Paint job will ‘narrow’ Takapuna-Milford road... p2
Upgrade mooted for grove but litter, weeds remain
A $1million-plus upgrade plan for Te Uru Tapu “Sacred Grove” of pōhutukawa overlooking the northern end of Takapuna Beach has finally progressed, but not yet the long-awaited tidy-up of litter and weeds from the reserve.
Devonport-Takapuna Local Board mem-
bers welcomed many of the ideas presented by council staff at a workshop last week, but cost concerns and getting answers on the shorter-term maintenance remain.
The most ambitious idea presented was to look at renewing high-tide access along the shore – lost when the southern board-
• Extending the stone “stairs to nowhere” Local school welcomes NCEA replacement... p3
walk through Te Uru Tapu was closed in 2019 – by installing a raised walkway by the seawall, accessed from a renewed and longer wheelchair-accessible ramp off The Promenade. Other plans include:
Westlake Boys snares another footie double
Triumphant... Westlake Boys High School’s first XV about to lift the North Harbour secondary schools rugby trophy – their fourth in a row – after defeating Whangarei Boys last Saturday, just a day after Westlake’s top football team won a third consecutive Auckland schools premier league title. Stories, pictures, pages 8-9.
cost sank Castor Bay
Paint job planned to help slow traffic on busy route
Auckland Transport plans to “visually narrow” the residential stretch of Hurstmere Rd and Kitchener Rd between Takapuna and Milford town centres to help slow traffic and improve safety.
Where there is on-street parking, it will paint white lines at least 2.1m from the kerb. The lines will also be painted on no-parking stretches marked by broken yellow lines.
AT will also extend existing flush medians – centre strips painted with diagonal white stripes – to create a continuous visual divider along the entire route.
An AT staffer said the moves would mean the road “doesn’t look like a highway where you go faster than you should”.
The work is expected to cost between $50,000 and $110,000. AT hopes to begin consultation with residents by early October and start work by next autumn.
Crash history data had fed into the plan, AT staff told Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members recently. This included cars, bikes and motorcyclists crashing into parked cars, due to lack of visual separation on the route, where lanes were up to 6m wide. Particular problem areas were around the
two curves on the mostly straight route, on either side of the entrance to Henderson Park.
Kitchener Rd is used by 15,000 vehicles a day. Speed checks had shown vehicles travelling a little above the 50km/h limit. The work falls outside the two town centres’ parking restriction zones, in the 50km/h area between their commercial areas.
A pedestrian refuge island with a flush median is also planned opposite 17 Kitchener Rd, to make it easier for people to cross safely from bus stops being relocated nearby on either side of the road.
Some board members were initially sceptical about aspects of the interventions when informed of the plans in late July. But when AT staff returned for a second workshop last week, no further objections were raised.
AT dropped the idea of painting side lanes with diagonal white stripes after members had earlier questioned the amount of paint on the road and the risk of slip hazards for cyclists and motorbikes.
AT also had extra information sought by board members, including more recent crash data, which confirmed earlier data trends. Latest statistics for 2018-2024 showed 27
crashes recorded. Four were serious, six minor and 17 non-injury.
In nine of the crashes, parked cars were run into, all on parts of the road without edge lines. Two loss-of-control crashes were at the Kitchener-Hurstmere bend. From 20152019, 31 crashes were reported, including eight into parked vehicles and four due to loss of control at the bend.
Member Gavin Busch did not think speeding was a big problem, but suggested AT could put up a sign showing drivers their speeds if it thought this might act as a brake.
At the first workshop, when member George Wood questioned if putting in lines was a step towards cycle lanes, previously suggested by AT for the route, staff said this was not the case anytime soon.
Instead, the painted interventions were described as a low-cost, quick way to “hopefully encourage safer operating speeds”.
AT noted these did not offer physical safety provisions for cyclists, which would be a costlier intervention.
Wood said there were bigger problems where Killarney St joined Hurstmere Rd that he would prefer to be addressed.
Golfers cling to 18-hole hopes despite canal rejection
Golfers wanting an 18-hole course retained on AF Thomas Park are emailing Kaipatiki Local Board members on a daily basis, says board chair John Gillon.
About a third of the park land is to be taken for council’s wetland flood remediation scheme, and in September the board will decide which options for recreational use of the remaining land should be advanced for public consultation.
Gillon said council had indicated reducing to a nine-hole course and driving range was the most viable future for golf at the park. But consultants for the course – knocked back by council last week on a canal scheme to divert water – still hope 18 holes can be retained.
Engineering consultant Phil Jaggard said course advocates were disappointed a canal and pipe scheme carrying water south to Shoal Bay had been rejected. He hoped to work on other options with
updated information from council geotech work. “The whole thing for the course is to try to find a creative solution that helps with flood resilience but ensured the community golf asset is retained,” he said.
Gillon said the board, as the landholder which decides park leases, had to consider the non-stormwater side of future park use. Feedback from the public would be gathered in October and November before final decisions are made. “We will see who comes forward and what their plans are.” To date, the only officially lodged interest was in golfing use. He understood keeping 18 or even 12 holes might be possible. “I will be pushing for 18 holes to be an option.”
Council’s director of resilience and infrastructure, Barry Potter, said council had itself considered a canal, but decided against it early on. The course’s latest scheme was rejected after it was independently peer reviewed and stakeholders, including Waka Kotahi, consulted.
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Shore builds up for national awards
Homes in Takapuna and Sunnynook have been named among the country’s Top 100 builds. They are among Auckland, Northland and Coromandel medal winners chosen to advance for national judging in the Master Builders House of the Year competition.
The wooden Takapuna home (left) by Lewis Build is in the New Home $2-$4 million category. The four-dwelling Sunnynook entry (right) by Element Buidling is a Mixed Development contender. Winners, including an overall victor, will be revealed in November.
Two Milford builds won regional medals.
Govt exam plan gets one pass, and qualified support
Westlake Boys High School has been quick to welcome the government’s decision to ditch NCEA in favour of a new qualifications regime, but other local high schools want to see more details before offering a view.
Westlake Boys headmaster Paul Fordham said the school generally saw as “positive” the proposed foundation award in numeracy and literacy for Year 11, followed by a new certificate at Year 12 and advanced certificate at Year 13.
“The focus on consistency, less assessment, increased challenge, assessing subjects as opposed to standards and a greater focus on examinations aligns with what we believe to be important,” Fordham said. “It is also pleasing to see a clear alignment between the roll out of the new curriculum alongside the new qualification. We wait keenly to hear what the vocational education and training pathway looks like.”
Fordham said details were still awaited in some critical areas of the new qualifications. “We have provided feedback as part of the consultation on these areas.”
Changes are to be phased in, with the aim of replacing all NCEA levels by 2030. Current Year 9 students should be the last to finish school under NCEA.
The government’s proposals are under consultation until mid-September.
Among local high schools, Westlake Boys, Westlake Girls and Carmel College had already dropped Level 1 NCEA prior to the government’s announcement, while Rosmini College and Takapuna Grammar School will continue to offer it next year.
Rosmini headmaster Nixon Cooper said the college would retain Level 1 in 2026 because it prepared students for the internal and external components of Levels 2 and 3. “A term and a half is insufficient time to develop our own robust alternative,” he told parents in a newsletter.
Cooper said Level 1 gave students invaluable experience of sitting external exams. “A full NCEA Level 1 course provides a busy year-long workload for students, keeping them fully engaged with their studies.”
With managed learning programmes, it provided sufficient academic rigour for a typical Year 11 student, he said. Changes brought in last year had given courses greater integrity, while co-requisites ensured a true measure of literacy and numeracy.
Takapuna Grammar School principal Mary Nixon said it was also keeping Level 1 for next year and until any governmental
changes are made. “At this stage, there are limited details available about the new system, making it difficult to provide comprehensive feedback.”
Fordham said Westlake Boys decided to offer its own qualification in Year 11 three years ago, offering a greater focus on learning as opposed to assessment. “We felt NECA Level 1 did not prepare our boys well for Levels 2 and 3.” Documentation regarding the new Level 1 qualification was late arriving, so did not allow for adequate planning.
The school’s own qualification had service and attendance requirements, along with physical activity and a sociology course which incorporated “consent education”. It had also meant exams could be held later in the year so Year 11 students were kept at school and learning for longer.
Westlake Girls High School principal Jane Stanley said the school had moved away from Level 1 to reduce assessment and associated teacher workload because it was not a leaving qualification for most students.
Carmel principal Sarah Kemble said a “disconnect” between NCEA Level 1 and Level 2 led to Carmel dropping Level 1 this year. The school decided it could best prepare its students with its own programmes.
Three years after big tree falls, panel will finally rule
A decision on removing a fallen pōhutukawa – which for three years has lain across the beachside lawn of The Sands apartments in Takapuna – now rests with an independent hearings panel.
Residents put their case to be allowed to remove the large tree to the panel his month, after their resource consent application to do so was publicly notified by Auckland Council last year.
Iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki and the Tree Council want the application rejected. They submitted that the still-alive prone tree, part of ecologically and culturally significant Te Uru Tapu / Sacred Grove, should be left where it lies.
Council staff also expanded on why it should remain, including the need to consider mana whenua value.
But residents say commonsense, safety and loss of amenity mean they should be allowed to remove it from where it fell.
Counsel for The Sands body corporate of 35 apartments, Bal Matheson, said the residents were eager to heal division, both within their group and the wider community, including iwi and council. They would consult on replanting pōhutukawa, using seeds or cuttings from trees within the grove to maintain their genetic lineage.
Broadcaster and long-time Sands resident Murray Deaker emphasised property rights. The tree had fallen 1m from his deck, he said. He criticised inconsistency in council’s approach, saying when the first half of the two-trunked tree split years ago and fell onto the grove’s now-closed public boardwalk, council had swiftly cleared it. Now, $70,000 later, residents were left with the other half. “The council should come in and clean it up and pay for it.”
Body corporate chair Graham Marwick said it was aware of its duty of care to Sacred Grove, but offers to help weed within it had
been turned down by council. Building a good working relationship had proven difficult, he said. “All parties need to lift their game.”
Marwick said arborist reports noted a number of other trees were in poor condition, but council appeared to be doing nothing in the grove.
“The risk of more tree failures is significant,” he said. This had brought with it an insurance risk. The fallen tree was also attracting wasps and hindering movement around the property.
Yet, trees that had fallen onto the Mon Desir apartment complex further north along the beach had been removed. “Why isn’t this one allowed to be removed?”
Mon Desir site chair Paul Brewin said its residents empathised with those at The Sands. Trees could also fall at The Rocks complex. Their non-management had led to a situation that was “beyond reasonableness”.
Sands resident Dr James Fairgray said it was very lucky the tree fell where it did, rather than on people, buildings or the pool.
Council assessments had given scant weight to the impact on the residents’ use of their homes. Fairgray said the body corporate had sought responses from 13 iwi and heard back from one in favour of removal, one against, and one that changed its mind. Yet the council report implied iwi throughout Auckland opposed removal, which was not the case.
“As people we feel less important than that tree. The matter is not just about the tree but the residents in the community.”
The Sands tree fell on 8 August 2022. “There was no wind, it fell silently, and you’ve seen the size of the tree,” Matheson told the panel, whose two members – Richard Blakey (chair) and Nicholas Manukau – had earlier made a site visit.
He called for consistent interpretation of
the Unitary Plan, saying a senior council arborist called to the fall initially indicated the tree could be removed, but then withdrew this advice the next day.
The tree covered more than a third of the lawn and if left would likely continue to grow. Matheson said that had the tree fallen in a council park on the beach, “it would be chopped up the next day”.
A speaker for Te Kawerau ā Maki said the trees were considered ancestors. They should be respected and protected, she said in making a brief appearance in support of the iwi’s written submission.
Council arborist West Fynn said Te Uru Tapu trees were scheduled as notable specimens, and while there were 3000-plus notable trees across Auckland, less than 1 per cent were listed for being culturally notable. Removal should be a last resort. Workrounds such as a bridge or tunnelling around The Sands tree could be considered, he suggested.
A ruling on the case was reserved by the panel, but not before all parties were grilled about their varied stances.
Blakey advised the Tree Council to withdraw allegations it made in its submission about residents damaging the tree, when it could offer no evidence of this. (Previous damage to some trees was years ago and at the other, northern end of Te Uru Tapu).
Manukau asked if a tree from the grove fell on Takapuna Beach, would it still be there. Fynn responded: “That’s an interesting question.”
Blakey noted allowing removal might set a precedent, with Matheson responding that every case was slightly different and needed to be assessed with that in mind. Sufficient but not overriding weight needed to be given to cultural and ecological considerations, but policies applied bluntly could lead to a perverse response, he said.
New high-tide walkway costed at up to $290k
From page 1
from beneath the grove’s public lookout, down to the beach.
• Extending a section of stone seawall around tree roots to protect them from erosion.
• Installing cohesive fencing to replace boarded-up entrances to the closed grove, with options to include Maori designs and signage.
• Removing two sets of stone stairs in the seawall leading to closed entrances to the grove, hopefully discouraging anti-social activity.
• Repairing a stormwater outlet and access hole for cleaner discharge.
A report by senior parks and facilities project manager Steph Westmore on the engineering feasibility of the project was produced, with options on enacting local board resolutions made last year.
The report had input from engineers, heritage and archaeology experts, arborists, surveyors, planners and landscape architects. Council had also liaised with residents and iwi, she said.
Board feedback would guide next steps, followed by stakeholders’ engagement and a report back to the new board early next year.
Management of the culturally and ecologically significant reserve of large trees has been a community bugbear over several board terms. The wooden boardwalk was closed after trees fell over. Despite a petition calling for its reopening, the board decided in 2024 it should be removed for safety reasons and to protect the trees.
Since then, little has happened, but Harpur said the workshop, under a new project manager was a sign of tangible progress. “It’s well overdue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the council is still unable to say when the reserve will at least be cleared of weeds and rubbish. Manager of area operations Eloi Fonseca told the Observer: “We are currently working with the local board and mana whenua and will update the community once we have agreed timeframes for the works”.
The scope of works was yet to be determined, as was the source of funds.
Work on trees in the reserve, including deadwood removal, was “being worked through at the moment with arborists, residents and mana whenua”.
Just over $1.1 million has already been set aside for the upgrade work, with more than $498,000 spent to date, leaving around $613,000 to work with. Professional services account for around 60 per cent of what has been spent to date, including internal charges, engagement, initial design, arborist and engineering assessments and feasibility studies. Harpur said the charges had eaten heavily into the budget.
Cost estimates for the various suggested options were provided,
High and dry... the proposed high-tide path on Takapuna beach beneath its pohutukawa grove. Below: Plans include extending steps from the lookout to the sand and exploring Maori elements in the likes of some fencing, plus signage to explain the site’s significance.
but Westmore said it was hard to give a figure for likely total costs until choices were made.
The biggest single project was the high-tide walkway, costed at $230,000 to $290,000, based on the board’s signal that it would prefer this to be made of concrete and basalt rather than cheaper metal. Its length would depend on whether an agreement might be made to extend it over privately owned beachfront, next to Takapuna Boating Club.
The seawall extension and stairs to the beach were the next most expensive suggestions, estimated at up to $97,000 and $87,000 respectively.
Westmore said trucking in extra sand to replenish and lift the level of the beach had been considered instead of a raised walkway.
But she said this was “almost unfeasible”, because it could cost more than $2 million, require a groyne to be built and raise environmental and other issues. Board members ruled it out.
MEET THE CANDIDATES
PUBLIC MEETING
Hear from candidates vying for the Kaipātiki and DevonportTakapuna Local Boards and North Shore Ward.
Tuesday 26 August 2025
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Glenfield Community Centre (Hall)
RSVP via Humanitix, bit.ly/44wpFGQ
For more information email: info@ancad.org.nz
Sunnynook community group reactivates, invites participation
First steps towards re-energising the Sunnynook Community Association (SCA) started with a meeting where ideas were tossed around for key projects to work on in the area.
Priorities include pushing for a lift to make accessing the bus station easier, installation of lights on Sunnynook Park’s pathways and seeing the long-planned skatepark finally delivered by council.
Sunnynook Community Centre manager Bronwyn Bound and former SCA chair Soriya Em are driving forces in getting the committee up and running again. But they want new people involved.
Around 10 residents, including Neighbourhood Support representatives, attended the discussion last week, along with four local-body candidates. Other ideas raised were a pump track, dealing with waterlogged park areas and building safer streets and stronger connections.
A second meeting will be held in October, with the hope some of those at the first
session will join the committee. Bound and Em are reaching out to community groups, including local walkers, and are happy to field questions to encourage more participation at snook.com.cen@xtra.co.nz or through the SCA Facebook page.
Bound told the Observer the committee, which had been active for around a decade, was affected by the January 2023 floods, with a number of its members focusing on flood recovery. But now was the time to look ahead. Its past record showed community efforts and lobbying could yield results, such as the rehabilitation of Lyford Reserve and lights at Sycamore Dr. With fresh voices, new projects could be tackled and pressure applied to finish work such as the skatepark.
The Sunnynook Plan, a 2018 council document for the area, set a foundation to build on, said Bound. It also covered neighbouring Forrest Hill and Totara Vale, whose residents were welcome to join the committee or go on its database.
How to do a marathon – bit by bit
The Sunnynook community marathon is back for a fifth year, with locals being encouraged to clock up 42km through September.
The marathon distance can be achieved by doing two circuits of Sunnynook Park
each day for 21 days – either on foot or using wheeled modes such as bikes or scooters.
Prizes will be on offer. To register for the family-friendly free event, email snook.com.cen@xtra.co.nz
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Westlake down plucky foes to claim latest rugby title
Westlake Boys High School beat Whangarei Boys’ 39-18 last Saturday to win the North Harbour Schools championship for the fourth year in a row.
Until a couple of late Westlake tries, the match hung in the balance, with a plucky Whangarei side delighting their busloads of fans, who along with Westlake supporters ballooned the crowd at North Harbour stadium to more than 2000.
Whangarei defended staunchly but it was the larger Westlake forwards – with prop Kaiva Tulimanu and flanker Solomone Tuitupou both featuring in numerous barnstorming runs – who made the difference.
Westlake centre Matt Fleming had an outstanding match, scoring two tries, one with an NRL-style dive-flip-and-place in the corner. He was unlucky to have a third ruled out and was punishing on defence. Reserve halfback Lee-Hanru Greyvensteyn came on at halftime, distributing well and making a couple of electric breaks, one to set up a try.
Westlake led 19-10 at halftime and seemed on the brink of running away with the match, but Whangarei kept on coming back. Early in the second half Whangarei held up Westlake over the line three times, and with the pressure building on the Shore side, they started to kick for goal rather than the sideline. In the 52nd minute with Westlake leading 22-13, Whangarei scored a runaway try. At 22-18, it really was anyone’s match.
But Westlake showed composure to finally dominate the tiring visitors, with tries in the 67th and last minute of the match. Captain Arlo Leith had the final say, kicking the last conversion from out in front.
Harbour champions
The championship winning team: Jano Peens, Jeremiah Samoa, Kaiva Tulimanu, Hugo Pieterse, Harry Cornelius, Solomone Tuitupou, Arlo Leith (c) Travis Findlay, Levi Leith, Luke Waller, Niko Jelas, Matt Fleming, Tuaine Rolleston, Yisrael Tukania, Ollie Davies, Morgan Seymour, Daniel Paea, Tom Bolger, Boston Aukino, Lee- Hanru Greyvensteyn, Luke Lemalu, Harper Wilson. Coaches: Rob Mildenhall, Che Muller, Luke McAlister. Manager: Shane Young; assistant manager, Natalie Marriott.
Go mate go…Westlake winger Yisrael Tukania urges centre Matt Fleming on at the start of a run which lead to a spectacular try
Seasoned veterans play their part
Westlake had a deeply experienced side, with six of its forwards having played more than 50 games each for the first XV, after starting in Year 11: Kaiva Tulimanu (64), Jeremiah Samoa (59), Harry Cornelius (61), Solomone Tuitupou (58), captain Arlo Leith (65) and Travis Findlay (56).
Halfback Lee-Hanru Greyvensteyn was the comeback kid of the year. At the beginning of the season he was the starting halfback but tore his hamstring. He rehabbed well enough to come off the bench in the final to notch 42 caps for the school.
He replaced Levi Leith, who had 44 caps. Another milestone for the season was the retirement of manager Shane Young (pictured) after 21 years. Young, who is a deputy principal at the school, said he was not leaving Westlake, and had loved his time as first XV manager, during which Westlake won 14 titles (including one shared) and lost only one final by one point to Rosmini in 2015.
During Young’s tenure, Westlake also won the World Schools Festival rugby tournament in 2023, after defeating Kelston to wing the Blues regional schools title.
Forward power… Solomone Tuitupou (above) charged through four Whangarei players to score.Kaiva Tulimanu (left) was also a handful
Westlake rugby supporters were out in force at North Harbour stadium last Saturday, in a weekend which saw two title-winning sports teams, including (right) the first XI, where Matt Rodrigues clears the ball under pressure
Four-goal win secures third football premiership
Westlake Boys High School secured a “threepeat” of Auckland premier football titles with an early blitz of goals in their final league game last week.
“It was the best half an hour of football we’ve played all season,” said assistant coach Nick Dale, who is also a school deputy principal.
The first goal came within five minutes, and after 20 minutes the team was up 3-0 against St Kentigern College, knocking in another goal 10 minutes later.
It then held the 4-0 winning margin by clever management until the end of the match, which was played at North Harbour Stadium in front of up to 500 spectators on Friday 15 August.
“For us to win three years in a row is lega-
cy,” said Dale, a driving force in the school’s football programme. He credited head coach Callum Simmonds and the wider coaching group with creating a great football culture at the school. “We’ve got some boys who just want to work hard and get a kick out of playing with their mates.”
The first XI’s next assignment is the secondary school nationals in Palmerston North next week.
Dale said the last game in Auckland against third-placed St Kents was a mustwin. A draw would have allowed St Peter’s College to top Westlake on points and claim the title.
Another Auckland title set a new benchmark for the school, which before the golden run starting in 2023 had last won an
Auckland title in 2000 and only eight times overall.
Ten of the squad of 18 are Year 13s who will finish school this year, including captain and centre-back Kai Barrett who headed home a corner against St Kents, his seventh goal of the season, and fellow goal scorer Billy Higgins. A similar high turnover of seniors was overcome last year, by the strength of those developing through the junior ranks. Dale said the team got stronger as the year went on.
Other key contributors included leaver, Levi Hill, and Year 12 player Charlie Taylor.
The team were role models for the 500plus student footballers at Westlake, where it is the most-played sport, inching ahead of basketball this year.
Third time’s a charm... The WBHS first XI and coaches after beating St Kentigern to win the Auckland league for the third time in a row. Back row (from left): head coach Callum Simmonds and headmaster Paul Fordham, with players Levi Hill, Yassin Ayoub, Charley Mueller, Charlie Hodgetts, Cam Deamer, Mikey Gambitsis, Taine Wilson, Bill Cui, Shaun Fang, Riley Swindells, manager Logan Douglas and assistant coach Nick Dale. Front row: Charlie Taylor, Kai Barrett, Billy Higgins, Karter MacKenzie, Orlando Fierro, Noe Birchfield, Matt Rodrigues and Ryan Gore.
High tunnel cost douses Castor Bay flood-fix hopes
Castor Bay residents hoping for relief from flooding around a low-lying stretch of busy Beach Rd have been given a near-$40m reason why this is deemed unaffordable.
That was the upper-end cost estimate from council’s Healthy Waters to install a stormwater diversion tunnel from high up the Braemar Stream catchment, to carry water out to sea beyond Kennedy Park, rather than down the valley through culverts and pipes to sea by the beach reserve.
Around 30 people at a public meeting called by the Castor Bay Ratepayers and Residents Assocation (CABBRA) on 6 August had plenty of questions on why a planned upgrade promised in 2021 had been put on hold. But they did not get the answers they hoped for.
“How many floods do we need to get before something gets done?” asked one man. “It’s about severity,” said Healthy Waters principal design engineer Dietmar Londer. Other areas had higher water more often.
North Shore councillor Richard Hills added: “It’s not that this isn’t important, it’s just the priority list is huge.” He was speaking of the need for works across the city in the wake of the January 2023 floods, with areas of ongoing risk to life, including in nearby
Milford, given priority.
Residents were told investigations that led to their upgrade being shelved showed a much bigger spend than an intial “naive” desktop estimate of $3.5 million was needed to achieve anything meaningful.
Seawater innundation at high tide meant simply widening pipes in the low-lying area taking water from Castor Bay Rd under Beach Rd to sea via the Esplanade would not prevent water backing up there, he said.
Site contraints, beyond being in a floodplain, included the busy nature of Beach Rd and the large wastewater pumping station beside it.
Larger stormwater pipes could not just be placed deeper in the road, due to the seawater issue, while other services already sat close to the road surface.
The most effective option to get water away from the Beach Rd area – which last flooded in June – was with 180m to 250m-long diversion tunnels, priced between $24.1m and $38.6m, said Healthy Waters
head of design delivery, Chris Stumbles. Slowing flow by detaining water further up the valley was also too expensive and difficult. Both options would reduce risk to only a few homes, meaning the cost could not be justified.
Hills said $30m was being spent to protect hundreds of homes in Milford.
The Healthy Waters staff noted no homes in Castor Bay had triggered flood buyouts and said there had been few flood reports to council over an eight-year period.
“That’s not right, they’ve just not been reported – all properties around here flooded,” said one woman, referring to the floods in early 2023.
Stumbles detailed other options explored. Box culverts ran to $7.5m to $12m, but would only resolve lower flood problems and require services to be moved. Lowering The Esplanade would cut access.
Stumbles and Londer cautioned that coastal inundation and climate change would pose further problems. “Water coming down the hill is fighting the sea,” said Londer. After the options were explained, Stumbles said: “This project isn’t dead completely, but sorting out the main flooding on the roads is unaffordable.”
He hoped several catchpits could be installed next year. Catchpit clearing had also been increased from two to four times a year, he said, along with additional hotspot checks if severe rain was forecast.
“So you mean, there’s no budget at all to do anything – except for larger catchpits,” summed up council candidate John Gillon.
Concerns about development contributing to flooding issues were also canvassed, but although poor site management was acknowledged to be an issue at 76 Beach Rd, this was not considered a flood contributor.
CABBRA’s chair Hamish Anderson said it appeared the area would for now have to live with its problems.
Closing the meeting, he said: “You’ve not given me confidence at all in solving our problem.
“We need more money.”
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RSAs join forces to help North Shore veterans in need
North Shore military veterans are being offered a helping hand in a welfare outreach involving three Returned Services Association branches.
“They don’t have to be an RSA member to get help,” says Devonport RSA president Muzz Kennett. “We want families to say, ‘Dad, have you thought about asking for help?’”
He says people may be unaware of Veterans Affairs service entitlements they are eligible for, reluctant to come forward or missing out on the help and connection RSAs can offer.
To help cut through these barriers, his branch and those from Birkenhead and East Coast Bays have combined to run informal weekly drop-in sessions based at the Takapuna Library. The three clubs all gained members when the Takapuna RSA folded in 2014.
At the library, advisers from the three branches are on hand to guide veterans. The sessions, on Wednesdays from 10am to noon, began in June. The plan is to continue them this year and then review the impact, says Kennett.
“It’s slow, but a number of veterans have popped in that we’ve given support to.” This has ranged from pointing them in the right direction for support services, including benefits, to a case where food bank help was organised.
Kennett, a commander in the Royal New Zealand Navy, says the combined outreach is in line with the RSA’s national direction of focusing on welfare and commemoration. “We’re very much part of that,” he says. Associations manage themselves, with several having come into public conflict with the national body over focus and property sales. Kennett says locally this is not a problem. While each of the three RSAs have differing memberships, they are committed to key commemorations, welfare work and varying degrees of socialising.
Devonport, with its 180 members, cannot sustain daily hospitality openings, but holds regular member get-togethers. Kennett is keen to involve younger service personnel and encourage volunteering
Milford / Takapuna Tides
Helping hands... RSA branch presidents Commander Muzz Kennett (left) from Devonport and George Coffin from Birkenhead at Takapuna Library, where an advice session for former service personnel is held weekly
SHOWING
NZ Sculpture OnShore’s return to Fort Takapuna in November will include a new “Take a Seat” trail, making a feature of installations people can rest up on.
The event, held two-yearly as the major fundraiser for Women’s Refuge, will have a record 20 schools exhibiting. Milford Primary, Belmont Intermediate and Westlake Girls High School are among them, as well as Devonport peninsula primary schools. Programme highlights revealed this month, when tickets went on sale, confirm more than 120 sculptures will dot the seaside site at Narrow Neck.
Takapuna-based Merle Bishop is back exhibiting and included on the Take a Seat Trail. Her Come Sit With Me work featuring her dog Spot on a bench proved a popular attraction in 2023. This time Spot will welcome visitors with flowers cast in bronze.
Exhibition curator Sally Lush said: “These one-of-a-kind seats invite visitors to take a moment to sit, rest, and take in the breaktaking views.” The trail is expected to be a photographic drawcard. So too a number of giant sculptures by leading artists from across New Zealand.
A number of other North Shore artists feature, include renowned Devonport sculptor Helen Pollock, Debbie Barber from Hauraki and newcomer Brianna Parkinson from Bayswater.
Smaller and accessibly priced works will be available from the exhibition shop at the Officers’ Mess building and an extended outside display area.
Thousands of people are expected at the event, which runs from 8-23 November. In 2023 it raised $350,000, and since its start in 1996 has raised more than $2.6 million.
Volunteers help with its operation and the organiser, the Friends of Women’s Trust, is keen to recruit more helpers.
• To volunteer or buy tickets, go to nzsculptureonshore.co.nz. Tickets are available for $25 until 8 October, rising to $30 thereafter. Family passes are available. Have a
seat... The sculpture by Merle Bishop that featured at Sculpture OnShore in 2023
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