December, Sunday Coatesville Market, 10am-2pm.

Above, Sarah instructs the group on the finer points of distilling, and right, the gin enhanced cupcakes.

Gardeners Hit the Gin!

Atrip to a gin distillery? Yes please and how fascinating it was! As part of the open garden visits of the Coatesville Country Garden Club activities, a good gathering of members descended on Sarah and Kevin Tyler’s property in Coatesville to explore and be informed about gin making.

The sunny north-facing garden was also part of the “cottage Industry” providing herbs, seeds, flowers and fruit to bring particular flavours to the gin. The open pavilion was where the learning took place and the ‘distilling house’ was kitted out with a heating source, condensing equipment and a setup for making your own distilled brew. Of course the bottles and jars of various flavourings were there ready to be used.

You can spend a full day at the venue-including lunch and refreshments, distilling and flavouring to get your choice of gin. President Owen (a retired pharmacist) probably understood the chemistry, but I feel sure a lot were like me - they would follow instructions and end up with a’ very nice drop’.

We were the tasting crowd – learning to identify the taste from samples and what to mix with it. The cupcake with the gin-enhanced icing was a lovely accompaniment and rounded off the occasion magnificently.

Sarah can be contacted and visits to taste and distil can be discussed and booked. The connoisseurs will know exactly the flavours they like and be able to concoct the mixture in their distilling. Good Luck – it’s a great experience in masterly hands.

Our Kawau visit was a quiet but busy day on Wednesday. We cleared gardens of sticks, weeded, dug, pruned, planted, fertilised and watered certain shrubs and plants with comfrey tea to boost them along. The lawns are springing into life and need mowing every five days – however a ride on mower helps. The propagation area is full of various cuttings (hydrangeas, geraniums and pelargoniums) and they appear to have taken well. The oiled seats have been placed around the gardens in shady spots for the occasional sit down (by us) or a longer retreat for visitors. Next for members is the long awaited trip to Dunedin.41 members will make the journeysome departing early to ensure they get there.!! A wonderful selection of gardens , many 5 or 6 star exhibits determined by the Gardens of National Significance Trust. What a treat we are in for – mind you it has been a year in the waiting! Don’t miss the next Chronicle entry.

One of our final excursions for the year is to the postponed Mystery Creek Fieldays agriculture show near Hamilton on Wednesday, 30 November. A stress-free return journey from Coatesville on a coach is planned to take us right to the entrance. No traffic stress and we may have extra space for locals to fill the bus. Contact ojsprosen@hotmail if you wish to join us. By Jenny Hunter

Go to www.dstilproject.nz to book your gin-making session and find out about Coatesville's first gin − The Coatesvillian.

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Reader Giveaway

Juliet Nicholas

Rosemary Barraclough This month The Coatesville Chronicle is excited to give readers the chance to win a copy of New Zealand Gardens to Visit. This beautiful book by well-known garden photographer Juliet Nicholas and award-winning journalist, (and friend of The Chronicle) Rosemary Barraclough, will delight garden lovers. Juliet and Rosemary have visited some of the best gardens in New Zealand to compile this collection and there's something for everybody's botanical taste. From gardens bursting with flowers and fragrance to those that walk more on the wildside, New Zealand Gardens to Visit will have gardeners everywhere planning a trip up or down country to see the gardens themselves.

Arranged in 10 geographical locations, the book includes interviews with the gardeners and details about where and how to arrange a visit, as well as useful gardening tips. It will be on sale in bookstores from 8 November for $55. How to win your copy of New Zealand Gardens to Visit Email your favourite summer or Christmas recipe to coatesvillechronicle@gmail.com before 30 November and you'll go in the draw to win. Please write "NZ Gardens to Visit" in the subject line and include your phone number so you can receive your prize before Christmas.

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Spring growth disappearing? Possum traps should help.

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Top row: One of the awesome projects on display; Ella Hall with her lavendar; lamb judging; Elsa Feng and her rabbit; Richard Johnson; the chocolate trailer; the crowd of throwers ready to dunk the teacher; the favourite - fishing game. Middle row: chook wrangling; Tarnia Harman and Makayla Lawson juding the lambs; Roman Lowe proud reserve champion; Ardie Staples with his lamb, taking turns to climb; Mrs Fitzgerald took a dousing; Belinda Finlayson and Rosie; A bit of rain couldn't dampen the fun. Row three: Happy faces and happy feet; plenty of family fun; Judges did a grand job - Chris Boulden, Nicola Fitzgerald and Prue Blackmore; Beau Stewart climbed the wall; the Bayleys cooked breakfast helped with the early start; Playland inflatable world.

This political term is going to be interesting with the mayor’s promises to fix Auckland. For most residents, congestion and the state of our roads remains a number one issue. In August, the supporting growth team comprising Council, Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport consulted on future integrated transport networks for when Dairy Flat is urbanised. Similar work has been completed in Kumeu and Riverhead. This work is proposing big infrastructure projects such as rapid transport networks, motorway interchanges, widening of roads, new cycleways etc. These proposed projects are big ticket items that will cost billions and are currently unfunded. As part of this work Council proposed the land adjacent to our Green Road Park as being suitable for a future town centre including the area prone to flooding.

However, there are no planned future upgrades for Coatesville Riverhead Highway (CRH) from Dairy Flat highway to Riverhead. If we fast forward 10 to 20 years when Dairy Flat is urbanised, this section of CRH is going to be a bottleneck. The impact of countryside living subdivisions in Coatesville is going under the radar as the focus has been on future urban areas. In order to cope with the surrounding growth and the subdivision within Coatesville, CRH

Louise Johnston

needs to be upgraded with right hand turning bays into the side roads and road widening in places.

Council is currently reviewing their future development strategy (FDS) for Auckland including the development of the future urban areas so there could possibly be some significant changes in the strategic direction of urbanising future urban land. Following is an extract from this review. Being surrounded by future urban areas, residents need to keep a close eye on this. I will let you know when this is open for feedback. Greenfields and future urban areas • The current Development Strategy (and the Auckland Unitary Plan) provide for 15,000ha of greenfields/ future urban land, sequenced for development over a 30-year period. In the first decade (2017-2027) 32 per cent of that land was live-zoned and more future urban land is being considered for live-zoning through private plan changes. • Live-zoning is happening much faster and in a haphazard way, creating major infrastructure issues. Additionally, some of this future urban land will, in future, be exposed to greater flooding risk and other natural hazards. Strategic direction: - reconsider and possibly pull back some Future Urban zone areas, particularly: - areas at risk of flooding and natural hazard so other areas given the direction on emissions reduction The FDS should give strong signals regarding non-live zoned Future Urban zone land e.g., in terms of sequencing of development and infrastructure provision.

Lastly, I am still actively engaged with AT about the bus stops on CRH by Lewis Lane and Gold flats. There have been several meetings about these bus stops. As a temporary measure the new electronic signage has been installed on CRH. However, safety concerns have been escalated and AT are listening to them and there will be a lesson learnt from this project. Please get in contact with any questions or comments.

Louise.Johnston@aucklandcouncil. govt.nz

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If you're considering buying or selling a business, don't be put off by the current economic landscape, says local business broker Charles Bateman, because good businesses are still selling well.

In his role as a business broker contracting to Barker Business Brokerage and founder of his own online business called Businessvalues. co.nz, Charles is engaged by clients to either help them to sell a business or to purchase one. In most cases it’s the former and he's quick to say, good businesses are still selling for good money in the current market. "Barker Business Brokerage is a family-owned firm with a great reputation and a good reach to high net-worth individuals. They help me to connect with a large pool of potential investors," he says.

Since Covid-19 arrived there have been changes seen in the marketplace. These include fewer general enquiries, however Charles says more serious buyers have been active so he has continued to conclude deals in the $1M-$20M valuation space where he focuses his attention.

Every sale or purchase is different but most engagements start with an informal conversation where people ask for discretion. "People feel strongly about keeping their sensitive business information private, so we use confidentiality agreements to provide that security. It means people can speak freely about their business or investment goals, knowing they can trust that their information won't go any further. And, we don't share our listings so we honour that," explains Charles.

After three decades of buying and selling his own businesses as well as brokering in more recent years, Charles has some wisdom to share with those on both sides of a business transaction. When it comes to business owners wanting to sell their businesses, he says owners should start preparing to sell two years before they want to exit. "Seek good advice 2-3 years before you sell. It's important to have those discussions up front."

He says business owners also need to accept that purchasers don't buy on projections. "People parting with hardearned cash want to buy a business that has a good history. You need to be able to show at least two years of profit and loss information to evidence that."

On the flipside, for those wondering whether buying a business stacks up as a good investment, Charles says it certainly does! "Ideally, you need to own a business for 2-5 years to build the history, but there's tremendous return in the right type of business, because not only are you buying a business, you're getting paid throughout the process. And, every $100K you add to the bottom line can increase the sale value by three or four times that amount."

The Bateman family, L-R Georgia, Jack, Charles, Justine and Floyd the dog

Charles Bateman

Licenced REA 2008. To contact Charles Bateman,  09 925 8772 or 021 746 358  charlesb@barkerbusiness.co.nz www.barkerbusiness.co.nz

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Sayers Says It receiving 5,850 votes. Other candidates were Rob Ryan with 1,447 votes, Anne Perratt 1,109 and Hannah North 1,048. Sayers thanks the voters of Rodney for their continued support and faith in electing him for a third term. “It’s a privilege to continue to represent Rodney,” he said. Sayers was the first Councillor to be called to meet with the new Mayor Wayne Brown. After the meeting he said he was optimistic that with a new Mayor he will be able to get some traction with his efforts to put an end to Council’s wasteful and unnecessary spending, streamline processes, cut

In a landslide victory Greg red tape and get Council back to core Sayers has been announced the business. In turn this would help keep Councillor for the Rodney ward of rate increases down, deliver better the Auckland Council. results while improving the customer

Sayers received 13,539 votes which experience when dealing with Council was a staggering 7,689 votes ahead he said. of his nearest rival Beth Houlbrooke “Our discussion included the inferior state of the unsealed and sealed road

roads within Rodney”, said Sayers. “The Mayor was very keen to see this rectified.” Sayers said the Mayor indicated he would be announcing the deputy mayor position and Council committee structures once he had met with all the elected Councillors and considered their viewpoints. “My overall impression is Brown is going to make a number of disruptive changes to Auckland Council for the better”, said Sayers. During the meeting Mayor Brown was keen to see changes made at the Greg Sayers Board of Directors level of Council Controlled Organisations (CCO’s). Replacing professional directors with qualified roading engineers at Auckland Transport, so directors had knowledge about roading, was high on his agenda. Sayers is in support on this approach with Brown. According to Sayers he and the Mayor have got off to a positive start.

Junior Conservationists Fly South

Back in May, our heroic Pest Free Coatesville group selected two winners of their first-ever Junior Conservationist Awards. Dan Owen Stone and Lewis Jones (shown right) won a trip to Wellington to visit Zealandia, the pest-free sanctuary that's now home to a growing number of indigneous bird species.

The sanctuary is kept safe from predators by pest-proof fencing and an ongoing trapping programme where Good Nature's traps are key tools in the sanctuary's arsenal.

Dan and Lewis headed south last month for their first- hand look at the wonders of Zealandia and reported back that they had an awesome time, returning inspired. "We saw Kakas, a Takahe, Tuis and so many more birds," says Lewis. "It was just so amazing to hear and see a variety of different types of birds in one place."

Here's to conservation with H2O

Rare Takahe seen during the visit A view of Zealandia

A visit to parliament before coming home

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