Times - 14 December 2022

BEACHLANDS PLAN CHANGE OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

By LAURA KVIGSTAD, Auckland Council Reporter Funded by New Zealand on Air

Aprivate plan change that would allow a 3000-dwelling development in Beachlands is pushing forward.

At Auckland Council’s Planning, Environment and Parks committee on December 8, members accepted a private plan change request on 307 hectares of land in Beachlands.

Rather than adopting or rejecting the application, accepting the request opens up the plan change for submission.

Chair Richard Hills said if members rejected the application it could go to court, cutting council out of negotiations.

“This is accepting the process… everyone comes around the table, then goes through the submission process. Public will have their say,” Hills said.

Lead planner Craig Cairncross said the applicant’s proposed development presented issues around the infrastructure

constraints for the area.

“Transport constraints relate to several existing safety issues along the WhitfordMaraetai Road and limited public transport,” Cairncross said.

He said a draft funding plan from the applicant proposed a $75 million contribution towards transport infrastructure including several intersection upgrades and a $16 million contribution to increase the capacity of the Pine Harbour ferry services. “The applicant is not proposing any contribution for the widening of the Whitford Maraetai Road to four lanes.”

Cairncross said the development would also move against council’s emission reduction targets with 80 per cent of Beachlands’ population relying on private vehicles to get to work.

Cr Maurice Williamson said the Beachlands development could not be considered in isolation because the effects would ripple out to the Howick ward.

CAB celebrates 45 years

itizens Advice Bureau PakurangaEastern Manukau celebrated its 45th Anniversary at Te Tuhi on December 6.

Chief executive officer National Office CABNZ Kerry Dalton extended her best wishes and congratulations from the whole of the CAB “for your celebration of such a significant milestone – 45 years of supporting your community”.

“E hara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa taki tini – My strength is not mine alone, but is the strength of many,” Dalton

ART

said. “This whakatauki speaks to how many people have contributed to CAB Pakuranga-Eastern

Council, the organisations and people who partner to provide clinics and other services and the collegiality and support of being part of a national organisation.

“Always at the heart of our service, the thing that makes it extra special, is the incredible commitment and generosity of volunteers who have given of their time freely and without any thought of monetary reward, to assist and support others in their community.

“For a bureau to continue and thrive for 45 years it needs to be the kind of place

East Auckland art lovers giving artists a voice

Two east Auckland art lovers have launched a virtual gallery and e-commerce store, named Echo Collective, designed to showcase and sell local artists’ work.

Founders Amanda Stickland and Zoe Howcroft, from the Half Moon Bay and Eastern Beach areas, curated 35 exclusive and licensed pieces from nine artists at the company’s launch.

“Our research showed us that artists found the business of art stressful and overwhelming and the idea behind Echo is that we take on the sales, distribution and marketing elements of the industry so we can give our artists back time to create more incredible works,” says Stickland.

There is something for all art lovers in Echo Collective’s first collection, from the muted flo-

rals of Maiko Nagao; the vibrant meadows of Steph Chapman, textured prints that will stand the test of time or the drone footage of surfers on the East Coast captured by George Botha.

“We wanted to offer an extensive range of art by some of the incredible artists we’ve seen on Instagram, both up-andcoming and established. Our vision is to have Kiwi and Australian artists in

homes all over the country and for an accessible price for original works,” says Howcroft.

The 35 pieces that are currently live range in price from $199 to $499 and all proceeds from each sale go directly to the artist.

The collection has a range of hand-picked styles to suit every house and decor option.

Each artwork is printed onto high quality linen

where volunteers enjoy coming to work and feel supported and valued. And clearly this is a bureau that achieves this.”

A guest, Maurice Williamson, a former Pakuranga MP for National and currently a Howick Ward councillor, shared about using the CAB office to speak with his constituents prior to obtaining his own office on the Pakuranga Highway.

Damian Light also spoke as Chair of the Howick Local Board congratulating CAB on 45 years of service to our local community.

with a wood-look veneer frame and comes with a wire attached for no-fuss hanging.

Visit https://echocollective.co.nz/

Howick

Manukau over its 45 years –the amazing volunteers, the dedicated staff, the funders, particularly Auckland

Art lovers Amanda Stickland, right, and Zoe Howcroft.

Celebrating, from left, Kerry Dalton (CEO CABNZ), Bruce Kendall (Howick Local Board member), Adele White (Howick Local Board member), Damian Light (chair Howick Local Board) and Louise Boswell (manager of CAB Pakuranga).

h Continued from page 1

“The concern I have is that Beachlands, Maraetai, are feeding so many more people into our area for schools, for our roads, for our medical care,” Williamson said.

He said the impact on Howick would be huge and developers would need to pay a huge amount of money for the infrastructure needed to accommodate the population growth.

Independent Māori Statutory Board member Tau Henare said he was “gobsmacked” by the opposition.

“I live in a community where there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of apartments going up… no new infrastructure, more kids at school, more people in the chemist but these are all working class families,” Henare said.

“When we see a plan out east we get ‘we can’t afford this, we can’t afford that’... we have not got enough resources in Te Atatu but there are literally hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of new homes that have gone up in my area.”

If council rejected the plan, he said “these people will go to court and we will

lose. In a time where the mayor has said we want to save money, we are about to spend money to say no.”

Cr Sharon Stewart said the area was in desperate need of a secondary school to accommodate a population growth.

“The roading and the infrastructure, it is just not going to cope. Already every morning there is gridlock, just about every second day there is a serious accident out there and the emergency services can’t get out there,” Stewart said.

Cr Andy Baker said Beachlands had doubled in size since 2010 and infrastructure issues were longstanding.

Baker said the Franklin local board were “donkey deep” in discussions with the Ministry of Education trying to get a secondary school in the area and that nine buses leave Beachlands every day to take kids to school.

“If this plan change goes through, it is the opportunity to fix those issues because it creates scale,” he said.

Council will need to publicly notify the private plan change request within the next four months.

By CHRIS HARROWELL

Police are investigating a robbery that allegedly saw two offenders enter an east Auckland bar and present what appeared to be a firearm at those inside.

A police spokesperson told the Times the incident happened at 123 Palm Bar in Highland Park at about 2.21am on November 21.

“Police responded to reports of an aggravated robbery at a commercial address on Pakuranga Road.

“It’s understood two offenders have entered the premises and presented what appeared to be a firearm, before stealing cash from the till and fleeing the store.

“While there are no serious injuries to report, those involved are understandably shaken.

“Police continue to follow positive lines of enquiry.”

It’s not the first time in the past decade the bar has been the scene of a crime involving a firearm.

A man was shot outside the bar early one morning in October 2015 during an apparent fight between rival gangs, according to police at the time.

He was shot in the leg and taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The bar was also previously targeted during a robbery one night in November 2012.

The Labour Government recently announced it was taking steps to prevent such offending amidst an ongoing crime wave across New Zealand

that’s seen a large number of ramraids, smash-and-grab burglaries, and robberies, some of which have involved firearms.

Police Minister Chris Hipkins says the move will improve public safety by stopping people whose behaviour and actions represent a high risk of violence from accessing firearms or restricted weapons, he says.

“Firearms Prohibition Orders are another measure that will help tackle and reduce gun crime and its impacts on our communities.

“The orders empower judges to prohibit anyone convicted of firearmsrelated crimes and other specific crimes, including murder and serious violence offences, from accessing or using guns.

“These orders will help police further reduce firearms violence and make our communities safer.”

Hipkins says the orders target

violent offenders, including gang members.

“It gets the balance right between public safety and the right to use and own firearms by prohibiting people with a history of offending from being near a dangerous weapon.

“The new legislation gives a judge the power to impose an order lasting 10 years and makes it a criminal offence to breach the conditions of the order. A breach is an imprisonable offence.” h People with information on the alleged robbery of 123 Palm Bar on November 21 who have not yet spoken to police are asked to phone 105 or report it online at www.police. govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report, referencing number 221121/1779.

Information can also be provided anonymously via the free and anonymous Crimestoppers tip-off line on 0800 555 111.

123 Palm Bar in Highland Park was allegedly robbed on November 21. Times photo Wayne Martin

Ambridge Rose celebrates twenty years of

Caring for thousands of senior citizens over the past two decades is an experience few people would know and some might even avoid.

But for the Sargeant family, enriching seniors’ lives became their mission when they bought a small Pakuranga rest home in 2002.

Linda Sargeant had a career in aged care and her husband Allan had just finished a business course when the owner of the Edgewater Drive facility asked if they wanted to buy it.

“The timing was perfect because Linda wanted to have greater influence over the care of residents and I was looking for a business opportunity,” Allan says.

“Linda was committed to a holistic approach to aged care, incorporating the person’s health, social and emotional well-being.”

The couple took the plunge and renamed the rest home Ambridge Rose Manor after a favourite rose,

and immediately started to think bigger.

At the start of the new millennium there were significant aged-care regulation changes.

Many small rest homes closed because their business models weren’t sustainable.

Allan and Linda had to write extensive quality manuals to ensure Ambridge Rose Manor met the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) new certification requirements.

They aimed higher than the minimum standards and over the years regular audits became less frequent when there was evidence of continuous improvements.

New Zealand’s ageing population required more residential aged care and by 2007 the Sargeants made the first of many building expansions, enabling them to offer hospital-level care.

They needed more staff and started bringing health workers to Pakuranga from overseas.

“At the time our older

residents were generally Europeans who preferred meat-and-three-veg-style meals,” Allan says.

“We had to think more broadly about our culturally diverse caregivers and increasingly diverse community, which was happening at Ambridge Rose well before it became the norm in Auckland.”

The Manor grew from 18 beds to the current 104-bed private hospital and rest home.

A new wing opened in urgent response to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake when older Cantabrians immediately needed specialist accommodation.

“That was one of our biggest challenges – pushing through the last requirements to open a new wing in a couple of hours before 15 vulnerable and traumatised people arrived in the early hours of the morning,” Allan says.

Constantly growing demand for enriching dementia care led to the couple developing The Cottage

and The Villa, which increased the total number of beds in their charge to 154.

The Sargeants’ daughters and son-in-law joined the business and whenever possible their grandchildren are involved also.

“One of the nicest things has been having the family coming along for the jour-

COMMENT

ney,” Allan says.

It takes a lot of people power to operate three rest homes and the couple have employed more than 1000 people, with almost all elements of care being managed in-house.

Allan says they’re rewarded by the work they do for the community and

by creating a family-based organisation that’s financially sustainable so residents and their families are secure.

“For 20 years we’ve been on-call 24/7 and there’s seldom a minute goes by I’m not thinking about Ambridge Rose and the people we care for.”

Time for a welldeserved break

With Christmas around the corner, it’s a good time to reflect on the year that has gone and acknowledge how tough it has been for many Kiwis.

The cost-of-living crisis we face is clearly evident at this time of the year with nearly 50 per cent of families expecting to tighten their belts over the holiday break according to recent polls.

For some this just means fewer presents under the tree, but for too many it means less food on the table and higher costs they are increasingly unable to meet.

Something has to change going forward. More has to be done to get our country back on track

and prospering once again.

Next year will be an opportunity to consider our country’s future as we prepare for a general election and there will be plenty of time for politics after the break.

For now, in my last column for the year, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and an enjoyable summer break with family and friends.

The summer holidays are a special time for New Zealanders, with a chance to take a breather and refresh for the year to come.

I know many of you will be heading away to enjoy some time outside of Pakuranga and for those

News bites

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT

Howick Brass is hosting a night of singing and entertainment underneath Howick’s Stockade Hill on Sunday, December 18 from 8.15pm. They will be beneath the iconic Christmas tree for a ‘fabulous community festive night’.

MP for Pakuranga Simeon Brown

who do, I urge you to be safe wherever you go and be patient if traveling on busy roads.

Thank you for all your support this year. It is an incredible privilege to serve as the Member of Parliament for Pakuranga, and I hope to earn your trust again next year.

Once again, have a Merry Christmas and a safe summer break – I look forward to seeing you all in 2023!

Simeon Brown MP for Pakuranga

SCHOOL RECEIVES GRANT

The NZ Community Trust awarded $477,661.30 in grants in Auckland region in November.

One local recipient was Riverhills School of $15,000 for bike track installation.

Among the 15 Auckland gaming venues that contributed to these grants were local businesses Barrel Inn in Howick and Rib House in Flat Bush.

Botany MP and National Party leader Christopher Luxon, centre, joined the 20th anniversary celebrations at Ambridge Rose Manor with founders Linda and Allan Sargeant. Photo supplied

Eastern Busway gets new $200m funding injection

The Government has announced it’s putting an extra $200 million into construction of the Eastern Busway public transport project.

Once completed, the busway will provide better connections and sustainable travel options with a reliable high-frequency service every few minutes in peak periods.

It will offer passengers a 40-minute bus and train trip between Botany Town Centre and Britomart in downtown Auckland, saving 20 minutes of travel time.

Transport Minister Michael Wood says faster travel times and a more reliable bus service is coming to more of Auckland’s eastern suburbs with the extra investment in the project’s next phases.

“With this investment, 24,000 more Aucklanders will now live within 1km of a rapid transit station, providing an attractive public transport service that’s reliable and delivers an improved service to the city.

“The Government is investing an additional $200m into the project, reallocated from the Northern Pathway, to support Auckland Transport in the delivery of the busway.

“This brings the total Crown con-

tribution to the Eastern Busway project to over $600 million.”

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown thanks Wood for listening to Aucklanders and acting quickly to back the busway’s completion.

“The Northern Busway is probably Auckland’s most successful transport project of recent years,” Brown says. “We need to build on

its success by finishing the Eastern [Busway] and get cracking on the Northwestern Busway as soon as possible.”

Wood says the new Reeves Road Flyover in Pakuranga will improve the busway’s reliability and reduce vehicle congestion around Pakuranga Town Centre.

By 2028, the busway will carry

14,000 passengers per day, more than four times the 3,700 bus passengers per day prior to Covid-19.

By 2048 it’s expected to increase to 24,000 passengers per day.

Wood says the busway will increase access to jobs and education, connect people to social and community opportunities, attract investment and growth, enable urban development, and help reduce emissions.

He and Brown say the project is an “important step” toward an agreed broader plan to future-proof Auckland with one high quality, connected transport system that includes cars, buses, trains, ferries, cyclists, pedestrians, freight and passenger rail and light rail.

Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown says the National Party welcomes the reallocation of $200m from “Labour’s failed Waitemata Harbour cycle bridge” towards the Eastern Busway.

“This announcement is good news for this important project.

“However it only deals with cost increases on the projects due to continuous delayed delivery over the past five years. Aucklanders won’t forget the fact Labour wasted $51m on the proposed cycle bridge, a vanity project no one wanted.”

Youths busted after burglary

Three youths were caught by police after allegedly being involved in the recent burglary of an east Auckland business.

A police spokesperson says the incident unfolded in the early hours of December 1.

At about 3.47am police responded to reports of a burglary in Flat Bush.

Three people had broken into a commercial address in Thomas Road.

“It’s understood they took a large number of items from the location before leaving the scene in a waiting vehicle.

“With the assistance of our police Eagle helicopter, units located those involved in Mangere a short time later.

“All three were taken into custody and have been referred to Youth Aid.”

Brown says the Government must finally focus on delivery, not making more announcements on transport projects.

“Auckland needs a clear plan of what the future transport networks in Auckland will be, for new freight routes, improved roading connections, and for public transport.

“Unfortunately the past five years have simply resulted in tens of millions of dollars being spent on consultants.”

An impression of how part of the Eastern Busway project will look once completed.

File photo supplied

Rocket Lab teams with educators

By BEN PLUMMER

Pakuranga College Earth and Space science teacher, Sandy Collier was one among 13 educators across New Zealand to visit Rocket Lab’s Auckland rocket building factory last month.

The American-New Zealand company, founded by Peter Beck in 2006, provides rockets to deliver payloads into orbit from its launch site on the Māhia Peninsula, in New Zealand’s north.

The typical function of these payloads is environmental moni-

toring, meaning that they either monitor land use, climate change or telecommunications.

All components for the rockets are manufactured at the Auckland factory with a staff of over 600 people.

The rocket manufacturing factory, based in Mount Wellington, has just started a new educators’ programme to provide teachers with insight into vocational pathways and professions in the NZ and international space industry.

“The aim is to bring people from across New Zealand together, with a passion for science and peo-

ple that are somehow involved in teaching our children about the opportunities in space and the technologies related to that going forward,” says Collier.

Over the two-day programme, educators learnt about the company and brainstormed how they could use Rocket Lab context to bring into their teaching about physics, space science, technology or whatever the case may be.

“What was exciting for Pakuranga College specifically is all the potential avenues of how students can actually get involved in the space industry nowadays,”

says Collier.

Collier says that historically when people talk about space and rockets, they think you must be a scientist or an engineer, but Rocket Lab has exceptional opportunities for people in every field, regardless of interests or educational background.

“What I would like us to explore are more cross-curricular activities between science, technology and art,” says Collier.

“I know a lot of art students over the past year have been very passionate about using space as a context for their design,” she says.

CARVING OUT SPACE FOR COMMUNITY: BOTANY TOWN CENTRE HOSTS SKATE OUT EAST

Art is at the heart of community, and a recently held event, Skate Out East, was a collaboration between organisations that encourage kids to connect with one another, their artistic side and the outdoors.

Arts Out East, Botany Town Centre, Lucie Blaze and Boardertown all came together with the support of Te Tuhi and the Howick Local Board to develop a workshop that ran over two days and provided kids with mentorship and resources to customise their boards and get them skating.

Centre manager Kerrie Hughes

says, “As the heart of our community, we enjoy connecting and making sure that the interests and needs of all the community are met through a variety of events, especially after the last few years. It’s great to see families and kids out enjoying themselves once more.”

Lucie Blaze, a graphic designer, artist, and student of Arts Therapy at Whitecliffe, ran the first day of Skate Out East, on November 12 at Botany Library where children were guided by her expertise to paint skateboards. “This was a wonderful opportunity to demon-

strate to youth that there are different outlets for creative energy and that in a hyper-digital world, it can be a cathartic experience to get involved in physically making art,” says Blaze.

As arts brokers who support creatives and community groups in east Auckland, Arts Out East extended Blaze’s idea by connecting with skate and snow retailer, Boardertown. A second day of Skate Out East was held on November 13 at Barry Curtis Skatepark. Boardertown, which has a retail store in Botany Town Centre, kept the momentum going

by helping with skateboard parts, building and sharing skating tips and tricks with the children. Dylan Govender and Iggy Mushonga from Boardertown, who gave their time and energy in the Sunday session, are also locals and were enthused to share their passion for skating.

Tim Guy of Boardertown says, “We recognise the importance of growing and engaging community, and particularly opening doors for youth to participate in skateboarding. When Arts Out East approached us to be involved with this project, we jumped at the opportunity.”

There will be an opportunity for Collier to take 25 students to visit the factory next year, which she says will be very difficult to choose.

“We might have to run an inhouse competition to see who is really passionate about it, because I don’t just want to take scientists,” she says.

“I want us to support some of our students to potentially get an internship or scholarship with Rocket Lab,” Collier says.

Founder, Peter Beck’s advice to youth wanting to get involved in the space industry is “follow your passion”.

Set in 30 acres of gardens, it’s a secure, friendly neighbourhood with all the facilities you could wish for. A bowling green, indoor pool, spa, sauna, library, snooker tables and much more.

These delightful, fully renovated stand-alone and duplex villas are fully modernised to a high standard and come with their own internal access garages.

It’s rare that we have such a selection available, so get in quick!

Call Kate or Sylvie now on 09 576 5990 or 021855735 to arrange a viewing and village tour. *License

Call us to arrange a viewing on 09 576 5990 or Sylvie 027 314 5767, Kate 021 855 735.

Kids have been able to show their artistic sides and customise their skateboards. Photo supplied

Locals defy weather for Howick Santa Parade

The Howick Santa Parade was a great success despite the rain.

Thousands turned out to see more than 60 walking groups, muscle cars and floats and the big man himself, Santa. The expectation of heavy downpours proved unfounded. It is believed to be the first time it has rained during the parade.

The winner of the best float competition was Cockle Bay Primary School; second was Howick, Bucklands Beach & Pakuranga Playcentres and third was Howick Historical Village.

Organiser Bo Burns said, “Well Howick, all I can say is that was certainly an endurance test and a good indicator of our committee and volunteers’ determination to get through the 69th parade.

“But despite the weather, we got there. By 12noon the community was arriving in droves. I walked around the back to capture the feel of all the float setup, and all I could hear and see was a “carnival of fun” happening around the back, laughter, singing, smiling children, people just getting amongst the parade.

“I looked down Wellington street, and felt a wave of emotion as I could see hundreds of people walking up Wellington Street. All I could see was umbrellas as far back walking in single file from the Howick Domain. The people were coming, the parade was again to be a success.”

To see photos from throughout the event visit times.co.nz/ photos

Times photos Wayne Martin

Local business backs future gens

t’s been three years since Southern Cross Partners Loans and Investments presented its inaugural tertiary scholarship (valued at up to $72,000 over four years) to a Year 13 Howick College student. Since then, founding directors Barry and Julia Milward along with managing partner Cam Harper have changed the lives of six more Howick College students and their families for the better.

“At Southern Cross Partners we firmly believe in the benefits of supporting the local community and that is typified by our relationship with Howick College,” explained Harper.

The main purpose of the Southern Cross Partners scholarship was to assist talented students whose circumstances meant pursuing tertiary study could be a challenge. However, with so many outstanding applicants to choose from, the local business decided to award a further one-off financial contribution of $5000 each year.

“Every one of the applicants is a real credit to themselves, their families and the college.” Harper said.

This scholarship has been lifechanging, enabling past recipients Jenna Hainsworth (Conjoint Bachelor’s Degree in Business

and International Hospitality) and Tim Schoeman (Bachelor of Engineering) to focus on their studies without the added worry of having to support themselves. This year’s recipient Erika Sawyers still can’t believe it’s real. Sawyers, whose family moved into zone to enable her to attend Howick College, intends to study a Conjoint Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of Auckland next year.

The Southern Cross Partners team was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with past and present scholarship recipients at a morning tea recently hosted by the Howick College Community Development Office. Also present

were financial contribution recipients Chris Camm (Bachelor of Accounting), Sam Vaea (Bachelor of Medical Science) and Sophie Zaadstra, who intends to study a conjoint bachelor’s degree in the Arts and Global Studies.

Southern Cross Partners has found its relationship with Howick College to be extremely rewarding.

“As a business and residents of the local community, we would strongly encourage other businesses to invest in our collective future by partnering with Howick College,” said Harper.

“I’m happy to have a conversation about the numerous benefits with anyone contemplating doing this.”

Helius attains certification key

Helius Therapeutics has received Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) certification at its purposebuilt medicinal cannabis facility in East Tamaki.

Recognised globally, GACP is a leading certification standard for medicinal cannabis. It outlines minimum requirements for growers in creating high quality, consistent flower.

“Achieving GACP is another key milestone for the Helius team in our journey to full site certification. GACP is a wellrecognised requirement for medicinal cannabis in many countries. Gaining this certification will only open more doors as we now unleash our export strategy,” said Carmen Doran, chief executive of Helius Therapeutics.

October was a month of audits for Helius. Notification of New Zealand’s largest medicinal cannabis company gaining GACP is the first in a series of announcements. “This certification reinforces that Helius is a medicines company first and foremost. We are unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives. Our research team’s primary focus is to unlock the global potential of medicalgrade cannabis therapeutics,

developed from New Zealand,” Doran said.

In September, Helius became the first New Zealand medicinal cannabis company to gain approval for products derived from locally-grown cannabis plants, with the Full Spectrum CBD medicines also locally extracted and manufactured. This followed Helius gaining verification of its active ingredient meeting the quality standard in late August.

In New Zealand every doctor can now prescribe medicinal cannabis for any health condition, with more healthcare professionals willing to back the much talked-about natural alternative. “Helius is changing it up a gear, with 2023 seeing more products and more markets being served from our site in New Zealand and that’s incredibly exciting.”

Carmen Doran, the chief executive o icer of Helius. Photo supplied

Members of Southern Cross Partners Loans and Investments enjoy meeting Howick College Scholarship recipients and their families. In the front row are Erika Sawyers, Jenna Hainsworth, Barry Milward, Julia Milward, Tim Schoeman and Sophie Zaadstra.

Photo supplied

CLIMATE HOPE

Oh dear. Your correspondent, Dennis Horne, seems to believe the politicians who are telling him that the world is doomed unless he pays more taxes.

Yes, the “claims” I make are based on publicly available data from a “certain sort of internet site” – conspiratorial sources such as NASA, The World Wildlife Fund and the US Government.

As for persuading a “significant number of scientists”, it is irrelevant how many scientists are persuaded. A theory doesn’t become “the truth” based on how many scientists believe it. Nor false because too few scientists believe it. That’s not how science works.

Scientific theories, by definition, cannot be proven – so there are just two main types of scientific theory:

1) those already disproven

2) those not yet disproven.

In the second category one can find competing theories for the same thing. Some plausible. Some silly. Most will eventually be proven wrong. None will ever be proven right.

With respect to “climate science” theories: to paraphrase the famous physicist Richard Feynman: if you have a model of a natural process, then no matter how elegant the model is, if what happens in the real-

world doesn’t match the predictions of your model, the model is wrong.

For example, if your model predicts that the arctic will be ice free by 2008, but the arctic is still well covered in 2022, the model is wrong.

Or if your model predicts “snowfall is a thing of the past” (an actual headline in 2000), but it is still snowing in 2022, the model is wrong.

In the 43 years since The Clash sang about how “the ice age is coming”, not one prediction of catastrophe extrapolated from a climate model has come to pass.

But that hasn’t stopped the prophets – politicians and scientists – getting very wealthy

selling their theories.

I look at the evidence, and I see no cause for alarm, only cause for hope.

Humanity survived the last ice age and the actual cataclysm that followed it.

In the 21st century, we have much better tools to manage all the threats that nature presents.

We’d be much better off spending billions of dollars improving those than on sending politicians on first-class flights to conferences in fivestar hotels where they dine on hundred-dollar steaks and talk about new ways to tax the middle class.

Ryan Price Half Moon Bay

EMERGENCY HOUSING

Re: Millions invested in emergency housing (Times article by Chris Harrowell, November 16).

National MP Simeon Brown is appalled at the cost of emergency housing. Well he might be, but it was National that sold the state houses. Those houses provided a safe and healthy environment for lowincome earners. After the sales, their choice was between renting a sordid house, a crowded house or camping in a car.

By scrapping the apprenticeships, National forced our future tradesmen to look overseas. Not enough tradesmen equals not enough houses being built.

Now Labour is trying to fix this serious lack of judgment by reintroducing the apprenticeship scheme and building in spite of the difficulties due to Covid and the war. Fortunately.

In an interview in July 2020, the National housing spokesperson Jacqui Dean claimed that under Mr Key’s government, 30,000 houses were built – that is 30,000 in 9 years – actually it was only 3000. There were no lockdowns, no Covid and no Russian war.

Mr Brown, do we, as a nation, want people living in emergency accommodation or do we want them sleeping on benches?

Brigitte Horne, Howick

What’s on

BRING A WARM COAT BOOK LAUNCH

Botany Library welcomes you to come along and meet M. E. Hardiman to celebrate the launch of her book Bring a Warm Coat, Botany Library, Sunday, December 18 at 11am. To register email botany.library@ aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

TRAP LIBRARY EAST AUCKLAND

Trap handout and return, third Saturday of every month. Borrow or return a possum or stoat trap. Join our mustelid control zone project. Register for a free rat trap with Pest Free Howick Ward. December 17, 9am to noon. Underground carpark directly below Pakuranga Library, Reeves Road side. Look for our flags.

What’s On is a free community noticeboard for non-pro t groups. Send notices to whatson@times.co.nz or drop into our o ce at 10 Central Terrace, Howick. Notices must be received by the Wednesday before publication. While every e ort is made to run the notices, space restrictions may mean notices may not run. Keep notices to less than 50 words.

There is no guarantee your notice will run. Where publication of a notice is time-critical, groups should consider placing a classi ed advertisement to ensure placement.

In the 43 years since The Clash sang about how “the ice age is coming”, not one prediction of catastrophe extrapolated from a climate model has come to pass, says Ryan Price. Photo Nick Cobbing Greenpeace International

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2. Pour the mixture onto plastic wrap placed on a flat surface. Fold the plastic wrap toward the centre, and press firmly with your hands to create a solid ball of dough. Make sure the plastic wrap is airtight, and refrigerate the dough for 1 to 4 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F). Roll out the dough until it’s about 5 millime-

tres (1/4 of an inch) thick. Using a starshaped cookie cutter, shape 20 cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly. For half of the cookies, use a second, smaller cookie cutter to create a hole in the centre. Bake for 10 minutes, but make sure to rotate the pan 180 degrees at the 5-minute mark.

4. Let the cookies cool completely. Place 1 teaspoon of crabapple jelly on top of a full cookie, and top it with one that has a hole. Press lightly to seal the two cookies together.

Santa is on track to deliver more letters

NZ Post has been working with Santa and his elves to ensure Kiwi kids receive a response to their letters this Christmas.

“Once again, NZ Post is offering the magical connection of Writing to Santa and for tamariki to receive a response in te reo Māori or English. We’re proud to say that this year Hana Kōkō (Santa) is on track to send even more letters than in 2021 and we still have three weeks to go,” says marcomms specialist Helen Southern.

“Last year we helped Santa respond to almost 100,000 letters. Popular items on Kiwi kids’ lists were remote control cars followed closely by cuddly toys. Hana Kōkō has also received some quirky requests this year, including pleas for real life elves to be delivered, hoverboards and even a helicopter.”

NZ Post’s interactive website allows children to send

an online letter – as well as having special access to Santa’s Ho Ho Homepage, where kids can read Santa’s emails, play games, listen to North Pole FM and browse Santa’s holiday snaps too.

While the deadline has passed to have physical postcard responses received in the mail from Santa, Kiwi kids can still send Santa an online message up until 5pm, Thursday, December 22 and will receive

an email response. Email responses take 24 hours from when the online letter is sent.

To make and send a digital postcard, visit www. nzpost.co.nz/writetosanta

Santa

Preparing your pets important for the coming festive season

The Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ) is reminding pet owners that a little bit of preparation now will help keep their animals fit and healthy over the summer holidays.

VCNZ professional advisor Seton Butler says whether people are going away or having a staycation, it is important they plan ahead to ensure their pets are vaccinated, have any medication they need and have received any essential routine care before the Christmas break.

“Given that we still have a significant shortage of veterinarians, there are likely to be long wait times for emergency care in late December/early January,” he says.

“People should also be prepared to travel a bit further for urgent care. Clinics often work together over the holidays to ensure urgent patients can still receive intensive care and support if needed.

“Because of the veterinary shortage, it is very likely there will be delays, so we are urging members of the public to please be patient

and kind to vet teams over this time.”

If you are taking your pet on holiday with you, VCNZ suggests giving the closest vet to your destination a call to check if they would be able to see your animal if needed, and if not what alternatives are available.

“It’s better to have a plan in case something goes wrong than to try and figure it out in an emergency,” Butler says.

If your pet is going to stay in a boarding facility, it is essential they are fully vaccinated; the booking for their stay has been confirmed; there is a plan in place if they need to be seen by a vet; and the boarding facility can contact you if your pet is unwell.

As well as doing everything you can to ensure your pet is in tip top shape for the festive season, remember to keep an eye out for usual summer holiday hazards such as dehydration, eating food like chocolate and grapes that can make animals sick and unfamiliar environments where they may behave unpredictably.

If you are taking your pet on holiday with you, VCNZ suggests giving the closest vet to your destination a call to check if they would be able to see your animal if needed, and if not what alternatives are available.

Photo Nick Krause

USA GOLF SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO VIVIAN LU

The University of Washington has awarded Year 13 Macleans College student Vivian Lu (Batten House) with an athletic financial aid scholarship.

The golfer signed the scholarship documents at Macleans College in the office of principal Steven Hargreaves on Tuesday, November 15.

The four-year full scholarship covers tuition fees, room and board at campus rates, the cost of course-related books, personal expenses and transportation.

Lu is a high-achieving player who aspires to be a professional golfer in the next few years a dream which began in primary school. She has spent thousands of hours practicing and training and has acquired the skills, alongside physical and mental strength to perform at a very high level on the New Zealand golf circuit.

Since 2018, Lu has been a member of the Macleans College premier golf team and is the current co-captain. She was instrumental in Macleans College winning the national golf title in 2018 and 2019. Lu has won the Macleans College Sportswoman of the Year award for the last five years.

She has been in the New Zealand Women’s Golf team for the past four years. This year she is a member of the tier one team.

Some of Vivian Lu’s achievements for 2022:

First – New Zealand Women’s Amateur Stroke Play (back-to-back titles)

First – North Island

Under 19s

First – South Island

Stroke Play Championship

First – Otago Stroke Play Championship

First – New Zealand

Foursomes

Second

6s Tour

Adidas Junior

Howick Croquet Club members were runners-up in both sections at a well-attended golf croquet tournament on Sunday, December 4.

Vanessa Baddock and Brandon Lee were runners-up in one section and Brian Price and Faye Loughlin were runners-up in the other section.

“Thanks to our sponsors Resthaven Funeral Homes,” a club spokesperson said.

“Also thanks to Countdown Highland Park for donating a wonderful Christmas Hamper which we raffled.”

It was won by another Howick Croquet Club member, Rob Boag.

“Why not come along and find out what fun we have playing croquet at Howick Croquet Club.” Phone the secretary on 0274 706 478 to find out about playing days.

MAJOR NATIONAL AWARD

Flex Fitness Howick has taken out a major award at this year’s Exercise NZ Awards.

These awards are nationwide awards in the fitness industry and are awarded annually. The awards evening was on Saturday, November 26.

Flex Fitness Howick won for best Franchised Facility of the Year prize. It was also nominated for Outstanding Support Person of the year with owner Stephanie Mansfield as well as Personal Trainer of the Year with Daniel Nicholson.

Three award nominations

unusual, and to take out one of the major awards after only operating for seven months is considered a massive achievement. “It proves that Stephanie’s dream of bringing one of the best gyms to her hometown of Howick has paid off,” a spokesperson said.

“The people of Howick should realise that Flex Fitness Howick really is world class.”

Judging notes read, “This category was close and your community involvement gave you the edge. Congratulations.”



First – Muriwai Open in the women’s field

Meanwhile, Lu was again part of the Auckland team which became the first district to win six New Zealand Women’s Interprovincials in a row, defeating North Harbour in Saturday’s final at Omanu Golf Club.

After comfortably defeating Bay of Plenty in the semifinal on Saturday, Auckland lined up against North Harbour for a classic battle of the bridge clash, which they won by a narrow margin of 3 – 2.

Auckland co-captains Caryn Khoo and Lu say it’s amazing to get across the line again, especially without one of their star players, Fiona Xu.

“This will also be my last interprovincial as I head to college next year, so it’s nice to finish on a high and get another victory for the province that I love,” said Lu.

Rain affects matches again

By BEN PLUMMER

Rain has once again been the deciding factor of club cricket over the weekend, with all Howick Pakuranga cricket matches being affected.

Howick Pakuranga’s (HPCC) premier men side got their T20 campaign off to a great start with a big win over local rivals Papatoetoe last Wednesday.

HPCC batted first and scored 120/4 off their 18 overs, as the match was reduced due to a late start because of weather.

Opener Bill Walsh (36 off 38 balls) and David Winn (37 off 32 balls) led the batting attack before HPCC bowlers made light work of their local rivals.

Papatoetoe were dismissed for 55 from 14.3 overs. Credit to an impressive bowling performance from Azharudin Lambat who took four wickets for only five runs.

Supporting performances from the leg spin duo of Harmeet Singh with 3/12 and Kimesh Chetty with 3/16 also proved to be important.

Singh has been selected to play for Auckland A this week along with the New Zealand Development XI. Over the past two summers he has played for the Auckland U19s team and is ranked one of the top spinners in Auckland.

On Saturday, the strong HPCC premier men had a home game against East Coast Bays, which proved to be a day for bowling.

HPCC bowled first and dismissed East Coast Bays for 120 in 41 overs with impressive performances again from young players Lambat (4-21) and Singh (2-16) leading the way.

In reply, Howick Pakuranga were in trouble early, finding themselves losing four quick wickets with only 12 runs on the board.

HPCC began to stage a fight back before the infamous Auckland rain struck and the game was abandoned with no result.

The HPCC premier women also had a home fixture on Saturday against the strong Cornwall CC side.

HPCC won the toss and elected to bowl, restricting Cornwall to 167/8 from 49 overs, led by Auckland Hearts and former White Ferns player Katie Perkins who scored 102.

Despite Perkins’ dominant performance, strong bowling from HPCC’s Josie Penfold, Marama Downes and Lauren Ross saw no other batters make double figures.

In reply HPCC got off to a quick start and were 46/4 after 12 overs before the rain came and the remainder of the game was abandoned with no result.

On Sunday, HPCC was due to host a double header Premier Men’s T20 round playing Cornwall and Grafton at Lloyd Elsmore Park, however the day was abandoned due to the wet weather - a common theme this summer.

Only the premier men will see cricket this week with the premier women having a week off due to a domestic cricket round.

They will play Ellerslie in a midweek T20 on Wednesday night at Michael’s Ave and will face Auckland University in a limited overs game at Lloyd Elsmore Park on Saturday.

This is also the final weekend of club cricket for 2022, before a break over Christmas and senior cricket recommencing on January 7.

Premier Men Jeff Crowe Cup Limited over Competition | Round 2 East Coast Bays 120 (R Schierhout 19; A Lambat 4-21, H Singh 2-16) against Howick Pakuranga 35/4 (A Morrison 13 not out; B Smith 3-7) was abandoned due to weather.

Suburbs New Lynn 210/5 (T Patel 90 not out, N Fletcher 46; R Quinn 2-36) against North Shore 16/0 (R Mudford 13 not out) was abandoned due to weather.

Auckland University 273/7 (J Todd 69, O Chakraborty 53; L Wheeler 3-54) against Cornwall 58/0 (A Nidamanuru 33 not out) was abandoned due to weather.

Takapuna District 208/6 (M Sclanders 88; D Van Deventer 2-28) against Parnell was abandoned due to weather.

Premier Men - Richard Jones Trophy Limited Over Competition | Round 2

Eden Roskill 29/3 (H Chakraborty 12 not out; D Kularathne 2-4) against Hibiscus Coast was abandoned due to weather.

Papatoetoe 216/5 (B Rowland 78, R Gill 50; J Newman 3-45) against Birkenhead City 66/2 (S Verma 30 not out; D Bhatti 2-12) was abandoned due to weather.

Waitakere 259/8 (P Pathiranage 119, A Kaundal 38; T Satti 3-37) against Kumeu 94/2 (T Satti 48; S Variath 1-16) was abandoned due to weather.

Ellerslie 185/9 (D Kharel 115; S Gunawardane 4-59) against Grafton was abandoned due to weather.

Barfoot and Thompson Royal Oak Premier Women Prichard Cup Limited Over Competition Round 6

Cornwall 167/8 (K Perkins 102; L Ross 2-19, M Downes 2-33) against Howick Pakuranga 46/4 was abandoned due to weather.

Auckland University 135 (J Prasad 63; K Halliday 3-18, R Nicholas 2-13) against Takapuna District was abandoned due to weather.

Parnell against Papatoetoe was abandoned due to weather.

Premier Men- T20 Competition | Rounds 1-3

Wednesday, December 7- Howick Pakuranga 120/4 (D Winn 37, B Walsh 36; P Rehal 2-21) defeated Papatoetoe 55 (N Deol 14; A Lambat 4-5, H Singh 3-12) by 65 runs.

Sunday, December 11- Howick Pakuranga against Cornwall was abandoned due to rain.

Sunday, December 11- Howick Pakuranga against Grafton was abandoned due to rain.

Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club Upcoming Fixtures

Round 4, Premier Men T20 CompetitionHowick Pakuranga Premier Men VS Ellerslie CC Premier Men at Michaels Avenue ReserveWednesday December 14, 5.30pm.

Round 3, Limited overs Jeff Crowe CupHowick Pakuranga Premier Men VS Auckland University Premier Men at Lloyd Elsmore ParkSaturday December 17, 11am

Runners-up Vanessa Baddock (left), Nicole Hill and Brandon Lee; Brian Price, Nicole Hill and Faye Loughlin. Photo supplied

Macleans College student Vivian Lu (standing second from right) and her Auckland teammates after winning the New Zealand Women’s Interprovincials at the weekend, the first district to win the competition six times in a row. Photo supplied

SOLUTIONS

your business here

List

1, Cider 2, Slave. 3, Depend. 4, Woeful. 5, Spar. 6, Ascertain. 12, Endeavour. 13, Lift. 15, Chef. 17, Lament. 18, Nether. 20, Above. 21, Gloat. 23, Lark. CRYPTIC PUZZLE NO. 8090 Across - 1, Told (anag.). 7, S-top l-ight. 8, Cats (anag.). 9, Sag-a. 10, Tan-g(reen). 11, Sh-OO. 14, What’s yours. 16, Tennis club. 19, Sh(or)ed. 22, Go-Al. 24, (fam) Ous-t(rial). 25, Hand. 26, End-angers. 27, H-ere.

Down - 1, Tacks (tax) 2, L-Otto. 3, Strata (anag.). 4, Sprays. 5, List. 6, China rose. 12, Hide-bound. 13, O-wen (rev.). 15, O-rB-S. 17, Sponge. 18, Lustre (anag.). 20, He-avE. 21, D-odg-E. 23, Lean.

ADVERTISING TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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2. Where the advertiser utilises any aspect of our creative/design services in the production of an advertisement (including photographic work) the advertiser acknowledges that we own the copyright in such work and that such work is not work for which a commissioning payment has been made or agreed.

3. The advertiser agrees to indemnify us against all losses or costs arising directly or indirectly from any breach of those warranties by the advertiser and from any costs incurred in our making corrections or amendments in accordance with the terms that follow.

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5. We may publish the advertisement on the next available day if there is an error or delay in publication of the advertising as booked.

6. We may correct or amend advertising to conform to style or for other genuine reason as long as we do so using reasonable care.

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9. To cancel an advertisement a cancellation number must be obtained from us.

Times Newspaper Limited,

LIBRARIAN

Sancta Maria College is a Year 7-13 State Integrated Catholic Secondary School with over 1000 students in East Auckland. We seek an enthusiastic LIBRARIAN with communication and library skills. The successful person would need the ability to interact positively in a professional manner with staff and students.

This is a fixed term position for 2023 reviewable at the end of 2023. Term time only, 15 hours per week (2 days) – Wednesday & Friday.

Applications close: 19 December 2022

Send your applications to m.littlejohn@sanctamaria. school.nz

Full details of job description and application form on our school website www.sanctamaria.school.nz/employment/ DE285695

Manufacturing Curtains & Romans Blinds

Venluree is NZ’s leading blind manufacturer and in the past 6 years we have expanded into the curtain industry. Due to the success of this venture and the ongoing demand we are looking for an experienced sewing machinist.

Our manufacturing facility is located in the Highbrook Industrial area of East Tamaki Auckland. All machinery, tools, and material will be supplied.

To be considered for the role you must have the following attributes:

• Able to work at speed while maintaining excellent quality and workmanship

• Keen to learn as we will show you all duties within the department

Applicants for this position should be entitled to work in NZ.

If this sounds like you then please apply in the strictest of confidence by sending an up to date CV to: tarsis@venluree.co.nz Text or WhatsApp to 021 222 8847

POLICE

Dozens of offenders charged over crimes

By CHRIS HARROWELL

The crime epidemic sweeping the country shows no sign of easing and east Auckland businesses haven’t been immune.

DE285665

Offences such as ramraids and smash-and-grab burglaries have dominated headlines all year, with many committed by youths. Counties Manukau East Police area commander, Inspector Scott Gemmell, says ram-raids and smashand-grabs are not new.

“We’ve had them over the 20 years I’ve been in the police,” he told the Times

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Advanced Flight is a leading New Zealand owned and operated Helicopter Management and Charter Operator. A diverse company spanning the most advanced multi-engine intermediate helicopters down to the modern Gumbal two seat helicopter. Operations include Government Contracts, Aircraft Management, Charter Operations, Flight Training, and Aircraft Engineering services.

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A confident communicator, team player and highly organised with great attention to detail.

If you are interested in this role please email your CV and a covering letter to andrea@advancedflight.co.nz to ensure we get to know a little more about you.

Applications close Wednesday 21 December 2022. PJ285736

“In this area we had quite a few ram-raids at the end of last year and it hit social media. The one that was biggest at the time was at Ormiston Town Centre. Unfortunately the social media element doesn’t help. It was relayed everywhere. They see it and they want to be involved in it.”

Police data shows there were 33 smash-and-grab burglaries in the Counties Manukau East area between January and November.

The most in a single month is the six committed in August, with five in April and four each in January, May, July and October.

The data shows there were 20 ram-raid burglaries in the area during in the

same time period with the most recorded in a single month being the six in April.

Gemmell says some of the young people involved in such offending are bored, disengaged from school and often truant, and when caught try to “bait” police.

“They’re doing it to film themselves. There have been injuries in amongst all of this. We’ve got people who have fallen and hurt themselves and many parents are beside themselves wondering whether their young one will come back. It’s a really dangerous activity. It was quite prevalent in Counties Manukau East initially but it’s had a steady decline since then.”

He says as of November 29, there were 29 suspects and 30 offenders linked to the ram-raids and smashand-grab burglaries in the area. Dozens of charges have been laid including 41 of burglary, four of robbery, two of receiving stolen prop-

LIVE LOCAL, WORK LOCAL

Pakuranga Park, is an

Homestay

to jennifer.roshan@howick.school.nz

Applications close on Friday 16 December 2022 at 3pm

erty and one of unlawful interference.

The people charged are almost exclusively male and an average age of 15-18. The majority of the offenders live outside the local area.

Gemmell says measures are in place at some local shopping centres to deter ram-raids, but smash-andgrabs “are still highly damaging and very costly”.

“When you couple it with what’s being stolen, the majority of the time it’s vape products or alcohol. If it’s superettes, it’s chocolates and cigarettes. We’ve seen a steady decline in this area but nationally it’s still high.”

His officers have meetings with security managers at local shopping centres.

“We visit our superettes and dairies to have a face to be able to speak to as well. There are many shops that would fall into the category of being vulnerable, but business associations and our community teams get alongside [them] and try to offer as much reassurance as possible. The times and dates of these ram-raids and smash-and-grabs will also correlate with the time we send our prevention teams to those particular locations. That’s what we’re trying to do and, coupled with some arrests, we’ve seen a decline since about the middle of the year.”

SITUATIONS VACANT

Macleans College

Learning Support Assistant (full-time)

5 DAYS PER WEEK (TERM TIME ONLY)

We are looking for an enthusiastic new member of our team to provide support for students with special educational needs. This can involve working in a classroom situation with individuals/small groups or giving additional support with school work to students in our learning support centre.

Suitable candidates will enjoy working with students in the 13-18 age range and be committed to supporting students with high needs and those who have alternative ways of learning.

Start date: Approximately Tuesday 31 January 2023.

Fixed term contract for 2023.

Hours of work: 9.00am to 3.15pm

Salary range: $26.72 to $28.09 per hour

A qualification allowance may be applicable.

Email CV to applications@macleans.school.nz

Applications close Sunday 22 January 2023. PJ285742

Counties Manukau East Police area commander Inspector Scott Gemmell. Times photo Wayne Martin

POWERLIFTING

4 medals, Commonwealth records for Bhadha

Whitford’s Yasmin Bhadha, 18, has claimed three golds and one silver for New Zealand at the IPF Commonwealth Championships and set new Commonwealth records.

It follows an outstanding effort at the National Powerlifting Championships in Palmerston North in August where she picked up gold for her weight class and sub-junior category. At that meeting she set a new New Zealand record for deadlift at 177kg and broke her own previous record of 170kg and in so doing qualified her for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships at the Dew Drops event centre in Auckland from November 27 to December 3.

Bhadha represented New Zealand for her weight class (under 69kg) and in the subjunior category. She performed exceptionally well at the event bagging three golds and one silver for New Zealand. Not only did she grab the gold in her weight class but also took out the prestigious overall best sub-junior title across all weights category and set new Commonwealth records along the way.

She clinched the gold medal in deadlift and she set a new Commonwealth record at 181kg and won a gold medal in bench press and set a new Commonwealth record at 67kg.

Bhadha also took the gold in her overall weight and class category i.e. under 69kg sub-junior with 368kg points setting a new

Commonwealth total record for sub-juniors.

She also won the prestigious title for the best lifter – sub-juniors at the tournament and capped it off with a silver medal for her squats at 120kg.

Her results also helped propel Team New Zealand to the No 1 position in the sub-junior category.

Her father Burzin Bhadha said, “Kudos once again to her national coach Denzil Hogan – NZ strength and conditioning coach and power lifting coach at DH Strength Systems.

“Her next goal is the IPF Junior World championships in Romania.”

Bhadha has just concluded her final year at Saint Kentigern College and is now gearing up for her first year studying engineering at the University of Auckland next year.

POLO

Polo Open the event of summer

Brace yourselves for the sporting and social event of the summer.

The New Zealand Polo Open is the nation’s most prestigious and competitive polo tournament and a highlight on the global polo calendar. It attracts international professional polo players as well as the best of New Zealand’s talent, all competing to win the coveted NZ Polo Open trophy.

Set in the picturesque Clevedon, renowned as New Zealand’s Polo playground, the 46th NZ Polo Open final will be held on Sunday, February 19.

Lucy Ainsley, executive director of the NZ Polo Open said the event is the country’s biggest and most popular polo tournament.

Established in 1977, the NZ Polo Open is hosted by Auckland Polo Club and attracts a crowd of up to 5000. “It will be a performance of high-goal polo

like no other, providing guests with an ultimate polo experience,” said Ainsley.

“With plenty of horsepower on and off the field, the February event will be an exhilarating spectacle of competitive polo, style, and hospitality.”

Six polo teams will compete for the 2023 NZ Polo Open trophy. Professional polo players will arrive from around the world including the UK, Argentina, and Australia to compete in the tournament.

The NZ Polo Open tournament begins on Tuesday, February 14 and teams compete throughout the week for a place at the final held on Sunday, February 19 at Fisher Field, Auckland Polo Club, Clevedon.

Instagram: @nzpoloopen; Facebook: @nzpoloopen; Tickets: https://www. iticket.co.nz/events/2023/ feb/polo-open www. nzpoloopen.com

Be in to win a day at the polo!

We have a double pass up for grabs to the summer’s best sporting and social event.

Set in the picturesque Auckland Polo Club grounds in Clevedon, the 46th NZ Polo Open to be held on Sunday, February 19 will be a showcase of competitive polo with plenty of exciting sideline entertainment and style.

There’s something for everyone at the NZ Polo Open, from the famous horsepower v horse race to stomping the divots, the renowned ‘Fashion at the Polo’ and more.  nzpoloopen.com

Yasmin Bhadha, in her final year at Saint Kentigern College, picked up three golds and one silver at the IPF Commonwealth Championships and set new Commonwealth records. Photo supplied