The Hobson September 2020

september 2020

happy father's day! local news, views & informed opinions

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The September Issue, No. 71

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25

32

the editor’s letter

the investment

the heritage

10 the columnists

Warren Couillault considers the many conundrums of the current market

Jan Bierman reveals the story behind a grand home that once stood proudly on Remuera Rd

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26

34

the village

the suburbanist

the menu

Parnell’s organically-grown produce? It’s a possibility. Resident groups rethink how they operate, a table rich with history returns to Ewelme Cottage, and more

Tommy Honey on new research that puts a dollar value on a country’s natural assets

This month, Lauraine Jacobs offers a no-waste use of broccoli, and other tips for using up every scrap of food

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38

the arriviste

the magpie

Left, right, blue, green — Colin Hogg tries to mind his own electoral business

Happy Father’s Day! The Magpie presents a trove of suitably shiny gift ideas

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40

the second act

the district diary

The councillor for the Ōrākei ward, Desley Simpson, shares her news

Sandy Burgham calls for an examination of conscience before you cast your vote

What’s going on around here (we hope) in September

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30

the cryptic

20 the politicians Updates from local MPs David Seymour and Paul Goldsmith

22 the councillor

the plan In his world, Hamish Firth can only please some of the neighbours some of the time

the sound Four decades later, True Colours does indeed deserve another listen, says an enraptured Andrew Dickens

42 Māyā’s puzzle of the month

- women. (Auckland Museum, PH-NEG-H1711).

Opening day celebrations in 1955 at Seamer House, Remuera, a hostel for young Maori See The Heritage, page 30.

the hobson 6

Life’s too short to care what people think.

A

issue 71, september 2020 Editor & Publisher Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz Art Direction & Production Stephen Penny design@thehobson.co.nz Writers this Issue Jan Bierman, Kirsty Cameron, Wayne Thompson, Justine Williams Sub-editor Dawn Adams Columnists Sandy Burgham, Warren Couillault, Andrew Dickens, Hamish Firth, Paul Goldsmith, Colin Hogg, Tommy Honey, Lauraine Jacobs, David Seymour, Desley Simpson

the hobson + remuera

t the deadline for the production of this issue, we were back in level three, once again dodging the Covid curveballs.

The Hobson is a small business, and we can work from home for part of the production cycle, which is fortunate but less than ideal — I like going to the office, the noise and buzz of people around, and enjoy the separation between work and home spaces. And of course, a lot are having it worse — business owners who have to pull up the shutters, those Year 12 and 13 senior students with looming end-of-year assessments. Not to mention missing the fun parts of the school year too: camps have been scuttled again, and balls too.

We are profoundly grateful as ever to our wonderful contributing writers and columnists who pulled out the stops too to file their words as once again, the ground shifted, kids were suddenly home from school and the house echoed with competing Zoom meetings. The editorial deadline was prior to the election date being moved too, which some of our contributors reference. What a year. As I keep telling my first-year university student daughter, one day we’ll look back on 2020 and see it for what it will hopefully be, an aberration which we endured, dusted ourselves off and moved on with our lives, but never again took our simple freedoms for granted (like the freedom to take a flight to see said daugher in Dunedin, yet another cancellation).

As well as Father’s Day (Sunday 6), September is The Hobson’s birthday. This is our seventh anniversary issue, so it’s happy birthday us.

And to all of us, the very best for staying healthy, seeing the back of this bloody year, and continuing to support our community with love and kindness.

Kia kaha,

Photographers Stephen Penny, Wayne Thompson Cover Happy Father’s Day! A much-loved dad, mum and their future political powerhouse daughter celebrate a family wedding. Who is this? See The Editor’s Letter, this page.

THE HOBSON is published 11 times a year by The Hobson Limited, PO Box 37490 Parnell, Auckland 1151. www.thehobson.co.nz F: The Hobson Magazine I: @The Hobson

Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz 0275 326 424 Facebook: The Hobson Magazine Instagram: TheHobson

Hospitable Remuera

Ideas, suggestions, advertising inquiries welcome. editor@thehobson.co.nz

Whatever the level, Remuera is open and welcoming you with fresh baking, great coffee and many different cuisines to satisfy every appetite.

So whether it’s a for a quick fix or a delicious meal, Remuera keeps on serving the neighbourhood. Check out the full range of food options on our Facebook page, Remuera Village Live Life Local or see remuera.org.nz

THE HOBSON is Remuera, Parnell and Ōrākei’s community magazine. We deliver into letterboxes in these neighbourhoods, and copies are also at local libraries, cafés, and at businesses including the Vicky Ave and White Heron dairies, and Paper Plus Parnell. For more about us, see The Hobson Magazine on Facebook.

The content of THE HOBSON is copyright. Our words, our pictures.

Don’t steal, and don’t borrow without checking with us first.

We aim for accuracy but cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies that do occur. The views of our contributors are their own and not necessarily those of THE HOBSON. We don’t favour unsolicited contributions but do welcome you getting in touch via editor@thehobson.co.nz to discuss ideas.

The Hobson Ltd is a member of the Magazine Publishers Association This publication uses environmentally responsible papers.

ICG Logo CMYK.pdf 1 05/08/2015 6:19:01 AM

When it came to chosing a suitable cover for Father’s Day, I kept going back to this joyous image, which we first published in our September 2016 issue, as part of a photo portfolio. All dressed up for a family wedding, future Ōrākei ward councillor Desley Simpson sits with her adored dad, the late Stanley Lawson, and her mother, the amazing Leonie (nearly 90 and the force behind the Auckland Girls’ Choir). “He taught me the importance of standing up for what you think is right,” says Desley. “He would say ‘if you can help someone as you pass along, your living will not be in vain’.” Photo courtesy Desley Simpson

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STUNNING TWO-BEDROOM PENTHOUSES FROM $1,050,000*

The Columnists

Left to right from top row: Sandy Burgham (The Second Act) is a brand strategist and an executive coach with a special interest in midlife change and transformational behaviours. She runs a central Auckland practice. www.playclc.com

Andrew Dickens (The Sound) is a host on Newstalk ZB. For 13 years he was the breakfast host on Classic Hits.

He grew up in Remuera.

Hamish Firth (The Plan) lives and works in Parnell and is principal of the Mt Hobson Group, a specialist urban planning consultancy. www.mthobsonproperties.co.nz Urban design critic Tommy Honey (The Suburbanist) is a qualified architect-turned-academic. The Remuera resident is a regular guest on RNZ National, discussing the built environment.

Author, music writer, columnist Colin Hogg (The Arriviste) was born in the deep south. He spent many years living in other parts of Tāmaki Makarau, before relocating to Remuera from Wadestown in recent times.

The Hobson’s food editor, Lauraine Jacobs MNZM lives in Remuera. A former food editor for Cuisine and the Listener, she has published several best-selling cookbooks. She is a passionate champion of NZ ingredients.

Judi Paape (The Teacher) is a parent, grandparent and highly-experienced teacher and junior school principal.

A Parnell resident, her column appears bi-monthly.

Contributing writer Wayne Thompson is a former The New Zealand Herald journalist, covering Auckland news. He has been a resident of Parnell for 34 years.

Contributing editor Justine Williams (The Magpie) is an interiors stylist, writer and fashion editor. The Remuera resident has been the editor of Simply You and Simply You Living.

the hobson 10

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the village

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An urban farm is proposed for 5000m² of Fraser Park, a sloping grassy triangle between Parnell Rise and Augustus Tce, raising the prospect of the public parkland sprouting rows of fresh organic vegetables, for sale to chefs and householders and free to needy families.

In early August, the Parnell Business Association was seeking further details in order to give feedback to the park’s landowner, the Waitematā Local Board. On behalf of residents, Parnell Community Committee chairman Luke Niue says careful thought is needed before the local board permits 75 per cent of available park area to be dedicated for food-producing on the north-facing slope.

After visiting the urban farm promoter’s temporary 300m² organic market garden on Symonds St in Eden Terrace, Niue says he was impressed by the enthusiasm of volunteers and the paid staff to produce food by sustainable principles.

Encouraging and supporting locals to volunteer in community gardens was backed in the 2019 Parnell Plan, which was created by Auckland Council staff, key community and business groups and endorsed by the local board. The plan, however, envisages gardens in the more discreet parts of the suburb, such as Scarborough Reserve, and for Fraser Park, it intends to have events that engage with all of the community and beyond.

“Fraser Park is the gateway to Parnell and has people enjoying sitting on the grass in the sun and

Parnell's Fraser Park, top. The sloping site was the original home of Parnell District School.

Above, the food-producing 'farm' in Eden Terrace, which could be a model for something similar in Parnell.

under the shade of trees,” says Niue. “And it’s the base for the annual Parnell Waiters’ Race festivities. Other uses, such as an outdoor cinema series, could be considered.

There are farms and there are farms, so you would hope for something that adds to the overall amenity of the area. The park can’t be subject to ad hoc schemes. Its future needs to be thought about carefully with a master plan produced.”

The local board is being asked to partly fund any farm’s operations. Board member Alexandra Bonham says it is interested in investing in community gardens in which the head gardener is properly paid. “A financially stable model means that the garden/farm is well looked after, produce can end up on the local community’s plates and there are lots of opportunities for people of all ages to learn more about gardening, how to look after soils and grow food.

“Some people who live and work in Parnell have suggested that Fraser Park might the hobson 13

the village

be a good location. They may be right, it is a relatively underused space. It is visible. There is parking around it for people to visit.

Using the area as a garden with all the flowers and colours and butterflies that come with organic food production may enhance the space.” Bonham points to Kelmarna Gardens, a trust-run productive community garden near Ponsonby, as an example.

“It would be a big change though, and might require some extra infrastructure and we would consult with the community on their views before going ahead. The board is also considering other areas of Waitematā for community gardens. While we may confirm in the August business meeting a funding line in our work programme to investigate sites, we won’t be landing on a specific location until more investigation and consultation takes place.”

Entering its third growing season, the garden created on City Rail Link land below the Symonds St ridge is called Organic Market Garden (OMG). It is part of the For the Love of Bees group headed by artist and biodynamic gardener Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, who also leads the Urban Farmers’ Alliance which mentors 120 growers and composters nationally.

She seeks land with space to expand her vision of teaching people to get paid work growing healthy food, while healing the environment by restoring the soil and saving water that runs off the streets into the Waitematā Harbour. She knows 44 young people keen to take part. “What we are doing is extraordinary,” she says.

“Over the lockdown we continued to feed 33 families.”

The small operation cannot grow enough to make a profit and pay managers whereas 5000m² will. Smuts-Kennedy says: “It means we can feed 400 families; 200 food boxes go out to people in need and 200 [sold] will pay for jobs for young people.” She suggests that as well as a teaching centre, the garden will become a tourist attraction. Processing of waste collected from local restaurants will create activity on the normally passive site.

Fraser Park was once used for education. It was the site of Parnell District School from 1880 to 1933.

In response to The Hobson’s question about whether the crop of any commercial garden on parkland can be fenced off, Auckland Council manager community parks and places Martin van Jaarsveld says: “Security fencing is generally not supported for community gardens as it privatises public opens space.” He adds that erecting any shelters, sheds and food scrap composting facilities is

considered on a case-by-case basis.”

Groups interested in starting community gardens are expected to contact the council parks and places specialist team, which will outline general requirements, which include site assessment and confirmation of details of how the group operates.

— Wayne Thompson p

A NEW COMMITTEE MODEL Local resident associations are rethinking the traditional committee model in an effort to get better community engagement. The annual general meeting of the Remuera Residents Association in mid July saw all available seats at the Remuera Library filled, But the meeting could not muster a good show of hands for new office holders, which gave rise to discussion about how to keep the association ticking, and vibrant.

It was a suggestion from Ōrākei Local Board member Margaret Voyce that garnered the most attention. Why not, suggested Voyce, put aside the whole formal committee model, and instead, have a coming-together of existing community groups? They could, Voyce mused, perhaps each put forward one member to this loose committee, the common interest being ‘Remuera’.

“I think that resonated,” says Voyce, a few days after the meeting.

“People went home and clearly thought about it, about the way it could work as a forum.”

Voyce lists off just some of the groups who could deputise a member to the wider forum. “Just thinking aloud, just from an environmental focus you have Hapua Thrive, From the Deck, all the people connected with Wilson’s Beach, the Portland Valley group. And you’ve got a very active heritage group, and the business association.

“If we can pull all the strings together, we have something. In the environmental area you’d call it a ‘Friends of’. But there’s no reason why we can’t have something like that in Remuera. It’s almost like a federation of states.”

The RRA was established in 2013 at the urging of ward councillor Desley Simpson in her first term. The Ōrākei ward then covered 11 suburbs, all with active and engaged resident associations — bar Remuera, whose previous community group had been dissolved

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THE EREBUS MEMORIAL

MP for Epsom

Level 2, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket

some years before. Simpson appealed to Remuera Rotary and a few members agreed to restart the group. Iain Valentine took the role of chair, from which he technically resigned last year. The problem is, no-one else has stepped up. But he is enthused with the idea of the new ‘umbrella’ model mooted at the AGM and since then, has been actively working to explore the possibilities.

“We did get one new committee member at the meeting,” says Valentine. “So what we’re planning is that myself, Jan Bierman and our new committee member, Ursula Mountfort, will work directly with other groups, with the idea of having forums a few times a year.” The RRA has put an application to the Ōrākei Local Board for funding to bring this new model to reality. “We’re looking at things like organising a pop-up shop in Remuera so people can see what’s happening and get in touch, and to replicate that online too. And to generally be visible at local events.”

In Parnell, the Parnell Community Committee runs along similarly informal lines. It has bi-monthly meetings and makes sure agenda items are sent not only to an email database, but also cc’d to both Parnell Heritage and the Parnell Business Association, as two stakeholders in local affairs.

“It’s informal but it works,” says long-time PCC chair, Luke Niue.

“We all group together when there’s something we are concerned about or when there’s an opportunity to pursue. It’s all about information sharing, and not being blindsided.”

That’s the key to the role of residents’ association as Desley Simpson sees it — to be wide sowers of information. The Mission Bay - Kohimarama Residents and Ratepayers Assocation is a good example of a strong resident association. Like their neighbours in St Heliers, the Mission Bay-Kohimarama group in recent times coalesced, and strengthened their membership, galvanised over a controversial local development, in this case, the plans to rebuild the Mission Bay beachfront precinct.

“From my perspective, residents’ associations should be widely disseminating information, the who, what, why, where,” says Simpson. “The big risk is that people don’t know what you’re doing. From an elected member perspective, you want people to know what’s going on. You want them to have all the info at their fingertips. Your community is so important. It’s important to know your neighbours. I think Covid-19 and the lockdown really showed us that too.”

For more information see remueraresidents.org.nz or Remuera Residents on Facebook; to join the Parnell database, email parnellpcc@gmail.com. p

Promoted by David Seymour, MP for Epsom, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket

The planned installation of the National Erebus Memorial in Parnell’s Sir Dove-Myer Robinson Park has divided the community on the appropriateness of the location. Critics include the daughters of the late mayor, who say it doesn’t belong in the park, one of the few public acknowledgements of their father’s years of service to the city (Robinson was mayor 1959-65 and 1968-80).

Others are concerned about the size of the work, Te Paerangi Ataata – Sky Song; the grass it will take over and that it will also make ‘Robbie’s Park’ a place of sadness.

Brodie Stubbs, Ministry for Culture and Heritage manager memorials and commemorations, says the memorial, while intended to mark the 1979 tragedy, when Air New Zealand flight TE901 flew into Mt Erebus in Antarctica, killing all on board; will definitely not be just about the deep sadness of the event. “Families wanted it to convey a sense of the tragedy, but also a sense of the adventure their parent or grandparent or family member was undertaking — why they wanted to go on the flight in the first place,” says Stubbs. “It was an adventure, the going to a place so few had seen. That was part of the design brief, and the winning design conveyed the idea of flight and adventure.” q

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the village

That’s a view shared by Kathryn Carter, Parnell resident and the eldest of the four daughters of Erebus flight captain, Jim Collins. Carter recalls the pleasure and anticipation Jim Collins spoke of — piloting the Antarctica journey was a privilege granted only to senior captains. “They were all looking forward to seeing Antarctica from the air, and the memorial captures that adventure of flight,” says Carter. “The main axial wall with the names of those who died faces south, towards Erebus. And the location overlooking the TEAL/Air New Zealand workshops [on Tamaki Dr] and out to sea is about flight and adventure into the air.

“A walkway into the sky is a beautiful concept rising outward and above into the unknown, just as the journey to the Antarctic was about an exciting trip into the unknown.”

Carter along with aviation historian Rev Dr Richard Waugh (who spearheaded the campaign for a national memorial) met the ministry when it was undertaking its research as to what would inform the design brief for the memorial. With many of the passengers Aucklanders, and many families still resident in the area, Auckland was considered the most appropriate location. A clear preference also emerged for a quiet, park-like setting.

“It had to be easily accessible, not too far out of town, on a public transport route,” says Stubbs. “When council staff showed us that [Parnell] area, surrounded by trees and

Top, the memorial designed for the Parnell site.

Above, Kathryn Carter, left, representing the Collins family, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and mayor Phil Goff at the 2019 announcement of the government-funded Erebus memorial.

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looking out to the water . . .” The ministry believed they had found the perfect spot. They consulted with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, “who were very supportive,” with Parnell Heritage, Parnell Community Committee, and with representatives of the Dutch community (there is a memorial within the park to the Dutch fighters of WWII) and Korean War veterans (another memorial), as well as with families who’ve placed memorial benches. “As a result of those conversations, changes were made to the design, based on their feedback,” says Stubbs.

But there was a flaw, which has contributed to concern about the location. Unless the local neighbours were part of one of those groups, they remained unaware of the proposal until it reached the desks of the Waitematā Local Board. “There’s an element of not having been consulted sooner that’s obviously put some people’s backs up,” Stubbs admits.

Wider consultation eventually happened, but it has had the flow-on effect of many locals feeling as if decisions were settled before the community consultation occurred. “They’re all justified concerns, about the [pōhutukawa] trees, Sir Dove-Myer’s legacy, the views, the amenity of the park. I’d like to reassure people that we’re aware of all of those and we’ve worked really hard to address them,” says Stubbs.

“There’s a bigger context of this national memorial undertaking,” says Kathryn Carter. Carter is concerned that in the debate about the location, the deeper issue of the real legacy of Erebus has been overlooked — flight safety and the better aviation practices that exist today because of the tragedy. “We are all safer when we fly because of the international lessons on human-machine interfaces, visual illusions and ground proximity warning systems that evolved from that, the world’s fourth-worst aviation disaster at that time. “[The memorial] may be quite powerful and beautiful as a symbol of our learning — 257 people had to pay the ultimate price for that learning, which benefits us all. The prominence and centrality of Dover-Myer Robinson Park makes it a highly appropriate location for the memorial.”

Carter says the opposition has also caused distress to many Erebus families. “These families have waited decades for a memorial. Those directly connected to the crash are getting older.

The location is the right one, the time to do it is now.”

A specialist in memorials, Brodie Stubbs has worked in the field for 25 years. His projects have included the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial, National War Memorial in Wellington, and the New Zealand Memorial in London’s Hyde Park. He is not unfamiliar with local engagement — the London installation meant working with Westminster City Council and a dozen community and resident groups who needed to give approval. “There is always caution and concern when you’re going into a public park or space,” he says.

“We never want to bulldoze through [but] you’re never going to please everybody.”

Stubbs firmly believes that the installation will not detract from the other “layers of history and stories” in the park. It was the site of city father Sir John Logan Campbell’s home, Kilbryde, another historic cottage, and pre-European settlement, an important headland for Ngāti Whātua. The ministry has advised council it would like to incorporate signage that references those other stories, including the fact that Robbie was mayor at the time of the disaster. “It’s an open offer,” says Stubbs.

The consenting process is still underway. The ministry is now waiting on its application to Heritage NZ for an archaeological authority to begin construction. Covid-19 has pushed out the timeframe: the project is now running about a year behind. It is expected to reach the meeting of the Waitematā Local Board for landowner approval either next month or in November.

— Kirsty Cameron p

Newmarket, soon to be followed by streets in Remuera.

The commuters’ reaction to reduced opportunities for free parking was anticipated by Parnell Community Committee chair Luke Niue. “I called in to the park two days around 9am and there has been no availability for visitors to park,” says Niue, who has lobbied both Auckland Transport (AT) and council’s parks department to install something similar to the P180 signs that were installed at Sir Dove-Myer Robinson Park after families of frail veterans complained there were no spaces near the Korean War Memorial. Last month, AT told Niue that signage in parks was not its responsibility and so he appealed to parks officials to act before the spring visitor rush.

Park visitors come from a wide area for its quiet paths and the popular ‘spider’s web’ climbing frame in the playground, accessing it by car from Ayr St, nowadays a P120 area. They could have been out of luck if they had driven in at 10am one week-day of August, when The Hobson saw no drivers for 47 cars and just two free space.

Council manager community parks and places, Martin van Jaarsveld, told The Hobson : “To address the commuter use of carpark spaces at Newmarket Park, the Waitematā Local Board approved a ‘P120 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday’ parking restriction at this park. Newmarket Park is a neighbourhood park and 120 minutes is considered an appropriate length of time to enjoy the park, without being unnecessarily restrictive or impacting on a visitor’s enjoyment. The installation of parking restriction signs and line markings are funded by the Waitematā Local Board and this work is scheduled to start in September, October.” It is not anticipated that restrictions will cause commuters to move down the hill to Shore Rd. — Wayne Thompson p

HISTORY COMES HOME A historic item of furniture with links to Parnell’s Ewelme Cottage has enjoyed a happy homecoming after more than 50 years. The original dining table owned by the Reverend Vicesimus Lush and his wife, Blanche, has been returned to the 1860s cottage in Ayr St. The cottage, completed in 1864, was home to the extensive Lush family, and is today cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Auckland Council.

“We were contacted recently by Ross Williamson, the great-greatgreat grandson of Vicesimus and Blanche Lush, who offered to gift the dining table to Ewelme Cottage,” says Amy Gaimster of Heritage New Zealand. “It was an offer we couldn’t refuse.”

The table had been passed down through family members after it had been removed in the late 1960s when Ewelme was purchased by the then-Auckland City Council. “We were delighted when Ross contacted us and offered us the actual table that the Lush family used,” she says. The table has a crank handle used to extend it and increase its seating capacity. “The last grandchild of Vicesimus, Neil Lush, used to visit Ewelme Cottage many years ago and wonder what became of the original table with the crank handle,” says Gaimester. “I’m delighted it has returned to the heart of the Lush family home.” p

PARK OFF New residential parking zones with two-hour limits have flushed car-bound commuters out of their usual haunts in the streets and on to free off-road spaces meant for the users of Auckland Council recreational reserves.

Newmarket Park has become more popular with commuters since the P120 signs went up in eastern Parnell and western

the hobson 18

MEET YOUR BOARD MEMBER The Ōrākei Local Board’s Colin Davis has a proud history of public sector governance, working as a senior local government sector manager and administrator, and serving terms as an Auckland City councillor, Eastern Bays Community Board member and chair, and since 2010, as a member and a former chair of the local board. His public service roles include serving as judicial Justice of the Peace, and as a member of the Auckland Justices of the Peace Auckland district courts judicial panel. A former member of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Reserves Board and a founding trustee of Stonefields School, he’s currently chair of the Auckland Library Heritage Trust. Davis lives in St Heliers with his wife of almost 49 years, Alison, a retired librarian. They have a daughter, Julia, and a grandson, Russell, a student at Sacred Heart College. He found the time to take The Hobson’s questions.

Tell us why you stood for election to this Local Board I have a genuine interest in helping our local communities. With my background and public body experience and local knowledge, I believe I can make a difference in representing the Ōrākei Local Board’s communities, which includes my own. It’s my way of contributing to a better Auckland.

I also have experience in funding and contract management, working with NGO national providers across New Zealand.

What board portfolios are you responsible for?

Heritage, libraries, arts and local events, such as the Anzac Day commemoration. I am also an alternative lead for parks, sports and recreation, and resource consenting and regulatory.

What are the projects or improvements for your area that you’re especially keen to see come to fruition?

I would like to see the successful delivery of the proposed link

between Meadowbank and Kohimarama, which would join the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared pathway. I would also like to see greater emphasis on ensuring our natural environment is protected and properly maintained.

Did you grow up in Auckland?

Auckland is my home town. I was born, raised and educated here. I was educated at St Paul’s College and at the University of Auckland — I have diplomas in urban valuation, town planning, and local government and administration. I was awarded the university’s town planning prize in 1971 for my dissertation, ‘Urban Renewal: The Change in Approach’. I was a registered valuer for a number of years.

What’s your favourite part of Tāmaki Makaurau?

This is a difficult question, given that Auckland is such a beautiful place, with its volcanic cones, regional and local parks, and its maritime setting. I live near Tamaki Dr and enjoy daily its beaches and the beautiful vista of the Hauraki Gulf and its islands.

What’s a skill or talent you have that may surprise people?

I’m not sure about skill or talent, but being interested in history I have written a couple of books on our local history and am in the process of writing my family’s histories; my earliest ancestors arrived pre-Treaty. Researching has encouraged my learning about New Zealand’s history. I enjoy heraldry and bookplates and am president of the Heraldry Society of New Zealand.

You hold a magic wand. You can use it to make one key project come to life in your city. What would it be?

To ensure Auckland’s unique environment is protected. Our rapid growth, leading to urban sprawl and the lack of appropriate infrastructure to support that growth, is a major challenge. It requires large investment to curb pollution caused mainly by aged, failing and faulty infrastructure which impacts negatively on our inland waterways, and the waters of our harbours and the Gulf.

How would you spend a day free of responsibility or commitments?

I like to play outdoor bowls. I am a member of the St Heliers Bowling Club, although these days I seldom have the time to do so. I enjoy reading, gardening and time with my family. p

the hobson 19

the politicians

David Seymour

W

ell, well, well! We’ve never gone into an election against a less certain backdrop. Our small island nation must navigate three big challenges, in addition to normal politics. We need to draw on the best of our liberal democratic traditions to deliberate our way through.

The public health situation is the obvious one. In a pandemic, being an island is a wonderful advantage, but only if we use it.

The comfortable solution is to lock down, enjoy the domestic economy, and borrow to prop up the costs of near total physical isolation from the world. The uncomfortable solution is to open up indiscriminately and be like Sweden.

The options can be summarised as dead broke, or dead.

Neither is attractive, so the next government will have to find an intelligent middle ground. That’s the first debate that we’re not having, but we must.

The second is the debt. People say “interest rates are low, so let’s just borrow”. No matter how confident financial experts seem, it does not make sense. How many people would give me $100 for a year if I promised to pay 75 cents interest? That’s what a 0.75 per cent government bond rate means.

Intuitively it can’t last, and in an uncertain world filled with factors New Zealand has no control over, the one thing we can do is get our own house in order. We must have an honest conversation about our fiscal track.

The third issue, relating to that uncertain world, is our relationship with the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.

This is not about China or Chinese. In fact, it is Chinese New Zealanders who warn me most stridently about this relationship.

We cannot afford to be naïve. On the contrary, we need to be proactive about asserting our traditional values and alliances. At the same time, we are a trading nation that must keep trading, but not at any cost.

A fourth issue is capitalising on our island status. For as long as we’ve been a country, we have faced the tyranny of distance.

Suddenly, our isolation is an advantage. This is very good news if we get those other things right.

As an island nation on a pandemic planet, we are where people want to be. To move. To work. To invest. The question is whether we will make our regulatory environment attractive to investing, developing property, and developing technology.

At present, our laws are hostile to too much activity that could be rewarding. Genetics, fintech, foreign investment, land use. We have become Luddites in many important regards, and it’s an approach that not only repels economic activity but holds back conservation of the natural environment, too.

Those are just some of the challenges we face as a country, and there are two referenda. My focus is on the End of Life Choice Act. Without the space to fully write about it here, I would put it that the choice is between forcing people to suffer, or legalising choice and compassion. For more detail, I highly recommend checking out yesforcompassion.org.nz Whatever happens on September 19, serving my neighbours for six years has been an enormous honour. I am putting my

name on the ballot and asking you to re-elect me as your local MP. As in the last two elections, I make two basic propositions for being elected as the MP for Epsom.

The first is that I undertake to be a diligent local MP. I hope I have done a good job for you in this regard. The second is that Epsom voters have the most powerful candidate vote in the country. In the five elections since 2005, Epsom voters have elected an ACT MP, and several times have effectively chosen the government by doing so. At the time of writing, the polls say that electing me in Epsom would bring an additional five ACT MPs into Parliament thanks to the ‘coat tail’ rule, making the Epsom strategic vote more powerful than ever.

With that, I wish everyone a happy, free, and fair election.

Our democracy is one of our greatest assets.

David Seymour is the MP for Epsom

Paul Goldsmith

E

lection season brings the return of billboards, waving signs along Shore Rd and other vantage points, cottage meetings, debates and plenty of media coverage.

This will be my fifth parliamentary election campaign. After a failed attempt to win Maungakiekie in 2005 during the Don Brash era, I entered Parliament on the List in 2011 and now campaign a fourth time for the all-important party vote in Epsom.

It is a huge privilege and heavy responsibility to represent the community in our House of Representatives. I know I have more to offer, and hope to have that chance.

Aside from the occasional gesture from someone leaning out the window of a passing car, which I choose to interpret as indicating one tick for National or occasionally two ticks if two digits are used, campaigning is fun and generally good natured.

But there is an underlying tension because a lot is at stake.

This election is an extreme case, given the generation-defining spending taking place and the weight of the decisions being made.

Driving past our signs, you’ll see ‘Strong Team, More Jobs, Better Economy’. Regarding the strong team: our country is in the midst of the biggest economic challenge in many

the hobson 20

generations. During a deep recession, with large budget deficits and extensive job losses, we need a team with real world experience that can deliver results.

Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee have many decades of political, business and life experience, and in my view lead a team that is much stronger than the alternatives.

On more jobs — tens of thousands of Kiwis are losing their jobs right now. The key challenge is to create new jobs to replace them. Labour’s idea is primarily to borrow more money and for government to buy those jobs. We can’t do that for long.

National backs the tens of thousands of Kiwis who own businesses, large and small, to find ways to expand their businesses and take on more people. That’s where most of the genuine, sustainable jobs come from.

We’ll help them by keeping taxes low, by reducing regulatory costs and with targeted programmes like JobStart, which gives firms $10,000 for each additional hire, and BusinessStart which allows Kiwis who’ve lost their job to use tax paid on redundancy as a tax credit for a new business. We’ll also massively increase the ability to rapidly write off new investment, to encourage those firms with cash to invest and grow.

On a better economy, our core pitch is that New Zealand will return to prosperity faster under National. Our economic plan will give our businesses the confidence to invest and grow to create more jobs. We won’t increase taxes. Higher tax is the last thing New Zealand needs right now.

We will invest wisely in critical infrastructure to get New Zealand moving again. National has a vision to connect the 2.5 million Kiwis that live between Whangārei, Hamilton and Tauranga with a four lane highway, to unlock the potential of that great region.

The Prime Minister seems to think there’s a simple choice between massive, debt-fuelled spending with no path back to prudent levels of debt or grinding austerity. We know that’s nonsense. Of course, any government increases spending and debt during a crisis to cushion the blow, but it is still important to be disciplined and thoughtful about spending.

We can continue to increase spending in health and education, always focusing on results, while at the same time signalling an intention to get debt back under control, in preparation for the inevitable next crisis.

The current government are fond of slogans. ‘Say yes to the test’ is the latest. I’ll leave you with one of my own: ‘It’s time to wash your hands of Labour’.

Paul Goldsmith is a National list MP based in Epsom and the Opposition spokesman for finance

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the hobson 21

the councillor

Desley Simpson

C

onsidering the fallout from Covid-19, why couldn’t Auckland Council deliver a zero rate increase?

Fair question and one I asked, more than once.

As much as I was aware of the difficulties council faced losing half a billion dollars of income on top of the need to deliver a second version of our annual plan – the Emergency Budget — I was also acutely aware of the financial difficulties many Aucklanders found themselves in. Jobs had been lost; businesses were hurting and across the city, families were struggling. Surely, we could just cut our costs and give ratepayers a break? At this stage, I was firmly in the zero per cent rates increase camp.

However, as our financial advisers took me through the numbers, absorbing such a huge loss of revenue, I began to appreciate the gravity of council’s predicament. Despite an initial loss of 600 staff (and more to come); a savings target 12 times the original aspiration; increased debt and deferred spending; there was no viable way the organisation could continue delivering critical services that we are legally obliged to deliver and that communities rely on, with rates set at anything less than a 2.5 per cent increase.

Every single councillor came to the same realisation and unanimously supported consulting with communities on 2.5 or 3.5 per cent rates increase. Both options required significantly different levels of cuts to our services because of our revenue loss.

It was clear from the 34,915 submissions received that Aucklanders understood the importance of our Emergency Budget and had a lot to say. Sadly, what we didn’t communicate well was why we couldn’t do zero.

Feedback showed a real split between those believing we should keep rates as low as possible, and those advocating for higher rates to protect the community services they love. The results indicated public support for the 2.5 per cent option.

Based on the feedback, I too was sitting in that camp.

Then two important things happened.

All 21 local boards representing the diverse communities of Auckland supported the 3.5 per cent option after considering the impacts of the two options for their communities, analysing local feedback and deliberating in emergency board meetings. Never in the history of Auckland Council has every single local board had the same view on rates increases — never.

Secondly, the impacts of our worst drought on record came to a head. Remember it was winter and water restrictions were (and still are) in force and the MetService is predicting another dry spring and summer. Watercare told us they would likely not be able to avoid severe water restrictions without a confirmed increase in supply.

The ‘good’ news was, with some nifty negotiation, we secured extra water supply from the Waikato. The ‘bad’ news was it came with a $239 million price tag needed to deliver essential new infrastructure to cope with that extra supply,

increasing the council group’s shortfall to some $700m!

I then looked closely at the revised cash impact of 2.5 and 3.5 per cent for the average Auckland ratepayer. There was $24.62 difference between the two. Knowing the Ōrākei ward was well above ‘average’, I looked at the average annual increase for the two local board areas my ward spans. Waitematā Local Board average increase at 3.5 per cent was $125.48 up on last year. The Ōrākei Local Board average increase at 3.5 per cent was $187.50 extra. These were inclusive of all the extra add-ons such as the increased costs for recycling and rubbish collection.

So, after poring over your feedback; comparing multiple scenarios with our finance team; and considering the short and long-term impacts of this decision, I reluctantly accepted that only under 3.5 per cent (or for ‘us’ less than $190 extra a year), would we be able to keep beloved services open such as libraries, leisure centres and community halls; continue to maintain our parks and public spaces; retain the public transport concessions people rely on like our seniors’ SuperGold card; continue to invest in transport and stormwater infrastructure across the region and solve our water crisis. In short, keep our city running but still invest in infrastructure to help rebuild our economy.

There is a saying you shouldn’t ‘waste a crisis’. We have shaved tens of millions and in some cases hundreds of millions of dollars from our CCO budgets. Our acting chief executive is restructuring our organisation, promising it will be much leaner as a result. We are saving a record $200m, actively looking at other ways to increase our revenue, and while temporarily raising our debt level we are confident we will maintain our credit rating, avoiding a downgrade which would cost us tens of millions more in interest payments. We also have three rates assistance options for those who need it.

Covid-19 hasn’t just impacted Auckland. Other councils have confirmed their rates increases for this year. Wellington has gone for a 5.1 per cent increase, Tauranga 4.7, Dunedin 4.1 and Christchurch 3.8. All higher than Auckland.

But regardless, it will be a tough year for us all. I’m not at all convinced the Covid-19 impact will be a short one.

Desley Simpson is the Councillor for Auckland representing the Ōrākei ward

the hobson 22

the plan

the investment

A Bit Dense

A

“Paul actually made it enjoyable with a combination of humour, skill, experience and total commitment to the cause.

If you get a chance to work with Paul, grab it.”

- Tony and Maree, January 2020

PAUL SISSONS M +64 27 432 5220 paul.sissons@nzsir.com

nzsothebysrealty.com Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

lmost weekly, I am getting a call from someone who has lived forever in their lovely suburb, next to a single house on a single site and is now watching four, five, six, seven terrace houses being built beside them. In some cases, we have processed the consents for the owners, not knowing who the neighbours were. All of these developments are the new normal under the Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) and apart from the usual council delays, were not in doubt as to their approval.

Most of the calls are classic NIMBY. If it wasn’t NIMBYism, then I would have had the same calls from the same people about other developments happening all over Auckland – and I have not. But this has come about because before the Unitary Plan, the focus on suburbia was on the luxury of intangible urban design features such as ‘neighbourhood character’ and a ‘sense of openness’ and limitations on ‘visual bulk’.

We turned a blind eye to the consequences of this, which restricted development and encouraged urban sprawl. This in turn created a two-tier society of those who could afford a house, and those who could not. And this protection held firm until the AUP came along, and a fundamental change occurred. We are now seeing the fruits of the plan play out in bricks and mortar.

What the AUP has done is turned the paradigm around, such that affordable housing — by increasing density and thus creating more land — is seen as a human need greater than the intangibles or nice-to-haves.

If we were to draw up a simple order of human requirements influenced by housing policies, we would put ‘affordable housing’ firmly at the bottom of the pyramid — the most important need that must be satisfied before moving on. This would be closely followed by access to employment, medical facilities, education and social infrastructure, all of which are directly influenced by built form density. Satisfying these needs for individuals also benefits the community as a whole, through proximity. If we say housing is the cake, then neighbourhood character (as we know it in suburbia land) is the icing. A nice-to-have, but not fundamental.

As a result, in already established neighbourhoods, with change will come conflict. Very recently a concerned ratepayer pleaded with me to stop a half-built project, as the windows of the bedrooms looked into her backyard. When I looked at the address, I saw we consented it. I told her she was farting against thunder but she was off to see her MP. I quickly let her know that just two days prior, our upstanding politicians had just passed into law the National Policy Statement on Urban Development.

This is a statutory document which will require councils to ensure development of housing is more permissive. With six-level building AUP was permissive, the national policy statement is a free-for-all.

About four years ago, I said the AUP was a cure to everincreasing house prices. I now refine that by saying that the plan is providing housing opportunities at all levels, including first home buyers at prices people can afford, in areas they want to live. It may not be one house on one site, but it is a home nonetheless. I have no answer for people who are concerned by the change, as it is coming. Its abruptness is a result of the nice-to-haves trumping the fundamentals for perhaps 30 years.

If the change is beyond the pale, I do hear that there are some nice 1.8ha blocks coming up in Whitford, with covenants to prevent any further development and a pin oak, post-and-rail fence, and a horse thrown in for free. I will keep you posted on how that consent goes, as the neighbours think it is far too dense!

You cannot win. — Hamish Firth

What to Do?

W

ith all the volatility in securities markets over the past few months, it might be compassionate to consider the difficult task of the financial adviser when asked by clients/investors: “what should I do . . ?”. (And while you’re at it, please think even more compassionately of the poor CEO of a financial advisory/wealth management company!)

One of the key themes we have been underlining on our client communications is “invest in the markets you have, not the markets you want”. Yes, it would be nice if interest yields were five per cent-plus, but they are not. And it would also be nice if sharemarket price equity ratios were in the low teens but, again, they are not either. So we need to play with the cards we’re dealt and that way we’ll make the right decisions for the current environment.

As I’ve written previously, we did see a sharp and savage downturn in sharemarkets back in late March and into April.

But we have seen world markets rebound strongly to the extent that most are not far from their highs. Pleasingly, some of the real data has recovered substantially too: the Google Mobility Index for NZ fell sharply negative in March and April with the biggest falls – or collapses actually – in retail and recreation, grocery, workplaces and transit. This index is now nearly back to ‘normal’ levels, with the exception of transit, which remains weak (although has improved somewhat over the past couple of months).

NZTA’s Traffic Volume index similarly collapsed back in March (remember those carless roads?) but now heavy vehicles are back to normal levels and nearly back to par for light vehicles. Our electricity demand fell by around 15 per cent in March and April, but by mid-May was back up and now sits above pre-alert level four (although winter consumption might be having an affect here). So these stats tell us that the real economy is recovering from the shock – at least for now – and that perhaps the rebound, combined with the fiscal and monetary stimulus being thrown around, might suggest that

sharemarkets have it right at the moment. And they’ve certainly become more optimistic, with the US NASDAQ tech index, up 56 per cent from its low in March, the S&P500 up 46 per cent, the NZX50 up 38 per cent, and the ASX200 in Australia up 34 per cent.

Credit or debt markets rightly or wrongly have reacted to the large fiscal and monetary stimulus as ensuring that lower interest rates are here to stay. Like shares, corporate bonds have recovered from their sell-off in March and are largely now trading at lower yields. Maybe negative interest rates here too, as we are seeing overseas? And floating mortgage rates in NZ of around 2.5 per cent mean term deposit rates are only going lower and staying there once they arrive!

So an overriding theme in investment markets – debt and equities – of collapse, then (near) full recovery. Fiscal, monetary stimulus looks to be driving a real rebound in the economies (for now at least). So, back to the question posed in the opening paragraph: “what should I do?”. With interest rates so low and likely to be lower for longer, I’d be relatively more cautious with credit securities (corporate bonds, fixed interest, etc) and lean a little more favourably towards shares, banking on the massive stimulus packages continuing to be effective. And within the universe of shares, I’d be preferring US large caps, developed world and Asia/China markets over NZ, Australia or emerging markets.

Be aware of the risks — elections over the next few months in NZ, with the prospect of Labour leading alone, and the US potentially seeing a change in president (next month I’ll offer my predictions on the US presidential election), second and third wave Covid-19 outbreaks and associated life restrictions, ritzy securities pricing. But weigh these up with the encouraging elements of low, low, low interest rates, the stimulus I’ve mentioned, restrictions easing and improving confidence. Be patient, be prudent, be diversified and as always, stay in touch with your financial adviser.

— Warren Couillault

Paul Goldsmith

National List MP Based in Epsom 107 Great South Road, Greenlane 09 524 4930 paul.goldsmith@parliament.govt.nz paulgoldsmith.co.nz paulgoldsmithnz

Funded by the Parliamentary Service.

Authorised by Paul Goldsmith MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

the hobson 25

the suburbanist

the arriviste

Capitalising, Naturally

E

conomists love to argue the value of anything while happily putting a price on everything, including happiness. They don’t stop with the things we make, sell and consume, they also quantify things we didn’t make – but are happy to sell and consume – like the natural world. They call this natural wealth, ‘natural capital’ and it encompasses everything from land itself to minerals, fossil fuels, forests and fisheries. A United Nations’ initiative, the Inclusive Wealth Index has attempted to measure the world’s natural capital; they estimated/calculated/guessed/ decided that in 2014, this amounted to US$91 trillion — or more than $13,000 per person.

Surprisingly, New Zealand is almost at the top of the list with $380,000 natural capital per person — more than Kuwait ($362,000) or Saudi Arabia ($180,000). Even more surprising is that Gabon, a country about the size of New Zealand with less than half our population, has even more natural capital than us because, oil. Gabon is one of the richest countries in Africa but its citizens rank among the poorest because the oil wealth is unevenly distributed.

Generally, natural capital tracks alongside GDP but there are outliers – Congo, reliant on mining, has a low GDP; and Singapore, with almost no natural resources but high human capital, has a very high GDP. When both natural capital and GDP per person are taken into account, New Zealand is the top of the chart. Natural capital is predicted to decline by a fifth by 2040 as produced capital (tools, machines, buildings, infrastructure) increases. In New Zealand, the decline will be marginal because we tend to regenerate or renew our natural assets where other countries extract them. As those resources are depleted, they become harder to extract and it can slow an economy’s growth rate – which is why some economists think natural capital can be more of a curse than a benefit.

So why does this matter and what can we do about it? In New Zealand we tend to leverage our natural capital rather than diminish it. Say what you will about the ‘100% Pure’ campaign (an absolute target is hard to prove and easy to miss) but it frames our natural environment as one to preserve, not plunder.

International tourists come here to experience our natural assets, not take them home in their suitcase. In this sense we leverage our natural capital allowing us to maintain it – the gift that keeps on giving.

But now, with the world on tilt, Covid-19 turning tidal instead of being a series of waves, how will we reset? With an international tourism industry in hibernation, how will we share our natural wealth, let alone make money from it? Whatever happens with the virus, waiting for its eradication and a return to the old models is not an option. What use is a reputation for being the safest place to be, if the only way to benefit from it is to allow the unsafe to share it?

Perhaps the future will be a border that admits the few, not the many, filtered and screened, and with pockets full of money.

The beltway jargon calls this a move from volume to value but something about attracting the elite to engage with our egalitarianism goes against our – very fine – grain. Perhaps our future lies not on the ground but in the ether. Could we share our natural capital in the unnatural world of cyberspace? Digital services and digital trade are part of the ‘weightless economy’ and if we could find the right intersection with the natural world, we may yet preserve both our GDP and our natural capital. All it would take is for our human capital – entrepreneurs, academics, the motivated young – to take up the challenge.

— Tommy Honey

The Middle Ground

M

y mother always voted Labour and my father National. I used to wonder why they bothered leaving home. I, on the other hand, tend to waver, perhaps because when I was a young journalist, I was led to believe that I should avoid holding overt political beliefs. As a result, I’d be a most unreliable commentator from left or right.

And I’m happy with that. The media’s obsession with having political commentators “from the left” and “from the right” rattles my nerve endings. Whatever happened to the unbent middle? The answer is that the middle’s probably a bit boring and that’s no good if you’re chasing ratings or readers, “likes” on Twitter and followers on Facebook.

I don’t tweet and I’ve never Facebooked, the latter partly after hearing from an acquaintance, unsettled to be “friended” by an ex-partner. I’m not entirely sure what people are looking for on Facebook, but I’m fairly sure it’s not that sort of thing.

I’m only venturing into the topic of politics because we all get to vote next month. Well, at least I hope lots of us do – even if we sometimes cancel each other out with our choices.

I’m predicting a big turnout.

Thanks to Covid – and that’s not a phrase you see often – New Zealand might now be a lot more politically aware of itself and of who governs us and how. Add two life-adjusting referenda to this month’s election mix and it begins to feel slightly momentous.

Though it’s a pity – and here’s the radical bit – more of us don’t get to vote, 16-year-olds for instance. Given teenagers’ strong opinions on absolutely everything else, I’m sure they’d get a kick out of picking a political point of view – as well as perhaps getting a kick into taking a life-long interest in who’s in charge of the country and how well they serve us.

Because, yes kids, those politicians are our servants. I know they sometimes don’t act like it and that they get paid more than most of us, but they are actually there to do our bidding.

It’s something to bear in mind should you ever actually meet a politician. Feel free, for heaven’s sake, to ask them to get you a coffee or hang up your coat. Around election time, especially, they’ll do almost anything for your vote.

And I’m not going to attempt to tell you which way to vote.

There have been choirs of commentators more confident on politics than I could pretend to be telling us what to think.

Also, having recently moved into a new electorate, I’m not much in the local know, though I did recently spot National finance spokesperson Paul Goldsmith coming out of my supermarket as I went in.

He was nicely turned out I thought and younger-looking in the flesh than on TV. I’d have said hello, but he looked like a man anxious to get his groceries home. Not that I’m necessarily on his side. As mentioned, I’m a waverer, often right up until the last minute, sometimes beyond.

My lack of leaning might have made me a natural for a career in political pontificating, but I was more interested in other, more artful, forms of show business. I have, though, run into politicians over the years.

In the 1980s when I was working at the late Auckland Star, I had to ring up Robert Muldoon to apologise for the unfortunate misprints in his newspaper column. I don’t recall exactly what he said to me, but I do remember being slightly terrified of the old bulldog. His growl was worse than his bark.

I had a column in the paper at the time too and something I wrote brought me a letter from David Lange, when he was Prime Minister. I’d written something critical of him and he wrote back, responding along the lines of, “I note that you have lately changed your mind about me. Let me be clear that I have never changed my mind about you.”

When I met him a few years later, he recalled that letter with a loud guffaw. I was pleased to have given him a laugh.

— Colin Hogg

582 Remuera Rd, Remuera Auckland 09 520 3119 | staff@sibuns.co.nz www.sibuns.co.nz

the hobson 27

the second act

W

e have a question we pose on the first day of our professional development courses. Money, status, colleagues, creativity, social impact? Rank these in order of importance in your career.

In my youth, I wouldn’t have made it past the first variable as all I wanted to be was “rich”. This state of being “rich” would solve everything – I wouldn’t have to suffer the frustration of parents saying “no, we can’t afford it” nor the indignity of being looked down upon, if not ignored, in high-end boutiques. As much as people deny it, money is tied to status and I admit that occasionally those feelings still get stirred up by those representing apartment showrooms in the Viaduct. Colleagues and creativity were vaguely important, I wanted to have a good time and not be bored but as for social impact – yawn – wasn’t that for Christians, versus free-thinking liberals like me?

It would seem that despite having parents who were good souls and focused on values rather than getting ahead, I was simply egocentric. The parental rhetoric of sharing and caring was all very well, but clearly they couldn’t see what I had to endure as the runt of the litter. Teasing, idle threats, accusations of being spoilt, hand-me-downs, and the usual torments of older sisters. I needed to be “rich” so no-one would ever again be the boss of me.

So what? Well on the first day of the recent alert level three lockdown, I was relaxing in my yoga pants giving the beach house a once-over with my new Dyson vacuum, and one of those mean older sisters rang. She had picked up a prescription in Glen Innes to deliver to my 93-year-old father in St Heliers. She had noticed that in lower decile Glen Innes, the folk were all masked up yet a couple of kilometres away, the good people of high decile St Heliers who were out for a breath of fresh air had decided not to.

The other difference she noted was of course that the Glen Innes folk were predominantly Pasifika, and those in St Heliers predominantly Palagi/Pākehā. While wearing a facemask when risking coming into contact with people less than two metres away is a recommendation rather than a ruling, it is interesting to note the different responses about who had the inclination to take responsibility at a civic level.

I had just read the ethnicity breakdown of those testing positive to Covid-19, which showed that Pacific peoples were by far the least affected, in fact under-represented as a proportion of the Auckland population, and Europeans over-represented. Donald Trump might suggest that this is due to their over-vigilance in testing, but it is still a useful stat to note. It might of course change if we are not all helping one another to keep Covid-19 out of all communities.

It was an interesting day, with a lot of people “acting out” as a parent might say when a child reacts to having to factor in the needs of others in the family. These sorts of “you’re not the boss of me” kidults feel they are in a ‘nanny state’ and resist ‘Nazi bureaucrats’ telling them what to do.

One person I know was furious that his ‘civil liberties’ had been taken away by the government, and he was unable to go fishing in the Coromandel.

At the same time, some politicians were shamelessly inferring the government had known about a second outbreak all along, and had held this information back. Ah, conspiracy theories – the realm of those with no real power nor ability to change anything like structural inequity, but have a grandiose idea of ‘self’ that has them grasping at straws.

Always arising at times of great uncertainly, research shows conspiracy theories are about people, not fact.

Conspiracy theorists have the need to show they have some secret knowledge that is not accessible to everyone, otherwise of course it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?

Instead it would be a well-known fact and they wouldn’t be so special knowing it. Usually the conspiracy theorists infer something like “do your research, you’ll see” sort of thing.

Again, bolstering the idea that they have indeed done this, just because they are so goddam smart.

At these times, as much as we need to factor in all viewpoints, people who get in the way of scientists — and in particular, epidemiologists who have devoted their lives to saving lives — may be as dangerous as the virus itself. These are the types who suggest that “old people were going to die anyway”, effectively throwing grandpa under a bus so they can go skiing next year. I often wonder if they even consider the value that elders hold in indigenous cultures, or in cultures other than their own.

So many of these non-epidemiologists brazenly share their ideas of opening up the economy ASAP, using the “all voices have a right to be heard in a democracy” trope, and inferring that those unlucky ones who contract Covid-19 are taking one for the team. Their powerful, usually white, voices always get too much airplay, not because they are smarter than most people, but because structural inequity makes it so. (Please exercise your democratic right in the upcoming election, and in the meantime, get out of the way of the experts.)

Of course, you are a grown-up and you know all this. I trust you, my fellow Aucklander, that on October 17, you will not be voting with your individual wellbeing in mind, but with your conscience and the future of all people in Aotearoa. — Sandy Burgham

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155 The Strand, Parnell, Auckland

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the sound

Showing Our True Colours

A

t the end of my sixth form year in 1979, my mum and dad decided to take me back to the UK to see where I was born. The land I left when I was two.

I was now 16.

It was a winter sojourn. While the weather made me thank my lucky stars we emigrated, for a teenager it was a revelation, and made me think that Auckland was really a backwater.

At suburban parties in Croydon I learnt to skank. The Specials’ “Too Much, Too Young” was the number one song for weeks on end. Punks were still all over the streets with their glued-up mohawks. Sloane Rangers hadn’t yet invaded the Kings Rd. London was thrillingly grey, cool and dangerous.

I remember picking up a flyer for a gig by some guys called The Psychedelic Furs and laughing with my cousin about the name. His older brother told me they were good and on the rise. A few months later, they released their debut album. As soon as I heard it, I kicked myself for not going to see them in a 500-seater in South London.

By the time I returned to Godzone I felt I had grown up, and got so, so, sophisticated and found music that my backwards Kiwi friends could never imagine. But I was the one who had missed a trick.

What I came back to was not a post-punk, skanking scene. The fervour and buzz was around a New Zealand band with an album that was part new wave, part symphonic rock and 100 per cent pure power pop. Split Enz had released True Colours.

You're straight in with “Shark Attack” from Tim, the better-produced son of “I See Red”. The energy is palpable.

A cold finish, and then a moment’s gap, and “I Got You” starts its snaky guitar, followed by staccato drums. Within 40 seconds, you’re into a sing-along chorus we all know.

Stone cold classic.

Another moment’s pause and BOOM. Mal Green’s drums thunder in and Neil shouts “What's the Matter With You?” A second Neil song in a row. He’s bellowing in your face, Eddie’s throwing in some 60s-inspired organ. Mal Green’s drums are just relentless. This is not artsy fluff. It’s straight for the jugular.

And then, “Double Happy” — a full-on Eddie Rayner instrumental. Now by this stage, the party is fair humming, and you use the instrumental to say hello to that girl in the yellow dungarees that were all the rage that year. This really is the perfect party platter.

Suddenly Tim is back with “I Wouldn’t Dream Of It”.

A real builder of a song and one I had forgotten about. It builds and builds, and ends with a classic Split Enz wig-out.

And on it goes. “How Can I Resist Her?” is one of the greatest teen songs ever, up there with Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”. It’s full of visceral longing. Neil’s “Missing Person” is a dark song dressed up in pop finery. Tim complains that “Nobody Takes Me Seriously Anymore”. And that’s all without mentioning the sonic awesomeness of

“Poor Boy”. Without mentioning “I Hope I Never”.

This was New Zealand's first world class album. On True Colours Split Enz brought everything together. Two GREAT songwriters in the Finns. A truly great rhythm section in Mal Green and Nigel Griggs. Nigel’s basslines are exceptional. Eddie Rayner’s rococo keyboard indulgences perfectly pitched. A great designer in Noel Crombie — visually everything is a treat.

But even better than that, it brought us all together with the realisation that a New Zealand band can be the best thing on our planet.

Split Enz’ True Colours was the beginning of the end of the Kiwi cultural cringe and for that alone it deserves mention. It showed our true colours. How about that.

But never forget it’s a slamming album that will make any party go off, and you might just get a pash from the girl in the yellow dungarees. — Andrew Dickens

Pictured left to right, the Split Enz lineup on True Colours: Malcolm Green, Eddie Rayner, Nigel Griggs, Neil Finn, Tim Finn, Noel Crombie.

Now of course I knew the band, but they were just progrocky weirdos in clown suits to my 16-year-old mind. All of a sudden this was the band name on every teen’s lips and every teen’s stereogram and very soon, on a cassette in the boombox that I bought duty free in Singapore on the way home (along with a digital watch!).

To my horror, that was 40 years ago and now the band have remixed and remastered and re-released the album.

And it’s soooo good.

I spoke to Eddie Rayner the other day. In 1979 the band was desperate, dressed up like Pierrot on soujourn in London while everyone else had leather jackets and safety pins. Broke and homesick, they fired everybody and prepared to come home with their tails between their legs.

But they were up for one last chance.

Mushroom Records’ Michael Gudinski threw them a lifeline and they reconvened in Melbourne and recorded True Colours. They wanted hits. They had a template. On 1979’s Frenzy, Neil Finn had given them a slamming guitar based, post-punk, power pop classic in “Give It A Whirl”.

As a one off, they’d recorded the storming three-minute, 15-second punkish “I See Red” in Ringo Starr’s studio. The band was ready to cut the fancy stuff.

True Colours is one of the most focused pieces of work you could hope for. Putting the album on will remind you of how things used to be. At parties, people just put on an LP. So you got one side, for 20-odd minutes. The first 20 minutes of True Colours is immense. Which is probably a big key to its success.

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the heritage

If These Walls Could Talk . . .

A grand Remuera house saw life as a family home, a Māori women’s hostel and a movie set, as Jan Bierman discovered

T

he grand home which once stood at 515 Remuera Rd was built for Mrs Jessie Campbell, nee Falconer, around 1915. Its original address was 195 Remuera Rd and the property was bounded by Remuera Rd, Ladies Mile and Tahora Ave. It was part of the subdivision known as the Mainston Estate. Jessie and her husband, John, who were already living in Remuera, acquired lots four, five and eight when the estate was offered for subdivision in 1912. This gave the Campbells around 3615m², almost an acre of park-like grounds. But John died not long after the purchase and records show it was Jessie alone who went on to obtain a building permit and hire Clarke & Son to build an imposing kauri house.

Large “manors or mansions” in the Remuera area were selling for around £1400-£1700, according to contemporary ads by property auctioneers. There was little risk of Jessie over-capitalising on her grand design, which featured a magnificent entrance foyer, a billiard room and living rooms downstairs. There were six fireplaces, stained glass bay windows, the ceilings were ornate plasterwork, and between the attic and the cellars were nine bedrooms, enough to accommodate the large families of the day, and their domestic staff. The home’s position on the Remuera ridge gave it expansive views too, of the growing city and the Waitematā Harbour.

Jessie Campbell didn’t remain the home’s owner for long.

In 1919, it sold to master mariner Captain William Ross.

Born around 1847 in Scotland, Ross had made his fortune successfully trading around the Pacific. A stalwart of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, he is remembered in maritime history as the father of the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta. Ross and wife Annie settled into 195 Remuera Rd, making it their home for the next 16 years. Council records from the early 1920s record the house as being a two-storey wooden construction, with a single-storey cottage also within the grounds.

Perhaps empty-nesters in a very large house, the Ross’s sold the home in 1933. By then, Captain Ross had retired.

They moved to another home not far away, at 29 Great South Rd, where they lived until William’s death six years later (Annie would survive him by another decade).

The property had became known as Plumley, but the origin of the name, and who bestowed it, remains lost in the mists of time. Plumley is the name of an English village and civil parish, but no connection between the Campbells or the Ross families and the English Plumley has been established.

The next owner was retired farmer Issac Gelston Gray and his wife, Elinor (nee Mellsop). The Grays didn’t settle for long, signing over a five-year lease in 1937 to a Nurse Sutherland.

Alterations were made, and Plumley was reborn as Ewhurst, a convalescent and rest home. In 1954, ownership changed again — this time, the owner would retain the property for three decades. The new titleholder was the Methodist Church

of New Zealand, who acquired the house for £11,250, with a significant government investment.

Ewhurst became Seamer House, a hostel for young Māori women coming to the city for work or career training. The name was in honour of the Reverend Arthur Seamer, the church’s superintendent of its Māori missions. The house and gardens had become run down. Renovations were quickly started — there was concern about vandals making things worse — and a committee of ladies was formed to help with sewing and mending as the residents began to arrive. A gardener was employed to bring the grounds under control, living onsite in a flat.

Seamer House residents included students from the Kindergarten Training College in Arney Rd (now St Anne’s, a private home) and other training institutions. The hostel was run on Christian principles and teachings, and residents attended either the Remuera Methodist Church or their own church every Sunday morning. They also went to the Māori Mission Service in Airedale St once a month.

Matron Eileen Moore wrote a memoir of Seamer House, now held in the Methodist Church of New Zealand archives.

She noted that “the girls came from different parts of the country, some settling better than others. One girl had never lived in a Pākehā house before, she was scared stiff to go outside the gate alone because of the traffic, and was afraid to go to sleep because in such a big house she was afraid of ghosts”. The residents were from all walks of life, including orphanages, and girls too who just “wanted to spread their wings”, Matron Moore noted.

In her memoir, she described Seamer House as having “a large dining and sitting room, with divided doors, kitchen with an island bench, stainless steel benches, wash-house, washing machine etc, outside bedroom and sewing room, two (more) bedrooms, and Matron’s bed-sitting room, toilets, and a very large entrance hall. Upstairs there were three very large bedrooms divided by wardrobes in the centre of the room, three double bedrooms, a bathroom and toilet, and large verandas with beautiful views over the city and suburbs.

A basement with two large rooms – one as a games room and the other a drying room, stores etc”. Matron Moore liked to keep her house shipshape. She made note of the problem keeping the hall floor gleaming. It was “covered with a rubber lino with a sponge rubber underlay. I have never spent so much time on my knees and blessing those who put it down ... every sharp piece of gravel cut through the rubber and every mark showed”.

Matron Moore also noted that initially there was opposition from the neighbours who did not appreciate a hostel as a neighbour, nor the noise the girls made, but once they got to know the matrons and girls, their attitudes changed.

Over the following decades updates were made — the verandas were enclosed, fire escapes added, the attic converted to more rooms. In 1987 Seamer House was no

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Above, Seamer House circa 1955, on the corner of Remuera Rd and Ladies Mile (Methodist Church of NZ Archives Photographs Collection M69).

Right, staff and residents captured on the hostel's opening day, August 27, 1955.

Matron Moore is seated centre, front. (Methodist Church of NZ Archives Photographs Collection M10).

longer needed by the church, and was sold again. Its fortune as a large family home or hostel didn’t keep up with the land value. After several changes of ownership, in 1997 it was sold for removal, making way for up to seven units to be built on the acreage. Eventually, a new single dwelling was erected and Seamer/Ewhurst/Plumley House was shipped out of town.

Today, it stands proud, the centrepiece of a 5.5ha property at 162 Sunnyside Rd, Coatesville. In 2008, it was used as a set for Aliens in the Attic, a US movie shot on location in Auckland. With current CV of $3.95 million, the house has reclaimed its stature as a grand home, standing well into another century.

Jan Bierman originally researched and wrote this article on behalf of Remuera Heritage as part of its ‘Remuera Homes’ series, see remueraheritage.org.nz. It is reproduced and edited with permission for The Hobson.

Sources consulted include Auckland Libraries Archives, Auckland Council Archives, Methodist Church of New Zealand Archives, Papers Past (paperspast.natlib.govt.nz), maritimemuseum.co.nz, teara.govt.nz

the hobson 33

the menu

Waste Not, Want Not

Cheesy Broccoli Pasta

Vegetables are the second most wasted food, sadly. Because we only cook the quantity we need for a meal, the vegie drawer in the fridge often is a treasure trove of odds and ends that can be made into a hearty soup, a mixed vegetable stew, a mixed veggie stir-fry or an everythingfrom-the-fridge vegetable puree to serve over pasta.

My garden is currently filled with over-achieving broccoli plants. I never waste any of that lush growth as the young leaves surrounding the heads and subsequent sprouts are very, very good to eat. So don’t strip away the stalks or foliage before cooking. Leave them on and you may be pleasantly surprised. Here’s a three ingredient pasta dish with broccoli.

Please use good cheese, not that nasty grated parmesan that comes in the shaker with its truly unpleasant smell.

— Lauraine Jacobs

All you need to add to the three ingredients is a little seasoning of salt, pepper and maybe some chilli pepper flakes.

Grate a good chunk of parmesan or Grana Padano cheese on a fine grater and keep aside. Chop a head of broccoli, including all the stalks and leaves into small pieces. Select about 8 small florets to keep aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add a generous cup of conchiglie (or similar) pasta. Cook at a fast simmer for about 12 minutes or until tender. Drain and toss with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Keep hot in the pan.

Meanwhile toss the chopped broccoli into another pan of boiling salted water and cook until soft and tender. In a steamer set over the pan, steam the extra florets for one minute and immediately plunge into cold water to retain their bright green colour.

To finish, drain the broccoli but keep half a cup of the cooking water. Use a blender stick to puree the broccoli. Add half the cheese with enough water to make the puree quite sloppy. Toss this over the pasta, season to taste, and serve immediately topped with extra cheese and the reserved florets. Serves 2.

Dinner Made Easy!

for it all

W

e buy delicious food and ingredients in anticipation of making lovely meals and snacks.

But often when the rubbish is collected each week, too much of our weekly shop ends up being thrown out to be taken away by those trucks. We’re told that bread is the most wasted food, with almost 20 million loaves of bread thrown away each year in New Zealand.

However if there’s one thing that has been awakened in every cook’s conscience over the past year or two, it’s an awareness of food waste. We’re all on a learning curve to find ways to avoid it. Some stellar work by collaboratives joining up supermarkets, charities and organisations like Love Food Hate Waste, Food Rescue, Kaibosh and KiwiHarvest has seen lots of food rescued and repurposed to feed the needy and hungry. Having read about these fine efforts, we have taken the lessons to heart and emulate them by being more mindful in our kitchens.

I was intrigued with the announcement of the latest clever collaboration for food waste as it involved culinary heroes I have long admired. Surplus bread is collected from Foodstuffs stores (New World, Pak’nSave) by Goodman Fielder and the fermentable starches are turned into a craft beer by Mike Sutherland at the Sawmill Brewery. The resulting Citizen Pale

Ale and Citizen Pilsner will be widely available. But it doesn’t stop there. The brewing process produces a mash as a byproduct and talented chef Ben Bayly has worked at the FoodBowl, a centre for product development at Māngere, to turn the mash into a high quality nutritious flour which Wild Wheat bakery uses to make a malty sourdough loaf. Waste bread turned into beer and waste from the brewing turned into tasty loaves. Who could have dreamed of that?

There are plenty of ways to avoid waste. When a kind invitation to eat out is suddenly offered, be sure to pop uncooked food in the freezer so it is not spoiled. If there’s leftover food after a meal there are countless ways to use that in another meal. I think a lot of us became more careful with food during lockdown, shopping less often and imaginatively fashioning leftovers into flavoursome meals.

A meal may turn out to be the basis of many further nights of dinners. By choosing a large bird for dinner, we can have that classic roast chicken dinner the first night, make chicken and potato rissoles for a second dinner, add any leftovers to a hearty vegetable pie the third evening, and finally, brew a wholesome stock with the chicken bones as the foundation for an excellent soup.

the hobson 34

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Pop in for dinner tonight to discover these delicious meals, and many more, at your local Farro food store.

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2

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The Farro version of the New York classic chicken marbella, which stays true to the sweet and tangy flavours of the original. We’ve done all the hard work - simply tip and roast! Perfect to serve with Farro potato gratin and your favourite greens. $24.00 each Serves 4-6

3

FRIDAY PIE DAY

A mix of smoked Kahawai from Waiheke Island and fresh white fish slow cooked with spinach and leek in a creamy bechamel sauce then topped with a golden kumara and thyme mash. $23.99 each. Serves 2-3

VISIT YOUR LOCAL FARRO FOOD STORE OR SHOP ONLINE AT FARRO.CO.NZ the hobson 35

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the magpie

Hey Mister!

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Just in time for September 6, the Magpie pulls together an awesome array of Fathers Day-worthy ideas

1. Make Pops the king of the castle (or courtyard) with this modern classic Oasis Outdoor Club Chair. Rugged enough to hold masculine appeal and uber-comfortable, this chair (or a pair) will do just nicely on the thoughtful present front. $1599, Design Warehouse, 137-147 The Strand. designwarehouse.co.nz

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2. Designed and made in Italy, these sophisticated Philippe Model shoes are not just cool kicks. Elevated with leather and mesh and a touch of suede, they come in a colour palette only fashion gods could dream up. $689 at Fabric or via thisisfabric.com 3. Get outta town! Perfect for daily or weekend jaunts, the Deadly Ponies Phantom Duffle Mini is a man bag par excellence. In black or navy leather, its classic form will stand the test of time. $849, deadlyponies.com 4, 14. Working Style has had Dad’s back for 25 years, and every season is a joy. Go spring-like with the Colourful Floral Shirt, $199, or tone it down a little with the Beige Cord Pocket Shirt, $249. Working Style, 523 Parnell Rd, or workingstyle.co.nz

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5. COS we like it — this natty COS beanie is a great gift for any chap. (And very borrowable by other family members too.) $55, from COS, Commercial Bay

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6. The sell tells us it’s ‘designed for the purist, both old and new, this exclusive set is a bold statement in the art of dripping, plunging and percolating’. Oh stoppit, you had us at ‘hello’.

Mirror-black Tom Dixon Brew Cafetiere Giftset, $780, from ecc.co.nz 7. Duck, duck, goose . . . play the warm game in a Canada Goose duck down-filled vest. This insulating layering piece has a slim, contemporary fit, is cut longer at the back and will stay dry in extreme conditions. And, importantly from the Magpie’s view, it’s stylish too. With a lifetime guarantee, regard it as an in-vest-ment piece. $849 from Fabric, at Britomart or thisisfabric.com

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8. These Levi’s Stay Loose are just the ticket for that tricky ‘smart casual’ dress code call. Designed to be worn loose (read: comfortable) we can see these becoming a perennial favourite with dads both younger and matured. $170, from Levi’s stockists or levis.co.nz

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9, 10. The Aēsop aesthetic brings joy to the everyday. Aēsop Shaving Brush, $80, and Moroccan Neroli Shaving Serum, $73, are excellent gifts together or singly. The serum is a blend of skin-softening and calming botanicals, and the brush lathers and distributes efficiently too. At Aēsop stores or aesop.com 11. For the understated hipster Daddio, R.M.Williams’ Rickaby suede boot will speak his language. Wear them here, wear them there, team with just about anything. $645, rmwilliams.com.au/nz 12. The epic Mission Line 280 fishing kayak comes kitted out with all the bells and whistles, including a moulded, padded seat and back rest, rod holder and natty hatch for the catch of the day.

Designed for the flat-water angler, this might just be the closest Dad gets to sailing away for a while. $1199 from canoeandkayak.co.nz

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13. Whatever his preferred code, this neutrally-toned R.M.Williams Medium Stripe Rugby Jersey, $159, will age beautifully (just like Father, we hope). rmwilliams.com.au/nz

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the district diary

the kiosk

September 2020

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Dates and events correct at the time of going to press, but please do check for changes due to any current Covid-19 restrictions 5 Explore the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park with Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari cruise. Spot whales, dolphins, seals and rays, and enjoy spectacular views of the city during the four-andhalf hour voyage. And if you don’t spot marine mammals, you can cruise again for free! whalewatchingauckland.com Celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday with the NZ String Quartet as they trace his evolution from brilliant classicist to daring modernist, with Beethoven: Immortal. Jubilee Building, 545 Parnell Rd, 7.30-9.30pm, eventfinda.co.nz for tickets 6 Every Sunday from 7am-1pm, grab your fresh fruit and veggies and experience the multicultural experience that is Auckland Eastern Market. Auckland Netball Centre, 7 Allison Ferguson Dr, St Johns

8 Bring your little prince or princess along for dress ups, make-believe and musical mayhem at Drama Queens’ ĹŒrÄ kei Community Centre sessions, 156 Kepa Rd, every Tuesday 10am-11.30am, $5 per family or see eventfinda.co.nz 10-19 Mythology, fame and immortality; enjoy a unique staging of Handel’s Baroque masterpiece Semele at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell. Tickets and sessions at nzopera.com 12 The Blended Family Success one day workshop run by author Adele Cornish helps with understanding the dynamics, overcoming challenges and planning to succeed. The Parenting Place, 300 Great South Rd, Greenlane, 8.30am-3.30pm, blendedfamilysuccess.nz 13 Learn about the people of the Saltwater Realm — their culture,

language and homelands — at the Auckland Libraries’ special Waitui Ä€tea exhibition at Central City Library, 44 Lorne St, 10am4pm. Free 15 Rain or shine, the Somervell Walking Group meets every Tuesday from 9.15-11.15am for an hour-long walk, followed by morning tea. All welcome, gold coin donation, cnr Greenlane and Remuera roads Tu Meke TĹŤi! is a heartwarming tale about friendship, courage and celebrating our differences, set to a backdrop of native wildlife. Performed in English and te reo MÄ ori, tamariki aged 3-8 will love this play, based on the book written by Malcolm Clarke and illustrated by artist FLOX. Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, 10.30am and 1pm, ticketmaster.co.nz 20 Join Bach Musica NZ for a onenight only concert ensemble of more than 80 classical artists

playing Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi and Rodrigo.

Auckland Town Hall, 5pm, ticketmaster.co.nz New venue old items: the Auckland Vintage Textile Fair offers an array of all things vintage, but has relocated to Ellerslie Racecourse, 100 Ascot Ave. $10 at door, 10am-4pm 22 Pop next door to Ellerslie for a fun quiz night at the Ellerslie Eagles Rugby League Club. It’s free to play and you don’t need to be a club member. To reserve a table, call (09) 579 7719 or ellerslierugbyleague@xtra.co.nz 25 The New Zealand Dance Company’s Feisty Feet: Dance Classes for Over-60s, have gone virtual. No experience necessary, enjoy physical well-being and confidence and learn to dance in the comfort of your own living room. 9-10am, online through Zoom, $10 per session, nzdc.org.nz to register

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Adult (masters) morning swim squads, for ages 21-91 in mixed and women’s squads at the Olympic pool.

Whether you’re training for an event, want to get fit or stay fit, Rick and the team welcome you.

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the cryptic by māyā

Design Warehouse has been manufacturing and supplying luxury outdoor furniture to architects, designers, landscapers, hotels, resorts, private residences, and more for over 25 years. Everything is sourced from Italy, Belgium, France, Indonesia and the Philippines. The designs and variety of the outdoor furniture pieces are eclectic, organic, and stunning. All products are in stock, fully assembled, and available for nationwide delivery.

All Sunbrella® Cushions are included in the price of all our deep seating asshown on our website.

DONALD DINING TABLE AND WASHINGTON DINING ARM CHAIR SET

KENT STREET RECLAIMED TEAK LOW COFFEE TABLE

MAYO OUTDOOR RELAXING CHAIR

CABO TEAK OUTDOOR FURNITURE COLLECTION

Set by Māyā. The starred clues are of a kind — their definitions are omitted, and their word lengths are slightly misleading.

Answers will appear in our next issue, October 2020. Can’t wait, or need help? Visit https://thehobsoncrossword.wordpress.com

ACROSS 1* Sauce for the pleasure boat? (11) 7 Childish organ turned back tailless dog (3) 9* Joker occasionally ’ollering? (9) 10 Toss caber to get bitter (5) 11* On this side without slayed (7) 13 Fancy, Sinatra’s in charge (7) 14 Algonquian language used to give up a creation of 25 with no 29 (8) 16 Reach bother? (3,2) 18 Shift first to last taunts (5) 20 Chance walker confused a Serb spy (6-2) 23 American art on the rise in Albania, coming from the South (7) 25* Reject Sharples capturing Peruvian capital (7)

26 Report chamber’s discharge (5) 27* Pilot dropping 10 ranters (9) 29 Tip a wind-up? (3) 30* Brew hogweed soup (11) DOWN 1 Pirate greeting sailor? (6) 2 Siren Bobby sounded to get garland (7) 3 Promise letter? To some extent (3) 4 Calls out half-hearted crunches (5) 5 Sam Strong serving tiny measures (9) 6 Headdress obtained by removing Nixon, initially from a three-hulled boat (5) 7* Lies drunk in the drink (7) 8* Tragedy of Macbeth without 29 performing (8)

12 Becomes conscious of wave patterns (5) 15 Amorous stinker exercises footballer on bench (4,2,3) 16 Glitter has a bearing in a type of 70s rock (5) 17* Preserve without a hurdle, briefly (8) 19* Secretly kicks tea dependency (7) 21 Beautiful gold in French commune? (7) 22 Tenant reduced Cummings (6) 24 Am turning up in character to draw a new chart (5) 25 Did account with talk (5) 28 Cinders on Wednesday? (3)

AFRICAN SAFARI TEAK SIDE TABLES

BROOKLYN CONCRETE PLANTERS (OVAL)

ILLUSION OUTDOOR DINING TABLE

HANDI SMALL OUTDOOR ALUMINIUM ROUND TRAY

AUGUST CRYPTIC CROSSWORD ANSWERS Across: 1 Vermilion, 6 Tapas, 9 Offal, 10 Workforce, 11 Leonardo, 12 Epoch, 14 Aghast, 15 Relation, 16 Red, 17 Enriched, 19 Eskimo, 22 Māori, 23 Cinnabar, 25 Stress out, 26 Pride, 27 Clean, 28 Supplants Down: 1 Viol, 2 Refresher course, 3 Islands, 4 Inward, 5 Narrowed, 6 Taffeta, 7 Personification, 8 Stephenson, 13 Water music, 15 Red, 16 Reactors, 18 Crimson, 20 Scalpel, 21 Instep, 24 Hews

the hobson 42

BIANCA OUTDOOR ROPE FURNITURE COLLECTION

SUMMER STACKING DINING CHAIR

137 - 147 THE STRAND, PARNELL, AUCKLAND / 0800 111 112 / OPEN DAILY 9:30 TO 5:00 / DESIGNWAREHOUSE.CO.NZ

The Art of Fine Living

45 ALBANY ROAD, PONSONBY

Prepare to be seduced entering this beautifully renovated villa in the popular Avenues.

Lavished with quality and clever designer flair, the substantial four bedroom home with 2.5 bathrooms and two living areas hits the sweet spot for families and entertainers alike.

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From stunning oak parquet floors to dazzling contemporary ECC light fittings, careful detailing is extraordinary. Open plan living eases out to a patio in private tropical landscaped garden with easy-care tiger turf lawn.

A cosy reading retreat is enclosed in glazing with gas fire plus there is air conditioning and central heating throughout with an integrated video/sound system. A Falcon stove will tempt chefs in the modern farmhouse kitchen with scullery.

Spanning the upstairs level, an ultra-luxurious master suite has a porcelain tiled bathroom and large fitted dressing room. Curated with style, even the garage looks good.

The owner has purchased. Simply step in and experience the magnificence.

nzsothebysrealty.com Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

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LAND AREA: 420 sq m (more or less) FLOOR AREA: 248 sq m (approx.)

FORTHCOMING AUCTION VIEW: nzsothebysrealty.com/NZE11260

PAUL SISSONS M +64 27 432 5220 paul.sissons@nzsir.com AMANDA PLATT M +64 21 756 699 amanda.platt@nzsir.com