works in the Auckland show ‘Woke up Blind’ and ‘The Statement’ premiered on 4 February this year at The Hague. The Auckland season is the first time these works will be performed outside of The Netherlands.

NDT are also committed to developing new talent. In Auckland they are undertaking two specialised contemporary dance workshops with students and esteemed industry professionals. This is a rare opportunity to experience the beauty and brilliance of one some of the world’s finest contemporary dancers. Tickets are selling quickly - don’t PN miss out. F AUCKLAND LIVE, T: 0800 111 999, www.aucklandlive.co.nz/ndt

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PERFORMING WITH ST MATTHEW’S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Eight Classical Voice Students from University of Auckland 19 June 2.30pm United Kingdom born Benjamin Kubiak son of two opera singers moved to New Zealand in 2012. He is accompanist and voice coach for the Auckland Boys’ Choir and accompanist for the Royal NZ Navy Band. Ben is proud to have never had a job that was not music related.

Manase Latu was exposed to music at a very young age through his cultural heritage and religion; his first encounter with Classical music came with St Kentigern’s Kentoris Choir. He sings with many illustrious Auckland choirs and later this year will perform the role of Elijah (Messiah) with Auckland Choral.

Samson Setu a proud Samoan raised in South Auckland fell in love with classical music in his mid teens. Rugby was an earlier love and although he dreams of playing professional rugby, his ultimate goal is to sing on the world’s biggest opera stages.

Teresa Wojtowicz is a recipient of the Marie D’Albini Scholarship (2015), runner up in the Grand Opera Society Scholarship competition and toured South Africa with the New Zealand Secondary Schools Students Choir. She has performed in various Opera Factory productions.

Kayla Collingwood is a recipient of at least three scholarships, performs solo roles in many events, is an alumna of the NZ Opera School (2015 and 2016) and competed her degree with First Class Honours.

Emma Fussell has sung formally since the age of nine. She was heavily involved with Opera Factory during her high school years and is studying both Music and Law. Clare Hood a soprano and occasional pianist/violinist, is currently studying Classical Voice and Computer Science. She is the recipient of at least six scholarships (one, three times) and performs with Auckland’s Opera Factory.

ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING @ OREXART Kathy Barber - Yugen 21 June - 16 July, Opening: 21 July 5.30 - 7.30pm Artist’s talk: Saturday 2 July 2pm Barber’s paintings are a response to place. As a dedicated abstractionist, her success lies in control of surface effects and layers that hint at conversations barely heard.

They are suggestions to the head and heart. Barber has chosen a word, Yugen, the Japanese word, which is at the core of the appreciation of beauty and art. It values the power to evoke, rather that the ability to state directly.

This new body of work has its beginnings in Japan, for Barber, a country Aiiro, 2016 of contrasts, a sensory overload of chaos and calm. During her second time there in 2015, Barber visited Naoshima Island located in the Seto Inland Sea. This once destitute fishing community is now a startling art and architecture destination. Anyone who goes there is changed forever. That’s easy to say, all experiences change us but great art has innateness, a mystery that invites us to experience change. For an artist, especially one who has sympathy for the transcending experience, something indelible remains after leaving. It is impossible to remove and is almost impossible to recover. F PN Please contact rex@orexart.co.nz for details.

OREXART, 15 Putiki Street, Arch Hill, T: 09 378 0588, www.orexart.co.nz

Natasha Wilson (inset) performs with world renowned choirs such as Key Cygnetures, the NZ Youth Choir and as a soloist regularly - Villa Lobos with the Auckland Cello Orchestra and will soon be part of the New Zealand premiere of Paul Mealtor’s Stabat Mater.

St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra produces the kind of music that is magic. The review of their May concert noted ‘St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra’s performance was one of the best concerts in my view that they have performed’.

PN Come early to ensure a good seat. F

ST MATTHEW-IN-THE-CITY CHURCH corner Wellesley and Hobson Streets. www.smco.org.nz

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Rain Chains and Blessings, 2016

Go’o Shrine, 2016

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ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING AT TOI ORA

‘To Putiki St’, 7 - 21 June, Opening: 7 June, 5pm Toi Ora photographers exhibit as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography The photography exhibition ‘To Putiki St’ reflects on the journeys that people take from home to meet together at Toi Ora studio. Toi Ora is a creative space on Putiki Street, Grey Lynn that promotes wellbeing for adults and young people.

Exhibiting alongside ‘To Putiki St’ will be ‘The Humans of Hendo’ exhibition - a youth-led creative project that connects young people with their community through photography.

The Humans of Hendo book will be available for sale. Open Monday to Friday, 9am - 4pm.

TOI ORA GALLERY, 6 Putiki Street, T: 09 360 4171, info@toiora.org.nz www.toiora.org.nz

SHOWING @ SMYTH GALLERIES Josh Lancaster - The Ponsonby Paintings - “The Regulars” 28 June - 27 July, Opening, 28 June from 6pm A wonderful new exhibition at Smyth Galleries; Josh Lancaster’s highly-distinctive artworks are receiving the same kind of glowing praise that established him as one of his generation’s top advertising creatives.

Josh’s decision to leave behind an advertising career to pursue his passion for painting on a full-time basis was a brave commitment but was always bound to succeed given his exceptional skills and distinctive style.

Josh Lancaster’s artworks including many commissions have already become part of some prestigious collections.

In Josh’s words, “I paint the places we love. I do this by attempting to capture the essence of a familiar place, be it someone’s favourite restaurant, bar, dairy, view, takeaway shop or whatever.

“These are the places we cherish, the icons that make up who we are. They are the places for fond memories, stories and feelings.

“Collectively, we love these places for what they remind us of. They connect us.”

Home, Debra Bathgate 2016

Don’t miss The Ponsonby Paintings - ‘The Regulars’. For your opening invitation contact: SMYTH GALLERIES, 41 Jervois Road, M: 021 598 009, E: info@smythgalleries.co.nz

Untitled, Sam Wilkins 2016

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ARTS + CULTURE WHAT’S NEW @ THE FRAME WORKSHOP SHOWING @ EXHIBITIONS GALLERY With winter around the corner, the team at the Frame Workshop gallery thought it would only be fair that they get some fantastic new work and artists in to tempt and delight you.

New in the gallery this month is Wellington artist Fleur Williams with her stunning mezzotint and emboss works. Here they have soft mezzotints surrounded by images of everyday objects, the mundane and ordinary anything but when brought to life with texture and colour. And who would not be tempted by Anna Palmer’s beautiful original Conte pastels of classic New Zealand scenery.

For Tony Ogle fans old and new they have his latest work of New Chums beach, another iconic scene beautifully captured by Tony. Lester Hall’s work is back in the gallery and they are happy to order any of his works for you if they don’t have what you want. Matt Payne has two new images coming out soon and they are also looking forward to Sam Broad joining them with his quirky woodcuts. F PN THE FRAME WORKSHOP & GALLERY, 1/182 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 4749, www.frameworkshop.co.nz

Lynn Clayton - Auckland Kaleidoscope 2 - 24 June, Opening 1 June, 6.30pm Lynn Clayton is an award -winning, Auckland-based freelance photographer and International photographic judge. Lynn is actively involved in the Photographic Society of New Zealand and is regularly invited to judge photographic competitions throughout New Zealand.

Recent accolades include the highly coveted Award of Honorary Life Membership of the Photographic Society of New Zealand.

Lynn has held many exhibitions primarily in the Auckland area since 1998 Parnell Pools and her work is included in numerous private collections in New Zealand, Sydney, Hong Kong and New York. Her latest exhibition, as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography, features iconic monochromatic images showing the diversity of Auckland City.

POA, these limited edition archival prints will be exhibited at:

Anna Palmers pastel on black art paper

EXHIBITIONS GALLERY OF FINE ART, 19A Osborne Street, Newmarket, T: 09 523 5560, www.exhibitionsgallery.co.nz

Cityscape

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ARTS + CULTURE BLOOM IN JUNE! Fifteen years ago selections from a book published in 1922 were read out on a Sunday afternoon at a High Street cafe in downtown Auckland.

There was a break, and then items of music were played by a small Grey Lynn band. This took about 90 minutes. An audience of 30 applauded at the end.

Next year, it happened again.

And then again.

Thus began Auckland’s annual Bloomsday celebration which has now grown to a three -hour show with a five-piece band and a theatrical line-up that makes it the hottest item in town.

Appearing again this year are international performers Lucy Lawless and Michael Hurst from the epic sandals and skirts TV soap Xena, Warrior Princess. They will be joined by Geraldine Brophy, one of the countrys foremost TV and movie stars, and Bruce Hopkins - Gamling in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Lucy Lawless will be playing Gerty MacDowell, lonely seaside siren of Sandymount Rocks.

Michael Hurst will be turning the broody, abstract Stephen Dedalus into a song and dance man. Geraldine Brophy will be reading the really unrestrained parts of Molly Bloom’s unrestrained soliloquy. Bruce Hopkins will appear once more as the fearful and fearsome transvestite dominatrix Bella Cohen, transmogrifying this year into Helen of Mt Albert, imperious Queen of the World, the face that lunched a thousand countries.

Bloomsday Hershal Herscher and James Joyce at bar

The show takes place one night only, Thursday 16 June and will be at the Thirsty Dog in K’Road’s red-light area. As always the venue will be full as a bull, but extra seating is being laid on to accommodate all who’ve come to witness Auckland’s most famous literary cabaret.

Bloomsday is the celebration of a single day, 16 June 1904, the setting of James Joyce’s great comic novel, Ulysses. On that single all-including day Joyce re-imagines Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey unfolding out onto the streets and seaside and red-light district of Dublin in 1904. Homer’s hero Odysseus becomes a Dublin Jew, Leopold Bloom.

Aucklanders and Auckland performers have taken the annual event to heart and London’s Guardian newspaper has listed the Auckland Bloomsday as one of the best in the world.

Japanese mezzo-soprano Yuko Takahashi will be singing from Mozart, aided by Balmoral’s Farrell Cleary. Dublin actor Brian Keegan will be reading exerts from Ulysses.

Unite Union organiser Joe Carolan is the one-eyed Cyclops of the public bar, while tenor and political commentator Chris Trotter will be singing of Irish socialist and revolutionary James Connolly. And singing The Foggy Dew. Linn Lorkin and the Jews Brothers’ Band, augmented by Jean McAllister, will be providing a fabulous range of music: Motown, Mozart, ABBA, The Doors, klezmer, Edith Piaf, PN Marian hymns, Broadway musicals... F Jews Brothers’ Bloomsday. Thursday night, 16 June, 7.30pm-10.30pm.

Thirsty Dog Tavern, 469 Karangahape Road, T: 09 377 9190, www.facebook.com/theThirstyDog?fref=ts

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ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING @ WHITESPACE Bonsai - until 18 June

A collaboration of photographs by Haruhiko Sameshima and bonsai by John Lyall as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography.

“These are serene formal portraits.

When I look at my bonsai I see the faults, the branches I haven’t wired at the right angle, the trimming I need to do and the weeds.

“In Haru’s photographs they are timeless. These are young bonsai, I have been doing it for about 15 years, so they are slim but have elegant trunk lines and beautiful pots.” John Lyall.

Haruhiko Sameshima was born in Shizuoka City, Japan in 1958 and immigrated to New Zealand in 1973, he has an MFA (honours) from Elam School of Fine Arts at Auckland University, his work has been widely published and exhibited in New Zealand and overseas.

Sameshima’s ongoing photographic essays include eco-Tourism 1990 to present - photographic investigation of the touristic-construction of places and imagery of New Zealand, Souvenir from the tourist sites of popular tourist destinations from the globe. He is the author of Bold Centuries: a photographic history album, published by Rim Books and PhotoForum in 2009. Sameshima has also shown portfolios in International Triennial Bright Paradise at Auckland Art Gallery (2001), Wonderland at Govett-Brewster Gallery in New Plymouth (1999) and Fotographia, Festival Internationale Di Roma, Italy 2006.

PLAYING @ GARNET STATION IN JUNE Love Makes Strange Tangles An audience with Jodi Pringle 16 - 17 June, 7.30pm, $29 Cissy Rock chats with musician Jodi Pringle about life, love, and music in an evening of songs and stories.

It’s a 90-minute performance with a 20-minute interval for two nights only. Make an evening of it and wine and dine before the show.

Ain’t That a Bitch 22-25 June, 29 - 30 June and 1-2 July, $25/$20, 8pm On a rainy night outside an Auckland concert hall, Claire meets Tom the professional cellist. Set against fading light and underscored by a haunting and original cello composition by Tom Dennison, this new work by Anthea Hill explores a labyrinth of unrelenting drive and passionate desire.

As Claire discovers what she wants from life the two of them are forced to face the truth about what it actually means to be close to someone.

Originally an exercise in Witi Ihimaera’s writing course, then developed for Short+Sweet 2015, it is now a 60-minute play.

Ain’t That a Bitch is presented by Fox Rabbit Bear, it features Anthea Hill and Daniel PN Watterson and is directed by Jonathan Hodge. F GARNET STATION TINY THEATRE, 85 Garnet Road, Westmere - Book for the show and dinner T: 09 360 3397.

John Lyall was born in Sydney, Australia and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (double major in sculpture; specialist areas sound and performance) from the Sydney College of the Arts. He moved to New Zealand in 1983 and obtained a Masters in Fine Arts, First Class Honours Sculpture from the University of Auckland in 1993/4, receiving the Fowlds Memorial Prize for pre-eminent Fine Arts Student at Elam.

He is represented in private and public collection; including Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington and the Rotorua Museum of Art and History.

Lyall’s practice is installation, but what is installed at any given time may be objects, photographs, sound or performance, and may be installed, physically present or documented by the camera. F PN WHITESPACE, 12 Crummer Road, T: 09 361 6331, www.whitespace.co.nz

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ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING @ LAKEHOUSE ARTS 1 - 26 June, Opening 31 May, 5-7pm Inaugural Emerging Artist Series: Sharifa Karimi - Hasti? Are you there? Hastam? I am here.

Part of the Auckland Festival of Photography Sharifa Karimi aims to create a discussion around the circumstances of women who are struggling for basic rights because of the traditionalism of their culture. Her work manifests the core of this issue. “I consider my process analytical and intuitive. Analytical, because I examine women’s rights issues in Asian countries, intuitive because I use my own knowledge and experience to draw upon.”

Karimi explores gender equality in the roles of men and women in several different countries. Most importantly she highlights the extent and intensity of the cruelty many women go through on a daily basis. “It makes me extremely sad that these women live their entire lives as victims and the cycle continues with the next generation.”

From her standpoint, although she has physically left her childhood home, the memories of the culture, the environment, and the people she was surrounded by have become part of her identity. Because of her circumstances she has been able to see the treatment of women from both a Middle Eastern and a Western point of view.

This project is personally important to Karimi. She came from a part of the world where domestic abuse has become a norm. “Photography helps me make this reality known to people in Westernised cultures. I hope that, through my art I can give a voice to women and girls around the world who are being married as children or trafficked into forced labour and sex slavery.”

Karimi has included in her project countries such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan where women have had no significant role in society. Although in some of these countries women are being given more rights and freedom with the progression of time, the issue of women’s rights is nowhere near to being resolved. F PN LAKE HOUSE ARTS, 37 Fred Thomas Drive, Takapuna, Open 7 days. www.lakehousearts.org.nz

Sharifa Karimi, Limit, 2015

AT ON2CANVAS WE TURN YOUR PHOTOS INTO ART Herne Bay resident Lindy Roberts has been running her ON2CANVAS business for as long as we can remember. My father died last year and I am having several photographs of him put on to canvas.

How long has On2canvas been in business?

On2canvas has been in business for nearly 11 years. We were one of the first companies to introduce canvas prints to New Zealand. I had a shop on Jervois Road for three years and then a pop up shop on Ponsonby Road a few years ago. Now I work from my home-based studio specialising in large format digital prints.

If you have an idea for an image or have seen a style you’d like using your photos - then I am the person to talk to. I specialise in collages and have been producing the Documentary Film Festival awards for the past 10 years - a still from each winning film is printed on a canvas and given as a gift to the winner in each category. I also design logos/brochures/invitations and anything else a client requests. I have a can-do attitude so anything is possible.

What materials do you print on?

I print on most media from photographic paper, canvas and Belgian linen. I can can create anything up to 2m x 1m in size. And frame it in many different ways.

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GARY STEEL: ALBUM REVIEW

Brian Eno - The Ship (Warp/Border) ✰✰✰✰✰

Had Brian Eno died on January 10, it’s unlikely that his demise would have generated anything like the universal collective sob that washed over us in the wake of David Bowie’s last breath.

And yet, the man is a giant. While David Bowie undeniably changed and improved the face of popular music, bringing intelligence, style and a degree of depth to that which is so often artlessly ephemeral, an important part of his skillset was simply picking the eyes out of innovations created by others, often in collaborations with those innovators. Brian Eno was one of them, working with Bowie on three of his most acclaimed albums, and remained a friend to the end, but his own contribution to popular music is possibly even more extraordinary than that of the Thin White Duke’s. In fact, were we able to summarily wipe Eno’s contributions from history’s timeline, it’s impossible to imagine what music might sound like in 2016.

Through his early work with Roxy Music and his first set of pop/rock records, he helped to establish a template for restless creativity and intellectual acuity that was rare in the genre, but he wasn’t just a smart cookie. Years before the advent of punk rock, which promoted the idea that anyone could pick up a guitar and sing, Eno’s claim to fame was as a synthesiser-wielding conceptualist non-musician.

Then he went and created a whole genre: ambient. On albums with titles like Discreet Music and Music For Airports, Eno made the radical proposition that instead of actually listening to music, it could become part of the furniture, where it could surreptitiously seep into your psyche while playing in the background.

There’s the pop and ambient projects, and collaborations like the ground-breaking ethno-groove Life In The Bush Of Ghosts with Talking Heads’ David Byrne, not to mention his production contributions to the work of rock super-stars like U2 and Coldplay. Put it all together and it’s quite overwhelming.

What has your most unusual job been?

I was asked to create a 1m x 1m canvas that bent around a corner - a bit tricky but it looks fabulous in the client’s house. Another interesting job was to take a single image and break it into about 30 different sized canvas to fill a two-storey entrance way at Waiheke.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Lately is has been my new part-time job cooking breakfasts for guests at the Great Ponsonby Art Hotel - a wonderful local B&B. This is a new experience for me - always learning new tricks. I wanted to try something new and have time away from a computer.

Who is your favourite artist?

Very hard to say as I have so many! Sometimes I am more attracted to the work rather than the individual. For example, Wolfgang Laib, a German conceptual artist working predominantly with natural materials. His work with pollen which almost pulsates with life has been one of my favourite things to see. I recently saw the Wei Wei/ Warhol exhibition in Melbourne - two artists whose work I have always admired. John Radford, a local Aucklander, is also a favourite artist and a friend.

Best known for his sculptures on Ponsonby Road, I have been involved in his ‘housing project’ www.graft.net.nz - for those who want to own a villa nearby PN but can’t afford one anymore! F ON2CANVAS, 12 Albany Road, T:09 376 8065, www.on2canvas.co.nz The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

But this isn’t a bio, it’s a five-star review of The Ship, Brian Eno’s cracking new album.

Like his sadly under-sung 2002 Drawn From Life project with Peter J. Schwalm, the almost holographic sound of The Ship will appeal to hi-fi nerds (that’s me!), but this album, with its origins in an art installation, is also richly emotional fodder. Combining the deep ambience of his beat-free electronic work with a bit of singing here and there, it comes in two 20-minute parts, the deeply immersive title track, and then a three part follow-up called ‘Fickle Sun’. With its nautical theme and its ominous sinking-to-the-depths tranquility, ‘The Ship’ inevitably echoes Gavin Bryars’ legendary Sinking Of The Titanic, which originally came out on Eno’s Discreet label. It’s a wonderful piece that holds you in its thrall, the perfect winter composition where the listener feels suspended in time and space.

Eno’s most arresting vocal performance is on ‘Fickle Sun’, where he achieves a cadence not dissimilar to the austere beauty of Dead Can Dance, and when he sings “all the buoys are going down/falling over one by one”, you can’t help wondering if the ‘u’ was removed from ‘boys’, could he be subtly referencing the deaths of Lou Reed and Bowie?

There’s something beautifully nostalgic about the way he uses processing that make his voice resemble the narration on that children’s classic, ‘Sparky And The Talking Train’.

And finally, the track segues into an actual song, Eno’s take on the Velvet Underground’s ‘I’m Set Free’ with its line, “I’m set free/To find the new illusion” again coming over as PN rather poignant in the light of Bowie’s death. (GARY STEEL) F Eno fans are able to join the Facebook page ‘Brian Eno Before and After Ambient’ this page is run by Steve Mahoney who is based in Lower Hutt.

Gary Steel is an Auckland-based journalist who runs music and hi-fi site witchdoctor.co.nz. He can be contacted via beautmusic@gmail.com

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DEIRDRE ROELANTS: LOCAL NEWS

Jonny 4Higher - mural artist extraordinaire Jonny 4Higher explored many options before settling on his present career, but eventually decided his passion for imagery was his true calling.

He’s had no formal art training but believes his life experiences have given him a wider training which has stood him in good stead. His chosen oeuvre has kept him very busy for 16 years and he is inundated with commission work in a wide variety of fields. The morning we spoke he was on his way to a meeting with Megazone Rag Tag in Grey Lynn who wanted a quote for a mural, then he was flying to Sydney the same afternoon to work on yet another commission. Needless to say this work is lucrative but there are expenses to cover. Spray paints are a major item, then there are travel and accommodation costs when his work takes him abroad. He and his wife, Josie who is a make-up artist, have a small daughter and whenever possible his family travels with him.

He has a website www.graffitimurals.co.nz that has a virtual gallery displaying his work that covers a wide variety of styles and disciplines from trompe l’oeil to children’s cartoon classics. The word graffiti has had negative connotations but Jonny says that Banksy’s work is the greatest thing that has happened not only to the street art movement, but to contemporary art in general.

Tagging is light years away from street art and Jonny congratulates the council for their unremitting work on removing this form of defacement on urban spaces. He contributed to the Williamson Avenue line-up of murals. His mural headed the display and was a depiction

of how he envisioned the view from the ridge running down to the shore would have looked like before European settlement. In my opinion it was the best in the show and certainly gave one food for thought.

So what prompts Jonny’s enthusiasm for street art? He loves working outdoors and can’t operate in a studio environment which the mere thought of brings on a feeling of claustrophobia. He loves the larger surfaces that murals offer. Mind you, they are a young man’s game because to paint them necessitates a degree of physical agility.

Jonny declares that when he can no longer climb ladders he’ll just resort to painting big canvases. He’s already taking precautions against accidents that could afflict his right hand by strapping his wrist and so forcing him to practice painting with his left hand.

Are there further commissions in the pipeline? So many it’s mind boggling. Play centres, schools, museums, gyms, and countless other groups are lining up for his work.

This work has taken him as far as Hong Kong, Italy, France, Switzerland, England, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Hawaii, Miami and California. Not bad for a local lad domiciled in Grey Lynn. He’s originally from Christchurch but loves this part of the world and can’t imagine living anywhere else. His only complaint - the area could do with more street art. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS) F PN

FLY MY PRETTIES ANNOUNCES STRING THEORY - NEW ALBUM, NEW CONCEPT, NEW SHOW For the first time in three years, Fly My Pretties will present String Theory - a brand new musical and visual experience in a series of intimate shows in August.

String Theory will enlist a new 14-strong cast of FMP favourites and new faces to explore the fabric of our existence through music. Each show will be accompanied by breath -taking interactive visuals.

The String Theory shows at Auckland’s Mercury Theatre, and Wellington’s Paramount Theatre have a family-friendly matinee show on the Saturday, with a selection of heavily discounted but limited tickets for children available.

“Waves of energy surround us constantly,” says Barnaby Weir of the show’s concept.

“Our heartbeat sets the rhythm and our mind syncs in harmony with the frequencies of our existence at every point in time simultaneously. Music expresses our emotions, and its gravity pulls us together and pushes us apart. This continuation expands like a ripple through the multiverse. String Theory will explore this realm of possibilities through musical storytelling.”

Fly My Pretties - String Theory will bend space and time through light and music, revealing the true fabric of life that binds us together as one.

Following a run of sold out shows in Auckland and Christchurch in early 2016, each show performed will be filmed and recorded live, and will make up album six for Fly My Pretties, and the first since The Homeland Recordings. Each talented guest will explore their own existence through time and space with their own unique stories.

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Fly My Pretties - String Theory, brought to you by Radio Hauraki, Peter Yealands Wine, Hallertau & Rogue Society Gin. F PN Mercury Theatre, Auckland: 12 August 8pm, 13 August 1pm matinée and 8pm Paramount Theatre, Wellington: 19 August 8pm, 20 August 1pm matinee and 8pm Tickets for all shows are on sale now from Event Finda.

For more info visit www.loop.co.nz PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)

ARTS + CULTURE

UPTOWN ART SCENE Exhibition openings spread from Sunday (Anna Miles) through to Saturday (Ivan Anthony), with Tuesday nights the busiest.

It’s a well-rounded evening, combining visual culture, a bit of exercise walking the short distances between galleries, with a discussion of the art with friends over a meal afterwards. On one particular Tuesday last month, the post-opening debrief was invigorated by four very varied painting shows.

2

Matthew Browne’s carefully composed works at OREXART interplayed colour with shape to suggest objects and scenes, but stay defined only by the viewer’s imagination. One large wall was hung with 60 small works, so the colours and shapes buzzed and danced; a busy counterpoint to the large, confident canvas works that comprised the rest of the exhibition.

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Colour was dominant at Whitespace, where Jack Trolove’s portraits (shown in the banner above) slipped between abstract paint movement and introspective faces, depending how close or far from the work they were viewed. American painter Willem De Kooning famously said that oil colours were invented for painting flesh and Trolove has used chunky impasto oil colours to convey skin -slipping identities.

There was a sense of quiet in the exhibitions of Johl Dwyer at Tim Melville, and Emily Wolfe at Melanie Roger. Dwyer’s attention to painting as an object has taken him into sculptural works where the paint becomes a skin that stretches over and encompasses his conjoined cubes. There was a vertical line of his signature pale works, where the skin of the plaster is discoloured by its support, drawing attention to the breathing of the wood.

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In Wolfe’s paintings, the air is still and spaces abandoned by people take on a considered quiet. The compositional qualities of her works are remarkably similar to Browne’s, though their narratives are so different. Photographs courtesy of www.Artsdiary.co.nz WILL PAYNT/STUDIO ART SUPPLIES (WILL PAYNT STUDIO ARTS SUPPLIES) F PN 1. Johl Dwyer at Tim Melville; 2. Matthew Browne at the opening of his exhibition Theoria at OREXART; 3. Detail of Jack Trolove’s work at Whitespace

ACCLAIMED ARTISTS SUPPORT AUCTION FOR STROKE REHABILITATION Jacqueline Fahey, Michael Smither, Gerda Leenards and Ronnie van Hout were just some of the acclaimed artists who contributed a work to a charity art auction held last month to raise funds for Mapura Studios’ art therapy programme for people recovering from the trauma of stroke.

The live auction was held at Pah Homestead, TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre, with auctioneer Charles Ninow of Bowerbank Ninow, is a partnership between Mapura Studios and Rotary Club of Mt Eden.

Art therapists and fine art tutors engage participants in the art-making process so they can express the complex range of physical, emotional and mental experience a person has as a result of the trauma of stroke.

Nine thousand people in New Zealand are affected by stroke each year, with many losing cognitive and/or physical ability, loss or confusion of speech (aphasia). This affects different aspects of life - changing roles, relationships and financial situations, and can lead to anxiety, depression, lethargy and loss of a sense of identity. The impact on individuals and families can be devastating.

Regaining a sense of purpose and self-worth, developing skills, self-expression and wellbeing are among the benefits participants experience. They also report a decrease in anxiety and depression and increased optimism and desire to re-engage with life.

Mapura Studios is an inclusive creative space in Fowlds Park, St Lukes, offering an innovative and programme of visual art therapy for people who have experienced a stroke as well as great art programmes for people with diverse disabilities.

The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied

Some participants go on to identify as artists and exhibit their work through Mapura Studios, exhibition programme. Mapura Studios receives no Government funding. It’s only through fundraising that these programmes can be delivered.

MAPURA STUDIOS, T: 09 845 5361, www.mapurastudios.org.nz DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH

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153

THE BOYS’ BOOK CLUB WHAT WE’RE READING

These include books us blokes on the Ponsonby News team have recently enjoyed. We love reading in the bath or in bed. A real stress buster!

JAY PLATT

MARTIN LEACH

Impact by Douglas Preston (Macmillan Books)

ALEXANDER McQUEEN Blood Beneath the skin

By Andrew Wilson (Simon & Schuster) When Jay and I lived in London, we went out every night except Tuesday. Neither of us can remember why we didn’t hit the pubs and clubs on that evening, but we didn’t. I haven’t been able to put this book down as we saw Lee (as he was known) often in a club called Bulk, to which we went every Thursday. The first definitive biography of the iconic, notoriously private British fashion designer Alexander McQueen explores the connections between his dark work and even darker life.

A modern-day fairy tale infused with the darkness of a Greek tragedy, Alexander McQueen tells the complete sensational story, and includes never-before-seen photos.

Those closest to the designer - his family, friends, and lovers - have spoken for the first time about the man they knew, a fragmented individual, a lost boy who battled to gain entry into a world that ultimately destroyed him.

“There’s blood beneath every layer of skin,” McQueen once said. Andrew Wilson’s biography, filled with groundbreaking material, dispels myths, corrects inaccuracies, and offers new insights into McQueen’s private life and the source of his creative genius.

Wyman Ford is asked back on board because he’s the best to take on a secret expedition to Cambodia to locate the source of some strangely beautiful gemstones that do not appear to be of this world that are appearing on the black market.

A brilliant meteor lights up the Maine coast and two young women borrow a boat and set out for a distant island to find the impact crater - and make some money.

A scientist at the National Propulsion Facility discovers an inexplicable source of gamma rays in the outer Solar System. He is found decapitated by his housekeeper, and the data missing. High-resolution images reveal an unnatural feature hidden in the depths of a crater on Mars and those in charge are convinced that it appears to have been activated. The countdown begins. Sixty hours and counting...

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