Police slam ‘cowardly acts’ in town-centre venues... p3
Chair’s exit leaves local board balance unclear... p6
Milford, Takapuna hit hard as parking fines soar
Auckland Transport (AT) pocketed over $1.7 million in parking fines across the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area last year, with Milford’s Kitchener Rd the hardest-hit street.
The revenue was collected across 43,640 parking infringements – a jump of 41 per
Give
cent on the 30,813 tickets issued in 2023. Tickets were issued for 3469 infringements on Kitchener Rd, followed by Takapuna’s Hurstmere Rd (3276), Anzac St (2724), Byron Ave (2509) and Huron St (1776), an AT response to an Official Information Act request by the Rangitoto
Observer reveals.
Half of the tickets in 2024 were for overstaying a time limit, 38 per cent were for not paying and the rest for infringements such as double parking.
Twenty Auckland Transport (AT) camera-
To page 2
Fiesta fun in Takapuna
Olé!... Mariachi New Zealand performs at the Latin Fiesta on the Takapuna Beach Reserve last Saturday. Along with performances from a variety of Latin American countries, the festival offered dance tutorials and the chance to sample Latin dishes. It came a week after the also well-attended annual Taste of Turkiye event.
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Forty per cent rise in parking tickets – and more camera cars coming
From page 1
mounted cars, which scan licence plates to monitor the time a vehicle occupies a parking space, have been introduced across the city since 2019 – and in Milford since 2022 – making enforcement easier for AT.
Five more will be in use by the end of April.
AT information seen by the Observer says plate-recognition cars “sweep through” Milford seven to eight times a day on average.
The cars generated 6453 of Milford’s 6698 parking infringement tickets in 2024.
Milford Business Association (MBA) manager Murray Hill said the presence of patrol cars had increased the turnover of parking spaces, making it easier for people to find car parks.
Hill said the MBA was opposed to having paid parking in the area.
The Milford Residents Association is also concerned at the possibility.
“[AT] will have a can of worms if they try for paid parking,” Hill said.
Hill underlined the MBA’s opposition at a Devonport-Takapuna Local Board (DTLB) workshop last month.
Devonport Business Association (DBA) representatives were also asked about parking enforcement.
DBA board member Bruce Gray said “there have been instances of punitive fines at silly times of the day”.
DBA board chair Michael Moughan said parking was in short supply.
The extent of ticketing in the area has been revealed ahead of AT conducting a survey which could lead to the introduction of paid parking in Milford.
He said the need for turnover was understandable, but businesses also needed parking for staff.
He wondered whether a business parking permit might be an option. “We’ve noticed an appreciable uptick in fines,” he said.
Listen to us on buyout land – local board
Local voices need a greater say in future use of land acquired by Auckland Council in flood buyouts, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board says. Board members are also frustrated they have not yet been given a list of at-risk properties being bought out in their area, given more than 100 homes in Milford are in the process, the most of any single Auckland suburb.
Acting board chair Terence Harpur said knowing where the properties were would inform the board’s feedback. “Local input is really important to ongoing management of the land.”
It could feed into decisions on flood remediation, and whether bought-out land
was used for the likes of parks, playgrounds, waterways or walkways.
“Until we see the plans we don’t know,” Harpur said after the board called an extraordinary board meeting last week to be able to give feedback on the council’s draft Storm Affected Land Use Policy.
Members were frustrated an urgent meeting was necessary. “We were annoyed we weren’t at the beginning of the process but at the end,” he told the Observer after the meeting.
Residents also needed a clearer idea on how properties in multi-unit blocks with some buyouts would be dealt with and on upkeep and use of bought-out land near theirs.
Authorised by Hon Simon Watts, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
Police, security boosted amid crime spate in Takapuna
Four community constables have been diverted to Takapuna and new foot patrols by security guards are under way in the town centre to clamp down on anti-social activities.
News of the boosted police and security presence in Takapuna follows three incidents in the four days from 18-21 February, in which the owners of two restaurants and a bar manager were attacked.
The Observer learned of the police boost the day before an armed robbery in the neighbouring suburb of Hauraki further shook locals last Saturday night.
Two men armed with guns demanded cash from staff at the Rudder Bar around midnight, fleeing on electric scooters.
Police, who mounted an extensive search – with the Eagle helicopter circling the area for around an hour – later revealed a link between the raid and the death of a man in police custody in Ōrere Point on Sunday. They said the man had been a passenger in a “vehicle of interest” in the Hauraki robbery.
Another man faces charges after the first two February incidents at El Humero and Wok n Noodle restaurants. Police say inquiries into the third, but unrelated Takapuna incident at Takapuna Bar are ongoing.
Shocked witnesses have told the Observer a bar manager was punched in the forehead and fell to the ground around 4pm on Friday, 21 February, after glasses were broken. The offender left the scene before police arrived. The manager was taken to North Shore Hospital, but was able to return to work last week.
Takapuna Bar owner Alistair Davidson did not want to comment, saying the matter was in the hands of the police.
Acting Senior-Sergeant Matt Bartlett, the Waitematā East Response Manager, said: “Cowardly acts of violence are completely unacceptable in our community and we will continue to act with urgency in response to these types of incidents.”
Takapuna Beach Business Association (TBBA) chief executive, Terence Harpur, said it was in response to the concern of local businesses that the TBBA’s board had decided to employ security guards.
“There will be multiple patrols in the town centre seven days a week.”
The TBBA last year paid for CCTV cameras in the town square, supplementing others installed by Auckland Transport at the bus station.
Several assaults targeting homeless people and involving youths have occurred in the town centre in recent months. Schoolgirls have been accosted by men drinking alcohol.
While crime in Takapuna was low compared with many other areas, Harpur said over summer minor incidents had increased, with people congregating in the area, some of whom had moved over from the CBD for “a bit of a holiday”.
The security team was tasked with dealing with anti-social behaviour and with rough
Eatery owners concerned at attacks
Two restaurant owners caught up in attacks at their businesses say concern for their welfare shown by customers and community members has been heartening. Neither was badly hurt, but they remain worried for the safety of their staff and want the police and justice system to deal with unsavoury elements.
El Humero’s Milton Alejandro Garcia fended off a glass that was thrown at his face inside the Eat St, Hurstmere Rd, Colombian restaurant he has run for 10 years. Wok n Noodle’s Chang Woo Lee suffered superficial burns when a coffee he had on a table on The Strand footpath was whacked towards him by a man who had been yelling abuse.
Neither man has faced problems in Takapuna previously, but were disturbed at possible racist undertones to the incidents.
Garcia said a man who entered his restaurant from a rear courtyard was spoken to by a waitress with a Spanish accent and immediately gave off a “bad vibe”, objecting to being offered a seat at the bar, rather than a table. Garcia approached and the man asked if he wanted to fight, but he
sleepers to find them the help they needed, he said. The team included a former social worker of 20 years’ standing. “We want to keep Takapuna an attractive and safe centre for visitors and residents.”
After a walkabout with police last Friday, Harpur welcomed the basing of four new community constables at the Takapuna station, in addition to the area’s designated community constable. The North Shore had been understaffed for some time, he said.
Police said the roles were not new. The constables were previously based at other
then hurled a glass, before customers helped bundle him out.
Lee said he was talking on his phone in Korean, while sitting at his outdoor table cooling down after an afternoon run between shifts, when he became aware of a man across the road yelling in his direction. After the man walked off, a passerby crossed the road to check on Lee’s welfare, confirming insults were aimed at him. The man then circled back and suddenly approached Lee, hitting the coffee. After being scalded, Lee called police, but they did not respond immediately.
CCTV footage from both restaurants, showing a man in a distinctive jacket, was viewed by police.
• A 38-year-old was arrested on 24 February and appeared in the North Shore District Court the next day. He was charged with assaulting a person with a blunt instrument, common assault and obstructing police. Police opposed bail and he remains in custody awaiting a further court appearance on 11 March.
stations and came from a pool of constables who covered the area from Glenfield through Takapuna and down to Devonport.
Harpur said added police presence on the spot, meant “they will be able to deal with things more quickly in Takapuna” and surrounding suburbs.
The TBBA’s security guards would liaise with police. As well as having a preventive presence, the guards would be able to enforce council bylaws, including town-centre liquor bans and could issue trespass notices on people sleeping in private doorways.
Troubling times... Takapuna restaurant owners Milton Alejandro Garcia (left) and Chang Woo Lee have appreciated a supportive community response after being attacked
Fix proposed for damage to ancient lava
A remedial plan to repair damage to ancient lava flows caused by concreting on the coast between Milford and Takapuna has been submitted to Auckland Council by the owners of the property where the work occurred.
Auckland Council had served the owners with an abatement notice requiring remediation.
A plan for the works had been “provided within the timeframe required by the abatement notice”, a council spokesperson said. The plan was being assessed by council experts and would not be made public until the assessment was completed.
Asked by the Observer if the property owners faced prosecution, the spokesman said council could not comment as the investigation was ongoing.
The flows are part of the Takapuna Reef Fossil Forest, dating back hundreds of centuries. It has 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.
Last November, the owner of 19 O’Neills Ave told the Observer through an interpreter that he was finding a firm to remove the concrete and would send a plan to council as soon as possible.
The concreting had begun a couple of years ago to stabilise a landslip which had
Cracks in the Kennedy Park Observation Post are causing concern ahead of a decision on whether to spend $150,000 upgrading the heritage building.
Speaking to the Devonport Takapuna Local Board at its community forum, Bronwyn Bound, who manages the bookings for the building, said due to the park’s often boggy ground drying out this summer, the back washroom had started “coming away” from the building, creating large cracks.
Bound, who is also Sunnynook Community Centre manager, said some cracking happened whenever the ground dried out but she had never seen such a big gap before.
The rest of the building is in good condition. Bound believed the washroom might be an add-on, built after the main structure.
She told the Observer council contractors were investigating.
The building, which was disguised to look like an ice-cream kiosk from above, was used to monitor air traffic and shipping in the
Hauraki Gulf during World War II.
Bound said pre-Covid the building would have around eight birthday party bookings a month, but this had fallen to around two.
She put this down to the cost-of-living crisis, with people preferring low-cost options such as going to the beach or having a picnic.
The venue was regularly booked by North Shore clubs and crafts groups but it had no wi-fi and could not be used in the evenings, which limited interest, Bound said.
Auckland Council area operations manager Eloi Fonseca said a $150,000 renewal project for the building would be put before the local board in March. The board would decide whether to fund the project.
If funding was approved, design work would start in the 2025-2026 financial year, with physical work starting in 2026-2027.
The Castor Bay Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association have urged the local board and council to act quickly to prevent further damage.
successfullyOver10,000treated
Revamped cop-shop cells reopen on North Shore
North Shore Police Station’s new custody unit is expected to give frontline officers more time to focus on crime-busting.
The swept-up Rosedale facility was reopened last week, having been decommissioned in 2013.
Its reopening would save staff hours in travel time transporting detainees to West Auckland, said the Waitematā District Commander, Superintendent Naila Hassan.
Instead of being processed in Henderson, they will now again be dealt with at Rosedale, taking pressure off staff in a policing area that stretches from Warkworth in the north to Devonport in the south.
“At the end of the day we’ll have frontline staff back out there faster working to keep the community safe,” added Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, who was also at the opening, along with the Minister of Police, Mark Mitchell.
The upgraded facility features intercoms and CCTV in each of the 20 cells, two interview rooms and two audio-visual-link rooms.
The link rooms are equipped so detainees can make remote court appearances.
Chambers said they would remove some “costs and complexities” associated with transporting detainees to court.
Each cell has windows which can be covered by a blind for privacy when others are being brought into the unit.
The unit has been designed to have a calming effect as it was often a stressful experience for people brought into it, a police staff member told the Observer.
A calming two-tone colour palette has been used in the cells, while the hallways have been made with materials that absorb sound to create a quiet atmosphere.
Waitematā was the fastest growing district in the country in terms of population growth, Hassan said.
Refurbished lock-up... Police Commissioner Richard Chambers (left) at the reopening of the North Shore station’s cells, which means people arrested in the area will no longer require transferring to West Auckland. The facility has 20 single cells.
Board-chair hopeful could face competition for role
Mel Powell is poised to be nominated as Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chair, but the board must first decide whether to fill the vacancy left by the resignation last month of chair Toni van Tonder.
If the position is filled, a rival candidate for chair could emerge.
At its upcoming March meeting, the board can either opt to appoint a replacement or continue with just five members until the local body elections in September-October.
Council staff advice is that a vote on the chair should follow that on the vacancy.
Member George Wood says he would be very disappointed if the highest-polling unsuccessful candidate from the last election, Mike Single, was not appointed.
Single, who stood on the Community and Residents (C&R) ticket with Wood and member Gavin Busch, is keen to take up the seat. The Kaipatiki Local Board last month voted to fill a vacancy when a member resigned, Wood noted.
Should the board decide in favour of bringing in a new member, it is expected the seat would be taken up at the April meeting.
If Single is appointed, Wood said he would seek to have the vote on the chair delayed until April also, rather than taken on 18 March.
Advice furnished to all board members is that the board “may decide” to defer the agenda item on the new chair to enable any
Keen on the job… Mel Powell says she would accept nomination to be the next local-board chair
new member to be part of the decision.
If the board did this and then divided 3-3 between the C&R members and those elected as part of van Tonder’s A Fresh Approach ticket in 2022 (Powell, acting chair Terence Harpur and Peter Allen), Wood thought a coin toss should decide who got the top role.
Harpur, Powell and Allen would not be drawn ahead of the business meeting on 18 March, on whether the board vacancy should
Getting next-level
be filled. Harpur said Wood was speaking out for media attention.
Harpur plans to nominate Powell, a firstterm member who lives in Sunnynook, to be chair.
She told the Observer she would be happy to accept his nomination. Harpur, the board’s deputy chair since 2022, said: “For myself the time is not right.”
He is also the full-time chief executive of the Takapuna Beach Business Association. Rules allow for a dual role, provided any potential conflicts of interest are managed.
Powell said she was keen to continue with what had been a collaborative and effective board under van Tonder, who has moved to Australia. “I have a similar leadership style and want to finish this term continuing the benefits of working together.”
Van Tonder was farewelled at the February board meeting and flew out the next morning to rejoin her family in Brisbane, where her architect husband has taken up a new job.
Harpur, Powell, Wood and Busch have indicated they will stand again for re-election to the board. Allen is yet to say.
Powell has been an advocate for flood victims and said pushing for big long-term projects to mitigate risk in Sunnynook and Milford would remain a focus as would the environment. “We live in paradise. Let’s keep it that way.”
Van Tonder ‘took constructive approach’ to issues
North Shore councillor Richard Hills acknowledged Toni van Tonder’s work in the community before she was elected to the board in 2019, and how as chair from 2022 she had led on environment, climate, flood mitigation and mana whenua issues.
Van Tonder had won respect from city hall for taking a positive and constructive approach to dealing with tough budget issues, he said.
She had also helped convince the Mayor and councillors to ensure a shift to equity funding of boards was staged, rather than being introduced in more savage chops.
Relationships with the board had improved under van Tonder. “In the past some managers would not send staff here because of certain behaviours,” he told the board at her final meeting last month.
“Big thanks from me and the Mayor and others around the table.”
Councillor Chris Darby said she was “a gem”, who as a leader in a tough role in taxing times had kept her eye on the ball rather than following the populist rhetoric line. “The ball is improved outcomes for our community.”
The whole board under her leadership had worked in a collaborative manner, even if opinions differed, he said. “Never have I heard a word of combat,” he said.
“You’ve cut a new cloth for the board.”
Community groups held a farewell for van Tonder at the native plant nursery she helped establish in Devonport, where she lived. She was presented with a kete and, moved to tears, said the best part of the job had been connecting with the “people on the ground who do the work” – volunteers.
Chairs of the Takapuna, Castor Bay and Milford residents groups all said she had communicated well with them during her time as chair.
Chair goes, happy politicking avoided
Toni van Tonder says at her first meeting as chair in 2022 she pledged to bring good governance, respect and strategic thinking to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and she leaves thinking she stuck to her word.
Board members had been willing to leave politicking behind, she told the Observer. She hoped that would continue.
While sad to be going, she was excited about the future of a redeveloping Takapuna.
“We get to see the big picture... what’s coming for people who want vibrancy and opportunity.” More homes and jobs on people’s backdoor steps supported localism.
Van Tonder was confident plans to be unveiled this month would ensure Takapuna’s controversial proposed library overhaul, adding community services, would produce a hub as loved as Devonport Library. She had had an early look at designs and said skilful reconfiguring of the space provided copious space. “It’s more than I expected. I’d love to be the person at the end cutting that ribbon.”
One disappointment was not being able to deliver the proposed Francis St-Esmonde Rd pathway. She hoped one day it would be built, to link with the completed Patuone walkway.
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WILLIAM SANDERS VILLAGE 7 Ngataringa Road, Devonport
Final meeting… Departing chair
Toni van Tonder
Well informed... Tabitha Becroft, an Auckland Council community parks ranger and member of the
Getting involved... (clockwise from above) Rajesh Rajagopal and Sarayu Sivalinham with their children Vivethya (5) and Vivaahth Rojen; Mike and Jane Stevenson; Siva Machineni, who took a snorkelling tour, with Lakshmi Tara and Mokshith Tara (5)
Pupuke Birdsong board, gives a guided tour of Killarney Park
Visitors flock to learn about Pupuke and more
Lakeside event puts spotlight on heritage and ecology
Hundreds of people descended on Killarney Park on 23 February for Discover Pupukemoana, an annual environmental event.
Snorkelling and kayaking tours of Lake Pupuke, weaving workshops, guided tours of the PumpHouse Theatre and Killarney Park and educational stalls teaching people about the lake’s heritage, history and ecology were all part of the occasion.
A coffee cart, sausage sizzle and native-plant sale were also on offer.
Hosted by environmental group Pupuke Birdsong Project and Takapuna North Community Trust, the event aims to raise awareness of the lake’s history and ecological importance.
Student action... Rosmini College students (from left) Kevin Pamurahardjo, Nick Street and Max Wong hosted a stall with information about their international collaborations on climate-change initiatives.
Below: Snorkellers out on the water during a tour.
Crafty... Friends Ruby Lin, Youming Kong and Ying Xiao holding the flax fish they made in a weaving workshop
New commercial block planned for Stanley Ave corner
A block of shops at the corner of Stanley Ave and East Coast Rd in Milford will be replaced if an application to build a combined laundromat and eatery facility is approved.
The application, which is before Auckland Council planners, is for a new commercial building on 58-64 East Coast Rd which would include premises for an eatery and laundromat along with toilet facilities.
The new building would replace the existing block, which is tenanted by Stanley’s Cafe, a sushi shop and a superette.
It would use land behind the existing shops, which is currently vacant. The section was put up for sale in March 2023.
The eatery, which will have dining tables and a bar, will be on the corner, with the laundromat next to it.
New build planned... The corner site where a new building would provide premises for an eatery and a laundromat
Both premises will have access to East Coast Rd and Stanley Ave.
A neighbouring building has a takeaway, hair salon, pastry shop, and pharmacy.
A 31-dwelling terrace-housing development accessed from East Coast Rd and exiting onto Stanley Ave was built on rear sections near the shops in 2022.
School gets sign off on $300k Aberdeen Rd crossing
A raised crossing will be built on Aberdeen Rd at Campbells Bay Primary School.
The $306,455 project – long sought by the school and supported by police – will go ahead in the 2025-26 financial year, Auckland Transport (AT) has confirmed.
The money is from a discretionary fund that allows local boards to set project priorities. The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board had $556,455 left to allocate from its $1.46 million three-yearly fund. It has backed the Aberdeen Rd crossing and another to be built in Auburn St, Takapuna.
The Auburn St crossing will be near Como St and close to the
entrance to the Auburn Reserve. The estimated cost is $250,000.
At the board’s February meeting, deputy chair Terence Harpur asked AT staff if the Auburn St crossing would be raised and include a pedestrian-refuge island. He was told these points would be confirmed at the design stage before mid-2026.
Member George Wood asked if raised crossings were still on AT’s agenda, after government and mayoral directions on transport priorities.
AT said in some cases, such as at Aberdeen Rd, they remained appropriate, although there had been a move away from building them on arterial roads.
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Bilingual sign will explain reserve’s te reo name Get on the grass
A dual-language sign will be installed at Castor Bay Beach Reserve this year as part of a council parks Māori naming project.
The story behind a te reo name for the reserve given by iwi will be included on the sign.
The news has been welcomed by the Castor Bay Ratepayers and Residents’ Association. Chair Hamish Anderson said: “There’s a rich Māori history in our area and we’re looking forward to learning more about it and the name that will be gifted by mana whenua.”
Nineteen parks in the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area are under consideration for being given a name by appropriate iwi, in the first stage locally of the ‘Te Kete Rukuruku’ programme, under which te reo names are being added to names in English when signage requires an update.
Castor Bay Reserve has been chosen as an “exemplar park”, where a fuller story will be told.
Council programme lead Dawn Bardsley told a board workshop last month that Castor Bay was recommended from four parks under consideration (the others being Milford Beach Reserve, Narrow Neck Reserve and Windsor Reserve in Devonport) because mana whenua were particularly keen to tell the full story there.
Members agreed Castor Bay was a good
The annual Castor Bay ‘Neighbourhood BBQ’ day will be held at the beach reserve on Sunday 16 March. Grab a sausage and sit on the grass to enjoy local musicians, including the North Shore Brass Academy Band, playing from 11am. Native plant and pest control advice will be provided, plus toy play for children, thanks to the Castor Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association and its sponsors.
option and wanted to know the timelines for unveiling the sign.
Then-board chair Toni van Tonder said the selection would dovetail with work the board was doing with the iwi Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki to recognise pre-colonial history, including on the adjacent Rahapora pa site.
Anderson told the Observer he was pleased this appeared to be progressing. “For more than 10 years, we’ve also been advocating for storyboards explaining the Māori history of Rahapora pa.”
At the workshop, Bardsley said Te Kete Rukuruku – which had a slow start after being signed up to in the term of the last board – had made significant progress since mid-2024.
Representatives of various iwi had been agreed, allowing them to agree on the parks
each would name and begin that process.
She was confident a full report of names would be presented to the board for its endorsement mid-year.
A hui would be held before this for iwi to present the names and explain the stories behind them.
Draft signage would also go to the board for review.
The plan is for a small community event to be held at Castor Bay Reserve when the sign is installed, possibly involving schools as well as residents. This will cost $3000 from board funds to be set aside next financial year.
Signage and a final milestone payment to iwi will bring the total to $6900, with those other aspects met from central council’s budget for the programme.
Van Tonder said: “We give money to events all the time and this is a fabulous one – a bit different.”
Member Gavin Busch said he hoped the sign would be beautifully carved, rather than standard issue, saying the photographs at Narrow Neck Beach that told of its World War I history were an example of how information could draw people in.
Bardsley said she would take the signage idea to iwi.
In some other parts of Auckland, QR codes had been added to signs to give more backstory, she said.
Lakefront lifestyle in Takapuna
Candidate keen on local board job
I note the resignation of Toni van Tonder from the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board. I confirm I am available as the next-highest-polling candidate at the last election to fill the vacancy.
I was on the Takapuna Grammar School board for 12 years, and worked as a director in the mental health, aged-care and tourism sectors. I have been briefed regularly by [successful C&R candidates] George Wood and Gavin Busch and am comfortable with get-
ting up to speed. I will ensure that attention is given to local issues such as the Bayswater Marina, drainage, tree management, the Lake Rd review and improved coordination of projects (do it once, do it all).
I note Kaipatiki Local Board have appointed the next-highest-polling candidate in the same circumstances and look forward to working with the board to improve our community.
Mike Single, C&R candidate
Lady Allum demolition ends hopes for windows
Demolition work has now begun at Lady Allum Village for redevelopment. This will include the chapel/function room and removal from the area of some stained-glass windows. (Observer 6 December, 2024).
Over several years a substantial number of residents passionately advocated for this building and the windows to be retained.
Brian Skinner, Lady Allum residents committee chair
New Work and Income office not so handy
With Work and Income going to 41 Barrys Point Rd, the nearest bus stop is on Anzac St, and then the walk to the office entails crossing a number of business driveways including the petrol station entrance.
The current [Lake Rd] office is right by the bus stop and so has seats and shelter for people waiting for it to open.
Seems a very poor move to me.
Jean Wignall
Editor’s note: The Observer asked Work and Income about the convenience of the new location for clients, compared with central Takapuna. It said public transport access was among factors considered in choosing a location. The new site had multiple bus stops nearby, plus dedicated parking, said acting regional commissioner Lynda Smardon.
Roger White Parsons Ph: 021 277 0563 roger@ecoauckland.nz www.ecoauckland.nz
Drama on offer as PumpHouse
You’re never too old to act up – that’s the thinking behind a North Shore drama outreach.
The PumpHouse Theatre is offering to give acting classes at local retirement villages, after a successful pilot programme at Northbridge in Northcote last year.
“Some of them had never acted before, others had done drama in the past,” says PumpHouse manager James Bell.
Residents went on to do a reading of A Christmas Carol and have also been working separately on their own productions.
Northbridge theatre-group organiser Mary Boyd said around 18-20 people participated in the programme. “The main idea is to just have fun.” It also gave participants confidence and new skills.
The Takapuna theatre’s community engagement coordinator, Mags Delaney-Moffatt, who runs the Golden Age Actors programme, is keen to expand it into other local retirement villages this year.
The experienced drama tutor leads four workshops, covering the basics of acting, use of voice, choosing and preparing a script and presenting a reading.
The aim is to promote creativity and connection by encouraging older adults to explore or rediscover their love of the stage
in a supportive group-setting. Residents can tailor the level of activity to suit themselves and can choose to stage their reading among fellow residents or to family and friends. The programme launch was made possible by a grant from the John Stewart Booth Trust, which provides opportunities for elderly people on the North Shore.
A spin-off for the PumpHouse is more community interaction and interests, says Bell. “The drama group from Northbridge have come to see shows at the PumpHouse.”
Depending on the programme’s pick-up from other villages, a joint public performance may be held at the PumpHouse towards the end of the year.
Boyd, who started the Northbridge theatre group with fellow resident Kerr Inkson two years ago, says it meets fortnightly. It was receptive to the PumpHouse’s idea of classes, having previously tapped into other outside expertise.
Boyd has her own long experience in community theatre, including at Mairangi Bay Players and Pilgrim Productions. She is directing a play written by the late Phillipa Lowe, a former group member.
For details of the Golden Age programme email mags@pumphouse.co.nz
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Bird (R16)
Neneh Superstar (M)
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (M) 120min
Captain America: Brave New World (M) 119min
September 5 (M) 95min
Widow Clicquot (M) 90min
Becoming Led Zeppelin (E) 121min
COMING SOON
A reporter with several years’ experience to join the team at the Devonport Flagstaff and Rangitoto Observer fortnightly newspapers.
You will produce general news stories, as well as reporting on sports, arts and local-body politics, writing longer features, taking photos and generating news leads from community contacts.
Excellent opportunities exist to build on these skills to take on an editing, layout and management role.
Send CV and covering letter to Managing Editor, Rob Drent at rob@devonportflagstaff.co.nz
Flowering talent... Northbridge resident Suzanne Bonnington during a rehearsal
seeks to get retirement villages in on the act
Westlake link draws students to Kiwi film
Students from Westlake Girls and Boys High Schools booked out the Takapuna Beach Cinemas for a session to see the film Tinā this week. Around 250 students filled the complex’s four cinemas on Wednesday evening to enjoy the local movie partly inspired by a 2013 performance by the schools’ combined choir, Choralation.
Students of the 2023 and 2024 choirs feature in the soundtrack for the film and performed at its première at the Civic Theatre in Auckland last month.
Cinema owner Shaun Hayward said he had decided to include a clip of Choralation’s 2013 performance at the Big Sing Finale in tandem with all public screenings. The 2013 clip provided inspiration for Tinā director Miki Magasiva.
Tinā has received positive reviews since its opening last week. Hayward said he had had advance bookings already. Magasiva is booked for a director’s Q&A after a screening on Wednesday 12 March
The director drew upon the expertise of choir directors from both Westlake schools, who helped behind the scenes.
Choralation singers can be heard on the soundtrack singing ‘Nearer My God to Thee” and other songs. Around 15 students also had parts as extras.
DIRECTOR’S Q&A SCREENING
Come to a special screening with Director Miki Magasiva on Wednesday 12th March 6.30pm.
Buy your tickets now for a combined movie and Q&A experience.
See the movie, hear the movie, love the movie.
Book tickets through website www.takapunamovies.co.nz
Dramatic action... Members of the Northbridge theatre group (from left) Eila Wilde, Peter Segrove and Angela Bradley at work on a scene
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VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
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premium.co.nz/80680
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST | 24 APRIL 2025 AT 4 PM
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premium.co.nz/80693
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST | 27 MARCH 2025 AT 4 PM
ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94
ALISON PARKER 021 983 533 OFFICE 09 916 6000
TAKAPUNA | 15/258 HURSTMERE ROAD
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premium.co.nz/80682
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST | 19 MARCH 2025 AT 4 PM
