6 June 2025, Devonport Flagstaff

Navy stops berthing own ships... p2

June 6, 2025

Kapa haka and music open Matariki... p9-11

Interview: Margarita man Luis Cabrera... p22-23

Planned ferry wharf upgrade costed at $10 million

A $10 million replacement of Pier 2 at Devonport Wharf is planned by Auckland Transport (AT) – subject to funding.

Already budgeted are complementary works of $2-2.5 million, AT confirmed. These include:

• Replacement of the existing wooden

stairs from the wharf to the beach.

• Reinforcement and renewal of the under-wharf structure.

• Roof repairs and ceiling renewal.

• A new main switchboard, and refurbishment of the communications room.

Most of the works will begin in the 2026

financial year and be completed in the 2027 financial year.

AT said the work was part of an ongoing programme at the ferry terminal to replace infrastructure that had “reached the end of its design life or is no longer fit for purpose.”

To page 13

Yee-hah! Pink posse rides for charity

Three amigas… Primary school principals (from left) Marianne Coldham (Bayswater), Vimi Chandra (St Leo’s) and Beverley Booth (Devonport) took part in the Bayleys Pink Ribbon breakfast at Dulcie. More pics, story pages 16-17.

Navy no longer berthing its own ships at base

The Navy has stopped berthing its own ships in New Zealand, under a change made since the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui off Samoa last year.

A Navy spokesperson confirmed the new policy of putting Ports of Auckland pilots on ships arriving in and departing from Devonport in answer to questions from the Flagstaff.

“The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) constantly reviews policies and procedures and have implemented this temporary measure, putting pilots on RNZN vessels when entering and exiting Devonport Navy Base,” the spokesperson said. “This is while the RNZN ensures it can field pilot-qualified naval officers on every ship.

“The practice of taking an independent pilot for RNZN ship entry into overseas ports, and some New Zealand ports, has

been in place for many years. The RNZN has determined that this practice will now be in place for all New Zealand ports, including Auckland.”

The pilot did not operate or berth the ship themself, the spokesperson said. “The RNZN’s ship’s bridge crew do this as per normal operations. The control of the ship always remains with the commanding officer.

“The pilot simply provides independent oversight and advice on how the navigation of the ship is conducted in the confined waters of a port entry, for which they have the expertise and knowledge.

“This is different for each location and having local advice is beneficial to safety, particularly when communicating with tugs.

“There is a suitably qualified naval officer at Devonport Naval Base who can conduct the pilotage into Auckland when available.

On those occasions they are not available, a Ports of Auckland pilot will be tasked.

“This will continue to build on the strong relationship between Ports of Auckland, Auckland Harbourmaster and the RNZN. It also provides a further opportunity for the RNZN’s ship crew to develop their knowledge and experience by collaborating with the experts of local ports in New Zealand.”

The decision was the result of on an ongoing review, the spokesperson said.

Human error was found to be the cause of the Manawanui sinking after it struck a reef and caught fire on 6 October.

Navy Chief Rear Admiral Garin Golding said after that finding that the Navy needed to do things differently and would be embarking on a transformation programme that sought to “reform the approach to operating the Navy”.

Foiled fishers win support from local politicians

Auckland Council needs to review its decision allowing Bayswater Marina to ban fishing from its breakwater, local politicians say.

The Environment Court ruled public access should be guaranteed when backing an Auckland Council abatement notice telling Bayswater Marina Ltd (BML) to open the breakwater to the public.

BML has since opened the breakwater but banned fishing, to the dismay of locals, including youngsters who enjoy fishing there.

Council’s legal view has been that the consent condition assuring public access does not expressly require the consent holder to permit fishing, meaning council cannot legally use enforcement powers to require the marina operator to allow fishing.

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board deputy chair Terence Harpur said: “Accessing our coastline is part of our Kiwi way.

“Shutting people off from the breakwater like they have done is ridiculous. They

should open it up as soon as possible. The Environment Court has ruled on this already to maintain public access – they should adhere to that and make it happen.

“Yes, council should review its decision... let those boys go fishing I say.”

Board members George Wood and Gavin Busch both want fishing restored and are proposing to put a motion to the board to that effect (see letter page 26).

North Shore Councillor Richard Hills said: “The actions to block kids and others fishing off the marina is petty and disappointing and goes against the community spirit and encouragement of access to the sea.

“My personal view is that if people are tidying up after themselves and not causing any disturbance there should be no good reason to block fishing there,” Hills said.

He was seeking more advice as he did not believe fishing was listed as a reason to exclude.

“It really is incredibly grim that the community celebrated restored public access, then something as basic as fishing is banned by the Bayswater Marina owners.

“ I encourage them to reconsider this call and remove their sign,” Hills said.

Local board chair Mel Powell said: “Allowing young people to fish is very sensible and that’s not something we could discourage in any way.” Asked if she would support Wood and Busch with their notice of motion, she said she would take council staff advice if it met requirements.

“I’d be disappointed if any action was taken against young people fishing.”

North Shore Councillor Chris Darby will this week be meeting with management of Empire Capital, which owns the marina, to query the fishing ban.

“If access to fishing is denied, what other recreational activities could potentially be restricted?” he asked.

Devonport Publishing Ltd First Floor, 9 Wynyard St

Telephone: 09 445 0060

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Local tradies invited to help fight crime with laser

Devonport tradies are fighting back against thieves stealing tools from their vans and trucks by engraving details on equipment to make it unsaleable on the black market.

After tools and equipment worth between $10,000 and $15,000 were stolen in January from a van parked outside his Norwood Rd home, Paul Sievers of Devonport Electrical decided to take preventative action. He ordered a $1200 laser engraver from China and started marking all the firm’s equipment.

After another of the company’s vehicles was targeted when parked in Mt Eden last week, with another $15,000 of tools being taken, Sievers put out an offer to use the engraver to mark other tradespeople’s tools.

So far, several have been in contact to take up the offer.

Sievers had previously been involved with a police-initiated engraving scheme, although this was a time-consuming process, with the marking done by hand.

While the initial cost of his engraver was substantial, he sees it as an investment given that he usually has eight vehicles out and about, with in excess of $10,000 worth of tools in each.

Any thefts result in countless man hours expended sorting out insurance claims and replacement equipment.

Engraving takes only about 30 seconds for each item.

With the tradesperson’s name on each piece of equipment, it’s clear to any potential buyer where it has come from when it appears “on Facebook marketplace, where all this stuff is going”, Sievers says.

“The laser engraving is almost impossible to remove.”

Baxter Richardson of Devonport Locksmiths was only too happy to take Sievers up on his offer last week.

Laser force... Paul Sievers of Devonport Electrical using an engraver to mark a battery for Baxter Richardson of Devonport Locksmiths

Richardson estimates he has around $12,000 worth of equipment in his truck.

He’s hopeful that engraving by a high proportion of local tradespeople will put

off thieves operating in the area. He says he’d have greater peace of mind if potential thieves realised Devonport was a no-go area for stealing tools.

Writers centre landed with $26k annual rent bill

The rental paid by the Michael King Writers Centre for its use of the historic Signalman’s House on the slopes of Takarunga is soaring from $1 to $26,000 a year.

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority last week approved the new charge for an initial term of one year starting 1 July 2025.

While the lease has yet to be signed, it is understood the authority will become responsible for the outside maintenance of the centre.

The rental assessment by a registered valuer in 2024 was based on a building on a reserve, not full market rental.

Online from Australia, authority deputy chair Toni van Tonder said the authority was setting up a grant for Māori writers at the centre. The amount had yet to be decided.

Michael King Writers Centre Trust deputy chair Nicki Fraser said the trust was “resigned but disappointed” at having to pay the new rent.

However, as part of negotiations the trust was pleased to have certainty that the authority would pay for work such as roof replacement and exterior painting, Fraser said.

As part of the leasing process, the centre is developing an “outcomes plan” to demonstrate its “contribution to the well-being of the Maunga”.

The charging of market rents for buildings is part of an overall Auckland Council policy to get rid of peppercorn rentals for properties on council land.

Fraser said the writers cottage was part of New Zealand’s post-colonial history.

The trust was keen to work with the authority to honour the maunga’s history and spirituality, including with signage in te reo alongside English and the potential of hav-

ing artists as well as writers use the centre.

The centre, established in 2005, receives around 130 applications a year for 17 residencies.

Each year, a minimum of two residencies are awarded to a Māori writer. In 2025, five Māori writers will have residencies.

The centre has hosted more than 200 New Zealand writers and accommodated 100 writers who paid to stay.

Renovated Narrow Neck home fetches $8 million

A waterfront property at Narrow Neck was sold for $8 million, one of the highest prices ever paid in the suburb.

The three-level house at 2 Old Lake Rd (right) had been extensively renovated in recent years. It has four bedrooms, five bathrooms and two-car garaging.

The 433sqm property sold in December last year.

Paying market rents…the Michael King Writers Centre

ALBANY HEAT PUMPS

By Rob Drent

Residents, local board members and councillors alike have been surprised by Auckland Council’s it’s-all-okay reaction to the Bayswater Marina’s decision to ban fishing from its breakwater.

As readers will know, the Environment Court in early April ruled that the marina must open its breakwater to the public. It had been closed since December 2023, the marina citing public-safety concerns.

The court ruling came after Auckland Council served an abatement notice on Bayswater Marina Ltd (BML), requiring it open the breakwater for public use, in line with its original consents.

After BML’s no-fishing sign went up, Auckland Council said it did not have “any control over the decision to prohibit fishing from the breakwater at Bayswater Marina.

“Consent requires public access when conditions are safe to do so. Provided that access is maintained, the consent remains compliant and there is no basis for enforcement action.”

Bayswater Marina is entitled to set reasonable rules to manage the use and enjoyment of the breakwater, and a fishing ban was okay, the council said.

Having read the environment court judgement twice, I regard the council stance as semantic nonsense.

Quite obviously, it doesn’t want to get into another legal stoush with BML. But isn’t it council’s duty to work in the interests of its ratepayers, who are entitled to use the breakwater for recreation – which includes fishing?

Lets hope a couple of local-resident lawyers have the time and wherewithal to challenge this in the courts.

Locals will no doubt give the proverbial two fingers to BML and the council and march onto breakwater – a publicly accessible space – with their fishing rods.

It was great to see Margot McRae’s short film The Vic: A Love Story on the history of the Victoria Theatre launched on site to a sell-out crowd. McRae’s preamble included the rider that with the film being only 23 minutes long people who were bored wouldn’t too much footage to endure. Far from it: the movie, which tapped into other short films on the history of the theatre along with recent interviews, included historical stills dating back to the theatre’s beginnings in 1912. The passion for the theatre pulsed across the screen, in the energy of first owner John Benwell, and the contributions of local Murray Thompson (who went to the theatre as a child and later worked there a projectionist), and later owners Bruce Palmer of Charlie Grays pictures and Karl Rusher, who struggled valiantly to keep the cinema going in the 1980s and 1990s.

After that came its closure and the mighty effort to save it, led by Sarah Burren, who was in the crowd for the première. Amazing also to be reminded of a successful campaign by a community group to get a council (North Shore City in this case) to buy an old building to secure it for public use. Auckland Council under its current regime seems intent on disposing of any old buildings it can in our area.

The première was something of a celebration of the Devonport community: many of those who attended saw themselves on screen at various Vic protests, cleaning efforts, fundraisers and campaigns.

David Downs, a former Victoria Theatre Trust Treasurer, spoke eloquently of the simple joy of going to the cinema and var-

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ious live events at the building, and of the community connections it fostered.

The cinema seems on a solid footing these days, with long term trust co-chairs Margot McRae and Mark Sigglekow at the helm and Philipp Jaser running day-to-day operations. Get off your couch at home and support it. More comfortable seats are on their way – the old blue seating on either side of the main cinema are being replaced. To contribute to funding the upgrade, deposit your donation at: 12 3015 0622113 00

A third bookshop Juan Darien (to join Paradox and Bookmark) has been set up in Devonport on the corner of Fleet St and Victoria Rd. A good business move I would say. While Devonport is a long way from being a bookshop town like Hay-on-Wye in Wales which has more than 20 bookshops, a cluster of quality shops like those emerging in the village is an attraction to readers and collectors alike.

Devonport is the 1980s and early 1990s was well known as a mecca for antiques, with half a dozen stores selling items from bygone eras. Maybe bookshops could take over the mantle?

It is a welcome change from another op shop opening its doors. More power to the written word – I hope more bookshops will open in the village.

In the face of antagonism from the Trump administration the government has decided to drop a bill that would have taxed mega companies Google and Facebook for money they earn in New Zealand – another blow to the media industry – including local publications like us. It is estimated Google and Facebook make around $1billion in New Zealand – much of which had been spent on advertising through New Zealand media: television, radio and newspapers. Unfortunately the government decision has been made without it seems a back up plan.

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TGS alumna looks at concussion for PhD thesis

Former Takapuna Grammar School head girl and sportswoman of the year Katherine Forch has returned to her old stamping ground to conduct research for a doctorate on concussion.

With a thesis centring on the development of a return-to-play testing protocol for sports-related concussion, she is seeking a cohort of around 100 active people between 18-40, half of whom will be healthy and the other half having had a recent sports-related concussion.

Participants will attend two testing sessions about a week apart at the AUT campus on Akoranga Drive

Forch (nee McDonald) went to Stanley Bay Primary and Belmont Intermediate before attending TGS, where she was head girl in 2005, taking part in multiple sports for the school including football, netball, dragon boating, ultimate frisbee and cricket.

She won a vice-chancellor’s scholarship and went to AUT to study physiotherapy.

After a stint working in the public health system in Gisborne, she has returned to AUT, where she lectures on the cervical spine and concussion and is a member of the university’s Traumatic Brain Injury Network, while also working in rehabilitation physiotherapy at Axis Sport Medicine Specialists and as a consultant to doctors and other physios on concussion.

As part of her PhD studies, Forch was awarded a Health Research Council Award Fellowship, valued at $260,000.

Forch remembers starting her career on the sidelines for North Shore Rugby Club in 2008, a very different era of sports injury treatment. “If a player was out cold they came off but if they [had a head knock and] weren’t there would be an argument with the coach about whether they stayed on or not.”

The pendulum has swung markedly over

the years, not only in the diagnosis of concussions on the field but also in their treatment, testing and stand-down time before a player can go back on the field.

Good diagnosis and treatment of early concussions can have a huge impact on a player who has further concussions later in their career.

Forch runs baseline testing at the start of the season for the Blues and the All Blacks – 15 to 20 minutes of tests – with the help of her students.

Forch (37) says she has “set a deadline of finishing the PhD by the time I’m 40.” She can be contacted at katherine.forch@ aut.ac.nz

Seeking volunteers... Katherine Forch needs about 100 people for her research

Plaque finds new home at Devonport Primary

The whole of Devonport Primary School gathered to welcome an historic World War II-era plaque to its new home at the entrance to the school.

The 237 students sang waiata and listened to speeches by Devonport RSA president Muzz Kennett and school principal Beverley Booth before the resited plaque was unveiled.

Commemorating VE (Victory in Europe)

Day, 8 May 1945, it had been on the tihi of Takarunga until recently, when a redevelopment of the site by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority required it to be moved.

Booth said the school was “very proud” to give it a new home. It has been sited on a lawn leading up to the school, near steps which would have been used by former students who lost their lives in the war.

While WWII may seem a long time ago,

Booth said her 92-year-old mother Gladys Willans, who lives in England, can still remember a street party held to celebrate the end of the war.

The current generation of students and those who followed would be strong kaitiaki (guardians) of the plaque, Booth said.

Kennett was delighted the plaque would be well taken care off. He hoped it would be part of Anzac commemorations.

Warm welcome…Devonport Primary School pupils sing a waiata at the unveiling of an historic plaque on the school grounds

Due ceremony... Five-year-old new entrants Heidi Ibbotson and Eddie McCarthy lay flowers at the plaque. Right: Devonport RSA president Muzz Kennett salutes, as Devonport Primary principal Beverley Booth and Birkenhead RSA members Dutch van Geuns and George Coffin look on.

Let there be light... A local kapa haka group was to the fore as Devonport welcomed the Matariki season last weekend. Carl Mose (right) was among the performers.

Around 200 people attended the opening of Matariki in Devonport last Saturday, enjoying music and kapa haka performances at the band rotunda. Other activities included a Matariki Star Hunt Competition around the village shops, and star making at the Navy Museum on Sunday.

Mataraki celebrations continue this month and include a community Potluck Hakari Feast at the Ngau-te-ringaringa community nursery and North Shore United Football Clubrooms on 8 June, weaving design at the Depot Artspace on 14 June and a Matariki Festival at Bayswater Primary School on 14 June. More photos, pages 10-11. ALL PHOTOS: KATHRYN NOBBS.

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’Tis the season... (clockwise from top left) A blast from Ngahiwi Walker opens proceedings; friends Kayla Yang (5), Lucas Han (6), Jayden Liu (6) and Kaylee Yang (7) from Hauraki; capturing a memorable occasion; David Zahorodny and Devonport Library manager Georgina Charman-White; the kapa haka group performs.

Navy Museum

Enrolment for Out of Zone Students

ENROLMENTS FOR TERM 3 2025

for 2019

Enrolment for Out of Zone Students for 2019

Devonport Primary School invites applications for out of zone enrolments in Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for 2019

Devonport Primary School invites applications for out of zone enrolments in Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for 2019

Applications close: 17th Oct Ballot Date (if required) - 24th Oct

Devonport Primary operates an enrolment scheme, details are available from the school office. Application for out-of-zone places, across all ages, are invited for admission from 14 July with a deadline of 13 July. If required, a ballot will be held, and parents notified on 14 July. Multiple out-of-zone enrolment ballots may be held throughout 2025. If planning to enrol later in 2025 please contact the school as soon as possible to assist our planning.

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Ballot Date (if required) - 24th Oct

The skirl of the pipes... (clockwise from above) piper Chris Lucas adds another musical flavour; Robin AllenGoudge opened the concert playing her harp and singing popular songs; friends Emily Hamed and Anna von Ray with Joice Hamed (5) and Leda Donaldson (6); children take the chance to join in with the kapa haka group.

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A drop-in center for all current and former service personnel and their families will be held in the Takapuna Library every Wednesday 10am-12pm commencing 18th of June 2025.

If you or your family require support, we are here for you and those who depend on you.

We help by:

• Using Our Connections: with government, Veteran Affairs, RSAs, and community groups to provide information, mentoring and support.

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• Advocating: We recognise the rigors of domestic and overseas service and advocate on your behalf for Government recognition, assistance and redress.

• Financial Assistance: by grants based on the need, to alleviate financial, medical and education hardships for you and your dependents.

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Pier 2 upgrade will allow essential Pier 1 rebuild

From page 1

The plan to replace the Pier 2 berth and install a new adjustable gangway is being developed, with implementation subject to funding approval.

“Early estimates indicate an implementation cost of $8.0m to $10 million for Pier 2.”

A proposal for Pier 2 is expected to be completed in the 2026 financial year, ready for implementation in the 2027 financial year if it can be funded.

Public consultation on the programme will open in stages in the 2026 financial year, after AT has engaged with stakeholders.

AT has been liaising with Fullers regarding future berthing and terminal building requirements and any changes to piers and the ferry terminal layout will be developed to accommodate Fullers’ operational requirements.

Fullers shares a retail space with Magic Broomstick Segway Tours, which was notified by AT of the intention to renew Pier 2.

“This will impact the existing retail footprint within the terminal and create the need for Magic Broomstick Segway Tours to vacate,” AT said.

AT would work with Fullers and Segway to identify alternative retail and commercial arrangements within the terminal, it said.

Pier review... An upgraded Pier 2 will be needed before the main Pier 1 is decommissioned and rebuilt

The proposed works at Devonport were to improve operational efficiency and resilience, as well as customer and tenant amenity.

Wider works were also needed on the wharf.

Asset monitoring and assessments had highlighted the need to refurbish or replace berthing infrastructure for the main Pier 1 berth over the next few years, which was why Pier 2 needed upgrading.

“Limitations with the existing Pier 2 configuration make it unsuitable or unable to be utilised by all vessels as an alternative berth while Pier 1 is decommissioned and rebuilt.

“Therefore, AT is developing a solution to replace Pier 2 with a new facility that caters for all vessels.

“As well as facilitating essential future works on Pier 1, a new Pier 2 will provide much needed operational resilience and flexibility to Devonport ferry services.”

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In the pink: long-running fundraiser hits new high

Colour coded... Caron Nock (left) and Pip Gay, who won best dressed at the Bayleys Pink Ribbon Breakfast. Left: Blair Monk and Lisa Chaddock.

The 15th Bayleys Pink Ribbon Breakfast raised $6659 for breast-cancer awareness.

Organised by breast cancer survivor Lynda Betts, the event at Dulcie on King Edward Pde attracted around 100 people who attended in two breakfast sessions, at 7.30 and 9am. The total was the highest ever raised at the event, Betts said.

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For a great cause... (clockwise from top left) Donna Gaskin, Vic Mules and organiser Lynda Betts; Megan Jarrett and Hannah Ryan; Lynley Schierling and Carol Buckingham; a special event cake and auction items; Dianne Hale and Jenny Sonntag.

Residents of Anne St in Devonport have finally won official backing to remove two unwanted street trees that have blocked drains and left footpaths slippery with their leaves and fruit.

After further petitioning from the frustrated residents last month, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board voted unanimously at its May meeting to ask council staff to replace the trees with more suitable specimens.

This overturns an earlier split decision in March last year to keep the trees, which was only carried on then chair Toni van Tonder’s casting vote, dismaying residents whose properties have flooded in heavy rain.

Just when the trees will go is yet to be determined. Council arborists say a resource consent will be required.

The board vote followed much debate between members, with chair Mel Powell describing the tree stand-off as “idealogical polarisation, between greenies and the wealthy essentially”.

Member George Wood replied: “I don’t think those people down in Anne St are wealthy, they’re normal people, down in their homes.”

Council arborists needed to “come down to earth” and work with people, he added.

Three residents – Peter McNab and Craig Mark, who live on Anne St, and Dinah Philp, from Queens Pde – told the board the trees needed go.

Philp had recently fallen on Anne St, illustrating the health and safety issue.

The mallet flower trees – previously wrongly identified by council arborists as

Ongoing

issues… Resident Peter McNab cleans up leaves from the Anne St trees in 2024

Queensland umbrella trees – were unsuitable for the location, the residents said.

Mark said the trees were causing footpath asphalt to crack, barely a year after it was laid.

Philp said the reason she was on the side of the street where she slipped was because the footpath on the opposite side was built up high around another tree root, making it even harder to navigate.

Residents wanted relief, said Mark, who has lived on the street for 10 years. The trees fruited for about four months a year, he said, and to stay on top of the debris, fruit needed

picking up every two days.

McNab said every time it rained heavily, residents would rush to clear drains of the leaves in fear of blockages and flooding.

In heavy rain at Easter, he went outside at 1am to clear leaves.

An offer by environmental group Restoring Takarunga Hauraki (RTH) last year to send volunteers to help with clean-ups by the residents, many elderly, had yielded only two visits, he said.

Powell said she understood there had been some animosity between residents and RTH volunteers. But McNab said he was not aware of any discord. “We were happy to see them, but they didn’t return.”

Board member Gavin Busch said continued problems justified removing the trees.

Wood said residents had been plagued by the trees, sought help on a number of occasions and should be supported.

Deputy chair Terence Harpur said the fact Healthy Waters had now decided against doing any drainage work on Anne St added weight to removing them. “They’re the wrong tree in the wrong place.”

Member Peter Allen, who last year voted with van Tonder and Powell to keep the trees, said he was swayed. But “to tick the boxes for everybody” he backed Powell’s amendments that residents and the arborists work together to decide the best replacements, and that mulch from the felled mallet trees be offered to RTH.

Powell said RTH was saddened by tree loss and she had wanted to acknowledge them in what was a divisive topic.

DESIGNED

59A CHURCH STREET

3 2 2 1 2

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Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452 t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz barfoot.co.nz/904736 VIEWING Sat/Sun 12.00-12.30pm

t.lawrence@barfoot.co.nz

Barfoot & Thompson

CORONATION STREET

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TENDER

2:00pm 16 Jun 2025 at Devonport (Branch Office) (unless sold prior) VIEWING Sat/Sun 1.30-2.00pm

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

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barfoot.co.nz/909267

1/19 MONTGOMERY AVENUE

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SALE By Negotiation VIEWING

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Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

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Price By Negotiation VIEWING

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Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

Tracey Lawrence 021 1720 681

2/59 NORWOOD ROAD

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barfoot.co.nz/908933

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Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

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Devonport 09 445 2010

MILFORD

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barfoot.co.nz/910996

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barfoot.co.nz/910899

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VIEWING

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Trish Fitzgerald 021 952 452

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16 LANSDOWNE STREET

Proudly perched above the waters of this Bayswater cul de sac, this family home offers more than its fair share of spectacular views.

barfoot.co.nz/910627

VIEWING Sunday 1:00-1:30 pm

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Barfoot & Thompson Limited Licensed REAA 2008

Cocktail sideline gives chef a new direction

Luis Cabrera’s margarita business has taken off. He speaks to Rob Drent about its beginnings in his Belmont garage, competing at a culinary Olympics and making breakfast for Barack Obama.

The call to cook for former United States president Barack Obama came through at 10pm.

Auckland chef Luis Cabrera, who owned two Mexican restaurants, was told he had to be at the Sofitel at 6am the next morning with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus if he wanted to accept the assignment. It’s not every day a US president comes to town requesting Mexican food, so Cabrera jumped at the chance.

He suspects he was recommended by the Mexican Embassy which he often catered for.

When Cabrera arrived to cook for Obama, he had to hand in his cellphone and wasn’t allowed to tell his wife where he was.

The order came down from the former president’s suite for a breakfast serving of huevos rancheros (a Mexican breakfast dish with eggs, tortillas and salsa).

Cabrera had 11 minutes to cook, surrounded by American secret service agents “which was pretty intimidating”. However, Obama enjoyed the breakfast so much he invited Cabrera up to his suite for an official photo. The conversation was brief. “He was very kind and thanked me for cooking breakfast.”

That was in 2018. Cabrera’s culinary career was going well – he owned popular Mexican restaurants in Elliot Stables and the Wynyard Quarter with a growing reputation for their home-made margaritas – the cocktail that was to change Cabrera’s life.

Cabrera was perhaps born to produce margaritas.

He grew up in Jalisco, a regional state that is known for producing that most Mexican of drinks – tequila – and as the home of mariachi music.

“Half my family is still there... I have a deep connection to the land, and the area –and tequila,” Cabrera says.

He was always interested in food and was working as a chef in Mexico when he won a scholarship to study culinary art in Venice in 2000.

It was the start of a love for Italian food. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in culinary studies, he began travelling and cooking. As a member of the Italian Chefs Federation he represented Italy at a culinary Olympics in Germany, winning a silver medal in the culinary artist category.

Contestants had to prepare a buffet –Cabrera’s was inspired by Aztec culture and included a spectacular pumpkin carved with Aztec motifs.

Cabrera travelled the world, working in Italian restaurants in Germany, Ireland, the United States, Mexico, and Australia and New Zealand.

But he moved back to Mexico in 2007,

Recipe for success... Luis Cabrera is marketing a Kiwi-made Mexican classic to the world

and “fell in love with my own food again”.

When he was cooking Italian food it was always easy to pair it with white or red wines, but Mexican food had no natural pairing. Most people would drink beer with their Mexican meal, he said. This was a gap he would later look to fill.

Cooking Mexican food, he began being invited to help cater for government events in Mexico and around the world.

“There was always an issue of what do you pair the food with.”

Carbrera created a margarita that was designed to go with food. Every barman has his own margarita recipe but Carbrera approached the drink with a chef’s palate.

Having enjoyed his previous visit to New Zealand, he emigrated here with his wife, Cecilia, in 2009.

He got a job working at Non Solo Pizza in Parnell, having been turned down by four Mexican restaurants in the city – one a fastfood outlet and the others run by Iranians, Fijians and Chileans, he says

The time was right for him and Cecilia to open their own restaurant – Besos Latinos in the Stables complex in Elliot St.

“I thought I could make good Mexican food for Kiwis.”

And so it transpired. The restaurant was so successful that after six years the couple opened a second location in Halsey St in the Wynyard Quarter.

All the restaurants’ furnishings – tables, chairs, plates, lamps and decorations – were handmade in Mexico.

“I started offering my margaritas and people started falling in love with my margaritas as well.”

It was a busy time. The couple’s children, Valentina and Fernando, were born at North Shore Hospital, and the restaurants were big operations, employing 26 staff.

“It was crazy workwise.”

Then 2020 and the Covid lockdowns hit. The restaurants were only able to sell takeaway food without alcoholic drinks.

Customers were missing Cabrera’s margaritas. He started making a few bottles which they could purchase from a Wynyard Quarter liquor store. He initially made just six bottles at time, but they would be snapped up as soon as they arrived. “Word spread around the Wynyard Quarter like wildfire.”

Presidential

During the dull days of Covid, people started sharing photos of themselves enjoying his margaritas. Word spread to friends in Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington. Cabrera began fielding enquiries from around the country.

After starting out making four-litre batches, filling milk bottles with margaritas, production quickly grew into a 20-litre bucket operation in the garage of his home at Williamson Ave, Belmont.

Once orders started rolling in online, he bought a small bottle-filling machine which took 20 seconds to fill each bottle. He began bottling at his restaurant.

Soon he was making 60 to 80 litres per week, and within three months this had risen to 160 litres, then quickly to 320 litres a week. “We were still in lockdown so instead of serving tables my staff began helping me clean bottles and put labels on them, and then putting them in boxes.”

Orders had reached such a level that Cabrera bought an automatic filling machine from China. He was still blending the margaritas in his garage, but filling bottles and labelling them in the restaurant.

When the first Covid lockdown finished, recovery was slow. Further lockdowns brought further uncertainty and slow recovery. “I had two full-scale restaurants operating with 26 staff... but I was making more money from the sales of the margaritas.”

He hoped the restaurants would go back to normal, “but the borders were closed and no one was going back to the offices,” he says. “Keeping the restaurants open would have ended up adding more and more to my debts.”

After 12 years of successful operation, he decided to close both outlets at the end of

2022 to focus solely on margarita production. He had not long before got the keys to the Rosebank Rd factory where he has been based since.

Customers who knew Cabrera well came on board as investors, backing it to be a sizeable business. “I was a chef with the recipe and good intentions.” When it became apparent Cabrera was buying almost all the top-grade Patrón brand tequila available in New Zealand for his margarita production, it was clear that the business was scaleable.

“I had two full-scale restaurants operating with 26 staff... but I was making more money from the sales of the margaritas.”

He went to Mexico and negotiated a deal to buy 20,000-litre lots of tequila from another top-line producer, and with investors on board, set up a brewing and bottling plant at Rosebank Rd. “Things got really serious.”

Even more so after he sent bottles to international spirits competitions and within a few months started to win gold medals, including a Triple Gold medal at the prestigious Major League Spirits awards in Michigan in 2023.

“That is when the investors saw the potential to sell globally, not just Auckland.”

Besos Margarita now has a distributor in Samoa serving the Pacific Islands and outlets

through New Zealand, with the next step a move in Australia.

It has two main brands – Classica, the signature brand, and a habanero-chilli margarita – but is experimenting with other flavours: mango, cocoa and a cafe-espresso version.

“I’m really a chef making a cocktail,” Cabrera says.

Staff costs are small: Cabrera and parttimers such as spirits-industry expert. When the factory is producing, staff come in for the day.

He loves the fact he can live in New Zealand and promote the product locally: he’s had tastings at local liquor stores, Belmont Primary and Belmont Park Racquets Club, where he plays interclub tennis.

The scale has come a long way from his garage days. The factory has a 2000-litre vat and can produce 1800 bottles in an hour.

“We market it as the arguably the best margarita in the world – I have a lot of pride and respect for the product.”

This month he is speaking to the Restaurant Association. He hopes he can inspire and motivate others in the sector, which has endured difficult times.

Sometimes it’s not just about being resilient, he says, which can also lead to stubbornness, but seeing an opportunity and going for it. “People loved my margaritas and I realised I could specialise in something.”

And the gold medals keep rolling in. The Besos Margarita “Habanero” won another at a San Francisco RTD competition this year.

The company can be forgiven for blowing its own trumpet online in celebration: “All the way from New Zealand – crafted with Mexican soul and the finest 100 per cent blue agave from Jalisco, Mexico.”

Just the way Luis Cabrera likes it.

seal of approval... Luis Cabrera with Barack Obama after cooking breakfast for the US leader in 2018. Above: Cabrera’s Aztec pumpkin which helped win a medal at a culinary Olympics.

‘Eyesore’ site left in limbo under multiple

A messy council site that includes the heritage Claystore is proving a minefield to manage

It took $10,000 of ratepayer’s money to produce a report on an “eyesore” council site which the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has long hoped to improve. But the arrival of the report last month raised as many questions as it answered.

The public land in question, at 27 Lake Rd, includes council buildings with commercial and community tenancies overseen by different arms of Auckland Council. Its mixed zoning – business light industry and open space conservation – provides a rare opportunity in a largely residential suburb as a site for useful services and businesses, including the Resource Recovery Centre (RRC), community nurseries and gardens, a timber yard and spaces for tradespeople.

At the site’s historic heart is the Claystore community workshop, currently subject to a council safety assessment after cost blowouts on a planned renovation (dee opposite page).

West of the former gasworks building is North Shore United’s home ground, Dacre Park. To get to the park, visitors must pass two vandalised empty wooden buildings, which council plans to demolish.

Their condition is in keeping with the run-down state of a number of ancillary buildings on the site. A large hangar-like building opposite the RRC has a gaping hole in its roof.

The state of much of the area – including potholes at the northern entrance – prompted North Shore ward councillor Chris Darby to describe 27 Lake Rd as an eyesore a few years back. He and successive local board members have long thought the place should at least be tidied up.

Ideas include developing the site as a community hub and improving parking for the football club and Ngataringa Park users. Restoring Takarunga Hauraki wants better access to its nursery at the southern end of Dacre Park. RRC would like to expand.

Changing the two roads in and out to a one-way loop road has also been suggested.

A portion of the block is privately owned, including the former service station area which Countdown owns and had intended for a click-and-collect depot. That plan has been shelved and the supermarket operator has no immediate plans for leasing, selling or using the property.

The land under council control is variously managed by its property manager, Eke Panuku, the parks and community facilities team and Auckland Transport.

In 2023, a frustrated local board put up $10,000 for a report on the council site.

The resulting “service assessment” in-

Mixed use... A site map of 27 Lake Rd shows some of the tenancies. Below: The western end of the Claystore neighbours two council buildings set to be demolished, including (right) a vandalised two-storey building.

cludes collated information after council teams met on site in April last year. A second draft of the document was presented for board feedback last month. This provided detail the board had been lacking, including clear site maps. It outlined the site’s industrial heritage and also its history as a closed landfill, meaning contamination issues must be managed.

In presenting the assessment at a board workshop, parks and places specialist John McKellar described it as a “snapshot” of the area’s status after getting its stakeholders together, but admitted to “in truth not much progress”.

He recommended further internal discussions before the document is finalised and accepted. “There might be more clarity under one management structure,”

McKellar said.

This refers to a council reorganisation which aims to break down silos by bringing organisations including Eke Panuku and Auckland Transport back under more centralised control by councillors.

Deputy board chair Terence Harpur noted Eke Panuku “seemed quite disengaged” on 27 Lake Rd. A council property review is not due to be finished until mid next year. In these circumstances, planning remains a challenge.

Local board member Gavin Busch said an overall plan for 27 Lake Rd was badly needed, as it was regarding council land at the end of Bayswater Peninsula, where control lies with various organisations. Both cases seem destined to remain in the too-hard basket for a while.

Volunteers vow to continue unfazed as saga drags on council masters

Morning tea at the Claystore is a time for its volunteers to enjoy a quick break from helping locals with their DIY projects. The dozen regulars who take turns staffing the community workshop like a yarn and a cuppa when they down tools.

“These guys help me out,” says Adam Rowland, who sweetened the break last week by bringing along home-made cookies. The Devonport-based stop-motion animator’s visit was a thank you for their guiding hands when he used the workshop again recently.

After the Flagstaff bumped into Rowland leaving, volunteers Tony McLeod and Peter Burnett told the paper the Claystore was “functioning as normal” despite recent council discussions about its safety and future. “We’re starting to ignore reports until such time as we hear something official,” said McLeod.

Broken and taped-off exterior steps lead up beside the building to a blocked-off and unusable mezzanine level.

The men say the building, leased from council, is still functional for its current use, but would benefit from some simple upgrades. As to closing down for the long-discussed renovation, that is now very much up in the air.

“We’re hopeful we can stay,” says McLeod. “Some days we’re incredibly busy.” As well as supervising individual projects, past work has included helping build sets for Company Theatre and making garden beds for the Ngataringa Organic Garden Society and rat trap boxes for environmental group Restoring Takarunga Hauraki (RTH). Former RTH pest coordinator Nigel Hopkins is a recent addition to the Claystore team.

New volunteers are welcome, as are locals wanting help, although some have to be reminded the team is not there to take away the work of tradespeople, but as a community support service. Koha starting from $20 helps with operational costs.

Today, it’s a lunchtime finish. The pair shut the rickety old wooden front doors which they say could easily have been refurbished by council already, along with the roof.

It was ambitious Devonport-Takapuna Local Board plans to restore access to the mezzanine area and increase the occupancy options for the Claystore, alongside necessary weathertightness and strengthening work, that brought its future into the spotlight. After investigations, the estimate came in at $3.6m late last year, so the project was scaled back to a unanimously agreed $1.5 million.

But progressing this is now in doubt, after a further cost blowout was flagged. Council staff have also begun a health and safety assessment, with reports expected in a few months, although the building has a warrant of fitness until near the end of the year.

McLeod says he understands the large concrete retaining wall

that forms the rear of the Claystore building and runs beneath the Abbotsford Way footpath is at the centre of concern, with suggestions it needs pinning back. “I think that’s what blew out the budget.”

Burnett worries decisions about the Claystore aren’t being made locally. The men say they had good relations with the board when it was chaired by Toni van Tonder, who stood down at the beginning of the year. But they were flabbergasted by a recent “la-la land” idea floated by her successor, Mel Powell, that if the board could not afford to fix the Claystore, a buyer might give it a future as a character bar.

Member Gavin Busch, who after van Tonder’s departure is the only board member based in Devonport, agrees the building has character, but says: “We can’t just sell it.”

But before anything else can be decided, there will be more reports on its condition and updated costs for the board to consider.

Busch reckons council should proceed with a fix and believes a piecemeal approach is not the best way. He wants the board to back doing the necessary work once and doing it right, saying costs will only increase with delays. “It’s a beautiful historic building.”

The Claystore is not listed as a historic place but council says it has “historic significance as a remnant piece of the former Auckland Gas and Fire Brick Company works”. The gas company works in Devonport are understood to date back to 1883, when the company first shared a site with the Devonport Fire Brick Works. The works were enlarged, with new kilns and drying sheds, around 1900.

Claystore volunteers... Peter Burnett (left) and Tony McLeod

Courts could decide if fishing off breakwater is allowed

Regarding the public concern over access to the Bayswater Marina floating breakwater and Auckland Council’s stance following the recent Environment Court decision of 8 April 2025: We don’t see any mention in the Environment Court decision of a fishing ban off the floating breakwater.

Firstly, it is important to clarify that the Environment Court has upheld the right for public access to the breakwater, confirming that Bayswater Marina Limited’s general exclusion of the public was not consistent with the existing resource consent.

The court acknowledged that the breakwater is not inherently dangerous, and the risks associated with it – such as the pos-

sibility of a fall into water – are similar to those found elsewhere in Bayswater Marina by berth-holders.

The abatement notice of Auckland Council was therefore upheld.

Fishing from all coastal points around the coastline of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area is a popular sport.

We intend to submit a notice of motion requesting that the right for recreational fishing off the floating breakwater be confirmed through the courts.

We will submit this Notice of Motion to the board business meeting on Tuesday, 17 June. We are certain that your fishing correspondents can come along to this meeting

No need for ‘gold-plated’ Claystore work

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board needs to find a sensible outcome to preserve the Category A (1883) Claystore building. Its works budget allows it to earmark funding and apportion funds over time. The proposed gold-plated restoration option simply acts as an excuse for the board to throw its hands up in horror and claim it needs to sell the building.

This building doesn’t need a bells and whistles restoration. Instead, the focus of the work to be undertaken should make the building safe, stabilise the retaining wall and plan a well-thought-out, reasonably staged restoration project. Well-established conservation guidelines should be followed. In 1986, far-sighted Devonport councillors and five public-spirited tradesmen (mainly ex-Navy) negotiated to use the building as

the Devonport Community Workshop. Historically, the Claystore had been part of an 1880s industrial complex, providing gas for lighting and cooking for Devonport residents.

The building’s current use as a community workshop is a perfect fit. The users won’t find another home.

The Claystore is a place of outstanding historical significance to the Auckland region, it is protected by Schedule 14 of Historic Heritage in the Unitary Plan and it serves as a community asset for local residents.

A responsible local board has a duty to understand and commit to a measured remedy. It’s not necessary to spend $3.6 million, and the staff or consultants who suggested this expenditure need to give realistic advice.

Trish Deans, co-chair of Devonport

to support their case.

We will also take a look this coming week at the details pertaining to when public access can be excluded from the floating breakwater. We feel that new hours set out in the public notice are too restrictive when one considers the times mentioned are talking about dusk to dawn.

With the support of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, the council officers can then get the resource consent dealing with the operation of Bayswater Marina’s floating breakwater reviewed forthwith.

George Wood and Gavin Busch, Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members

Letters to the Editor

We

Best

Science day draws crowds to Navy Museum

The Navy Museum and Defence Science and Technology hosted a Science on Ice – Free Family Fun Day at the museum on 24 May.

More than 700 visitors took part in a range of activities focused on Antarctica, highlighting the New Zealand Defence Force’s ongoing role in the area and the importance of scientific research.

The activities were a particular highlight for families keen for children to engage in real-life science.

Activities included testing for CO2 in a confined space, exploring environmental DNA and testing how well human hands work when they’re very cold.

Visitors also checked out survival suits and kits used by the New Zealand Navy and a 25-person inflatable life raft which they were able to climb inside.

A craft activity to make a penguin also proved a hit with young visitors, along with listening to the sounds of animals that live in Antarctica, including a yawning Weddell seal.

Crafty… Harper Pope, aged 9, from Belmont made a penguin during the Science on Ice day at the Navy Museum in Torpedo Bay

THE NAVY COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

NEW COMMANDING OFFICER FOR NAVY BASE

Devonport Naval Base (HMNZS Philomel) has welcomed its newest Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Matenga, in a Change of Command ceremony on 28 May.

Declaring “I have the ship”, CDR Matenga accepted the symbol of command, the Blood sword, from outgoing Commanding Officer Captain Julie Simpkins.

CDR Matenga joined the RNZN in 2001 as a Weapons Engineer, serving in HMNZS Te Kaha, HMNZS Te Mana and HMNZS Canterbury, the latter as the Marine Engineering Officer. His subsequent postings at Defence House in Wellington have led to his most recent role as Principal Advisor Logistics Strategy with Logistics Command Maritime.

CAPT Simpkins takes up a newly

established role of Base Commander (Naval Defence Areas), overseeing

Devonport Naval Base and the wider Navy Defence Areas around Auckland.

Devonport Naval Base security reminder – for the safety of the community, please take care and remain outside the 60-metre perimeter of the Naval Base at all times. This includes when swimming, diving, kayaking, fishing and sailing.

Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding congratulates Devonport Naval Base’s newest Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Matenga.

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Takapuna Grammar students shine at prestigious Aimes Awards

Students past and present were honoured at the 2025 North Harbour Club AIMES Awards with alumni Bailey Flavell and Tom Talbot and year 12 student Nathan Fry receiving awards.

Bailey earned the Emerging Talent Award and a $7,500 grant for her leadership in New Zealand’s U17 basketball team and debut with the Tall Ferns, alongside a scholarship to the University of Hawai’i.

Musicians Nathan Fry and Tom Talbot each received $3,000 Scholarship Awards. Nathan, a talented multiinstrumentalist, performed at nearly 50 events this year, while Tom impressed with his original music compositions.

Nathan and Tom performed on stage at the AIMES Gala evening at Shed 10 earlier this month.

Their achievements highlight the passion and excellence thriving at Takapuna Grammar, inspiring the whole school community.

Haka Challenge encourages expression and unity

The school was filled with energy recently as students from all five houses — Kaha, Ihi, Mana, Māia, and Wehi - came together for the muchanticipated annual Haka Challenge. The event showcased a stunning display of the school haka Te Karanga Pakanga and beautiful waiata.

The competition was fierce, with each house bringing their unique style and passion to the performance. Ihi and Kaha emerged as joint winners, sharing the coveted Te Hapara Cup for their skill and spirit.

Respected broadcaster Scotty Morrison joined the morning as a judge and commended students for “raising the level even higher” this year. He praised their dedication and respect for the tradition of haka. Scotty emphasised

(L to R) Raiha Jeory Reynolds

Jayda-Belle Stirling

Audrey Melhuish

Te Aira Berryman (in background)

the importance of balance in haka saying it was a meaningful way to express emotions and foster deeper connections within each house.

Scotty challenged the students to focus on inclusivity for their next Haka Challenge.

Showcase of talent at annual Cabaret

The annual Cabaret is a standout event on the Performing Arts calendar, featuring a vibrant mix of solo singers, smooth jazz combos, powerful choirs, dancers, and skilled instrumentalists. Each act brought its own flair, captivating a packed audience with a diverse showcase of talent. Organised by the studentled Performing Arts Council, the evening offers the community a chance to celebrate the school’s creative spirit while giving students the unique opportunity to perform for their peers. Head of Faculty Lauren MacMillan said the event unites groups whose busy schedules rarely overlap, fostering greater appreciation and respect for the hard work behind every performance.

Reuben Faletutulu, year 11, shows his skills with the patu

“Tātou tātou – see how you can learn more about each other through haka,” he said.

Nathan Fry

Tom Talbot

Bailey Flavell

Creative costumes, bright sunshine and hot

Hearts and diamonds... The Takaputters – (from left) Shannon Watts, Julia Batchelor-Smith, Donna Gaskin and Alice Harrison were among teams who committed to a distinctive uniform.

Below: The Island Birdies – Hayley Hamilton, Florence Southwell, Rachel Rohloff and Jill Becket; and Weapons of Grass Destruction – Mike Lane, Michael Sweetman, Rob Nicholls and Joe Newton.

competition help make TGS golf day a hit

The Takapuna Grammar School PTA golf day at the Waitematā Golf Club ended in an exciting putting playoff.

The Fore Amigos (Leigh Jewell, Maree Harvey, Helen Congdon and Nicky Proffit) beat the Craigy Rangers (Tom Abercrombie, Richard Jones, Nikki Horne and Mark Somerville-Ryan) to take out the competition.

The tournament attracted 21 teams of four players, with competition in a nine-hole Ambrose format.

Close to 30 sponsors supported the day, including Cousin Scott’s, Takapuna Surf Club, Bayleys, Hauraki Social Club and You Travel. More than $10,000 was raised.

PTA member Lisa Nicholas said it was a fabulous day filled with fun, costumes and great spirit, bringing parents and alumni together in the sunshine.

Winners… the Fore Amigos –(from left) Leigh Jewell, Maree Harvey, Helen Congdon and Nicky Proffit –photographed with Victoria Mules of Bayleys. Below: The Post Officers –(from left) Kelly Atkins, Stu Mallarkey, Steve Gulik and Jackie Gulik.

Ngataringa Tennis Club junior champs

Ngataringa Tennis Club held its 2025 Junior Club Championships last month. Sixty-seven matches were played.

Under-10 Boys

Singles — winner, Sebby Broomby-Garrod; runner-up, Baillie Gray. Doubles — winners, Christian Broomby-Garrod and Sebby BroombyGarrod; runners-up, Baillie Gray and Rodrigo Hakas.

Under-12 Boys

Singles — winner, Tom Broomby-Garrod; runnerup, Dominic Reed. Doubles — winners, Charlie Palmer and Sebby Broomby-Garrod; runners-up, Daniel Kirk and Dominic Reed.

Under-12 Girls

Singles — winner, Ellie Cumberland; runnerup, Sofia Fielding. Doubles — winners, Chloe Southwell and Sofia Fielding; runners-up, Zoe Clerke and Jaime Mikkelsen.

13–15 Boys

Singles — winner, Sam Stewart; runner-up, Lennox Maiava. Doubles — winners, Alex Feilding and Sam Stewart; runners-up, Macsen Smith and Tom Broomby-Garrod.

13–15 Girls

Singles — winner, Ellie Cumberland; runnerup, Lily Ostergaard. Doubles — winners, Ellie Cumberland and Anya Dickinson; runners-up, Lily Ostergaard and Katie Conroy.

Under-18 Boys

Singles — winner, Will Robson; runner-up, Jamie King. Doubles — winners, Jude Broomby-Garrod and Joe Ohlsson; runners-up, Jamie King and Harry Prinsep.

Sofia Fielding (U12)

Top teens... Under-18 winner Will Robson with runner-up Jamie King. Below: Playing action from Ngataringa’s junior championships.

Oliver Gardyne (U12)

Harry Lindt Stolt and Romain Dhalluin (U10)

Lennox Maiava and Jack Gardyne (U15)

Four local bike-connection options floated by AT

Cycle-path funding may be available to put towards a ‘greenway’ connection from Hauraki to Esmonde Rd, but Auckland Transport (AT) says it is also looking at other connections to Takapuna.

AT briefed the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board on four options at a recent workshop, seeking feedback from its members before further investigation of how to spend some money locally. The money comes from a city-wide fund raised through Auckland Council’s climate-action transport targeted rate (CATTR).

Board members said the long-sought Francis St-Esmonde Rd connection was their first choice of the four projects AT listed in its Takapuna cycling connections proposals. It would connect the peninsula through back routes to Takapuna and ultimately could continue further north, they said.

AT cautioned that the cost of bridging the suburbs could be prohibitive, with funding likely only available for around 1km of cycleway.

While it took on board members’ preferences, it would need to ensure any project could win council support.

“This is likely to exceed budget and the type of CATTR project the Governing Body had in mind,” said staffer Francis Doesburg. Deputy board chair Terence Harpur said a

Choppers scan for flood-risk information

Helicopters likely to be seen and heard overhead around the peninsula in the next fortnight may well be those involved in a council flood-resilience project.

From 2-20 June, Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters department and its flood-resilience team of are doing an aerial survey in the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area, covering areas including Narrow Neck, Devonport, Hauraki, Takapuna Beach, Milford Beach and Lake Pupuke.

At times a helicopter may fly at low levels (250 to 400m above ground). Brief periods of low-level noise should be expected, council said.

Information on exact times for the flights is not available, as this is weather dependent and will be subject to change. The flights will use Lidar (laser imaging, detection and ranging) to scan from above to provide 3D insights on managing flood risks more effectively.

The wider project, which includes other areas of the city, is part of the Making Space for Water programme, following the extreme storms of early 2023.

The Wairau catchment was particularly hard hit.

coastal pathway might be a cheaper option than a big bridge.

AT has already sounded out the community, through stands at the Hauraki School Electric Picnic event, at the Takapuna Sunday market in April and a local bike film festival, and through a household survey.

Among 800-plus responses there was strong interest in promoting cycling culture, it said.

A good uptake of cycling was evident among schoolchildren on the Devonport peninsula. Overall, 25 per cent of respondents cycled, but more said they would do so if routes were made safer.

AT said the Francis St-Esmonde Rd connection had a more limited catchment than three more-Takapuna-focused options, but it would enhance the peninsula greenways network.

A second option was for cycle lane improvements from Hauraki corner north on Lake Rd, especially around the lane transition at Esmonde Rd, to make the route to Takapuna safer.

Board members Harpur, George Wood and Gavin Busch were wary of a backlash against more cycling infrastructure on main arterial routes.

“If we build new connections they should not be at the detriment of people getting

about in vehicles,” Harpur said.

Wood warned voters would run board members out of town over Lake Rd and he also warned of parking losses if a third suggested route linking Takapuna to Milford via Hurstmere and Kitchener Rds had a cycle lane installed.

Busch said he could see the merit of the fourth suggestion of western Takapuna cycling connections, but called for back routes from Killarney St to Rosmini College and around Lake Pupuke to the hospital and schools beyond to be explored rather than using Taharoto Rd.

“Not on the main arterials because no one wants to use them in peak times – just cycle squads at 6am,” he said.

Chair Mel Powell and Peter Allen also spoke in favour of improving cycling options for intensifying Takapuna west, to cater for large school communities, hospital workers and Smales Farm.

AT will return to the board with narrowed-down recommendations after considering members’ feedback, which included a request for further input if design plans progress.

The AT board will make decisions midyear on what CATTR projects proceed, but it is likely only one or two could go ahead in the Devonport-Takapuna area.

New crossing coming... sometime

Auckland Transport says it is ready to build a raised pedestrian crossing across Old Lake Rd at Narrow Neck Beach, but does not know when work costed at around $320,000 will start.

The extra-width raised crossing will replace the existing convrentional crossing and include a central refuge island. Drainage works and a footpath upgrade, along with signage on the approaches to the crossing.

“We don’t have an indicative timeline at the moment, however stakeholders will be notified through our usual work notification letter once we have a confirmed date, ” an Auckland Transport (AT) spokesperson told the Flagstaff.

In an earlier update to Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members, AT said despite dropping 3700 postcards about the project, which has been under discussion for several

years, its community consultation drew just 10 responses, seven against and three in favour.

The board backed the project proceeding at its May business meeting. But board member Gavin Busch, who lives nearby, asked AT if the crossing’s ramps might be lengthened to make it easier for cyclists to pass over it.

AT said it had investigated the request with a specialist consultant, but considered the current design already has a gentle approach of 1:15 ramp gradient (75mm high, 1.125m long). This was the minimum gradient required for speed tables to ensure vehicles sufficiently lowered their speed as they approached the crossing, to ensure safety for pedestrians.

“A gentler gradient would compromise the safety of the pedestrian crossing.”

Firefighters scale tower for charity

Devonport Volunteer Fire Brigade members raised more than $2530 in the annual FireFighter Sky Tower Challenge.

The team, made up of Dan Brady (captain), Gavin Busch, Emma Ryan and Rob Whybrow, were among hundreds of firefighters from around the country who were sponsored to climb the tower to raise money for leukaemia and blood cancer relief.

The locals also held a fundraising carwash at Narrow Neck in the lead-up to the event, Brady, from Bayswater, was the fastest among the Devonport contingent, running 51 storeys of stairs in 25kg of gear in 11 minutes 58.81 seconds. This claimed him sixth in the Masters (40-49) age bracket and an overall placing of 31st of 1046 entrants.

WHAT’S ON @ Devonport Library

Mānawatia a Matariki Nau mai, Haere Mai

The winter months are upon us and the beginning of Matariki, the Māori New Year.  It’s time to remember those who have passed, celebrate the present and plan for the future. Let’s enjoy time with whānau and friends in our wonderful community, support those in need and be thankful for all we have. Devonport Library has information on many local Matariki events in June and July. Look out for the distinctive posters and brochures and share with neighbours

MATARIKI

STAR HUNT COMPETITION

Pick up a star map from the library, find the Matariki stars in local businesses and go in the draw to win a $200 shopping voucher.

MARAE VISIT

Wednesday 11th June 7pm

Join Devonport Library Associates and visit He Manu Hopukia Marae at 159 Bayswater Avenue. Hear the stories, learn about Matariki and share kai with us. All are welcome. Free event. Koha appreciated.

REMEMBRANCE TREE

A place to add your wishes and remember your special people.

THE PJ PROJECT

Devonport Library is a drop-off point for the Kindness Collective’s annual request for new children’s pyjamas, robes and slippers. Your generosity for this campaign is awesome. Can we do it again and keep children in need warm and cosy in the colder months? Thank you!

LIBRARY CHILDREN AND YOUTH SURVEY

We want to hear from you. What kinds of library events and programmes would you and your family like to see? Do the survey on our Facebook page, use the QR code on the poster in the library or come and tell us.

Tēnā koutou katoa

20 years ago from the Flagstaff files

• Persistent alcohol-related disturbances on Devonport beaches have resulted in permanent liquor bans at night.

• TGS band the Electric Confectionaires, featuring Jaisi Sheehan, Toby McLennan, Rob Fenton, Callum Gunn and Haddon Smith, place second in the North Shore Rockquest finals and book a spot in the national champs in Wellington.

• The Vauxhall Rd fields – home of North Shore Rugby Club – are out for the season. North Shore City Council says they need time to bed down after a major upgrade.

• Undefeated All Black captain Buck Shelford is “brought back” for a North Shore Dad’s Army match against a visiting Barmy Army team.

• Takapuna Grammar scores highly in an Education Review Office report.

• Three old TV mates, Chas Toogood, Richard Long and Colin McRae of Trilogy Productions, put together a documentary on Navy recruits.

• A three-bedroom house in Niccol Ave is on the market for $550,000.

• The Devonport Classic fun run raises $20,000 for Stanley Bay School, with 1500 people enrolling for the 10km and 5km

runs and walks.

• Belmont Intermediate student Rebecca Butler is organising the annual Devonport mid-winter swim.

• An option to build a floating dry dock at the Navy dockyards has been dropped by operators VT Fitzroy.

• The former Salvation Army Citadel in Hastings Pde is up for sale.

• Computers have been stolen from Vauxhall School.

• The Navy is planning a new dive school building in its south yard; its annual open day is to be put back to two yearly, and public bookings of its sports complex at Ngataringa Bay have been canned after a private party got out of hand.

• Cinema returns to Devonport with the launch of a “Family Night at the Movies” evening to be held at the closed Victoria Theatre.

• North Shore Rugby Club faces a mustwin game against Northcote to make the top four without key players Luke Hanvey, James Hinchco, Luke Doddrell and Viliame Waqaseduadua who are away with the North Harbour development team on a tour to Japan.

New date for ‘Our Devonport’

A second session of the 60-minute ‘Our Devonport’ programme of short talks and slide shows will be held at the Victoria Theatre on 23 June at 6pm.

The initial show, organised by Devonport Library Associates, on 30 April proved so popular the doors at the RSA in Victoria Rd had to be closed half an hour before the event’s start time as the venue was full.

Just on 150 people packed in for seven presentations by Dave Veart, Trish Deans and Margot McRae, Tina Frantzen, Helen Pollock, Colin McRae, Lynn Lawton and Linda Blincko, and Julie Stout and Ken Davis. Twenty slides and six minutes 40 seconds of speaking time were allowed for each presentation.

The event will be followed by a screening of The Vic: A Love Story, a newly released short film by Margot McRae.

Footage sought

Old home movies of Devonport weddings, 21st birthday parties, sports, prize givings, moving into a new home, boat building, civic events and the like are being sought by film maker Colin McRae for his upcoming Devonport documentary.

McRae is also seeking phone footage of Celine Wu playing the Last Post on her trumpet at last month’s Anzac Day parade. Contact Colin at c-mcrae@xtra.co.nz

Maunga and clocks catch visiting artist’s eye

Twelve months living in Devonport has led an Australian artist to produce work giving an insightful outsider’s view of the area, exploring issues of place and belonging that will resonate with locals.

“This is like a love letter,” says Asher Milgate of his show, Above / Below, which is on at Satellite2 gallery as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography.

From his lit-up photographic collages to his thematic approach, Milgate’s work is a multi-layered reflection. It taps into abstract landscapes, the modifications waves of people have made on them and how history, the maunga and built forms sit uneasily together at times. The works were created in a studio at a home he and his partner rented in Church St. They came to New Zealand in 2023 for her work as a hotel manager, first in Wellington, then Auckland. “Coming to Auckland we didn’t know anything about suburbs,” he told the Flagstaff. But the opportunity to live in Devonport arose and a past beyond its obvious settler heritage then became apparent and intriguing.

The omnipresent maunga, with villas clustered on their sides, are the visually central juxtaposition. The work also considers an intersection of ideas around land and identity and how future development might change things.

A recurring theme in several of the 15 new works in the show are pillar-like shapes stitched into portions of his photographic prints. They represent potential future higher-rise buildings and also Devonport’s three public clocks.

For Milgate, an awareness of the impact of colonialism on indigenous people grew out of his small-town upbringing in central west New South Wales. His parents taught in the small town of Wellington, which has a large Aboriginal population. After establishing himself as an exhibiting artist in Sydney around 15 years ago, he embarked on a five-year documentary project in his home town called Survivors

While in Wellington, New Zealand, his stay coincided with protest action defacing a copy of Te Tiriti Waitangi hanging in Te Papa. “The further I delve into this, the less I realise I know,” he says of being an Australian in New Zealand. But his curiosity, conversations and observations inevitably led him to use art to try to make sense of what he perceived. “I don’t want to shove anything down anyone’s throats, I just want people to see what’s here.” He has incorporated road signs into a landscape collage, highlighting familiar names given in settler times, in a work called The Maunga and Associates. “I hope people see the other in what is familiar.”

An outsider’s view... But Asher Milgate doesn’t want to “shove anything down anyone’s throats”.

Above / Below grew out of walks and swims that led him to appreciate the landforms – and friendliness – of Devonport. “I’d been really surprised to walk down to the beach for a swim by the sea scouts hall in the morning and 90 per cent of people say good morning.” Wallowing in the water, his eye was drawn to the shapes of Takarunga and Maungauika. Walking up Takarunga became a regular pursuit and he became intrigued by how people branched out on its many informal paths. With camera in hand, he did the same. Driven to click the shutter by feeling rather than logic.

In the darkroom, Milgate plays with processing times for his black and white prints, looking to capture the moment “where you relive the feeling you had when you took the photograph”. He then rips the prints into pieces and reassembles them, with an overlocker. Perforations on the images, allow them to be backlit. The works are framed in orange-red. He says this is a nod to the road cones he sees set up locally. “I’ve never seen so many.”

The story of how Mt Cambria was quarried away piqued his interest, finding its way into his works and the show’s title.

Milgate’s partner has a new job in Melbourne and after his exhibition opened he rejoined her, but he says the imprint Devonport left means they are keen to return. “I wouldn’t make works about a place unless I loved it,” he says.

• Above / Below is on at the Satellite2 gallery, 61a Victoria Rd, until 15 June.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING

at the Devonport Community House in June!

MATARIKI AT DEVONPORT COMMUNITY HOUSE

Matariki Tamariki

Saturday 7th June: 2 - 4PM

Spend the afternoon with us to celebrate Matariki with our hāpori tamariki.

Featuring Little Scientist Matariki science experiments, lantern crafting, face painting, pūrākau (stories), whētu (star) cookies + crafts and sausage sizzle!

Lantern Hikoi

Saturday 7th June 4.30PM

Meet at Whare Toi (Mt Victoria) for a lantern hikoi up the Takarunga Bookings essential at  www.humanitix.com/takarunga-hikoi.

Haka & Hāngi

Sunday 22 June

4PM Kura Kapa Haka

Local kura (school) kapa haka performance at the House. All welcome to join us.

6PM Hāngi Hākari

Join us for a sit down feast and waiata. Bookings Essentialwww.humanitix.com/hangi-hakari

For more information check out our website www.devonportcomhouse.com

FIRST THURSDAYS AT THE HOUSE!

Roll with itAdult Rollerskating Classes

Thursday 5th June & Thursday 3rd July

The incredible HeyMacarena are coming to the House to teach adults how to skate and we’d love to see you there. With two coaches and a small class you will definitely see improvement before your first class is even finished. For bookings www.humanitix.com/ roll-with-it-adult-rollerskating-classes

Anything could happen! Improv

Improv is coming to The Vic, with a lively series of Friday-night shows planned by a theatre group including four North Shore members.

Among them is Devonport resident Tresna Hunt, who says: “The whole ethos is to bring joy and laughter.”

She enjoys the fun of participating and found herself hooked on improv about six years ago after taking drama classes.

The Mischief Company founder Claire Kelso – who has a background as a professional actor in London and a long track-record of staging Theatresports – says she saw a gap in the local market. “There’s very little comedy in fact on the Shore.”

After Hunt approached The Vic theatre manager Philipp Jaser about using the venue and received an enthusiastic response, Kelso decided to relocate the company’s occasional shows from the city side of the harbour for a trial season.

Starting tonight (6 June) shows will run on every Friday night other than 20 June through to 1 August. A show called Potluck (described as a live improvised comedy soap opera) runs for the first four weeks, while Fizz (Bold colours. Bolder comedy!) fills the second half of the season.

Actors will depict improvised scenarios, including relationship pairings suggested by audience members, in fast-paced hour-long shows split into rounds. “The audience can come up with quite wacky things,” says Kelso.

The cast have to grapple with anything from challenging pairings to suggestions of playing a pickpocket, a parachutist or a hypochondriac. Kelso promises attendees won’t be dragged reluctantly onto the stage.

She says improv these days is often most strongly associated with stand-up comedy, when audience members may be roasted, but it first became well-established in New Zealand in the 1990s when the more drama-based Theatresports was at its height. She toured it to schools through a group called Con Artists and used it in corporate settings.

The North Shore has a strong part in improv’s modern history in New Zealand, Kelso says, with the first Theatresports show held in New Zealand being put on at the PumpHouse in Takapuna in 1988.

It is the drama-based tradition, which still delivers plenty of laughs, that Kelso draws on.

Mischief company was set up around two and a half years ago, initially out of improv workshops she started to encourage women to give it a go.

“Men are assertive on stage and women needed a space to believe in themselves,” she explains.

The company is mixed, with its women members now footing it with confidence. The format of the shows was devised by group member Steve Robinson, with Steve Lyons.

Hunt, a psychologist, says people who know her professionally through her coaching, educating and mentoring work are sometimes surprised by her sideline, but she sees problem-solving parallels in improv.

“Tresna is a star actor,” says Kelso to Hunt’s embarrassment when they talk to the Flagstaff.

But the ability to observe, interact and communicate is doubtless a handy transferable trait.

For herself, Hunt says she loves the creativity of making stuff up with other people and interacting with the audience. “You freak out initially, but it’s so much fun.”

After living in Devonport for 16 years, Hunt, whose two adult sons went through Takapuna Grammar, says she is looking forward to fronting up at The Vic, in its intimate smaller theatre.

Mischief is considering workshops in Devonport, but first there is that local audience to hook. Kelso says the uninitiated will find it exciting. “Improv atttracts people who might not even know they’re at theatre,” she says.

• The Mischief Company at The Vic, Potluck (6, 13, 27 June and 4 July); and Fizz, (11, 18, 25 July and 1 August), all shows 8-9pm.

Tickets at thevic.co.nz.

season at The Vic promises unscripted high jinks

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SHOWING NOW

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (R16) 125min

The Surfer (R16) 100min

Bring Her Back (R18) 104min

The Phoenician Scheme (M) 101min

Lilo & Stitch (PG) 108min

Tarrac (M) 95min

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (M) 169min

The Vic: A Love Story (E) - Select Screenings 23min

La Cocina (R16) 139min

Final Destination: Bloodlines (R16) 110min

The Salt Path (M) 116min

SPECIAL EVENTS & NEW RELEASES

Italian Film Festival - Return Screenings From 5 Jun

Potluck - A Live Improvised Comedy Soap Opera 6 Jun

How to Train Your Dragon (PG) 125min 12 Jun Materialists 116min

Laughs aplenty... The Mischief Company founder Claire Kelso (left) with troupe member Tresna Hunt, who lives in Devonport

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