24 July 2026 Rangitoto Observer

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Takapuna, Milford, Castor Bay, Forrest Hill and Sunnynook VERED FORTNIGHTLY AN INDEPENDENT VOICE Issue 1 – 15 March 2019

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Takapuna Market could spread to green.. p2

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North Shore nurses on winter pressures... p5

Long Hall: Glide Time 50 years on ... p14-15

Action over lava damage mulled by officials One and a half years after ancient lava flows on the coast between Milford and Takapuna were damaged, Auckland Council is considering enforcement action.

Council has yet to receive a “suitable management plan” from those responsible to repair the damage, the Rangitoto Observer

was told last week.

“We are currently considering next steps,” council’s compliance team leader Paul Cowling said.

An earlier Remediation Action Plan supplied by the owners of the property next to the damaged lava flows was rejected by

council officials.

Council is also conducting a wider investigation into the damage.

In late 2024 Auckland Council served the owners of 19 O’Neills Ave with an abatement notice requiring remediation of the lava, To page 2

Westlake Girls sailors first in the fleet

Bringing back honours.... Jess Handley and Bella Jenkins, of Westlake Girls High, are the world under-19 female 29er sailing champs, after victory at the World Championships in Kiel, Germany. Story, page 3.

The Rangitoto Observer Page 2 From page 1

Ancient forest was damaged by concreting

which had been damaged by concrete infill.

Subsequent remediation plans supplied by the owner of the property were rejected by council.

The lava flows are part of theTakapuna Reef Fossil Forest, dating back some 200,000 years and which have been described as “one of the best examples of lava-preserved forest in the world”.

Around 60 metres of concreting has been done at the seaward edge of 19 O’Neills Ave Takapuna, beside the Takapuna-Milford coastal walkway.

In November 2024 the owner of 19 O’Neills Ave told the Observer through an interpreter that infilling had been done to stabilise a landslip. The work, which aimed to protect coastal walkers, was an attempt to do the “right thing, but was the wrong method”, the translator said.

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July 24, 2026

Market could spread onto green Extending Takapuna’s Sunday market into Hurstmere Green is under investigation by Auckland Council.

The market’s current space in Anzac Square will reduce when the car park site is developed.

That development of the car park is on hold pending improved “property market conditions” and negotiations with the developer, council property manager Natasha Christensen told a Devonport-Takapuna Local Board workshop last week.

However the Mewburn Group, which runs the market, wants to secure a longer term lease to allow the market to continue on a firm footing. Board members supported the popular market continuing.

Member Terence Harpur said he regularly bought flowers and fruit from the market which was “very much loved by our com-

munity... the vendor is doing a great job”.

The new lease would “future-proof the market for the next 30 years”.

Board chair Trish Deans said the board was keen to support a workable market which was “a fabulous tradition”.

Member Gavin Busch wanted clean-up standards and a waste-minimisation plan enforced on Hurstmere Green under a new lease.

The board heard heavy vehicles would not be permitted on the green if the lease was granted. Final decisions will be made in the next few months.

• The use of food trucks at Takapuna Market needs to be clarified, says Harpur. While there was some flexibility around coffee carts at the market, any use of food trucks needed to “complement” rather than compete with Takapuna businesses, he said.

More security cameras likely at Sunnynook More security cameras are likely at the Sunnynook Park carpark.

An update on security around the area was provided by Sunnynook Community Centre manager Bronwyn Bound, at a recent meeting of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.

Although no issues are currently occurring around either the centre or the league clubrooms next door, Bound says it was always the plan to boost existing security surveillance.

Existing surveillance covers the community centre’s front and rear entries and deck, including the Early Learning Centre entrance.

Coverage of the carpark, which has been prone to car break-ins, is poor. Additional

cameras on the league clubrooms would be well-positioned to cover the area.

Bound told the Rangitoto Observer that the police are also keen for more cameras facing the carpark, which is shared by both facilities.

Security matters were recently discussed at a Shore-wide community centre managers meeting that Bound attended.

The bi-monthly meetings are run by Auckland Council staff for community centres across the North Shore and up to Warkworth.

“It is a chance to network and support each other,” Bound said. “We have different topics each meeting and have discussed whether security cameras should be mandatory in community facilities.”

Hon Simon Watts MP for North Shore

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July 24, 2026

The Rangitoto Observer Page 3

Under-19 duo claim world sailing title Westlake Girls sailors Jess Handley and Bella Jenkins are the newly crowned world under-19 female 29er sailing champions.

Both are proud of the result after returning from the 29er World Championships in Kiel, Germany.

They were also the second-placed female crew overall, and were part of the New Zealand team which won the Nations Cup for best country overall.

The world title marked a big improvement for the pair. Last year they competed in a similar-level event, the European Championships at Lake Garda, Italy, where they finished as the 14th female team.

“It’s been a great opportunity,” says Handley. “We have been training so hard, and this outcome is a great reflection of our hard work.”

Jenkins said it was “pretty close racing”, but they knew the waters, having previously sailed at the Kiel Week regatta last year.

Highlights for the duo included catching up with fellow competitors in Europe who they have befriended over the years.

Handley (17) will be moving out of the under-19 cohort, and is moving on to Olympic-class sailing. She wants to stick with

Proud Kiwis… Jess Handley (left) and Bella Jenkins after their world title win, and (below) in action during the racing double-handed sailing and is hoping to try the 49er or 470 classes. “One day it would be really cool to try the Olympic boats.”

Jenkins (16) is still deciding on her next move, as she has the option of sailing another year in the under-19 age group.

“I might stay in the 29er another year, I

This month’s recipe is by Ashia Ismail-Singer, Real Estate agent for Bayleys Takapuna and published cookbook author 2–3 (500g) firm fish fillets 2–3 tbsp oil 2 onions, sliced 300g tomato purée or passata 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground paprika 1 tsp chilli powder 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp salt ground black pepper handful of chopped fresh coriander

Cut each fillet into 4 pieces. In a large wok or frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat.

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might get into crewing,” Jenkins says.

But the team has one more shot at an overseas win before splitting, with youth trials in New Zealand this September. If selected, they will represent the nation once again, at the World Sailing Youth Championships at Vilamoura, Portugal.

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The Rangitoto Observer Page 4

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Getting four changed everything everything Getting four hours hours changed Jenny chose work that asks everything of her.

As a Māori arts and crafts tutor at an urban creative space for mental health support, her days are spent face-to-face with people who need patience and calm.

But it also means standing on concrete floors, demonstrating techniques, and most importantly being present.

It’s the kind of job you do because it matters, not because it’s easy.

But it’s hard to be present when your knees won’t let you forget they exist.

Her knees just wouldn’t stop. All day.

All night. Like a strand that wouldn’t stay woven, always pulling loose, always pulling at her patience.

“You’re just kind of like, when is this going to stop?” Jenny recalls. “But it doesn’t. It just kept on going.”

Both knees had been making themselves more disruptive as the years went on. First, standing became difficult. Then the cold started creeping up through the concrete floor. Before long, the nights had become the real problem.

Sleep had turned into a guessing game.

Two hours was normal. Three if she was lucky. Then she’d lie there, wide awake, knees buzzing, knowing she had to be on her feet again in a few hours.

“It would make me so grumpy,” Jenny admits. “When you’re in constant discomfort and you haven’t slept, you’re not always nice to be around. You tell people to do things, instead of asking them.”

For someone whose job is guiding others with patience and care, that was the real cost.

She’d tried what was available. Nothing made a real difference. Jenny was starting to accept that this was just how things were going to be.

Then a friend’s mother handed her something new to try.

“She had been using this cream for her back and her knees. She lent me hers to try.”

Jenny wasn’t convinced. But she trusted her friend’s mum and had nothing to lose.

The natural cream was called Koru FX and was made in New Zealand.

Jenny remembers the night she applied the cream for the first time. What happened next, she almost didn’t trust.

She woke up hours later. Not two hours. Not three. She lay there, waiting

for her knees to wake up and make themselves known. But they were quieter. Not gone, but quieter.

“I can get four hours of sleep now,” she says. “Sometimes five. For me, that’s amazing.”

Four hours doesn’t sound like much.

But when you’ve been waking every two, four feels like luxury.

The grumpiness started to lift. And Jenny noticed something had shifted in how she was around people.

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“I ask people to do things instead of telling them. The little things matter when you’re face-to-face with people all day.”

“Koru FX has been a stop button for me,” Jenny says. “That’s what I call it.

A stop button.”

Her knees still pull for attention at times, but she’s learned now to sleep through.

“I can sleep. I can work. I’m nicer to the people around me.”

“For me, that’s everything.”

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The Rangitoto Observer Page 5

Nurses’ group: Health needs more than band-aids Winter is a busy time for the health services. Alisha McLennan spoke to Nurses Organisation delegates at North Shore Hospital about the challenges on the front line.

Staffing shortages at North Shore Hospital are increasingly noticeable for nurses on the front line this winter, says a New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate.

NZNO delegate Jean Moor says she was told about one shift that reached more than 200 per cent capacity. On one occasion this week, 100 patients were present in the ED at one time (it has a capacity of 40), 54 of which were waiting to be seen.

She says nurses described the day as a “tsunami of patients”, with no end in sight.

Fellow NZNO delegate Jean Classey says these numbers are being reached more often, and as a charge nurse at North Shore Hospital, she has encountered two shifts with numbers of up to 90 in the ED in the past fortnight.

Moor is also a charge nurse at the hospital, with a career spanning 35 years. She says understaffing and poor nurse-patient ratios have been consistent issues throughout her career.

For some shifts, people have to stand while waiting, and up to 42 patients can be waiting on assessments, observations and treatment from just two nurses, while another two nurses are constantly triaging incoming patients.

“This means treatments are delayed and patients are spending longer in the emergency department. Short staffing puts people’s lives at risk and extends their length of stay, which costs more money in the long run,” says Moor.

“Senior staff are feeling overwhelmed, and I for one am concerned with what winter will look like.”

Both delegates say nurses’ biggest fear is having a patient die in an ED corridor or the waiting room because they could not

Jean Moor... ‘Tsunami of patients’ get back to them in time.

NZNO has 2172 members at North Shore Hospital alone, and Moor says the organisation is helping more and more nurses find their voice.

“More nurses are joining the cause nationwide. We are now getting younger nurses and overseas nurses joining up,” she says.

She emphasises that the nurses are not targeting their employer or the hospital, but believe it is the government which needs to reprioritise.

“They have chosen to understaff and underfund hospitals but have found money for tobacco companies, property speculators and a large defence budget. We have spent

less on health per capita compared to other countries,” she argues.

Shortages have been exacerbated by the government’s recruitment freeze announced in 2024, which she says has affected the front line – despite promises made when the freeze was announced.

“We need more beds, more staff and facilities that are fit for purpose. The health system needs more than band-aids – it needs help,” she says.

Classey says another factor affecting the pressure being felt at North Shore Hospital is the large number of junior staff compared to seniors. Meanwhile, many experienced nurses have retired.

“Nobody wants to be a senior nurse because you don’t get rewarded for it financially,” she says.

When a new nurse is trained up to standard, she says, they will often go on their OE, meaning the hospital loses that staff member for a time, possibly forever.

If a hospital nurse leaves, it is typically for better conditions in the UK or Australia.

“You have to be a certain type of person to work here, the ED is a unique place,” she says, and once they are trained, some nurses decide the environment is not for them.

During university training, she says, more clinical practice needs to be included alongside the theory. Classey suggests this could be incentivised by paid placements.

Under the current system, she says, “a lot of [training nurses] fall by the wayside because they can’t afford to do their placements.”

Moor says the public can support the cause by “voting for health”. “The public are incredible and very understanding. They can see what pressures we’re under.”

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The Rangitoto Observer Page 7

Printing makes an impression on school holidaymakers

Type… (Facing page) Karen and Demi Hayne (2). (Above) Dave Veart (left) and Graham Judd at work as Hannah Hsiao (7) looks on. (Right) Aneesha (8) and Alekhya (11) Nagisetty show off their finished prints.

An 1833 Albion printing press came from Birkenhead to the Takapuna Library in the school holidays, giving children the opportunity to design and hand print their own emoji.

Inkiana Press owner Graham Judd and helper Dave Veart outlined the process of designing and printing the emoji using metal and wooden type, and the school holidaymakers eagerly set to work.

Judd has been a professional printer by trade since he left school, and runs the Inkiana business making wedding stationery, business cards and more. As well as running the printing press, he holds workshops over the school holidays and in schools throughout term time.

Veart, a well-known archaeologist and writer, and an amateur printer himself, says that since designs for printing must mirror the desired outcome, emoj can be easier for children to design.

As well as learning about the craft of printing, everyone got to take home a print featuring their design.

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The Rangitoto Observer Page 8

July 24, 2026

Post-Covid lessons help Westlake Girls win excellence award

Celebrating success... Westlake Girls High School principal Jane Stanley with deputy head prefect Charlotte Mawston (left) and head prefect Dorsa Jahedi A post-pandemic shift in leadership strategy leadership award and our recent ERO re- this year both the Teacher Profile and a contributed to Westlake Girls High School port recognise not only our commitment to “how girls learn best” Pedagogical Framewinning the secondary school Excellence growth, but also the practical steps we have work were developed for staff to guide a in Educational Leadership award at the taken to bring that commitment to life.” more consistent approach to learning across inaugural New Zealand Education ExcelPost-Covid, student feedback showed classrooms. lence Awards. some were missing a deeper connection Looking ahead, a new Leadership Profile The school was nominated alongside two with their learning, and valued a sense of is being developed to support leadership others for the secondary school category. belonging, trusted relationships with adults growth across the wider school, for both Judges said Westlake Girls had a “deliberate and clear expectations. students and staff. and well-executed focus on developing the In response, the Student Growth Profile “We have always been determined that whole learner”. was created in collaboration with students our profiles and Pedagogical Framework The award follows Westlake Girls ex- and staff. The profile is a document offer- should be much more than lofty, abstract celling in eight areas in its 2026 Education ing a clear pathway for learning, personal statements on a page,” says Stanley.

Review Office (ERO) report, including growth and leadership starting from Year In 2025, 93.4 per cent of students leadership, student achievement and school 9 through to Year 13. Academic tracking achieved NCEA Level 3, and 87.2 per cent improvement. was also modified in 2023 to give students University Entrance. Westlake Girls also Principal Jane Stanley says the award is greater awareness of their progress through- had a record Scholarship result, with stuthe result of the school listening closely to out the year. dents gaining 119 scholarships, 10 of them students and staff. “I am thrilled that this Following the Student Profile’s success, rated as “outstanding”.

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The Rangitoto Observer Page 9

Paper planes fly high for Matariki The annual Takapuna Library paper plane competition entered its fourth year with flying colours, as school holidayers competed for design, distance, decoration and more.

Librarian James Dunning says the competition is inspired by Ururangi – seventh star in the Matariki cluster, connected to the winds of the sky in Māori astronomy.

Often this is honoured by a kite flying competition, and Takapuna Library provides an indoor version in the spirit of the tradition, in the form of paper planes.

Eight-year-old Maddy Clifford won a clutch of medals: silver for best decorator, bronze for furthest travel and gold for the most accurate plane – the one that got closest to the designated target.

Leo Hickey’s plane took the title of highest flying plane after hitting the ceiling, a feat that organisers had earlier joked was impossible. Harvey Bridgens won the furthest travel title, and came second in the longest flight time, closely followed by Alex Wilde in third place. Dishant Singh came second in the best design category.

Soaring… (top) Medal winner Maddy Clifford with Willa Barry (both 8); at right, Harvey Bridgens (9), Dishant Singh (7) Rangitoto Observer “Live where you feel at home” and Daniel Wilson (8).

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July 24, 2026

Letter

Failing pavements doomed by crazy pōhutukawa planting I have witnessed 50 years of various councils remodelling Takapuna footpaths.

A never-ending parade of grandiose bespoke schemes from the desks of designers, consultants and political dreamers has thrown up a succession of failing pavements variously incorporating asphalt, cobblestones and concrete, that have been doomed by the lunacy of planting the ul-

timate arboreal terrorist (pōhutukawa) in large areas of them.

The worst case in point being the Esmonde Rd to Hauraki Corner masterpiece that promised so much at conception but has now morphed into a narrow hazard zone of tree roots, disrupted paving stones and overhanging branches.

Just as I believe roads should be strictly

roads (not car parks), footpaths should be just that, not walking, and maybe cycling, obstacle courses with degraded surfaces.

Adjacent residential planting provides a more than adequate verdant backdrop and the actual shopping precinct is too insignificant to require botanical augmentation.

Geoff West

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The Rangitoto Observer Page 11

Street changes: $400,000 to install, $80,000 to remove Huron Street’s temporary additions, including “circus planters” and reduced parking, are being removed at a cost of $80,000, with parking spaces being added.

The street was closed at night for the works over the past week and a half.

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board member Terence Harpur, who has been advocating to reinstate the street, is “absolutely thrilled it is finally happening”.

The temporary measures, added as a test in 2022 as part of Auckland Council’s Innovating Streets for People and the Unlock Takapuna projects, include large planters, nicknamed “circus planters” by locals, which Harpur says can be hazardous to vehicles.

Reduced parking, had negatively affected cafes and drop-in businesses on the street, and a widened footpath was mostly unused by the public. Decorative paint on the foot-

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paths is now peeling.

“The planters themselves aren’t maintained; the trees have all died,” Harpur says.

The additions were supposed to be removed or replaced with alternative measures after six to twelve months.

However they are only now being removed, which the Takapuna Beach Business Association has been asking for over the past two and a half years.

The original temporary project, which included additions installed on both Huron St and Northcroft St, cost $400,000, with 10 per cent paid by the council. The remaining $360,000 was government funded.

Harpur says testing using temporary upgrades can be beneficial, but that has not been the case with the Huron St project.

“It is not a good use of ratepayer money in that respect.” Northcroft St later received permanent upgrades, but not until 2024.

Harpur says the delayed removal of the temporary measures could have resulted from a similarly delayed stormwater management project from Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters, which is expected on Huron St. More permanent upgrades to the street are expected alongside this Healthy Waters project.

Harpur says the nine additional carparks will benefit businesses, but says it was “frustrating’ that more were not added, particularly since the street originally offered more parking spaces.

Kate Cumberpatch, Auckland Council priority location director – north at the Auckland Urban Development Office, says it will cost $80,000 to remove the remaining Innovating Streets for People elements on Huron St, with the money coming from the Auckland Urban Development Office operating budget.

Schoolboys on path to finals The North Harbour schoolboy rugby competition enters its final few weeks with top teams Rosmini and Westlake heading on a likely collision course for the final at the end of next month.

The competition has three rounds to go before the semi-finals on August 15 and the finals on August 22.

Rosmini beat Westlake 31-21 just before the recent school holiday break to even

the tally from their 2026 match-ups at one apiece.

Now the table-topping sides have relatively easy runs into the playoffs, with Rosmini playing Whangārei Boys’ this Saturday followed by Orewa College and then Mahurangi College.

Westlake plays Takapuna Grammar this Saturday followed by Massey High School and then Rangitoto.

Takapuna miss out on silverware After a spectacular end-of-season run, the Takapuna premier rugby team just missed out on winning the North Harbour championship by two points.

The side lost to Massey 18-16 in the final,

after causing a major upset in the semi-finals by beating hot favourites North Shore.

Takapuna’s under-21 team also lost to Massey, going down 24-16 in the semi-finals.

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Documentaries find an audience at Beachside Cinema The Doc Edge film festival at Takapuna Beachside Cinemas may extend over the rest of this year, with screenings of the most popular films.

Doc Edge has approached the cinema about showing best-selling documentaries once a month.

Takapuna Beachside co-owner Shaun Hayward says several thousand people attended the festival during showings at Beachside Cinemas, as well as Capitol Cinema on Dominion Rd. Audience members included first-time visitors to the cinemas, and the team received positive comments about the theatre experience, Hayward said.

Many documentary sessions sold out, and Q&As attracted viewers.

Popular films included two father-andson stories: Finding Honk, a documentary following singing legend Hemi Pere’s son, Hayden, as he tries to find an estranged family member, and Unlikely Kin, which follows elder Hori Parata (Ngāti Wai) and son Te Kaurinui, who harvest stranded whales to honour whakapapa, and revive traditional medicine to treat kauri dieback.

Hayward says Takapuna Beachside Cinema is “definitely keen” to remain involved with the festival again. “It’s most likely Successful first year in Takapuna… Shaun and Helen Hayward of Takapuna going to be here again next year.”

Beachside Cinema hope to continue their involvement with Doc Edge

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The Rangitoto Observer Page 14

Arts / Entertainment Pages

July 24, 2026

Fifty years on, it’s still time for Glide Time

No time like the past…the Glide Time cast at a dress rehearsal last weekend Sir Roger Hall will take centre stage at the 50th anniversary performance of his breakthrough play, Glide Time, at the PumpHouse Theatre.

A “Q&A” style celebratory event, on the anniversary of the original 1976 Glide Time opening date of 11 August, will feature the cast of the 2026 adaptation interviewing Hall in costume, and possibly in character. The format is being kept somewhat open-ended. “We want to see how the cast might interpret that,” said Braydon Priest of Phoenix Theatre, which is putting on the production. The cast also wanted to explore a fresh way to interview Hall. “Having the

Notice of Annual General Meeting

of the North Shore Theatre & Arts Trust (The PumpHouse Theatre) Inc.

cast ask the questions from the perspective of what has struck them in 2026 versus 1976 felt like a great approach,” said Priest.

Glide Time opens at the PumpHouse on 18 September for an 11-day run.

The play is a comedy about the daily routines of seven public servants, who have ambivalent attitudes to their work. Through the lens of 1970s bureaucracy, the characters – six male and one female – negotiate the office politics of the era.

Priest says the Phoenix cast and crew had an in-depth discussion about aspects of the play that might not land in the same way that they did in 1976. Ultimately, they decided to play it as it was written. “We are taking the parts that are ‘of the time’ to be a learning opportunity about how far we’ve come [in society],” says Priest.

Having cast members born after the era or

who were children in 1976 has provided its own challenges, but Priest says they’ve worked hard to make sure their delivery is authentic.

Hall is also curious to see how the play will land with today’s audiences.

“I wonder how familiar the 1970s working conditions are to a contemporary audience – the use of the phone is just one example,” Hall told the Rangitoto Observer.

But other aspects of 1970s life “will be familiar enough and I am delighted with the decision Phoenix has made,” he said.

Hall, a Takapuna resident, is patron of PumpHouse Theatre, while Phoenix Theatre, the company celebrating the playwright, is one of PumpHouse’s resident groups.

Of more than 40 plays he has written,

The AGM will be held at

6.30pm, Wednesday 19 August 2026

Saturday 22 August

Bruce Mason Centre

at the French Rendez-vous Café (next door to The PumpHouse Theatre)

Guest Speaker:

Actor and director, Simon Praast.

Please RSVP to mags@pumphouse.co.nz

by Friday 14th August 2026.

Time to have fun! www.pumphouse.co.nz Phone 09 486 2386

PRESENTER Liv Tennet

July 24, 2026

Arts / Entertainment Pages

The Rangitoto Observer Page 15

Delighted to see Glide Time mark 50 years… Sir Roger Hall will be questioned by the show’s cast Hall says Glide Time ranks first equal with Middle-Age Spread as his favourite.

Inspiration for Glide Time came after he was given an Arts Council travel grant and attended a playwrights’ workshop in Connecticut. After watching plays in rehearsal, he decided it was something he could do. “I started straight away and a few months later the result was Glide Time,” he says.

The characters and structure of Glide Time are what Hall is most proud of. “I knew I had them just right.”

www.takapunamovies.co.nz Facebook and Instagram @takapunabeachsidecinema

09 666 0714

SHOWING NOW Colours of Time (M) I, Object (PG) The Odyssey (M) Islands (M) The Richest Woman in the World (M) Moana (PG) The Invite (R16) Lollipop (M) Minions and Monsters (PG) Toy Story 5 (G) Disclosure Day (M)

126min 92min 172min 123min 121min 115min 107min 100min 90min 102min 145min

Hunt For the Wilderpeople (PG) Spiderman: Brand New Day (PG) H is for Hawk (M) Mischief Co. Pot Luck Live Improv Comedy

26 July 30 July 30 July 30 July

SPECIAL EVENTS & NEW RELEASES

For more info on films & events go to thevic.co.nz

Thanks

to our partners and supporters

www.thevic.co.nz | (09) 446 0100 | 48 Victoria Road

The Rangitoto Observer Page 16

July 24, 2026

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