+ PUBLISHED FRIDAY 6 MAY, 2016
Established: OCTOBER 1989 – CELEBRATING 26 YEARS OF PUBLISHING HISTORY!
ponsonbynews.co.nz
MAY 2016
MIKE LEE’S VISION - a Ponsonby/Jervois tramway linking Wynyard Quarter to Britomart PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK - an A-Z of local eateries
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
1
C a l l i t ‘ Yo u r s ’.
304/2 Ariki Street, Grey Lynn.
This is an amazing opportunity to secure a luxurious apartment in one of Auckland’s finest boutique apartment buildings. This beautiful apartment is the largest and best positioned in The Turing Building by Ockham Residential. From the moment you enter you are captivated by a gorgeous interior palette and luxurious designer elements. The Italian marble floors, custom made American black walnut cabinetry and hand crafted curved walls open up to the striking 180 degree city and harbour views. The expansive 40 square metre north-west balcony is ideal for entertaining or quiet time. Every detail has been considered: window dressings, custom light fittings and the mosaic tiled bathrooms are indulgent in anyone’s world. To top it off you will be comfortable all year round with ducted air conditioning, under-floor heating and double glazing. The on-site facilities are unrivalled and include a resident’s lounge complete with full size antique snooker table, expansive roof deck with uninterrupted views of the Waitakere Ranges and upper harbour, plus there is a private gym with stunning views of Mt Eden. This home has to be viewed to be appreciated.
FOR SALE
Call Tanya for viewing times. •
3 Bedrooms
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Basement storage locker
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2 Bathrooms
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Solid black walnut joinery
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122m 2 Floor space
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Italian marble flooring
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40m 2 N/ W Balcony
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Underfloor heating
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180 Degree views
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Ducted air conditioning system
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2 Car parks
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Double glazing
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Large gourmet kitchen
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Separate laundry
Price by Negotiation http://www.realestate.co.nz/2801548
OCKHAM.co.nz
COMMON AREA BALCONY
Tanya Dear
027 878 6508 | tanya.dear@ockham.co.nz Ockham Residential Ltd, Licensed REAA 2008
DAW S O N & C O .
WHAT’S INSIDE THIS MONTH
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P68: Kelmarna Gardens Autumn Festival - Orphans Kitchen prepared a tasty BBQ to feed the hungry crowd; P101: The ANZAC DAY March and service began in Castle Street and ended outside the Grey Lynn RSC.
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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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PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK 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 MOTHER’S DAY - 8 MAY LIVING, THINKING & BEING
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JOHN APPLETON ON HEALTH FUTURE GENERATION 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 COVER: Martin Leach
PONSONBY NEWS+ is published onthly, excluding January by ALCHEMY MEDIA LIMITED, LI 11/386 RICHMOND ROAD, GREY LYNN POSTAL: P.O. BOX 47-282 Ponsonby, Auckland 1144. www.ponsonbynews.co.nz T: 09 378 8553 or 09 361 3356 Editor/Publisher Associate Publisher & Ad Manager Distribution Manager Advertising Sales Operations Manager Contributing Fashion Editor Contributing Music Editor Contributing Editor Contributing Editor Proof Readers Layout Designer Designer
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ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: WITHIN NEW ZEALAND $49. BY CHEQUE OR POSTAL ORDER IN NZ$. NO CREDIT CARDS. PLEASE NOTE: we do not hold back issues of Ponsonby News. Our archive is all online as a low resolution pdf or from August 2010, as a high resolution E-mag - visit www.ponsonbynews.co.nz The entire content of this publication is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechaal, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without the prior permission, in writing, of the copyright owner. Colour transparencies and manuscripts submitted are sent at the owner’s risk; neither the publisher nor its agents accept any responsibility for loss or damage. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher can accept no liability for any inaccuracies that may occur.
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
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LETTERS + EMAILS STINKY SITUATION IN HERNE BAY I live in the suburb of Herne Bay, close to a very large park that is popular for dog walking. Many people and their pooches pass our property daily and it is always a delight to see. There was, however, one morning where it was not a delight. Literally moments after our rubbish bins had been emptied by the rubbish collection truck, I noticed from my window, a women scoop up her pooches deposit into a plastic bag and then drop it into our newly emptied red top bin, said women looked side ways, quickened her stride and was gone. Why she could not take her rubbish home and put it in her own bin is beyond me. We got left with a bin that stunk of poo until the next collection. Please citizens of our community have a bit more consideration, it’s pretty stink to stink out others bins. Name withheld, by request BAD DRIVING HABITS IN PONSONBY Just wanted to share my dismay at some pretty appalling driving I’ve seen in Ponsonby lately, in the hope that people might consider changing their habits. Primarily it is tail-gating and driving too fast. Will it take an injury or worse to make some people drive to the context (ie, approaching the busy the West Lynn shops in Richmond Road) and watch their following distance? The behaviour presents as arrogant, aggressive, rude and ignorant and makes our neighborhood roads an unpleasant place to be. Recently a friend was knocked off his bicycle by an SUV where Old Mill Road and Garnet Road divide and the driver failed to stop - unbelievable. Your readers will be relieved to hear that other drivers did stop. Just a note about responsible driving from the Road Code, too (it’s relevant to some of our narrow streets): “On steep, narrow roads, it is easier for vehicles moving downhill to give way to vehicles moving uphill.” Karen Neville, Ponsonby
69,000 READERS PER MONTH
10 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
(Nielsen Media)
Views in Ponsonby News reflect the authors’, and not those of Alchemy Media. IRISH AND PROUD Sunday 13 March on Ponsonby Road; what a parade it was for dear old St Pat! He would have been proud to be Irish... I certainly was for sure. The music stirred something up inside, the colourful costumes were sight to be seen and the gaiety warmed the cockles of many an Irish heart. Good on you Ponsonby News for the amazing coverage of such a wonderfully spirited event... and to be featured on the front cover, well if that’s not the luck of the Irish I’ll eat my green hat! We need more parades like this in Ponsonby, we are a multicultural society and if the gay community and the Irish can have parades to stand proud and celebrate who they are, then it would be wonderful to have other ethnicities or groups do the same. Laura, Grey Lynn LOCAL RECYCLING Several months ago, I was driving though my neighbourhood and noticed a tidy sofa on the kerb with a handscrawled sign ‘free’ attached to it. Pleasant memories of my student days and the relish of such finds at that time flooded my memory. A few days later, the sofa had another sign on it. This time from the council, threatening a $400 fine for dumping. What ever happened to the innocuous redistribution of wealth or local gifting to those in need? Presumably, people occasionally still need free sofas in this area. I notice too, that our annual ‘pick and mix’ inorganic collection has now been ‘remodelled’ as well. If you want your inorganic throwaways to be collected, you have to arrange a time and day with the council to have them collected from your property (not the kerb), within your allocated week - which is not specified on their website. Have things really become that draconian? Has the council now got a monopoly on recycling? Disgruntled and disappointed, Freemans Bay
PONSONBY NEWS+ is printed on paper sourced from sustainable, well managed forests and manufactured under the environmental management system ISO 14001. Our hand-delivered copies are flow wrapped in eco-friendly, degradable plastic.
17,987 COPIES DISTRIBUTED TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN... ARCH HILL, PONSONBY, COX’S BAY, FREEMANS BAY, HERNE BAY, GREY LYNN, ST MARY’S BAY, WEST LYNN AND WESTMERE PLUS SELECTED BUSINESSES IN BRITOMART, HIGH STREET, CBD, KINGSLAND, MT EDEN, NEWMARKET, NEWTON + PARNELL PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
FROM THE EDITOR MIKE LEE’S VAST EXPERIENCE IN LOCAL BODY POLITICS IS on offer again. Lee is standing again as Councillor for the Waitemata Local Ward (which includes the Ponsonby News circulation area). He had contemplated retirement, but feels he has unfinished business. The elections are being held later this year.
After the successful trial in St Mary’s Bay of resident Parking Permits and visitor two-hour restrictions, Auckland Transport intend to roll out the same system for other parts of greater Ponsonby. A meeting was held at the Ponsonby Business Association last month and they support the suggestion, in principle, for residential streets off Ponsonby and Jervois Roads. Mother’s Day this month falls on Sunday 8 May, so be quick and treat your mum with flowers, a gift or a visit to one of our many wonderful restaurants. She deserves it. Ponsonby News is delighted that despite the weather Kelmarna Gardens held their annual Autumn Festival and drew a crowd of 1000 visitors to the event. We hope that locals will continue to support the gardens by purchasing their organic veggies and offering voluntary assistance. You can become a friend of Kelmarna Gardens for as little as $5 per month. We are always humbled by the number of Ponsonby residents who take their copy of PN with them on their travels. We love
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
photography: Michael McClintock
Since we published our Ponsonby Little Black Book last May, there has been a big increase (now 209 places!) in the variety of local places to eat, drink and be merry. New eateries seem to be opening on an almost monthly basis. While on the subject of restaurants, we are delighted that several locals - Saan and Orphans Kitchen were named winners in Metro’s latest Top 50 Restaurants. Martin Leach, Jo Barrett, Angela Martin, Jay Platt and Gwynne Davenport
getting their photos of them reading our magazine while in far flung parts of the world. It’s a heavy magazine. We’ll do our best to limit the weight so you don’t get hit with excess baggage charges!
Well done to our contributing editor, John Elliott for the feedback we received from Professor Ian Shirley, Pro-Vice Chancellor of AUT, and a world-ranking economist and commentator on local government.
The team always appreciates good feedback and was delighted to hear that Aimee Egdell (the owner of Tatty’s Designer Recycle) loved the ad and editorial she placed in the April edition of Ponsonby News. The business had an immediate positive response with more people than usual entering the store the weekend that PN was delivered.
“I have been wanting to meet with you for some time especially after reading some of your excellent independent columns in the Ponsonby News. At a time when our news media has increasingly abandoned the classical role of the fourth estate it is refreshing to read informative and independent comment on critical issues.”
She mentioned that the response was better, and more cost effective than anything, she has ever had from advertising with any other media over the past 10 years. What can we say, and our rates have remained the same since 2010!
Labour’s Future of Work project by Jacinda Ardern this month will be of interest to everyone experiencing the PN tight job market. (MARTIN LEACH) F
DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
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Hello Arch Hill. We’ve loved being part of your evolution from humble, blue collar beginnings, to sleek urban enclave. Share our discoveries – keithandsandy.co.nz
Custom Residential Ltd | Licensed REAA 2008
DAVID HARTNELL’S ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW For over 30 years local resident Maggie Eyre has been delivering presentation skills training to corporations, and individuals in New Zealand and around the world. What is the best thing about where you live? Funky, friendly, buzzy - Ponsonby. The best thing is the diversity of people and cultures. The cafes and restaurants are fantastic. I’m at home in the village and never feel lonely because my oldest brother, Eddie lives next door. Ponsonby adopted me at 17 and I’ve been here ever since. Till death do us part! What was your childhood like? Humble beginnings in Ash Street, Avondale with four brothers, me and my parents squashed into a tiny two-bedroom dolls house, which is still standing. I am a Westie at heart! My mother was the most unselfish person I’ve ever met; she taught me to never judge. Who’s the most annoying celebrity today? Donald Trump. I think he is dangerous. Do you read movie or TV reviews? Hardly ever, I trust the judgment of my friends and go to movies they recommend. How would you like to be remembered? As someone who touched people’s lives and made a difference in the world. Someone with courage and compassion who fought against injustice, and who was kind and loyal to friends and family. What do you love most about your age? Having wisdom to share and not worrying about what people think of me. Have you ever googled yourself? Yes and I’ve discovered things I didn’t know. Something that you really disapprove of? Homophobia. What song makes you happy? Young, Gifted and Black by Nina Simone. Your biggest disappointments? Not spending more time with my maternal grandmother. What’s your comfort food? Mashed potatoes with dollops of New Zealand salted butter. What do you think happens when we die? I don’t know - whatever happens I’ll have my dancing shoes on! What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen? The King’s Speech - it explains my work and why I do it. It’s about despair, risk, courage, vulnerability and hope. It shows you can overcome your fear of public speaking if you have a devoted expert coach who never gives up. Give your teenaged self some advice? Cut down on the sugar and get more sleep. Who would play you in the movie of your life? Julianne Moore. How do you chill out? Stay at my girlfriend’s lake house in Henderson Valley and listen to the waterfall, or visit friends in Paekakariki and stay in their beachside B&B. A combination of nature and quality company is my tonic. Have you ever joined the mile high club? Definitely not! Tell us about your dream home? It is spacious with contemporary design and peaceful panoramic views of the sea.
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There are scented snow-white frangipani in the garden and there’s native bush with heaps of tui. It has enough guest rooms to host my friends from around the world and a soundproof private studio where I can work with my clients. What are you insecure about? Getting older and not being able to work. It keeps me feeling young, stimulated and challenged. Your idea of perfect happiness? Having my mum back with me, snuggled under her colourful patchwork blanket, watching TV. Your favorite hero of fiction? Xena Warrior Princess because she is strong and feminist. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? To talk less and listen more. Which talent would you most like to have? To be able to sing. What is your favourite way to exercise? Walking and pilates. What cliché do you most hate? “All dressed up with nowhere to go.” There’s always somewhere to go. Which website do you read the most? I don’t have the time. Are you a handshake or a hug kind of person? Definitely a hug person. Any recurring dreams? That I’m on stage and I forget my lines. Your dream guest list for a dinner party and why? 1. American author, poet, and activist, Maya Angelou - I admire her courage. 2. Judy Dench - I’d like to be glamorous like her when I’m 80! 3. Vivienne Westwood, groundbreaking British fashion designer, I identify with her and love her style. 4. Emmeline Pankhurst - Suffragette leader. I’d like to thank her for winning the vote for British women. 5. My closest friends who are all brave, creative, funny, generous and strong. Do you travel light or heavy? Heavy - I’m still learning to pack light. If you could change one law or policy in New Zealand, what would it be? We need legislation on carbon omissions so our worst emitters pay for the consequences of their actions. (DAVID HARTNELL, MNZM) F PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
BOOK NOW! PONSONBY ULTRASOUND CLINIC Have your scan performed under the expert care of highly trained sonographers and radiologists in a relaxing and serene environment with leading edge technology. We specialise in the areas of obsterics and gynaecology scans, general ultrasound, injury scans (ACC) and injecĆ&#x;ons. LONGER OBSTETRIC APPOINTMENT TIMES FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY WE ARE LOCATED AT:
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DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
15
SHALE CHAMBERS: WAITEMATA LOCAL BOARD REPORT
Waitemata, a greater role than the local The day-to-day business of local boards is decision making on local matters, specifically for local parks, events, arts and recreational services and facilities, community facilities, libraries and environmental management. In addition, local boards have local place making and shaping responsibilities, which necessitate active involvement in wider transport and heritage, urban design and planning issues affecting the local level. Last month I outlined how we govern our local board budget and decide on locally driven initiatives to meet local needs, and see these projects through. This is a big enough role in itself, but this month I outline some of the other roles I have as chair of the inner city local board helping to shape Auckland’s direction. I sit as local board representative on Auckland City Centre Advisory Board, with representatives of many city centre sector groups such as business and residents, universities, and the private sector, advising council on all matters affecting the city centre. The board primarily oversees the expenditure of the city centre targeted rate collected from city businesses and residents, on top of general rates all other Aucklanders pay, to the tune of an additional $20.8 million per annum. The additional rate funds improvements to the city centre, and has been fundamental over many years now in seeing the revival of the city centre as a more pedestrian-friendly international city centre, with its shared spaces and improved public spaces and facilities. The next project is a significant improvement to K’Road’s pedestrian environment and a dedicated cycleway. Many think the city centre is getting more than its fair share of your rates, but it is primarily this additional rate that has funded the transformation of our city centre outside the waterfront, and will continue to do so. I am also the board’s representative on the Heart of the City business association executive that represents CBD businesses and promotes the city centre as a destination. Heart of the City is the largest by some margin of the many Business Improvement Districts throughout Auckland that rate their business membership through a partnership with council to help build local economies through self-management. HoTC
has a BID budget of some $4 million per annum so is a significant player in advocacy and business promotion of the city centre. Local board members ensure oversight of the rate collected, and are the liaison with council. Other members each sit of the Newmarket, K’Road, Ponsonby, Parnell and Uptown BIDs, which collectively constitute about 45% of Auckland’s economic activity. I am deputy chair of the Auckland Domain Committee, which has governance of the regionally significant Auckland Domain, with two other local board members. This is the only joint committee of the Governing Body, Independent Maori Statutory Board and a local board of Auckland Council, and has recently overseen the publication of a first draft masterplan and events protocol for the Domain. The plan will be finalised shortly. I am chair of the Central Facilities Partnership Committee; a collective of the seven Isthmus and Gulf Islands local boards that has overseen council investment in new community, or school facilities on a partnership basis. The committee decided which community improvement projects to support; whether they were multi-sport clubroom upgrades, school arts pavilions, or sportsfield artificial turfing. Support enabled fundraising committees to seek Foundation North, or sports trust funding to supplement their fundraising efforts, and complete some significant projects with hard won efforts. In return community access arrangements lasting many years were agreed. In the past five years some $45 million worth of projects have been supported for $10 million of rates-funded investment. The committee has recently celebrated the opening of the upgraded Mt Wellington Tennis Club, the Tri-Star Gymnastics Pavilion in Mt Roskilll, the Joyce Fisher Sport Centre at Epsom Girls Grammar, and will see the new clubrooms of the West End Tennis Club at Cox’s Bay opened shortly. The Mayor abolished the $2 million per year central fund supporting this rates-friendly system last year, to part-fund a new $10 million capital fund made available to all local boards, in turn replacing a nearly equivalent Small Local Improvement Projects budget already available to central local boards. The result is that individual local boards cannot possibly do what the partnership fund did on anything approaching the same project scale, and projects must complete with demands for smaller local parks and council facility priority projects.
The facility partnership fund, which has part funded the West End Tennis Club upgrade is nearly complete
16 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
The committee remains to oversee the remaining incomplete projects it has supported, and to advocate for the re-establishment of the scheme. Community groups with projects still in the pipeline, like Richmond Rovers League Club of Grey Lynn Park are left wondering where their project seed funds are to come from. This is one example of financial prudence running counter to good community outcomes. PN (SHALE CHAMBERS) F Contact me: shale.chambers@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ON!
City Rail Link.
The build is TATION ENTR S A A
PE STATION E
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MENT
Jerome Kaino, Blues Captain and AT Ambassador
What is the City Rail Link (CRL)?
When will work start?
The City Rail Link is Auckland’s number one transport priority. That is good news for our city, which has grown by more than 93,000 people over the last three years.
• Changes affecting how people move around the city started in April.
The City Rail Link is part of the bigger picture for Auckland. It will shape our city and grow our economy, making Auckland a better place for us all to live.
• The main works from Wyndham St to Mt Eden are forecast to start in 2018.
What are the benefits of the CRL? • More than double the number of trains can go through Britomart Station. • Journey times will be cut by up to half. • A train will turn up at most stations every five to ten minutes during peak hours. • The rail network will be able to carry at least 50% more people than today. • More people on trains and fewer people on our roads is better for everyone.
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What it means for Aucklanders
• Early works in the Britomart area and on Albert St will start May 2016.
There’s work to be done, so plan ahead. There’s a big job ahead in building the CRL and it will be harder to drive into the central city. So it’s time to think about other transport options; take the bus, train or ferry, walk, try carpooling, or get on a bike. To help you make a travel plan visit AT.govt.nz/thebuildison Check out the video featuring Jerome Kaino: AT.govt.nz/CRL or facebook.com/cityraillink
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NIKKI KAYE: AUCKLAND CENTRAL MP
Tax package benefiting small businesses Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our communities and engine of our economy. The Auckland Central electorate is home to a wide variety of businesses; from our country’s largest corporations in the CBD to small businesses in Ponsonby and the Bays. The electorate boasts approximately 20,000 small businesses, all of which are integral to our economy. With 97% of all New Zealand enterprises employing 20 or fewer people, it is vital to continuously search out ways to reduce the financial and time burdens that small businesses face. That’s why we have cut ACC levies. It’s why we introduced 90-day trials and a starting-out wage. It is why we fund the roll-out of faster broadband. These and other measures help explain why small business confidence is in solid, positive territory in New Zealand. But there is always more to do. In the last few weeks, the Prime Minister announced that Budget 2016 will include a positive tax package aimed at making business easier for small and medium-sized business operators. The package will make paying tax easier and more certain, will reduce the burden of interest and penalties and will assist smaller businesses to better tailor payments to their own circumstances. Some of the highlights include: • Provisional tax is being reformed with a new pay-as-you-go option to provide smaller businesses a way to pay tax as they earn income from 1 April 2018.
It is also worth noting that in light of the ‘Panama Papers’ being released, Cabinet has agreed to investigate whether the disclosure rules are fit for purpose and whether there are practical improvements we be made. Tax expert John Shewan has been appointed to conduct an independent review of disclosure rules covering foreign trusts registered in New Zealand. Our rules require foreign trusts to be registered and to keep detailed financial and other records, which can be requested by Inland Revenue and passed on to tax authorities in other countries. In addition, we have a strong tax treaty network with the express purpose of discovering and preventing tax avoidance. However, our reputation is important and we’re open to considering changes to disclosure rules if that is warranted. Shewan has been appointed to take a thorough and independent look at the current regime to check that it’s fit for purpose. Last week, I attended Anzac Day Commemorations and laid a wreath at the Civic Service on behalf of the Prime Minister and Government, at the Auckland Memorial Museum. I was accompanied by my Youth MP, Nina Santos, who is a Year 13 student at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School. Anzac Day is a chance for us to reflect on the effects of a war which touched the lives of every New Zealand family, and honour our veterans’ contribution to the peace, freedom, and security our country enjoys today. This year marks the centenary of the Gallipoli landings, and we remember the bravery and determination of the soldiers who fought at Gallipoli in 1916. Their strength in adversity remains an ongoing source of pride. They fought hard for our freedoms and we will remember them. (NIKKI KAYE) F PN Hon Nikki Kaye is the MP for Auckland Central. www.nikkikaye.co.nz
• Use-of-money interest will be eliminated or reduced for the vast majority. • Contractors will be able to choose a withholding tax rate that suits their needs. • The ongoing 1% monthly penalty will be scrapped from 1 April 2017 for new debt. Building a more productive and competitive economy is a priority of the National-led Government. We want businesses to focus their energies on building their businesses, not navigating red tape. To find out more, and to provide comment on the proposals before they take effect, visit: www.makingtaxsimpler.ird.govt.nz, and submissions are requested by 30 May.
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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS
Councillor Mike Lee to run again Our Waitemata Ward Auckland Councillor, Mike Lee, had planned retirement but has been persuaded to stand again for council at this year’s local body elections in October. Lee is vastly experienced -16 years as a member of the Auckland Regional Council, six years as its chairman, and six years as the sole councillor for the Waitemata Ward, which takes in all of the Ponsonby News circulation area, as well as Parnell, Waiheke and Great Barrier. His hesitancy to commit to another term is typical of Mike Lee. He can appear tentative when articulating his opinions, but that reflects his deeply-held value systems, his thoughtful ponderings on issues, and his considerable integrity. He would not want to outlive his usefulness.
photography: Martin Leach
So, Mike Lee is not a bully, he is not a brazen outspoken know all, over opinionated, ready to launch into an argument without careful consideration. Yet he has strong opinions and values, particularly around public service, a fair go for everyone, and prudent financial management. Despite Lee’s seniority, someone has Waitemata Local Board Councillor Mike Lee with James Duncan, tram operations manager for Development Auckland noted that his major opponent may not be a young up and comer, but “an old man in a hurry.” a leader in the fight to overturn the recent council up-zoning and is opposed to demolition or removal of historic villas. Mike Lee’s strengths include proven leadership as ARC chairman, where he presided over a harmonious, cohesive council with a wide diversity of political opinion among One of the main reasons Mike Lee is standing again is his concern that much of the early colleagues, long-time advocacy of public transport, and a keen desire to restore what promise of the Super City has been lost. he sees as lost democracy in the running of the council. Lee is concerned at RMA decisions by non-elected bureaucrats, including so-called Just before the 2013 elections the New Zealand Herald wrote about Waitemata Ward independent commissioners. He pointed out that these ‘independent contractors’ rely candidates and said this about Mike Lee: “We have no hesitation in saying that there is on bureaucrats for their next job. “Are they going to buck staff opinions?” not a single candidate running anywhere in Auckland who has done more to get public transport moving in our city than Mike Lee. Others have good slogans about public Ponsonby News reminded Lee of a comment he made in 2013 when he said, “We are transport but Mike actually has a record.” poised - a great city is within our grasp.” What happened, we asked? “Half the job is done,” Lee says, “we need to push ahead with the City Rail Link which is a legacy project of the ARC, while watching like a hawk that the costs don’t blow out, tackle train fare evasion, progress plans for light rail, including serious consideration of the feasibility of a Ponsonby/Jervois tramway, eventually linked via the Wynyard waterfront to Britomart and linked at the K’Road end to the planned Queen Street /Dominion Road tramway.”
“The Super City itself is the problem,” maintains Lee. “The Auckland Council is failing under its sheer size and weak leadership.”
Mike Lee would also support a lower speed limit, like the 40kph on Ponsonby Road, for Surrey Crescent and Richmond Road.
As part of his campaign Mike Lee will push for a wider community debate on structural and culture change inside Auckland Council, and a better balance of responsibility between councillors and staff.
Mike Lee supported the battle against further reclamation of Waitemata Harbour, and is steadfastly opposed to the privatisation of Ports of Auckland, which last year earned $48 million for the ratepayers of Auckland. He points out the irrationality of those who call for the sale of the port and at the same time call for its removal from Auckland, which would strip enormous value from the asset. “New Zealand is a trading island nation,” Lee explains. “We are a harbour city. The port is our highway to the world. We live and survive by the sea.” While Mike Lee supports population intensification in Auckland city, he has always been a keen proponent of heritage protection of Auckland’s historic townscapes. He was
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Auckland Council needs to be a more open democracy, with more decisions made ‘bottom up’, rather than ‘top down imposition’. Council staff have a tendency to tell Aucklanders what they’ll get, rather than ask them what they want.
“This election should be more than just who wins what seat - it’s apparent to me we need to change the council itself,” says Lee. Mike Lee will be striving to give more power to local boards, and he is full of praise for the Waitemata Local Board, chaired by Shale Chambers, with whom he has struck up a very effective partnership. Mike Lee is proud to serve Waitemata ward residents whom he considers are the most creative, liberal, progressive, generous and go-ahead in New Zealand. (JOHN ELLIOTT) F PN www.mikelee.co.nz
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DEIRDRE ROELANTS: LANDMARK BUILDINGS
Carlile House The derelict building still standing (just!) at 84 Richmond Road is a sad sight indeed even though it has a Category 1 listing on the Historic Places register. The once imposing building was erected with funds from Edward Costley’s large bequest that stipulated his fortune should be used to benefit charitable institutions in Auckland. The Costley Training Institution Act of 1885 allowed for the founding of a new facility to cater for children of “ages fit to be apprentice” who had suffered destitution or parental neglect. The large Richmond Road site was selected for the new institution and Auckland architect, Robert Jones Roberts was commissioned to design the building, probably because he was a preacher in the Congregational Church of which several trustees, including Captain William Daldy also belonged. The building is of a Classical-Italianate style much favoured for non-conformist places of worship and civic or public edifices. Elaborate detailing included stone quoins, arched window openings, pediments and corbelled eaves, generally associated with early commercial premises and the grand villas owned by wealthy professionals and merchants. Costley’s desire to give orphans and destitute children advantages which could not be provided from public funds resulted in an increasing number of similar structures highlighting Auckland’s transition from a colonial frontier settlement to an established urban centre. The contract was awarded to builder Thomas Colebrook who put in the lowest tender, saving the trustees an estimated £500 and employed a number of artisans in need of work.
controlled. Carpentry skills were taught, and in 1891 a large workshop was erected in brick, housing a wood turning lathe and a blacksmith forge. A gymnasium was constructed at the rear of the property and gymnastic displays were staged for visitors and dignitaries at community events.
The residential institution was completed in 1886 and stood behind a low brick wall with decorative cast iron railings similar to those fronting homes of the well to do.The two storyed building’s H-shaped plan let in light and fresh air in sharp contrast to a number of government and catholic industrial schools of bleak design or in buildings originally erected for other uses. The symmetrical facade ended in slightly projecting wings enclosing a central portico. The kitchen and storerooms were set in the rear wing on the ground floor as well as a sitting room with a library recess and manager’s quarters. Stairways were at either end of a hall that ran along the front of the building on both floors. Upstairs were six bedrooms and an infirmary.
Times change and after the Costley Institute closed at the end of 1908 the place served for two decades as the Richmond Road Children’s Home, an Anglican institution. When the Child Welfare Act of 1927 introduced more stringent controls, the home was closed and the property offered unsuccessfully for sale. Following the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake, the building briefly housed Hukarere Maori Girls’ School. From 1935 to 1969 it was the headquarters and training school of the Church Army, an Anglican evangelical outreach mission undertaking social work in slums. During this time it was renamed Carlile House after its founder, William Carlile. After the Church Army moved out it became a remand home for boys.
In 1886, Mrs Rebecca Hodge left the Costley Institute £672 to be invested for the benefit of girls who were boarded out with reputable families but the Costley trustees mainly focussed on boys of good character and most likely to be of credit to the Institution. Order, discipline and habit formation were an essential part of the programme. The boys assisted with housework and gardening, attended church and corporal punishment was strictly
Carlile House was purchased by the Tongan Community Development Company and a modern church built to commemorate Queen Salote. The main building became run down and vandalised as lack of funds prevented its reuse. Deterioration worsened due to broken windows and the state of the roof. Its dilapidation and uncertain future is a matter of ongoing public concern. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS) F PN
RACHAEL TE AOTONGA: LEYS INSTITUTE LIBRARY NEWS Thanks very much for your patience while our magnificent building has been receiving a little TLC. The library is now open again, with the builders making the finishing touches in the lecture hall. While the majority of work has taken place upstairs, the library has not been forgotten with this upgrade. You will see some changes during the next couple of months - we are delighted to be receiving some nice new furniture to spruce the place up. At the same time, we have taken the opportunity to reconfigure the shelving with the aim of making the space less cluttered, providing more comfortable seating areas and highlighting the heritage characteristics of the building. Another feature of this refurbishment is our new local history room. Have you ever noticed the office with the ornate glass door off the main library? Plans are afoot to promote treasures in our local history collection in this special room dedicated especially to the heritage of Ponsonby and surrounding suburbs. A computer will be installed in the room also if you wish to peacefully browse the Auckland Libraries’ digital images collection and other significant databases, or even add your own personal images of the area onto a special history website. Watch this space.
All our regular programmes, including Book Group, Wriggle and Rhyme, Rhyme-time and Story-time will be resuming as usual this month. If you haven’t joined in on any of these popular free programmes, now is the time! Everyone is welcome, please contact us or check the Auckland Libraries’ website for details. We also host a French conversation group every Monday at 12 noon-1pm. The group is for intermediate and advanced French language speakers. The sessions include reviewing new books, French language courses and magazines from the Auckland Libraries’ collections. On this note, if learning another language is a hobby you wish to pursue, we can help you with language course CDs, books and magazines in a wide range of languages. We have a collection of books in Te Reo, French and Spanish here at Leys. We can also call in books in other languages from other Auckland libraries at your request. There’s a lot happening at the library over the next few months, so please do come and check out all the activity! On behalf of the Leys staff, we hope to see our friendly PN community back in the library again soon. (RACHAEL TE AOTONGA) F LEYS INSTITUTE, 20 St Marys Road, T: 09 374 1315, www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
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PONSONBY U3A: APRIL 2016 From her arrival to departure, Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse had the full attention of U3A members as guest speaker at its April meeting. For a start, her mode of transport to the meeting - an E-bike - on which she swept in from the council offices in the city to the Herne Bay Petanque Club where the meeting was held, was a source of fascination to members. Not many city dignitaries would arrive at a meeting this way. She removed her biking gear to reveal an immaculate and fashionable person ready to get down to the business of discussing the workings and decisions of the Auckland Council. As one member commented, it was certainly an icebreaker and perhaps a lesson for any aspiring Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny politician on how to engage an audience in the Hulse with Annie Webster nicest possible way. Penny has had 18 years of president Ponsonby U3A local government experience since she was first elected to the Waitakere Community Board in 1992, to many roles in West Auckland, culminating in deputy mayor of Waitakere City and now deputy mayor of Auckland City, along with continued extensive community involvement.
second Friday morning of the month. Visitors are welcome to attend a meeting, but are asked to telephone President Annie Webster (09 376 2902) ahead of the meeting day. As well as the monthly meeting, there are 15 special interest groups, offering a wide range of topics. These groups are considered the backbone of U3A, providing informal learning and leisure activities for members. Guest speaker for the May meeting will be curator Ioana Gordon-Smith - “Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery (formerly Lopdell House) in Titirangi.” The 10-minute speaker will be Kathy Walker - “Setouchi, Japan, where art and nature PN conspire.” (PHILIPPA TAIT) F NEXT MEETING: ENQUIRIES:
9.45am, Friday 13 May, Herne Bay Petanque Club, Salisbury Street, Herne Bay Annie Webster, President Ponsonby U3A. T: 09 376 2902, www.u3aponsonby.org.nz
She talked to U3A about aspects of her role as deputy mayor, gave some comments on council and the formation of the Super City, then addressed the topical issues of affordable housing and the Unitary Plan. She asked for comment from the meeting and much of the time was involved in lively discussion and clarification of the council’s position and plans and the views of U3A members. U3A member Maggie Whale first visited Southern China for six days in 1979. In 2005 she returned to China, this time for a five and a half year stint, firstly as a teacher of English in schools and latterly as an HR and academic manager, hiring and training foreign teachers in Beijing. Maggie was the 10-minute speaker at the April meeting. Her time teaching in China was split between Ma’anshan No 2, teaching children 16-18 years and Nanjing No 1, before her final two years in Beijing. She resigned and returned to New Zealand in 2010. She still undertakes the HR and training work from her home with annual visits to China. Among her many anecdotes, Maggie commented that the schools were not heated, with temperatures as low as minus five and many children sat in class with hot water bottles on their laps. However, she said that when working in Beijing everything was centrally heated. Ponsonby U3A currently holds its monthly meeting at the Herne Bay Petanque Club while construction is carried out at the usual Leys Institute venue. Meetings are held on the
Hats and scarves were the topic at Ponsonby U3A’s recent Antiques and Collectables meeting. L to R: Dianne Speed, Shona McElroy, Douglas Williamson, Janet Williamson, Jane Jones and Annie Webster.
LOCAL NEWS CITY VISION TEAM FOR WAITEMATA COMBINES EXPERIENCE AND NEW TALENT City Vision has selected a strong team of experienced elected representatives and new, diverse talent to contest the seven seats on the Waitemata Local Board, covering Auckland’s city centre and central suburbs. “With candidates including three local board members, a former councillor, a young social entrepreneur, a teacher, and a media professional, we are confident we have a strong, broad-based, progressive team to advance the interests of our Waitemata communities,” says current Local Board Chair and City Vision candidate, Shale Chambers. Our talented City Vision candidates for the Waitemata Local Board are as follows: • Shale Chambers, current Chair of the Waitemata Local Board and Ponsonby lawyer • Adriana Christie, social entrepreneur and young environmentalist • Pippa Coom, current Deputy Chair of the Waitemata Local Board • Chang Hung, media personality • Richard Northey, former Auckland Councillor
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• Kurt Taogaga, teacher and community volunteer • Vernon Tava, current Waitemata Local Board member and business broker “Our candidates are grounded in the local community and will stand up for the things that matter to local people: transport and housing choice, care for our environment and heritage, keeping assets in public ownership and making council work effectively through strong community engagement. “Our candidates will be working hard from now right through to the local government election in October to listen to our communities and win their support. Our communities PN deserve a strong community voice,” says Shale Chambers. F www.cityvision.org.nz
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LOCAL NEWS LOCAL FILM ‘MONTEREY’ AT FILM FESTIVAL A local film capturing the poignant journey of Grey Lynn Cafe ‘Monterey’ is to feature at the New Zealand Documentary Edge Film Festival. Grey Lynn cafe Monterey’s journey was filmed over two and a half years and is a story about hope and dreams for a brighter future through collective effort. It shows us that when change is encountered, individual needs become greater than the collective, and loyalties are tested. If it was your family business facing ruin, would you let your head or your heart rule? If the only way to keep your dream alive meant destroying the tight-knit, loving unit you’d created, would you? We encounter honest, heart-rending and humorous situations as we see cafe owners Paul and Mira coping with the necessity to transform their business in order to survive and ensure they keep what they most value together: their unconventional self-stylised ‘work’ family - hiring three young Samoan boys with no kitchen training and teaching them everything they know about hospitality. It’s a happy, nurturing family environment. But it’s not making money. Over six years, Kiwi battler Paul and his Croatian partner Mira fight to keep Monterey open - finally bringing in a high-end United Kingdom chef to turn their misfortune around. But you can’t mix oil and water. The result is heart-wrenching and poignant, a power struggle with many casualties and few winners. Monterey is showing at Q Theatre on Wednesday 25 May (8pm) and Sunday 29 May (10am). MONTEREY www.montereyfilm.co.nz/ MONTEREY TRAILER www.vimeo.com/163535637
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
L to R: Jacob Betham, Aisoli Unasa, Paul Ryan, Tausaga Matamua and Dan Pearson
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MIKE LEE: COUNCILLOR FOR WAITEMATA & GULF
My grandfather’s letter I have had quite a long association with Ponsonby during my time in politics. First with the Auckland Regional Council (I was first elected to the ARC Auckland Central electorate in February 1992) and then as Councillor for Waitemata and Gulf. While I grew up in Wellington and came to Auckland aged 21, my mother was an Auckland girl and her family also had a connection with Ponsonby. I was reminded of this recently when I came across a letter given to me by a cousin, written by my grandfather. My grandfather William Rose was in turn the grandson of a ‘Fencible’, James Donnelly. The ‘Royal NZ Fencible Corps’ as we know were British Army veterans (Donnelly had served in Afghanistan), many of them Irish, who were brought out by Governor Grey to defend the new colony.
the death of his wife, William sat down to write this letter:
My grandfather’s mother, Rosanna Donnelly, later Rosanna Rose, was born at sea in the Southern Ocean in April 1852 on the sailing ship Inchinnan bound for Auckland where the family arrived in late May that year. Rosanna, the youngest of a large family, married a William Rose in Howick in 1871 and the family went off to the Thames to work in the gold fields where my grandfather was born in 1872 (most Auckland families seem to have a Thames connection).
I cannot let this opportunity pass by, the one of your Golden Jubilee without writing to you my dear and best friend. William Rose at Little Sisters of the You came to my wife and children with Poor, St Joseph’s Home, Herne Bay God’s wonderful grace and compassion at a time when we needed such a good friend as you to comfort and console us. I can never forget you dear Mother Francis for all you have done for us. You are always in my prayers. I sincerely hope you are in good health for this Glorious occasion & pray that God’s blessings may be poured down on you. I have been here a little over three years now.
William started out as a school teacher but was soon working in the mines and then on the railway. In 1905 aged 33, he married an Irish girl Johanna Kavanagh who was 10 years younger and fresh from Kerry where Irish was still the first language. The couple had four children, two boys and two girls, born at railway townships up and down the Main Trunk Line. The youngest, my mother Eileen was born in Onehunga, where William got a job on the wharf (unfortunately just in time for the Great Maritime Strike of 1913). Sadly William and Johanna did not enjoy a great deal of luck and by all accounts, like a lot of working class people in the early years of the 20th Century, their life was a constant struggle to make ends meet. The situation was not helped by Johanna’s frail health. She eventually contracted tuberculosis and died in 1918, aged 35, leaving her husband and four young children. This was a calamity that cast a long shadow.
“October 16 1938. St Joseph’s Home, Herne Bay Ponsonby, Shelly Beach Road. Dear Mother M. Francis,
I had a vote here for the last two elections. I am well satisfied with the result which we were listening in to. I was up late last night, being 11 o’clock when I turned the radio off, but we heard enough today to know how the two parties stand in Parliament. I am pleased that the Labour Party were returned with such a good majority. I am feeling very well at the present, wishing you and your Good Sisters health, joy and happiness for your Golden Jubilee & that you may long be spared to us. Say a little prayer for me. From yours faithfully, William Rose.”
My mother Eileen and her older sister Kathleen were sent to the Monte Cecelia Home (‘the Pah’) at Hillsborough where William secured a job as a groundsman to be near them. The two boys William and Laurence were brought up in the St Joseph’s orphanage at Takapuna. Kathleen (no doubt much to her father’s pride) entered the convent of the Sisters of Mercy order to become Sister Mary Clare for the rest of her life and the two boys would go on to serve in the New Zealand Army in World War II. In 1935, then in his early 60s, William came to work as a groundsman/handyman for the Little Sisters of the Poor at the St Joseph’s Home at Herne Bay. He also drove the truck for Little Sisters on their begging runs down Queen Street, where kindly Auckland business people would donate food and clothes for the inmates. Twenty years after
30 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
Unfortunately I never knew my grandfather. (When I lived in Shelly Beach Road in 1991 I had the uncanny feeling one night, walking home from the university up College Hill, that I was walking in his footsteps.) William died seven months after he wrote the letter, in May 1939. He was buried with Johanna at Hillsborough Cemetery. My mother married PN my father Emmett Lee exactly one year later. (MIKE LEE) F Mike Lee is the Councillor for the Waitemata and Gulf Ward and the council-appointed chair of the SMART (Southwestern Multi-modal Airport Rapid Transit) Stakeholders Steering Group. www.mikelee.co.nz
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The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS
Protecting our amenity values in Auckland City Trees, traffic and road safety, music, noise, drunkenness, vomit, sleep deprivation and villas at risk - versus protection and monitoring of amenity values. Everyone in greater Ponsonby knows that if they quit Auckland City and moved to rural Hokianga, land would be much cheaper, houses would be a fraction of Auckland prices, and it would be quiet. Only the occasional cow mooing or dog barking would disturb the peace. But we also know that there may be no cafe or bar within miles, no musical venues, no daily paper delivered, no bookshop, hair salon or shoe shop. Those who abandon the city for the quiet rural life don’t mind about that, and are happy to drive to the local township, maybe Kohukohu, maybe Opononi, maybe Rawene. But those of us who choose to stay in inner city Auckland are being severely challenged by population intensification, commercial encroachment into residential streets and increasingly by anti-social behaviour around local bars and nightclubs. A former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr J Morgan Williams wrote a comprehensive, 108 page report on the future of urban amenity values under population intensification. This report is now nearly 20 years old, but many of its recommendations have never been implemented. The report called for all territorial authorities to identify and manage amenity values while intensification proceeds. The report stated, “a lack of identification of core amenity values exposes significant parts of our cities to the risk of amenity loss.” Amenity values include public space, heritage protection, trees and gardens, safety issues, views and noise levels. Residents in the Ponsonby News catchment area are beginning to feel the pressures of population intensification. Indicators include increased traffic, more noise, more on-street car parking and safety concerns, especially around schools. Few communities have described their neighbourhood amenity values through a consultation process. Williams’ report urges local groups to do that and present findings to, in our case, the Waitemata Local Board, so appropriate management systems can be put in place. Monitoring is critical to amenity protection.
Ponsonby News has discussed this issue with several local groups. One group living close to Ponsonby Road, freely acknowledges the advantages they have living close to a range of local businesses. They enjoy being able to meet just up the road for a coffee or a wine and a chat. However, they have become increasingly concerned at the anti-social behaviours around the entertainment hub, bars and nightclubs, drunkenness, and noise at all hours of the day and night. No one is calling for a return to six o’clock closing, but these concerned citizens should be able to sleep instead of enduring noise, car doors slamming, and teenagers drinking and smoking outside their homes at three, four or even five o’clock in the morning. Early risers, perhaps taking baby for a pram ride, don’t want to have to dodge vomit on footpaths, broken glass and other detritus from the previous night’s revelry. The group of mothers with whom we spoke is concerned at the dangers of crossing Richmond Road and Surrey Crescent with their young children on their way to Grey Lynn School. They maintained to Ponsonby News that Auckland Transport does not seem willing or able to reduce the safety risks on these increasingly busy roads. Much of this understandable angst could be eased if local communities had a set of amenity values which were documented by the Waitemata Local Board, understood by council, and managed and monitored regularly. At the moment residents often do not know who to go to for help. Waitemata Board members say call the police; police have law enforcement powers, noise control can be called. But this should be a two-way accord, with host responsibility playing a part, and council having clear guidelines on what locals want and don’t want. These amenity values will often be the same Auckland-wide but there is a need to tailor them to smaller precincts where amenity values may differ. The Williams report said, “the subjectivity of amenity values reinforces the need to identify, interpret and define the amenity values of specific areas.” The report also said it should not be left to the planners and developers to set the agendas. It stressed over and over again the importance of monitoring and enforcement by councils, so people can really continue to enjoy their ‘sense of place’. We urge residents to form local groups to identify and set out the amenity values they wish to protect. (JOHN ELLIOTT) F PN
LOCAL NEWS RESIDENT PARKING ZONE TO BE ROLLED OUT IN FREEMANS BAY Parking in the central suburbs has become a serious issue with locals and commuters jostling for precious parking spaces. The latest research from Auckland Transport shows there are more free carparks in Freemans Bay than the Civic Carpark in Aotea Square and during the working day Freemans Bay has more than 80% occupancy. Waitemata Local Board Member Rob Thomas says, “It’s time that we kick out commuters from resident streets in the inner city and encourage people to use public transport. Our residential streets are not parking lots.” With parking in the city becoming increasingly expensive, suburbs with free parking have seen an influx of city commuters searching for all-day parking. The link buses have unfortunately exacerbated this problem; turning leafy suburbs into park and ride services into the city. Residents are struggling to access their homes, with no off-street parking, and commuters are forced to compete for free parking. Thomas says, “Cars hawk local neighborhoods looking for free car parking. Wellington has had resident-only parking for years and now is the time for Auckland to roll this out across the inner city.” The residential parking zone is planned to be rolled out by Auckland Transport in June this year. The scheme will have a two-hour parking time-restriction (P120) that applies
32 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Residents and businesses within the zone can apply for permits and coupons that give exemption from the time restriction. A permit costs $70 and is valid for one year. Electronic coupons are also available for trades people and visitors. Thomas says, “The two-hour parking time restriction should free up more parking for shoppers to Ponsonby but commuters will need to start making alternative transport choices.” Thomas has concerns that Auckland Transport will not be able to meet the demand with recent cancellations of trains and regional buses reaching full capacity. “Displacing thousands of commuters from the inner city needs to be backed up with reliable, frequent, affordable and high-occupancy public transport choice. We need to see more public transport investment in the region with more park-and-ride facilities at train stations and on busways.” F PN For more information about the Freemans Bay Residential Parking Zone visit https://at.govt.nz/driving-parking/parking-consultations/freemans-bayresidential-parking-zone/ PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
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JACINDA ARDERN: LABOUR LIST MP AUCKLAND I come across some staggering facts and statistics in this job, but one I heard recently has caused ripples not just in politics but in the business community. A whopping 46% of jobs that exist today, will be gone in the next two decades. Yes, we have been experiencing disruption from technological advancements for decades now, but what is different about the fourth industrial revolution, is the sheer speed of the change. That does beg the question - are we prepared? Recently some Australian research has predicted that a school leaver today will have 15 different careers in their working life. We already have people in precarious jobs, feeling insecure about their prospects. The same old approach is not going to cut it. In response to these very real concerns, last year we set up a Future of Work Commission to develop a comprehensive plan for how we ensure there are decent work opportunities and secure income for New Zealanders in a world that is changing - and changing fast. Developing technologies are driving much of the change. Everyone needs to have access to it, wherever you live or whatever your circumstances. It’s all about digital equality - without that, there will be those in education or business who simply won’t have the same opportunities as everyone else and risk being left behind. We have excellent examples of how digital technology within our education system has become a great ‘leveller’ and we need to replicate that work. The next big area is in education and training. While we cannot guarantee exactly what future jobs will entail, we do know for sure that having an education that allows you to adapt will be vital. With so much information at our finger tips, the key will be the ability to use that information - to be entrepreneurial, creative, to solve problems and understand
the world around us. The education system needs to support these attributes and be the start of learning for life. Labour has already put forward our plan that would see everyone entitled to three years free training or education after secondary school. But learning for life isn’t just about the school leavers - it also has to be for those who are already in the workforce. Just this week we have heard that 500 people are set to lose their jobs at NZ Post. We need to make sure everyone is getting the chance to re-train and update their skills before their jobs disappear. We can’t stop the technological changes, but we can make sure that there is a just transition for those who are affected. Alongside the challenges of the future of work, there are also opportunities. As we have gone about the commission’s work over the last year we have been blown away by the amazing entrepreneurs we have met who are using technology and finding new ways of doing business. We want to support them to build our wealth from the ground up. This means encouraging small businesses and social entrepreneurs. Not just in our cities but also by supporting development in our regions that is sustainable and high value. Labour’s Future of Work is an exciting project but we can’t afford to be looking in the rear view mirror for the answers, we have to look ahead and plan for a future that gives everyone a fair shot at success. We owe our children and grandchildren nothing less. PN (JACINDA ARDERN) F JACINDA ARDERN, Labour List MP based in Auckland Central. www.jacinda.co.nz
LOCAL NEWS 254 PONSONBY ROAD: AKA LIQUOR KING, AKA PONSONBY PARK Our community-led design process funded by the Waitemata Local Board has moved into the next phase. The new facilitation group held its first meeting last month, taking up the task of liaising with the community to design (and then budget) the project. Back in 2000, a shortage of open space in the Ponsonby area was identified. The site at 254 Ponsonby Road was purchased in 2006 to remedy this situation. Options for the development of the site were included in the Ponsonby Road Masterplan process and because of the amount of feedback about the site, it was decoupled from the Masterplan and a separate process for 254 Ponsonby Road was conducted.
So, we would like to hear from you about what it is that you would most like to experience, feel or do there. Please send an email to: info@254Ponsonbyrd.org.nz and give us your thoughts and ideas. Community-led design is a ‘from the grass-roots up’, rather than the usual, ‘from the top down’ process. This is our chance to determine what the whole of the site open space may be. Be a part of the journey - it’s going to be brilliant. (JENNIFER WARD) F PN
This separate process resulted in 77% of all respondents preferring the whole of site open space. The consultation process also provided lots of additional information about what things are important to you, with the clear priorities being; a place to “sit and relax” followed by a “green space”.
You can also check out the website; www.254Ponsonbyrd.org.nz and the Facebook page www.facebook.com/PonsonbyPark
Percentage of respondents requesting specific outcomes in their comments
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DEIRDRE THURSTON: ON MY MIND
Dinner parties Dinner parties can be weird and/or wonderful things. A complete hit or a total miss. Dull and boring where you wonder if you could get away with feigning a migraine or a sudden-onset attack of flu before dessert and beat a hasty retreat, or fun and racy where you all end up scrabbling under beds and in backs of cupboards searching for a forgotten bottle of wine because even though it’s 2am, no one wants to go home yet. There are still so many songs you haven’t sung along to. A few weekends ago, I attended a dinner party. A rarity these days - so I was excited, not to mention looking forward to seeing my charming host again, along with a couple of friends and a couple of Unknowns. Always a worry, Unknowns, because who are they? Will they be fun or will conversation become a tedious struggle after the weather and the traffic have been exhausted. There are only so many pictures of their children at swimming sports, or the new renovations you can handle before a yawn has to be stifled. Also it tends to promote knocking back wine too fast and we all know where that can lead. This dinner party, however, was perfect, from the company, including the Unknowns - I loved them both and, hallelujah, not one photo of swimming sports or renos - the cuisine (oh my goodness, green snake beans and aubergine Sri Lankan-style, yum), the house, music and last but not least, the dog. What a sweetie, much like his owner. He spent a large part of the evening, when he wasn’t flopped on my feet under the table or pacing around suggesting it was bedtime, spread out, back legs akimbo, on a Turkish rug that showed his colouring off perfectly, with a fabric duck in his mouth. He looked like he was having a ‘moment’ - albeit a very long one - as he lay there, eyes half closed, soft muzzle slightly a-quiver. No doubt dreaming of feathers as opposed to fabric, his tawny tummy fur streaming with brackish lake water and perhaps the praise of his duck-hunter owner as he dropped the poor dead duck at his (or her) feet. There ain’t nothing like the real thing. Whatever, it was clear that he and the duck were close and woe-betide any of us who would come between them. I’m wondering if I will be allowed to walk the little honey one day. The dog, not the duck. I’m guessing it is the same for everyone, but I always feel better the next day after good food, company and plenty of laughter. I had a spring in my step post dinner as I walked with my lift back to the car. The late night/wee hours morning air was balmy and Ponsonby felt safe and, though quiet at that hour, still full of life and once again I felt extremely lucky to live here. Which could have its roots in that last, pretty, pink dessert rosé of course. As one of the night’s fabulous Unknowns said: Auckland is a truly cosmopolitan city to rival some of the best on the world’s stage. I agree. And, as always after a fun night, it has a more rosy glow than ever. I miss having a dog so much that I didn’t even blink an eye the next morning at all the aforementioned tawny dog fur firmly attached to my black jeans as I rescued them from floor to laundry heap.
LOCAL NEWS LOCALS FUNDRAISE FOR SHAVE FOR A CURE Andrea Smythe, an active Ponsonby/Grey Lynn resident and Brett Martin from Shout Hair on Richmond Road, joined forces recently to participate in Shave for a Cure, the annual fundraising event run by Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand. With locals, friends and family looking on, Andrea willingly gave up her locks for the cause. No stranger to volunteering and fundraising, Andrea raised over $1500 to have Brett give her the ultimate in hair cuts. She will be sporting her new look at the NZ Coastguard where she is a volunteer outside of her job with the Asylum Seekers Support Trust in Grey Lynn. Andrea, who is also a board member of the Grey Lynn Community Centre, found seeking sponsors and encouraging friends and family to contribute to the cause was fun and exciting and also a great opportunity to promote the work of LBC. But as the big day arrived she found out that losing your hair is a terrifying experience, despite being in the capable hands of Brett. Andrea has been with a number of friends and family experiencing cancer, and who experienced hair loss, so knows only too well the need for support for patients and families living with blood cancer that is provided by LBC. Brett was delighted to support Andrea’s fundraising efforts. As a local, he firmly believes businesses such as his are an important part of a community. Brett’s response to the event: “Andrea looks gorgeous and she deserves all the support she can for all the work she does for others. It was my pleasure to contribute to such a worthy cause.” Georgie Hackett, General Manager of Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, and also a Ponsonby resident says, “It’s so great to see local communities get behind Shave for a Cure. People right across the country from schools, community groups, businesses and many individuals have signed up this year. The money they raise helps us continue to run our service supporting patients and families living with blood cancers.” Andrea is still welcoming sponsorship to raise her target - donations can be made on www.shaveforacure.co.nz F PN
Now, after this fun dinner party, I want more dinner party action. On my walk the next morning, I gleefully made mental guest lists and menus and Spotify playlists. Should I borrow a couple of dogs? Or an araucana? They’re pretty wonderful and would lend an air of mystery (or perhaps just oddness). Then there’s the toileting issues. My araucana wouldn’t look nearly so mysterious wearing a nappy. Unfortunately, reality hit - I don’t have a dining table. Not only did I come away with a happy vibe from the dinner party and a few more laugh lines, aka crow’s feet, I also woke up with: House envy, dog envy, cooking skills envy and dining table envy. I’ll get over it as I peruse PN the real estate pages for apartments with dining rooms. (DEIRDRE THURSTON) F
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JOHN ELLIOTT: LOCAL NEWS
Cycling tracks around the city fringe More and more Aucklanders are choosing to travel by bike. It’s often the fastest way to get around for short journeys, it’s fun and easy, a low cost travel option that offers reliable journey times and it also benefits your health. Recognising the potential for cycling, Auckland Transport is working to create a future where more people feel comfortable riding a bike. It is developing a network of cycling routes to make greater Ponsonby easier to get around, and he has recently conducted a survey asking residents for comments and opinions on the AT plans. Auckland Transport received submissions from nearly 900 people, plus hundreds of online comments. Staff have not completed an analysis of the results yet. Improvements planned will create safer, more appealing routes for people on bikes. AT aim to improve pedestrian crossings and footpaths, and plan new landscaping and better signage. Auckland Transport is proposing continuous high quality cycle lanes on busy roads, ideally physically separated from general traffic. On quieter roads AT proposes to reduce traffic speeds and volumes to make it safer and more attractive to walk and cycle. This is a 10-year project but it will begin this year. The accompanying map shows existing or soon to be completed cycle ways in red and proposed ones in blue. When completed the inter-connecting walk and cycle ways will join up the dots through Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Herne Bay, Westmere and Pt Chevalier. Another new trend that will increase cycle use is electric motors on bikes. While some bikes come new with motors already in place, another innovation is a method of attaching motors to existing bikes. One of these new technologies is the Austrian-made ‘add-e’ conversion kit which is light and affordable. It suits those short range journeys where you can switch on the motor only when you really need it, say going up College Hill. As the importer of the add-e kit Deb King says, “There is no other form of transport quite like the invention of the bike that can offer three fundamental human needs - for our health, for social and for environmental benefits.” Deb King has visited the United States and observed the paradigm shift occurring in transport. “Over the next few years,” she told Ponsonby News, “we will witness an evolution in transport, both public and private, using Light Electric Vehicles. Electric bikes are just one aspect of those sea changes.”
There will be increasing opportunities for cafes and restaurants to provide leads for recharging bike batteries while riders have a coffee and a cake. Even a cycle bus is about to hit our roads. How good would it be for, say, Ponsonby Road, to have a tram-style bus bike, carrying up to eight people, commuting up and down the street every day. Ponsonby News also spoke to Kathryn King, Auckland Transport Cycling and Walking Manager. Kathryn is a passionate cyclist herself who lives in Pt Chevalier. She told us AT was thrilled with the response to their survey with the nearly 900 responses including residents associations, schools and individuals. “We will now look at all the feedback and compile a report which will be made available to the public soon. It will then be used to inform various projects in the area, the first of which will start later this year,” Kathryn said. Kathryn also commented on E-bikes. She told us the popularity of E-bikes is a contributing factor to the growth in cycling. “We’re running courses so people can test out electric bikes and see if they’re right for them,” she said. Ponsonby News is pleased to see the commitment by Auckland Transport to better community consultation. This is excellent bottom up planning, rather than top down PN imposition. That is how urban design should be created. (JOHN ELLIOTT) F For more information and to sign up for a course, visit the AT website. There will be more public consultations when AT has developed the projects further. AT will be posting out brochures to local people, putting ads in the newspaper and putting information on the AT website www.AT.govt.nz. You can contact Deb King to find out more about electric bikes and buses via E: deb@quikes.co.nz
Pippa Coom at the opening of the causeway bridge which is on the North Western cycleway
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
LOCAL NEWS PONSONBY COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWS Ponsy Kids Preschool
Ponsonby Community Centre Programmes:
• 20 ECE funded hours. • New session times developed to meet the needs of our community.
Term 2 is upon us and we have a great line up of classes for our local community. We have some new classes to add to our regular term schedule as well. Below is just a summary of classes on offer at both sites, please visit our website for more class/ contact information. Ponsonby Community Centre • Yoga Classes • Speech and Drama Classes for Children • Twighlight Toastmasters • AA Primary Purpose • Preschool Ballerina • Jumping Beans • Life Drawing • Women in Business Groups
• • • • • • •
Young At Art Music Classes for Kids Riai Aikido AA Meditation Pattern Making Community Playgroup - Tuesdays Portrait Drawing
This month we held a parents’ evening to raise funds for our upcoming playground redevelopment. ‘Not Your Ordinary Pub Quiz’ was a fun and interactive quiz that challenged our teams of parents. The questions involved more than just general knowledge and included paper dart making and taste testing to identify food ingredients.
Leys Institute Gymnasium Hall • Tai Chi • Aerial Fitness • Salsa Dance Classes • Rhythmic Gymnastics • Parkor Classes • Tumbling and Trampolining • Gym Kids School Holiday Programme - July • Gymnastics Classes for Preschool, Primary Intermediate and Secondary School students
During the evening, a silent and live auction was held with some wonderful items to bid on. The live auction items were very popular and attracted a lot of bidding. Some of the items on offer were:
New classes for Term 2 • Capoeira (Brazilian Martial Arts) • Spanish Language Classes
• Preschool Music Group • Sarita Yoga - Wednesday evenings
• A child’s All Blacks jersey signed with a message from Dan Carter. • A sailing experience on the Hauraki Gulf with ISAF World Cup winners Alex Maloney and Molly Meech. • Red Bull Drift Shifters VIP Family pass. • Mad Mike Whiddett Drift Car Racing Experience. • M.A.C 90-minute makeup lesson and $500 worth of M.A.C product. • A package for two people to attend Cuvée on Melbourne Cup Day at Ellerslie. • Family VIP tickets to the opening night of Ice Age Live.
Ceramic and Book Sale • Sunday 1 May 9am - 3pm
• Ponsonby Community Centre
The night was very successful and enjoyed by all. We really appreciate the generosity of our families and local business’s who donated many wonderful items for the auctions. A very special thank you to one of our families for providing the very beautiful venue, the Old Magistrates Court Building. Ponsy Kids T: 09 376 0896, E: julie@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
On display and for sale will be a beautiful collection of ceramics by leading Auckland makers including Nadine Spalter, Gidon Bing, and members of the Auckland Studio Potters. A special selection of books from Auckland University Press, Beatnik and other publishers will be available along with delicious baking (homemade, kosher and glutenfree), Miller’s coffee and Tea Total teas. Kids welcome - come along and make your own Mother’s Day card. F PN For more information please T: 09 378 1752, E: info@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz, www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz Facebook: Ponsonby Community Centre
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PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE Since we published our cafes and restaurants list last year, there have been 40 newcomers who have opened in the Western Bays area. There are also some omissions, where some businesses have declined to be listed. We hope our guide gives readers some compelling reasons to try some of those listed… all that remains to be said is ENJOY! ALLPRESS COFFEE, 266 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 4726, www.allpressespresso.com Passionate about coffee? This is a must-visit store to experience exceptional tasting coffee. Enjoy a perfect cup of espresso or discover single origin coffees and blends as a filter brew. A selection of fresh-roasted beans is available for brewing at home and biscotti, handcrafted European style biscuits, are baked on site. ANDIAMO, 194 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 7811, www.andiamo.co.nz Andiamo head chef Scott Smith says the most popular dishes are the fresh buffalo mozzarella with vine tomato and basil and the hearty braised oxtail and caramelised onion rigatoni. In winter you can enjoy a glass of wine from their award-winning list by the open fire. Open 7 days and nights and brunch on the weekend from 9am. ARCH HILL ESPRESSO, 333 Great North Road, T: 09 376 1401 Delicious pies, sandwiches and cakes made fresh everyday on site. Open Monday -Friday, 6.30am-2.30pm and Saturday, 7am-1pm. BAMBINA, 268 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 4000, www.bambinaponsonby.co.nz Bambina is a casual, relaxed breakfast and lunch cafe where simple food using only the freshest ingredients has been served for more than 19 years. Licensed for beer and wine, Bambina is an all-time favourite that consistently delivers and is a fabulous place to meet friends for coffee, breakfast or lunch. Monday-Friday, 6.30am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday, 7am-4pm. BARKAT INDIAN, 572 Great North Road, T: 09 376 1600, www.barkatindian.co.nz Barkat Indian takeaway provides an authentic taste and variety of Indian food at a very affordable price. If you are wanting to try any Indian curries (veg or non veg/ all halal), biryani and starters such as samosa, chicken tikka, seekh kebab, fish pakora, veg pakora or tandoori chicken, Barkat is the best place for locals. They also do catering. Open 10.30am-10.30pm, Monday-Saturday, 4pm-10.30pm Sunday. BEDFORD SODA & LIQUOR, Ponsonby Central, 5 Richmond Road, T: 09 378 7362, www.bedfordsodaliquor.co.nz Bedford Soda & Liquor is a New York-inspired neighbourhood bar named after Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Serving handmade sodas, cocktails, floats, shakes, meatballs and sundaes. Open 12 noon-12am, 7 days with an eclectic mix of DJs playing from 6pm Thursday-Saturday. BEN & JERRY’S PONSONBY, 160 Ponsonby Road Enjoy Ben & Jerry’s the way it was originally intended! Dig into any of their euphoria inducing ice cream flavours. Hand scooped with custom-built cones and sundaes, it’s ice cream the way it was originally served by Ben and Jerry themselves. The perfect way to finish a meal is with a walk along the Ponsonby strip to this dessert destination. BEST UGLY BAGELS, Shed 3, City Works Depot, T: 09 366 3926, www.bestugly.co.nz Montreal style bagels prepared daily. Every one is hand-rolled and baked in a wood -fired stone oven right before your eyes. Fresh bagels are available to take home or you can enjoy bagel sandwiches made to order. They offer breakfast spreads such as marmite or jam ‘with a lick of butter’. Try the ‘Yodi’ house pastrami, habanero mustard, grilled cheese topped with a pickle or the classic ‘King Salmon’ smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, capers, dill and lemon juice. Open 7 days, 7am-3pm.
offer chicken sandwiches and quarter, half or whole free-range rotisserie roasted chickens with a choice of bastes from Jamaican jerk, Korean bbq, salsa verde and truffle butter (the ‘Ponsy Coq’). Vegetarians are catered for with a grilled cheese sandwich, beer battered chips, roast vegetables and salads. Open 7 days, 10.30am -10.30pm. BLAKE STREET CAFE, Corner Blake Street & Prosford Street T: 09 360 6261, www.blakestcafe.co.nz Relax, unwind and enjoy the ambience, wine and delicious food. The menu includes the all day breakfast, brunch and lunch. Try the Euro breakfast plate or the Big Kiwi breakfast. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 8am-4pm all year except Christmas Day. No surcharge on public holidays. BOLLIWOOD, 110 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 6477, www.bolliwood.co.nz Bolliwood restaurant offers quality food achieved by employing five-star chefs from India. Check out their special set menus that include vegetarian banquet, the Maharaja Banquet and the Bolliwood Special Banquet. $10 mains on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and $10 lunch special. Open 7 days, 11.30am -2.30pm and 5pm-late. BONA PIZZA, 286a Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 8866, www.bonapizzeria.co.nz With 17 years experience, owner Pedro Komai offers a taste of fine Italian pizza and pasta. Bona Pizza is fully licensed and BYO with a happy hour from 4.30pm every day - $5 beer and glass of wine. You can eat in or take advantage of their delivery service and they cater for private functions. Open 7 days. BONITA, 242 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 5670, www.bonitabar.co.nz Bonita is a wine and tapas bar with an excellent wine list and cocktail credentials. Bonita’s relaxed atmosphere is the perfect place for a casual drink or tapas indulgence. Happy hour runs from 4pm-6pm daily. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 4pm-late. BOY AND BIRD, 222 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 3222, www.boyandbird.co.nz A fresh, vibrant eatery specialising in tasty and succulent free-range birds, along with extensive options for non-bird eaters! Dine in and enjoy something from the boutique drinks menu or choose to take home a delicious meal cooked from scratch. BURGER BURGER, The Lane, Ponsonby Central, T: 09 360 8030, www.burgerburger.co.nz Where they make simple, honest burgers, serve old-fashioned shakes and really cold beers and bubbles. Open 7 days, 12 noon-late. BURGERFUEL, 114 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 6466, www.burgerfuel.com The flagship store in Ponsonby was the first BurgerFuel built and for over a decade has been engineering the ultimate burger, built with the freshest ingredients. This includes gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. Open Sunday-Thursday, 11am10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-3am. BURGER WISCONSIN, 168 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1894, www.burgerwisconsin.co.nz Burger Wisconsin has been on Ponsonby Road for 27 years. The menu is regularly updated on their website and you can phone in your order for pick-up from 11.30am -late, 7 days a week. They offer delivery on online orders within five kilometres.
BIG SUR, 432 Richmond Road, 09 361 6196 This vegetarian cafe is situated in the middle of the West Lynn shops, right next to Dear Reader. Their menu has nine different options. Try the fried upma, which are Indian spiced yellow split pea fritters with coriander and mint raita, tomato kasundi, watercress and a freerange poached egg! Yummy and spicy!
BYZANTIUM CAFE, 80 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 3695, www.cafebyzantium.co.nz Byzantium is a friendly fully licensed cafe and restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. A private function room is also available. Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch and Tuesday-Sunday for dinner.
BIRD ON A WIRE, Ponsonby Central, T: 09 361 3407, www.birdonawire.co.nz Bird On A Wire is a fresh and simple free-range rotisserie chicken store. They
CAFE CEZANNE, 296 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 3338 For 37 years, Cafe Cezanne has been world-famous in Ponsonby for its wall murals and yummy food and coffee at reasonable prices. Renowned for healthy salads,
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CAFE O, 34/332 Great North Road, T: 09 360 1860, www.cafeo.co.nz Cafe O is O Catering’s flagship cafe located in Grey Lynn. With a funky, retro-inspired interior, it’s a glamourous yet casual and comfortable affair. With all day sun and uber-friendly staff, Cafe O is a favourite destination for discerning cafe-goers. They serve Allpress Coffee and modern Pacific cuisine, with an all-day breakfast and lunch menu, counter food, fresh juices and smoothies and a takeaway menu. Open Monday -Friday 9am-2.30pm CAFE VIET, 2 Surrey Crescent, T: 09 378 8738, www.cafeviet.co.nz They offer authentic Vietnamese food with small plates and main plates to choose from. Try the bang bang prawns or the fragrant and herbaceous pho - Vietnam’s national beef noodle soup. Open Tuesday-Sunday 5.30-late. CAKE & CO, 2/175 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 3479, www.cakeandco.co.nz Cake & Co focuses on fresh and healthy ingredients. They offer a good selection of gluten, dairy and egg-free cakes, with low sugar where possible. Popular flavours are dark chocolate and raspberry, ginger and white chocolate, lemon curd and coconut, fig, ricotta and hazelnut, salty peanut caramel, hummingbird and lavender. They offer orders for wholesale, corporate, weddings, birthdays and baby showers. Try their beautiful organic BeSpa Tea and organic and fair trade Peoples Coffee. Open Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm, Saturday, 9.30am-4pm, Sunday, 11am-4pm. CAFFETTERIA ALLPRESS, Corner Drake and Adelaide Streets, T: 09 369 5842, www.allpressespresso.com Located within the roastery, Caffetteria is a neighbourhood hub where you can enjoy expertly prepared Allpress hot air-roasted coffee, their iconic Italian-style
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sandwiches and healthy smoothies. A selection of blends and single origin coffee is available for brewing fresh at home. The knowledgeable team is happy to help. CALUZZI BAR AND CABARET, 461 Karangahape Road, T: 09 357 0778, www.caluzzi.co.nz Legendary Caluzzi Bar and Cabaret offers an unforgettable dining experience with entertainment by New Zealand’s most awarded drag artistes. It’s an interactive cabaret show with fabulous food, dazzling costumes, DJs and disco and is a great place to have a social get together. Bookings are essential. CASA DEL GELATO - PONSONBY, 288 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 8457, www.casadelgelato.co.nz Based on the Sicilian style of gelato, they use only fresh milk and cream, and a majority of their natural flavours are gluten free. They combine the finest ingredients sourced from Italy, with the best of New Zealand seasonal fresh and frozen fruits. Open Monday-Thursday, 12 noon-10pm, Friday-Saturday, 12 noon -11pm, and Sunday, 12 noon-10pm. CASA DEL GELATO - VICTORIA PARK MARKET, Victoria Park Market, T: 09 309 0919, www.casadelgelato.co.nz Based on the Sicilian style of gelato, they use only fresh milk and cream and natural flavours. They take pride in sourcing only the finest ingredients such as pistachio, almond and hazelnut from Bronte in Sicily, and blood orange, lemon and mandarin from Palermo. CATROUX, 129 West End Road, T: 09 376 3590, www.catroux.co.nz Catroux offers a delicious seasonal brunch menu plus a cabinet full of tantalising salads and savouries. For the sweet tooth there is plenty of baking (they also have an amazing online cake ordering system). They make fresh juices, green smoothies and serve Eighthirty coffee. There is a children’s sandpit and blackboard out the back. They also offer a catering menu. Open Monday-Friday, 6.45am-3.30pm, Saturday and Sunday, 7.30am-3.30pm. No reservations.
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they also offer a vegetarian menu, gluten-free options and a children’s menu, and everything is available to takeaway. Fully licensed and BYO wine. Open Monday -Friday, 7am-late, Saturday-Sunday, 8am-late.
PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE
CHARLIE BOYS COFFEE BAR, 167 Great North Road, T: 09 376 4585 Delicious homemade cabinet food and baking all made on site. Available for functions. Open Monday-Thursday, 7am-3.30pm and Friday 7am-3pm. CHARMINAR - CUISINES OF INDIA, 14 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 4478, www.charminar.co.nz Charminar is a new Indian restaurant located where Navas was on Ponsonby Road, directly opposite Studio One. They offer traditional and legendary Indian dishes. You will enjoy Indian authentic menu items such as Afghani Chicken, Tandoori, Lamb Chops and plenty more. Open for lunch, dinners and takeaways. CHERRY AND WHITES, 483 Richmond Road, M: 021 211 3752 Cherry and Whites is a favourite among locals for its amazing coffee and relaxed, friendly atmosphere. They offer a great range of baked goodies supplied daily by Scratch Bakers and the cabinet is stocked with delicious sandwiches and salads. They use award-winning Altura coffee and also have single origin options available. Beans are available to be purchased to take home. The smoothies are popular and proudly made from real ingredients. Open weekdays 6.30am-3pm and weekends 8am-2pm. CHOP CHOP NOODLE HOUSE & WHISKEY BAR, Ponsonby Central, 140 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 0708, www.ponsonbychopchop.co.nz A punk ramen bar with The Eagles on the radio, lip-smacking pork buns, fried chicken - and a damn fine selection of whisky. Expect handsome descriptions, like their peaty 10-year Ardberg, hailed as “a long and glorious mix of sea-salted caramel and beach bonfire smoke”. They’ll even spike your choice of milkshake with a slug of
Charminar, Ponsonby Road
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bourbon. Chop Chop’s where great whisky gets a side of tasty Asian. Open seven days 12 noon-late. CIMA SUSHI, 5 College Hill, T: 09 366 6175 Located at the bottom of College Hill, directly opposite New World, Cima Sushi is offering Donburi and sushi to takeaway. They offer several vegetarian sushi roll fillings including steamed green beans with sesame seeds, tempura pumpkin, seaweed salad, avocado and cucumber. Open Monday-Friday, 9.30am-3pm. CLOONEY, 33 Sale Street, T: 09 358 1702, www.clooney.co.nz Fine dining here is an experience, an elegant and clever use of space in a large modern room with exceptional cuisine created by executive chef Des Harris. His food is sophisticated and expertly crafted with assertive flavours and simplicity. Open 7 nights, 5.30pm-late. COCO’S CANTINA, 374-376 Karangahape Road, T: 09 300 7582, www.cocoscantina.co.nz This is a lively, busy, noisy bistro and bar bustling with energy. The food is best described as rustic Italian with influences from the Mediterranean and service is slick and skilful. No reservations required, but you can sit at the bar and enjoy a great wine or cocktail while you wait. Check out the new communal dining room. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 5pm-late. COCORO, 56a Brown Street, T: 09 360 0927, www.cocoro.co.nz Cocoro means ‘the heart and soul’ in Japanese and the food and service they provide comes with all their heart and soul. They serve Jun Mai pure rice sake and there is an emphasis on organic and biodynamic wines. They now offer a sushi and sashimi course. Reservations are taken for the degustation menu only, casual walk-ins are welcome. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 12 noon-2pm and 5.30pm-10pm. COLLEGE HILL CAFE, 25 College Hill, T: 09 309 0804 Open for breakfast and lunch, College Hill Cafe offers a wide variety of cabinet and made-to-order food. Their chicken laksa is really popular and they serve Burton coffee. Catering is also available. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-3.30pm.
Cocoro’s Makoto Tokuyama and Ricky Lee PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
photography: Michael McClintock
CHAPEL BAR & BISTRO, 147 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 4528, www.chapel.co.nz A Ponsonby institution, Chapel embodies the spirit of Auckland’s most iconic and sociable boulevard. It is the perfect place for drinks with friends after work, for dinner, a snack or a night out. Well worth the visit to sample delicious and very affordable fare such as the crispy Italian-style pizzas. Open Monday-Wednesday, 3pm-late and Thursday-Sunday, 12 noon-late.
CRAFT KITCHEN, 2 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 1962, www.craftkitchen.co.nz Serving up a variety of wholesome handmade goodies daily you can have cooked to order. Choose from the cabinet or from their range of paleo dishes and treats such as paleo hazelnut chocolate cookies. Open 7 days, Monday-Friday 7am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am-3pm. CREPES A GO GO, Ponsonby Central, 138 Ponsonby Road, www.crepesagogo.co.nz Authentic French sweet crepes and savory galettes made from the best ingredients New Zealand has to offer: real chocolate, homemade caramel, freshly squeezed lemon juice, free-farmed ham, free-range eggs, organic buckwheat, sugar and dairy -free option. Takeaway or dine in, check the website for opening hours.
as brownie, fruits and nuts, on the custom-engineered cold stone facilities, creates divine-tasting desserts in front of your eyes! Open Monday-Sunday, 1pm-10.30pm. DIDA’S FOOD STORE, 54 Jervois Road, T: 09 361 6157, www.didas.co.nz Delicious food and exceptional coffee, created from the heart. Eat in or takeaway. Didas has an extensive and impressive deli counter, boasting an impressive array of lunch options, salads, tarts, pies, wraps and sandwiches alongside a well presented cafe menu. A perfect place for breakfast and lunch, there’s also a smart little wine list and beer selection. Open 7 days, 7am-7pm. DIDA’S WINE LOUNGE & TAPAS, 54 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 2813 www.didas.co.nz Dida’s Wine Lounge encourages leisurely engagements with the comprehensive wine list and the ever-changing, always-innovative tapas menu. The talented culinary team works hard to pair perfect morsels with the multiple by-the-glass options of local and imported and hard-to-find wines. It’s a perfect spot to lose a few hours in while broadening your hedonistic horizons. Open 7 days, 12 noon-late.
CRUMB, Corner Crummer Road and Ariki Street, www.crumb.co.nz Crumb is a relaxed and friendly corner store, doing the basics and doing them well. It’s suited for a bite and a drink on the run or perfect for settling in and having a yarn. They’re here to bring the community and locals together on a beautiful corner in Grey Lynn. Open Tuesday-Friday, 7am-3pm. Saturday-Sunday, 8am-4pm. CUP AND BUN, 2a Hakanoa Street, M: 027 704 9614 Cup and Bun is an espresso bar started by Andy JV, who owned Rakinos for 12 years. Situated in Hakanoa Street in Grey Lynn (two doors down from Freida Margolis) Cup and Bun specialises not only in espresso, but also high quality single origins through a Moccamaster, V60 and also homemade Coldbrew. Delicious filled buns and sweet treats are available in the cabinet fresh daily and options are changed weekly. Dida’s, Jervois Road
DANTE’S PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA, Ponsonby Central, 136 Ponsonby Road T: 09 378 4443, www.dantespizzeria.co.nz Owner Kevin Morris and his team blend fresh ingredients imported straight from Italy to create award-winning pizzas. You eat this pizza folded over, like a New Yorker, portafoglio-style, which is Italian for ‘wallet’. The sour dough takes four days to prepare, is hand stretched and made to order. This means that the gluten in the dough has time to settle, and will not upset those with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance. The buffalo cheese is airfreighted from Italy. DAZZLE CAFE, 304A Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1188 Run by lovely, friendly staff, Dazzle Cafe offers fresh salads and sandwiches made daily. They also have an all-day breakfast menu and lunch menu and a quick and easy $10 menu for people on the run. Offering a range of delicious cakes and slices as well as yummy brioche French toast and scrumptious herbed potato cakes. If you’re looking for something more substantial try their open chicken sandwich or their dazzle burger with yummy house made sauce. Fully licensed. Open Monday -Saturday, from 7am-4pm. DEAR JERVOIS, 234 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 7278, www.dearjervois.com A popular and very busy local cafe with wheat-free, gluten-free and vegan offerings. The menu boasts a range of options for all. The portobello mushrooms and potato hash stack (VG, GF), Be Good Vegan - quinoa, brown rice, beetroot, kimchi, pumpkin, coriander, sesame seeds, drizzled with cashew aioli, or the waffles - all their waffle mixes are gluten free. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm and Saturday and Sunday, 8am-4pm, closed Tuesday. DELLOWS KITCHEN, 212 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 6156, www.dellowskitchen.co.nz Dellows Kitchen provides fresh seasonal food for all occasions, excellent coffees and friendly and warm service. Check out their time-saving fresh or frozen take-home meal options. Open Monday-Saturday, 7am-4pm and Sunday, 7am-3pm. DESSERT DOJO, 95c Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 0919, www.dessertdojo.co.nz Dessert Dojo offers an exciting and innovative way of producing mouth-watering ice-cold desserts. The mixing of ice cream with a variety of quality toppings such The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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CONCH KITCHEN & BAR, 115a Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1999, www.conch.co.nz The Conch Kitchen & Bar is part of the entertainment scene day and night, serving South American inspired food, New Zealand organic wines, fresh sugar cane cocktails and local craft beers. Open Monday-Thursday 4pm-late, Friday-Sunday 8am-late (winter hours).
PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE DIZENGOFF, 256 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 0108 People will make a special trip from near and far to get their morning coffee at Dizengoff. They serve a Jewish-inspired menu for breakfast and lunch and it is the place to go for a tasty meal with a difference. Open 7 days, 6.30am-5pm. EAST RESTAURANT, 171d Ponsonby Road T: 09 360 6085, www.east.co.nz A casual dine-in environment, the meals have a western spin on popular Asian cuisine and are served in a funky box. The menu covers cuisine from Japan in the north to Indonesia in the south. Dine-in, takeaway or have your food delivered. Open Monday -Friday, 11.30am-3pm and 4.30pm-10pm, Saturday-Sunday, 4.30pm-10pm. EAT AT THE SHELTER, 78 Mackelvie Street, T: 09 929 4517, www.theshelter.co.nz Eat at The Shelter, is offering the best that the Auckland food and coffee scene has to offer. Enjoy treats from Catroux, seed loaf from The Midnight Baker or a Best Ugly Bagels with your daily serving of protein and greens. Complement your meal with Eighthirty Coffee Roasters coffee or a nutritious seasonal vegetable blend. Gluten free, dairy free and sugar free options are all available. Open weekdays - 7.30am -3.30pm; Saturday and Sunday 8.30am-4pm. EIGHTHIRTY COFFEE ROASTERS, Ponsonby Central, 4 Brown Street and 553 Karangahape Road, T: 09 551 3236, www.eighthirty.com They’re a little coffee roaster specialising in ethically-sourced coffee, be it Fairtrade, organic or rain forest alliance. You can pop in for a takeaway coffee at either location. The Ponsonby store is open Monday-Friday, 7.30am-4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8.30am-4.30pm; The K’ Road store is open Monday-Friday, 7am-3.30pm. EL SIZZLING CHORIZO ARGENTINIAN BBQ, Ponsonby Central 136 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 0119, www.elsizzlingchorizo.co.nz Try the real flavour of the Argentinian Pampas right here in the heart of Ponsonby. Offering Argentinian barbecue asado, home-made chorizo and empanadas. They’re also licensed. Open 7 days from 11.30am-9.30pm, Friday-Saturday open till 10.30pm. EMPRESS GARDEN RESTAURANT, 227 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 5550, www.empressgardenrestaurant.co.nz Renowned for their Peking duck, which must be pre-ordered, Empress Garden is on the corner of Herne Bay Road and Jervois Road and has been serving delicious Chinese food for over 34 years. Open 7 days, 12 noon-2.30pm and 5.30pm-10pm. EMPRESS OF INDIA, 2 Surrey Crescent T: 09 378 8780, www.empressofindia.co.nz This Indian restaurant is located on the corner of Surrey Crescent. It has a large well presented dining room, and the staff is welcoming. Try something a little bit different, like the Empress Special Curry (chicken/lamb/beef) cooked with onions, fenugreek and Indian mild spices. Open 7 days, lunch 11am-2.30pm, dinner 5pm-till late. EPOLITO’S,166 Richmond Road, T: 09 361 1593, www.epolitospizzeria.co.nz Epolito’s makes traditional New York-style pizza, from classics to something new! Epolito’s Pizzeria is open Tuesday-Saturday from 5pm. ERAWAN THAI RESTAURANT & BAR, 280 Richmond Road, www.erawanthai.co.nz Erawan Thai has built a reputation over the past 14 years for its excellence. What makes it so special is the courteous, obliging and helpful staff. The restaurant has consistently superb food and a good wine list. Open 7 days for dinner and takeaway. ESPRESSO CORNER, Unit 16, 210-218 Victoria Street West, T: 09 366 7776 Espresso Corner Cafe Victoria Park Market is serving organic Allpress coffee and freshly baked food everyday. They bake their own bread, muffins, scones, cakes, slices and prepare fresh sandwiches. They roast chicken daily and serve it with salad. Homemade cooking is available - moussaka, lasagna, burgers. They offer gluten-free, vegan and raw food daily. Open 7.30am-3.30pm, Monday-Friday and 9am-4pm Sunday.
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FARINA, 244 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 390 6213, www.farina.co.nz Situated in a bright airy space at the top of Summer Street, Farina (meaning ‘flour’ in Italian) has fast become a popular eatery. Sergio Maglione and Mike Ross offer the legendary metre-long pizzas, perfect for sharing with a group of friends at one of their communal tables. Also on offer are fresh pasta dishes, a range of Neapolitan antipasti and more. Open 7 days, 12 noon-10pm. FARRO FRESH FOOD, 34 Westmoreland Street West, T: 09 360 0499, www.farrofresh.co.nz Farro Fresh is a unique one-stop, fresh food market. Whether you’re stopping in for a quick coffee or looking for the ingredients for a recipe, they have it all under one roof. Farro stocks the very best local and international ingredients and prides itself on being a one-stop shop for fresh, wholesome and delicious food. FATIMA’S, 240 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 9303, www.fatimas.co.nz Serving Middle Eastern takeout with a unique twist. Fatima’s is all about flavour and fresh produce. Zingy lemon, fresh herbs and the warm aromatic spices from the East. Taste their harissa chicken, spiced lamb or fresh falafel wrapped up in a toasted pita with their handmade salads and sauces. They also offer potato koftas with sweet chilli aioli. Open 7days, 11.30am-10pm. FIERA CHARCOAL BBQ, 112 Wellington Street, T: 09 376 1688 At Fiera Charcoal BBQ, they use the freshest of New Zealand meat, seafood, vegetables and wheat products, with lamb skewer the main feature on their menu. With the charcoal barbecue cooking method, they use the finest selection of charcoal to get the best results. Try their fresh and delicious charcoal barbecue shashliks accompanied by original Taiwanese lager beer, pineapple flavoured beer or mango flavoured beer! FISH FISH, Ponsonby Central, 4 Brown Street, T: 09 390 4397, www.fishfish.co.nz Fish Fish is a fishmonger, takeaway and dine-in restaurant from the team behind Burger Burger. They source the fish from Auckland Fish Markets and Yellow Brick Road, and will cook it to your preference, battered or panfried. They are proud to serve fresh and delicious seafood, seven days a week. FIVE LOAVES EATERY, 208 Jervois Road T: 09 361 5820 They have an interesting brunch menu and a variety of cabinet food to eat in or take out. A wide range of healthy heat-and-eat convenience meals such as lasagne, smoked fish pies and chicken cacciatore are available. Open 7 days. FOOD TRUCK GARAGE, City Works Depot, 90 Wellesley Street West, T: 09 973 2305, www.foodtruckgarage.co.nz Food Truck Garage is the bustling home of The Food Truck, where chefs proudly serve up healthier versions of classic fast food including burgers, tacos and sodas. With a huge garage door that opens up to the sunshine, plenty of parking and Hallertau beer on tap, it’s the perfect place to grab a quick, healthy and affordable feed on the run. Open Monday-Saturday, 11am-late, Sunday 11am-3.30pm. Dine in and takeaway. FOXTROT PARLOUR, Ponsonby Central, 7 Richmond Road, T: 09 378 7268, www.foxtrotparlour.co.nz It’s no surprise that Foxtrot Parlour is owned by Tara Brogan, who was also the brains and the palate behind popular Grey Lynn staple Savour & Devour and food design specialist at Quintessential Kitchen. Her attention to detail is always exceptional, and from the food to the coffee to the staff Foxtrot is pretty damn flawless. No longer a secret are their famous injectable doughnuts and, of course, the bulging cabinet of home-baked delights. They offer Supreme coffee, or try their now much copied green smoothie - kiwifruit, mint and spinach. FRED’S, Corner Franklin and Ponsonby Roads, T: 09 360 1551, www.fredsespresso.co.nz Fred’s is basically Agnes Curran with a facelift, with an emphasis on friendliness. They’ve kept all the favourites from the good ‘old’ days, ie, lamingtons, but have expanded the menu to include gourmet hot dogs, toasties, Bircher muesli, halloumi salad, traditional and experimental milkshakes. They are open early till 3pm on weekdays and 4pm on weekends.
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PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE FREEMAN & GREY, 43 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 6496, www.freemanandgrey.co.nz Freeman & Grey is a great sunny spot with a laid-back atmosphere, great sharing plates menu and a heap of fun to be had. It’s the perfect location for that special event, birthday, corporate or Christmas. They’ll take the stress out of your next function, offering a wide range of food and beverage options, and can sort audio visual details for you. Open from 12 noon Monday-Sunday. FUSION CAFE, 32 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 4573 Fusion has a wonderful outdoor garden which features a sandpit making it ideal for relaxing with Allpress coffee. Fully licensed and with a seasonal menu, its a great spot for enjoying breakfast or lunch with the family. Fusion is also available for functions. Open Monday-Friday 7am-4pm, Saturday & Sunday 8am-4pm. GABLES KITCHEN & BAR, 248 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 4994, www.gables.kitchen Gables Kitchen & Bar is a great well-known local, offering functions in a cool, contemporary setting. It has friendly, knowledgeable staff who will ensure that your event runs smoothly. It offers gorgeous canapés, mouth-watering buffets, elegant set menus from spit roast or barbeque. Choose from a beautifully crafted wine list, fantastic range of tap and bottle beers and the great selection of spirits, organic juices and lots more. GARNET STATION, 85 Garnet Road, T: 09 360 3397, www.garnetstation.com Garnet Station Licensed Cafe serves cooked breakfasts, seven days a week and thin, crispy wood-fired pizzas on Wednesday-Sunday nights. They use Chiasso organic coffee, Green Valley organic milk, free-range eggs and only organic meat. Great vegetarian salads, GF options, sweet treats. Lots of cosy seating in the house or outside down the sunny lane. Free venue hire. Open Wednesday-Saturday 7am10pm, Sunday 8am-8pm, Monday-Tuesday 7am-4pm. GELATO AMANTE, 49 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 8833, www.gelatoamante.co.nz Gelato Amante is a family-owned business serving genuine Italian ice cream. If you are after a late coffee or dessert, they are situated just across from the Ponsonby International Food Court. Open until midnight with a promise of hot desserts coming soon for the winter months. GREEN KEEPER CAFE, Corner Halsey and Fanshawe Streets, T: 09 302 0425, www.greenkeeper.co.nz A unique historic cottage (circa 1906) set inside Victoria Park is perfect for catching up with friends or a takeaway for lunch at the park, and the handy location is excellent for business meetings, with separate rooms available to book for larger groups. Their menu has been carefully selected around seasonal availability, utilising free-range and organic (where possible) ingredients, local artisan products and sustainable practises to create restaurant-quality food, to either eat-in, or take out at reasonable cafe prices. Specialising in wholesome salads, American-style deli sandwiches (Hoagies), and handmade pasta and sauces.
HANA SUSHI, 596 Great North Road, T: 09 361 2008 Made fresh every day, the sushi is laid out in immaculate formation in a very long cabinet. Sushi sells out quickly here - it’s a popular go to in Grey Lynn for lunch whether dining in or takeaway. Open Monday-Friday 10am-4pm. HANSIK, 9 Drake Street, Freemans Bay, T: 09 930 0055, www.hansik.co.nz Hansik is a Korean bar and restaurant located right next to Victoria Park Market and is great for after work drinks. The outdoor deck is a ideal for sunny afternoon cocktails to go with its mouth-watering menu of authentic Korean barbecue. IL BUCO, 113 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 4414, www.ilbuco.co.nz Il Buco serves the best Roman pizza by the slice. You can buy one slice for a snack or 100 slices for a party. Owner and barista Jonny Rudduck serves Supreme coffee and other popular menu items are beef lasagne, tiramisu and the little shots of hot chocolate are to die for. Open Monday-Friday, 8am-9pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8am-8pm. IL FORNO, 55 Mackelvie Street, T: 09 378 0264 A bakery and cafe specialising in traditional Italian fare and bakery items, including fresh croissants, pastries, homemade cakes and a wide selection of breads along with an interesting selection of deli products to take home. The coffee is pretty good too. Open 7 days, 7am-4pm. iVILLAGE, 216 Victoria Street West, Victoria Park Market T: 09 309 4009, www.ivillageatvictoria.co.nz This Indian restaurant has recently celebrated their third birthday. Relive the joys of a bygone era; enjoy traditionally cooked Indian cuisine in a rustic setting. Open lunch Tuesday-Friday, 12 noon-2.30pm; dinner 7 nights, 5pm till late. JAFA, 551 Richmond Road, T: 09 361 1100 Jafa has a cool laid-back atmosphere with a warm and welcoming team. There’s Allpress coffee and fabulous food like lamb’s fry and bacon or Balinese sticky black rice. There is a conference room upstairs for private group breakfasts, lunches or corporate meetings. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am-4pm. JAFA BY NIGHT, 551 Richmond Road, T: 09 820 4143 The coming together of four head chefs from across Auckland’s finest dining destinations under the leadership of a dentist of all people has culminated in one of the coolest pop-up spots for dinner in town. An ever-changing fine dining menu complemented by great service and a tidy wine list. There is nowhere else quite like this in Auckland. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 6pm within Jafa cafe. Here for a good time, not a long time! JANKEN, 158 Jervois Road, T: 09 360 0555 Janken is a new, sophisticated, trendy Japanese restaurant taking its name from the popular decision-making game ‘paper, scissors, rock’, offering Japanese cuisine with a fusion twist. A unique space with its minimalist décor and exposed grey concrete. Open five days for lunch (Tuesday-Saturday), six days for dinner (Tuesday-Sunday).
GREY LYNN RSC, 1 Francis Street, T: 09 376 2909, www.greylynnrsc.org.nz The RSC now have Jimmy the Cook creating delicious fresh seafood meals and more in their downstairs bistro. The bistro is open Wednesday-Saturday from 6pm. The RSC is open 365 days of the year, a unique gem in the middle of Grey Lynn. The upstairs function rooms are available for private functions. Visitors and new members are most welcome. Quality live music on Fridays.
JERVOIS STEAK HOUSE, 70 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 2049, www.jervoissteakhouse.co.nz At Jervois Steak House, you can discover the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef with head chef Rob Forsman. There is a great range of beef, lamb, chicken and fish and pre-ordering is essential for the restaurant’s signature slow -roasted prime rib. Bookings are essential. Open, lunch Wednesday-Friday, 12 noon3pm. Dinner Monday-Sunday, 5.30pm.
GROUCHO’S CAFE, 1/143 Wellesley Street West, T: 09 309 3939 A retro licensed cafe and wine bar with hand-crafted boutique beers and a wide range of gluten-free food. There is a strong focus on nutrition and health and they use free-range, organic and fair trade products when available. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm.
JOY BONG THAI, 531 Karangahape Road T: 09 377 2218, www.joybongthai.co.nz Joy Bong Thai specialises in Royal Thai as well as rustic Issan Thai cuisine with a modern twist. The food is typically delicate and spicy, always fresh daily. With friendly staff and great food, this is a great place for parties, large and small. Tell Apple, the owner, we sent you. Open for lunch weekdays, 11.30am-2.30pm; dinner 7 nights, 5.30pm-10.30pm.
GUSTO ITALIANO, 263 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 1556, www.gustoitaliano.co.nz At Gusto they keep things traditional; you will find the very best gnocchi, tortellini, fettuccine, ravioli and spaghetti. A private room is available for functions. Open MondayWednesday, 5.30pm-late, Thursday-Saturday, 12 noon-late. Sunday open from 5pm.
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JUK - JESS’S UNDERGROUND KITCHEN, 203 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 7711, www.myundergroundkitchen.com A new Herne Bay eatery and flagship store aka Jess’s Underground Kitchen has
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
KOKAKO, 537 Great North Road, T: 09 379 2868, www.kokako.co.nz Kokako is a local Grey Lynn coffee company supplying certified organic coffee to discerning customers. At Kokako cafe you can enjoy an expertly made espresso or choose from a range of non-pressurised single origin coffees in the brew bar. Kokako cafe has an extensive cabinet and seasonal à la carte menu with a focus on local, organic produce and extensive dairy free, gluten-free and vegetarian options. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-3.30pm. Weekends, 7.30am-4pm. L’ ESCABEAU FRENCH KITCHEN, 104 Richmond Road, T: 09 360 6156, www.lescabeau.co.nz 100% Kiwi with an incontestable French touch... they make fresh sandwiches, wraps, salads, French baguettes and fresh juices. Gluten-free and vegetarian options. Delicious tarts, gratins, patisseries and ‘petits gateaux’, slices and muffins. They offer crepes and galettes on Saturdays. Opening 7am-3pm, Monday-Saturday. LA BOULANGE, 214 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 5145, www.laboulange.co.nz Homemade baguette, croissant, pain au chocolat and pain au raisin are a few of the highlights of this little French bakery, cafe and sandwich bar. There are a few seats in the window and outside to enjoy a traditional pastry and Supreme coffee or try one of their delicious French baguette sandwiches or macaroons. Open 7 days, 7am-3pm. LA NOISETTE CHOCOLATES & PATISSERIES, 518 Karangahape Road, T: 09 303 0600 La Noisette is an innovative eating house, specialising in homemade patisseries and chocolates. They also do catering and customise desserts for all special occasions. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-5pm, Saturday, 8am-4pm.
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LA TAPAVINO, 185 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 9888, www.latapavino.co.nz La Tapavino is located in the heart of Ponsonby offering world-class contemporary European cuisine. The environment is lively with a warm ambience and a menu, which caters to diverse palates. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering tapas, pizza, pasta and mains. LA ZEPPA, 33 Drake Street, T: 09 379 8167, www.lazeppa.co.nz One of Auckland’s favourite rooftop bars with impressive views over Victoria Park and to the Sky Tower. La Zeppa offers delicious hot and cold tapas to enjoy with friends and a glass of wine and is the perfect venue for social functions from two to two hundred. Open Tuesday-Friday 4pm-late and Saturday-Sunday 2pm-late. LE VIETNAMESE KITCHEN, 107 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 6107, www.vietnamesekitchen.co.nz At Le Vietnamese Kitchen you can experience the dedication to quality and the balance of intense flavours. Enjoy the fresh and aromatic flavours of Vietnamese cuisine finished with French flair. Mouth-watering, authentic dishes full of local, fresh vegetables, meat and fish will feature, along with a divine menu of Vietnamese -inspired cocktails. LITTLE & FRIDAY, 42 Douglas Street, T: 09 489 8527, www.littleandfriday.com With boutique espresso and filter coffee, their whole range of cabinet food and with almost all of their menu available, you will no longer need to battle the traffic across the bridge or travel to Newmarket for your Little & Friday fix. Open Monday-Sunday 8am-3.30pm. LITTLE BIRD ORGANICS - THE UNBAKERY, 1a Summer Street, T: 09 555 3278, www.littlebirdorganics.co.nz Little Bird goodies are made from the best raw organic ingredients they can find, and are completely vegetarian, gluten and dairy free with 45 seats, full table service and
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A-Z CAFES & RESTAURANTS GUIDE
opened in Rabbit Hole’s old premises. They serve up home cooking at its best - ready-to-heat meals, baking, seasonal salads and cabinet food, artisan deli goods and, of course, good coffee. They also offer bespoke catering for weddings, birthdays, corporate and office events.
PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE an extensive menu available to view online. And with a range of delicious breakfast items, lunch dishes from 11am, along with smoothies, teas, teecino, matcha, raw cacao drinks, Kokako coffee, cakes, tarts, slices, cheesecakes and cookies from the cabinet all day. Open 7 days, 7am-4pm. Kitchen closes at 3pm. LITTLE BREAD & BUTTER BAKERY & CAFE, Ponsonby Central, Richmond Road,T: 09 376 4007; 34 Westmoreland Street West, T: 09 378 9111, www.breadandbutterbakery.co.nz Little Bread & Butter Bakery specialises in organic breads. There are many different types of sourdough, European speciality loaves, bread rolls and pretzels. You can choose from a wide selection of handmade pastries, cakes, and savouries, sandwiches and gourmet pies. At the large communal table you can toast your own slices of freshly baked bread and enjoy them with butter and jam, while you watch the hustle and bustle of the market area. LITTLE EASY, 198 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 0098, www.littleeasy.co.nz Little Easy delivers unpretentious fun and classic ‘pub-dom’ with great tasting food and vibes to match. This is much more than the average pub fare. They run weekly food specials, Happy hours everyday from 4-7pm and DJs jamming till late. The classic Kiwi pub menu is infused with American traits - their burgers are served on fresh brioche buns, a range chicken wings. Both not to be missed! Open Tuesday -Thursday, 4pm-late, Friday-Sunday, 12 noon-late. LOKANTA EATING HOUSE & BAR, 137a Richmond Road, T: 09 360 6355, www.lokanta.nz Lo-Kahn’ta means ‘Local Eating House’ in Turkish. They offer simple, tasty food of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. The menu has a selection of small plates, flat breads, main meals and desserts. Try the Kizartma - fried eggplant, courgette and peppers with tzatziki. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 4pm. LONGROOM, 114 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 8803, www.longroom.co.nz With a covered courtyard and north facing sun deck, Longroom offers a unique, alfresco environment for brunch, lunch and dinner. Introducing an inspiring new menu consisting of small and large shared dishes, a grazing platter, individual dishes and a few sweet treats. Don’t miss the saffron and mozzarella arancini. DJs play during the evening Thursday to Saturday, live music and DJ’s some Sundays. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-late. MA CHERIE, Shop 12, 282 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 1822, www.macherie.co.nz Ma Cherie French is a newish cafe/patisserie store, opposite lululemon. Try their French breakfast menu, which include galettes, croque monsieur, French toast, traditional croissants, pastries, birthday cakes and breads. Located in a cosy, relaxed, sunny courtyard. Open Tuesday-Friday, 7am-4pm. Saturday-Sunday, 8am-4pm. MAD MEX, 108 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 1846, www.madmex.co.nz Mad Mex offers gourmet burritos and tacos that are made to order using only the freshest produce, flavourful salsas and authentic slow roasted and grilled meats. Open Monday, 11am-9.30pm, Tuesday-Thursday, 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday, 10.30am-3.30am, Sunday, 10.30am-9.30pm. MALDITO MENDEZ, Ponsonby Central, 4 Brown Street, T: 09 378 9107, www.mendez.co.nz Maldito Mendez located on the Brown Street side of the Ponsonby Central precinct, serves Latin American street food - a delicious range of snacks, empanadas, tacos, ceviches and mains. Open 7 days, 11.30am-late. MAMATA BAKEHOUSE, 401 Richmond Road, T: 09 376 3191 This bakery-cafe-hangout out is a Grey Lynn favourite. Whether your tummy growls for a sandwich, roll, pie, slice or muffin you’ll be able to get it here. Mamata is renowned for their made to order bagels, Ponsonby News’s favourite is the avocado and tomato toasted sesame seed bagel! Open Monday-Saturday, 7am-5.30pm. MARCELLO’S, 28 College Hill, T: 09 361 2600 Marcello’s is open 7 days for breakfast, brunch, and lunch and they are fully licensed. What better way to start your day than with a gorgeous omelette? They serve great coffee and awesome food homemade fresh everyday which always comes with a friendly smile. Free wireless is available and they offer catering for functions. Open Monday-Friday, 6am-4pm, Saturday-Sunday, 7.30am-4pm.
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MARY’S, 13 St Marys Road, T: 09 360 7260 The old fire station is home to this cafe headed by Tim Tohill (previously of Benediction, Jafa and Shore Rd Cafe). A tastefully refurbished interior that is lightfilled and spacious. They have familiar breakfast favourites such as red flannel hash with gourmet red potatoes sautéed with red onions, tomato and chorizo and topped with fried or poached eggs. Or you may be in the mood for a healthy protein power lunch? Try the kale salad! Open Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm, Saturday -Sunday, 8am-4pm. MATSU SUSHI, Victoria Park Market, T: 09 377 6848 The atmosphere at Matsu is perfect for pleasure or business and for a great price, you can enjoy the best sushi with the highest quality of service, presentation, and freshness. They are dedicated to providing an exceptional dining experience. MATTERHORN AUCKLAND, 37 Drake Street, T: 09 929 2790 www.matterhorn.co.nz Situated in the lofty space formerly occupied by Libertine, this is the Auckland establishment of the existing Matterhorn Wellington. They combine incredible food, superb cocktails and live beats with a laid-back atmosphere and on point service. Open 7 days, 3pm-late. MEKONG BABY, 262 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1113, www.mekongbaby.com A modern Southeast Asian fusion restaurant designed with unique roughened floors, crudely painted walls with simple, yet elegant, nostalgic prints of life in Vietnam covering the walls. They have seating for as many as 80 guests in the bar, 60 in the restaurant and 30 in the Mekong function room. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 12 noon-late. MEXICALI FRESH, 166 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 0076, www.mexicalifresh.co.nz A Californian-style Mexican eatery, that offers burritos, nachos, quesadillas, tacos and more. Enjoy feasting on tasty yet nutritious food in a fun Mexican-style atmosphere. Open Sunday-Thursday, 10am-11pm, Friday-Saturday, till 3am. MEXICO, 164 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 280 3919, www.mexico.net.nz A lively eatery on the strip offering great Mexican dishes. Try one of their quesadillas or soft shell tacos and look out for their weekly specials. They take bookings for groups over 10. Open Monday-Sunday, 12 noon-late. MISS MOONSHINE’S, Lot 3, 130 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 4075, www.missmoonshines.com Slow cooking, wood smoking and quality New Zealand meat. It’s barbecue cooking inspired by pit masters and street markets. Rubs, ribs and distinctive smoky flavour that can only come from hours of cooking over burning wood. They take the timehonoured American grill and enhance it with New Zealand freshness from their quality timber and meats. Open 7 days. MOOCHOWCHOW, 23 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 6262, www.moochowchow.co.nz Like a stroll through the fragrant night markets and food stalls of Bangkok, MooChowChow is a boost to the senses, capturing that vibrant zang of sweet, sour, salty and hot that makes Thai food a party in your mouth. Cocktails of fresh fruits, shaved ice and smashed herbs will cool, refresh and tantalise. Private dining rooms are also available. Open Monday-Saturday, 5.30pm-late. MOREPORK BBQ, Corner of Jervois & St Mary’s Road, T: 09 303 0477, www.moreporkbbq.com Morepork BBQ is introducing damn good barbeque to New Zealand. Chef/owner Clint Davies combines homemade rubs and sauces with hand-picked premium cuts of meat and smokes them low ‘n’ slow in a custom built smoker, co-designed and co-built by the chef himself. Options to dine in at the fully licensed restaurant or takeaway a full meal for the family to enjoy. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am until sold out! MOZAIK CAFE, Shop 10, 210-218 Victoria Street West, T: 09 337 0744, www.mozaik.co.nz This cafe is located at Victoria Park Market, a stylish space with exposed wood beams and brick. They serve breakfast, brunch and lunch, with vegetarian and gluten free options. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm, Saturday-Sunday 8am-4pm.
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PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE MR TOMS, 151 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 9138, www.mrtoms.co.nz Good old fashioned hospitality on the sunny side of the street. A winning recipe. Mr Toms, the newest kid on the Ponsonby block brings the simple things done well. Rustic baked pizza, small plates to share and wholesome summer salads. Along with a delicious cocktail menu and some of New Zealand’s best wines. MUCK FLORAL AND GENERAL STORE - WERE BROS CAFE, 480 Richmond Road, M: 021 806 702, www.werebros.co.nz You will get two in one at this store - floral styling and a cosy eatery with offerings such as organic toasted bread with jam and coffee to have in-store or takeaway. Amongst the wild flowers and locally made ceramics you can stop for a break and enjoy the surrounds. MURDER BURGER, 95 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 4005, www.murderburger.co.nz At Murder Burger, they serve an uncompromisingly fresh meat burger that’s worth it. A place you would come to enjoy a range of exciting burgers minus the guilt. MUTIARA MALAYSIAN RESTAURANT, 66 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 2759, www.mutiara.co.nz Mutiara is a specialist in authentic Malaysian cuisine and authenticity is the top priority for chef and owner Roy Lim. Malaysian cuisine is diverse in its influences and styles and this is reflected in the menu which offers signature dishes such as Rendang Kampung (thick curry), Ikan Bakar (Malaysian style grilled fish) and Mamak Noodles. Open for lunch Monday-Friday, 12 noon-2.30pm and dinner 7 nights, 6pm10.30pm.
ONE BISTRO, 1 Williamson Avenue, T: 09 360 1115, www.onebistro.co.nz This all day bistro is located in the historic former Ponsonby Fire Station. Serving all day breakfast, brunch and lunch, with daily specials. They have a private function room with capacity for 50 guests that has its own bar and outside deck, perfect for morning/lunch meetings, product launches, birthday parties, engagement parties, civil unions, actually, any occasion you can think of! ORPHAN’S KITCHEN, 118 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 7979, www.orphanskitchen.co.nz Orphan’s Kitchen is all about unadulterated food and naughty wines. They offer a laid back atmosphere with honest food. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 5pm-late and brunch Wednesday-Sunday. PANE E VINO, 20 Williamson Avenue, T: 09 360 0263, www.paneevino.co.nz Owner Tito is passionate about the food they serve which is regional Italian style cuisine. Classic antipasti, pasta and mains, all exceptionally flavoured, using fresh ingredients plus popular Italian desserts and thin crust pizza. Dine in - Delivery - Take out - Catering. Lunch Monday-Friday, 12 noon-3pm and dinner 7 days from 5pm. PHILIPPE’S CHOCOLATE, 295 Great North Road, T: 09 376 1754, www.philippechocolate.co.nz Not just fabulous flavoured chocolates and bonbons, Philippe’s also makes French cakes and tarts, French pastries and breads, sandwiches and quiches. Open Monday 8am-4pm, Tuesday-Thursday, 7.30am-5pm, Friday-Saturday, 7.30am -5.30pm, Sunday 7.30am-4pm.
NAMO, 244 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 9909, www.namo.co.nz This Japanese restaurant is found where Thai Me Up used to be located. The food is very good: fresh, creative and beautifully presented. The chef is Japanese and at one time worked at Nobu in Tokyo.
PINTU SALAD BAR, Lot 3, 130 Ponsonby Road T: 09 378 0698 At Pintu they offer breakfast and lunch with cold-pressed juices, sandwiches and create your own salads. They are open Thursday and Friday nights with a new menu and delivery service starting later this month.
NISHIKI JAPANESE RESTAURANT, 100 Wellington Street, T: 09 376 7104, www.nishiki.co.nz Robata-yaki means having dinner and drinks in a cosy and social atmosphere watching the kitchen. Because most of the dishes are grilled and deep fried and snack sized, you can order many different kinds of food to share. Also available is a wide selection of Japanese sake, wine and beer; BYO wine. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 6pm-11pm.
PITA PIT, 2/104 Ponsonby Road T: 09 378 7482, www.pitapit.co.nz/stores/ponsonby Pita Pit offers quality, healthy, fresh food - fast! The menu is varied with chicken, lamb, beef, ham, tuna and vegetarian fillings, with a choice of plain, wholemeal or new gluten-free pitas to choose from. The service is super friendly. You can take away or enjoy your pita at one of the outside tables. Open 7 days, Monday-Wednesday, 9am-8pm, Thursday 9am-9pm, Saturday 11am-9pm and Sunday 11am-8pm.
OCCAM CAFE & BAR, 135 Williamson Avenue, T: 09 378 0604, www.occamcafe.co.nz Occam is a popular spot with locals for breakfast, lunch, coffee, snacks or a relaxed weekend brunch. There are tables inside and out and a mezzanine bar creates a buzzy atmosphere. They are fully licensed and you can phone in your coffee order for quick and easy pick up. Occam is also a great venue for functions. Open Monday -Friday, 7am-5pm, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, 8am-5pm.
POCKET BAR & KITCHEN, 592 Great North Road, Corner of Tuarangi & Great North Road, T: 09 376 4309, www.pocketbarandkitchen.co.nz Once home to the ASB bank in Grey Lynn, the corner site is now a cool bar and eatery with a real local focus. There is an outdoor deck perfect for all Auckland weather and live music every Sunday. Grab a beer on tap or ask for one of their delicious house cocktails made with fresh seasonal produce. For those who are hungry, try the bacon buttie special - you will not regret it!
ODETTES EATERY, City Works Depot, Shed 5, 90 Wellesley Street, T: 309 0304, www.odettes.co.nz Odettes Eatery offers a thoughtful menu that changes a little throughout the day to suit the appetite. It is the brainchild of Clare and Joost van den Berg who ran Zus & Zo, before selling up to concentrate on their city venture. Fittingly, the menu is in total sync with this exhibition of good taste and high fashion. Chef, Josh Cucharick’s food meets all the demands of the modern diner and there is something for everyone, as long as they are prepared to be a little adventurous. Open 7 days.
PONSONBY INTERNATIONAL FOOD COURT, 106 Ponsonby Road, www.ponsonbyfoodcourt.co.nz Walk right in and taste the mouth-watering recipes from Italy, Japan, Malaysia, China, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and more. Situated right in the heart of Ponsonby with a fully licensed bar, this is the perfect place for that leisurely lunch, dinner or quick break from business. Open daily 11am-10pm.
OHSO CAFE, 29 Crummer Road, T: 09 360 0700, www.ohso.co.nz Fantastic menu, cabinet food and Allpress coffee along with a chilled out atmosphere make ohSO the perfect place for a casual business meeting or a catch up with friends. Functions and catering also available. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am-3pm. ONE 2 ONE CAFE, 21 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 4954 One 2 One cafe has just celebrated its 23rd year, it uses coffee supplied by the local boutique roaster Craig Miller and has free wifi. One 2 One is fully licensed and offers a selection of organic wine with craft beers. Family friendly, with a charming Parisian style and a covered courtyard complete with a children’s sandpit and blackboard.
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PONSONBY ROAD BISTRO, 165 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1611, www.ponsonbyroadbistro.co.nz The award-winning Ponsonby Road Bistro offers a well-priced menu and interesting wine list in a stylish and relaxed environment. Sarah Conway’s menu provides a global feast - and the chargrilled scotch with hand-cut chips has become a firm favourite. The friendly staff and cosy dining room offer a warm welcome. The well -priced Express Lunch Menu runs Monday to Friday from 12 noon and includes a delicious glass of Foxes Island sauvignon blanc or pinot noir. Open Monday-Friday, 12 noon-late and Saturday, 4pm-late. PREGO, 226 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 3095, www.prego.co.nz This iconic restaurant was established more than 29 years ago, Prego is the ultimate in Italian alfresco dining with the intimacy of an enclosed courtyard, late suppers at the bar in front of a wood fire or bistro style dining with the buzz of a busy restaurant. Takeaway available, open 7 days, 12 noon-late.
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
RENKON, 47 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1006, www.renkon.co.nz/ponsonby This restaurant specialises in donburi, which is a large bowl of rice topped with fresh vegetables, meat or fish. The meals are quick, cheap, unpretentious, nutritious and well balanced. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 12 noon-3pm and 5pm-9pm. REVELRY, 106 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 8663, www.revelry.co.nz A luxurious bohemian-style parlour with hints of opium den chic, this venue boasts one of the best decks in Ponsonby, a warming double-sided fireplace and visual delights from lanterns to antique furniture. The delicious food menu includes a selection of Asian fusion sharing plates, platters and bar snacks. An extensive New Zealand and international wine list, classic and original cocktails with seasonal recipes, and craft beers will give you something new to try every visit. Open from early afternoon until late every night of the week. Brunch service is available Friday - Sunday. RICHMOND RD CAFE, 318 Richmond Road, T: 09 360 5559, www.richmondrdcafe.co.nz One of 10 award-winning cafes owned by Hipgroup, Richmond Road Cafe is a buzzing urban cafe. With a menu refined by Hipgroup’s belief in provenance, sustainability, seasonality and locally sourced product, many of the ingredients are grown on their farm in Kumeu. There’s an all day menu, sweet selection, freshly squeezed juices and frappes plus a champagne, wine and beer menu. Open 7 days, 7am-4pm. RICKSHAW CAFÉ, 38 Jervois Road, M: 021 068 4068 Come on down to the Rickshaw Cafe for breakfast, lunch or just for a hot or cold beverage. They are new and with every every hot beverage purchase, you will receive a complementary cookie. Everything is homemade so come down and have a catch up with some friends or family. RIPE DELI, 172 Richmond Road, T: 09 360 6159, www.ripedeli.co.nz Providing healthy and fresh takeout food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between, using the best of local, free-farmed and free-range ingredients. Weeknight TV dinners and freezer meals, a variety of gourmet sandwiches and wraps, fresh produce laden salads all year round, decadent home baked slices, a fantastic selection of raw treats, gluten free, dairy free - they have everything! Delivery is available Monday Friday until 3pm for out-catering and you can order online. Open Monday-Thursday, 7am-7pm, Friday-Saturday, 7am-4pm and Sunday, 8am-4pm.
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
ROCKET KITCHEN, 234a Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 8834, www.rocketkitchen.co.nz Serving Aucklanders for more than 18 years, Rocket Kitchen’s truly gourmet takeaway and catering includes their range of premium fresh wedding and birthday cakes, tarts, desserts, sweets and cupcakes. Savoury treats and salads are also available from the iconic shop on Ponsonby Road where everything is made fresh each day. Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm, Saturday, 8.30am-4.30pm. ROOST - VINEGAR LANE BAGELS, 1 Vinegar Lane, Crummer Road Roost is run by Ruben Maurice with his two business partners, Wayne Schuler and Shaun Marlo. They are offering Atomic coffee and bagels in a new industrial space in the Vinegar Lane development. Don’t miss their delicious brioche. ROSSO POMODORO, 356 Great North Road, T: 09 360 6257, www.rossopomodoro.co.nz Your local Italian wood-fire pizza made by pizza makers Marcello and Matteo with hosting by Tito to deliver the best wood-fire pizza in town. They say, “the best pizza is our top priority.” SAAN, 160 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 320 4237, www.saan.co.nz Saan’s Head Chef Lek Trirattanavatin says, “Our menu is mainly focused around the Lanna and Isaan regions of Thailand. Many of the dishes have been passed down through my family. I am very proud to present them to you here in the heart of Ponsonby. Than Hai Aroi Na Krab - enjoy your meal.” Seven nights from 5pm-late, Wednesday-Friday lunch from 12 noon. SAFFRON INDIAN RESTAURANT, 31 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 2122, www.saffronindianrestaurant.co.nz Saffron specialises in South Indian cuisine. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 3pm they serve an all-vegetarian buffet brunch. Catering, takeaway and delivery in Ponsonby is also available. Open 7 days, Monday-Sunday. Lunch 11am3pm. Dinner 6pm-10.30pm. SALASH DELICATESSEN, Victoria Park Market, T: 09 379 9656, www.salash.co.nz All 100% natural, New Zealand and hand-made sausages, salamis, air-dried meats, prosciutto, chorizo, cheese and more. Lunch menu, hand-made burgers and salads from only $10.50! Must try their famous chorizo burger! Open Monday-Friday, 10am5pm and Saturday, 10am-4pm. Sunday closed.
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QUEENIES, 24a Spring Street, Freemans Bay T: 09 378 8977, www.queenies.co.nz Tucked away from the bustle of Ponsonby on the corner of Middle and Cascade Streets is the award-winning Queenies, offering Supreme coffee, New Zealand beers and wines, a unique sweet selection and a tantalising menu. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am-4pm.
PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE SALTA ESPRESSO, 285 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1295 Salta Espresso delivers quality personal service, great coffee and delicious fresh food made with pride on the premises every day. A full breakfast and lunch menu is available as well as delicious cakes, pastries and sandwiches. Open Monday-Friday, 6.30am-4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday, 7am-4.30pm. SANTOS CAFE, 114 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 8803 Under new management and with plans for a fully renovated cafe in July, Santos continues to serve great coffee, a selection of tasty counter food options and a new breakfast/brunch and lunch menu. Check out their ham and cheese waffles w’ poached eggs, spinach and chipotle hollandaise, smashed avocado w’ rocket, cherry tomatoes, capers and feta on toasted sourdough and their housemade baked beans w’ chorizo and a poached egg on toasted pide bread. Open 7 days 6.30am-3pm.
SHAHI INDIAN EXPERIENCE, 26 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 8896, www.shahi.co.nz For more than 26 years, Shahi cafe has been serving Ponsonby locals timeless, sumptuous north Indian cuisine with a difference. There is an extensive variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes; some of the most popular are Shahi cigar, chicken tikka, rogan josh and much more. A private function room is available, dine in, catering, delivery and takeaway. Open 5pm-late, everyday. SHOKUZEN, 45 PONSONBY ROAD, T: 09 376 4565 This is a fusion Japanese restaurant with a vast selection of dishes to choose from. Try the tuna takaki; sliced rare tuna with ponzu sauce, or the agedashi tofu; lightly fried tofu with tempura sauce or the seaweed salad, or perhaps share a platter of California rolls (sushi).
SATYA SOUTH INDIAN RESTAURANT, 17 Great North Road, T: 09 361 3612, www.satya.co.nz Satya is situated near the Ponsonby, Newton and K’ Road intersection. Their south Indian recipes are age old and based on Ayurvedic principles; their motive is good food. With its relaxed ambience and friendly staff, it is a great place for a vast range of Indian meals at a good price. Takeaway, delivery, catering and banquets for large groups are all available. Open for lunch Monday-Saturday, 11.30am-2.30pm and dinner Monday-Sunday, 5.30pm-10pm.
SIDART, Three Lamps Plaza, 283 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 2122, www.sidart.co.nz Sidart is the award-winning restaurant of chef Sid Sahrawat with modern creative New Zealand cuisine. It is a contemporary yet formal restaurant with innovative food and attentive, friendly service headed by Stefano Baldin. The gorgeous city views and intimate dining room make Sidart a place for special occasions. Highly recommended by the Ponsonby News team. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 6pm, Friday lunch 12 noon-2.30pm.
SAVOUR & DEVOUR, 478 Richmond Road, T: 09 361 2631, www.savouranddevour.co.nz Savour & Devour offers a range of cabinet food with homemade cakes, pies and sandwiches and a full breakfast and lunch menu. Catering and takeaway is available. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am-5pm.
SIERRA CAFE PONSONBY, 295 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 0081 Now offering free wifi and their famous specialty Sierra coffee as well as delicious home-made cakes and slices - everything is available to take away. Open 7 days, 6.30am-4.30pm.
SAWADEE THAI CUISINE, 42a Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 0320, www.sawadee.co.nz Sawadee offers dishes from the four main regions of the Siamese Kingdom. Thai food is a blend of tastes - hot, sour, salty, sweet and spicy with subtle additions of aromatic herbs to enrich the traditional flavours. Fully licensed, takeaway menu, functions catered and BYO wine. Monday closed. Open Tuesday-5pm to late, Wednesday-Sunday-12 noon-late.
SIOSTRA, 472 Richmond Road, T: 09 360 6207, www.siostra.co.nz Siostra is a local bistro serving modern European cuisine. Pop in for a glass of wine and tapas or book for dinner. Open Tuesday-Sunday nights. Private dining room available. SOUL THAI, 158 Williamson Avenue, T: 09 302 8888, www.soulthai.co.nz At Soul Thai, their goal is to cook restaurant quality, authentic Thai cuisine using the finest ingredients and deliver your order to your door fresh and fast. Order by phone or online. Now open in Mt Eden too. Open 7 days, 5pm-10pm. SPQR, 150 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1710, www.spqrnz.co.nz A Ponsonby institution, SPQR has been a prominent fixture along the Ponsonby strip for 23 years. The lively atmosphere and friendly service gives SPQR an authentic, first-rate reputation. The pizza is great for an anytime snack and veal marsala is an old favourite. Eat in or takeaway. Open 7 days, 12 noon-late. ST PIERRE’S SUSHI OF JAPAN & SEAFOOD, 320 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 6553, www.stpierres.co.nz St Pierre’s Sushi is all about fresh, quality sushi at an affordable price. They now offer brown rice for all sushi flavours. Readymade to go for busy people, or made fresh on the spot any time for tailor-made sushi requirements. Party platters of sushi are a specialty. STANDING ROOM ESPRESSO, Victoria Park Market, T: 09 366 7776, www.standingroomespresso.co.nz Next time you are walking in Victoria Park call into this great little cafe. Standing room espresso is the place for great coffee and homemade food, slices and cakes. They offer organic coffee and delicious salads made to order.
photography: Michael McClintock
SUSHI EDGE, 280 Richmond Road, T: 09 376 6218 Sushi Edge is a takeaway or eat-in establishment serving a wide range of delicious sushi and sashimi options. Their servings are generous, everything is tasty and wellseasoned and freshly made. Their sashimi bento box, vegetarian tempura don and their lunch sushi boxes are all worth trying and are good value for money. SUSHI WASABI, Shop 14, 1 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 8388 Situated next to Dorothy Butler’s Children’s Book Shop, Sushi Wasabi specialises in traditional sushi and nigiri. Their sushi is made with brown rice. This is a daytime restaurant and you can dine in or takeaway. They have a loyalty card too. Open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. SPQR
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SWEET HOME CAFE, 576 Great North Road, T: 09 361 1496 Nestled between Video Ezy, the chemist and ANZ, get your caffeine fix whilst doing those all important errands. Or choose from the all day breakfast menu; eggs on toast, pancakes or the Sweet Home big breakfast. Open Monday-Saturday, 7am4pm and Sunday, 7am-2pm. TAISHO YAKITORI BAR, 190 Jervois Road, T: 09 378 0746 Taisho Yakitori Bar serves both traditional and modern Japanese food. There are over 60 dishes to choose from, including sushi and sashimi, 15 different kinds of sake, as well as Japanese and local beer and wine. Owner, Taka Tsuji, is from Hiroshima where his parents have run a restaurant for more than 35 years so he has grown up with traditional Japanese food and hospitality. Eat in or takeaway. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 6pm-10.30pm, Friday-Sunday, 5pm-11pm, Sunday, 9.30pm. TARTINE, 38 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 6876, www.tartine.co.nz Tartine cafe is the new face of cafe People. More inviting with its visible and trendy look, warmer inside with a different colour scheme and a new outdoor seating arrangement, you will enjoy the Tartine atmosphere. Their food menu offers lots of exciting options and a brand new food cabinet will excite your appetite! Free parking and wifi are available. Also open from 4pm until late for after work drinks every Thursday and Friday. A great opportunity to taste their wines of the month with a cheese and charcuterie platter. Private functions and catering. THAI CLASSIC RESTAURANT, 282 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 3389, www.thaiclassic.co.nz Thai Classic Restaurant has been running strong since 1994, specialising in authentic Thai cuisine. Flaming chicken and flaming beef are recommended dishes. Enjoy indoor and outdoor seating, a relaxed and friendly ambience and wonderful views of the Waitakeres. Takeaways and delivery are available to Ponsonby locals. Open 7 nights, 5.30pm-10.30pm. THAI HOUSE RESTAURANT, 25 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 5912, www.thaihouse.co.nz Since 1993 Thai House Restaurant has been serving the finest quality Thai cuisine and taking pride in serving only quality and authentic ingredients, freshly prepared along with warm and personal service. Thai House has an intimate ambience, warmly decorated with traditional Thai décor. Fully licensed, BYO wine and takeaway. Open 7 nights, 5.30pm-10pm. THAI SILVER, 186 Jervois Road, T: 09 360 0714, www.thaisilver.co.nz This is a small warm and welcoming restaurant with simple decor and deliciously cooked Thai food from an excellent chef. Their fans say it’s the excellent quality of the dishes that gives this establishment its point of difference. Open for dinner 7 nights, 5pm till late. THE BAKE POD, 498 Karangahape Road, T: 09 366 7633 The Bake Pod is a small cafe and bakery offering traditional homemade baking using quality ingredients. They offer a range of flavours of pies, sausage rolls, savouries, muffins baked daily. Lovely fresh sandwiches made daily and made to order. They offer catering and serve organic Fair Trade Organico coffee from Karajoz. Open Monday-Friday, 6:30am-4pm. Saturday, 7:30am-4pm. THE BIRDCAGE RESTAURANT & BAR, 133 Franklin Road, T: 09 280 1690, www.birdcage.co.nz The Birdcage has been returned to her former glory with stained glass windows and original brick walls blended with more modern elements to give it a chic, metropolitan vibe. The north-facing courtyard bar is one of the biggest and sunniest in Auckland, a perfect inner city destination to gather with friends. The food is rustic in style open Sunday for lunch till 5pm. Closed Monday. Tuesday-Saturday 12 noon-late.
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
THE BLUE BREEZE INN, Ponsonby Central, 146 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 0303, www.thebluebreezeinn.co.nz Chef Che Barrington takes Auckland Asian dining to new levels, serving up the sensational flavours of regional China in the lush surrounds of a Pacific island paradise. In-house dumpling chefs fold and flip before your eyes, and every Sunday offers diners the mouth-watering Peking Duck special. Open 7 days, lunch and dinner, 12 noon-late. THE BOTANIST, City Works Depot, Shed 13, 90 Wellesley Street West, T: 09 309 9494, www.botanist.co.nz Cafe by day, wine bar at night. Florist seven days a week. A oasis of flora amidst the concrete and steel of City Works Depot. Award-winning chef Sara Simpson’s menu brings the best seasonal produce together in an innovative way. Included in Metro Top 50 Cafe 2014, Denizen’s Best New Cafe 2014, ReMix Best Saturday Brunch 2015. Resident florist Eden Hessell is Auckland’s leading floral artist and stocks a unique range of plants and flowers. Open 7 days. THE CAV, 68 College Hill, T: 09 376 4230 www.thecav.co.nz As per its gastropub theme, The Cav offers bistro-quality food in a casual friendly environment and is a great place to meet for a couple of relaxing beers or a glass of wine or two. They offer an extensive menu featuring succulent, modern cuisine with an ethos of providing great value for money. Open Monday-Saturday, 11am-1am, Sunday 11am-11pm. THE COFFEE BAR AT GLENGARRY VICTORIA PARK, 118 Wellesley Street T: 09 308 8319, www.glengarrywines.co.nz This is a fusion of great coffee, a takeaway lunch selection and a scrumptious selection of cakes, tarts and pastries wrapped up in one of Auckland’s finest wine, spirit and beer stores - Glengarry Victoria Park. Grab a coffee and wander through the wine store, sit and catch up on the day’s newspaper, or grab everything to go. Alongside the Coffee Bar at Glengarry Victoria Park is a function and events space which is available for hire with food catered by Dida’s Food Store. Open 7 days. THE DAIRY, Ponsonby Central, 2 Richmond Road, T: 09 972 2642, www.the-dairy.co.nz This is a combination of ice cream parlour, larder and deli-style cafe. They dish up all manner of delicious nostalgic treats; Kapiti icecream sandwiched between freshly baked cookies, decadent icecream sodas finished with candyfloss topping and milkshakes served in a retro cream bottle. The lunch menu offers savoury comfort food classics, and the deli showcases all of New Zealand’s finest artisan cheeses. Open Monday-Friday 9am-late, Saturday and Sunday 8am-late. THE FAIRY SHOP CAFE, 79 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1560, www.thefairyshop.co.nz The Fairy Shop has a cafe serving homemade, old-fashioned food like Devonshire scones and lemon drizzle cakes. Pre-book a cafe session class where littlies play with fairies and adults can relax in the cafe. Children’s parties, high tea and school holiday programmes also available with parking behind. Open 7 days, 9.30am-4.30pm. THE FOOD ROOM, 250 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 2425, www.foodroom.co.nz Gourmet sandwiches, salads, wraps, homemade cakes and slices, organic coffee and ‘The Best Pies in Auckland’ award. The Food Room can cater for all kinds of parties and celebrations and is definitely worth a visit. Open Monday-Friday, 7.30am -4.30pm, Saturday, 8am-5pm and Sunday, 9am-5pm. THE GARNET ROAD FOOD STORE, 162 Garnet Road, T: 09 376 8227 Known for their cinnamon brioche, The Garnet Road Food Store also makes their own salads, pies, cakes and sweet treats. Dine in or takeaway. Open Tuesday-Friday, 7.30am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am-4pm. THE GOVERNOR, 228 Jervois Road, T: 09 361 5060, www.thegovernor.co.nz The Governor is Herne Bay’s latest cafe, on the site where Zus & Zo was once located. With a minimalist approach to crafting simply great food through the use of fresh, organic, locally sourced produce, the Governor is a home away from home. Hospitality and service with a warm smile are to be expected. A modern day spin on classic cafe food, the Governor will always have something just a little bit different to get your taste buds going.
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SWEAT SHOP BREW, 7 Sale Street, T: 09 307 8148, www.sweatshopbrew.co.nz Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen in Freemans Bay is known for their succulent smoky BBQ meats and their exclusive beer range, which is hand crafted in their very own craft brewery. Americana-spice rubbed meats with native New Zealand woodchips for an alarmingly delicious experience. It’s a great spot for a few brews as well, with regular DJ’s and live gigs taking place every weekend. Open seven days 11.30am until late.
PONSONBY LITTLE BLACK BOOK: A-Z CAFES + RESTAURANTS GUIDE THE ITALIAN JOB, 242 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 2937 For over 23 years this family owned and operated restaurant has been serving delicious, authentic Italian food in a welcoming, cosy and rustic atmosphere and whether it’s a large group or it’s an intimate dinner for two, you will always experience warm, friendly service. Takeaway pizza and pasta. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 6pm-10pm. THE LATE NIGHT DINER, 152b Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 2320, www.latenightdiner.co.nz A Jewish-style American diner, they make everything in-house such as all their pickles, and freshly baked buns and breads. Try the roasted bone marrow with short rib marmalade or Grandma’s chicken soup and dumplings. Open Monday-Wednesday including Sunday 5pm-midnight, Thursday-Saturday 5pm-2am. THE PONSONBY SOCIAL CLUB, 152 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 361 2320, www.ponsonbysocialclub.co.nz Just like the RSA, but without the asparagus rolls or pokies. Live music and DJs throughout the week, check the website for details. Open 7 nights, 5pm-late. THE RAW KITCHEN, 267 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 3062, www.therawkitchen.co.nz The Raw Kitchen is a popular choice with an ever-growing fan base for their signature raw cakes and sweets. The Ponsonby space is also home to their busy kitchen, cold -pressed juicery, office and test kitchen! Open Monday - Friday, 7am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am-4pm. THE STATION BAGELRY AND BAR, 2 Beresford Square, T: 09 300 5040, www.stationbar.co.nz The Station Bagelry and Bar serves New York-style bagels all day in sunny Beresford Square. At night it converts to serving all the best craft beers from around New Zealand, gourmet pizzas and is available for exclusive functions on weekends. With regular live music, DJs and events there is always something going on @ TheStationAKL. Open weekdays 7.30am-late, weekends 8.30am-late. THE STREET FOOD COLLECTIVE, Lot 3, 130 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 4075, www.thestreetfoodcollective.co.nz Sixteen operators are rostered for appearances in the Street Food Collective, a shared food and drinks space in central Ponsonby. Stop by for lunch, dinner or a fancy-pants dessert, and enjoy some of the best street food vendors Auckland has to offer. Open 7 days. THE SURREY HOTEL, 465 Great North Road, T: 09 378 9059, www.thesurreyhotel.co.nz This local pub has a cosy atmosphere, friendly service and food available all day. There is a breakfast buffet, brunch, lunch and dinner menu as well as bar snacks and wood-fired pizza. Open 7 days, 7am-9.30pm.
THIRTY NINE, 39 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 5008 Thirty Nine has been serving delicious all day breakfast and lunch since 2005. They use Fairtrade Allpress coffee and you can enjoy it in their lovely courtyard. Open 7 days, 7am-4pm. THREE BEANS COFFEE ROASTERS, City Works Depot, 90 Wellesley Street, T: 09 366 0973, www.threebeans.co.nz They are a boutique coffee roaster, serving only a handful of cafes. Each batch is hand picked by owner Jonny McKessar, roasted to order and delivered fresh. This busy coffee roaster is a great place to get that quick fix on the run or sit in at the communal table for a meeting with colleagues or a catch up with friends. TIGER BURGER, 549 Great North Road, M: 027 847 5020, www.tigerburger.co.nz Opening mid June, Tiger Burger promises a new and delicious collision of Korean cuisine and Western street food. Having spent the past year operating with a van across the Auckland market scene, Tiger Burger has now settled into a permanent home in the heart of Grey Lynn. Making everything from scratch and staying true to traditional Korean flavours, the team behind Tiger Burger seek to introduce Kiwis to the many mouth-watering flavours of Korea. TOKYO CLUB, Ponsonby Central, 136 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 8016, www.tokyoclub.co.nz Tokyo Club is ‘yokocho’ style Isakaya restaurant located in the heart of Ponsonby Central. Their Japanese family team includes well-known front of house manager Sarasa Shimura and Tokyo master blowfish-sushi chef Chikara Sato. They serve quality, affordable cuisine and beverages. With Asahi and Sapporo beers on tap and their own sakes brewed in Japan, this place has quickly become very popular. TOM TOM BAR & EATERY, 27 Drake Street, T: 09 377 5737, www.tom-tom.co.nz Elevated above Victoria Park with north facing views through the treetops across Auckland, Tom Tom Bar & Eatery is a great place to meet for drinks and experience their unique cuisine. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11.30am-late. TOMO JAPANESE RESTAURANT, 334 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 4757 www.tomojapaneserestaurant.co.nz Tomo has been serving delicious Japanese food for more than 12 years. They are fully licensed with 10 different sakes or wine and beer to enjoy with your food. Their popular takeaway Lunch Box includes salad, tempura, rice, miso soup and your choice of meat or fish. BYO wine only. Open Monday, 10.30am-5pm and TuesdaySaturday, 10.30am-10pm. TOO GOOD ESPRESSO, 54 Brown Street, T: 09 390 1533, www.toogoodespresso.co.nz Purveyors of exceptional coffee with delicious treats; mid week chocolate fix - caramel, hazelnut slice or almond, cranberry brownie. A tough decision. Don’t forget to pick up your take home Millers Beans for your weekend coffee fix. Open Monday-Friday 8am-3pm. TURKISH CAFE, 294 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 0468, www.turkishcafe.co.nz The Turkish Cafe serves fresh wholesome, halal food inspired by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine with a strong Turkish influence. There are set menus or they can tailor a menu to suit your tastes and the occasion you’re celebrating. Takeaway is available too. Open Monday-Thursday, 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday, 11am-11pm. TURKO CAFE, 22 Drake Street, T: 09 213 9528, www.turko.co.nz Nestled between Sale Street and Victoria Park Market, this is a nice spot for meeting up with friends or colleagues for breakfast or lunch. You can choose from their Mediterranean-inspired menu or try their daily roast vegetable salad or feta and spinach filo from the cabinet. Open Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm. URBAN JUNGLE, 571 Great North Road, T: 09 360 8470, www.urbanjunglecafe.co.nz For more than 14 years, in the heart of Grey Lynn, Urban Jungle has been turning out consistently good food. They are fully licensed and BYO wine. Open 7 days, 7am -4pm, Thursday-Saturday, 6pm-late.
Jonny Rudduck, il buco
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
VIET FLAMES, Victoria Park Market, T: 09 379 4033, www.vietflames.co.nz At the heart of Auckland’s iconic Victoria Park Market, Vietflames offers unforgettable flavors of Vietnam. Signature Vietnamese dishes are sumptuously prepared with a combination of locally sourced fresh organic produce and skillful traditional culinary techniques. Whether you are after a relaxing ambiance for meals, a fine dining experience or just a quick fix lunch, Vietflames takes the Vietnamese dining experience to a new level. WAIWERA HOTEL - COCKTAIL LOUNGE & EATERY, 2 Drake Street, Freemans Bay, www.waiwerahotel.co.nz They are about to open soon and describe themselves as “old fashioned with a touch of Coltrane”. Visit the Waiwera Hotel Facebook page for more details. WAROENG LEGIANZ, Unit 25, 210-218 Victoria Street West, T: 09 379 5058, www.waroenglegianz.co.nz From the famous chicken satay to more traditional dishes, Waroeng Legianz produces authentic food from different regions in Indonesia. The menu includes gado gado, Indonesian style salad with peanut sauce. Other dishes include nasi goreng, mie goreng, satay and gulai kambing. Open Monday-Saturday, 11am-3pm. WEIRDOUGH & TUCK, City Works Depot, 90 Wellesley Street West, T: 09 366 0973 Weirdough & Tuck is a tuck shop-style sandwich bar hosting an epic array of delicious
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
gastronomical creations! Sexy sandwiches, wicked salads, kick-ass fries, Kohu Road milkshakes and homemade sodas. Open Monday-Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-3pm. WILDER + HUNT, 65 Mackelvie Street, T: 09 378 8470, www.wilderandhunt.co.nz They specialise in real food, this is nutrient-dense food; no grain, no sugar, no artificial anything. They are about convenience health food, providing breakfast, lunch, dessert and take-home meals for the family or a romantic dinner for two. You can also drop in for a coffee or smoothie. Open 7 days, 7am-7pm. WOK EXPRESS, 236 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 376 4457, www.wokexpress.co.nz Wok Express is a quality Asian takeaway experience with a difference. They specialise in fresh, delicious, healthy, authentic Thai and Chinese food, cooked fresh to order and in generous portions! You can pick up or they can deliver to you. Open 7 days, 4.30pm-10pm. XIAO DAN RESTAURANT & BAR, 161 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 378 9908, www.xiaodan.wooh.nz Situated in the heart of Ponsonby, Xiao Dan serves a fusion of traditional and modern Chinese food. As well they have an amazing selection of pan fried and steamed dumplings - well worth coming in for! Open 7 days, Monday-Tuesday, from 5pm-late, Wednesday-Sunday, open for lunch 11am-late. YUZU JAPANESE RESTAURANT, 145 Ponsonby Road T: 09 378 6040 For over 22 years, with his passion for food, Geeyong Chris Chung has been involved in creating Japanese cuisine with his beautifully presented authentic Japanese dishes. They offer Japanese beer, sake and wine. They offer a great variety of vegetarian options. Open for lunch, dinner and takeaways from Monday-Saturday.
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VIC PARK CAFE, Corner College Hill and Beaumont Street, T: 09 377 3399 Vic Park Cafe was born as an extension of a home and a friendship between an Irish barista doll, a crazy Mexican chef, and a Brazilian coffee, book and music lover. They are serious about good coffee, good food, a good environment and good people; a place to sit, laugh and enjoy. Open 7 days, 7am-3:30pm.
LIZ WHEADON: WINE, GLORIOUS WINE
The two faces of Rioja Rioja was Spain’s pioneering wine region and is the most well recognised globally. With this, however, comes a tendency to lump Riojas together as being one style of Spanish Wine. As in many regions, small and large around the world, there are differences in the different parts of the region: the soil, aspect, varieties planted and last, but by no means least, the approaches to grape growing and wine production. In February, I spent a week with our Spanish producers in Rioja visiting Palacios Remondo and Finca Allende, both representing very different expressions of Rioja. Palacios Remondo is located in Alfaro, in the Rioja Baja sub region of Rioja. It was here, for many years, that the less desirable Rioja came from. The reason for this was the high dominance of Grenache in the wines, seen at the time as less important to the region than tempranillo. Oh, how things have changed. Spain’s favourite son, winner of Decanter Magazine’s Man of the Year in 2015 and in 2016 awarded by the Institute of Masters of Wine, Winemaker of the Year, Alvaro Palacios’ return to his family winery in 2000 changed the face of Rioja Baja.
Palacios vineyards
Alvaro’s main wine from Rioja is La Montesa which comes off a single vineyard site located on the slopes at the edge of this broad sub region. Many of those commentating on wine will ponder Alvaro’s seeming obsession with grenache. In Priorat, another region, he has championed, the wines are also predominantly grenache. This is not in fact a love of grenache, so much as a desire to return the vineyards to the traditional ways, to respect the heritage and return the land to a better state. It’s for this reason that Alvaro is painstakingly, row by row, grafting his vines on La Montesa back to grenache and retraining them into bush vines. Having followed this wine for the last 10 years, it’s clear that this work and dedication is paying off. The most recent release of La Montesa is 80% grenache with 20% tempranillo which we tasted at the winery, served in a pinot noir glass, which was ideal. There’s exciting news from Palacios Remondo; not only is there a new La Montesa - a reserva from the 2010 vintage, which has just arrived in our stores, there’s more to come with a single vineyard, 100% grenache wine due for release from the 2015 vintage; with only 2000 bottles made, we worked quickly to secure a small amount for New Zealand. At the other end of Rioja, in Rioja Alta is the winery of Finca Allende. Finca Allende is all about tempranillo, not from one vineyard site, but rather the best plots around Rioja Alta, carefully selected for their individual characters. The range of wines including a number of single vineyards highlighting the differences in these sites, some with strong Mediterranean influence and others with a drive from the Atlantic. Always looking at vineyards and keeping a keen eye on the region was what led Finca Allende to find the vineyard sites for their relatively new venture Finca Nueva. The vineyards that go into Finca Nueva are also in Rioja Alta, though on soil dominated by limestone, producing a very different character. Finca Allende were the first in the region to refuse to use Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, preferring to make wines that were the best they could from each site, without any rules.
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Palacios - Liz inspecting the vineyard Their main cuvée is a blend of 92 different parcels from around Rioja Alta. After fermentation in stainless, the wine is matured for 14 months in French oak, 30% of which is new; a concentrated red wine with so much intensity and power. Throughout May, we shine the spotlight on Spain, our theme of the month. In store you’ll find the wines of Palacios Remondo, Finca Allende, Finca Nueva and more. PN (LIZ WHEADON) F www.glengarry.co.nz
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY WINEMAKER JOHN BELSHAM CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF FOXES ISLAND With the start of Vintage 2016, John Belsham, Founder and Winemaker of Foxes Island Wines, marked his 40th year in winemaking and 25 years of producing premium single vineyard wines under his own label. Internationally recognised for his expertise in crafting exceptional, cool climate pinot noir and chardonnay, he has led a distinguished career shaping and guiding some of the most significant wine companies to date in New Zealand and France. Foxes Island was recently named by Wine & Spirits Magazine in the United States as producing the ‘Year’s Best, New World Sauvignon Blanc’ whilst all of the wines have earned 90 Plus Points by significant international critics; an achievement in itself. Recognised for cellar aging its wines prior to release, Foxes Island has recently announced the new release of the Icon, Le Renard Pinot Noir 2011 and will host a series of exclusive tastings and events in May and June to mark the occasion. Foxes Island has the only winery tasting room in Auckland, centrally located in Ponsonby. Open Monday to Saturday for retail sales and tasting. Offering more intimate wine experiences, private tastings with John Belsham are now being offered at the Tasting Room on a limited basis. The Tasting Room is available to hire for private events and corporate functions. Please enquire for availability: John Belsham, Founder and Winemaker of Foxes Island Wines
FOXES ISLAND, 15c Williamson Avenue, T: 09 378 1369, www.foxes-island.co.nz
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JULIE BONNER: NEWS FROM FROG POND FARM More news from our place... If you have been following Frog Pond Farm you may know that our property is undulating - okay, hilly, and that our raised veggie beds were cleverly constructed on a north facing hillside built into the land, perfect for drainage, visually appealing and not too far from the house. Truth is my back has been giving me a bit of grief lately and I’m not enjoying the hillside as much as I used to. It’s tough lugging buckets of produce or soil about, jumping on a broad fork or slipping on the slope after it has been raining (Auckland can rain!) I’m not sure about you, but I am one of those gardeners that wants to do everything at once and given my back, this isn’t what one might call sensible. However, I have got a bit smarter as of late and can be seen from time to time actually kneeling on the ground while gardening and heaven forbid taking a particularly casual approach and sitting on my butt in the garden (flower bed mind you not the veggie garden - that would never do). It’s autumn, my favourite season, and I’m in the throes of hauling out spent plants and replenishing beds with organic materials. I’m digging holes and burying kitchen food scraps, adding a planting mix of topsoil and compost, worm castings and then topping off the lasagne mix with pea straw which is great tucker for those garden worms and protects the soil over winter. Needless to say, I have my eye on seaweed at the beach, which I’m going to bag and bring home so that this can also be chopped up and buried in my veggie gardens or thrown on top as mulch. I’m getting excited just thinking about it, I’m sure the slugs won’t be! I swore last year that I wouldn’t grow seedlings anymore, as much as I enjoy the process, it is so time consuming. Anyway as it transpired, I succumbed and found myself sitting on the concrete one day poking seeds into trays with gay abandon and scribbling on plastic name tags. As can be imagined, those seeds germinated and spent a few days enjoying the sunshine before it was time to move them into the confines of a metal frame draped with netting. Why you may ask? Those white butterflies are tyrants at this time of year and love nothing more than to lay eggs on said seedlings. I did a rotten job at keeping those seedlings safe as I spotted a few holes in some leaves the other day. So it’s time to plant these brassicas, beetroot, and lettuce seedlings and poke in winter flowers while I’m at it. I shall plant my brassicas within the confines of a cloche protected from those perilous white butterflies. Of course those bugs aren’t the only pests I shall be combating - winter for us means slugs and snails and for me, night patrols with my torch and a bucket of soapy water. Something which I actually don’t mind doing although I’m not thrilled about sharing the space with hissing possums. Do you ever wonder why we go to all this trouble? Surely buying from a supermarket is less irksome, but nowhere near as much fun! And at least while my vegetables may be sporting the odd hole in the leaves, they have been grown organically and should be nutrient dense. I haven’t mentioned my chooks in ages have I? They are still devoid of a man in their lives although they don’t really seem to mind (smart girls). Egg production has dropped severely with a maximum of two eggs per day. Oh, the joys of molting and a reduction in daylight hours. Did I tell you that I have been making jellies and preserving? Bill has inspired me. As we had a massive haul of crab apples this year probably in the vicinity of 15kg, I have made a crab apple jelly and put some aside for vodka. I have pickled more chillies over the weekend and made an outrageous chilli sauce that had me coughing and spluttering while cooking... (JULIE BONNER) F PN If you are interested in more madness from our place, then check out my blog www.frogpondfarm.co.nz Happy gardening!
60 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
PICK YOUR PLEASURE ON THE ‘ISLAND OF WINE’ You’ve probably been to Waiheke Island, maybe a few times, and undoubtedly you will have sampled some of the many fine wines on offer. If you haven’t yet discovered any of the lesser-known but equally worthy boutique vineyards, you have a treat in store. Get together with a few like-minded friends and book a day out with Ananda Tours, Waiheke’s premium tour company. They specialise in personalised tours for wine and food enthusiasts and will take you to three of the most notable vineyards on the island for premium tastings. Depending on the selected venues, you’ll be able to discuss the wines with the winemaker or owner and weather permitting you may also tour the vineyard. Vineyards may include Batch, Peacock Sky, Obsidian, Stonyridge, Kennedy Point, Te Whau, Cable Bay, Mudbrick, Jurassic Ridge, Te Motu, Goldie, Passage Rock and Man
O’War. The wines range from austere single varietals to luscious Bordeaux blends with some vineyards having vertical tastings over several vintages. Finish with a superb lunch at one of Waiheke’s charming vineyards or a local restaurant of your choice. You will be accompanied by one of Ananda’s experienced guides, all of whom have completed a Bob Campbell Wine Diploma course, and are themselves great wine enthusiasts. If you are interested in purchasing wine, Ananda can also arrange a visit to some other vineyards that are not usually open to the public. F PN To book your exclusive wine tour, go to www.ananda.co.nz
The Premium
Waiheke Wine Tour Experience
Boutique vineyards, award-winning wine and local gourmet food
Special Offer Book The Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour online for a group of 6 or more and be upgraded to a exclusive tour including a private tour and tasting at Waiheke’s most famous vineyard – Stonyridge. Code: STONYRIDGE
ananda.co.nz | info@ananda.co.nz | 09 372 7530 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Subject to availability. Must be aged 18 years or over. Booking must be for a minimum of 6 people. Offer applies to The Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour only. Valid 20/04/16 - 20/10/16. See website for full terms and conditions.
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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
ELEPHANT HILL - A WORLD-CLASS DESTINATION Elephant Hill is a family owned vineyard and winery estate located within a stones’ throw of the Pacific Ocean on the idyllic Te Awanga coast in Hawke’s Bay. Owners Reydan and Roger Weiss first fell in love with the beauty of Te Awanga when visiting from Germany in 2001. Their dream was to make wines from their own vineyards that truly represented the region and where quality was the most important factor. Together they have developed three vineyards and a state-of-the-art winery and restaurant inspired by the Pacific Ocean, Cape Kidnappers and the natural beauty of the Te Awanga coast. At Elephant Hill there is a strong drive and belief in sustainability and the preservation of the land for future generations. All the vineyards are accredited by Sustainable Winegrowers of New Zealand (SWNZ). “The philosophy at Elephant Hill is a dedication to uncompromising quality in everything we do. We have committed ourselves to creating a world-class destination with the
highest technical and artistic attributes. These characteristics are the very essence of growing grapes and crafting fine wine.” Reydan and Roger Weiss - Proprietors. The Elephant Hill Restaurant and Cellar Door is open 7 days a week. Cellar Door: 11am - 4pm Restaurant: Winter Hours (April to October) Lunch 7 days from 12 noon and dinner Thursday to Saturday from 6pm Summer Hours (November to March) Lunch 7 days from 12 noon and dinner 7 days from 6pm F PN ELEPHANT HILL, 86 Clifton Road, Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay, T: 06 873 0400 www.elephanthill.co.nz
WINETOPIA SET TO BE ‘BEST AND BRIGHTEST’ With hundreds of New Zealand wines on show and thousands of wine fans making the pilgrimage, Winetopia presented by Singapore Airlines is set to be the best and brightest wine event in the country - with food matching, sommelier-led tasting classes, masterclasses, talks by wine-loving personalities and lively music by Hopetoun Brown capping off each session in style. Attendees will be able to taste and purchase stunning wines including the likes of Central Otago’s Mount Michael ‘Bessie’s’ reserve Pinot Noir, Hawke’s Bays’ 2013 Craggy Range Sophia Bordeaux Blend (98 Points by Bob Campbell), or Clearview Estate’s Basket Press 2013, only produced from the very best grapes hand selected during an exceptional season. Villa Maria’s latest sensation is a must-taste: the Villa Maria Cellar Selection Gisborne Albariño 2014 won the Pure Gold Award at the Air NZ Wine Awards in the ‘White Wines: Other Varieties’ category. And Heron’s Flight has just bottled their first sangiovese wine made in a clay amphora, an ancient and natural way of making wine. Add to that Ngatarawa, Summerhouse, Ascension, Framingham and so many more to taste and to buy and take home. Online tickets are $30 and including five complimentary tastings, tasting class plus free talks and entertainment. F PN WINETOPIA www.winetopia.nz
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Matt Stafford, Chief winemaker at Craggy Range PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
th e e state s Elephant Hill
available at: Mekong Baby; Prego; Saan; Siostra; Moo Chow Chow; Apero; Coco Cantina; SPQR; The Blue Breeze Inn Caros Wines; Farro Fresh Grey Lynn; Ponsonby Liquor; Liquorland Grey Lynn and Herne Bay; Liquor King Ponsonby
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PHIL PARKER: WHOSE WINE IS IT ANYWAY?
Very fine indeed Internationally New Zealand is finally being acknowledged as not just a one-trick sauvignon blanc pony, but for its diversity of more complex ‘fine wines.’ In true Kiwi spirit we are having a go at many grape varieties and largely succeeding by experimentation and matching the grape to the holy vinous trinity of climate, soil and weather (the French refer to it as terroir). Some of the following wines that I have reviewed reflect that diversity. Montepulciano, hails from the Abruzzi region of Italy, and this grape makes dark, full-bodied spicy wine with hints of blackcurrants and dark berry fruit. Dolcetto is a dark-skinned grape famously from the Italian region of Piedmont. The wine typically has flavours of black berry fruits and a bit of dark chocolate. Tannat is a red grape, historically grown in southwest France in the Madiran region. Modern French tannat is characterised by firm tannins, deep colour, and an ability to age well. The aroma profile is gently tarry and jammy. Here are some very fine wines I sampled recently: Main Divide Tehau Reserve Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2014, $33 From Waipara, one of my favourite boutique regions. Lovely medium-bodied pinot that hits all the buttons. Smells like black cherry and fruit cake with a dash of earthy forest floor. Lovely soft and generous palate of spice, summer berries, back tea and hint of truffle. Available - Glengarry and The Good Wine Company www.thegoodwineco.nz. Dry River Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014, $86.50 Iconic Martinborough label Dry River has been producing pinot noir since the early 1980s. This new release is an opulent and ripe pinot with a firm backbone of acidity. Funky aromas give way to pot pourri, cigar box and black berry fruits. Silky tannins support a rich complex and juicy ripe palate of cassis, blackberry and a hint of spice. Gorgeous wine that will reward cellaring. Available - Dry River Wines info@dryriver.co.nz. Heron’s Flight Matakana Reserve Dolcetto 2014, $60 Slightly earthy and wet clay aromas with a bit of soy sauce and black currant in the olfactory mix. Flavours of anise, liquorice, a hint of grassiness and ripe black cherry and mocha with medium firm tannic structure. A complex and classic wine. Available - Heron’s Flight Winery. contact@heronsflight.co.nz. De La Terre Montepulciano Hawkes Bay 2014, $52.50 Smells like roast meat, black olive, wet clay and cherry fruit cake. Rich, dry and earthy with a core of ripe black berry fruit, and a tight tannic finish. One to cellar. Available - Herne Bay Cellars Auckland. De La Terre Tannat Hawkes Bay 2014, $44.50 Spicy aromas plus dark chocolate, black cherry and wet earth. On the palate, it’s rich dark and rewarding with all of the above with some gamey flavours plus a lovely ripe mid palate and medium tannins. Still a youngster, this one would get even better with at least four years in the bottle. Available - Herne Bay Cellars Auckland. (PHIL PARKER) F PN Phil’s new cellar door book ‘NZ Wine Regions - A Visitor’s Guide’ is now available on Amazon Kindle. Phil Parker is a wine writer and operates Fine Wine & Food Tours in Auckland. See: www.finewinetours.co.nz.
BECOME A FRIEND OF KELMARNA GARDENS FOR AS LITTLE AS $5 A MONTH
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY NEW KUMARA BURGER HITS THE SWEET SPOT Some may say ‘the kumara’ is a trusty Kiwi favourite - holding a special place in our hearts. If we had a ‘New Zealand Hall of Food Fame,’ the kumara would be right up there and we would parade it like a badge of honour, something so highly regarded it could almost be a national icon! That’s why Bean Supreme is excited to introduce its brand new vegetarian Kumara Burger. Available from supermarkets since last month, the new Bean Supreme Kumara Burger is the answer to all of your 5pm dilemmas - as it’s the perfect healthy option waiting in the fridge for when you get home from work. Packed full of whole food ingredients, including ancient grains (quinoa and buckwheat), kale, coconut, black eyed beans and of course, our favourite vegetable - the kumara, it’s certain to put a smile on your face! The Kumara Burger is the second product launched under Bean Supreme’s new wholefood ‘cafe range’ after the Black Bean Beetroot Burger became an instant hit with Kiwi’s. Did you know New Zealand Kumara is an ancient vegetable that has been growing here for over 100 years. Not only is it a great source of energy, it contains virtually no fat and is full of antioxidants. Perfect for the barbeque, a mid-week meal or the ultimate substitute to takeaways, the Bean Supreme Kumara Burger is a source of protein and fibre and unlike many vegetarian products, has no added soy. What’s more the new Bean Supreme Kumara Burger has an impressive 4.5 health star rating! F PN RRP from $7.99 (4 burger patties per pack)
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GARY STEEL: VEG FRIENDLY
Big Sur... vegetarian fare and a good book One of Auckland’s many problems is that for many years it has desperately tried to be greater than it is in ways that don’t really matter. The espresso craze of the early 1990s was all we needed to start us down a path that now seems to lead to new levels of expectation week by week.
and ginger flavour was really something, the broccoli was divine, and it was delightful to crunch on edamame outside of its usual context. Oh, and the coffee was good.
Don’t get me wrong: excellence in all things is great, and good quality, tasty tucker prepared by cooks with passion and skill (and tuned taste buds) can never be a bad thing. It’s just that now it feels like we’ve got to the point where whatever ends up on our plate has to be sourced from exotic ingredients hand-harvested or hunted, then processed in a way that might conjure up pictures of bizarre medieval rituals, and served up like a work of art. And all this, whether it actually tastes any good or not, comes at a price. Certain restaurant reviewers perpetuate this food porn, which somehow still reeks of the provincial past that Auckland is desperately trying to escape from.
Big Sur will probably never win awards, but that’s probably a good thing. What it offers is something the others don’t: surprisingly nicely priced vegetarian food prepared with love (often with homegrown ingredients, often organic) and delivered without fuss by low-key, PN friendly staff. It feels real. I like that. (GARY STEEL) F BIG SUR, 432 Richmond Road, T: 09 361 6196, www.facebook.com/bigsurgreylynn Gary Steel is an Auckland-based journalist who runs online vegetarian resource www.doctorfeelgood.co.nz He can be contacted via beautmusic@gmail.com
And the thing is, much of the time the rave reviews and awards just don’t gel with the reality of these establishments. I recently ate at an award-winning Ponsonby Road cafe/restaurant only to find that the portions were miniscule, the prices sky high, the décor shabby, and the staff in a state of chaos. Not only that, but they tried to serve us something we hadn’t ordered, forgot to deliver something we did order, and tried to charge us for it anyway. On the other hand, there’s a time and place for fancy, but for a vegetarian, what we want most of all when we eat out is something that is nutritionally balanced and tasty. Forget the secret harvesting of mystery ingredients, getting the basics right is what matters. Richmond Road’s fairly new Big Sur vegan and vegetarian cafe does just that, with enough flair and character to make a difference. Big Sur’s main point of difference is its literary connotations, and accordingly, the cafe features a lending library featuring the works of the great American beat-era writers from the 50s and 60s. I’m not sure how many of those literary geniuses would have favoured animal free eating, but I’m glad Big Sur has chosen that route, and being just across from Harvest Wholefoods makes the healthy vegetarianism a no-brainer. In the site of the modernist-themed Monterey cafe, Big Sur hasn’t spent big bucks on redesign, but its slightly scuffed, worn appearance is strangely comforting. It would be hugely advantageous to the cafe and its proprietors, however, if some day soon they could afford one of those giant protective awnings for their outdoor area: it’s lack of weather protection will limit seating capacity during the winter months. On a sunny day however, that courtyard is a place of refuge. But what about the food? It feels like the chef has intentionally chosen dishes from around the world - Mexican, Italian, Indian, Japanese - and then added her own skew. I ordered the El Sur Grande Taco, with its corn tortilla, black beans, capsicum and tomato salsa, slaw, charred spring onion dressing and fried egg, while Yoko couldn’t resist a dish (more or less) from her homeland: Nishiogikubo: Japanese style cold soba noodle salad with slaw, pickled onion and ginger, edamame, brugolini, and spicy miso dressing. Despite its lack of anything resembling hot sauce, the Grande Taco was very nice. More of a pleasant, multi-dimensional eating experience than a ‘wow’ moment - that belonged to the Nishiogikubo. Everything about the Japanese dish was spot on, and while it could have maybe done with a few more soba noodles to bulk things up, the pickled onion
66 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
FISH FISH Did you know New Zealand has the ninth largest coastline in the world? Did you know that our country manages the world’s fourth largest fishing territory? How about the fact that our green-lipped mussels provide almost three times your daily vitamin B12 needs? Did you know that Ponsonby Central has a new spot that showcases the beautiful kaimoana of our country? It’s called Fish Fish, and it’s a new restaurant, takeaway and fishmonger from Mimi Gilmour, Adrian Chilton and the team who brought you The Lane’s beloved Burger Burger. From the legend of Maui fishing Te Ika a Maui (the North Island) to the thriving fishing industry that the Maori settlers created, much of New Zealand’s economy and history has grown up out of our waters. Fish Fish aims to celebrate this connection to our ocean by offering fresh and delicious seafood.
Fish Fish is staffed by a young and friendly team, you’ll recognise many of the same faces from Burger Burger. There are also newbies who’ve joined through the company’s innovative Jazzy Jobs recruitment campaign. It’s a welcoming destination, so pull up a stool and chat to the cooks behind the counter as they serve up some of Auckland’s freshest seafood. If you’re in a hurry, takeaway is available and you can also buy fresh PN fish to cook at home. F
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photography: Libby Robinson
You’ll always find fresh fish (which you can order pan-fried, panko-crumbed, or beer -battered) on the menu, as well as seasonal salads, chips (the space’s legendary former proprietor Jimmy the Fish gifted the team his very own world famous recipe) and a rotating menu of fritters, mussels, pasta, taco, raw treats and more. These specials adapt to the conditions of the day and are part of Fish Fish’s mission to support responsible fishing practices and ethical sourcing. They like to know where every piece of fish you eat comes from and who caught it. In addition to dine-in and takeaway, you can buy fresh and delicious seafood to cook at home from Fish Fish’s fishmonger’s counter www.fishfish.co.nz FishFishNZ
BEDFORD SODA & LIQUOR
DANTES PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA
Kick off your weekend early with inspired cocktails involving fire and hard liquor! Or pop in any day of the week for a refreshing quencher, sharing pitcher or a New York style cocktail. DJ sets Thursday to Saturday.
Looking for a cosy pizzeria that is the real deal? Dantes is the perfect spot to meet your mates or to feed the family! The brick wood-fired oven seals in the authentic flavour of a true Neapolitan pizza.
T: 09 378 7362 bedfordsodaandliquor.co.nz
T: 09 378 4443 dantespizzeria.co.nz
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OUT + ABOUT AUTUMN FESTIVAL AT KELMARNA GARDENS You couldn’t be blamed if you walked past the entrance to the Kelmarna Gardens without a second thought as to what lies beyond the gate and you certainly wouldn’t think four and a half acres of urban oasis could be hidden away between the streets and rows of houses. Little treasures like this are what Ponsonby is all about and what make our area so special. Locals refused to have their spirits dampened by the wet weather of an approaching winter and the Community Gardens were packed for its 2016 Autumn Festival on Sunday 24 April, with over 1000 visitors attending the event.
There were plenty of activites to keep children entertained, including face painting and seed sowing
It was a busy day for everybody; a packed schedule, plenty of stalls, live music and good food made sure nobody was left unentertained. The day started with Sarah Smuts-Kennedy teaching audiences how to create a biodynamic cowpat pit, getting her hands very messy in the process. Down in the paddocks musician Luke Hurley performed pieces to a captivated audience, including his classic song ‘Mona Lisa’. Other artists throughout the afternoon included Pixels, Karen Hunter and Chillele. Just metres away Orphans Kitchen, the Metro Restaurant Award Winners, put on a tasty BBQ to feed a hungry crowd. For younger people there was face painting and horse rides, with all proceeds going towards maintaining and improving the gardens. The day ended in a way just as cruel on the nostrils as it began, with Judy Keats teaching crowds the art of compost making. The event is run by volunteers and friends of the garden, who also helped organise the Spring Festival, the first of its kind, in October last year.
Rosalie Yozin hosts a seminar on keeping chickens
The Kelmarna Garden Community Trust leases the land from Auckland Council, and the lease was recently renewed for a five-year plus term. Despite the gardens already looking better than ever the trust is striving to improve them even further. Upcoming projects such as revitalising the organic demonstration garden and developing education and research programmes are just some of the ways they hope to bring the garden to new heights. They are also seeking volunteers and donations to help keep this valuable community resource open for everyone. Unfortunately the weather makes it unlikely that the Festival will be repeated soon, but there are plans for a second Spring Festival later this year when the sunny weather returns. (GEORGE SHIERS) F PN
Luke Hurley performs in the paddocks
KELMARNA GARDENS, 12 Hukanui Crescent, T: 09 376 0472, www.kelmarnagardens.nz
Sarah Smuts-Kennedy shows how to make a biodynamic cowpat pit
Simon takes young children for rides around the paddock on Jaffa
Tim and Sarah ran the Bread & Butter stand
photography: George Shiers
Despite the rain the garden saw over 1000 people turn up for the Autumn Festival
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OUT + ABOUT
Above: Despite the rain the garden saw over 1000 people turn up for the Autumn Festival; Below: Orphans Kitchen feeds a hungry crowd
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LAURAINE JACOBS: THE SEASONED PALATE
Lauraine goes to Hollywood There he was, the best restaurant critic in the entire world, on stage about three metres away from my seat, even larger in life than on the screen or on the page and sharing his thoughts on the current frenetic Los Angeles food scene. Jonathon Gold, writer for the LA Times and the star of a documentary City of Gold was one of the keynote speakers at a culinary conference I attended last month in Hollywood. (NZFF fans may have been savvy enough to view this delicious film last year in July in Auckland and it is only now on general release across the United States.) After a private showing of his film, we spent time listening to the man, who speaks as eloquently as he writes, while nibbling on tacos made by his favourite taco food truck cook. Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants is the city’s eating bible. Gold ranks his favourites and for the last three years in a row Providence, the Melrose Avenue temple of dining that showcases modernist seafood, has won top spot. Now that’s truly professional, a critic who recognises the best and is not drawn by zany start-ups or the latest fad. But his list also includes hard-to-find strip mall joints run by immigrants that cook the food they love best for their new communities and even, heaven forbid, food trucks. The picks he shared that night around Hollywood were Loteria Grill where you will eat some fine Mexican food, Hungry Cat for delicious seafood, Baroo where fermentation rules, and Soban where really hot spicy Korean food is on the menu. He also told us to call into the classic Frank and Musso’s, which is about as close to Old Hollywood you will ever get and where those elderly waiters probably served endless cocktails to Frank and Dino. But on to my own experiences in the city of gold. After eating my fill of Mexican on a day-long excursion through East LA (Los 5 Puntos had the best carnitas taco I’ve ever eaten) I was ready for some local seasonal food. It would not be a Hollywood experience without an In-N-Out burger and fries. For decades this fast food joint just off Sunset Boulevard has been a mecca for college kids (Hollywood High School is across the street) and tourists. The meaty burger, bright with orange cheese and crunchy lettuce did not disappoint and I was pleased no-one important spotted me there. Spago, (number three on Gold’s list) where Wolfgang Puck sowed the first seeds of his restaurant and catering empire was top of my list. It has taken me 33 years to get there since I was first alerted to this fancy-schmancy place on the pages of Gourmet. Puck is in the kitchen most days keeping up with culinary trends and constantly reworking a menu that appeals to the celebs and well-heeled (I spotted some measuring at least six inches) Gulfstream-owning crowd. In the outdoor remodelled courtyard we sipped champagne and sampled the famous pizza, which Puck has turned into an airport chain. It was the best pizza ever - asparagus, peas, mint, lamb sausage, fresh cheese in a crisp yet doughy crust. A real adventure and worth booking ahead for.
Pizza at Spago
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But best of all were the two meals eaten at Chef Nancy Silverton’s Mozza (Gold’s number 6). This clever chef seemingly owns the neighbourhood that was just a $4 Uber fare from our hotel and has four operating eateries within a vast commercial building. It is spring in Los Angeles so we feasted on a gorgeous array of spring vegetable inspired dishes at the main restaurant, Osteria Mozza. Burrata wrapped in house cured ham and topped with asparagus, peas, mint and pea shoots was one of the sweetest things I have devoured this year. It was from the small mozzarella bar tucked within the restaurant and Silverton herself presided over this, plating our dishes. Next door, two nights later we ate at Chi Spacca, Silverton’s meaty Italian bistro which serves up grilled meats, an array of house-cured salami and a stunning pane bianco made with truffled lardo. Incredibly delicious. If my experience sounds good but a little far away from Ponsonby, be patient. Nancy Silverton is bringing a taste of Mozza to Soul Bar for one night only on August 31. Call Olivia at Soul to register interest on 09 356 7249. (LAURAINE JACOBS) F PN www.laurainejacobs.co.nz
Burrata at Osteria Mozza PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ROSS THORBY: SEA FEVER Kennedy Space Centre was always going to be a highlight of this world cruise for me. I can remember as a small boy sitting in front of our TV watching the flickering images of those pioneer astronauts... “One small step for man”... one giant leap for a kid’s imagination. Quietly I harboured a dream of one day seeing and touching one of those amazing flying machines, a real life spaceship, something born out of the imagination of man to reach the stars. But life continued, years went by and a boy’s dream was left unfulfilled until one day it appeared on a ship’s itinerary and the opportunity of a life time presented itself. Cape Canaveral. The Kennedy Space Centre. NASA... Spaceships and those incredible flying machines. It was too good an opportunity to miss and now here I am at the very place. Dreaming has become a reality. On leaving our ship, we were met by our guide, Jody. Jody was perky. blonde, blue eyed and very American; she bounced around our bus with great enthusiasm imparting her well-rehearsed patter interspersed with infectious laughter and corny space jokes. She implored us to keep an eye out for alligators on our journey. It seems that every bit of open water here, including the ponds on people’s front yards, is inhabited by these massive reptiles, which begs the question: Why would you purposely have a dark and murky pond on your front yard if it is going to encourage these things to lie in wait for you? Apparently on launch day when the earth shakes, the ‘gators go berserk, coming up out of the ditches, swamps and ponds to run around in a primordial frenzy. Snapping and fighting with each other before quietly slinking back to their habitats after the rockets are well into the sky. On arrival at our first port of call: it was impossible to describe the sensation of standing in a room with the actual Apollo landing craft hanging from the ceiling as if it was about to land. It conjures up that memory of the flickering black and white image from so long ago. We see the pods in which the early astronauts sat. Small peaked capsules that sat atop the first manned rockets that were fired into space. They are barely arely big enough for humans, let alone the computers they took with them. We sat in that confined space - not for the claustrophobic. In another room, the very space suits that walked on the moon, a piece of moon rock that you could actually touch and the capsule in which the first astronauts returned to Earth, its metal exterior all burnt and rugged from re-entry. Around the halls at various points were retired engineers and astronauts, willing to share their stories and answer our questions, their enthusiasm still prevalent well into their retirement. As we progressed around the centre’s buildings, the story of man’s space endeavours was told: his first satellite launch, the first man into space, and the first men on the moon, was told. The next stop was ‘current Man’s Achievements’, the now retired Atlantis Spaceship. We are now capable of sending men into space and returning them to Earth in the same vehicle which can then be reused for the next mission. Standing in a darkened room, a huge 3D show extolling the virtues and mysteries of space exploration and the possible future. Dramatically, the wall at the front of the theatre disappeared and there she was. Big bird. You thought the Concorde was cool. Wait until you see this... It’ll bring tears to your eyes, this amazing piece of technology. The small cockpit up front and a huge cargo bay behind open to show the interior positioned atop vast wings. It floated, suspended above the floor on an angle as if coming in to land only a few feet away.
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It was amazing. It brought tears to my eyes. Seriously, it did! After watching this machine on TV, marvelling at what we can achieve when we set our minds to it, when it was right in front of us, it was truly awe inspiring. Before we left the room, I took the opportunity to talk to one of the engineers who had worked on her, he was as proud of her today as he had been when she was flying the skies. And for a small boy watching that ancient flickering image all those years ago? Dream achieved. Atlantis - damn. (ROSS THORBY) F PN
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
TRAVEL BREAKS: THE NEW THERAPY!
INTO THE AMAZON
by Caroline Clegg, World Journeys
The Amazon is one of the most unique and precious places on Earth, but deciding where and how to best experience it on what is usually a once-in-a-lifetime trip is a challenge. The Amazon River is 6400 km long, with tributaries coming from eight countries. Home to immensely diverse flora and fauna, this veritable Garden of Eden boasts more than 30,000 plant species, 1800 fish species, more than 1300 different birds and 311 species of mammals. Too many numbers? Let’s narrow down your choices to the three absolute best places to experience it all. 1. Brazil Brazil’s vast Amazonian region is accessible on a cruise out of Manaus, in itself an interesting city with its magnificent Opera House. Small expedition-style cruises head up the Rio Negro to encounter pink dolphins, go piranha fishing or caiman spotting at night, and the Meeting of the Waters where the black water of the Rio Negro meets the brown water of the River Solimoes. Our pick would be a cruise in comfort and style aboard the M/V Desafio, a three-masted sailing ship which carries just 24 passengers. Many people think the only place to experience the Amazon is Brazil - this could not be further from the truth! 2. Peru Perfect to combine with a trip to Machu Picchu, cruising from Iquitos you’ll discover amazing birdlife including colourful macaws, pink dolphins, river otters and howler monkeys. The M/V Aqua offers three, four or seven-night cruises in style, with fascinating excursions and gourmet meals. The equally gorgeous Delfin II offers four-night cruises including visits to
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local villages. Those not into cruising can enjoy an eco-lodge experience at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica set deep in the Tambopata Reserve, with a Canopy Walkway for a completely different perspective, and a riverside spa to relax in after jungle walks. 3. Ecuador True wildlife enthusiasts should head for Ecuador, which offers the Amazon, Cloud Forest and the Galapagos Islands. The headwaters of the Ecuadorian Amazon boast some of the greatest biodiversity on Earth. ere we recommend Sacha Lodge with its forest trails, treetop observation tower and bird walk, and dug-out canoes for excursions to the parrot clay licks. Expert naturalist guides and native Indian trackers make this an authentic experience. Wherever you go to experience the Amazon, you must be prepared for a surprising lack of visible wildlife (other than perhaps caiman, monkeys and birdlife) - the rainforest is dense and the wildlife shy. This is more than made up for when you get in amongst the rainforest on a walking excursion and observe the smaller stuff - the weird and wonderful insects, the plants that all play their very specific part in this highly complex eco-system, and the smaller species such as colourful tree frogs or butterflies. Night walks reveal some of the best wildlife at their most active, and lying in bed listening to the sounds of the Amazon is a very special experience you will never forget! F PN
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PONSONBY NEWS READERS ARE EVERYWHERE
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1. Local residents Susan and Steve Gutmann emailed to tell us “this morning we got back from a wonderful 17 days away in Mexico and Cuba. We took a photo of an enthusiastic Ponsonby News reader (complete with cigar) in Trinidad, CUBA. The magazine was then given to the local English readers - hard to explain that this glossy publication was actually our ‘local paper’ and not a New Zealand magazine as such!” 2. Freemans Bay resident Ross Thorby is pictured at the Pulau Orangutan Sanctuary in Semanggol, MALAYSIA. 3. Continuing on his world cruise, Ponsonby local Ross Thorby was pictured recently at the Gangaramaya (Vihara) - Buddhist Temple, Colombo, SRI LANKA.
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4. Ross Thorby joins Monica Aplin and Pauline Melles to read Ponsonby News while cruising in a volcanic crater, miles from anywhere in GUATEMALA. 5. Our cruising columnist Ross Thorby says, he met Greg Jenks and his new wife Wendy, while the pair were sailing on the Queen Victoria for their honeymoon. Pictured here at the stilt village in BRUNEI, Ross Thorby tells us they loved to see the latest copy of Ponsonby News. 5. Linda and Peter Stopforth catching up on the Ponsonby News while visiting DISNEYLAND USA.
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. PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
FASHION + STYLE
SABEN OPENS FLAGSHIP STORE IN PONSONBY Iconic New Zealand accessories brand Saben has opened its flagship store on Ponsonby Road. Saben has been producing premium-quality leather goods since 1998, which are recognised and sold around the world. Their new flagship space will be home to Saben’s complete range, including the popular and classic Tilly bag, which doubles as a wallet or a purse. Customers will also find all of Saben’s newest styles, including the 1970s-inspired Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.
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There’s a special ‘now open’ offer on right now: visit the team at Saben Ponsonby, spend over $300 and receive a free Joker wallet worth $150 (only available while stocks last). SABEN, 133 Ponsonby Road T: 09 376 1009, www.saben.co.nz
DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
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HELENE RAVLICH: LOCAL FASHION LOVE
Local designer: Juliette Hogan In the New Zealand fashion industry there are a number of subsets, the most prominent two being the legion of ‘over sharers’ and then the gentle ‘quiet achievers’. Designer Juliette Hogan is most definitely in the latter group, having built a brand over the years that has become synonymous with elegant, clever design and a general attitude of setting and meeting some pretty damn major goals, one milestone at a time. When we spoke in mid April the designer was in the act of putting in motion her latest goal, which is an entrance into the lucrative United States market. Due to leave for Los Angeles just two days after we spoke, she has had a showroom there for the last few months which is holding an event to showcase her latest collection for that hemisphere mere days after she lands. “We are taking our summer collection up there to show to the local media and stylists,” she explains, “which is exciting but I feel like still we have a lot to do to get ready... it’s pretty crazy around here!” When I ask “why America, and why now?” she says that it is a market that she has been interested in for a while, a feeling which was cemented whilst on an amazing holiday there towards the end of last year. “I had such an incredible time that I decided I wanted to spend more time over there, and it seemed really right for the label right now as well.” She adds that she has a pretty solid hold on the local market after all these years. “It was time to start pushing forward and setting some new goals.” She says that she always like to feel ”inspired and ambitious” when it comes to doing something new, and the city of Los Angeles is a place that definitely does that for her. Talkative and confident, Hogan is definitely one of New Zealand’s freshest and most approachable designers, and the opening of the Juliette Hogan flagship store on Ponsonby Road back in 2007 was integral to cementing her position in New Zealand’s fashion industry. Juliette creates garments that blur the line between classic femininity and sexy, contemporary style. Her clean, minimalist approach to tailoring, along with her careful selection of textiles, textures and colourations, make for functional yet beautiful garments. Each piece is modern and also shrouded in a timeless quality, making it able to surpass the seasons. Above all, Juliette’s collections are sensitive to simplicity of form and are infinitely practical. Her dedication to quality, style and femininity and her coolly sophisticated design sense ensure that her collections will continue to be anticipated and celebrated with each new season. I ask her if it’s easy for New Zealand designers to fall into the rut of opening a couple of stores, designing a new collection every few months and resting on their laurels, to which she diplomatically replies that if that’s what makes them happy then why not?
“It really depends on what you want out of your business, and that is such a personal thing. I am a really driven person and am not satisfied with just that, but if you are, that isn’t a rut or a trap - just a different set of priorities.” With her Ponsonby Road store hitting its ninth year she says she is still so proud of what she calls her ‘first baby’. “I will always have a special place in my heart for the store and it is just so right for our brand,” she explains, and says she remains proud to be part of the first wave of designers to invest in the Ponsonby Road strip in a retail sense. Wasn’t she ever swayed by the lure of Newmarket all those years ago? “I don’t think so,” says Hogan, “Ponsonby just seemed so much more manageable and not the giant retail beast that Newmarket was back then.” She says she did have her fair share of naysayers about the central city suburb when she first looked at opening the store, “but if something feels right when I want to do it, then I will,” and she did. She says the only negative about the area is - quite obviously - parking. “And something definitely needs to change.” With her latest milestone about to be achieved, and last year’s (the opening of her Newmarket store) already a runaway success, she also has a new baby on the way this July. It is her first child and she is understandably a little nervous but says, “I absolutely love what I do and don’t think I could ever completely switch off. It makes me so happy and I just can’t imagine not having it in my life.” Somehow I think that the talented, well mannered and devoted Ms Hogan will most definitely make it work. PN (HELENE RAVLICH) F JULIETTE HOGAN, 170 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 9347, www.juliettehogan.com
NEW PARISIAN X BARKERS COLLECTION From a factory on the edge of Myers Park in the city, Parisian creates beautifully made ties, bow ties, belts and other accessories the same way they always have, since the company’s founding in 1919. Menswear retailers Barkers have recently launched the latest Parisian X Barkers collection. The two brands have been working together for a number of years on a number of projects, with the Parisian X Barkers range first making an appearance in 2012.
The current, dapper range consists of a selection of Italian-made wool pocket squares with delicate, hand-rolled and stitched edges. The bow ties and ties, all made in New Zealand, are available in the same fabrics as the pocket squares, designed to be mixed and matched to create an array of unique looks. The colour palette has earthy tones at the base, allowing versatility and easy co-ordination. F PN PARISIAN X BARKERS www.barkersonline.co.nz
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
Coat and tunic from PORTMANS, pants from MAX, necklace from FLYING SAUCERS, shoes from MI PIACI The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
WWW.SHORE-CITY.CO.NZ
DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
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FASHION + STYLE: JULIE ROULSTON
Streetwear What’s not to love about streetwear? It’s designed to move, to layer, to keep you warm and dry. It’s chic at the moment, too. In the company of ‘dystopian streetwear’ from the likes of Kanye West and Alexander Wang, Paris-based collective Vetement’s sellout £185 tee shirts complete with DHL logo, have been christened the fashion story of the year so far.
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WHERE TO BUY IN GREATER PONSONBY 1. Workshop Denim coat ($698) sweater ($269) and jean ($269) www.workshop.co.nz 2. Taylor coat $727 www.taylorboutique.co.nz 3. Huffer anorak ($239.90) www.huffer.co.nz 4. Ruby t-shirt ($109) www.rubynz.com 5. Kowtow backpack $89 www.kowtow.co.nz 6. twenty-seven names pant ($320) www.twentysevennames.co.nz 7. Ketz-ke pant $145 ketz-ke.com 8. Neuw jean ($199.99) and shirt ($199.99) www.neuwdenim.com 9. New Balance trainer ($160) www.newbalance.co.nz 10. Kathryn Wilson trainer ($329) www.kathrynwilson.com 11. Masada t-shirt ($447) www.theshelter.co.nz 12. Staple and Cloth coat $389 www.stapleandcloth.co.nz 13. Huffer track pant ($129.90) www.huffer.co.nz 14. Deadly Ponies bag ($745) www.deadlyponies.com 15. Meadowlark ring ($239 in sterling silver) www.meadowlark.co.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 MAY 1925
Dear Great Aunt Hortense, I shouldn’t complain as I do love to wear coats and I’m looking forward to giving the gorgeous pair of gloves you sent me an outing. I adore the gauntlet style and I’m so pleased with the delicious violet colour. Thank you so much! Have your bluebells behaved this year and filled your meadow with their blue skirts? Please do send me a snapshot, as it is such a delight to see such darling flowers en masse. I wish that I could grow them here. My local nurseryman, Mr Girven, managed to secure some special frilled Dutch tulips for me (from a secret source of his) in exchange for some gay neckerchiefs made from some of my remnants. He is known for them about these parts and likes to wear a different one each day! I must have made at least 20 for him to date! I have my bulbs resting in a cool cupboard and plan to pop them into pots this coming weekend, along with the freesia and crocus bulbs that I lifted in the summer. The little crocus pot you sent me last year takes pride of place on my sitting room windowsill, complete with five hopeful little bulbs, which have tentatively set some roots down into the water. Providing I don’t forget to keep the water level up, they should be blooming by August. I shall take a snapshot of them for you, all going well. I have been very busy (am I ever not), but especially so in the lead up to the June wedding season. I have three brides’ and 10 attendants’ gowns to keep me out of mischief over the next three weeks. They are all designed, the sketches approved, the fabrics selected, and the pattern blocks drawn, laid out and cut, with only the sewing, the fittings and the embroidery and beading to complete. As you well know, it is the trimming that really takes the time. One of the brides has decided on rather a lot of hand embroidery and beading for her dress and those of her four attendants, which will take up most of my spare time this month. The others have settled on laces and ready-made trimmings, which will save me a lot of time. The little swatches enclosed are samples of the laces selected by one of my brides - aren’t they divine! The off-white, silk lace with pattern of leaves outlined in silver thread is, of course, for the bride. I couldn’t believe my luck when I spotted it at Shanlys[i] a few months ago. You see I already had some lengths of the identical lace in pale peach that I had purchased in Wellington last year during a visit to see cousin Vera. They look lovely together don’t they! The bride has decided on a straight frock with flounced sleeves and three flounces from the hip, with a pattern of alternating appliqués of silver re-embroidered leaves (cut from the lace) extending down the centre front and continuing around the dropped waistline. I’m having a circlet of the same leaves made to hold the veil. A nurse I met while visiting a friend at the Treves-Milward Maternity Home[ii] is doing all the re-embroidering. When I enquired about the darling embroidered cap that her wee baby was wearing I was introduced to Martha, who I learned is well known at the hospital for her needlework skills and her generosity. Every new baby born there receives a gift embroidered by Martha. As it was Martha’s teatime, she invited me to join her on the verandah where we had a very pleasant chat. We got on so well that we agreed to meet up for a walk around Point Erin and then have morning tea at the Kiosk[iii]. It was then I learned that Martha was taught by the sisters at St Mary’s Convent. It’s rather a lovely story... Martha’s mother, a widow, was a charwoman for the sisters who looked after the young Martha so her mother could work. Eager to equip her with skills that might assist her with employment later on, the sisters improved her reading, writing and arithmetic as well as teaching her to
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embroider. When she was old enough, the sisters encouraged Martha to train as a nurse and then found her employment at Treves-Milward. The sisters call upon her from time to time to assist them with any larger embroidery commissions that they might receive but I determined from our conversation that she had a yearning to work on more frivolous projects! Thus, when I asked if she’d consider embroidering for me on occasion, I was not surprised that she accepted and, as I have already mentioned, she is already working on some of my pieces. It was Martha, in fact, who suggested the leafy diadem for the bride. Oh dear...it’s begun to rain again! After almost six days of grey days, drizzle and heavy downpours, I really thought that we’d seen the end of it. Even though this morning the sky looked a little happier, I should have known that the mere act of hanging out some washing on the line would tempt fate. It’s too heavy for me to run out and get it in and I actually can’t be bothered getting wet. I’ve not long rid myself of a nasty cold and certainly haven’t time to catch another. George is in Dunedin at present, being a good son and accompanying his mother who is visiting her sister. They are having lovely weather and are making the most of it. His last postcard was of Larnoch’s Castle, an old mansion on a hill at the end of a peninsula.Sounds terribly romantic don’t you think? You have so many truly ancient mansions in Bath that you probably think me queer waxing lyrical about a Victorian pile. Mother is well and says she will write soon. She now comes to see me at least once a week and we usually take ourselves down to one of the local teashops for lunch. We’ve made a serious pact to try a different type of sweet every time - and hope to work our way through every type on offer! Talk about the Labours of Hercules! This week it was the lemon cake at Alfred Cleme’s[iv]. It was so good that we had to share another piece just to confirm our first impressions! Can you guess from whom I acquired my sweet tooth? I’ve enclosed two snapshots of my darlings for you. The character with Tiger is Albert Elmsley[v], Tiger’s favourite butcher. You can see why! That string of little sausages is a treat made especially for him each Friday. The little darling is so good. I’ve taught him to carry them all the way home and only eat them once we’re back and he’s on his mat on the verandah. It’s hard to get a nice snap of Pusskins so I’m very pleased with this one. I think she looks sweeter than usual because she’s just woken up and is feeling nice and warm in her new favourite spot ... my favourite chair of course! Well, dear Aunt, I must get back to my sewing. It’s been lovely thinking of you as I write this letter. Mother says you’re contemplating visiting next summer. I do hope so as I miss you so very much. Until my next letter, All my love,
Maudie x [i] Shanlys Ltd, (Drapers), Ponsonby Buildings, Ponsonby Road [ii] Treves-Milward Maternity Home, 32 St Mary’s Road, Ponsonby (headed by Nurse Bonner in 1925) [iii] Point Erin Park Kiosk, Shelley Beach Road, Ponsonby (Prop. G.R.Gulley in 1925) [iv] Alfred H. Cleme, Tearooms, 31 Ponsonby Road (in 1925) [v] Manager, R. & W. Hellaby Ltd, 126 Ponsonby Road (in 1925)
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
illustration: Michael McClintock
I hope that my letter finds you in rude health and enjoying warm spring weather. How I wish we were moving towards summer rather than winter.
FASHION + STYLE TO BESPOKE OR NOT TO BESPOKE, THAT IS THE QUESTION A custom-made piece of jewellery is the perfect gift for any occasion, whether it be for yourself or for someone special in your life. Making the decision to custom-make a piece of jewellery can be quite daunting but teamed with the right designer and jeweller it can be the most memorable experience.
DIAMONDS ON RICHMOND, 98 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, T: 09 376 9045, E: contact@dor.co.nz, www.dor.co.nz
There are many occasions where a custom-made piece adds that extra something special to the meaning behind it... whether it be designing wedding bands for an intimate take on a time honoured tradition, marking a milestone, redesigning an old piece of jewellery or creating a one of a kind engagement ring. To start the process, you need to have an idea of what you are wanting to achieve and then you need to find a designer/jeweller who can turn that dream into a reality. You want to feel very comfortable that the designer is on the same page as you and is going to achieve your desired outcome. There are many tools available now to help take the unknown out of custom-designing jewellery. With CAD (computer aided design) you get to see a 3D image of the piece, from all angles, and this enables you to make changes to the design before it is made. From this initial CAD design, the piece is then made for you, and depending on what it is exactly, how you wish for it to be made, and if you are using new metal or melting down existing metal, it can then either be hand-made by your jeweller or CAD-cast and hand finished. At the end of the process, you will end up with a treasured piece of jewellery that will be enjoyed by generations to come. Diamonds On Richmond specialise in custom-made jewellery, either CAD cast or hand PN made, and they are happy to discuss your ideas any time. F
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Diamonds On Richmond 3.50ct tanzanite and diamond ring set in platinum, available in store or online
DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
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FASHION + STYLE NEW ZEALAND DESIGNERS NOMINATED FOR INTERNATIONAL PRIZE New Zealand designers Georgia Alice, Harman Grubiša and Lucilla Gray have been announced as nominees for one of the most coveted designer awards in fashion - the International Woolmark Prize. First launched in 1953 by the International Wool Secretariat, the prize was famously awarded in 1954 to Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. After a decades -long hiatus the award was revived in 2008 and today, the International Woolmark Prize continues to recognise outstanding design talent from around the world. This is the first year that the International Woolmark Prize has been open to New Zealand designers. Stuart McCullough, Managing Director of the Australian-based Woolmark Company says, “The expansion of the prize to include New Zealand was a natural choice for us, as the talent from this part of the world is undeniable. The success of the award has allowed us to grow the geographical imprint from only 21 countries in 2012 to now 62 participating countries for the 2016/17 award.”
New Zealand Fashion Week was an official nominating body for this year’s award. Globally, the award is supported by key fashion councils including the Council of Fashion Designers America and the British Fashion Council. The Woolmark Company is a subsidiary of Australian Wool Innovation, a not-for-profit enterprise owned by more than 24,000 woolgrowers. www.woolmarkprize.com Georgie Currie trained as a ballerina before moving into fashion. She studied fashion design in Christchurch and worked for Australian designer Therese Rawsthorne before launching her label in New Zealand in 2013. The Georgia Alice brand is dedicated to creating modern, luxurious ready-to-wear. The label has been the recipient of numerous awards including Emerging Designer of the Year-Elle Australia Style Awards (2015), the DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship (2014) and the Westpac Young Designer Award (2011).
A total of 80 designers have been selected to participate in this year's award. Six regional events will be held in cities around the world during June and July. Nominees will present one look in merino wool and a six-piece capsule to industry experts for the chance to represent their region at the final awards. The regional award for which the New Zealand designers are nominated (all three in the womenswear section) will be held on 6 July in Sydney.
Madeleine Harman and Jessica Grubiša are the design duo behind the premium brand Harman Grubiša. They are two university friends who have come together, fusing their differing design aesthetics to an electrifying outcome. Their collections are sophisticated: Harman Grubiša pieces are special additions to a woman’s wardrobe and aim to last for seasons to come.
Twelve finalists (one each for menswear and womenswear) will each receive a AU$50,000 financial contribution towards their next collection and an invitation to participate in the international finals. The two international winners will both receive a further AU$100,000 to assist with fabric sourcing and marketing of their collection, along with invaluable mentoring from industry experts.
Following her graduation in 2014, Lucilla Gray launched her eponymous label with a debut at London Fashion Week in 2015. Gray’s womenswear brand is known for its clean cuts and strong silhouettes, offering a youthful yet powerful aesthetic; a label for the modern woman which embodies feminine intelligence and merges conceptual fashion with ready-to-wear ideals. F PN
Harman Grubiša
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Georgia Alice
Lucilla Gray
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
CREATING COMMUNITY
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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 8 MAY A SABATO BRUNCH FOR MUM Treat your mum this Mother’s Day to a Spanish-inspired brunch with this tasty tortilla. POTATO & CHORIZO TORTILLA Serves 6-8 Best made in a large 28cm frypan that is oven safe. 6 medium sized waxy potatoes Iblea sea salt 10 free-range eggs 1 tsp La Chinata smoked paprika Romulo pure olive oil (enough to fill 1/3 of a large frypan) 180g chorizo collar, diced 1 medium red onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely ½ 220g jar El Navarrico pimiento slices 100-150g provolone dolce, chopped Chopped flat leaf parsley and Sabato garlic aioli to serve
SPECIAL CAKE MIX FOR MUM JORDAN RONDEL, AKA THE CAKER, SAYS, “I ALWAYS THINK THE BEST GIFTS FOR Mother’s Day are ones that hark back to when you were a kid and involve a little DIY. We’re promoting our cake mixes this Mother’s Day: the idea is that people can bake a cake for mum, with mum, or let her indulge in the joys of baking in her own time.” Luxurious The Caker cake mixes consist of beautifully packaged ingredients for a fail -proof, delicious cake. Everything inside the box is exactly the same as that which the girls behind The Caker use in their kitchen every day to create their made-to-order cakes. From now until Mother’s Day, the cake mixes are going to come with a complementary Caker tea towel “We’ve had them printed on incredible natural cotton and they will make the cake mix that bit more special,” says Rondel. F PN THE CAKER, 452 Karangahape Road, T: 021 314 677, www.thecaker.co.nz
Preheat oven to 180°C. Peel the potatoes and dice finely. Put into a bowl, add salt and toss. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and paprika. Heat the oil over medium heat in an oven proof frypan. When the oil is hot add the potatoes and cook until soft and golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes from the oil and set aside. In the same pan, gently sauté chorizo, onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Add chorizo mix, peppers, potatoes and provolone to the egg mixture. Tip the majority of the olive oil out of the pan leaving about 2 tablespoons. Tip the potato and egg mixture back into the pan and cook gently for 10 minutes, moving the pan a little to stop it from sticking. Finish cooking in the oven until coloured (5-8 minutes). Invert onto a plate, cut into wedges, sprinkle with parsley and serve with a dollop of garlic aioli. F PN For more recipe ideas visit us in-store or on our website www.sabato.co.nz SABATO, 57 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, T: 09 630 8751
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
MILLY NOLAN: DESIGNER GIFTS
Little Rooms These days kid’s rooms are no longer just a place for your wee one to rest their head, but a chance for the parents to unleash their inner designer by creating bedrooms that are Pinterest worthy. From printed paper storage bags, tiny tooth fairy mice and fun graphic prints, here are a few of our favourite things for your mini me. 1. Maileg Blue Mouse Tooth Fairy in Box - $62 This handmade mouse by Netherlands brand Maileg, has a perfectly sized pocket to hold little baby teeth in return for a coin. 2. George & Co Squirrel Lamp - $55 Perched upright and holding a prized acorn, this squirrel lamp is the perfect bedroom companion thanks to its comforting soft glow.
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3. General Eclectic Mountain Hook - $30 Create an adventurous space for your little one with this mountain hook. Perfect for hanging up the school bag at the end of the day or as a coat hanger.
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4. General Eclectic Maya Paper Bag - from $20 Perfect for filling with blocks, toys or any odds and ends looking for a home, this Aztec - inspired printed paper bag is made from washable paper and folds down for easy storage. 5. Ham Superhero Print - $95 Ham prints capture surprising moments from the joyful adventures of a rabbit and their monochrome tones mean they suit any room.
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6. Jamie Kay Stripe Lambswool Cot Blanket - $120 Equally soft as they are warm, this striped 100% lambswool blanket can be used in a cot or as a throw on a kid’s bed. 7. Pretty Brave Roundabout Clutch Change Mat - $80 This stylish change mat conveniently folds into a compact clutch bag. A clip-on mesh attachment holds wipes and nappies and, once removed, this padded mat doubles as a play mat for your baby. 8. Burrow & Be Paper Plane Bed Linen - from $30 Sure to impress your little one, this cute paper plane print bed linen is made from 300 thread count and is 100% cotton.
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9. Black List Studios Kid You’ll Move Mountains Print - $135 Both heart warming and visually striking, this print provides the perfect message for your kid to aspire to PN every day. (MILLY NOLAN) F All products available at www.mildredandco.com
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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 8 MAY RETAIL SUPERSTAR Carla Masciarelli - Il Forno
How did you come to work in retail? It was long time ago, when I was a student in high school during the summer holidays - I needed the money to buy a secondhand car. Since then I have never stopped loving what I do. What brought you to Il Forno? Four months after moving to New Zealand I was craving good bread! Other Italians suggested that I go to Il Forno. Walking in there, I immediately felt like I was walking into a typical Italian bakery and the coffee was good too. So I became a regular, until one day I heard they were looking for staff. I knew I had experience, but because of my poor English I thought I had no chance. However, Helane called me the day after, asking me if I wanted to give it a try... and after 10 years I’m still at Il Forno. What do you love about your store? You never get bored at Il Forno. Andrew always has new ideas for new products we can make. And of course everything is made in here: bread, cakes, pastries, preserves, soups, cannelloni, lasagna, sandwiches. We even make our own sausages for the big breakfast from our breakfast menu. What makes a standout retail salesperson? You have to love what you do, ’cause if you are happy with your job customers can feel it. Transforming first-time visitors into loyal clients and keeping regulars happy: that’s what makes a standout retail salesperson.
EXOTIC DESTINATIONS, TIMELESS LUXURY Design Duo Bird & Knoll (creative eye Natalie Knoll and fashion mind/Westmere resident Macayla Chapman) suggests you gift your mum a timeless accent she’ll treasure for years to come, this Mother’s Day. Scarves are the perfect trans-seasonal accessory, adding a touch of colour, pattern and texture to any outfit. Bird & Knoll scarves capture the essence of travel with signature photographs, digitally printed on cashmere blend scarves for timeless luxury. The Autumn/Winter 2016 collection ‘Travels with Sakura’ explores the beauty of Morocco, white-washed pastel villages of Santorini, the west-coast of Mexico, coral paradise in Oahu, Edinburgh’s cobbled streets and the powdery slopes of Whistler. The digitally printed scarves make for an extra special and personal gift if your mother has been to one of the exotic destinations. However, if not, these scarves encapsulate each destination so vividly she’ll feel as if she has! F PN BIRD & KNOLL www.birdandknoll.com
Tell us about a memorable sale you’ve made this year... Just few days ago a guy stopped at Il Forno on his way to pick up his wife and his newborn baby from the clinic. He wanted to fill their freezer up with our frozen ready meals so his wife didn’t have to worry about cooking. If you could wave your wand and have anyone in the world walk into your store right now, who would it be? No doubt - my mother and my siblings. They live in Italy and I only see them for three weeks every other year. Not enough If you could wave your wand and have anyone in greater Ponsonby walk into your store right now, who would it be? The firefighters. Among our regulars we have many police officers coming for our delicious donuts. I wonder if firefighters love donuts too? Where do you enjoy shopping? I do my major shopping every time I go back to Rome. However, I’m pleased to see how fashion in New Zealand has improved. There are so many fab shops in Ponsonby but it doesn’t really matter which brand for me: if I like something and it suits me, I buy it. Name someone you think is a great greater-Ponsonby retail salesperson... Kasia Coe. We have been working together for the last six years; she is always smiling, caring and professional, and I’m sure our regulars would agree with me. F PN IL FORNO, 55 Mackelvie Street, T: 09 378 0254, www.facebook.com/Il-Forno-195286410497919/
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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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ANDREA FRIRES: HOLISTIC MEDICALCENTRE CENTRE: ANDREA FRIRES HOLISTIC MEDICAL
Winter wellness tips As we move into the cooler months, many people find that they are more prone to catching coughs and colds and other airborne viruses. This means more days off work or school, more doctors’ visits and so more potential for a miserable time over winter. The good news is that there are many things you can do to help increase your immunity and ward off the winter ills and chills naturally. When it comes to immune boosting nutrients, vitamin D, zinc and vitamin C are your magnificent three. Vitamin D has excellent immune - enhancing properties, as well as helping to improve mood and reduce the risk of respiratory infections in children. Most of your vitamin D is produced in the body from exposure to sunlight, so deficiencies are becoming more widespread due to heavy sunblock use. This valuable nutrient also takes quite a dip through the winter months as your sunlight exposure drops naturally. Ideal vitamin D levels are around 100nm/L. If you think your levels may be low it may be an idea to have your blood levels tested. It is best to talk to a qualified health practitioner before supplementing with vitamin D as this is one of those vitamins where either too little or too much can be dangerous. Zinc is an immensely important immune boosting mineral. Adequate levels of this nutrient can help to prevent or decrease the duration of sore throats and respiratory infections that are so common in winter. Zinc also has the additional benefit of assisting with mood, healthy skin and wound healing, as well as improving fertility and hormone balance in men and women. There are many great food sources of zinc such as oysters, shellfish, pumpkin seeds, kidney beans, yogurt and non GMO tofu. Despite this, zinc deficiencies amongst Kiwis are common because New Zealand soils are low in in this vital mineral. To top up your levels, zinc is a great mineral to supplement with for three months during winter. 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.
it comes to eating healthy immune-boosting foods. Looking into dietary strategies and food intolerances, as well as supplementing with immune-boosting nutrients, can be an effective way to support your child’s health through winter. It is also important to remember that alongside the excellent immune-boosting nutrients discussed above, the main defense against illness is to have a holistic, healthy lifestyle. (ANDREA FRIRES) F PN
Top Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle: Most people know how important vitamin C is for helping to boost immunity and fight infection, but you may not be aware that it has numerous other health promoting roles in the body. These include healthy skin and gums, wound healing, iron absorption, and cardio vascular health. Humans are one of the few mammals who can’t produce their own vitamin C (the others being guinea pigs some primates and bats) and so it is essential to include this vital nutrient in your diet.
• Eat a diet rich in plants and wholefoods, and low in processed foods and sugars • Include plenty of immune-boosting herbs and spices in your diet such as ginger, turmeric, garlic, rosemary and thyme
As vitamin C is a water soluble nutrient, it cannot be stored for a long time in the body, so small regular daily doses are important. Some of your best winter food sources of vitamin C are parsley, kiwifruit, citrus fruits, leafy greens, red capsicum and fresh sprouts.
• Get adequate, good quality sleep
It is useful to take a loading dose of vitamin C at the first sign of infection. A buffered vitamin C in a drink bottle (ideally glass) sipped throughout the day over a handful of days is a good way to top up your vitamin C levels without upsetting your digestion. For others who have poor absorption orally or where higher doses are indicated, IV vitamin C is another option you can discuss with our doctors.
• Manage stress
There are many different supplemental forms of the various nutrients discussed above and not all are well absorbed or tolerated. Practitioner-only brands are stringently tested for quality and efficacy and guarantee to contain the correct dose and form of the nutrient best utilized by the body. It is always best to have any supplements prescribed by a qualified health provider within the context of a consultation to ensure you are using quality products prescribed to meet your needs.
• Avoid foods that you may be allergic or intolerant too
Children can be particularly at risk of respiratory infections, viruses and flus during the winter time as their immune systems are still developing, and they are often picky when
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• Exercise regularly
• Drink alcohol in moderation • Don’t smoke
• Have regular medical screening for your age-appropriate group
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
TRUST A MASTER TO GET YOU IN PEAK PHYSIQUE With Mother’s Day fast approaching we caught up with mum and Master Pilates instructor Amanda Jones from Peak Pilates and Physiotherapy Grey Lynn, to chat about their awesome studio and clinic. How long have you been teaching Pilates? I trained in the United Kingdom and qualified in 2003. I was lucky to work in several teacher-training studios in London, which piqued my interest in training Pilates teachers. In 2012, I accepted a role as manager and trainer for Stability Plus Pilates. We are the most comprehensive Pilates trainers in all of Auckland, offering all levels of Pilates instruction, across all pieces of apparatus. Stability Plus Pilates are the Pilates trainers of choice for Peak Pilates. With Mother’s Day coming up, how do you feel Pilates benefits the modern working woman? So many mums these days don’t take enough time out to look after themselves. They put everyone and everything else first - children, partner, work, maintaining the home... Pilates is an ideal opportunity to take time out of what, for many women, is an increasingly busy schedule, and reinvest in one’s self. Our clients leave the studio feeling invigorated, refreshed and stronger, ready to meet the demands of a busy modern life and be the best version of themselves. So does that mean Pilates is just for women? What makes Pilates different to other fitness regimes? Definitely not! If fact we are seeing a massive increase in the number of male clients coming into the studio. We are seeing more and more that Pilates is being used internationally as an integral part of the conditioning of elite athletes - for example, the All Blacks do Pilates! Pilates is incredible. Because it works on posture, alignment, good joint positioning and muscle recruitment, Pilates is appropriate and beneficial for everyone regardless of age, ability or injury. Pilates offers incredible results
whether the client is a middle-aged office worker, an older client with osteoporosis, a teenager or even a professional athlete. Pilates can help to reduce pain or optimise performance in whatever your activity of choice happens to be. We have noticed a few changes in Peak Pilates and Physiotherapy Grey Lynn. Can you fill us in? Absolutely. We have had two wonderful new physiotherapists join our team recently - Shane Grannell and Kelly Powell. Both are very experienced and are already growing a considerable following. With regard to classes, I teach pre-natal Pilates classes and I’ve just started up a ‘mums and bubs’ class providing a baby-friendly environment for new mums wanting to develop abdominal and postural strength. We are also starting a ‘super grandparent’ class. Our youth Pilates classes are becoming increasingly popular and we offer a wide range of classes from preparatory to advanced. Peak Pilates is offering a Mother’s Day special. Purchase an introductory class with Amanda for only $52.50
PEAK PILATES, 274 Richmond Road, T: 09 376 8343, www.peakpilatesgroup.co.nz/studios-contact/grey-lynn/
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CLARE CALDWELL: THE ART OF LIVING “The only rule was to be home by dinner time.” So reiterated Kim John Payne in his book ‘Simplicity Parenting’. I remember this rule from my childhood. The minute school was over we rushed home and after dumping our school bags and scoffing down afternoon tea, went out to play - in our backyards, down the creek, in the swamp, in the bush - making our own fun, all intuitively looking out for each other’s safety. Our parents didn’t even know where we were most of the time but seemed to trust in an innate sense that we would keep each other safe. And we did. Around 6pm the cry went out across the neighbourhood. I can still remember the image of four different mums standing at four different back doors, calling in their respective offspring for dinner. We were able to immerse ourselves totally in our childhood. But the world has moved on since the simplicity of those days. Parents now enrol their children in endless after school activities where they must struggle to not only participate but to excel. And it now goes back as early as pre-school. What happened to kids being allowed to be kids? Letting them learn new skills like climbing a tree or building a fort or just sitting quietly and daydreaming in their own time at their own pace? Why is the richness and diversity of free play with all its discoveries, dreaming, fantasies and social bonding seen as inferior to structured and monitored learning?
prescribed drugs like Ritalin. We need to simplify our children’s lives, protect their childhoods and stop treating them like little adults. “Our children have their whole lives to be adults and deal with the complexities of life, but only a fleetingly short time to be kids. Silly, fun loving kids.” (Payne) One of my loveliest memories from childhood is lying in our bathtub thinking if I closed my eyes really tightly I would wake up as a water baby. I still assume the position whenever I’m in water! Now as an adults’ artist I’m so glad I was allowed this uninterrupted time to dream and fantasise. (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
Who is all this ‘perceived achievement’ really for? We think we’ve become more sophisticated, become better parents by providing so many opportunities for our children to shine or show potential. But in our pursuit of being the perfect parent have we begun to provide too much? We enrol them in soccer and ballet, music and martial arts. It’s all fiercely competitive and we fill up every inch of their lives with activities, even scheduling play dates with precision. Payne believes, in spite of the best of intentions, we may unknowingly have created an environment where stress disorders and even mental health issues can begin to flourish. He believes we’ve created ‘too much’ of everything, which robs children of deeper involvement, imaginative thinking, downtime and contemplation, that they’re manifesting symptoms of being overwhelmed. He conducted a study where he simplified the lives of children with attention deficit disorder. Amazingly, within four months 68% went from being clinically dysfunctional to clinically functional. The children also displayed 37% increase in academic and cognitive aptitude; an effect not seen with commonly
DEHYDRATION - THE REAL DEAL With the warm summer months now a distant memory, it can be easy let the odd glass of water slip from your daily routine. It might not be 30 degrees outside anymore, but it doesn’t mean you can forget about keeping well hydrated. Surprisingly our hydration needs don’t change as much in the winter months as you might think and drinking plenty of water is still really important. Even though you might not be sweating as much as you are in the summer, you will still be losing water through breathing and by passing urine, and to keep your body healthy - drinking enough is really important. Our bodies are made up of around 60% water, with organs such as the brain and muscles being as much as 75% water, but we tend to underestimate how important water is for us to function. Water helps balance the chemicals that keep our bodies working, it fills our cells, it helps regulate our body temperature through respiration and sweating, it flushes waste, forms saliva to intake fuel, lubricates our joints, cushions our spinal chord and brain, and helps transport key nutrients in our blood... the list goes on!
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Mild dehydration, a drop of as little as 1-2% of fluid, can interfere with focus, alertness and short-term memory. Do you know the signs to look for this winter? Mild: headache, feeling tired, light headed, skin looses plumpness and becomes flushed. Moderate: general weakness, rapid heart rate, inability to think clearly. Severe: muscle cramps, kidney failure. Staying properly hydrated through winter is an important part of keeping your body healthy, supporting your body to naturally detox and keep you skin in great shape. But drinking plain water can be just that, plain. Powered by a CO2 carbonator, SodaStream allows you to turn tap water into sparkling water in an instant. Tips for keeping water consumption up this winter: • have a full glass of water on your desk at work • make it a habit to break often, get up from your desk and refill your glass • carry a bottle with you in the car • add fruit (citrus, in particular, for extra vitamin C), a slice of fresh ginger or a few fresh mint leaves to create that little bit of flavour to keep you reaching for more SodaStream is the smarter way to enjoy sparkling drinks at work and home. Just fizz the water, add a little flavour to suit your tastes or not and enjoy the sparkling, refreshing taste! SodaStream is also an earth-friendly option - the reusable carbonating bottles mean you will be eliminating plastic bottle waste. F PN
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
JOHN APPLETON: ON HEALTH
Whooping cough - an option that should be properly investigated A recent article in the New Zealand Herald reported on what appears to be another outbreak of pertussis or whooping cough. Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious, acute bacterial disease involving the respiratory tract and is caused mainly by bordetella pertussis. Since the last decade many developed countries have experienced a re-emergence of pertussis despite having had high vaccination coverage for years. It’s certainly not a new disease as it was described by French physician Guillaume de Baillou in 1538. When Hippocrates talked about the perinthus cough around 400 BC he may have been referring to what we know as whooping cough. Although pertussis may occur at any age, most cases of serious disease and the majority of fatalities are observed in early infancy. The clinical course is divided into three stages - catarrhal phase - 1-2 weeks - the paroxysmal (violent attack) phase which is the when the characteristic whooping cough develops - up to eight weeks. Attacks occur more frequently at night. The final stage is the convalescent phase which can last one to three weeks and is characterised by a gradual decrease in coughing episodes. Despite the best efforts of modern medicine the two key strategies to prevent and treat whooping cough (vaccination and antibiotics) have not yet managed to eradicate the disease which seems to be cyclic in nature
and becoming more and more resistant to medical interventions. As surprising as it may seem there is an option that warrants a full and independent investigation. It involves taking a flight in a light aircraft up to 10,000ft for 30 minutes. Many might scoff at such an idea and the Ministry of Health is in this camp stating that it’s just another myth. However, those who have tried it don’t share this view. The idea is certainly not new. A letter written by a Royal Air Force officer and published in the British Medical Journal in 1991 states, “My experience is that this phenomenon is widely known. I discussed the situation with my colleagues and can report that we in the Royal Air Force medical branch have been using this treatment for many years, over 40 to my knowledge. What is without doubt is that the treatment works.” A correspondent to the New Zealand Herald in 2000 says, “My late father was one of many pilots in the late 40s who took babies and young children in light aircraft to 10,000 ft for a certain length of time. The flights were done usually with a GP’s knowledge and approval. Often by the time the plane was back on the ground, the children were considerably better with breathing difficulties much reduced. It became a thing of the past when immunisation for babies came in.”
Another letter to the New Zealand Herald headed ‘Whooping Cough Cure’ states: “In 1949 my three-month -old-son developed whooping cough - he caught it from his two-year-old sister. Someone suggested taking the children up in an unpressurised aeroplane. At the time my husband had a friend who owned a plane and he readily agreed to try it. I am pleased to say it worked and the children recovered very quickly.” An article in the Timaru Herald in 2004 headed ‘Families thankful of high-altitude cure’ states: “High-flying seems to be more than just pie in the sky treatment to cure whooping cough - just ask the families who have benefited from it. The Timaru Herald has followed two families, the Fettes and the Katenes, through the high - altitude treatment and both confirm it worked. For the Katene sisters - Sonnie, 6, and Johanna, 11 - the flight had instant results. Their mum, Kelly, said that the girls haven’t coughed since. The girls had suffered from whooping cough for about two months before they took the flight. They contracted whooping cough despite being immunised against it.” If something as simple as this could prevent the suffering and misery associated with whooping cough, shouldn’t we be looking beyond entrenched attitudes and giving it a try? (JOHN APPLETON) F PN
APPLETON ASSOCIATES, T: 09 489 9362, john@johnappleton.co.nz, www.johnappleton.co.nz
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CARING PROFESSIONAL Roseanne Sullivan, Naturopath How did you come to be a naturopath? I had very significant health problems from a young age. I suffered from constant digestive symptoms, chronic fatigue, food cravings, weight gain, hormonal problems, mood fluctuations, skin problems. You name it - I had it! I was wrongly diagnosed with IBS. Numerous practitioners and many hundreds of dollars later I was no better. Finally, a fantastic naturopath diagnosed me with Coeliac Disease. Giving up gluten allowed me to fully recover and feel well for the first time. It also inspired me to train as a naturopath and medical herbalist. What do you love about your job? I absolutely love what I do. It combines my love of people with my geeky intellectual side. I consider it a privilege that people share what’s going on with their life and health with me and trust me to make a difference. When they come back at follow ups and are feeling a lot better it is incredibly rewarding. At The WellBeing Centre I also teach courses and present talks about nutrition and various health topics. What I like about teaching is that people can attend these talks and get up-to-date information about health, diet and lifestyle which makes a difference to them and their families - they’re fun. What do you find challenging? Because I’m the kind of person who wants to provide whatever is needed so that all my clients get well, I can end up having my work flow over in to the weekend. I need to be quite strict with myself in setting boundaries so I can recharge and nurture myself and have time with my family and friends on weekends. How do you differ from other naturopaths? My mum calls me a ‘sniffer dog’. I suspect from my early frustrations with seeing health professionals who did not pick up what was wrong with me, I have this absolute determination to get to the source of what’s causing someone’s health issues and from there to guide them on a path to recovery. This means I am constantly learning and researching in order to get the best possible results for my clients. I offer a very wide range of tests for clients including an in-house kinesiology assessment using an advanced form of kinesiology called QRA (Quantum Reflex Analysis). QRA allows me to test the bio-energetic status of the body’s key organs and glands. It’s also a brilliant tool for quickly identifying food sensitivities. In order to provide the best possible service for my clients I spend two whole hours with them in my initial consultations. This allows me to get all the information I need, explain my findings to them in a way that is a clear and empowering, create a treatment plan,
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a meal plan (or food guidelines) with their health goals in mind, and sometimes blood tests to get done. The feedback clients give me is that they find these consultations extremely comprehensive and supportive. Can you share an anecdote about a case? A few months ago I saw 45-year-old client (let’s call her Sarah). For the past four years she had been suffering from extreme fatigue, irritability, stomach upsets, dizziness and joint aches. On investigation I discovered that Sarah had heavy metal toxicity and intolerances to certain foods. The treatment plan, supplements and dietary modifications I suggested improved Sarah’s energy and other symptoms almost straight away. Four months later her energy levels are back to normal and she is feeling great. She sent this email to me last week: “I am so thankful for your help as I had spent four years trying all sorts to get better but had no real results. When I started to get results with you I got my zest for life back!” What do you do to care for yourself? I eat really well (gotta walk the talk). I make a green juice most days. I buy organic fruit and veggies from farmers’ markets on the weekend (often tied in with a catch up with a friend). I exercise most days - a 45-minute walk to the beach and back with my hubby and dog. I also make sure I wedge in time out for myself and time with family on the weekend. What’s your advice to people seeking treatment from a naturopath? If you have health issues you’ve been grappling with/putting up with or ignoring for a while book in to see me. I’ll take care of the rest. F PN ROSEANNE SULLIVAN, The WellBeing Centre, 56 Surrey Crescent, T: 09 378 8420 www.thewellbeingcentre.co.nz
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
LIVIING, THINKING + BEING The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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LIVING, THINKING + BEING Gift mum a unique healing gift for Mother’s Day this year Rosanna Marks is the principle therapist at Aroha Healing and her first experience with Arvigo Maya Abdominal Massage® left her feeling rested, connected and curious about the origins of this unique treatment. So much so, she realised that she must go and become a certified practitioner. Known today as Arvigo Maya Abdominal Therapy® after Dr Rosita Arvigo developed the technique in part from her 13-year apprenticeship with Don Elijio Panti, heralded by the New York Times as “The last Maya master healer in Belize.” Don Elijio taught the abdominal massage to Dr Rosita Arvigo, who carried it into the modern world as a complete package of healing. She brought to it more than 30 years of training and experience in massage, naprapathy, herbology, and spiritual healing, creating an holistic approach to healing that addresses a host of physical and emotional issues. A little-known benefit of Maya abdominal massage is its ability to enhance fertility and correct a prolapsed or tipped uterus. Even if you’re not trying to conceive or don’t have a problem with fertility, you quite possibly could be among the 75% of women who have a prolapsed uterus. Many women are told that a tipped or prolapsed uterus is no big deal. In fact, it is a big deal. When the uterus is incorrectly aligned, the normal flow of blood and lymph are constricted and can disrupt nerve connection of blood to the uterus, ovaries, bladder, and bowel is blocked. The Maya believe a women’s centre is her uterus. “If a woman’s uterus is out of balance, so is she,” says Don Elijio Panti. Here’s a list of just a few of the activities that can cause a prolapsed or tipped uterus: Falls, car accidents, overstretching during pregnancy/ labour, resulting in weakened ligaments, running on concrete, chronic constipation, high-impact activities like dancing, aerobics, horseback riding, or gymnastics and wearing heels.
prostate, preventing swelling and inflammation. It is beneficial for women who have had hysterectomies and it is a wonderful way to naturally regulate and improve painful periods. That’s right. Periods are not supposed to be painful. Maya massage also encourages selfcare, which is a simple abdominal massage one performs at home to keep the muscles and ligaments in their new, healthy position. After years of being positioned incorrectly, muscles will naturally move back into their incorrect positions if not maintained. There is a powerhouse of energy stored in our abdomens, physically and emotionally. Reconnecting with the source of our being, of who we are, what we’re capable of is the gift that this life-changing massage therapy can bring. To read more about Arvigo® therapies please go to the Aroha Healing website or email Rosanna directly. (ROSANNA MARKS) F PN 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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Arvigo Maya abdominal massage is not just for fertility. It’s also beneficial to men and children. In men, the abdominal massage ensures a full blood supply to the
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LIVIING, THINKING + BEING The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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SARAH-JANE ATTIAS: HEALTHY LIVING
Q:
After a period of interrupted sleep and needing to get up to nurse my daughter for the past six months, I now find it hard to get to sleep at night. I don’t want to take sleeping pills. Any suggestions as to how osteopathy may help?
You are very brave, ‘a period of interrupted sleep’ is an understatement! Most new mums tell me of exhaustion both pre and post natal. Often they present with a variety of symptoms of dis-ease because of it. Mothers are not alone in their quest for sleep - on average 50% of all my patients from time to time experience disrupted sleep that leads to exhaustion. In most clinical cases osteopathy is very helpful in achieving a restful state that allows good quality of sleep.
A:
Often part of osteopathic treatment is to calm and integrate your nervous systems, the central (brain and spinal cord) as well as the autonomic; sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic. As a result, patients often, during treatment, fall into a shallow sleep phase - relaxed. The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) - known as ‘fear, flight and fright’ response, is driven by adrenalin. During your labor, adrenalin is released along with other hormones to propel the survival of both mother and child; it is a primal state. Added to this, post birth, the depth of your sleep is shallow due to you keeping an ‘ear’ out for any squeak from baby, this alert state keeps your adrenals pumping high. A myriad of other ‘family life’ realities have a continuing effect on your body’s ability to ‘reset’ your nervous system. The SNS is located along both sides of your spine where your ribs connect, so you can imagine how important it is to have healthy function here. With hands-on treatment, osteopaths calm down and rebalance this area. I highly recommend this treatment for you. In osteopathy we access and treat the ‘whole’ you, as opposed to just bones and muscles. Below I am offering a few holistic relaxation techniques. This will enable your adrenals and other hormones to naturally reset, and assist yours and baby’s peaceful and happy life. • Calm your mind and keep to schedules so you and baby are attuned. Then when sleep opportunities are available they can be fully utilised. • Power naps - Heads of State and CEOs do it and so should you! • When we have more rest, your frontal lobe, responsible for executive function, will respond better to stressful situations. • Include exercise earlier in the day, so that your body has time to wind down, maybe add in some stretching (we can show you special stretches for post-birth recovery). Try sitting on the floor for certain chores. If possible take a moment to think about the various everyday routines that you perform that could potentially do sitting on the floor. If there is time, I highly recommend a relaxing yoga practice. • There are many meditation apps available; personally I like and recommend, Headspace.com. • If you are breast-feeding through the night, have you started to consider introducing your child to solid foods such as poached pear or apple? This helps to reduce the stress on your body with its associated ‘draining’ nature of maintaining a milk supply. • I often show patients this deep rhythmical breathing technique: lying on your back, on a flat surface, a pillow under your head and under knees. Stay warm, use a soft blanket. Breath in slowly, in and out through your nose. Pause for a couple of seconds between the breaths both in and out. Follow the breath into your lower belly. Try counting to 10, if you lose count, it doesn’t matter, start at one again. Feel your body become heavier. This style of breathing helps to lower your heart rate and ease muscle tension. Practise 10 to 15 minutes duration. • If you find during deep relaxation breathing or at sleep-time you have a number of thoughts, write them down in a list and promise to deal with them the next day. Let them ‘go’ and relax. • Review your diet, caffeine and alcohol intake, chocolate, water consumption - planning all of this through the day does mean that it can be included but earlier in the day. Increasing those sleep-provoking teas and magnesium supplements are all PN part of supporting you into a better night’s sleep. (SARAH-JANE ATTIAS) F Disclaimer - This article is for general information purposes only. If you have a specific health problem you should seek advice 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
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FUTURE GENERATION EDUCATED AT AUCKLAND GIRLS’, EQUIPPED FOR THE WORLD Auckland Girls’ Grammar School (AGGS) has been a proud member of this community for over a century. Their beautiful Queen Annestyle building was completed in 1908 and the first students and their 14 teachers moved in at the beginning of 1909. One hundred and twenty-seven years later, the school has grown to occupy most of one side of Howe Street. The school is proudly multi-ethnic and culturally diverse with over 1300 girls who come from throughout the Auckland region. The Auckland Girls’ Grammar School community reflects and celebrates the face of Auckland today. The school’s vision statement is ‘Educated at Auckland Girls’, Equipped for the world’. Being committed to providing every opportunity for each of their girls to experience success and strive for personal excellence, Auckland Girls’ Grammar School is also committed to ensuring that every one of their students leaves school understanding the responsibilities of being a global citizen. The school is keen to ensure that each of their girls respects social, economic and cultural equality and understands the importance of promoting human rights and caring for the environment. The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities aimed at raising awareness of these issues. For example:
• An AGGS 2015 student leader was the winner of the leadership category of the Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Awards. The prize included a trip to New York to see the United Nations Security Council in action, where she is at this moment, as this magazine goes to print. Find out about the opportunities Auckland Girls’ has to offer by attending the Open Day on Thursday 2 June. F PN AUCKLAND GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL, 16 Howe Street, Freemans Bay, T: 09 307 4180, www.aggs.school.co.nz
• AGGS students have the opportunity to learn through travel and in the April school holidays a group of students travelled to Japan where they were hosted by their Japanese sister school, Ohtani High School. A history group will travel to the United States in the July school holidays. • For the past four years, an AGGS student has been one of the 50 students nationwide who have been selected to attend the Sir Peter Blake Youth Enviro Leaders’ Forum and, in February, one of their students was one of only 14 students selected to go on the Sir Peter Blake Expedition to the sub-antarctic Auckland Islands. • The Deputy Head Girl 2016 has been awarded a ZONTA Young Women in Public Affairs Award for her work with new arrivals to New Zealand through the Refugee Youth Action Network.
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MEET THE TEACHER Jessie McCall The Auckland Performing Arts Centre
LET YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE FLIGHT
Currently teaching: Pointy Puppies (8-12 years), Teen Contemporary Dance (1316 years) and Pointy Dog Dance Company (13-18 years).
Barfoot & Thompson Young Authors Challenge entries now open.
How did you come to be a dance teacher? After completing my Contemporary Dance degree at Unitec I began teaching teenage contemporary dance class at TAPAC, along with Pointy Dog Dance Company which is a youth dance company that I was a member of myself as a teenager. I continued to gain experience as a teacher working with high schools, youth companies, public workshops and recently at Unitec.
The theme has been thrown wide open for 2016. Students are encouraged to put their imaginations to the test and come up with an original story that will stand out in a crowd. Our judges will be searching for stories that have a structured storyline, inventive characters, and imaginative ideas.
Where did you train? As a child I danced at various private schools doing kazz and a bit of ballet but found contemporary dance at TAPAC when I was 15, which was the best fit for me. After working with Pointy Dog Dance Company I auditioned for Unitec which has an excellent contemporary dance programme.
“It is great to see our future generation rise to the challenge, and write such fantastic stories when encouraged by their teachers and parents. We are proud to help foster their imaginations, their abilities and their love for writing. We’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with this year.”
What brought you to your current school? Pointy Dog Dance Company has been around for over 15 years working from different studios including Unitec. For the last 10 or so years it has been based at TAPAC, and so this is where I also teach my teen class and Pointy Puppies, as each group is interconnected and provides a staircase of learning. There is a wonderful cohort of teachers based at TAPAC, and (Fairy) Claire Battersby and Rose Philpott’s children’s classes are an essential part of the community of young dancers based there. What are your favourite things about being a teacher? I love the variety of students that come along to challenge you to be a better teacher and remind you of how much you still have to learn. What has been a highlight of your teaching career? Every time that a student suddenly nails something that they really thought they weren’t capable of is a highlight. And watching students you’ve taught for many years move into tertiary training. What has been a low point of your teaching career? Realising how many financial barriers there can be for some families to support their kids and teens to pursue dance. If you could wave a magic wand in your classroom... I would eliminate any self-judgemental attitudes from the room for the duration of the class. Five tips for mums and dads of dance students? 1. Try out a few different schools, as approaches and teaching styles can vary significantly, and some may be more enriching for your child than others.
The Barfoot & Thompson Young Authors Challenge is officially open for 2016. Now in its ninth year, the competition is once again giving local primary and intermediate aged students the chance to become a published author in the annual storybook.
This is a unique opportunity for students and teachers alike. Fitting within primary and intermediate curriculums, it provides an exciting learning experience and has the ability to open up new pathways for creative young minds. “The standard of stories that we receive each year is phenomenal,” says Peter Thompson, Managing Director.
Up to eight young writers or groups from Auckland and northland will have their winning stories published in the storybook. The Young Authors Challenge is fully funded by Barfoot & Thompson, with all proceeds from the storybook going to Starship Foundation and the Magic of Reading Programme. This is the basis of the project - giving young people the opportunity to make life a little brighter for other children who pass through Starship, New Zealand’s national children’s hospital. Since 2008 the challenge has raised over $160,000. The winners will be helped to perfect their story by renowned children’s author Maria Gill. Maria is now editing the book for her second year, and is a passionate supporter of developing children’s writing abilities. Their stories are then brought to life through illustrations by well-known names such as Keven Mealamu. Keven is now in his ninth year of illustrating the storybook, and is Barfoot & Thompson’s ambassador to Starship. Past books include Home Sweet Home and Seven Hearty Tales, Super Sparrow and The Black Cat, Room 23 and Mysterious Miss P, and The Miracle at Gulls Bay. Time will only tell what the title will be of this year’s storybook, but with the doors of creativity thrown wide open, it is bound to be spectacular. Important information: The Barfoot & Thompson Young Authors Challenge is open to all primary and intermediate students in Auckland and northland. Individuals, groups and classes can enter a story of up to 600 words by 3 June 2016. All proceeds from the book go to Starship Foundation and the Magic of Reading Programme. F PN For more information visit www.youngauthorschallenge.co.nz
2. If they are comfortable on their own then don’t sit in on every class - allow them to develop some independence in their relationship with dance. 3. Think about whether the costumes and music chosen for performances are truly age appropriate, and if you don’t think they are, talk to the tutor about it. 4. If it’s no longer making them happy, take a break or try another school. 5. Help them to celebrate their individuality over any perfectionist ideals that they might encounter along the way.
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TAPAC www.tapac.org.nz F PN
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
BILLY HARRIS: KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY
Josh Hyde: going where the wind takes him Sailors will tell you that once sailing has its hooks in you, it never lets go. The wind in your face, the salt in the air and the feel of the sea beneath you create a feeling that other sports just can’t match. Whole families can fall victim to the sailing bug, and one such family is that of Ponsonby Intermediate School student Josh Hyde. As the 12-year-old explains: “My dad, Steven Hyde, has been sailing since he was my age, and he’s represented New Zealand and raced internationally, including Sydney to Hobart races and Maxi World champs. Grandpa (Garry Hyde) loves sailing, too. He’s 77 and still sails regularly. He also sailed for New Zealand and raced internationally and still has the yacht that he used to race in. We always say he has salt water running through his veins. My little sister Jemma has just started sailing, too.” Clearly then, sailing is in Josh’s DNA, so it’s no surprise that for the last America’s Cup, Josh and his family were down at Shed 10, Josh in particular transfixed by the sight of the mighty boats flying across the water on their foils. They cheered Team New Zealand into an 8-1 lead, and then watched, mortified, as the cup slipped agonisingly through New Zealand’s fingers, one excruciating race at a time. He remembers: “We kept going down to watch the winning race, but unfortunately it never happened. It was so heartbreaking. I want to see the cup raced in New Zealand again. And for New Zealand to win it. That will really lift sailing here.” In his brief career to date, a lot of water has passed under Josh. He started at age eight, in an Optimist, before moving into Green Fleet racing at 10. A year later he graduated to Open Fleet racing. At 11, Josh placed in the top three in his age group in most New Zealand ranking regattas. He also qualified for the NZ Development team, which comprises the top five 11 and 12-year-olds in the country. After a training programme, the team travelled to Noumea to compete in the New Caledonian National Championships - a windy regatta which provides excellent experience in difficult conditions. All the French sailors plus the Australian development team were there, with the Aussies proving too strong, and winning the regatta. The experience was invaluable for the Kiwis though, and Josh had the personal satisfaction of being the second placed Kiwi in his age group. Within the last year, in his second year racing in Open Fleet, Josh has picked up some notable placings: first in his age group at the North Island champs, and second in his age group at the Auckland champs. His final official New Zealand ranking for the season of third in his age group, and eighth overall (all sailors up to age 15, of which there are 200 ranked in the country), qualified him to represent New Zealand at the European champs in Italy in July. An amazing achievement for a 12-year-old, but his tender age has its advantages. In light wind, his lighter weight is a help, but in heavier conditions he’s got to use every watt of brain power, possibly passed down from his father and grandfather, to read the wind from the water and clouds to plot the best race plan. As you can imagine, Josh is working hard toward Italy, with three training sessions a week on the water at his Wakatere club, and a regatta most weekends. He also maintains a fitness programme at home, with work on a stationary bike and core strength work for hiking. The knocks he sustains while on the job are proof that sailing is a contact sport. Josh lives with permanently bruised shins from roll tacks, which is when he jumps onto
the side of the boat to accelerate. From time to time, he fails to evade the boom as it swings across, collecting a sharp reminder to the head in the process. Dunkings are a constant threat. “One time when I was training, I pitch poled,” recalls Josh, “which is when your boat does a forward somersault in strong wind and big waves, and I got flung out of the boat. Another time I hiked out (to keep the boat flat on the water, the sailor leans out over the side to counteract the wind, with his feet hooked under the hiking straps) and my feet missed the straps. I fell backwards, somersaulted out of my boat and my boat carried on without me. I was hanging on to the tiller, so I was able to haul myself back in.” It’ll all be worth it come Italy in July. Beyond that Josh is aiming for the top five overall in Optimist Class so he can sail at the Worlds to win the Nationals and be number 1 in New Zealand; to race at the Youth Worlds and, one day, to emulate his heroes Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, and wear the Silver Fern at the Olympics. Oh, and sail in the Volvo Round the World Race. Quite a checklist. But with the wind in his face, and his grandfather’s saltwater in his veins, you wouldn’t bet against Josh Hyde ticking them off, one tack at a time. (BILLY HARRIS) F PN
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FUTURE GENERATION NOT A SWAN SONG - FROM GREY LYNN COMRADES TO WESTERN SPRINGS AFC ‘SWANS’ In New Zealand, football is not exactly a big topic in the newspapers or the media in general. Once in a while when the All Whites make it to the World Cup (and they did pretty well last time coming back unbeaten from South Africa) there is a brief burst of enthusiasm in the pubs and even in the media. ‘Real’ football (or soccer) has its base in a grassroots movement and once you do the numbers, you find there are nowaday more than 200,000 people playing football across 342 clubs. Football has overtaken even rugby. It is the third most watched sport, after rugby and netball. There are more schoolkids playing soccer than any other sport although many of the boys switch to Rugby Union as they get older. Football first came to New Zealand in 1891 - the first club was probably North Shore United, while the All Blacks had already played 21 years earlier in Nelson. One club in Auckland has a long and interesting history. It began as the Grey Lynn Comrades Club and operates now as Western Springs AFC. Thanks to men like Colin Gallagher, we still have newspaper clippings, reports and team photos about the early days of Grey Lynn football. In a way, the story of a small football club is a like flicking through a family photo album. It is not a story about Manchester United or Real Madrid. There are no great achievements, nationally or internationally. But this is story about survival, a club that is still alive and kicking. And a man who was pivotal to it - whose own story of survival is a small miracle. In the old days, sport was one of the most important ways to spend your leisure time. In 1923 the Comrades Club was founded. It had its first base at Victoria Park. Comrades Club? Today you would possibly ask whether it was a Communist Football Club. But ‘comrades’ was a very common expression, especially within the New Zealand Labour Party. The connection to the unions was real. One of the club founders, Lou Ross, was the treasurer of the Painters Union. The former Prime Minister Michael Savage was also involved as a patron. The two most important names to note, however, are Garth Carsley Ballantyne (a hockey player who had never played a game of football in his life) and Jack Church (a former rugby player). He created an effective tactic to attract young kids to football. Whenever he saw a group of boys playing in Victoria Park, he would toss them a soccer ball, they would start kicking it and he would convince them to join the club. By the end of 1924, there were six teams and by 1937, the Grey Lynn Comrades were the largest football cub in New Zealand. Garth Ballantyne was an extraordinary person and his story deserves to be heard. A conscientious objector in the First World War, he was one of those brave men who saw the madness of war and refused to be a soldier. New Zealand does well to remember
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those who lost their lives in Gallipoli and the Second World War. However, there were also men from New Zealand like Garth Ballantyne, Archie Baxter, Mark Briggs and others who stood up against the jingoism of the time to take a principled stand against a war being fought thousands of miles away. Most of those conscripted against their will were forced to join the British Army. As they were not prepared to take up a gun or even a uniform, they were were brutally beaten and tortured. In 1916, the New Zealand government shipped 14 of the country’s most outspoken conscientious objectors to the Western Front in an attempt to convert, silence and quite possibly kill them. Garth Ballantyne was one of them. He was ridiculed, had tea cups tied to his hands, was manhandled, punched in the face and went five days without food or water. In a prison camp near Dunkirk, Ballantyne was yelled at, bullied and tortured with the ‘three three’ (three days of bread and water, solitary confinement and 12-hour spells of handcuffing behind his back). Refusing to compromise, Ballantyne worked in the battlefield as a stretch-bearer under the condition he would not take the oath of allegiance. Finally he accompanied the occupation army to Germany as part of the regiment’s aid post. Once they returned to New Zealand, the ‘conchies’ were stigmatised in their hometowns. Their story is very well told presented in the New Zealand movie ‘Field Punishment No. 1’ (which is still available on TV One On Demand). As an aside, Garth Ballantyne was played by Eli Kent, son of J. K. Baxter. Garth Ballantyne never spoke about his war time again. It took a long time until his great work for sport and for the youth playing football was recognised. He was only introduced the Soccer House of fame in 2000, 17 years after his death. The players for the ‘Comrades’ were from the working -class area of Freeman’s Bay and were mainly of Irish, Scottish, Welsh or English descent, with the odd Dalmatian or Maori among the team. Les Mills, who later became Mayor of Auckland, once was a goalkeeper. After the 1940s state housing boom, most members lived in Grey Lynn and Westmere. They joined forces with Grey Lynn United in 1952 to become the Grey Lynn Comrades Club. Their colours stayed green and white. The teams played at different pitches - Grey Lynn Park, Nixon Park, Western Springs Stadium. The Cold War in the 50s had an impact even on football. Due to the the inference with of the name to communism, the club dropped it to become the ‘Grey Lynn United Club’. Meanwhile, there was panic in Grey Lynn when the Adelphi movie theatre in Richmond Road was bought by ‘mysterious buyers’ who showed foreign movies from communist states including one Polish movie by a guy called Roman Polanski. The
anti-communist ‘Freedom Needs Vigilance’ movement, scared communism could be introduced into Grey Lynn, protested outside the movie theatre. No wonder the comrades had to change their name. But the biggest scandal in the history of the Grey Lynn club was the 1963 walk off of most of the players at the promotion-relegation match between Grey Lynn and Mt Wellington at Blandford Park in the Grafton gully (now an off-ramp of the motorway). It made media headlines and was even called a ‘pandemonium’ and a ‘disgraceful ending’. What actually did happen? After a clash between a Grey Lynn and a Mt Wellington player, both were handed a red card by the referee, though it was not clear whether the Grey Lynn player was provoked or was defending himelf. The Grey Lynn players disagreed with the referees decision and most walked off the pitch. Though the remaining five tried to continue the final 15 minutes, the referee abandoned the match. It all ended with long suspensions for seven players, a hefty fine and the Grey Lynn team banned from the premiere division for the 1964 season. Unfortunately the walk off at Blandford Park created a generational split inside the club which saw a decline of Grey Lynn AFC and their gradual drop to the 4th Division in the following years. In 1986, there was another name change to Grey Lynn Celtic and the club started looking for new club rooms. They settled on Seddon Fields, which was at that time was a rubbish dump full of broken glass, concrete, but complete with grazing cattle and a very muddy rugby field. As the football club of Point Chevalier AFC faced similar problems, both amalgamated in 1989 playing mainly in the 2nd Division. Their new name was now Western Springs AFC and their nickname ‘The Swans’ because of the Western Springs lake nearby. About four years ago, with a new coach, club rooms and pitches, the Western Springs AFC were on the up again. Three years ago, they were promoted to 1st Division then graduated the following year to the Northern Premier League. This season we will see whether they can improve even further, but there is definitely no ‘swan song’ for the (greater) Grey Lynn club with its 118 teams. As long as they stay as ‘comrades’, the future looks bright that they remain a valuable and important identity within our ‘hood. (SOL de SULLY) PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
OUT + ABOUT
The Anzac Day march began in Castle Street, Grey Lynn and continued along Richmond Road to the Grey Lynn RSC in Francis Street
Steve Spencer of Grey Lynn RSC committee
Rev Mua Strickland Pua
Lisa Munn, Royal NZ Navy
David Shearer, NZ Labour Party
Shale Chambers, Waitemata Local Board
Shale Chambers, Waitemata Local Board
Jubilation acapella gospel choir
Rocky McGlynn, President of Grey Lynn RSC
photography: Martin Leach
Marching into Francis Street
ANZAC DAY SERVICE @ GREY LYNN RSC - MONDAY 25 APRIL The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY
All Blacks stocks on the rise The All Blacks winning the coveted Laureus sports award was not only an indication that rugby is making a small indent into global sporting popularity but that brand All Blacks is now a very recognisable one on a global stage. Whilst not on the same scale as McDonald’s or Red Bull, just like United Kingdom football’s Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea FC no matter where you go in the world, when you mention the All Blacks people automatically know what you’re talking about. While other rugby nations had set a precedent by winning the Laureus awards before, being selected ahead of European football giants FC Barcelona, the American women’s World Cup winning football team, Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One team Mercedes, and Andy Murray’s Great Britian Davis Cup tennis team proves just how globally recognised the All Blacks are. Sure, back to back Rugby World Cups are an amazing feat. However, as per the rules of judging the achievements being measured are to be within the single year that it’s being judged on, so the All Blacks’ World Cup win in 2011 wasn’t, or shouldn’t have been, taken into consideration. The judging panel is made up of sports writers and editors from all over the world, but mostly from America and Europe. Places that in the past haven’t written or printed regular stories about the All Blacks, so their exposure to the team and the brand have been far less than the likes of Mercedes or FC Barcelona that get written about multiple times per week.
The fact that All Black Dan Carter also won the comeback of the year award ahead of American skier Lindsey Vonn, United States swimmer Michael Phelps and British athletics star Jessica Ennis Hill also demonstrates this. Perhaps it’s down to the All Blacks playing test matches in America, or even the New Zealand Sevens teams being now referred to as the All Black Sevens that’s seen the brand get more publicity on a more regular basis. Maybe former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick, who’s involved in the awards programme, simply did a fantastic job on educating the judging panel as to what the All Blacks had actually achieved. But regardless of all of that, along with the All Blacks’ continued achievements on the field, whatever New Zealand Rugby is doing off it is having a hugely positive impact as well. This sort of brand recognition can only be good for the game in New Zealand, meaning other global brands, with perhaps deeper pockets than our own national ones, look to align themselves with the All Blacks. Giving NZR more money to play with in the future; this in turn will trickle down to the players, perhaps even curbing the exodus of players looking to make some money off shore. Just think - you’d rather be in that position than that of Australia, who are in serious financial strife. (GEORGE BERRY) F PN
Gold slipping further away What an exciting year! Last month marked 100 days until the Rio Olympics, and then just weeks later the Paralympic Games. Over the next few months Ponsonby News will feature a handful of sports and athletes ahead of the games, this month taking the pulse of Rugby Sevens, included for the first time at the Rio games. When the sport was first announced, New Zealand had dominated the world for almost a decade and it was thought New Zealand would continue to do so. Perhaps even a smug thought or two that two gold medals for both the women and men were guaranteed. Fast forward to three months out and both of those predictions are looking more perilous as each tournament in the buildup to the games is completed. The New Zealand women are yet to win a tournament this year and the men have continually found themselves unable to even make the final, something in years gone by which had been a given. As expected, when olympic medals are on offer other nations like America have thrown resource at the sport, and now even Fiji. They, like New Zealand, have always been competitive in Sevens, but this is also a real opportunity for them to win an olympic medal, perhaps even two. Since attending their first games in 1956, Fiji has attended twelve Olympic Games but are still yet to secure their first medal. New Zealand’s issues of late have partly been down to key players being absent from tournaments through injury, a problem that should subside before the games in August. Auckland’s Ioane brothers have both rejoined the men’s squad and will now remain until after the games, giving Sir Gordon Tietjens some welcome relief, while the women’s side are hopeful of welcoming back a few of their stars like Kayla McAlister as well. But at this point, based only on form from the last six months, I would suggest that it would be dangerous to hold your breath and wait for a gold medal from either the women or the men. From a Kiwi fan perspective one can only hope that the nations like Kenya and Fiji get a little overawed by the whole Olympic Games fiasco, which has often derailed many athletes’ campaigns in the past, and we can come through when it really counts. (GEORGE BERRY) F PN
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SIDELINE WITH GEORGE BERRY But perhaps one of his biggest challenges was to go from being a leader, something he’d done for more than a decade as the All Blacks’ captain, to being just one of the team, even being coached along the way. At one stage after trekking through the night in thick, dense fog across Red Hill, McCaw and his CureKids team appeared from the bush, a long, long way from where they thought they were. Where they were was about five hundred metres from a transition where food, dry clothes and a rest were ready to greet them. Instead they’d missed a compulsory marker point, meaning they had to turn back, navigate to that marker point taking them two and a half hours to trek up to just to turn around and trek all the way back to where they were. A mistake that no doubt tested every ounce of his resilience.
McCaw goes to a whole new level The uncertainty, almost a quiver, in Richie McCaw’s voice a couple of days out from the start of this year’s GODZone adventure race proved just how nervous the former All Black captain really was. I’d interviewed him countless times over the years at both the All Blacks and the Crusaders but I’d never heard the usually assertive and confident guy speak in this way. “I don’t want to disgrace myself,” he nervously muttered to me in a pre-race interview. What made his first foray into adventure racing even harder was that there was absolutely no hiding. Media from all over the country and the public both had high expectations. This was also not a case of him being able to dip his toe in and see if he liked it. Chapter 5 of the GODZone adventure race, in the Tasman region, was a 530 kilometre all-out assault. For many, your first race is described as a ‘suffer fest’, where people are not only challenged physically, but mentally as well, to the point of dipping in and out of a depressive state due to the toughness of the challenge and the simple lack of sleep. His years of conditioning for rugby came in handy, and it was obvious that despite having never run more than about 15 kilometres in one sitting the 35-year old clearly had the physical attributes to conquer the over 130km in trekking and running, along with mountain biking and kayaking, both at sea and on the river.
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
By this stage the eventual winner, Team Yealands, was zeroing in on the finish line, whilst McCaw and crew were perhaps only a third of the way through. For me, though, what made McCaw’s involvement in the race so remarkable was the interest he attracted to the race. And also his reaction to the hundreds, perhaps even thousands of supporters who came out to see him, and check out the minnow sport in the process. People drove from all over to catch a glimpse and on all types of roads in the boondocks of the Nelson region people lined up to cheer them on. Kids in their dressing gowns at all hours of the night stood at the end of their driveways to offer food, drink and support. And although clearly exhausted, sunburnt and covered in dirt and dust, McCaw in turn paused to sign autographs and pose for photos for kids of all ages. While those people waited for the most-capped rugby player of all time to race past, the competitors in other teams received a momentary boost by also revelling in the sports’ new-found support. McCaw’s team paddled back across the finish line on Kaiteriteri beach and were treated to a hero’s welcome, just over five days after he and his team left the very same spot. He crossed the line, arms linked with his team before being mobbed by media and the adoring public, again clearly exhausted, dirty and craving a feed and some sleep, but stopped to sign autographs and pose for photos just as he had before the race had started. He never left the finish line until all of those that wanted a memento had wandered off proving he had not only not disgraced himself, he’d in fact elevated himself to a whole PN new level. (GEORGE BERRY) F
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PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS
Jessica Wade, Dudley and Wilson Jessica Wade was born and bred in Ponsonby and works as a flight attendant. She first bought Dudley the King Charles Cavalier as a moving-out of home gift to herself, then Wilson the Cocker Spaniel came along the following Christmas as another gift to herself. Dudley is three years old, and Wilson is one-and-a-half. “I’ve had both of them since they were eight weeks old. I instantly fell in love with Dudley when I first met him. Wilson, on the other hand, was the last one in his litter left and also the naughtiest, but I still fell in love with him soon after meeting him. “I was looking for a royal name for Dudley as he is a King after all, and wanted to keep the theme going for Wilson. “Our favourite thing to do together would definitely be playing fetch at Grey Lynn park and having coffees at our local coffee shop, Crumb. “Dudley and Wilson’s best friend would have to be Bear the Bernese Mountain Dog who we met at Grey Lynn Park. They have instagram friends too. “Dudley and Wilson will eat almost anything, but funnily enough Wilson is a huge fan of carrots.
“Ponsonby has a great dog community so we won’t be moving any time soon. I’d own 10 dogs if it was allowed in the city. I live vicariously through my dogs’ instagram to see all the other Ponsonby pups.” F PN DUDLEY AND WILSON www.instagram.com/dudleywithwilson
NEW DOG SAFETY APP HELPS KEEP KIDS SAFE Auckland Council is moving forward this week with the rollout of a world-first dog safety smartphone app designed to help keep children safe around dogs. This is a global app developed in Auckland for Mars Petcare by Colenso BBDO and Auckland will be the first city to roll it out in schools, using a suite of iPads donated by educational IT supplier Cyclone. “Council receives 150-200 callouts a month relating to dog nuisance, including 17 bites on children over the last nine months,” says Community Development and Safety Committee Chair, Councillor Cathy Casey. The council’s animal management team has been working for some time with MARS Petcare, which owns and distributes PEDIGREE® in New Zealand, to help them develop an interactive dog safety app aimed at primary school-aged children, who form the largest at-risk age group in Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) national dog bite statistics. “The PEDIGREE® app, called ‘A Dog’s Story’, is ideal for engaging young children and teaching them safe behaviour around dogs. From this week our animal management officers and training dogs will visit schools, teach children how to use the app, take them through the lessons and encourage them to practise their skills on our friendly dogs. Our dogs are very experienced with children and working with live dogs raises children’s confidence,” she says.
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Children are given a fridge magnet to take home to encourage their parents to download the app at home. “We don’t expect all primary school children to have a smartphone or tablet of their own, but we know 85-90% of households will have one, so we’re hoping parents will play the interactive game with their children and with other children in the home,” says Animal Management Manager, Geoff Keber. “Our aim is to help keep dogs a positive part of the life of Aucklanders, and helping children to keep themselves safe is a critical element of that,” he says. “Partnerships like this one with Mars Petcare and PEDIGREE® mean we can deliver highquality educational materials that are relevant to young audiences without any cost to ratepayers,” says Councillor Casey. Mars Petcare reports high interest in the app from other countries where dogs are an important part of urban life. The ‘A Dog’s Story’ app is available now as a free download from the App Store and Google Play. There are no in-app purchases. F PN Schools can book a dog safety education session on the Auckland Council website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/licencesregulations/dogsandanimals/ dogsafety/Pages/bookadogsafetyeducation.aspx PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
PONSONBY PEOPLE + THEIR PETS ASK ALEX
YOUR SPARE ROOM COULD HELP SAVE A LIFE Many of the animals who come into the SPCA Auckland Animal Village require some extra love, care and attention before they are ready to be adopted into their forever homes. Some will have already received medical attention at the SPCA Auckland hospital and need somewhere to recover and gain strength. Others might be too young or too small and need some time to grow and get to know the world.
Each month Dr Alex Melrose answers readers’ pet -related issues. Email yours to: alex@vetcare.net.nz I had some old ‘Urine Testing’ kitty litter, the kind where the litter colour goes red if there is an imbalance in cats urine. With one of my cats, I think Balkie, the litter went red. With the other one there is no colour change, a possible sign of serious urinary disease. They both seem fine in themselves, with no other symptoms, eating, drinking, purring as normal. What should I do? Is there a medication I can buy or can cats have small amounts of people medications like Ural? Can I buy the special urinary diets off you? Their usual diet is tooth d and a small amount of biscuits from the supermarket. I have enough of the detecting kitty litter to test them again after a period of time on medication and medicated food.
Q:
I’ve never put any stock in the accuracy of those cat litters as far as diagnosis of disease goes. The main issue is that while they will change colour dependant on pH of the urine, a bit like a giant litmus test strip, this doesn’t then mean there is a urinary tract infection going on.
The summer months see an increase in the number of cats and kittens needing our care and this year, the busy season has continued well into autumn. We still have huge numbers of cats and kittens needing temporary homes to rest and recover in prior to adoption.
A:
You can help save the life of an animal by opening your home to a cat or kitten in need. While each cat is different, the average length of stay in a foster home is usually 3 - 6 weeks. Once they are ready, the animals come back to the Animal Village and are put up for adoption.
For this reason I don’t usually recommend these products for home use, more often than not just causing a false alarm and a bit of stress for owners.
SPCA Auckland supplies quality food, as well as litter, litter trays, bedding, toys, bowls, and anything else available to make the animals comfortable while they are staying in your home. Our on-site vets provide the medical care required. Being a foster parent is a great experience that gives you the chance to make a difference in the lives of many animals. You can show them what it means to be loved and cared for. We understand that looking after an animal can be a big undertaking, so first time fosterers receive training, and our friendly foster team are just a phone call away if you have questions or concerns. Visit www.spcaauckland.org.nz/how-to-help/ foster-an-animal for more information. F PN
Unusual urinary pH is just one of a multitude of factors in the development of urinary problems and with a large range of normal pH existing in individual cats, it’s just not that meaningful on its own. Cats are ultra sensitive to human medications, even when titrated down to a dose per kg level. There are many human treatments that are a death sentence for cats. Please don’t give Balkie any human medications. The first rule of treatment being: Do No Harm. We are here to check your two magnificent cats over physically and perform a proper urine analysis. I would ignore the litter colour change and go more off clinical signs. Two super healthy cats with no straining, discomfort, over grooming, restlessness, perfect coats and bright eyes sounds like serious urinary disease is unlikely to me. PN (DR ALEX MELRORE, BVSC, MRCVS) F VETCARE GREY LYNN & UNITEC, 408 Great North Road, Gate 3, 101 Carrington Road, T: 09 361 3500, www.vetcare.net.nz
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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LOOK... WHO IS IN THE ZOO!
Every reason to love red pandas Auckland Zoo’s female Nepalese red panda cubs are now venturing out of their nest box to explore the big wide world that is their outdoor enclosure with mum Bo. Carnivore keeper Helen Watson is among a team of keepers who get to work with and engage visitors about these beautiful and unique mammals. What do you most love about these unique animals? Everything, especially their mild manner and gentle nature. When you look at a red panda you naturally smile and all is well with the world. I’m also with the famous French zoologist, Cuvier, who said: “The red panda is quite the most handsome mammal in existence.” Best ever red panda experience? Last year when mum Bo was due to give birth (to male Ramesh) I went to check the nest box that she had decided to use (the very one we didn’t have a camera set up in). Bo had literally just given birth. Ramesh looked like a little sausage with a red panda face! What role have you and your colleagues played since the birth of the twins in January? We take a very hands-off approach and let Bo get on with the important job of rearing her cubs, but we do monitor them closely. These girls are Bo’s fifth and sixth offspring, and she’s very competent and relaxed. Live cameras set up in all three nest boxes (which give Bo the choice to move her cubs around) are connected to monitors in our work area. From these, we can see how the cubs have gone overnight, as well as view them live and check that she’s grooming her cubs and letting them suckle and see whether she’s moved them around. A week prior to her taking the cubs outside, we opened the nest box door and sat at the entrance - to help them get used to people, which they didn’t seem bothered by in the least. What did their first vet check involve? In mid-March we assisted the vets so that they could do full physical health checks on the cubs, as well as confirm their sex, and also attach their micro-chip identifications. It’s a straightforward procedure, but we do try and make it as quick as possible, so they’re only separated from Bo for a short time.
Carnivore keepers will soon name the Zoo’s female Nepalese red panda cubs - the fifth and sixth offspring of mum Bo, and elderly dad Sagar, who died late last year
Zoo vet manager Dr James Chatterton checks one of the cubs, held by keeper Helen Watson
How active are the cubs? The cubs are now really inquisitive and enjoying some rough and tumble play with each other. They’re also just starting to learn how to climb from mum Bo and, by about eight months, they’ll be independent and as active as any adult. Why should Kiwis care about red pandas? Red pandas are the last remaining member of a family called ‘Aluridae’ which makes them genetically very unique and special. Sadly, they’ve also just recently been upgraded on the IUCN Red List to ‘Endangered’, so their survival is under even greater threat from loss and degradation of their habitat as well as poaching. How can people help? One great way is to join the zoo’s efforts for red panda. Through our Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund, we support Red Panda Network (RPN) in Nepal, which is working to save these precious animals in the wild and preserve habitat through education and empowering local communities. RPN also runs eco-trips - another great way to support their work. Visit: www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/donate and www.redpandanetwork.org and keep up to date with red panda news by following us on Facebook www.facebook.com/AKLZOONZ
Disco at the Zoo this Mother’s Day Baby Loves Disco is going wild at Auckland Zoo for Mother’s Day! Bring mum and the kids to this fun dance party among the animals featuring music spun and mixed by musician and DJ Jason Kerrison. Kerrison’s blend of classic disco and the latest pop music is guaranteed to get you and your little ones moving and grooving on the zoo’s band rotunda stage and surrounding lawn. Other activity treats on offer with our Baby Loves Disco friends will be giant puzzles, face painting, temporary tattoos, hair and make-up and nail art. After the dance party wraps at 1pm, take time to explore the rest of the zoo and visit your favourite animals. Rain venue: If raining, the Baby Loves Disco party will move to the Old Elephant House - so you can still get your groove on and stay dry! Normal zoo admission prices apply. Friends of the Zoo members free.
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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 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
SPCA PETS LOOKING FOR HOMES
Zane
Mary
Manny
Noah
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
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HELENE RAVLICH: LOCAL AGENCIES
True When I lived at the Ponsonby end of Richmond Road I became aware of a fresh, new, boutique advertising agency that had popped up in the ‘hood going by the name of True. True opened its doors in 2011 after a few major names from another Richmond Road ad destination, .99, felt the need to go it alone and break away from the overarching arm of The Clemenger Group. Managing director, Matt Dickinson, joined as a partner around six months after the agency was established by fellow .99ers Craig Pethybridge (True Executive Creative Director) and Michael Currie (who has now left the agency), and word of their reputation began to grow. Exponentially. Like any new business the first few years were a challenge, but the petite agency soon blossomed into quite the creative player, working with big brands like Air New Zealand and Vodafone and moving into areas outside traditional advertising that were earning them major kudos. Now employing 40-something staffers and juggling big-name clients like Southern Cross Health Society and ANZ Bank with their continuing boutique approach, they have moved to the other end of Richmond Road in West Lynn, where I visited Matt and Craig in their airy, inspiring new office space. Five years after the birth of True I ask the pair if the escape from big agency life has lived up to expectations, to which they both nod in agreement. Most enthusiastically so, in fact. “I would say that is has far exceeded our expectations,” says Craig, in spite of early years when big clients and a small staff roster meant that hours were long and weekends at home pretty much not an option. When it came to the big campaigns trusted to a stillsmall agency Matt tells me, “being boutique and being the owners definitely allowed us to do a lot more of what we wanted, and when it came to the likes of Air New Zealand we could be a lot more responsive to their needs than, say, a huge operation.” He says that they also really ‘get’ Air New Zealand as a client, and they are exceptionally proud of the work they have done with it over the years. Craig and Matt had worked with our national carrier in their previous professional lives, and then in 2012 Air New Zealand came on board with True and the magic really started to happen. Their first project was the non-legendary safety video starring Bear Grylls, which was the first one the airline had ever had filmed outside of a plane. Bigger budgets have seen the ‘Safety in Paradise’ campaign putting Sports Illustrated bods in tropical locales made, as well as the recent ‘Men In Black Safety Defenders’ video that is the most viewed video on You Tube in New Zealand. Collectively, Air New Zealand’s safety videos have been viewed more than 53 million times online, which must make the True team feel rather chuffed.
True’s Craig and Matt Despite the growing - and growing - success of the agency, the pair says that they are still willing to “help make the coffee”, with Matt adding, “we’re not really into standing on ceremony here, the agency has a very flat structure. We don’t do the fist on the table, ‘let’s motivate the troops’ kind of thing, it’s not really our style.” They say they don’t think of themselves as the ‘big, swinging proverbial’ either, shying away from the ego at the centre of so many in the industry still. “We definitely want to avoid that!” Craig talks about the massive hours many in the agency world are still expected to fulfil, with suits and creatives both becoming burnt out at the expense of their health and their sanity. “We both remember doing crazy long days when we worked for big agencies,” he says, “and sure, the money was nice but you are left wondering what you do it all for. It’s not the glamorous industry that people imagine - it is a lot of hard work. We are maybe working even harder now but the rewards are there as we are doing it for ourselves.” Matt adds: “And it’s not just a financial thing, it is just so amazing to see what we’ve achieved in terms of nurturing our staff and generating some fantastic new work.” The pair has made a conscious effort to put what Craig says is “time and effort into our people, and treat them like our friends and family”, a factor that definitely puts them a rung above many of the agencies that I personally have worked in as a copywriter. They are also proud of still going to work every day in the Grey Lynn neighbourhood, despite their expansion in size. “We couldn’t find anywhere and we really needed more space,” says Matt, “when thankfully this place opened up. We absolutely love it here, we love the relaxed vibe of the area so much.” “We feel part of the community here,” adds Craig with a smile, “and it’s definitely a lot PN more us.” (HELENE RAVLICH) F www.thisistrue.co
TRUE’s Men In Black safety video for Air New Zealand
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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. I am an electrician and run my own business. I often have to deal with delayed and neglected payments from customers after having completed jobs. I have in the past successfully pursued a debtor through the Disputes Tribunal. The last time I did this the debtor was quick to pay once I had received a decision in my favour. This year I took another debtor to the Disputes Tribunal and again was successful in having a decision awarded in my favour and an order for the debtor to pay my outstanding invoice. However, several weeks have passed and the debtor has still not paid me. What are my options for enforcing the Disputes Tribunal order? I would like to achieve this in the most cost effective and time efficient manner.
Q:
A:
The Disputes Tribunal is an easy to use means of having grievances heard without delays and excessive legal costs. The Disputes Tribunal does, however, have certain drawbacks particularly in regards to enforcing orders.
As you are probably now aware, the Disputes Tribunal will not check to see if an order awarded in your favour has been carried out. While, orders of the Disputes Tribunal are court orders and there are consequences for non-compliance, most of the responsibility will be upon you to ensure that the order is carried out. The enforcing of the order will also require further costs (however, these costs can often be added to the amount owed by the debtor). The order that you have received should set out in clear details how much is to be paid by the debtor and by when. The debtor is expected to voluntarily comply with the order and you cannot seek to enforce the order until after the deadline has passed. If voluntary compliance does not occur then there are several options available; apply to the District Court to enforce the court order, hire a debt collection agency to collect the debt on your behalf (this may involve further charges) or instruct a solicitor to act on your behalf by drafting a formal letter demanding the debt be paid. If you wish to enforce the order through the District Court you will need to file the relevant applications for enforcement proceedings. It is important that you have available certain information about the debtor that must be provided to the District Court including the address and contact details of the debtor. The most common enforcement options through the District Court are: 1. An Attachment Order - If you know that the debtor is employed (and can provide the court with employment details), the court can order that payments are deducted directly from the debtor’s income. A further court hearing or financial assessment hearing is not necessary and this option is therefore preferable. 2. An Assessment of Financial Means Order - If the above mentioned Attachment Order is inappropriate in the circumstances then you can apply for the court to conduct a financial assessment of the debtor, usually over the phone. If the debtor does not comply with the financial assessment then the court can order a hearing which the debtor must attend. This requires the debtor to show whether they are capable of paying the debt and determining what assets they have. 3. Warrant to seize property - You can apply to the District Court for a bailiff to seize property owned by the debtor (a car for instance) to satisfy the debt owing. While pursuing the above enforcement options involves spending money and valuable time on debt collection, they allow you to enforce your rights and ensure that bad debtors don’t get away with exploiting small business owners. If you wish to discuss this further or have any other concerns, do not hesitate to get in touch with any of our Metro law staff. (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
DEADLINE - 20TH OF THE MONTH
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PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS: LOGAN GRANGER
Business tax reforms unveiled SME owners have a lot to celebrate with a pre-Budget announcement by the Government heralding a simplified tax regime for business taxpayers. The essence of the reforms proposed by Inland Revenue and Treasury is to reduce compliance costs and make tax obligations less onerous for smaller businesses. Taxpayers will be pleased to know the changes are being driven by Inland Revenue’s own business reengineering programmes, which seek to harness the benefits of new technology to make everybody’s tax life easier going forward.
• Increasing the ‘safe harbour’ residual income tax threshold before Use of Money Interest (UOMI) applies to $60,000 for both individuals and non -individuals.
• Cutting back late payment penalties for a range of tax types so that only initial penalties are applied (thereby eliminating the problematic compounding effect of subsequent incremental penalties).
• Removing UOMI from the first two provisional tax payments for those who use the standard uplift method.
• Sharing information with credit agencies about people who owe Inland Revenue significant amounts of tax debt.
A cornerstone of the reforms is giving small businesses the ability to pay provisional tax through accounting software instead of having to engage separately with the current regime, which has long been criticised for being inflexible, excessively punitive and increasingly out of date in the modern businesses environment.
• Allowing businesses to pay tax on behalf of shareholder employees.
• Sharing information with the Companies Office to help them with enforcement activity - eg, notifying the Registrar that a banned person is running a company as an actual or de facto director.
Inland Revenue will also continue the trend for sharing more of the vast amounts of information it holds, this time with credit agencies and other enforcement agencies in a bid to help cleanse the marketplace of people who pose serious credit and behavioural risks. While there is a lot of detail to work through we expect the overall impact to become clearer as officials consult with business owners and their advisors to shape the final proposals. The standouts to us at this early stage are:
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• Allowing contractors to elect their own withholding tax rate. • Removing the need for RWT exemption certificates to be renewed annually. • Simplifying calculations for deductions when vehicles and premises are subject to a mix of taxable and non -taxable use. • Simplifying FBT for close companies and increasing the threshold for filing annual FBT returns.
PN (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
Get your hands dirty this autumn Wow, summer just doesn’t want to let go! Weather conditions can’t be any more favourable for planting vegetable and flower seedlings. The soil is warm and the daytime temperature is still up there despite the fact that we’re well into autumn. Did you realise that autumn is the best time for planting? With consistent rainfall over the next few months, trees and shrubs planted during autumn have plenty of time to settle into their new positions before the warm spring and summer weather arrives. There’s such a fantastic range of vegetable seedlings that can be planted now - beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, spinach and lettuce to name a few. There’s nothing more rewarding than harvesting your own fresh vegetables and, what’s more, they’re a breeze to grow!
contains clay add peat moss which is a soil conditioner and will improve the structure of the soil over time. Claybreaker can also be added to the soil. A little on lawns Autumn is the perfect season to bring your lawn back to a respectable state. Annoying weeds like oxalis, clover, moss, daisies and dandelion can be eliminated by spraying selective lawn weedkillers like Turfix and Hydrocotyle weedkiller on your lawn. Choose a still, cloudy day to spray taking care to dress up well with protective clothing including gloves and a face mask. Puncturing the lawn with a pitchfork or using an aerating machine on a large lawn will improve your lawn’s health and give it an improved appearance. That’s all for this month. Happy gardening! (GRAHAM SHIEFF)
Last winter I built a raised vegetable garden, 9m long, 800 wide and 800 high. Well, it proved its value throughout summer yielding hundreds of ‘Sweet 100’ tomatoes, capsicums, lettuce, cucumbers, aubergine and raspberries.
M: 021 997 743, www.gardenhelp.co.nz
Raised vegetable gardens are awesome, such a valuable addition to any garden. If you don’t have space for a large raised garden try growing veggies and flowers in large, attractive glazed pots or wooden containers. Potted containers work so well for those of us who live in apartments or have a limited garden space. Key prerequisites to producing great vegetables are the potting medium used and the position of the raised vegetable planter or containers - they should receive all day sunlight, fertiliser and sufficient water. During the growing season I like adding magnesium sulphate or ‘Epsom Salts’ to the soil around the base of the plants. Magnesium, an essential element, gives plants a noticeable boost including healthier foliage, prolific flowering and quality vegetables and flowers. Take care not to allow plants to dry out in your raised planter box or containers or become water logged. Although growing vegetables and flowers from seed is good fun for the family, seedlings give you a head start and they’re easy to plant out. Colour your garden throughout winter and into spring by planting the following seedlings during autumn: antirrhinum ‘Madame Butterfly’, dianthus, foxglove, larkspur, lobelia, pansy ‘Antique Shades’, pansy ‘Delta mixed’, primula, poppy, polyanthus, viscaria, viola and wallflower. I’m a pansy fan, the flower colours available are magical! Gorgeous grasses Zealandia Nurseries have produced an outstanding selection of New Zealand native grasses, available from your local garden centre. Lookout for these little beauties... Carex comans ‘Green’, carex flagellifera ‘Red’, Carex virgata, Carex comans ‘Bronze’, Carex secta, Festuca ‘Banks Peninsula Blue’. These attractive, low-growing grasses require little maintenance adding colour, texture and interest to your garden. For added impact plant the same variety in groups. Crazy camellias Cool flower colour, glossy foliage, a compact growth habit and little maintenance make these fabulous plants a winner throughout autumn and winter. Camellia sasanqua ‘Setsugekka’ is one of my favourites. This stunner produces masses of pure white blooms with yellow/gold stamens. What appeals to me about this hardy evergreen is that it can be easily espaliered - you can encourage it to disguise unsightly walls and fences by training it horizontally along wire. Setsugekka stays relatively flat as it grows so there’s no concern with it growing too wide and encroaching on your outdoor space. Camellias are so versatile - they excel in a shady garden position, still producing loads of spectacular blooms. Many varieties last well as cut flowers, too. Fertilise with an acid plant food, slow release fertiliser or Flowers of Sulphur. If your soil lacks quality or The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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REAL ESTATE UPDATE: KAREN SPIRES
Auckland has a new lifestyle address at Victoria Quarter Grace Victoria Quarter, a world-class and sophisticated apartment development located on Ponsonby’s fringe, has been designed to set a new benchmark for New Zealand in design and quality. Set on a gateway corner site within the vibrant Victoria Quarter in Auckland, New Zealand, the striking and sophisticated residential project will deliver expansive views, exclusive resident amenities, the city’s best cafes and restaurants and easy access to the CBD, Ponsonby and the motorway. Grace Victoria Quarter is the result of a highly dynamic partnership between award-winning Melbourne-based developer Little Projects, leading Auckland-based developer Location Group and renowned international design practice Cox Architecture. Bayleys Ponsonby has been appointed exclusive agent on the project, with the 107 one-, two- and three -bedroom apartments priced from $540,000. Little Projects General Manager Sales and Marketing Fergus Humphries says the site required a world-class project, exemplifying an aspirational apartment lifestyle driven by design and amenities. “Auckland is becoming increasingly sophisticated and Grace Victoria Quarter will demonstrate the beauty and convenience of apartment living,” he says. “This is a beautifully designed residential project that brings together a decade of experience delivering high -quality projects in Melbourne’s inner city markets with world-class architecture on an enviable gateway site. “Grace Victoria Quarter is a project without precedence.
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It will offer incredible lifestyle amenities, quality finishes throughout and all within walking distance of the cafes, restaurants, shopping and the CBD.”
either side by retail tenancies, which will activate the streetscape and provide access to a unique courtyard garden sheltered between the arms of the building.
Located at 70 Sale Street, Victoria Quarter, the project is 500 metres from the waterfront which will provide immediate access to key Auckland amenities including Victoria Park, the Wynyard Quarter and Auckland Harbour to the north, CBD retail to the east and Ponsonby to the west.
The carefully considered interiors include modern kitchens with sleek stone bench-tops, feature lighting and timber joinery. Bathrooms include sleek tiled walls and floors, custom-designed vanity units and clever storage concealed behind mirrored doors.
Award-winning Cox Architecture’s contemporary design resembles a sinuously curved screen that follows the line of the corner site. Horizontal bands of frameless glazing achieve the soft curves and strong form.
Bright, airy bedrooms are filled with natural light and a great sense of openness and space. A choice of two colour schemes will allow owners to personalise their apartment.
Cox Architecture Director Philip Rowe says the scale and mass of the project is in keeping with the vision of high-density urban development that is anticipated in the burgeoning city-fringe precinct. “The sculptural building form has been developed to maximise the number of apartments that have unencumbered views of the harbour to the north as well as views across the CBD, adjacent parks and suburbs,” he says. “This iconic building will be highly visible from nearby suburbs and roads and will become a feature of Auckland’s rapidly evolving skyline.” An elegant residential entrance lobby will feature a double-height sculptural staircase, flanked on
Resident amenities include a resident’s rooftop retreat with sky terrace and separate lounge, which will provide 360-degree views across Auckland, shared dining spaces and individual private spaces for relaxation. Inside Grace’s striking architectural form will be a secret garden forming a central oasis with lush tropical landscaping, a tranquil water feature and elevated dining zone. Location Group Managing Director Mark Weipers says they set out to exceed expectations of inner city apartment living and create a new benchmark for design excellence in Auckland. www.gracevq.co.nz Karen Spires - Bayleys Ponsonby, M: 027 273 8220, Brad Roebuck - Bayleys Ponsonby, PN M: 021 766 180 F
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List with Bayleys Ponsonby in May ™* and earn double Airpoints Dollars ! To celebrate the first birthday of our partnership with AirpointsTM, you’ll earn double Airpoints DollarsTM when you list with Bayleys during the month of May*. This means not only will you get yourself a great result, you could also earn up to 1,000 Airpoints Dollars* to put towards your next trip or to spend at the Airpoints Store. To find out more about how to double the distance, double the trips or double the fun, contact Bayleys Ponsonby today. Bernadette Morrison - Manager 09 375 8650 I bernadette.morrison@bayleys.co.nz 0800 BAYLEYS I bayleys.co.nz/airpoints 305 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby. Bayleys Real Estate Ltd, Licensed under the REAA 2008. *Double Airpoints Dollars offer is capped at 1,000 Airpoints Dollars. Only available on standard commission rates. Must be sole agency. Cannot be used in conjunction with other specials or promotions. Double Airpoints Dollars offer is only available to property listed between 1st-31st May 2016. Airpoints Dollar accrual requests will be submitted to Air New Zealand after the settlement of sale. Only available to vendors on sale transactions. Further terms and conditions apply. Visit bayleys.co.nz/airpoints to view terms and conditions. Airpoints Programme terms and conditions also apply.
MY FAVOURITE ROOM Angela Bevan “I have recently launched a non-traditional talent agency called The Others... I also do a lot of communications and creative work for not-for-profits including Carers New Zealand. “I’m involved with a youth homelessness initiative that I hope to be able to talk about soon. I sometimes do a tiny bit of personal styling/image consulting for people. I wear some very different hats, so to speak. “We’ve just moved to the top of Franklin Road - me, my partner Adam Bryce and our three boys - Myer (19), Monty (14) and Axel (19 months.) It’s a pretty interesting household! We have it all going on. “I’ve lived in and around Ponsonby a lot over the years, including in England Street and Brown Street... but this is by far the best spot we’ve ever had. I absolutely love this house. It’s a pretty special and relatively rare thing, I think, to be smitten with where you are like this.
photography: Rebecca Zephyr Thomas
“My favourite room is our living room - at the front of the house, with tall windows that look out onto Franklin Road. In it we talk, work, eat, watch TV, play games, read and relax. The room is my favourite because little Axel spends every waking minute standing at those windows, chatting to people, pointing at dogs being walked up the street, watching fire engines race past. People are beginning to know him and call out to him on their way past. It’s pretty cool. “My favourite things in the room? The boys would disagree but I’m going to say my plants. It’s taken me 38 years to realise I’m a plant person. We get on well together, me and plants. Oh, and I love Adam’s colossal magazine and book collection. Some of which is leaving us, thanks to his new Victory Books venture inside Ponsonby’s Eugenie.” F PN THE OTHERS www.othersagency.com
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@ DESIGN WAREHOUSE 1. Platform Collection - The Platform collection by Design Warehouse has a mid-century modern vibe and is an excellent choice to bring style and comfort to your outdoor space. 2. Artisan Dining Set - This simple, yet elegant outdoor dining set from Design Warehouse includes the a-grade teak Artisan table and Retro outdoor wicker dining chairs. 3. Summer Low Chair - The Summer Low outdoor relaxing chair has sophisticated good looks, clean lines and is very comfortable because of its low profile and Batyline mesh seat, available today at Design Warehouse.
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DESIGN WAREHOUSE, 137/147 The Strand, Parnell, T: 09 377 7710, www.designwarehouse.co.nz
NEW DEVELOPMENT IN KINGSLAND OFFERS 73 NEW APARTMENTS AND 5 TERRACED HOUSES Kingsland is about to get its first major new residential development in over a decade, NXN (pronounced Nixon), by Templeton. Construction of the 78-unit project will commence in late 2016. Templeton is developing land at 8-14 Kingsland Terrace into an attractive residential property comprising 73 one, two and three bed apartments and five terraced houses which will provide high quality living spaces for around 300 people. Situated at the eastern end of the Kingsland Terrace cul-de-sac, the NXN site is bounded by a mature tree lined frontage on Bond Street to the east, and overlooks Nixon Park to the north. Nestled in this private, sheltered site the high-quality development will be a two-minute stroll to the cafés, bars and restaurants of Kingsland. Residents will also enjoy ready access to the local rail and bus networks and the popular North-western cycle route. NXN is being marketed and sold exclusively by Bayleys Real Estate Ltd. “Kingsland is a wonderful and centralised community,” says Matt Wickham, Senior Development Manager, Templeton. “It’s a creative, eclectic area with a diverse population mix and a vibrant business community. Its amenities, proximity to the city, and access to public transport and cycle ways make it a very desirable residential location.
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“The NXN site itself is tremendous - it can’t get built out and is surrounded by trees. It’s a sheltered, urban island. NXN will take full advantage of all that this location has to offer. It won’t be obvious or intrusive. It’s close to the city, but driving to or through Kingsland, you almost won’t know it’s there.”
on exceptional site location. Residents will enjoy well designed, high-amenity internal and external spaces. All apartments and houses incorporate spacious kitchens, living areas with private, sheltered courtyards or outdoor living areas accessed directly off their living areas. Some apartments have private elevator entrances.
NXN has been designed to complement the existing urban fabric, enhancing it without distorting Kingsland’s character. It will make a significant contribution to Kingsland’s strong sense of place and vibrant community, enhancing connections with neighbourhood and public streets. “NXN offers all the benefits of innercity living with its convenience and good amenities, and achieves all this with environmental sensitivity and a small carbon footprint,” says Wickham. “Our material choices are grounded in life-cycle principles of durability, sustainability and low-maintenance. Our focus has been on creating a place for a new, diverse and exclusively residential community: there will be no commercial developments on site.”
The visually exciting design optimises the potential of the north facing sloped site. The majority of apartments face north to capture both sun and elevated views over Nixon Park towards the Great North Road ridgeline. 108 private car parks, storage and servicing infrastructure are discreetly below ground.
In developing NXN considerable attention has been given to the design of individual apartments and houses based
Contact Andrea Ritchie, M: 021 906 793, T: 09 375 7410, E: andrea.ritchie@bayleys.co.nz
NXN is designed to appeal primarily to owner-occupiers: young professionals who want to be closer to the inner city, couples down-sizing from a family home, people who own property further out of Auckland, or travel and want the ‘lock-up-and-leave’ convenience of a city apartment. Apartments will also appeal to investors looking for an asset with strong capital growth. F PN
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HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS WAYNE WRIGHT - WELL ESTABLISHED IN FINE ANTIQUES TRADE Wayne Wright Antiques is celebrating its 50th year in business. Wayne opened his first store in 1965 in Christchurch selling brass beds and John Britten custom-made, stained-glass lampshades. All things that were coveted in the 1960s! Many rare and beautiful items have passed through his store over the years including an early 17th Century Jacobean four poster bed brought out from England in the 1800s. (He still has regrets selling Shackleton’s desk complete with handwritten papers.) Since then he has imported many hundreds of containers of antiques sourced from England and Europe over successive decades and Wayne is well known in the antiques trade throughout New Zealand. The devastating earthquakes put an end to that. Wayne and Diane lost their home in Christchurch and also their business. Much was destroyed. They made the decision to relocate to Auckland and re-establish the business and although it was a tough decision leaving friends, family and a lifetime in Christchurch, Auckland seemed a logical step. Wayne and Diane have a house in the Lot in France where they spend time each year. Many good customers have stayed with them and have enjoyed guided antique hunting trips to local fairs, Vide Greniers and Brocantes, with much sampling of the local produce enjoyed on the way. Now having opened their new store in Scanlan Street, Ponsonby, they are looking forward to greeting their established customers and meeting new ones. There is much to be viewed with a new container of stock and many boxes of items being unpacked. Please call in or contact Wayne regarding out-of-hours appointments and car parking. F PN WAYNE WRIGHT ANTIQUES, 33 Scanlan Street, M: 021 977 760, wayne@waynewright.nz
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ASK AN ARCHITECT: DANIEL MARSHALL Each month architect Daniel Marshall answers readers’ property related questions.
Q: A:
Solar Energy. Is it worth it and can it be made to look not so rubbish? There is nothing worse than a ragtag collection of panels stuck to the roof. It is an interesting question and the value of solar panels on residential dwellings, or water heating, very much depends on who you talk to.
In broad brush terms from an environmental perspective, I understand that it has no value. This is because most of the energy produced in New Zealand during the summer, when solar energy is most effective, is already produced by renewable sources. When we tend to use more power, which is in the winter when we use space heating and clothes dryers, the national grid is less environmentally friendly as they fire up the old coal electricity generators. Unfortunately winter is the worst time for energy generation by solar, for obvious reasons. So solar panels generate an excess of power in the summer and feed it back into the grid just when it isn’t needed. When proponents of solar energy talk about their individual energy surplus, it is important to consider that this isn’t helping the environment as a whole. In Australia, it is completely the inverse, because most residential energy is used on cooling, which is perfect for solar generation, as you are consuming the energy at the same time as you are generating it. Also the way energy is generated in Australia, a disgusting 70% plus, produced by coal power plants, means that any renewable energy generation is a good thing. Also, it is almost always sunny in Australia. Of course, the generalist environmental considerations are only one part of the equation. The desire of the individual must be considered. Individual self sufficiency should be a human right, and to remove reliance on corporations in any area can be an alluring prospect. Recent advances in solar technology, particularly in the area of battery storage, mean that solar energy is becoming more efficient and not as expensive to install. There is a great case study online regarding an Auckland house built from scratch where the desire to be energy efficient was paramount. These sort of pioneers are fantastic to look at to help you decide whether solar energy is right for you. http://zeroenergyhouse.co.nz
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If you are starting a house from scratch, and are seriously considering solar energy production, then it is really important to brief your architect about it at the beginning of the project if you want the design to be considered so the solar panels don’t look like an afterthought. For optimal production the panels need to be facing the sun for the longest period of time, which means that they will need to be facing north, they also should be angled to maximise mid winter sun which drops to 29.7 degrees. Unfortunately the things that the solar panel wants are the same things that the house wants, a well designed house tends to open up to the north, so knowing that solar panels need to be incorporated means an architect will consider roof lines that complement both the design and the solar panel use. Solar panels can be rather beautiful, and there are products that incorporate the photovoltaics into the roof material itself, but when researching you must check the product is approved for use in New Zealand. If the panels can be incorporated into the architecture, become part of the house, then they not only look fantastic but also provide a valuable function. Your roof can become a shimmering blue jewel. Keep in mind if you want to be electrically self sufficient, you will need to generate at least 7000kw/year of electricity which will require more than 23 panels. This is equivalent to 31m2 of roof space. To make the most of your system, some form of automation would be required so that you can use appliances at the optimum time, during the day when you might be out of the house. And lastly, if you are considering solar for an existing house, it might be best to think of areas where energy is being wasted and make these more efficient before installing a solar system. Insulation, double glazing, heating systems and appliance efficiency are all much more important things to consider and ultimately have a greater impact on PN health and comfort when considering your built environment. (DANIEL MARSHALL) F DANIEL MARSHALL ARCHITECTS, 472 Karangahape Road, T: 09 354 3587, www.marshall-architect.co.nz
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HOT TOPICS IN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT While it is not the nicest subject to talk about, the reality is we are seeing a sharp rise in the reported cases of the use and manufacture of methamphetamine in rental properties. So if you own an investment property you need to be aware that this problem is increasing rapidly throughout all Auckland suburbs. If your investment property is currently vacant, now is the ideal time to have a test done. It will give you a clean reading prior to the start of any new tenancy. If you have never had a test done on your property and it has been rented out for some time, it can be difficult to prove a tenant has been using or manufacturing this drug. There are other implications under the Health and Safety Act. Sending an unsuspecting tradesperson in to a property that is contaminated by methamphetamine can have serious ramifications. Insurance companies are also starting to look to limit their liability in regard to reinstatement costs should a property require decontamination or in some cases a total refit inside. Some Insurers are now talking about methamphetamine devices being placed in properties. The difficulty is that regular users of this drug could potentially do as much damage as someone manufacturing it inside a property. Be vigilant with your routine property inspections and look for signs of unusual chemical smells or apparatus. Traces of methamphetamine with levels exceeding The Ministry of Health’s Guidelines of 05ug/100cm2 in one room of a property could deem a property uninhabitable.
SMOKE ALARMS There has been a lot of talk around proposed changes to smoke alarms requirements. When these are finally passed, and they are working towards July 2016, the new proposed regulations could make landlords responsible for ensuring operational smoke alarms are installed in their investment properties and tenants will be responsible for replacing batteries or notifying landlords of defects. The new smoke alarm standards may require a minimum of one working smoke alarm in a hall or similar area, within three metres for each bedroom door. The New Zealand Fire Service recommends alarms are situated within the bedrooms themselves. A self-contained sleepout/caravan or similar must have a minimum of one working smoke alarm. Long-life (10 year) photoelectric alarms could be required to be installed where there are no existing alarms. Where there are existing alarms, these are to be replaced by long -life photoelectric alarms at the end of the life of the existing alarm. Hardwired smoke alarms are also acceptable. Contact Joanne Rae T: 09 632 1298, M: 0274 905 053, E: joanne.rae@harcourts.co.nz
Neighbours will often report concerns to you and these need to be taken seriously.
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A PLACE TO RETREAT TO It’s great to live close to the central city, to be able to enjoy all the colourful vibrancy and diversity that our neighbourhoods offer, as well as the convenience of proximity to workplaces and entertainment venues. Being busy and productive, making the most of every moment and interacting with our colleagues, friends and neighbours is all part of our way of life. But every now and then we all want to ‘get away from it all’ to our own remote place where we can also enjoy the peace and solitude that our countryside and coastal areas offer us. With the wonderful 2015-16 summer fading into memory and the drifts of leaves emphasising the approach of winter, it’s time to cosy up and concentrate on indoor activities. Perhaps it’s also time to think ahead and plan future directions for ourselves and our families. Whether that includes a holiday house or retreat in our own special ‘getaway place’, or a new contemporary home in the city, Salmond Reed Architects can help you to realise your dreams. With a reputation for creating unique and considered structures in sensitive environments, our design team can guide you towards creating spaces which suit your individual lifestyle needs. An understanding and celebration of traditional New Zealand architectural forms and detailing, coupled with the type of technical knowhow required to solve complex problems for older buildings, give our designers a unique base from which to achieve their award-winning contemporary architecture. We’re not just the experts to consult about adapting your older character home; we’d love to help you make the most of your favourite country (or city) getaway place, too. So, take that first step towards your exciting built future by contacting the experts, PN Salmond Reed Architects. F SALMOND REED ARCHITECTS, 58 Calliope Road, Devonport, T: 09 445 4045, www.salmondreed.co.nz
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NEW SEASON NOW IN-STORE
AT EVERYDAY LOW PRICES AUTUMN/WINTER 2016
Andersen 2.5 seat sofa in Napa steel grey $1899 Reece coffee table in chocolate $699
Modern Wing chair in Brooklyn black $999
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.
Directions 3 door buffet in toffee $1899
High on the Hill 9 Wood Street, Freeman’s Bay For Sale by Auction
Perfectly positioned on Auckland’s burgeoning western city fringe, this four-bedroom character home holds all of the charm and grace of yesteryear, while presenting all of the modern day features you’d expect to find in this blue chip location.
customresidential.co.nz/CR5641
JOHN & NIC
John Wills & Nic Blackie 021 333 053 021 505 964
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Supermodel Status 17 Albany Road, Herne Bay For Sale by Auction
Elegant and poised from its coveted location, here is a large four-bedroom villa with a twist. Exceptional aspect, voluminous spaces throughout and configured in a layout that lifts this villa to supermodel status.
customresidential.co.nz/CR5644
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HEIDI PADAIN: ENTERTAINMENT IN YOUR GARDEN At the time of writing this column, I was marvelling at the glorious weather. Maybe it was something I had done. The freesia bulbs I planted just last month perhaps; they have already sprung to life. Nikau, karaka and cabbage trees are producing fruit, and my veggie garden is putting on a food show all of its own. I was about one step removed from walking around in a sandwich board declaring that it is autumn, when the wasps gave the game away. Not sleeping soundly on these cooler nights, they come inside as soon as I open the door. They buzz around me angrily. “The end is nigh...The end is nigh.” My early mornings have been spent wandering around with a coffee in one hand, and a can of insect spray in the other. On one such morning, I put my weapons down and ventured outside for some fresh air. I know when there is a kereru in close proximity; I am alerted by the sounds they make. “Oh” pretty much means just that; “Oh, it’s the crazy lady with the camera” and then there is “Oooooooo” which has nothing to do with me. This is the “come to me baby” call out to a mate. When I hear “Oooooooo” I know it is time to grab the camera. In no time at all there was the sound of beating wings, and a whirlwind of colours, pearly white and iridescent blues and greens. They landed on the nikau tree. They were busily gorging, when one took off and left the other to it. I know it isn’t spring, but kereru have been recorded breeding in all months, and apparently it’s about the food. When there is little or no fruit available they don’t breed. Imagine going on a dinner date, and becoming so excited by the abundance of food that you decide it’s time have a baby. This is what our kereru seem to do. Back in the nikau tree, there’s been a development. The lone kereru had stopped feasting and was staring intently in the direction of a nearby manuka tree. The other kereru had returned and was dancing on a rather precarious looking branch while holding a beak full of nesting material. Moving sideways along the branch, this hefty mass of feathers was taking a step to the left, then a step to the right. The head bopping up and down in time to the beat of a tune that only they can hear. I imagined that this down tempo little dance was played out to a song by Barry White... ‘You’re the first, the last, my everything’. These birds have a fantastic repertoire; dinner and a show. I was certainly very impressed. I bet you have that song playing in your head now too. You pick up a copy of Ponsonby News and end up with an earworm. Bargain. (HEIDI PADAIN) F PN 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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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 T: 09 369 1273 or email sales@sleepgallery.co.nz www.sleepgallery.co.nz sleepgallerynz The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF KEITH AND SANDY DOWDLE Keith and Sandy Dowdle of Custom Residential have popped up on the radar of late, thanks to their new brand campaign and blog. So what makes this sales duo tick and what titbits have they learned during the last seven plus years that they’ve worked in the Ponsonby locale? Here’s what we found out. Why the new ad campaign and blog? There seems to be a flavour around real estate ads that was becoming generic. These featured more about the agent than the area, or the properties themselves. We wanted to do something that celebrated what made our area a special and desirable destination for people to live. Tell us about your favourite things to eat and buy in the area. S: We love the diverse range at Ponsonby Central especially a quick bite at Burger Burger. Down the other end of Ponsonby Road it’s always a toss-up between Takara and Mekong Baby. K: Ponsonby Road Bistro can always make a normal night special. K: I still miss Masons for amazing service. My credit card doesn’t miss it at all! Thanks Mark. S: I do my bit to support the lovely team at Milly’s Kitchen. What are your favourite things to do around here? K: Seems to revolve around the hounds. The first coffee at Dizengoff is always a fave. The second coffee is Crumb. I am a creature of habit. S: There are so many different walks away from the roads - St Mary’s Bay, Western Park, and the Viaduct. What’s your most memorable experience selling a house? K: Our first sale, Arch Hill of course. We convinced a private seller to trust us as rookies. We achieved over $60,000 more than his dream price. And the strangest thing you’ve seen in a property? S: Couldn’t possibly say. Discretion is my middle name. K: Appraising a tenanted property, and despite loud knocking on the front door, interrupting an episode of afternoon delight in the upstairs bedroom.
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What’s the biggest change you’ve seen around here over the last seven years? K: Apart from property prices, it is the pride people are taking to preserve and enhance their homes. S: The huge range of casual eating options on and off Ponsonby Road. 1
Have you always sold property? K: No. I previously trained children. S: No I started life as a bank Johnny, then into office management. That was a great training ground for the systems and processes required today. It’s all about the detail. Is constantly looking to shift an occupational hazard? S: Always. With the houses around here, it’s impossible not to get itchy feet. What would you like to see happen or change around here? K: A continuation of the mix that makes Ponsonby - would hate to see that drown in a bucket of bland. S: I’d like to see council replace the old kerb stones that they removed from (heritage zoned) Elgin Street last month.
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How would you describe this area to an outsider? K: The best little town in the city. What advice would you give them if visiting the area for the first time? S: Park the car and walk. Day One: Ponsonby Road. Day Two: Westmere to the city. And take time. K: Take time to smell the coffee in the morning, and sip the wine at night. Could you ever leave the area, or would it involve kicking and screaming? K: Staying here involves kicking and screaming, but that’s just my Pilates. No plans to leave, no place to go. S: Couldn’t leave. Everything I need is a short walk, or a short drive away. F PN You can keep further tabs on what these two get up to at keithandsandy.co.nz
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TURBO-CHARGED ECO HOUSE GOES ON THE MARKET One of New Zealand’s most energy efficient homes has been placed on the market for sale - and is tempting for all those wanting to exit the hurly burly of Auckland for a far less hectic life surrounded by nature. The home is located at Burke’s Pass, midway between the townships of Fairlie and Tekapo in the South Island, and is designed to be fully self-sufficient for its electrical supply - operating independent of the national grid. Ten solar panels are installed close by, on the ridge behind the house - generating electricity stored in 24 state-of-the-art gel batteries. Further roof-mounted solar panels are filled with anti-freeze gel which travels through copper piping to provide for the home’s hot water requirements. And when clouds block the sunlight, the batteries provide three days’ power, and for long winter storms there is a generator available. Water heating is supported by a woodburner in the lounge, which also provides for the central heating. Wood for stoking up the fire comes from sustainable regenerating plantings on the seven hectare property.
“Taryn is also cost-neutral in another field. Rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in a 30,000 litre tank before it is filtered through an ultraviolet treatment unit and pumped into the house. LED lighting is installed throughout the homes - including in the rangehood above the stove and motion-sensitive external lighting at the rear of the home. Of course all windows are double glazed to keep the interior cool in summer and warm in winter. With all the power-generating and energy-efficiency systems in place, the home saves at least $2500 annually in electricity and fuel costs.” F PN For more information contact Sue Morton, T: 03 687 1227, M: 027 600 5777, E: sue.morton@bayleys.co.nz www.bayleys.co.nz
The energy-neutral, three-bedroom home, named Taryn, is being marketed for sale by Bayleys Timaru. Salesperson Sue Morton said that in addition to the main homestead, a separate four-bedroom cottage is also up for sale. Potential purchasers had the option of buying either dwelling individually, or buying both together. “Consumers will diligently check the fuel consumption of a vehicle when they’re on the car yard, or the energy efficiency rating of a washing machine when they’re in the department store looking to buy appliances. Taryn is simply the ultimate version, at the pinnacle of finding a cost-effective dwelling,” Ms Morton said. “After years of being at the mercy of steady power price rises the owners were keen to build a home that was not only self-sufficient energy-wise, but that was also comfortable, warm and reliable.
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PROSPECT OF RISING AUCKLAND PROPERTY PRICES HAS RETURNED The prospect of Auckland house prices continuing to increase throughout the year has returned with March’s average sale price reaching $866,782, and the median price reaching $798,000.
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“March is always one of the busiest sales months of the year, and a good indicator of where prices are tracking for the remainder of the year,” said Peter Thompson, Managing Director of Barfoot & Thompson. “In March the average sales price was the third highest on record, within $10,000 of the all-time high in November last year, and 5.4 % higher than last month.
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“The median price at $798,000 is the second highest on record, within $2000 of the all-time high in December last year, and up 8.1% on February’s median price. “When prices are this strong in March the trend is for prices to hold steady through the year. “As it has been for the past two years, lack of supply remains the main price driver. “New listings in the month at 1874 were solid but by month end the number of available listings at 3093 was a decline of 6.8% on the number the month previously. “There has been a definite increase in the number of properties being sold under the hammer at auction, indicating keen buyer competition for available properties.
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“Although a record number of building permits are being issued, and new homes are springing up everywhere, Auckland is simply not building homes fast enough to keep up with the growing population. “Statistics New Zealand reported that in February alone the population of Auckland increased by about 3000 people. Based on the Auckland average occupancy for houses of three people to a property, theoretically 1000 additional properties would have had to become available in the month to house such growth.
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“In March we sold 474 properties far in excess of $1 million, the highest number ever in one month and it represented more than a third of all properties sold. “At the other end of the scale, 146 properties, or 10.9% of properties, sold for under PN $500,000.” F
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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Lisa Hamilton-Gibbs Lisa Hamilton-Gibbs is the founder and owner of a company called i candy design, producing a range of Kiwi-made greeting cards and prints sold in Australasia. “I started i candy design 15 years ago as a result of not being able to find my groove in the corporate world,” she tells Ponsonby News. “With a bit of creative flair, drive and an entrepreneurial streak, I decided to go out on my own and have never looked back. I have also just recently released my first children’s book ‘Who Said Kiwis Can’t Fly’.” Who is your partner? My partner’s name is Blair Stewart. He started up a company called Digital Island with a couple of school friends. They are in telecommunications. Our children are Millie and Sam. They are five and two and a half years old. We live in a villa in Ponsonby. photography:Halen Bankers
Do you have any pets? Yes. Millie and Sam. How do you keep fit? I have a tennis lesson every Tuesday and try to have the odd game of golf when I can. Running around after the kids. Your best friend would say of you... “Busy, positive and fun.”
And your favourite Ponsonby fashion label? Workshop.
Your mother would say of you... “Honest, loving, kind.”
Please share your best-kept Ponsonby secret? A store called Wunderkammer. I picked up the most gorgeous pair of Costume National shoes from there a couple of years ago and they are still my faves. I love their eclectic mix of brands.
What are your virtues? Compassionate, generous, loyal. And your vices? Penchant for Café Patron if I have had a few wines! Who’s your ultimate rock icon? Eddie Vedder. What’s your secret passion? It’s a secret. What’s your secret talent? I can make a pretty mean Pavlova. Where do you spend your holidays? Ideally at the snow or up north at the beach. What’s your perfect Sunday? It is an action-packed day in the sun, sand and surf followed by a chilled evening with family and friends and vino. What were you going to be when you grew up? A doctor like my dad. How did you come to be a designer/writer? Through incredible frustration in the corporate world and not being able to find a career that suited me. If you weren’t a designer you’d be..? I would have ended up doing something in the health sciences arena. Which is your favourite Ponsonby cafe? I can’t decide between Mary’s and Dear Jervois. Your favourite Ponsonby restaurant? Farina. Favourite Ponsonby store? Bob and Friends.
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What’s inspired you recently? Listening on National Radio to an interview with ‘The Kiwi Bushman’. His philosophy on life was awesome. Name your desert island distractions: Song - David Guetta - Titanium. Series - Offspring. I love that hilarious mad family. Book - A New Earth. Eckhart Tolle. The house is on fire and your family is safe. What do you save? My jewellery box. There are so many sentimental treasures in there. “I’d be lost without my... Family and amazing friends. One thing you have learned about life is? It might sound cliché but you have to trust in yourself. John Demartini said it perfectly. “When the voice and the vision on the inside is more profound, and more clear and loud than all opinions on the outside, you’ve begun to master your life.” Your advice to Ponsonby people shopping for children’s books? I personally love Novel on Jervois Road. Andrew is very passionate and knowledgeable about books and he has a great children’s section. He has a fantastic eye for those books with a unique point of difference and some of our favorite books are from Novel. There is also a personal element to the purchase as he genuinely loves the books he is selling. I also go to the Children’s Bookstore as they have a great selection of books and other paraphernalia for kids. Your advice to Ponsonby people aspiring to write for publication? In my case I did not go down the conventional publishing route and chose to self publish. I also wanted to print in New Zealand. I already had a distribution channel with my business i candy but the publication and distribution of a book was a new venture for me that came with some challenges. My advice would be to make sure you get an editor. There are many printing pitfalls so do your homework. Finally if you believe you have a great book with a message then back yourself. You will get negative feedback (along with the positive) but make sure you filter out what is not going to serve you. I CANDY DESIGN www.icandy.co.nz PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
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CARL WATKINS: SMOOTHING THE WAVES AND RIPPLES OF APARTMENT BUYING AND SELLING Carl Watkins has just scooped the Top Sales Agent Award for 2015/2016 at Mint Real Estate in Ponsonby. Specialising in the buying and selling of apartments, both off the plans and existing, Carl knows that there are pitfalls that can be avoided with him at the helm. “Wrong advice can be deadly to your bank account and your investment. You need to work with someone who has a good understanding of contracts and agreements and who is keenly observant of detail. That is what my clients rely on me for. “I get a kick out of seeing a client’s face light up when I hand them the keys to their new apartment or help them with the ‘keys’ to their new lifestyle. My aim is to create a smooth path for this major transition and to get the best deal for my clients. Whether you are buying or selling, it pays to have me in your corner. “Networking is something I do day in and day out and I usually know what is coming up. In a typical day, I might deal with anyone from investors to empty nesters to first home buyers and they each have their own specific needs. “Ponsonby and the city fringe are active, vibrant and fun places to be. With land becoming scarcer in the inner city and with demand only increasing, there are new apartment projects popping up in all sorts of cool and exciting places. Existing apartments are diverse and established and offer great buying too. “Buying an apartment is a great way to get into the Auckland market - and one of the key advantages to buying off the plans is that you only have to put down a 10% deposit. The rest you can pay on completion. Last year some of my clients made up to a 20% property gain from the time they signed to buy to the time they took possession of the property. Auckland real estate prices moved that much. “Apartments are niche - if you are thinking of buying or selling an existing apartment or you are looking at buying off the plans, I’m the man you should talk to.” F PN CARL WATKINS, MINT REAL ESTATE, T: 021 424 736, E: carl@mintre.co.nz
Stanmore Road The Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon ( later Lord Stanmore) was born in London,1829. He was the youngest son of the Fourth Earl of Aberdeen who was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1852 to 1855. The delicate boy was educated privately at first then at Trinity College Cambridge and graduated in 1852. He was very attached to his father and a year later became his private secretary becoming familiar with many influential people. In 1854 he entered the House of Commons himself but lost his seat after three years and next became Gladstone’s private secretary. He began his colonial career in 1961 at the age of 32, which lasted 29 years. During this time he was colonial governor in New Brunswick, Trinidad, Mauritius, Fiji, Ceylon and New Zealand. Gordon was a successful Governor of Crown Colonies but far from happy in New Brunswick and New Zealand which both had strong governments which he strongly desired to participate in himself. He was happier in the Crown colonies where he had scope for his liberal paternalism, particularly in Fiji where he was able to practice his own native administration principles. A. P. Maudsley, his private secretary there, wrote a character sketch of him: “The governor - a short man, dark, not good looking, careless of his appearance, shortsighted. Nowhere has he been popular, since he has a very bad manner with strangers, and he is perfectly aware of it and regrets it very much, but with people with whom he is in sympathy, though not agreeing, he is perfectly open to discussion and even diffident to subordinates. His personal staff have always been strongly attached to him; with them he is always on the most perfectly easy terms, and not in the least exacting.” In fact Gordon did not wish to be Governor of New Zealand because he abhorred its native policy of which he strongly disapproved. He accepted the post of British High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, which enabled him to oversee Fijian affairs, the reason he consented to come here. His major conflict with the government was over its treatment of Te Whiti who led a passive resistance against European confiscation of Maori land. Te Whiti was educated at a mission school and identified as a teacher and spiritual leader. When he left the school he set up a flour mill near New Plymouth, living peacefully there till colonial troops burned his village in 1865. He then moved to Parihaka south-west of New Plymouth where he gave sanctuary to disaffected Maori but would not let his followers engage in warfare. However, he was opposed to any land being sold to Europeans and claimed that 16,000 acres seized in Taranaki should be returned. When Gordon arrived in New Zealand in 1880 his first report was about this dispute which caused concern in Britain. His sympathies were with Maori and he angered his ministers by informing the Secretary of State that they were in the right. In 1881 he left New Zealand to visit Fiji and the government took advantage of his absence, using a provocative speech by Te Whiti as a pretext to invade Parihaka. On 5 November, 1600 armed constabulary led by the Native Minister, John Bryce, descended on the settlement to arrest Te Whiti. The 2000 Maori inhabitants put up no resistance. Instead they greeted Bryce’s contingent with bread and song. The soldiers wrecked the settlement and Maori tradition speaks of brutality and rape. Te Whiti was charged with contriving to disturb the peace and imprisoned without trial. Gordon heard of these developments only through his private secretary and hurried back to New Zealand but two hours before he docked in Wellington the government made legislative moves against Te Whiti and Gordon had to reluctantly take no action as he believed his ministers had the support of the Assembly. A month later the government was returned to power but Gordon firmly refused to allow ministers to see and comment on his account of these controversial matters in his confidential dispatches to the Secretary of State. A constitutional crisis developed when he accused the the ministry of taking unwarranted action against Maori leaders, and was illegally holding them without trial. Te Whiti was released with his mana intact, built up his following again and renewed his policy of passive resistance. Gordon left New Zealand in 1882 and after his retirement in 1893 was raised to the peerage. He was an active member of the House of Lords committees and frequently spoke on colonial matters. He died in London in 1912 and was buried at All Souls, South PN Ascot. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS) F
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BIRD OF THE MONTH Our secretive wetland birds In past months I have focused on many wetland birds, the bittern, fernbird, weka and species of duck, but this month I decided to shine the spotlight on three relatively unknown wetland species that most New Zealanders won’t have seen before. They are secretive, shy and mostly nocturnal - the banded rail, marsh crake and spotless crake. The banded rail is a medium-sized rail, similarly sized to a small domestic chicken. They are commonly found near both coastal and inland wetland areas, particularly around mangroves. They are traditionally a very shy bird but have become bold and tame in some circumstances - specifically on Great Barrier Island. Unsurprisingly they are rarely seen because of this secretive and shy behavior, and their camouflage and habitat aid this lifestyle. They live in dense vegetation around wetlands and their mostly brown body with bands of black and white are easily missed when scanning a piece of bush. As we will find with all of these species they suffer from the same threat to their survival - human modification of wetlands. Banded rails are now classified as at risk. They are a potential indicator of wetland health because they are dependent on ecologically diverse environments and a steady supply of food so the decline in numbers of rails, and other wetland species, from many wetlands has been a crucial loss to the balanced ecosystem. Our second wetland dweller is the first of two crakes, the marsh crake. It is yet another secretive inhabitant of dense vegetation and very rarely ventures out into the open. It can be heard calling at dusk and through the night but a lot is unknown about this little bird. It is half the size of a common blackbird but has beautiful dark plumage, as seen in our photo this month. They are found throughout the country, although the majority of individuals recorded comes from the South Island. Just as the banded rail has declined, due to mammalian predators and wetland loss, so has the marsh crake, reducing the population further and making research of the little known bird even more difficult. Finally, we finish with the spotless crake, a species I am more familiar with having seen it on Tiritiri Matangi regularly. They are found across many freshwater wetlands on both main islands of the country. They are small, dark coloured, and, as the trend goes,
secretive. They can often be seen on the banks of wetlands, dams or ponds though but will quickly retreat to the safety of the vegetation when seen. They have declined in number greatly since European arrival in New Zealand but there could be many populations in remote wetland environments and as they are so hard to locate these populations could long go unnoticed. Over 90% of lowland freshwater wetlands have been drained, cleared and removed in favour of agriculture since European arrival. Grazing from cattle, water pollution and loss of vegetation threatens to destroy the small remnant we have left. Wetlands support a wide range of bird species, fish species and insect species, not to mention the occasional frog. A lot is being done by the Department of Conservation and other community groups and action groups to restore wetlands but there is always more to be done - controlling predators, managing water levels, removing rubbish and planting trees. (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) F PN
THERE’S A NEW STUD IN TOWN Timothy Oulton’s classic Professor chair shows a rebellious streak in this daring new version, inspired by the studding on the 1960s leather rock’n’roll jackets. The outside of the chair is wrapped in studded Pixel leather for a hard, protective feeling, while the interior of the seat is incredibly comfortable and soft to touch for $2599. On display now at Dawson & Co’s brand new showroom at 38 Constellation Drive, North Shore.
You can also find more of the Timothy Oulton collection at Dawson & Co’s Parnell showroom, 115 The Strand, Parnell, www.dawsonandco.nz
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Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre There’s a big old house on the corner of Browning Street and Surrey Crescent that’s been a few different things over the last decade and right now it is the amazing Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre. It is the only music therapy centre in the entire country and is the place countless young people have come to seek help with the aid of music. I spoke to Executive Director Carol White as we walked through the centre. “Our primary objective is working with children right up to 21, when a special needs child is then deemed an adult. The youngest we started working with last year was 11 months old. We do some work with adults, about 10% of our clients, and then right at the end of that is a bit of work we’ve done with a dementia unit. That was group work, and will always be group work as the whole idea of it is social interaction. If you work with groups that are really isolated then you’ll try to use music therapy as a social tool and this will often be in groups.” Children of all ages come to Raukatauri and most are paired up with a therapist for one on one sessions which become an integral part of their development, education and life for a long time. These sessions occur at the same time each week with the same therapist in the same room. This routine can be extremely important to some children, and can be instrumental in allowing a child to begin to form that bond with the therapist as they get used to the structure of their sessions. Each room has a piano and a guitar but that is only the beginning as a cupboard opens up full to the brim with weird and wonderful instruments. “Pretty much anything that makes a sound will be used, including voice and feet. We have some children who communicate with their feet. Anything tactile is great, we will work with anything, and we have about 520 instruments at the centre. “The three most common areas of children we work with are cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and then the fastest growing group is kids on the autism spectrum. We have quite a lot of children who will have multiple challenges, some with development delay that haven’t been diagnosed at all.” Raukatauri works with these children and explores ways to overcome behavioral issues that may be impacting on life at school, at home and in relationship development. They are also working with children who struggle with physical movement or speech and the therapy actually focuses on creating new ways of moving, new ways of communicating and offers music as a way to create comfortable, safe and learning environments. The music is used as a way to create new pathways in the brain and in some cases re-forge and repair pathways after accidents. All through this they are maintaining a dialogue about the direction of the child and revisiting their goals, and the parents’ goals, every six months to see in what way music is assisting. “We are operating six days a week now, to help work with families who have issues with transport and can’t get here during the week. Two, nearly three years ago we found
a fantastic room at the Titirangi Community Centre and we hire that room for a day and a half now with a therapist making it feel like home.” It was their first satellite centre and has been hugely successful leading to them launching one in Orewa and another in February in the centre of Otara at the Otara Music and Arts Centre. These spaces have to feel right, as if they were the home base in Grey Lynn. This allows families who may not be able to make it to Grey Lynn to create relationships with a therapist and become part of the Raukatauri family. As the only centre in New Zealand, Raukatauri does a lot of reaching out into the community, getting involved with local schools and having relationships with many health bodies around Auckland. All of this helps to raise awareness of music therapy and what it is and can do. One of its goals is to get to high school students and make them realise that this is a career path for musicians, something extremely rewarding they can do on the side of being in a band or performing. The positive effects of music therapy are often felt family wide. Parents are given a new lease on life as their child responds to a new way of doing things, and siblings have a new friend who can communicate more, physically play more or just interact and PN engage in new ways. (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) F www.rmtc.org.nz
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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Tom Cunliffe - Debut Album Howl and Whisper Tom Cunliffe is one of my favourite musicians on the local folk circuit and he just released a stunning debut album, Howl and Whisper, which is sure to be on repeat on my stereo for a long time. I sat down for a conversation with him. When did music become the thing you wanted to do? I came late to music, at least in terms of creating it. I was 23 before I started performing my own songs, though I had been writing since I was 16, badly and secretly. It was my obsession with Tupac and Nas that got me writing, but I never had any ideas about becoming a hip hop artist - I was a skinny white kid with long blonde hair. A friend described me as looking like a pale female ghost. Of course now I would never suggest that pale female ghosts can’t be hip hop artists, but at the time I felt like it discounted me. Anyway, my dad suggested if I like the words so much that I try Bob Dylan. He put on Blood on The Tracks and I loved it. My guitar playing and my rhyme writing just worked themselves together over time until I was spending all of my spare time doing that. How and Whisper is your debut album, how long has it been in the works? ‘A Park In Barcelona’ was written in the first few days of 2012, in a park in Barcelona. Then I wrote ‘Just Kids’ in an airport lounge on the way home. Those are the oldest songs on the album and they sort of coincide with me taking music a little more seriously. One weekend myself, Will Wood and Dave Khan drove down to Rotorua to play Karin Vincent’s Rogue Stage (if you ever get a chance to attend one of her gigs you must) and it was on that trip that we hatched plans to head down to Lyttelton to record with Ben Edwards. The recording was finished in 10 days last July but it’s taken almost 10 months to sort everything else out. The next one will be quicker I think! You have played at The Wine Cellar [in St Kevins Arcade on Karangahape Road] so much - has this become a home away from home within Auckland for you and other musicians, how important is it to what you’ve become? It’s my favourite place in this city. The beer is delicious and cheap, the rugs are on the walls not the floors, the toilet graffiti is insightful, the bar staff tuck tea towels into their jeans, the people there are all happy they’re there and the music is incredible. There’s nowhere else I’d rather play. At the Wine Cellar you can really feel the music connecting, or not connecting, with the audience. The crowd share their energy. It’s a place where you can have anything from a hardcore punk show to a whispery folk gig and it’s always right.
head over for a month and join up with him on his travels, play some interesting bars, meet more amazing people and swap songs with the other side of the world. What is your favourite song or story about a song on the new album? My favourite song on the record is called ‘Time To Cry’. The story isn’t a happy one but it’s an important one I think. When Sam Prebble died it shook our world. I remember being at home after his wake weeping uncontrollably. In the months after his death I had been thinking about how many men suffer from depression, the possible reasons and the pressures on men to be a certain way. To be always strong, to be the life sacrificed for another - in war or in disaster, to be stoic, to be the rock, to be rich, to be religious or to be straight. When I cried I realised that I was crying ‘like a girl’ or ‘like a woman’. I realised that there’s no way to cry like a man and I think it’s a big problem. So I wrote a song about it, because I didn’t know what else to do. Find out more about Tom Cunliffe at his website and find the album Howl and Whisper to stream on his band camp. (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) F PN
You’ve got a tour of Europe planned for this year, how exciting is this for you? www.tomcunliffemusic.com www.tomcunliffe.bandcamp.com It’s something I’ve been excited to do since Will [Wood] came back a couple of years ago, raving about life rambling around Europe playing music. Now I have the chance to
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ARTS + CULTURE KIDS ART FESTIVAL - FUNKY 70S ARTS AND CRAFTS Corban Estate Arts Centre 14 May 10am - 4pm
It’s time for the kids to put down those smartphones and tablets and step away from the PlayStation®! A visitor with hand-decorated glasses at one of the workshops at Kids Arts Festival
PERFORMING WITH ST MATTHEW’S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
The Kids Arts Festival is back and invites you to come and explore a world of arts and crafts from an era before computer games and digital technology became such a big part of our lives. It’s going to be a 70s flashback: Create pet rocks, tie dye t-shirts and flower power headbands; or get ‘Lost in Space’ with Andrew Hall. And in true retro fashion, it’s all available for free!
Extraordinary artist of the piano, David Guerin Sunday 15 May - 2.30pm
This fabulous, funky annual festival is possibly the biggest arts event of its kind in Auckland, and whether it’s sunny or raining, it’s a real treat for the family.
David Guerin is a pianist of rare taste and discretion, without whose talents and dedication New Zealand music would be inestimably poorer. (William Dart)
Alongside a whole range of hands-on workshops there will be exhibitions - including work by several local schools - and a full schedule of performances by children’s cultural groups and entertainers, headlined by Circability, a community circus.
David Guerin’s performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 9 K271 in E flat major with St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra will be a deeply rewarding experience. His performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations is still remarked upon - a musical highlight that lingers in the memory of his many fans. Visiting David one has a sense of his rich inner life: he is deeply absorbed in his work and his teaching (both private and at the University of Auckland’s School of Music). He has a few spaces for private students, so if you are looking for a piano teacher... St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra produces the kind of music that is magic, excellence is its only option. It plays in the Heart of the City on Sundays. Highly recommended. Concerts play to a full house so come early to ensure a good seat.
And while the 70s might bring back memories of instant coffee and prawn cocktails, a festival like this wouldn’t be any fun without some seriously good local food. So it’s great to know there’ll be gourmet hotdogs from Mr Dog Fritz, international delights from the wonderful wise collective, as well as CEAC’s own Coffee Studio. Or if the weather’s good, bring a picnic and really make a day of it for the family. The Kids Arts Festival is a free, family friendly event. F PN CORBAN ESTATE ARTS CENTRE, 2 Mt Lebanon Lane, Henderson, T: 09 838 4455, E: info@ceac.org.nz, www.ceac.org.nz
Tickets: Door sales, cash or cheque, adults $25, concessions $20, children under PN 12 free. F ST MATTHEW-IN-THE-CITY CHURCH corner Wellesley & Hobson Streets. www.smco.org.nz
David Guerin
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ARTS + CULTURE FIVE MINUTES WITH AUCKLAND ART FAIR’S HAYLEY WHITE New Zealand’s premier international showcase for contemporary art, Auckland Art Fair, returns 25-29 May at The Cloud on Auckland’s Queen’s Wharf. One of the fair’s co-directors, Hayley White, comes to the role after working on ARTINTERNATIONAL in Istanbul since the inaugural fair in 2013. You have taken on the role of co-director at this year’s fair, an impressive undertaking for someone so young. What was your background prior to this? In 2012 I began working for Angus Montgomery Arts in London. I was part of the team that launched ARTINTERNATIONAL in 2013, an international art fair in Istanbul that in 2015 hosted 87 galleries from 27 countries. Angus Montgomery Arts run art fairs around the world. Sandy Angus (my then boss) is particularly interested in emerging markets. He founded The Hong Kong International Art Fair (now Art Basel HK) in 2008 as well as the India Art Fair, which I also worked on temporarily in 2014. Auckland Art Fair has promised a refocus in 2016 - what instigated this and what can we expect? Under new ownership and direction, the Auckland Art Fair will see lots of changes for 2016. We are keen to make the fair about the incredible art that is made, commissioned, collected and exhibited in the wider Pacific region. New initiatives at the fair include a curated projects section, by Simon Rees (Director, Govett-Brewster / Len Lye Centre) and Jarrod Rawlins (Curator, Mona), titled ‘Pacific Real Time’. Works in this section will be a deviation from the galleries’ commercial booths at the fair and will include performance, video and sculpture. There will also be a stand at the fair called ‘Ngatahi Editions’, where nine of Auckland’s non-profit institutions will present editions that artists have made specially for them - this offers a selection of by leading New Zealand contemporary artists like Lisa Reihana and Imogen Taylor at very affordable prices (between $100 and $2000). Their affordability means they are perfect for first-time collectors. Profits raised from this booth at the fair will go back to the institution selling the edition. Acclaimed chef Peter Gordon is overseeing all the hospitality at the fair including a ‘popup’ restaurant called Savour overlooking the Waitemata Harbour, as well as an Oyster Bar and a Cafe, aptly titled C’aaf, on the ground floor. We are also thrilled to partner with MyArt, New Zealand’s first interest-free art loan scheme which launched last year. It is owned by New Zealand-based collectors Sonja and Glenn Hawkins whose support has been integral to the development of the fair. MyArt makes it easier for collectors to purchase art by providing interest-free loans from $1000 to $25,000 (or higher if pre-approved before the art fair).
Hayley White Galleries and artists from throughout New Zealand will be showing at this year’s fair. Is local art a growing and evolving national industry? New Zealand art more than holds its own on the world stage. You only have to think of artists like Simon Denny, Ruth Buchanan, Michael Parekowhai, Peter Robinson, Francis Upritchard, Luke Willis Thompson, Milli Jannides and so many more who already have incredible international reputations. For New Zealand artists it is vital that their art is seen in an international context, so they are first and foremost artists (who come from New Zealand), not just New Zealand artists. Events like the Auckland Art Fair, which bring together the work of more than 150 of the most interesting artists - from all over the wider Pacific region (and from further afield) - make sure that art made by artists who are from or work in New Zealand is part of a much bigger picture. Is Auckland Art Fair set to be a permanent fixture on the local cultural calendar? We hope it will be much more than that, our aim is to make it a permanent fixture on the Pacific cultural calendar. Tickets for Auckland Art Fair are available from http://artfair.co.nz/buy-tickets/ and are priced at $30 for a one-day pass and $75 for a four-day pass. Tickets for the exclusive opening night on 25 May are $95 and $45 for the Artists Party on Friday 27 May. F PN
A number of international galleries are set to showcase this year - who are you excited about and what does their participation mean for our local art industry? There is lots to be excited about! There are 11 international galleries showcasing at the fair, including nine from Australia, Mutt gallery from Chile and Bergman Gallery from Rarotonga. The Commercial is presenting works by Sydney performance and visual artist Agatha Gothe-Snape; Sarah Scout Presents is showing a solo booth of works from Tony Garifalakis’ Bloodline series and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery is showing New Zealand artists Michael Parekowhai and Jaqueline Fraser alongside two international artists, Isaac Julian and Glasgow artist Jim Lambie. International gallery participation is wonderful news for New Zealand art and adds to the diversity of the fair.
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ARTS + CULTURE NEW ZEALAND AND PACIFIC REGION ARTS @ AUCKLAND ART FAIR @ The Cloud on Queen’s Wharf, 25 - 29 May
The 2016 edition of Auckland Art Fair will see a shift in focus to art of the wider Pacific region, including not only New Zealand and Australia, but also parts of Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands, and aims to establish the fair as an important event in the cultural calendar. Mutt gallery of Santiago, Chile, will showcase its first exhibition on New Zealand soil at this year’s fair. Mutt describes itself as a nomadic gallery, providing spaces where exhibitions of great artists take place. These spaces are regularly held in areas set for demolition and give them a new lease of life by dressing them with vibrant artwork. Their installations are always held in central locations close to the public, in order to stay on the pulse of contemporary art and reach new audiences. Artist Tan Vargas, a graduate of fine arts, will represent the gallery at Auckland Art Fair. Vargas has held a number of residencies and internships throughout Chile, America, Thailand and two in New Zealand. His exhibitions span from 2001 to 2015 and have been held worldwide in Chile, America, Argentina, Spain and New Zealand. Vargas’ artwork is eye catching and uses bold colour combinations to explore themes of nature, animals, male and female characters and automotives, often intertwining these to create depth and dimension.
TAN VARGAS, Agave, 2015, Acrylic, silkscreen and collage on paper, 125 x 95cm
TAN VARGAS, Agave, 2015, Acrylic, silkscreen and collage on paper, 125 x 95cm
A online portfolio of Vargas’ work can be found here www.tanvargas.com AUCKLAND ART FAIR at The Cloud on Queen’s Wharf. Tickets are available online at www.artfair.co.nz/buy-tickets/
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ARTS + CULTURE
Showing at Toi Ora Deaf Art exhibition Korero, Debra Bathgate - Untitled
SHOWING @ TOI ORA GALLERY Korero Exhibition opening - 7 May, 12 noon Workshop - 7 May, 1.30pm - 3.30pm
The Korero exhibition celebrates deaf art at the Toi Ora Gallery showing selected works with unique individual themes. Please join the artists and the Toi Ora team for the opening speeches and light refreshments; there will be a NZSL interpreter present for the opening. After the exhibition there will be a painting and drawing workshop facilitated by artist Abbie Twiss, It will be accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing. Please register for this PN event at info@toiora.org.nz F TOI ORA GALLERY, 6 Putiki Street, Grey Lynn, T: 09 360 4171, www.toiora.org.nz
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CELEBRATE YOUTH WEEK @ TOI ORA STUDIOS 24 May - 3 June, Opening: 24 May, 5pm-7pm
This year the theme for the Express Yourself Youth Week is ‘Giving Back is Giving Forward’. The young people at Toi Ora will be gifting us a glimpse into their creative worlds, with a multi-layered, interactive arts exhibition at Toi Ora Gallery. The opening night will feature live performances and art works from young Toi Ora artists, and there will be opportunities to participate in creating an installation work on the theme of giving. Food and drink will be provided and the event is free and open to all. Please share this event and come along with your family and friends. TOI ORA GALLERY, 6 Putiki Street, T: 09 360 4171, www.toiora.org.nz www.expressyourself.co.nz
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ARTS + CULTURE PRINTMAKER - ON A WINNING STREAK Many will know Bev Head as the friendly woman at the French Art Shop which, until recently, was located on Ponsonby Road. Bev worked for a number of years at the Ponsonby store where she imparted her wealth of knowledge of art materials on to many local artists. What many of you may not know is that Bev is a remarkable printmaker, an artist in her own right. At the 2015 National Printmaking exhibition she received excellent remarks about the first print in her three-dimensional series, which took out the People’s Choice award at the show. That same print gained third prize and sold at the big Franklin Arts exhibition. Since then Bev has created two more three -dimensional prints in a different style, one winning the people’s choice award at the 2016 Kumeu Art Show and the other print entered into the painting/mixed media section at this year’s Easter Show where she received a merit prize for her work.
GARNET STATION - FRINGE THEATRE AND LIVE MUSIC Come for the finest wood-fired, artisan pizza before the show, take a glass of organic wine in with you and linger with liqueur after. Ze: queer as f*ck! 12, 14, 18, 20 May, 8pm, $20/$15 This new show looks at what gender and sexuality mean in the post modern, post -label 21st Century. It premiered at the 2016 Fringe in Perth, Adelaide and Dunedin, and is bound for Toronto and Vancouver. Written and performed by Michelle/Ryan, a gender queer kinky gay-divorcee! With humour and courage Ze tells the story of her/his coming out to a beloved community that at times is just as pigeonholed as the one Ze’s left. In a world desperate for definition, this show confronts stereotypes within and without, aiming to expose the complex tension between being authentic and belonging. Directed by dramatist Peter Larsen who believes the arts have the power to transform lives.
Bev Head - Printmaker
Hoop 7 May, 8pm, $10 Original, folky, countryish, poppy music describes the band Hoop, formed a year ago by Nick Edgar: electric and acoustic guitar, ukulele; Al Baxter: acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica; Malcolm Clack bass; Rusty Knox drums. Bill Perry and The Leila McIntyre Band 27 - 28 May, 8pm, $20 In a long musical career Perry has gigged with many fine musicians. He is a songwriter, guitarist and singer running the gamut of rock, blues, jazz, funk and classical. Leila’s band is an all acoustic ensemble featuring superb vocals married to the song writing of Bill Perry (acoustic guitar and backing vocals). The core band includes Wayne McIntyre on acoustic bass and Nick Jones on violin playing original material in the style of country, blues, western, swing and jazz. Bookings advised. F PN GARNET STATION TINY THEATRE, 85 Garnet Road, T: 09 360 3397, garnetstation@gmail.com
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ARTS + CULTURE
L to R: Buckwheat, Morgan Bradley, Melissa Fergusson, David Blyth and Tess Tickle
WHORE FILMS PREMIERE WAS A GREAT SUCCESS AT THIEVERY STUDIO Last month local Ponsonby resident Melissa Fergusson held the world premiere of all six Whore films: ‘Underage Sex Worker’, ‘Married Woman’, ‘Illegal Migrant’, ‘Rent Boy’, ‘Transgender’ and ‘Refugee’. All were screened last month. “The ‘Whore’ project was initially a theatre work performed nationally throughout 2014. All six monologues were then devised to screen by myself and mentored by writer Donna Banicevich-Gera,” says Melissa Fergusson.
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“The core cast for ‘Whore’ Films being Geraldine Creff (‘Underage Sex Worker’, ‘Illegal Migrant’), Rebecca Parr (‘Married Woman’, ‘Refugee) and Lee ah yen Faatoia (‘Transgender’, ‘Rent Boy’). Each short film ran for 12 minutes and delivers a snapshot of each street sex worker based on true life experiences in Karangahape Road.” F PN
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ARTS + CULTURE
UPTOWN ART SCENE If you want to see Auckland’s art scene in a glance, there’s one person who makes it easy. Sait Akkirman attends a phenomenal amount of exhibition openings, as evidenced by his outstanding Artsdiary website. However, you won’t often notice him. That’s what makes his images of Auckland’s flourishing art scene so ‘fly on the wall’ - he gets his shots like the unseen ninja, but his images are memorable: often matching art with outfit, showing the audience as an integral part of every show.
Sait has been doing the same along Ponsonby Road, snapping over 3000 photographs during his daily walks. A selection of 50 colour images of these, taken between 2000 and 2012 and entitled ‘Ferreting on Ponsonby Road’, will be exhibited at Gus Fisher as part of Auckland Photography Festival from 27 May until 6 July. The iconic and the prosaic are equally important in forming our sense of place, and Sait marries the two perfectly. PN (WILL PAYNT STUDIO ARTS SUPPLIES) F
photography: courtesy of Artsdiary
The Artsdiary site is an important document of both dealer and public galleries, and also student and artist-run space, which he finds the most exciting. In the five years it’s been operating, Artsdiary has catalogued over
2000 exhibitions. One memorable night, Sait covered 10 openings by public transport - a journey never again attempted.
Philip Trusttum at Whitespace
Jim Cooper at Whitespace
YOUTH WEEK @ TOI ORA
ART ASSOCIATES
24 May - 3 Jun Opening 24 May 5-7pm
With a vast collection of contemporary artworks, we make the process of leasing or purchasing art easy and accessible. Contact us to find out more.
Exhibition by artists, Joshua Rainbow, Jessica Wrennell, Humans of Hendo and more... Free creative workshops to include Stencilling by Joshua Rainbow, Spoken Word Theatre and more... Free entry with refreshments provided.
37 Scanlan Street, Ponsonby, T: 09 376 4308, www.artassociates.co.nz
Toi Ora Studios, 6 Putiki Street, T: 09 360 4171, www.expressyourself.co.nz/youthweek
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ARTS + CULTURE THE VINTAGE CRAFT SCHOOL THE VINTAGE CRAFT SCHOOL IS A NEW AND EXCITING COLLABORATION OF ALL THINGS vintage. It aims to foster an ongoing creative community while sharing time-honoured art and craft techniques, teaching basic traditional skills and the popular art of upcycling. It is the brain child of the Lake House Arts Centre, on Auckland’s North Shore and classes are starting in May this year. Classes are based around the themes of ‘Vintage Home’, ‘Glad Rags and Gilt’ and ‘Art + Craft + Gift’; later classes are also planned under ‘Crafty Kids’ and the ‘DIY Vintage Garden’. All levels of experience are catered for and students are encouraged to share and swap their ideas and skills. The environmentally friendly idea of reusing old objects found in secondhand shops, garages or junk piles is harnessed in ‘Upcycling Furniture and Paint Effects’ and ‘Upcycled Retro’. These classes encourage the recycling of old objects into something new and exciting, while evoking a distinct vintage look and feel. Printmaking techniques involved in the production of bookmaking are taught in ‘Cut, Stamp, Fold: Traditional Book Craft’. Students will get the opportunity to make their own book covers or artist’s books in this unique chance to learn these time-honoured skills. Ceramics are the focus in ‘DIY Ceramic Homeware’. This class offers the chance to learn hand building and slab work skills to make your own beautiful ceramic wares. The basic techniques of sewing and hand stitching are the focus of the ‘Sew Vintage’ and ‘Handmade Comfort Art’ classes. The Vintage Craft School not only offers the chance to learn traditional skills from experienced tutors and creating beautiful art objects in a heritage setting, it brings back PN the social, interactive aspect of hand-making as a therapeutic pastime. F For enquires and to enrol please contact us at vintage@lakehousearts.org.nz, www.vintagecraftschool.org.nz Follow #vintagecraftschool on Instagram Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/vintagecraftschool/ Follow us on Pinterest https://nz.pinterest.com/vintagecraftsch/
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING @ OREXART Matthew Browne - Theoria 3 May - 11 June Opening 3 May 5.30 - 7.30pm
If Matthew Browne learned semaphore then this show could be called ‘The Sign -Bearer’. The exhibition has over 60 works, all have an individual character, all seem to have their own message. Expect to see a wall of colour, a range of movement. Born in Britain to New Zealand parents, Matthew Browne moved to New Zealand in 1991. He lives and works in Grey Lynn. Theoria #20 2016 He studied at Camberwell College of Arts in London, gaining a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Painting and at Elam School of Fine Arts, MFA (Honours). Browne has exhibited his work widely throughout New Zealand and the United Kingdom. His work is represented in private collections in New Zealand, United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Singapore, Canada and the United States. Public collections include the Parliamentary Collection, Wellington, The Royal Overseas League, London and The James Wallace Trust, Auckland. Please contact rex@orexart.co.nz for details. F PN OREXART, 15 Putiki Street, Arch Hill, T: 09 378 0588, rex@orexart.co.nz, www.orexart.co.nz
SHOWING @ WHITESPACE Jack Trolove - until 28 May
Three years of working as a street artist while living in Barcelona gave Jack Trolove lots of practice at moving paint quickly on the surface and a discipline of physically painting for hours trying to capture the character of each subject that came his way. Nowadays, Jack divides his week between working out of his studio in Pt Chevalier, and working in the challenging field of suicide prevention, focusing where he can, on reducing discrimination and enhancing wellbeing for LGBTI people.
Winter Solstice 600 x 500mm
In this show, Jack explores the body’s skin as a seal for holding stories, using thick skins of paint to create human skins that are shed and remade, broken and resealed. These are intimate portraits, painted in an aggressive, physical language. Heavily pigmented, abstract slicks of paint become skins - for wrapping the tender emotional, spiritual and physical experiences of the body. Jack Trolove holds an MFA from Massey University, and has work in private and public PN collections across New Zealand, Australia and Europe. F Theoria #5 2016
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Theoria #53 2016
WHITESPACE, 12 Crummer Road, T: 09 361 6331, www.whitespace.co.nz
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OUT + ABOUT
Crowd gathers at Nature Baby
Anika Moa signs autographs
Anika Moa meets with fans
Anika Moa performs
Tara Collins of Serious Popcorn
L to R: Lauren Shone, Jessikha Leatham-Vlasic, Gemma Jelicich, Whitney Barnes, Claire Fogden, Annabelle McDonald & Amy Bower
Nature Baby teamed up with Anika Moa for a second time to host her official release of Songs for Bubbas 2 ‘Inbetween Nap Times’. Friends, fans, little ones and families gathered to celebrate the launch and enjoyed a performance by Anika. The afternoon was sponsored by All Good Organics, Serious Popcorn, Hallertau and Only Organic.
photography: Gwynne Davenport
Anika Moa
ANIKA MOA @ NATURE BABY - LAUNCH OF SONGS FOR BUBBAS 2 - FRIDAY 8 APRIL 2016 PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH 144 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
(except January)
OUT + ABOUT
Barbara Steven & Lynette Loveridge
Dorethea King & Pedro Uilia
Linn Lorkin & Gerry Hill
Murray Haddow
3 Ring Riot Angela Moir, Heathermeg & Scott Bainbridge
The Beautiful Losers
Beautiful Anna
Jim Morrogh, Jocie Stanford, Gael Baldock, Angela Moir, Heathermeg & Allan Williams
REMEMBERING ANNA HOFFMAN @ SHANGHAI LILS, PONSONBY - SUNDAY 3 APRIL The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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photography: Clare Gemima
Wendy Morris’s Band
Kirsty Cameron & Judy Darragh
HOROSCOPES: MISS PEARL NECLIS
What your stars hold for May ♉
Taurus (the Bull): 21 April - 21 May All that extra effort that you put in at work will be coming to fruition soon as others start noticing that you are really something quite special. Share your creativity if it feels right you have plenty to spare.
♊
Gemini (the Twins): 22 May - 21 June You might be getting to a turning point in your life where you’re thinking about doing something completely different. Just think things through carefully as you’re usually distracted by other influences.
♋
Cancer (the Crab): 22 June - 22 July Comparing what you’ve had to what you have now is impossible to do as you have a lot more emotionally than you do physically. You don’t have to aim to high anymore as you’re almost at the top of the pile.
♌
Leo (the Lion): 23 July - 21 August Try not to think that because everyone who is nice to you is after something. Almost everyone has an agenda of some kind but they are not aimed all in your direction.
♍ Virgo (the Virgin): 22 August - 23 September
Your concentration may be tested this month as you find it hard keeping to a straight train of thought, sometimes walking away from what you’re doing can be an easy way to rethink your plans.
♎ Libra (the Scales): 24 September - 23 October
You’re flitting about from one project or subject like you seem to be avoiding something important, eventually whatever it is will catch up with you. Confronting things that have been bothering you now will benefit you.
♏ Scorpio (the Scorpion): 24 October - 22 November
Even though you always make your mind up and usually find it hard to be swayed from any decision making be aware that you’re not caught up in your own importance. There are lots of smooth rides ahead but when the rough times appear don’t be too proud to take help.
♐
Sagittarius (the Archer): 23 November - 22 December Try not to listen too intently to gossip that appears to be flying about, especially as it’s more than second hand and has been altered greatly. Just wait for the truth to come out, as it will be worth the wait when it does.
♑ Capricorn (the Goat): 23 December - 20 January
Don’t dream about having a relationship, instead start having one whether it’s with someone close or a complete stranger, you should acknowledge what you are capable of and start living a full life.
♒ Aquarius (the Water Carrier): 21 January - 19 February
Even if you think you have everything under control there is always one piece that can have a problem fitting into the puzzle. Trying to solve any puzzle can take time just be aware of past mistakes before making any rash decisions.
♓
Pisces (the Fish): 20 February - 20 March You’ve always had this ability to withdraw into your own imagination and somehow lose track of what’s going on around you. Sometimes this doesn’t matter but occasionally you’re being shocked awake by the realisation of what you have to accomplish.
♈ Aries (the Ram): 21 March - 20 April
Be careful what you say this month as words can usually slip out before you’ve had time to sort out what you want to say. Equally, you can be quick to jump to a conclusion that sometimes isn’t right for the situation. Try not to say anything if it isn’t worth saying.
PONSONBY NEWS OUTLETS FREEMANS BAY
NEWMARKET
Ecostore, 1 Scotland Street Glengarry, Corner Sale and Wellesley Streets Kellands Real Estate, 4 Drake Street New World, Victoria Park
NORTH SHORE
GREY LYNN Barfoot & Thompson, 533 Great North Road Barkley Manor, 400 - 402 Great North Road Grey Lynn Community Centre, 520 Richmond Road Grey Lynn Community Library, 474 Great North Road Raw Essentials, 401B Richmond Road Ripe, 172 Richmond Road Tapac, 100 Motions Road Vetcare, 408 Great North Road
Planet Ayurveda, 41 Gillies Avenue Taylor Boutique, 1 Teed Street
Rug Direct, Wairau Park Dawson’s Furniture, Mairangi Bay
PARNELL Jane Daniels, 2 Birdwood Crescent Parnell Community Centre, 545 Parnell Road
PONSONBY
Atomic, 420c New North Road
Askew, 2b Jervois Road Bayleys, 305 Ponsonby Road Harcourts, 89 Ponsonby Road Leys Institute, 20 St Mary’s Road The Longroom, 114 Ponsonby Road Mag Nation, 123 Ponsonby Road Paper Plus, 332 Ponsonby Road Ponsonby Community Centre, 20 Ponsonby Terrace Servilles, Corner Jervois & Ponsonby Road Studio One, 1 Ponsonby Road Whitespace, 12 Crummer Road
MT EDEN
WESTMERE
HERNE BAY Herne Bay Post & Stationers, 240 Jervois Road Five Loaves, 206 Jervois Road Icing on the Cake, 188 Jervois Road Momentum, 182 Jervois Road
KINGSLAND
Citta Outlet Store, Corner Enfield & Normanby Road Sabato, 57 Normanby Road Studio Italia, 25 Nugent Street
146 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
Ponsonby News is published on the first Friday of each month excluding January. Copies go quickly so be quick to collect yours from any of the following outlets. The issue is also published on our website www.ponsonbynews.co.nz
Glengarry, 164 Garnet Road
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
THE PONSONBY PINK PAGES
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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